Climate impact on existing snow galleries on the Iron Ore line

Measuring and assessing the impact of changes in snow falls on existing snow galleries between Björkliden and Riksgränsen.

Goal

The scope of this project is to measure and assess the impact of changes in snow falls on existing snow galleries between Björkliden and Riksgränsen.

Project status and results

In recent years, it was noted several partial collapses of the structures. The cause of these events is hypothesised to be related to a combination of factors such as ageing infrastructure, and heavy short-term snowfalls. The later has created concentrations of snow loads more than the limits allowed by existing building codes, therefore exposing potential damage or collapse and likely traffic stops. The plan is to measure the snow loads in discrete points and compare it with existing prescriptions of the current codes, and to use the data to evaluate the impact on the structural behavior. We will pilot a methodology to monitor the snowloads and to alert the owners when it is time to remove it so that traffic interruptions are avoided. The data can be further used to generate predictive models for structural performance by integrating it in a digital twin of the structure. It is foreseen that the measurement method will be available for further use beyond the lifetime of the project, thus contributing to enriching the pool of data required for training AI algorithms. The structural capacity of the snow galleries has been evaluated, and a snow monitoring system was installed at two different locations. Definition of alarm system levels based on the correlation between snow loads measured and structural performance. The development of a digital twin of the snow galleries has started.