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A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Civil Engineering".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2020) | Viewed by 45263

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Dr. Artur Janowski

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Faculty of Geoengineering, The University of Warmia and Mazury, 10-720 Olsztyn, Poland
Interests: geoinformatics; numerical algorithms; computer vision; computational geometry; databases; machine learning
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Dr. Jakub Szulwic

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Department of Geodesy, Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Gdansk University of Technology, PL-80-233 Gdansk, Poland
Interests: photogrammetry; remote sensing; coastal and offshore engineering; geomatics engineering; geoinformatics
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Dr. Pawel Tysiac

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Gdansk University of Technology, Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Department of Geodesy, PL-80-233 Gdansk, Poland
Interests: environmental monitoring; UAV photogrammetry; coastal research
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In Bacon's concept, the history of experiments and nature studies refers to human knowledge as a catalog of research practices. In other words, we believe that exploring the world is also knowing yourself through scientific activities, errors found and ways to overcome them, thus developing practical solutions and applications.

The best way to explore the world is to make a model on which we can base subsequent analyses. The complexity of the world means that we cannot focus only on its natural elements, but also those developed by man over the centuries. Practical applications in the fields of Earth Sciences and Civil Engineering can meet the demands of a market where there is a necessity for continuous development and new solutions.

For this reason, we strongly encourage you to submit a manuscript to our Special Issue "Spatial Modeling in Environmental Analysis and Civil Engineering".

Being aware of the comprehensiveness of the suggested topic, we encourage you to send manuscripts containing original measurement and model solutions that can be used in earth sciences and civil engineering. Modeling itself also has very broad applications for solutions based on terrain models and three-dimensional construction models after cartographic simulations related directly to spatial management.

Articles may include, but are not limited to, the following topics:

Three-dimensional modeling
Numerical simulations and structural analysis
Spatial management
BIM
Spatial data processing
GIS applications
Geoinformatics
Modern technologies in property analyses
Earth observation

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Eng. Artur Janowski
Dr. Eng. Jakub Szulwic
Dr. Eng. Pawel Tysiac
Guest Editors

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Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Applied Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

Spatial modeling
Spatial data
Real estate
Civil engineering
BIM
Numerical simulations

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Published Papers (11 papers)

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Research

27 pages, 13844 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Analytical Determination of Geometric Parameters of the Rotary Kiln by Novel Approach of TLS Point Cloud Segmentation

by Ľudovít Kovanič, Peter Blistan, Rudolf Urban, Martin Štroner, Katarína Pukanská, Karol Bartoš and Jana Palková

Appl. Sci. 2020, 10(21), 7652; https://doi.org/10.3390/app10217652 - 29 Oct 2020

Cited by 23 | Viewed by 3329

Abstract

This research focused on determining a rotary kiln’s geometric parameters in a non-traditional geodetic way—by deriving them from a survey realized by a terrestrial laser scanner (TLS). The point cloud obtained by TLS measurement was processed to derive the longitudinal axis of the RK. Subsequently, the carrier tires’ geometric parameters and shell of the RK during the shutdown were derived. Manual point cloud selection (segmentation) is the base method for removing unnecessary points. This method is slow but precise and controllable. The proposed analytical solution is based on calculating the distance from each point to the RK’s nominal axis (local radius). Iteration using a histogram function was repeatedly applied to detect points with the same or similar radiuses. The most numerous intervals of points were selected and stored in separate files. In the comparison, we present the conformity of analytically and manually obtained files and derived geometric values of the RK-radiuses’ spatial parameters and coordinates of the carrier tires’ centers. The horizontal (X and Y directions) and vertical (Z-direction) of root–mean–square deviation (RMSD) values are up to 2 mm. RMSD of the fitting of cylinders is also up to 2 mm. The center of the carrier tires defines the longitudinal axis of the RK. Analytical segmentation of the points was repeated on the remaining point cloud for the selection of the points on the outer shell of the RK. Deformation analysis of the shell of the RK was performed using a cylinder with a nominal radius. Manually and analytically processed point clouds were investigated and mutually compared. The calculated RMSD value is up to 2 mm. Parallel cuts situated perpendicularly to the axis of the RK were created. Analysis of ovality (flattening) of the shell was performed. Additionally, we also present the effect of gradually decreasing density (number) of points on the carrier tires for their center derivation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Spatial Modeling in Environmental Analysis and Civil Engineering)

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22 pages, 15537 KiB

Open AccessArticle

New Perspectives for BIM Usage in Transportation Infrastructure Projects

by Ángela Moreno Bazán, Marcos G. Alberti, Antonio Arcos Álvarez and Jesús Alonso Trigueros

Appl. Sci. 2020, 10(20), 7072; https://doi.org/10.3390/app10207072 - 12 Oct 2020

Cited by 35 | Viewed by 8179

Abstract

Although there is already a great amount of scientific literature dealing with the use of building information modeling (BIM) in engineering activities, the majority refer to successful case studies using the usual methods and technology of building construction but rarely bring up the real problems for implementing BIM methodology to the field of transportation infrastructure. It must be also considered that the construction activity is only a part of the infrastructure life and the stakeholder must consider the works of enlargement, renewal, and maintenance of the infrastructure. The purpose of this paper is not only to show a mere review of the existing literature but also present a rational analysis for the use of BIM in different areas of civil engineering. For that purpose, the gathered experience in the use of BIM in civil engineering projects in the final course of Civil Engineering Master Studies in the Civil Engineering School (ETSICCP) at Universidad Politécnica de Madrid were compared with the reported literature. This way, a complete and updated information regarding tendencies, applications, and practice along with limitations and benefits can be presented. The significance of this research relies on the original insight of BIM for civil engineering applications through four case studies. Two of them were focused on construction possibilities and the other two on the possibilities in the exploitation, rehabilitation, and maintenance. The results showed that despite the lack of previous experiences, the use of BIM methodology is possible for activities such as maintenance, managing, or expansion of infrastructure by applying different specific software packages. Among the main problems needing to be addressed are the following: handling of big data files, the integration of new data non-related with the modeled object, and interchange of data without losing information. That proves the need of new more efficient techniques to overcome the challenge of the full use of BIM in the civil engineering field and obtain the mutual advantage of the co-operation of the academic and industrial worlds. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Spatial Modeling in Environmental Analysis and Civil Engineering)

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12 pages, 3109 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Event Detection and Spatio-temporal Analysis of Low-Altitude Unstable Approach

by Huabo Sun, Jiayi Xie, Yang Jiao, Rongshun Huang and Binbin Lu

Appl. Sci. 2020, 10(14), 4934; https://doi.org/10.3390/app10144934 - 17 Jul 2020

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1927

Abstract

Low-altitude unstable approach (UA) is one of the crucial risks that threaten flight safety. In this study, we proposed a technical program for detecting low-altitude UA events. The detection logic was to optimize the step-wise regression model with iterative surveys with more than 20 experienced pilots. Accordingly, the frequencies of UA events occurring around each airport in January 2018 were calculated for all the airports within mainland China. Finally, the spatial distribution characteristics of UA events were analyzed via exploratory spatial data analysis. In addition, Pearson’s correlation coefficient and the geographically weighted correlation coefficient were used to explore the correlations between UA frequency and the altitude elevation, wind level, and bad weather. The experimental results revealed that the proposed method can accurately detect the occurrence of low-altitude UA and quantitatively characterize risks. It was found that UA exhibits obvious differences in spatial distribution. Moreover, significantly strong correlations were found between UA and altitude elevation, wind level, and bad weather, and correlation differences were also reflected in different regions in China. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Spatial Modeling in Environmental Analysis and Civil Engineering)

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11 pages, 1529 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Linear Programming Method for Finding a Minimal Set of Axial Lines Representing an Entire Geometry of Building and Urban Layout

by Sung Kwon Jung and Youngchul Kim

Appl. Sci. 2020, 10(12), 4273; https://doi.org/10.3390/app10124273 - 22 Jun 2020

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2755

Abstract

This paper devises an algorithm for finding the minimal set of axial lines that can represent a geometry of building and urban layout in two dimensions. Although axial lines are useful to analyze spatial configuration in the Space Syntax, existing methods for selecting axial lines seldom address the optimality of their solutions. The proposed algorithm uses linear programming to obtain a minimal set of axial lines. To minimize the number of axial lines that represent the entire geometry of building and urban layout, a linear programming problem is established in which a set of axial lines represents the entire geometry. The axial lines must have at least one intersection with every extension line of the wall edges to the sides of the reflex angles. If a solution to this linear programming problem exists, it will be guaranteed to be an optimum. However, some solutions of this general linear programming problem may include isolated lines, which are undesirable for an axial line analysis. To avoid isolated axial lines, this paper states a new formulation by adding a group of constraints to the original formulation. By examining the modified linear programming problem in various two-dimensional building maps and spatial layouts, this paper demonstrates that the proposed algorithm can guarantee a minimum set of axial lines to represent a two-dimensional geometry. This modified linear programming problem prevents isolated axial lines in the process of axial line reduction. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Spatial Modeling in Environmental Analysis and Civil Engineering)

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16 pages, 8766 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Novel Experimental Study on the Effects of Soil and Faults’ Properties on Tunnels Induced by Normal and Reverse Faults

by Mehdi Ghafari, Haslinda Nahazanan, Zainuddin Md Yusoff and Nik Norsyahariati Nik Daud

Appl. Sci. 2020, 10(11), 3969; https://doi.org/10.3390/app10113969 - 8 Jun 2020

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2888

Abstract

Due to the world population increasing considerably, there is a need for efficient public transportation, such as the subway. However, it has become a major concern to geotechnical engineers that the development and construction of subways are held underground where faults exist, as it will be a major risk to any structure if the fault is still active. Several seismic events, such as the earthquakes in Taiwan in 1999, China in 2008, and Malaysia (Sabah) in 2015, caused by fault ruptures, signify the importance of this study. In this paper, a physical model of 1000 mm in height, 3000 mm in length, and 1000 mm in width, which is the largest single gravity (1g) model for simulation faults (normal and reverse) ever built, was fabricated to evaluate the influence of various soil properties, various fault angles, and tunnel depths on tunnels affected by normal and reverse faults. The effects of various soil properties, such as water content, particle size, cohesion, and friction angle, had revealed major changes (approximately by 34%, 39%, 64%, and 39%, respectively) in tunnel displacements. Results also showed that increasing of fault angle could increase the tunnel displacement as much as two times. In addition, when a tunnel is located close to the ground surface, 22% less displacement was found to have occurred to the tunnel. With the results obtained from the physical model, simulation had been made using plane strain and axial symmetry (PLAXIS) software. The comparison made between rock and soft soil showed that soft soil imposed two times more displacements than rock, and an existence of foundation in soft soil and rock can decrease the tunnel displacements by 6% and 4%, respectively. This paper asserts that besides the structural design of a tunnel, the geotechnical design also has a major impact on the safety and robustness of the tunnel, in which aspects such as soil properties, tunnel depth, and fault angle have a strong influence on tunnel damages which were not considered in previous research, despite their importance. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Spatial Modeling in Environmental Analysis and Civil Engineering)

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21 pages, 2122 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Development of BIM-Based Risk Rating Estimation Automation and a Design-for-Safety Review System

by Yongha Lee, Inhan Kim and Jungsik Choi

Appl. Sci. 2020, 10(11), 3902; https://doi.org/10.3390/app10113902 - 5 Jun 2020

Cited by 25 | Viewed by 4071

Abstract

Various laws and guidelines on designing for safety have been developed world-wide, and these were used to identify risks at construction sites in advance through qualitative and quantitative safe management. In other words, attention is being paid to safe management based on design drawings and models rather than field visits. It was predicted that the introduction of the concept of design-for-safety would minimize risk at construction sites through safe management in the design phase. This is because the efficiency and reliability of such a strategy has been demonstrated in various cases abroad. However, domestic design-for-safety suggests a very limited range of evaluation items, so there is a limit to using such strategies in construction sites. Building information modeling (BIM) technology is attracting attention in situations when safe management must also be based on design proposals. Although previous studies on the identification of falling disasters and automatic identification of hazards have been conducted, these studies only deal with a limited range of items for identifying risk items. For example, BIM-based risk extraction, which is limited to falling disasters, is only at the level of risk recognition that can be derived based on the process table, and evaluation is not made accordingly. It is difficult to assess the overall disaster risk in many of the items required for risk rating estimation. In this paper, we solve the above problems by deriving a BIM-based risk rating estimation scenario based on the disaster scenario for automating BIM-based risk rating estimation, and we developed an evaluation system using this method. The BIM-based risk rating estimation methodology was presented through BIM-based hazard extraction, evaluation of requirement information, evaluation item selection, and using the evaluation system in a design-for-safety review. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Spatial Modeling in Environmental Analysis and Civil Engineering)

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21 pages, 10484 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Preliminary Numerical Analysis of a Novel Retaining System in Dry Sandy Soil and Its First Application to a Deep Excavation in Wuhan (China)

by Yapeng Zhang, Congxin Chen, Meiqing Lei, Yun Zheng, Haina Zhang and Yong Shao

Appl. Sci. 2020, 10(6), 2006; https://doi.org/10.3390/app10062006 - 15 Mar 2020

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 6161

Abstract

A new form of retaining system for use in deep excavations in crowded cities is proposed in this paper. The new system, which we have coined the herringbone retaining system (HRS) involves the use of vertical and batter piles, capping beams, and wales. A numerical study was conducted (using the finite difference tool FLAC3D) to investigate various aspects of the behavior of the new system and reveal the mechanisms responsible for it. The HRS method was compared subsequently to two other commonly-used systems: the cantilever retaining structure (CRS) and horizontal-strutted retaining structure (HSRS). The results show that using the HRS method significantly reduces the deformation of the vertical piles and bending moments acting on them. More specifically, the maximum values of the deformation and bending moment were calculated to be 4.5% and 23.1% of the corresponding CRS values, respectively (the corresponding figures calculated for the HSRS method are 5.3% and 19.7%, respectively), so the HRS and HSRS methods provide similar levels of support. Finally, a real-world application of the system was presented to provide a valuable reference for the future use of HRS. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Spatial Modeling in Environmental Analysis and Civil Engineering)

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17 pages, 3724 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Multi-Objective Optimization of Spatially Truss Structures Based on Node Movement

by Bo Nan, Yikui Bai and Yue Wu

Appl. Sci. 2020, 10(6), 1964; https://doi.org/10.3390/app10061964 - 13 Mar 2020

Cited by 14 | Viewed by 4250

Abstract

This paper discusses the solutions for topology optimization of spatially discrete structures. The optimization objects are the structural weight and the maximum displacement. The optimization variables include structural node coordinates, and the improved MOEA (Multi-objective Evolutionary Algorithm) method is used to optimize the structure. The innovation of this study is that it breaks through the shortage of constant node position in the optimization thought of traditionally discrete structure in the “Ground Structure Approach” and uses the coordinate of the node as the optimization variable for the optimization calculation. The result is not a single one but a set of optimal solutions through the evolution (i.e., Pareto optimal solutions); on this basis, the most suitable solution can be found according to the boundary conditions or other related requirements. Using the C# language to compile the calculation program, ANSYS finite element software is used to analyze the structure, and the Pareto front surface was automatically drawn to determine the optimal layout form of the discrete structure. The analysis results show that the improved MOEA method can provide an effective method to solve such optimization problems. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Spatial Modeling in Environmental Analysis and Civil Engineering)

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17 pages, 4636 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Non-Stationary Turbulent Wind Field Simulation of Long-Span Bridges Using the Updated Non-Negative Matrix Factorization-Based Spectral Representation Method

by Zidong Xu, Hao Wang, Han Zhang, Kaiyong Zhao, Hui Gao and Qingxin Zhu

Appl. Sci. 2019, 9(24), 5506; https://doi.org/10.3390/app9245506 - 14 Dec 2019

Cited by 16 | Viewed by 2551

Abstract

Numerical simulation of the turbulent wind field on long-span bridges is an important task in structural buffeting analysis when it comes to the system non-linearity. As for non-stationary extreme wind events, some efforts have been paid to update the classic spectral representation method (SRM) and the fast Fourier transform (FFT) has been introduced to improve the computational efficiency. Here, the non-negative matrix factorization-based FFT-aided SRM has been updated to generate not only the horizontal non-stationary turbulent wind field, but also the vertical one. Specifically, the evolutionary power spectral density (EPSD) is estimated to characterize the non-stationary feature of the field-measured wind data during Typhoon Wipha at the Runyang Suspension Bridge (RSB) site. The coherence function considering the phase angles is utilized to generate the turbulent wind fields for towers. The simulation accuracy is validated by comparing the simulated and target auto-/cross-correlation functions. Results show that the updated method performs well in generating the non-stationary turbulent wind field. The obtained wind fields will provide the research basis for analyzing the non-stationary buffeting behavior of the RSB and other wind-sensitive structures in adjacent regions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Spatial Modeling in Environmental Analysis and Civil Engineering)

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12 pages, 3739 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Identifying Areas Sensitive to Wind Erosion—A Case Study of the AP Vojvodina (Serbia)

by Aleksandar Baumgertel, Sara Lukić, Snežana Belanović Simić and Ratko Kadović

Appl. Sci. 2019, 9(23), 5106; https://doi.org/10.3390/app9235106 - 26 Nov 2019

Cited by 11 | Viewed by 5022

Abstract

Wind erosion is one of the most significant forms of land degradation which occurs in arid and semi-arid regions. Agricultural land is significantly affected by wind erosion, which leads to soil quality reduction, and consequently to economic losses. This research was conducted in the autonomous province (AP) of Vojvodina (a region dominated by agriculture), which represents one of the most important economic regions in the Republic of Serbia. The aim of this research was to identify areas sensitive to wind erosion (in the month of March) in the AP Vojvodina by using fuzzy logic, remote sensing data, and geographical information systems (GIS). The data of prior research on erosion sediment were used for results validation. The results show that the hazardous sensitivity category covers approximately 60.41% of the research area, while the medium sensitive category accounts for 36% of the area. These findings are primarily a result of the lack of vegetation in almost the entire area, particularly in wind-exposed agricultural areas with no vegetation, which are being prepared for sowing. Another factor putting such a large area at risk is the unfavorable climate (especially in southeastern parts of the area), and slightly less favorable soil properties in the north. The results of this research could be used in decision-making at the regional level, along with the development and implementation of programs aimed at mitigating the effects of wind erosion. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Spatial Modeling in Environmental Analysis and Civil Engineering)

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16 pages, 5850 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Method for Determination and Compensation of a Cant Influence in a Track Centerline Identification Using GNSS Methods and Inertial Measurement

by Wladyslaw Koc, Cezary Specht, Jacek Szmaglinski and Piotr Chrostowski

Appl. Sci. 2019, 9(20), 4347; https://doi.org/10.3390/app9204347 - 15 Oct 2019

Cited by 12 | Viewed by 2871

Abstract

At present, the problem of rail routes reconstruction in a global reference system is increasingly important. This issue is called Absolute Track Geometry, and its essence is the determination of the axis of railway tracks in the form of Cartesian coordinates of a global or local coordinate system. To obtain such a representation of the track centerline, the measurement methods are developed in many countries mostly by the using global navigation satellite system (GNSS) techniques. The accuracy of this type of measurement in favorable conditions reaches one centimeter. However, some specific conditions cause the additional supporting measurements with a use of such instruments as tachymetry, odometers, or accelerometers to be needed. One of the common issues of track axis reconstruction is transforming the measured GNSS antenna coordinates to the target position, i.e., to the place between rails on the level of rail heads. The authors in their previous works described the developed methodology, while this article presents a method of determining the correction of horizontal coordinates for measurements in arc sections of the railway track. The presence of a cant causes the antenna’s center to move away from the track axis, and for this reason, the results must be corrected. This article presents a method of calculation of mentioned corrections for positions obtained from mobile satellite surveying with additional inertial measurement. The algorithm presented in the article and its implementation have been illustrated on an example of a complex geometric layout, where cant transitions exist without transition curves in horizontal plane. Such a layout is not preferable due to the additional accelerations and their changes. However, it allows the verification of the presented methods. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Spatial Modeling in Environmental Analysis and Civil Engineering)

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