Adjacent Infrastructure Research Articles

Comfort, convenience and long-term effectiveness. Neighborhood in Ottawa, Canada

The article raises the issue of finding ways to restore and rebuild housing in Ukraine that was destroyed during Russia's full-scale invasion. The experience of housing construction in the second half of the twentieth century in Ukraine indicates significant miscalculations that were made. One of them is the use of monotonous, overly typified urban planning and functional planning techniques that did not take into account the temporal dynamics of the socio-demographic characteristics of the urban community, its stratification by age, family relations, life rhythms, interests, opportunities, etc. At about the same time, other housing was being built in North American cities, which has not lost its relevance to this day, and the organizational and architectural approaches used have proven to be appropriate and effective in long-term use. A detailed analysis of one of the residential districts in Ottawa, Canada, was carried out. Its urban planning, functional planning, and three-dimensional spatial solutions are considered. It was found that the key to the viability and efficiency of this urban formation was, firstly, the existence of a close relationship between the regulatory, socio-economic, territorial and urban planning and other components of the project; secondly, the interest of the construction company in the long-term economic stability of this residential area. The result of this approach was the ability to adapt to new rules and regulations, lifestyles, property status, and ideas about the comfortable stay of people who use this housing. It has been found that a variety of urban planning, architectural and spatial, typological and planning techniques, a change in the number of storeys of buildings, a developed intra-quarter and adjacent infrastructure, landscaping and greening of the territory are prerequisites for creating a quality living environment. The heterogeneity of the urban community brings the need to revise the established urban planning and typological techniques adopted in the Soviet era to the design of housing. It requires a wider application of non-traditional approaches, the involvement of positive foreign experience in the formation of conceptual solutions for residential development, which will allow to more fully meet the needs of residents, in accordance with their capabilities, tastes and preferences in the reconstruction of Ukrainian cities.

Shaking table tests on inclined collapse mechanism of RC frame structures subjected to earthquakes

Inclined collapse of structures under strong earthquakes threatens the adjacent infrastructures. The collapse mode and collapse direction should be considered with caution to curb the secondary disaster in the urban area. However, current studies on the inclined collapse mechanism are predominantly limited to the qualitative and intuitive understanding. To fill this gap, this study presents an insight into the inclined collapse mechanism of the reinforced concrete (RC) frame structures with two typical features subjected to earthquakes, i.e., the structures with slab opening on one side of the first floor and the structures with disparate axial compression ratios of the first story columns on the opposite sides. First, shaking table tests were performed on two 1/10-scale three-story RC frame structure models undergoing inclined collapse. Then the multi-scale finite element models were established, validated against the test results and used for parametric studies. In the parametric studies, two coefficients were considered to describe the typical features of the RC frame structures, i.e., the strong column-weak beam ratio η and differential rate of the axial compression ratios λ. The test and numerical results found that the inclined collapse mechanism was attributed to the different distributions and discrepant resistance deterioration of the plastic hinges among the first story columns of the RC frame structures with the two features. This causes the inconsistent damage levels among the first story columns, the dominant direction of the lateral displacement, and the inclined collapse of the structures. Finally, the collapse mode and collapse direction can be controlled by appropriately adjusting the two coefficients η and λ for the structures with the typical features concerned in this study.

Protection of Buried Pipelines from High-Speed Train Vibrations with Expanded Polystyrene Geofoam

High-speed railway (HSR) lines commonly operate over hundreds of kilometers, crossing several other large-scale infrastructures, such as highways, tunnels, bridges, and pipelines. This fact makes adjacent infrastructure more vulnerable to high-speed train (HST)-induced vibrations; thus, their potential distress should be carefully examined. The current study aims to assess the level of traffic-induced vibrations on the surface of buried pipelines vertically crossing under an HSR line. Firstly, the necessity to reduce high vibration levels is highlighted, utilizing a three-dimensional (3D) finite element model in conjunction with the moving load approach. Subsequently, an efficient mitigation measure is proposed to minimize these vibrations. For this purpose, a low-weight, high-performance geosynthetic fill material, i.e., expanded polystyrene (EPS) geofoam blocks, has been implemented between the HSR line and the buried pipeline to minimize the impact of vibrations. In this manner, HST-induced vibrations are reflected on EPS blocks, preventing them from reaching the pipeline surface. Based on this detailed parametric study, useful conclusions are drawn regarding the mechanical properties and geometry of the EPS protection layer.

The factors that affect constructability in Iraq

Abstract Applying the constructability concept in the construction industry has proven many benefits in different projects; however, this concept still lacks usage in Iraq. Therefore, it is important to encourage usage of the constructability concept in the construction industry in Iraq. The main purpose of this study is to investigate the factors that affect constructability in Iraq and then classify them according to their importance. A total of 37 factors were collected from an intensive literature review, and they were classified under the sub and main categories. A survey was undertaken in two sessions with open questionnaire and close questionnaire. The results were analysed and the mean, standard deviation and Cronbach’s Alpha were obtained. Also, the developed weight was calculated for each alternative factor. The goal of this paper is to define the main factors that have an effect on Iraqi’s constructability project in order to avoid issues in future Iraqi projects. The outcome showed that 34 factors had a major effect on increasing the constructability percentage in construction projects in Iraq. The top-ranking factors were structural frame types, high-strength concrete usage, adjacent infrastructures and adjacent site.

From Closure to Gradual Release: Evidence from the Spatial Evolution and Causal Mechanism of EGS Industry in the Main Town Area of Wuhan, China

With the economic impact and increasing popularity of the electronic gaming industry, EGS (Electronic Gaming Sports) had become an important topic of debate in sports academia regarding its conceptual delineation and attribute characteristics. This paper jumped out of the hotpot academic perspective of the concept, characteristics, and impacts of EGS. In response to the gaps in the spatial development of the EGS industry and the lack of empirical research findings, an interpretive empirical research method was adopted, focusing on Wuhan as the study area to gain insight into the situation where the spatial development of the EGS industry was unclear. The spatial evolution of the EGS industry in the main town area of Wuhan was interpreted through a quantitative approach and based on the spatial data of EGS companies from 2006 to 2022 using Average Nearest Neighbor (ANN), Kernel Density Estimation (KDE), and Ordinary Kriging (OK) of geospatial analysis. The results indicated closure to the gradual release of the EGS industry, with specific findings as follows. (1) The EGS industry in the main town area of Wuhan from 2006 to 2022 developed rapidly, and the overall spatial distribution showed a process from discrete to cluster, accompanied by an apparent deepening of aggregation in recent years. The local aggregation of the EGS industry transformed from dual to multiple cores, and the multiple cores formed stronger groups of aggregation as the cluster spread and merged. (2) The spatial interpolation of the registered capital of companies predicted the hot spot of high- capital distribution of EGS companies in the Optics Valley vice town area of Hongshan to the southeast, indicating that more competitive EGS companies and larger EGS industry groups might emerge in Optics Valley in the future. (3) The spatial evolution of the EGS industry in the main town area of Wuhan could be divided into an early start phase from 2006-2010, a rapid development phase from 2010-2014, an aggregate explosion phase from 2014-2018, and a cluster integration phase from 2018-2022. (4) The spatial evolution of the EGS industry was influenced not only by the main factors of industrial economic agglomeration, industrial chain derivation, and industrial policy environment but also by the other factors of land and talent market, adjacent infrastructure support, city industrial promotion, and globalization dissemination. The future development of the EGS industry could be guided by the government's industrial policies, supported by high-quality talent teams, and driven by local promotion and international communication to provide an essential impetus for the optimal EGS industry.

An approach to preventing vehicular ad-hoc networks from malicious nodes based on blockchain

This study presents a revolutionary blockchain-based security mechanism that authenticates vehicles and instantly alerts other vehicles to unlawful messages. Access should only be allowed to authenticated vehicles in order to increase the network security, and access should be restricted or revoked for any vehicles that exhibit inappropriate behaviour. Vehicles linked to the Vehicular Ad Hoc Network (VANET) can share data and take immediate action with the help of adjacent infrastructure devices, like streetlights and traffic signals, as well as with one another. In order to maintain efficiency and safety, an intelligent transportation system depends on the flow of information between vehicles. Intelligent vehicles are vulnerable to hacking attacks because they have numerous technical flaws. A proposed security scheme identifies malicious nodes and detects forged messages, based on multiple factors like sender reputation, time and distance effectiveness. This is accomplished by employing environmental sensory data and authenticating the packets, allowing a vehicle to add numerous blocks to the blockchain. Research has been conducted on the bases of safety protection for vehicle systems as a result of security concerns. When the proposed approach is tested on different vehicle and attacker densities, the results indicate that it has a lower authentication delay and higher communication overhead than the other existing approaches. This study explored various threats from malicious nodes and the techniques in which our proposed methodology handles such attacks.

Framework for extracting rails and setting-out railway line axis based on UAV photogrammetric measurements

ABSTRACT Technical diagnostics enables assessing the current technical condition of a railway line and adjacent infrastructure, and forecasting its changes over a specific time horizon. One of its elements is the periodic monitoring of rail position and their geometry. This article presents a new framework for the setting-out of a railway track axis. The process presented in the manuscript is based on the specific filtration and extraction of rails from a point cloud originating from the photogrammetric process. Data was acquired using a small unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). A railway track axis setting-out using the process described herein was related to dynamic satellite track measurement. An average accuracy achieved in the horizontal plane is 1.6 cm which corresponds to the accuracy of the source photogrammetric product. The achieved accuracy enables using this method to be suitable for technical track monitoring, geoinformation, and cartographic work.

Slope Mass Rating (SMR) Classification for Rock Slope Stability and Geohazard Vulnerability Assessment

Quantitative classification from the Slope Mass Rating (SMR) has introduced an empirical assessment for rock slope stability rating. This stability classification enables us to foreseethe magnitude and susceptibility of rock mass failure towards adjacent infrastructure and human life. In this study, the stability of quarry rock slope was classified using SMR classification system and kinematic stability analysis before being correlatedwith geohazard vulnerability assessment. Geological formation study with site geographical survey from aerial photogrammetry technique provided comprehensive data for the study area. Fieldwork to evaluate the SMR assessment parameters was conducted by discontinuity mapping using scanline method. In-situ evaluation of rock mass such as rebound surface hardness and discontinuity characterization was carried out with rock material sampling for laboratory testing. Kinematic stability analysis presented an estimation for the direction and mode of rock slope failure. The SMR classification that constitutes geomechanics attributes had introduced the global stability rating of rock mass structure, thus facilitating the prediction of potential failure magnitude. Hence, the integration of these stability indications provides sufficient empiricalestimation for geohazard vulnerability zoning for the studied area.

Three-Dimensional Probabilistic Analysis of the Surface Settlement Based on Spatial Variability of Soil Properties: Case Study Zarbalizadeh NATM Tunnel

The design and construction of a tunnel in urban areas need special considerations. Usually, the excessive settlement caused by tunnelling during the construction process damages the adjacent infrastructures and utilities, especially if the tunnel is excavated by the new Austrian tunnelling method (NATM). Thus, it is important to make accurate predictions and effective control on tunnelling-induced settlement. In this study, the soil’s Young’s modulus was modelled using a three-dimensional random field and coupled with a finite difference method (FDM) analysis to reveal the scale of fluctuations (SOF) effects on the maximum surface settlement (Smax). The Fourier series method is employed to generate the field of Young’s modulus for soil, and sensitivity studies are further performed via Monte-Carlo simulations (MCS). The results demonstrate that the mean value of Smax increased from 28 to 31 mm and its coefficient of variation (COV) increased from 0.02 to 0.35, with an increasing horizontal SOF but both stabilize at higher values of SOF. Furthermore, the probability of failure increases as the COV increases for each allowable limit greater than the verification FDM of Smax. It is observed that ignoring the spatial variability of the soil properties leads to an underestimate of excessive surface settlement risk.

Recycled concrete aggregates are an economic form of urban riparian erosion management with limited impacts on freshwater chemistry and microbial diversity

Urban streams are at high risk of riparian erosion which impacts adjacent infrastructure stability. Methods to prevent stream erosion have been proposed including using recycled concrete (RC) materials to help stabilize the streambed; however, little is known about the environmental and biological impacts of using RC in urban streams. RC, new concrete (NC), and river rock controls were evaluated for their impact on water chemistry, water quality, and microbial community composition over 6.5 months in controlled laboratory mesocosms. Concentrations of 19 metals, nutrients, and pH of mesocosms containing RC were not significantly different from the river rock mesocosm throughout the experiment; however, NC mesocosms contained significantly higher (p < 0.05) concentrations of Co, As, Al, and V in mesocosm water samples compared to both RC and the river rock control. Microbial community diversity was not significantly impacted by mesocosm treatment. Microbial sequences mapping to taxa including Rhodoferax, Acidovorax, Nitrosomonas, and Novosphingobium were significantly more abundant (p < 0.01) in RC and NC mesocosm samples; however, the overall microbial community structure was similar across treatment types. Results from this study suggest that RC does not significantly alter the stream environment including microbial community diversity and is a viable option for use in stream restoration projects.

Semi‐automated hydraulic model wrapper to support stakeholder evaluation: A floodplain reconnection study using 2D hydrologic engineering center's river analysis system

AbstractFloodplain reconnection projects are largely nature‐based solutions that have great potential to restore channel stability, attenuate stormwater, improve flood resilience, and improve water quality. The suite of possible restoration options for a given study area must consider the multiple uses and functions of river corridors, along with the potential impacts and benefits to adjacent infrastructure. Therefore, decision‐support frameworks designed to help stakeholders compare floodplain reconnection scenarios to best meet site‐specific design objectives are needed. A River Scenario Evaluation Tool (RiverSET) was designed in Python as a wrapper around a two‐dimensional hydraulic model (2D Hydrologic Engineering Center's River Analysis System, 2D HEC‐RAS) to guide an alternative analysis of various floodplain reconnection techniques. RiverSET runs each reconnection scenario in sequence and extracts the values needed to evaluate scenarios at user‐defined regions of interest. The results of these evaluation parameters (depth, duration, stream power, percent time inundated, and velocity) are compiled and displayed for review and synthesis. RiverSET's utility is demonstrated here through a case study on the Black Creek in Vermont, United States, involving five floodplain reconnection scenarios and a variety of stakeholders.

Erratum for “Excavation Support System Design Method to Limit Damage in Adjacent Infrastructure” by Jorge Romana Giraldo and L. Sebastian Bryson

Erratum for “Excavation Support System Design Method to Limit Damage in Adjacent Infrastructure” by Jorge Romana Giraldo and L. Sebastian Bryson

Excavation Support System Design Method to Limit Damage in Adjacent Infrastructure

AbstractA major concern for urban construction projects involving deep excavations is the impact of excavation-related ground movements on adjacent buildings and utilities. Consequently, stiff exca...

Experience from short-and long-term performance of deep excavations in soft sensitive clays

Design of excavations and permanent underground structures requires accurate predictions of e.g. deformations and earth pressures for both the short-and long-term. As excavation depths increase and/or the proximity to adjacent infrastructure decreases, there is a need to improve and develop existing design methods and validate numerical models. The first part of this paper revisits the measurement data from a previous excavation, the Göta Tunnel in Gothenburg, Sweden, in order to benchmark a contemporary constitutive soil model, called Creep-SCLAY1S. This study looks into time series including e.g. final dewatering of the excavation, followed by the development of pore water pressures, earth pressures and deformations over time (until 2 years after excavation). The model predictions are in general in good agreement with the measurement data up to final dewatering. However, installation effects due to drilling are believed to have caused continued deformations which are difficult to capture in the numerical model. Part two of the paper presents details of a recently instrumented excavation in soft clay in Central Gothenburg. The measurement data comprises e.g. pore water pressures, deformations as well as vertical and horizontal earth pressures at three locations under the permanent structure. Continued long-term measurements are planned and the existing and future data are believed to provide valuable insights on the development of the stress state and earth pressures under permanent structures in soft clay.

The Effects of Anchor Configurations and Field Characteristics on Anchored Diaphragm Walls

Diaphragm walls are the ideal solution for productive utilisation of underground space to meet modern-day demands of infrastructural developments. Selection of appropriate wall and support configurations has substantial impact on economy, time and performance of diaphragm wall projects. Unsatisfactory implementation of such retaining systems during or after construction may cause heavy causalities such as loss of life and damage to adjacent infrastructures. Practical significance of excavation induced deformations is large due to its potential damage to adjacent structures. Hence, reliable estimates of excavation related responses are vital for construction and implementation of embedded diaphragm walls. This paper presents results of parametric analysis performed on anchored diaphragm walls evaluating the effects of anchor configurations and field characteristics. Numerical studies are carried out to comprehend the influence of factors like ground conditions, excavation geometry and anchor characteristics. Walls embedded in cohesive and non-cohesive soils with varying ground water locations are considered for analysis. Anchor features including length, inclination and axial prestress are varied in combination with the above parameters. The effects of these factors and their combined influence on the deformation, flexural strength and axial capacity of diaphragm walls are determined and evaluated. Numerical analyses are carried out using finite element simulations with Plaxis 2d. Comparative charts are drawn to demonstrate the variations of wall responses with different combinations of influencing factors. Optimal configurations of diaphragm wall and anchor system for different ground conditions can be perceived from the result charts.

To the determination of the capacity descheduling coefficients of railway sections

The article investigates factors arising from the use topology of the railway network and affecting the calculation and of new technologies for organizing train operation, features of the use of the available capacity of railway sections. Based on the result generalization of such actions as mass analytical calculations in the automated development of data sheets for the available capacity of the Russian Railways network, analysis of standard train schedules and building of experimental traffic schedules, it has been established that when calculating the capacity of sections with an unparalleled train schedule and sections with an intensive suburban and suburban-urban traffic one should take into account the need to ensure the continuity of trains of different categories between service stops, the mutual arrangement of trains in the clock schedule and on adjacent sections. Authors carried out an evaluation of the influence of various topology options of calculated sections on its capacity. Recommendations are given for changing the criteria for dividing railway lines into calculated sections: separately for calculating the capacity and separately for calculating the capacity descheduling coefficients. The influence of adjacent infrastructure elements on the loss of available capacity is considered when it is impossible to synchronize approaching trains with periods of free runs and station elements for its passage; recommendations are formulated for its calculation experimentally — by building intensive train schedules or simulation modelling. The calculation formulas have been developed for the train descheduling coefficients when using the clock schedule in various types of passenger traffic and the impact of the considered types of traffic on the schedule exception of the available capacity have been assessed. The research results are intended for use in regulatory and methodological documents and automated systems for calculating, analyzing the use and justifying the development of throughput and carrying capacity of railways.

Capacity Analysis for Cooperative Vehicular Networks with Different Fading Channels

The cooperative vehicular networks (CVNs) enable vehicles to obtain information of remote infrastructures through cooperative vehicles. Nevertheless, the tradeoff between the cooperative vehicular ratio and transmission capacity of CVN is a challenge. In this paper, an analytical framework is developed to study the impacts of cooperation, interference and channel fading on the system capacity. Moreover, based on the proposed analytical framework, a closed-form expression is derived to reveal the relationship between transmission capacity and other network parameters, such as outage probability, vehicular density and adjacent infrastructures distance. Numerical results show that an optimal cooperative vehicular ratio leads to the maximum capacity. The results can also provide a preferable guidance for the design of CVNs.

Probabilistic modeling of disrupted infrastructures due to fallen trees subjected to extreme winds in urban community

Tree failures due to strong winds in urban areas cause extensive direct and indirect economic and environmental loss, including disrupting adjacent infrastructures, such as buildings, underground pipelines, roads and overhead powerlines. To effectively improve the resilience of a community subjected to extreme wind events through prevention, response and recovery, it becomes critical to rationally assess the risks of wind-induced tree failures and the disruptions to different types of infrastructures due to fallen trees. An integrated probabilistic methodology to model the performance of disrupted infrastructures is developed for fallen urban trees subjected to extreme winds in a typical community. Firstly, the finite element modeling of the trees subjected to wind loads is conducted and based on which the windthrow fragility curves of several typical urban tree species are developed. Secondly, a probabilistic framework is developed based on the fragility results to characterize the disrupted scenarios and further predict the disruption probability of some critical infrastructures due to fallen trees. The matrix-based system reliability (MSR) method is introduced to assess the transportation network performance. The proposed framework and MSR method are demonstrated in detail on studying the overhead powerline and transportation network of a small urban community in the city of Fort Collins, Colorado. In the demonstrative example, the probabilities of powerline disruption, road closure, and origin–destination disconnection and travel time reliability under different wind conditions are predicted. Finally, mitigation efforts such as crown thinning of trees are discussed to reduce possible risks of disrupting the infrastructures.

If You Build It, Will They Come? Exploring Narratives That Shape the Internet in Nepal

Nepali information and communication technology (ICT) policies, informed by dominant international discourses on internet and ICT for development, have attributed a ‘self-evident’ positive impact to economic growth. Such a conception is inconclusive and hides the underlying socioeconomic inequalities and the barriers they oppose to universal connectivity ambitions. The self-evident discourse overlooks the importance of adjacent infrastructures like electricity, critical for efficient functioning of a ‘digital society’. History has shown Nepal’s eagerness to buy the irrational exuberance of the dot-com era. It also shows policy targets were not based on local evidence and experiences. While the question about when the next bubble will emerge and burst is debatable, the techno-deterministic arguments need to be checked in light of evidence. We offer insights from import trajectories since the drafting of the first IT policy. The proliferation of mobile phones is explored in light of data consumption (i.e., usage) and access during the deadly earthquake in 2015. The evidence clearly highlights the mismatch between connectivity ambitions and socioeconomic realities in a stratified information society. We contend that the self-evident visions of connectivity need to be checked empirically. We call for internet and ICT policies that have a nuanced conceptualisation of access and its gradation.

Morphological evolution of a mud-capped dredge pit on the Louisiana shelf: Nonlinear infilling and continuing consolidation

Buried sandy paleo-river channels on the continental shelf can be accessed through dredging for the restoration of beaches and barrier islands which are under the threat of land loss and rising sea levels. However, our knowledge on post-dredging evolution of paleo-river channels is still very limited. In this study we focus on infilling rate, sediment acoustic characteristics, slope change and surficial morphology, all of which have implications for the management of seafloor oil and gas infrastructure. Bathymetric data collected during nine bathymetric surveys over 13 years were used to study the long-term changes of the Peveto Channel dredge pit, which is ~5 km offshore of Holly Beach in western Louisiana, USA. This pit was constructed in 2003 and was completely infilled in or before 2016. Initial pit infilling rates began at 214 cm/year from 2003 to 2004 and then rapidly decreased to an average rate of only 33 cm/year from 2006 to 2016. This corresponds volumetrically to 418,753 and 80,816 m3/year for the same intervals. Pit wall margins displayed small lateral migration, moving <30 m outwards over 13 years, posing minimal threat to adjacent infrastructure. After complete infilling, numerous small mounds were found on 2016 bathymetry, morphologically resembling ‘mud volcanoes’ that have been reported on deltas, continental shelves and slopes around the world. Newly deposited sediment on seafloor surface had a reflectivity lower than the ambient seafloor environment. Massive amounts of sediments were transported to the pit despite no proximity to direct riverine inputs, making the pit act as an efficient sediment trap. Inferred depth-integrated lateral sediment transport rates were 9.91–12.73 g/m/s. Despite the fact that Peveto Channel pit was filled up, consolidation continues and the filled sediment surface hasn't reach a condition in equilibrium with ambient seafloor yet. Our results highlight the continuing dewatering and long consolidation processes at the pit site even after a complete infilling.