Articles and blog posts on infrastructure

These include heavy metals from car washes, pharmaceutical residues from our bodies, and chemicals of varying degrees of toxicity from industrial processes. Society as a whole generates emissions that cause pollution. 'We don't want these substances to enter the treatment plants, and we definitely don't want them to end up in the ground or waterways.' Our goal is to have 100 per cent of sewage sludge approved according to Revaq," says Hanna Widalm, an environmental engineer at Karlstad Municipality.

Sweden's electricity grid faces major challenges in coping with large-scale electrification and the green transition. Weak infrastructure creates problems for businesses, cities, and municipalities that want to grow. The expansion of the grid infrastructure is slow, so what do we do now?

We spend more than 90 percent of our lives indoors. But what if the very buildings designed to protect us are quietly undermining our health? Emerging research, within the field of neuroarchitecture and neurodesig, suggests that certain architectural features – from narrow hallways to windowless rooms – may trigger subtle but chronic stress responses that, over time, could contribute to serious illness.

A groundbreaking index in the emerging field of neurodesign and neuroarchitecture could transform the way we plan and invest in our cities, schools, and workplaces. Drawing on brain science and AI, researchers can now measure how physical environments influence our health, cognition, and overall wellbeing – with the ambition to set a new global standard for the built environments of tomorrow.

Company certification under SBF 1002 for gas extinguishing systems is a vital tool for ensuring quality and competence among companies that install such systems.

Flexible sealants and joint sealants play a crucial role in building and construction projects. They ensure that joints are tight, protect against moisture ingress and maintain the durability of the building over time. The consequences of using a joint sealant with the wrong properties can be enormously costly.

Optimized recipe for good fracture sealing in rock mass to ensure that environmental and maximal water ingress requirements are met.

For several decades, RISE concrete assessors have inspected garages and car parks because they usually receive concrete damages. Most often, the damages are caused by chlorides from thawing salt, which is taken in with the cars during winter time. The chlorides penetrate the concrete and eventually cause the reinforcement to rust.

There are strong economic and environmental reasons to continue to use the existing DH networks in Europe in a reliable and cost-effective way as long as possible. At RISE we have now developed a novel fast, reliable and cost-effective field test method called “PipeOpsy™” – a biopsy for pipes.

DAS is a new technology for using fiber optic cable as a sensor to measure temperature and vibration, e.g., in bedrock or underwater. The technology transforms optical telecom fiber into a long series of fiber optic hydrophones capable with high spatial and temporal resolution along many kilometers of fiber cable.

The climate is changing at an alarming rate, with devastating consequences worldwide. For Venice in Italy, the situation has long been precarious. A too significant rise in sea levels could erase the city from the map.

Wood rotting fungi are efficient degraders of wood-based materials in access to moisture. This service assesses the occurrence and distribution of microbial rot in various materials.

The number of permit applications for offshore wind power along Sweden’s coasts is increasing significantly. Through analyses, test, verification, and consultation, RISE actively supports both wind power operators and authorities.

The energy transition will require huge investments in grids and production over the next few decades. As new stakeholders establish themselves, the existing energy companies need to understand their roles, many of which are new to them. – “As an energy company, we have to be involved in pushing for the construction of new infrastructure,” says Alf Engqvist, CEO of Göteborg Energi.

Permit processes are currently unnecessarily long and inefficient. To both achieve and accelerate the transition to the green transition, permit processes must be more efficient. RISE can, among other things, contribute with expertise in relevant areas of the process and provide legal expertise throughout the process, thus creating the conditions for smooth and efficient permit processes.

Take advantage of experience of failures in your pipe system. Gain knowledge so that you do not repeat old mistakes and use bad design solutions. In addition, you need to know the status of your pipe system, so you can assess when different parts need to be replaced.

Within Pipe Centre a number of services are offered from testing, evaluation, support for certification and problem solving to research- and development related to material, products and their use in pipe systems.

During the biological treatment of organic material, digestion, and when upgrading biogas to vehicle fuel, emissions of methane gas to the atmosphere can occur. Since methane is a powerful greenhouse gas, it is of the utmost importance to reduce these methane emissions. Keywords: biogas, reduction of methane emissions.

RISE perform testing of road equipment, guide posts, sign posts and their materials

Road equipment includes products that are meant to help and protect you and other road users. There is a requirement that lighting columns, road restraint systems, signs, delineator posts and road traffic noise reducing devices are CE-marked in order for the road holder to be able to provide the roads with save and adapted products.

Climate change, digitisation and sustainability: the world is changing rapidly and so must our infrastructure maintenance. The research programme Mistra InfraMaint tries to illustrate this point by offering a glimpse of the future.

How do we utilise and develop existing valuable competences in infrastructure maintenance while simultaneously attracting young people to the sector? The answer may lie in micro-learning and collaboration. The Mistra InfraMaint research programme is focused on the development of professional lifelong learning, among other things through the use of digital tools.

Testing of natural stone, where the mechanical, physical and petrographic characteristics of the stone is determined.

Bresle kit and Breslepatches are available to purchase from RISE or from our retailers around the World.

As infrastructure projects grow in size, higher utilization of the rock material is required to keep building costs down while maintaining security. Dimensioning models and calculation, which can be used, for example in planning require detailed knowledge of rock mechanics and the properties of different rock materials.

Shut-off valves for district heating networks are tested for tightness, strength and opening and closing torque.

The National Laboratory for Length and Dimensional Metrology offers calibration of measuring wheels.

The National Laboratory for Length and Dimensional Metrology offers calibration of both artefacts and instrument. Some examples are stock squares, try squares, carpenter’s squares, squareness standards made of diabase or steel, universal protractors, protractors, digital protractors, water levels and inclinometers.

The National Laboratory for Length and Dimensional Metrology offers calibration of measuring tapes, dipping tapes and PI tapes.

Petrographic analysis of aggregates for use in concrete, roads, and asphalt.

When choosing metallic materials for structures that will be exposed to an aggressive environment, it is important to take into account the corrosion resistance of the metals in the current environment so that the design gets the longest possible life at the lowest total cost.The total cost of construction life includes investment costs, maintenance costs, traffic costs and social costs. When choosing metallic materials, the investment cost is usually in focus as one wants as low cost as possible, but most often one forgets the other costs that can increase sharply due to a wrong choice of material. A poor choice of materials can mean high maintenance costs and this can also mean that tunnels, bridges, roads, railways may have to close, leading to very high traffic costs.

Accredited tests for mechanical, physical, and chemical properties of aggregates and filler for road-, asphalt-, mortar- and concrete purposes according to EN 12620, EN 13043 and EN 13139. We also perform audit inspections in the above-mentioned areas with the Construction Products Regulation, CPR. RISE is a notified body in the area.

This is a method for air analysis where a rain-protected wet textile surface, with a known area, is exposed during a specified time. The amount of chloride deposited is determined by chemical analysis. From the results of this analysis the chloride deposition rate is calculated, expressed in milligrams per square metre per day [mg/(m2.d)].

The Pipe Centre offers a variety of services that range from testing, evaluation and assistance with certification, to troubleshooting and R&D in materials, products and their use in pipe systems.