Engineering Infrastructure Research Articles

Editorial for Special Issue Cement and Construction Materials

Cement-based materials have always been the main choice for the construction of civil engineering infrastructures [...]

Quasi‐Static Mechanical Properties of a Modified Auxetic Re‐Entrant Honeycomb Metamaterial

Auxetic metamaterials possess superior properties and have drawn extensive attention in the past decades. Herein, two curved ribs are added to the conventional re‐entrant (CRE) honeycomb structure to form a modified auxetic re‐entrant (MRE) honeycomb structure for improving the energy absorption capacity of the structure. In‐plane quasi‐static compression response of the honeycomb in large deformation is numerically explored first. Then, quasi‐static compression test is conducted to verify the validity of the numerical simulation. Both experimental and numerical simulation results reveal that during the quasi‐static compression process, two plateau stresses occur in the load–displacement curves of the structure, and the second plateau stress is much higher than the first one. The occurrence time of the second plateau stress can be controlled by the distance between the concave curved ribs in the structure. The experimental results are in good agreement with the finite element analysis results. Due to their desirable mechanical properties, the MRE honeycomb structures have great potential for applications in civil engineering, vehicle crashworthiness, and protective infrastructure.

Mechanical characterization of a novel thickness gradient auxetic tubular structure under inclined load

A novel gradient auxetic tube is proposed, which is characterized by a gradual change in cross-section from top to bottom. Based on a verified numerical model, the mechanical properties of gradient auxetic tubular structure and traditional auxetic tubular structure under axial and inclined loads are analyzed through the finite element method. The results show that gradient auxetic tubular structures have higher overall stability, higher energy absorption and higher specific energy absorption under inclined loads. When the difference of wall thickness between the upper and lower sections of the gradient auxetic tubular structure is larger, the advantages of high energy absorption and specific energy absorption would be more prominent. Due to their excellent energy absorption properties, thickness gradient auxetic tubular structures have great potential for applications in civil engineering, vehicle crashworthiness and protective infrastructure.

Understanding Sediment Dynamics at a Shipwreck Site Using CFD Modelling

Shipwrecks are important cultural heritage sites offshore. In many instances, given their often long-term emplacement on the seafloor, they offer natural laboratories to study complex interactions between human-induced obstacles and seabed dynamics. Such interactions and induced sediment mobility also pose significant threats to offshore engineering infrastructure, such as turbine monopile foundations. Traditional methods can struggle to capture the nuance of these processes, with real-world surveys measuring effects only after installation, and laboratory models suffering from scale-down inaccuracies. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modelling offers an effective means of investigating the effects of obstacles on seabed dynamics, and by using shipwrecks as proxies for infrastructure, it can utilize long-term datasets to verify its predictions. In this study, high-resolution temporal bathymetric data were used in, and to verify, CFD modelling to investigate the interactions between hydro- and sediment dynamics at a shipwreck site in a tidally dominated wreck site. From this comparison, simulations of bed shear stress and scalar transport correlate well with known areas of erosion and deposition, serving as a basis for future scour prediction studies and creating effective tools in offshore renewable infrastructure planning and de-risking.

Review of the Utilization of Plastic Wastes as a Resource Material in Civil Engineering Infrastructure Applications

The world is being burdened with excessive usage and indiscriminate dumping of plastic waste. The world presently produces nearly 400 million tons of plastic every year: less than 10% is recycled, 8% is incinerated, and the rest is dumped in landfills. The reduction of plastic has become a significant challenge due to the lower degradation rate. A substantial amount of this waste turns out to be litter in the oceans or landfills due to limited recycling or reuse in an environmentally friendly way. Compared with incineration and landfilling processes, recycling plastic waste is more productive. Hence, the utilization of plastic waste in civil engineering applications is found to have the maximum potential for consumption in bulk quantities, which can also help in minimizing disposal issues. This article reviews the characteristic properties of waste plastic and its utilization in civil engineering applications, specifically in bricks, blocks, road embankment, pavement layers, plastic aggregates, and voided slabs, which are systematically comprehended with various international standards. The use of waste plastic either retained or slightly improved the properties of the materials to which it is added. The paper also discusses the leaching properties of different kinds of plastic waste; their limitations along with probable opportunities associated with plastic waste utilization.

Analytical Solutions for Thermomechanical Soil–Structure Interaction in Single Semifloating Energy Piles Embedded in a Layered Soil Profile

Analytical solutions for axial displacement, strain, and stress in a single semifloating energy pile embedded in a layered soil profile subjected to thermal and mechanical loads were derived. An analytical solution for the location of zero displacement, also known as a null point, was derived for a pile subjected to thermal load. It was shown that the location of the thermal null point corresponds to the location of the maximum magnitude of thermal axial stress. It also was shown that the location of the null point moves toward the pile tip as the stiffness of the bedrock below the pile tip increases. The analytical solutions were validated against in situ full-scale energy pile tests. The solutions along with the validation process delineated the load transfer mechanism in energy piles subjected to thermal, mechanical and combined thermomechanical loads embedded in a four-layer soil profile. Flowcharts delineating the procedures for obtaining the analytical solutions for a single energy pile embedded in an arbitrary number of layers, and subjected to thermal and mechanical loads are provided. Although the continuity of stresses and displacements at the interface of different soil layers is maintained, displacement, strain, and stress diagrams exhibit a lack of smoothness, the amount of which depends on the difference in the stiffness of these layers. In summary, the presented solutions provide a rational, mechanics-based framework for advancing the understanding of thermomechanical response of energy piles that not only is essential for analysis and design, but ultimately contributes to a wider use of energy piles and increased sustainability of civil engineering infrastructure.

ON THE MEANING OF THE FEDERAL LAW «ON THE PUBLIC NOT-FOR-PROFIT COMPANY "ROSKADASTR"» IN IMPLEMENTING THE AGREEMENTS ON INTEGRATED DEVELOPMENT OF TERRITORIES

The relevance of the topic is due to the goals and objectives of a new urban planning policy aimed at solving the problem of affordable housing by moving from "infill construction" to the implementation of agreements on integrated development of the territory, enabling not only to construct new residential quarters, but to create all the necessary complex elements of engineering and social infrastructure as well. Its legal basis was adoption on December 30 , 2020 of the Federal Law "On Amendments to the Urban Planning Code of the Russian Federation and Certain Legislative Acts of the Russian Federation in order to Ensure the Integrated Development of Territories", which entered civil circulation as the "Law on All-Russian Renovation". In order to develop its provisions and ensure the implementation of a "single window" principle, the Federal Law "On the Public Not-For-Profit Company Roskadastr" created an enlarged company that combined the functions of four previously disparate departments. The purpose of the study is basing on the analysis of the main provisions of the Federal Law "On the Public Not-For-Profit Company Roskadastr" to substantiate its importance for implementing the mechanism of integrated development of territories. The methodological basis was made up of a complex of general scientific, special scientific and special legal research methods, including dialectical approach, systematic, logical methods, formal legal one, etc. In the article the author reveals the positive effect of creating the public not-for-profit company "Roskadastr" and enters into a polemic on certain issues that cause criticism in the professional environment. Centralization of functions that previously existed separately in one institution, as well as geodetic, cartographic, legal, cost and other information about real estate objects necessary to implement the agreements on integrated development of the territory, improves the principle of a "single window", ensures a balance of public and private interests in solving socially significant tasks in the housing and construction sector.

Cumulative ecosystem response to Hydraulic Engineering Infrastructure Projects in an arid basin

Hydraulic Engineering Infrastructure Projects (HEIPs) typically show profound effects on hydrological systems and ecosystems. However, data restrictions have limited the exploration of the influences of compound HEIPs on ecosystems to a few studies. This study proposes a watershed-wide ecosystem assessment framework to investigate the impact of HEIPs in the Tarim River Headwaters-Hotan River Basin on the ecosystem of the arid zone. The framework includes a deep learning-meta cellular automata algorithm (DLMCAA) based on the spatiotemporal characteristics of HEIPs and hydro-meteorological and human activities. Moreover, the spatiotemporal relationships between compound HEIPs and ecosystem variances were quantified. The framework including DLMCAA showed a good performance in simulating landcover in 2020, with a Kappa coefficient of 0.89. Therefore, the DLMCAA could be used to simulate and predict ecosystem changes under the HEIPs, which suggested that the framework is effective and practical. An analysis of the spatiotemporal distribution of each ecosystem from 1980 to 2020 showed that the low shrub ecosystems changed most significantly (26.38 %) between 1980 and 2020. Also, the use of spatially driven hydrological project data from different ABC scenarios showed that ecosystems driven by HEIPs were more stable compared to those without HEIPs under future climate change. In particular, the DLMCAA indicated that compound HEIPs had a more positive impact on ecosystem oases in arid lands compared with that of single HEIPs. The results of this study can serve as a scientific reference for assessing the impact of HEIPs, as well as for understanding ecosystem changes and facilitating sustainable water resource management in the arid regions.

Technical specifications to meet the requirements of an Automatic Code Compliance Checking tool and current developments in infrastructure construction

Building Information Modeling has revolutionized the construction industry by, for example, contributing to the automation of different activities related to the design, planning, and construction of civil works. Tasks such as the review of construction-related codes and regulations, which today still require a great deal of human effort, have begun to be automated through the development of digital applications and tools, thus resulting in the BIM use case Automated Code Compliance Checking (ACCC). So far, however, the research and development around this topic have been focused mainly on the building area, leaving a gap for the infrastructure sector. With this article, the authors intend to contribute to closing this gap, by providing an overview of the current state of development of ACCC tools in infrastructure construction. This overview supports the identification of challenges and requirements for the development of such tools, which are also discussed in detail in the current work. Finally, the author's considerations regarding the formalization and structuring of the engineering knowledge and infrastructure data required for the development of ACCC tools, as well as its mapping in a graph database, which allows access to all the necessary and relevant information for the code checking process, are presented. The result of the research carried out is the detailed structuring of the regulations and their rules from infrastructure construction and the possible modeling implementation in a graph database. In practice, this should help the leading software manufacturers in cooperation with infrastructure engineers, to develop a full-fledged ACCC tool.

THEORETICAL AND PRACTICAL ASPECTS OF THE USE OF MODULAR SYSTEMS, ON THE EXAMPLE OF SEA CONTAINERS, FOR AGROECOTOURIST COMPLEXES

An important characteristic of buildings made of modular systems, such as containers, is the possibility of their use both individually and in various quantitative and combinatorial combinations, forming the buildings necessary for exposure and maintenance. For natural reasons, agroecotourism facilities are located far from places with developed construction infrastructure and main engineering support networks. This greatly complicates the construction of buildings and structures corresponding to the specifics of the activity. Objectively, there are no opportunities for the industrialization of construction. Extensive world experience shows the availability of such opportunities. Possible options for the layout of objects are discussed in the article.

Framing the Use of Climate Model Projections in Infrastructure Engineering: Practices, Uncertainties, and Recommendations

Framing the Use of Climate Model Projections in Infrastructure Engineering: Practices, Uncertainties, and Recommendations

Experimental and numerical investigation of tensile behaviour of glass textile-reinforced concrete composite

Textile-reinforced concrete (TRC) composite is increasingly used in infrastructure engineering. In the case of reinforcing/strengthening degraded structures, this composite material ensures more sustainable and environmentally friendly development criteria than fibre-reinforced polymer (FRP) composite materials. This paper presents experimental and numerical results of the tensile behaviour of glass textile-reinforced concrete. Glass textile and fine-grained concrete were tested separately to identify the tensile or compressive strengths and Young’s modulus. These mechanical characteristics were also used as the input parameters for the finite element model to predict the tensile behaviour of glass TRC samples. This model was based on the cracking failure model for fine-grained concrete and the linear elastic model for the glass textile. The numerical model results were compared with the experiment obtained from the TRC samples. Experimental results and the numerical model were analyzed and discussed to find the agreement of the numerical model.

Комплексний план просторового розвитку територіальних громад – завдання та шляхи вирішення

The purpose of the proposed study is to substantiate a comprehensive plan for spatial development of territories (hereinafter CPSD), the tasks to be solved in territorial communities. Considering the decentralization in the country, the newly formed communities faced problems with the land use, namely the data of the state land cadastre, as additional areas were transferred to the communities from state ownership. There was also a problem with the visual planning materials of the community territory, which would contain all the information (completeness of data) about buildings, structures, utilities, restrictions on the land use, all the qualitative characteristics of soils and assessment. It is important to combine the land management and urban planning documentation into one whole, which will contribute to the full updating of information and its objectivity and clarity with the support of geographic information systems. Method. Since the beginning of its formation as an independent state, Ukraine has been carrying out reforms, including land reforms. The creation of territorial communities requires new planning materials with the administrative boundaries of territorial communities, qualitative and quantitative indicators of land, engineering infrastructure, types of land, buildings and structures. A comprehensive plan for the spatial development of territories should, in the correct and logical sequence, create a system designed to quickly solve the problems of the population, with the main goal to further integrate into a single system of public services not only on the land and urban planning, but also the other areas of infrastructure (health care, landscaping, engineering and transport, preservation of the cultural heritage). Results. The purpose of development of CPSD is established. The main ways to ensure the land management in newly created communities through the development of a comprehensive plan for spatial development of territories are considered. A number of important preconditions for the use of territories in the period of the initial introduction of the territorial spatial planning on the newly created communities has been identified. Scientific novelty and practical significance. Implementing the development of CPSD of the territories in each territorial community will ensure holistic and balanced development not only of solvent settlements in the community, but also throughout the whole community territory, where there is not only a balanced distribution of state, local and public interests, but also integrated community development. The types of documentation developed for each territorial community and the sequence of their formation on the basis of the principles of unity, accessibility and objectivity are also identified.

Vehicle based system for continuous non-contact surface wave testing of pavements in 50 km/h

Non-destructive seismic surface wave measurements can be used for quality control of civil engineering infrastructures such as pavements and bridges. The seismic wave speed is directly linked to the dynamic E-modulus of asphalt concrete providing valuable information for quality control of both old and new structures. Non-destructive pavement testing is here demonstrated using a vehicle based system for continuous non-contact surface wave testing of pavements in about 50 km/h. A 48-channel air-coupled microphone array is mounted on the tow bar of a normal car along with a surface temperature IR sensor and GPS. Two metal heads on plastic strips are bouncing on the surface while driving producing high frequency (5-40 kHz) seismic waves in the asphalt concrete. Results demonstrate that the system can record continuous repeatable surface wave measurements with about two measurement points per meter while driving in a speed of 50 km/h. This measurement system opens up the possibility to perform faster and more economically efficient automated measurements with minimal disruption of traffic.

A cross validation‐Voronoi and entropy based adaptive sampling strategy for uncertainty quantification through hybrid simulation

AbstractIntensive and complex engineering models drive the need for computational affordability and accuracy. To obtain more accurate prediction, an effective sampling method is proposed and evaluated in this study by integrating CV (cross validation)‐Voronoi (CV‐V) and entropy (EP) strategies. The new CVV (CV‐V) ‐DEP (Distance and EP) method uses CV‐V to divide the sample space into Voronoi units and selects the unit with largest error. The candidate sample point with the largest EP and distance values in the selected unit is then selected. To verify the efficacy of the proposed method, CVV‐DEP is first compared with traditional CV‐V and CVV‐EP (CV‐V and EP) strategies for six nonlinear functions. Computational simulations are further conducted using the proposed method for uncertainty quantification through hybrid simulation of two different nonlinear systems. The proposed method is demonstrated to provide great potential for uncertainty quantification of civil engineering infrastructures through hybrid simulation.

Performance of Ferroelectric Materials in the Construction of Smart Manufacturing for the New Infrastructure of Smart Cities

Smart city construction is the inevitable product of scientific development and transformation of life by building digital cities, building the Internet of Things, and making city management systems simple and intelligent through cloud computing. Smart city is a new generation information technology. Make full use of the advanced form of urban informatization based on the next generation innovation of knowledge society in all walks of life in the city. Cloud computing is a new network application concept. The core concept of cloud computing is to take the Internet as the center, and provide fast and secure cloud computing services and data storage on the website, so that everyone who uses the Internet can use the huge computing resources and data center on the network. The role of smart city engineering infrastructure is to build the infrastructure of this platform, so that smart cities can operate effectively, such as deformation test of ferroelectric materials, particle suitability analysis of ferroelectric materials, etc., This research is oriented to the intelligent manufacturing of new infrastructures in smart cities and analyzes the performance of ferroelectric materials in construction, aiming to better grasp the performance of ferroelectric materials and provide constructive suggestions for smart manufacturing in smart cities. The article first understands and states the related concepts, related construction requirements, development status and problems that need to be solved for smart city smart manufacturing by consulting relevant materials; then, it discusses the ferroelectric materials involved in the construction, analyzes the data of piezoelectric properties, etc., which will help to give more clear guidance on the process of tooling design; finally, the application link of ferroelectric materials is tested, and the deformation of ferroelectric materials and this premise are discussed on the problem of intelligent manufacturing efficiency and intelligent manufacturing efficiency. The experimental results show that the maximum value in the group of smart manufacturing benefits is 559.37; the maximum value between groups is 172.35. For efficiency of smart manufacturing, the maximum value between groups reaches 187.07; the maximum value in groups is 286.35. Whether it is a significant analysis of smart manufacturing benefits or smart manufacturing efficiency, the experimental results are quite impressive.

Saturation characteristics during horizontal-layered electrolysis desaturation of calcareous sand

Calcareous sand, a special geotechnical material for foundations of ocean engineering infrastructure, experiences different types of significant dynamic loads and are sensitive to seismic liquefaction. Desaturation is one of novel methods to treat liquefiable sand. In this research, a self-developed desaturation test device was used to evaluate the desaturation of calcareous sandy foundation throughout electrolysis. Different positions of the electrode in the calcareous sand and current intensities of electrolysis were taken into account and their drainage of pore water were recorded during electrolysis. Afterwards, a CT-validated two-phase flow numerical model was introduced for simulation of electrolysis process, which makes an explanation for the experimental phenomenon. The evolution and characteristics of the desaturated region during whole process of electrolysis were discussed in detail according to the numerical simulation for a real liquefiable calcareous sandy foundation. The evaluation indexes of desaturation during electrolysis, which were estimated by hyperbolic equations, were proposed. This study provides areference for electrolysis desaturation of liquefiable calcareous sandy foundation, and even hydraulic filled foundation in ocean engineering.

Scheffe’s approach for single additive optimization in selected soils amelioration studies for cleaner environment and sustainable subgrade materials

Soil materials with poor engineering performance such as those rich in clay are prevalent across the globe. The clayey nature of these soils is of one the factors responsible for the low and excess volumetric changes in the soil which constitutes the foundation failures of most civil engineering infrastructures. For that reason, this present-day study demonstrates practically on optimizing additive for the purpose of ameliorating black expansive clay soil (ECS) and lateritic soil (LS) materials, respectively. Thus, a total of twelve (12) different mix combinations of water, soil and cement kiln dust (CKD) for both (ECS and LS) based on Scheffe’s strategy were taken into consideration for the experimental protocols. Interestingly, the experimental response included California bearing ratio and unconfined compressive strength. Based on the Scheffe design of experiment, the most favourable outcome was recorded at 1.0:0.9:0.3 for soil, CKD and water, respectively. Based on the upshots, statistical indicators such as t-test and ANOVA were deployed in testing the formulated models' adequacy. In addition, qualitative test such as scanning electron micrographs and fibermetric analysis of the virgin soil materials were at variance with soil materials altered with additive. Furthermore, these variations are indicator towards the build-ups of cementitious compounds and this confirms clearly the feasibility of reusing CKD combined with Scheffe optimisation approach in soil re-engineering studies.

The Risk Model of Traffic Engineering Investment and Financing by Artificial Intelligence.

This study aims to analyze the influencing factors and mechanisms of investment and financing risks in transportation projects so that regions do not restrict the transportation investment and financing risk models in all areas to achieve intelligent transportation financial risk assessment. Firstly, the investment and financing modes are studied and analyzed. According to the analysis of intellectual investment and the financing report of traffic engineering infrastructure, a traffic engineering investment and a financing model based on intelligent computing is established, which is based on artificial intelligence (AI) big data analysis technology. Secondly, the investment and the financing risk model of traffic engineering is established based on multimodal learning. Finally, the urban traffic engineering of Xi'an is taken as the research object. Based on its investment and financing data in the construction of urban roads, the risk assessment is carried out. Combined with risk influencing factors, the accuracy of the intelligent calculation in the risk assessment model is calculated. Different grades of urban transportation projects have different risks in the investment and financing of transportation projects. The results show that different levels of urban transport projects have different risks in the investment and financing (IAF) performance of transport projects. Among them, the risk index of the first-class project is the highest, reaching 0.55. The risk index of the second-class project is 0.49. The results before and after using the flow engineering IAF risk model are compared. In the test results of traffic engineering risk, all target risks did not increase after the AI-based traffic engineering IAF is tested. The model test results for credit risk and financial risk are the highest at 70 and 60, respectively. Combined with the actual urban development situation, this study can provide investment and financing risk models for urban transportation projects in different regions and provide a reference for the resource control of transportation projects. This study uses AI to learn and analyze traffic engineering investment and financing data and more accurately provide data references for traffic engineering investment and financing risk models.

Overview of the II International Conference on Agricultural Engineering and Green Infrastructure Solutions – AEGIS-II - 2022

The overview describes the main directions and results of the International Conference “AEGIS-II - 2022” held in Tashkent on 19-21 May 2022. It gives the details about the participants and the proceedings. A description of the main trends in agricultural and food technologies, green infrastructure solutions, environmental engineering for sustainable development of the modern society are given in the overview.