Lognormal distribution is one of the most applicable distributions in many different probabilistic seismic assessments such as seismic hazard analysis, fragility analyses, and reliability evaluations. This study compares the sample median (SM), sample geometric mean (SGM) and Sample Bias Corrected Geometric Mean (SBCGM) as three different estimators of lognormal central estimator from different aspects

This article reports on a detailed study of the wind characteristics and dynamic behaviour of a transmission tower, based on field monitoring during the passage of Typhoon Haima. It was found that the wind direction at the eye of the storm has an approximately 180° turn, and the mean wind speed shows an apparent M-shaped variation during the passage of the typhoon. The turbulence intensity and gust

The ageing and deterioration of road tunnels due to environmental factors are inevitable. Rational and appropriate maintenance methods are required to maintain safety. This study aims to establish a maintenance strategy that determines the timing, location, and methods adopted to repair a degraded tunnel. Ageing models, which are key to maintenance strategy decision-making, are established with three

North America’s infrastructure, in general, and stormwater system, as a crucial component of our urban infrastructure, are in dire condition states that require attention and, in some cases, urgent intervention. According to the American Society of Civil Engineering (ASCE), the stormwater system received a condition state “D+”. Even though existing management systems for storm pipes optimize the timing

(2020). Life-cycle, risk, resilience and sustainability of civil infrastructure. Structure and Infrastructure Engineering: Vol. 16, Special issue on IALCCE 2018 :Life-Cycle, Risk, Resilience and Sustainability of Civil Infrastructure, pp. 517-519.

The reliability-based design of structural components has been well established based on calibration. However, the reliability-based design of structures as a system remains an issue that has not been addressed adequately. This issue requires the assessment of the system reliability of a complete structure, considering the effects of both the aleatory and the epistemic types of uncertainty. This can

Managers of civil infrastructure systems are facing the challenge to effectively and efficiently manage the ageing and deteriorating asset portfolio while accommodating ever increasing demand resulting from socioeconomic development and climate change. In this article, a novel approach using robust optimisation is proposed for risk-based portfolio management of civil infrastructure assets under deep

The impact of several devastating hurricanes revealed the vulnerability of large areas of the U.S.A. to this catastrophic natural hazard. Therefore, especially considering the uncertainties in future climate and demographic conditions, exposure and vulnerability, there is a strong need to include storm surge predictions in hurricane risk analyses. In general, the models used for storm surge are unsuited

Owing to environmental and loading effects, complex processes of deterioration in structural performance will be encountered in the maintenance and management of long-span bridges during their service life. Therefore, the method of evaluation for acquiring the current status and trend in the deterioration of bridge performance is important. To improve the efficiency and objectivity of performance evaluations

Corrosion of ferrous metals and its effects on degradation of mechanical properties and the remaining service life of metal structures have been a serious challenge to research community globally. This paper aims to investigate the problem thoroughly with experimental, numerical and analytical means. It presents results produced from a comprehensive experimental program on corrosion and its effect

Hydraulic structures, such as ship locks and weirs, form an essential part of waterway networks. An efficient life-cycle management is necessary to manage these large concrete structures safely and economically. Inspections and material testing form an important part of this process, as they enable an improved assessment of the condition, materials and properties of the structure. Traditionally, the

General frameworks for reliability differentiation have evolved over time and are mainly developed for buildings. However, recommendations for the safety of existing quay walls are lacking. In this study, target reliability indices for assessing existing quay walls were derived by economic optimisation and by evaluating the requirements concerning human safety. In quay-wall design, some dominant stochastic

Highway bridges play a significant role in maintaining safety and functionality of the society. The immediate damage of highway bridges caused by natural hazards can disrupt transportation systems, impede rescue and recovery activities. This disruption may result in tremendous financial and societal losses. Therefore, assessing vulnerability, recovery capability, and potential losses of bridges under

In this work, partial factors for the design of temporary scaffold structures are calibrated based on reliability calculations. Scaffolds are commonly designed in accordance with the rules in standards (e.g. EN12811, EN12810) and information found in codes of good practice. However, there is no clear proof that these design procedures result in an appropriate and consistent safety level for scaffold

This paper presents a probabilistic framework for life-cycle seismic resilience assessment of aging bridges and transportation road networks subjected to infrastructure upgrade. The proposed framework accounts for the uncertainties in damage occurrence of vulnerable deteriorating bridges and restoration rapidity of the overall system functionality. The time-variant bridge fragilities and the damage

Many methods of damage identification in bridge structures have focused on the use of numerical models, modal parameters or non-destructive damage tests as a means of condition assessment. These techniques can often be very effective but can also suffer from specific pitfalls such as, numerical model calibration issues for non-linear and inelastic behaviour, modal parameter sensitivity to environmental

This article presents an interdisciplinary methodology that provides decision makers with key figures on the reliability of ageing structures in transport infrastructures. The methodology is closely connected to ongoing discussions about proactive and sustainable maintenance strategies under increasing economic and ecological pressures. Since the infrastructures of the main modes of transport in Germany

Net Present Value (NPV) is proposed as an indicator for decision-making processes entailed in the development of comprehensive maintenance strategies for mooring facilities of a port with consideration of variations in states of facility deterioration. In order to show the validity of the NPV as an effective indicator for a comprehensive maintenance strategy, the NPVs are compared through several case

In this paper, a novel approach for life-cycle reliability-based design and reliability updating of reinforced concrete (RC) shield tunnels in coastal regions has been developed. For new shield tunnels, a reliability-based durability design criterion to determine the concrete cover and concrete quality for preventing the deterioration of structural performance during the structural service life is

Abstract Climate change may have multifaceted impacts on the safety and performance of infrastructure. Accounting for the different ways in which potential climate change scenarios can affect our infrastructure is paramount in determining appropriate adaptation and risk management strategies. Despite gaining some attention among researchers in recent years, this research area is still largely uninvestigated

Considerable amounts of natural resources are embodied in the building stock and infrastructure. Designing resource-efficient buildings is, therefore, an important approach to reduce raw material use and environmental impacts. However, sustainability criteria in national building codes focus primarily on improving energy efficiency and waste recovery. The EU target to recover 70% of construction and

Fatigue of reinforced concrete is often not considered for civil engineering structures since the self-weights of reinforced concrete structures are very high (in case of normal strength concrete) while live loads are relatively small, which leads to very small stress variations during service duration of the structure. However, particularly for bridge structures with increased use of high strength

Bridges have a significant role in society but are often massive structures requiring a high amount of materials, leading to high consumption of natural resources and high costs. In this respect, the use of high-strength steel (HSS) may represent a significant advantage as it enables to reduce the quantity of materials required for a structure to fulfil its function. Notwithstanding this potential

Reinforced Concrete (RC) and Prestressed Concrete (PC) structures using conventional materials in aggressive exposure conditions are susceptible to corrosion. Non-corrosive reinforcement materials such as: Glass Fiber-Reinforced Polymer (GFRP) rebars; Carbon Fiber-Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) strands; Stainless-Steel (SS); and Epoxy-coated steel (ECS) reinforcing bars, are attracting attention as more