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Sustainability
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Resilience of Critical Infrastructures: Risk Reduction and Maintenance
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Resilience of Critical Infrastructures: Risk Reduction and Maintenance

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Green Building".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 October 2024) | Viewed by 5772

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Foad Kiakojouri

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Structural, Geotechnical and Building Engineering (DISEG), Politecnico di Torino, Corso Duca degli Abruzzi 24, 10129 Torino, Italy
Interests: structural robustness; protective structures; resilient infrastructure; extreme loading; progressive collapse
Dr. Valerio De Biagi

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Structural, Geotechnical and Building Engineering (DISEG), Politecnico di Torino, Corso Duca degli Abruzzi 24, 10129 Torino, Italy
Interests: structural robustness; natural hazards; man-made hazards; exceptional loads on structures; threat-independent damage scenarios
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The large majority of our infrastructure network dates back to the 20th century. Structures such as bridges and tunnels are experiencing ageing phenomena that reduce their structural safety. The increase of traffic loads and environmental stressors are reducing the expected working life of infrastructures, as proven by recent bridge collapses. Maintenance is required in order to prevent and control the ageing and degradation of structures, and to reduce the associated risk. We are pleased to invite you to contribute to a Special Issue devoted to the recent advances and technical solutions for the resilience of critical infrastructures, with a special focus on the reduction of the risk of failure, as well as the preventive maintenance and health monitoring of transportation infrastructures. In this Special Issue, original research articles, review articles and case studies are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:

  • Critical infrastructure resilience;
  • Maintenance of critical infrastructures;
  • Benefit–cost assessment of maintenance;
  • Infrastructure management;
  • Degradation of constructional materials;
  • Ageing of transportation infrastructures;
  • Extreme loading for aged concrete;
  • Alkali–aggregate reaction;
  • Fatigue life assessment of corroded steel;
  • Structural failure of bridges;
  • Bridge inspections;
  • Tunnel fire safety;
  • Structural health monitoring for maintenance;
  • Risk mitigation strategies;
  • Uncertainty related to transportation networks.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Foad Kiakojouri
Dr. Valerio De Biagi
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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. Sustainability 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

  • critical infrastructures
  • transportation infrastructure
  • bridge
  • tunnel
  • resilience
  • structural failure
  • maintenance
  • collapse
  • risk assessment
  • aging and degradation

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

18 pages, 4857 KiB  
Article
Efficiency Assessment of Urban Road Networks Connecting Critical Node Pairs under Seismic Hazard
by Andrea Miano, Marco Civera, Fabrizio Aloschi, Valerio De Biagi, Bernardino Chiaia, Fulvio Parisi and Andrea Prota
Sustainability 2024, 16(17), 7465; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16177465 - 29 Aug 2024
Viewed by 780
Abstract
Building resilient infrastructure is at the core of sustainable development, as evidenced by the UN Sustainable Development Goal 9. In fact, the effective operation of road networks is crucial and strategic for the smooth functioning of a nation’s economy. This is also fundamental [...] Read more.
Building resilient infrastructure is at the core of sustainable development, as evidenced by the UN Sustainable Development Goal 9. In fact, the effective operation of road networks is crucial and strategic for the smooth functioning of a nation’s economy. This is also fundamental from a sustainability perspective, as efficient transportation networks reduce traffic, and thus, their environmental impact. However, road networks are constantly at risk of traffic closure and/or limitations due to a plurality of natural hazards. These environmental stressors, among other factors like aging and degradation of structural materials, negatively affect the disaster resilience of both single components and the system of road networks. However, the estimation of such resilience indices requires a broad multidisciplinary vision. In this work, a framework for application to large road networks is delineated. In the proposed methodology, seismic hazard is considered, and its corresponding impacts on road networks are evaluated. The assessment encompasses not only the road network system (including squares, roads, bridges, and viaducts) but also the buildings that are located in the urban area and interact with the network. In this context, the probability that buildings will suffer seismic-induced collapse and produce partial or total obstruction of roads is considered. This scheme is designed for implementation in different geographical contexts using geo-referenced data that include information about specific risks and alternative rerouting options. The proposed methodology is expected to support the mitigation of functionality loss in road networks after disasters, contributing to both the economic and social dimensions of sustainability. To evaluate the methodology, two case studies focusing specifically on hospital-to-hospital connections were conducted in Naples and Turin, Italy. However, the proposed approach is versatile and can be extended to other critical infrastructures, such as theatres, stadiums, and educational facilities. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Resilience of Critical Infrastructures: Risk Reduction and Maintenance)
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21 pages, 925 KiB  
Article
Numerical Evaluation of Lateral Torsional Buckling of PFRP Channel Beams under Pure Bending
by Elahe Zeinali, Ali Nazari and Hossein Showkati
Sustainability 2024, 16(1), 303; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16010303 - 28 Dec 2023
Viewed by 964
Abstract
The use of pultruded fiber reinforced polymers (PFRPs) in strengthening and sustainable design of bridges and other structures exposed to corrosion and resistance reduction factors is growing rapidly. However, a comprehensive understanding of the structural behavior of these materials under various loading conditions [...] Read more.
The use of pultruded fiber reinforced polymers (PFRPs) in strengthening and sustainable design of bridges and other structures exposed to corrosion and resistance reduction factors is growing rapidly. However, a comprehensive understanding of the structural behavior of these materials under various loading conditions is crucial to unlock their full potential and promote their wider use in diverse structural and industrial applications. Pultrusion profiles can be also used as beams in bridges. One important aspect of the structural behavior of PFRPs is their buckling behavior, particularly in thin-walled open cross sections. Lateral torsional buckling is a probable instability mode for beams with thin-walled open cross sections that are not laterally restrained along their span. Therefore, research on the buckling behavior of PFRP members is essential. In this study, the analytical responses of channel-shaped PFRP beams in bridges under pure bending are calculated using an equation in the Eurocode 3 regulation. The buckling behavior of these beams is then investigated through numerical modeling using the finite element package Abaqus. A total of 75 specimens of PFRP channel profiles with different thicknesses in various spans and lateral restraint conditions are studied for their lateral-torsional buckling behavior. This study uniquely explores the behavior of PFRP beams with lateral restraints, a novel aspect in the field of lateral-torsional buckling research of PFRP beams. The results show that the analytical equation used for these beams needs to be modified to more accurately estimate the buckling loads of FRP beams under the conditions studied in this paper. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Resilience of Critical Infrastructures: Risk Reduction and Maintenance)
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30 pages, 17131 KiB  
Article
Probability Assessment of the Seismic Risk of Highway Bridges with Various Structural Systems (Case Study: Tehran City)
by Meisam Mogheisi, Hamidreza Tavakoli and Elnaz Peyghaleh
Sustainability 2023, 15(12), 9783; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15129783 - 19 Jun 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1488
Abstract
Considering the development of urban transportation systems and the importance of highway bridges in a city’s resilience against earthquakes, it is critical to pay special attention to the seismic risk evaluation of highway bridges. The most significant issue to consider is the assessment [...] Read more.
Considering the development of urban transportation systems and the importance of highway bridges in a city’s resilience against earthquakes, it is critical to pay special attention to the seismic risk evaluation of highway bridges. The most significant issue to consider is the assessment of possible direct and indirect damages imposed on bridges before an earthquake. After this, the best practices for bridge rehabilitation can be adopted to minimize the induced damage. In this paper, we assessed the seismic risks associated with all 713 highway bridges in Tehran province (the capital of Iran). These bridges were initially divided into six categories according to their structural system and construction year and were also classified by whether or not seismic design was included. Among the 84,000 earthquakes recommended by the researchers’ ten-thousand-year catalog, a set of 50 ground motion records was selected in the course of a probabilistic approach via the Optimization-based Probabilistic Scenarios (OPS) algorithm in an attempt to obtain the least amount of error compared to the original catalog in the final hazard curve in different regions of Tehran province. Afterward, the seismic fragility curves were plotted in four damage states of slight, moderate, extensive, and complete for the six bridge structural systems of simple, steel, concrete slab box, concrete slab–steel box, concrete slab, and steel girder–concrete slab. The results of the fragility curves extracted from the decision tree analysis were validated with those developed from incremental dynamic analysis (IDA) for a bridge case study modeled in the OpenSEES software V2.5.0. Later, using logical relationships, seismic risk curves were drawn for each structural system. The results show that, in general, the average seismic damage of bridges over ten years old is 0.88 times the average damage of bridges less than ten years old. The highest level of vulnerability is associated with the simple bridge system with a median vulnerability of 0.44. Moreover, the lowest level of vulnerability is related to the steel girder–concrete slab bridge system with a median vulnerability of 0.98, showing an increase of approximately 2.2 times in the median vulnerability. In addition, based on the sensitivity analysis results, the indirect and total risk levels increase almost exponentially with increasing the reconstruction index. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Resilience of Critical Infrastructures: Risk Reduction and Maintenance)
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16 pages, 6008 KiB  
Article
Post-Fire Mechanical Degradation of Lightweight Concretes and Maintenance Strategies with Steel Fibers and Nano-Silica
by Alaa Fahad Mashshay, S. Komeil Hashemi and Hamidreza Tavakoli
Sustainability 2023, 15(9), 7463; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15097463 - 1 May 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1295
Abstract
Currently, the growth of building construction and the need for lighter but more sustainable materials are of interest. Additionally, recent fire incidents highlight the insufficient knowledge of the properties of materials after a fire. Common materials such as concrete should, to minimize their [...] Read more.
Currently, the growth of building construction and the need for lighter but more sustainable materials are of interest. Additionally, recent fire incidents highlight the insufficient knowledge of the properties of materials after a fire. Common materials such as concrete should, to minimize their adverse environmental effects and expenses, be maintained in such a way as to increase their resistance and preserve their mechanical properties when subjected to high temperatures. Hence, in this research, the post-fire mechanical degradation of lightweight concrete (LWC) has been investigated. Moreover, the addition of steel fiber and nano-silica have been studied in terms of their ability to reduce the mechanical degradation of LWC subjected to high temperatures. For this purpose, different samples were considered in four mixture designs: the LWC samples, samples with steel fibers, samples with nano-silica, and samples with a combination of steel fibers and nano-silica. All samples were subjected to temperatures of 200, 400 and 600 degrees Celsius and compared with the control samples. The results show that, as the temperature increased, the tensile and compressive resistances of LWC decreased. The samples without fibers and nano-silica showed a greater decrease in mechanical properties with increasing temperature. The addition of steel fibers and nano-silica, individually or as a combination, can improve the compressive and tensile strength of the concrete both at room temperature and at higher temperatures. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Resilience of Critical Infrastructures: Risk Reduction and Maintenance)
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