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Infrastructures
Special Issues
Multi-Hazard Approach to Infrastructures Risk Reduction
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Multi-Hazard Approach to Infrastructures Risk Reduction

A special issue of Infrastructures (ISSN 2412-3811).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 March 2022) | Viewed by 15786

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Mario Lucio Puppio

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Guest Editor
1. Department of Civil Environmental Engineering and Architecture, University of Cagliari, Via Marengo, 2, 09123 Cagliari, Italy
2. Department of Energy, Systems, Territory and Constructions Engineering, University of Pisa, Largo Lazzarino 1, 56126 Pisa, Italy
Interests: multi-hazard; risk reduction; cultural heritage; urban walls; short span bridges
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Fadi Hage Chehade

E-Mail
Guest Editor
Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Technology and director of Modeling Center, Doctoral School of Science and Technology/Lebanese University, BP 5, Hadath, Beirut, Lebanon
Interests: soil structure interaction of urban problems, numerical modeling, dynamic, coupling problems, materials, stability or risk reduction analysis
Dr. Flavio Stochino

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. Department of Civil, Environmental Engineering and Architecture, University of Cagliari, 09100 Cagliari, Italy
2. Edificio A, Via Marengo 2, 09123 Cagliari, Italy
Interests: design of reinforced concrete structures and use of recycled construction materials; analyses of extreme load on structures
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Infrastructures represent the base components of the interaction between social, human and natural environment. Examples include bridges, industrial plants, dams, levees, retaining wall systems and coastal reinforcements. Their proper construction and maintenance contribute to a sustainable and correct development of human society. Only the maintenance cost has a relevant economic impact, and unexpected loss has an unacceptable implication to the community. Evidence of structural failure in recent years, due in part to climate change, focuses the attention of communities and stakeholders on the need for a more sustainable and wider approach to risk reduction. Moreover, extreme anthropic events, like fires, blasts or terroristic attacks, together with the effects of aging in infrastructures, should be taken into account. Often, a strictly code-based approach is not sufficient to provide an effective risk mitigation strategy.

The complexity of the current natural and economic systems shows the need for researchers, engineers and decision makers to share knowledge, expertise and cooperate in order to respond to a wide range of possibilities. The use of the latest technology, developments and models in various fields leads to more sustainable behaviour of infrastructures during their performance. Past infrastructure failures show the importance of a multi-hazard approach to prevent such events. A typical example is a seemingly less significant fact that had serious consequences in terms of human, natural and economic losses. For this reason, infrastructures should be characterized by robustness, the ability to avoid disproportionate collapse due to an initial damage and by resilience, the ability to adapt to and recover from the effects of changing external conditions. Designers have to consider the concept of smart infrastructures.

The focus of this Special Issue is on a multi-level, multi-disciplinary and multi-hazard approach for risk reduction of infrastructures. The final goal is to consider the complexity of the actual human system with a rigorous, multi-level, physically based method that yields a multidisciplinary cultural contributions from several research fields. Geo-hazards, blasts, fires, hurricanes, earthquakes, aging and all-natural hazards, joined together or taken individually, can be considered in the risk analysis, especially highlighting the interactions of these and their consequences. Cause-and-effect investigations and research on unexpected failure scenarios have important weights in addressing these analyses.

New, original research, review papers and technical papers discussing the design of new infrastructures that deal with risk mitigation are welcome. Durability, simplicity, scientific soundness, robustness, strength, effectiveness, sustainability and cost effectiveness in terms of global investigation of the proposals should inspire the essays/works. In this way, this Special Issue would be a useful guide and reference for stakeholders, decision makers, researchers, students and engineers who deal with infrastructure risk reduction for the wellbeing of the society.

Dr. Mario Lucio Puppio
Dr. Fadi Hage Chehade
Dr. Flavio Stochino
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. Infrastructures is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly 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 1800 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

  • resilient infrastructures
  • multi-hazard
  • multi-disciplinary approach
  • risk reduction
  • fire protection, flood protection
  • blast protection
  • aging effect on infrastructures

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

13 pages, 1289 KiB  
Article
Analysis of Driver’s Socioeconomic Characteristics Relating to Speeding Behavior and Crash Involvement: A Case Study in Lahore
by Muhammad Ashraf Javid, Nazam Ali, Muhammad Abdullah, Tiziana Campisi, Syed Arif Hussain Shah and Suniti Suparp
Infrastructures 2022, 7(2), 18; https://doi.org/10.3390/infrastructures7020018 - 27 Jan 2022
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 3057
Abstract
Speeding is one of the risky behaviors which results in accident involvement causing fatalities and severe injuries. This paper aimed to identify the significant socio-economic characteristics of drivers concerning their speeding behavior and crash involvement. A questionnaire was designed consisting of driver’s demographic [...] Read more.
Speeding is one of the risky behaviors which results in accident involvement causing fatalities and severe injuries. This paper aimed to identify the significant socio-economic characteristics of drivers concerning their speeding behavior and crash involvement. A questionnaire was designed consisting of driver’s demographic features, involvement in an accident, penalty on speed violations, and statements on speeding behavior in terms of exceeding the speed limits by 10 km/h or more on roads with different speed limits of 60, 80, 100, and 120 km/h per standard operating speeds on various road types in Pakistan. This survey was conducted in Lahore city and a total of 551 usable samples were obtained. A latent variable of drivers’ speeding behavior was introduced; factor loadings were estimated, and an observed variable of drivers’ crash experience was defined as the drivers’ crash involvement. Ordered regression analysis using the probit function was conducted on speeding behavior and crash involvement. The ordinal analysis revealed that the drivers’ age, gender, marital status, employment, vehicle engine size, type of vehicle they drive, and driving frequency per day are good predictors of speeding behavior. Similarly, male drivers’ age, vehicle engine size, and type of vehicle they drive were significant predictors of their likelihood to be involved in an accident. The young, single, and male drivers and drivers of cars with an engine capacity above 1.5 L were more likely to speed and be involved in crashes. These findings provide a clear understanding of a specific group of drivers who have a higher probability of speeding and crash involvement. There is a need to focus on specific demographic factors in the formulation of traffic safety policies and managing speedy drivers’ behaviors. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Multi-Hazard Approach to Infrastructures Risk Reduction)
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24 pages, 32530 KiB  
Article
Joint Layout Design: Finding the Strongest Connections within Segmental Masonry Arched Forms
by Elham Mousavian and Claudia Casapulla
Infrastructures 2022, 7(1), 9; https://doi.org/10.3390/infrastructures7010009 - 9 Jan 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2824
Abstract
Segmental arched forms composed of discrete units are among the most common construction systems, ranging from historic masonry vaults to contemporary precast concrete shells. Simple fabrication, transport, and assembly have particularly made these structural systems convenient choices to construct infrastructures such as bridges [...] Read more.
Segmental arched forms composed of discrete units are among the most common construction systems, ranging from historic masonry vaults to contemporary precast concrete shells. Simple fabrication, transport, and assembly have particularly made these structural systems convenient choices to construct infrastructures such as bridges in challenging environmental conditions. The most important drawback of segmental vaults is basically the poor mechanical behaviour at the joints connecting their constituent segments. The influence of the joint shape and location on structural performances has been widely explored in the literature, including studies on different stereotomy, bond patterns, and interlocking joint shapes. To date, however, a few methods have been developed to design optimal joint layouts, but they are limited to extremely limited geometric parameters and material properties. To remedy this, this paper presents a novel method to design the strongest joint layout in 2D arched structures while allowing joints to take on a range of diverse shapes. To do so, a masonry arched form is represented as a layout of potential joints, and the optimization problems developed based on the two plastic methods of classic limit analysis and discontinuity layout optimization find the joint layout that corresponds to the maximum load-bearing capacity. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Multi-Hazard Approach to Infrastructures Risk Reduction)
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14 pages, 6853 KiB  
Article
Numerical Analysis of Twin Tunnels Lining under Different Seismic Conditions
by Abdelhay El Omari, Mimoun Chourak, El Mehdi Echebba, Seif-Eddine Cherif, Carlos Navarro Ugena, Mohamed Rougui, Fadi Hage Chehade, Francisco Lamas Fernández and Aboubakr Chaaraoui
Infrastructures 2021, 6(2), 29; https://doi.org/10.3390/infrastructures6020029 - 18 Feb 2021
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 3084
Abstract
The last seismic events showed that tunnel lining may suffer extensive damage. Employing numerical modeling has a great importance in predicting the seismic performance of tunnels. This paper tests the tunnel lining of the Zaouit Ait Mellal (ZAM) twin tunnels located between the [...] Read more.
The last seismic events showed that tunnel lining may suffer extensive damage. Employing numerical modeling has a great importance in predicting the seismic performance of tunnels. This paper tests the tunnel lining of the Zaouit Ait Mellal (ZAM) twin tunnels located between the cities of Marrakesh and Agadir in Morocco. Dynamic analysis was adopted by FLAC 2D software using the finite-difference elements. Four soil cross-sections were chosen, with different support devices installed along the twin tunnels, such as rock bolts and steel ribs. The seismic signals introduced as input were obtained from three different earthquakes: Al Hoceima 2004 in Morocco, EL Centro 1940 in the USA, and Kobe 1995 in Japan. The numerical results show that the deformation of the tunnel lining is more noteworthy in the sections using steel ribs compared to those using rock bolts, which is observed by the large values of relative displacement, reaching 1020 (mm) and 2.29 × 105 (N.m/m) of maximum bending moment. The analysis indicates that these sections present higher vulnerability during an earthquake, which should be considered when looking at the overall safety of the tunnel. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Multi-Hazard Approach to Infrastructures Risk Reduction)
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11 pages, 5044 KiB  
Article
Analysis of the Second Order Effect of the SSI on the Building during a Seismic Load
by El Mehdi Echebba, Hasnae Boubel, Abdelhay El Omari, Mohamed Rougui, Mimoun Chourak and Fadi Hage Chehade
Infrastructures 2021, 6(2), 20; https://doi.org/10.3390/infrastructures6020020 - 29 Jan 2021
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2323
Abstract
The type and the properties of the soil can potentially intensify the internal forces on buildings during seismic loads. To predict the effects of the soil parameters on the soil–structure interaction of buildings, it is necessary to consider the soil–structure interaction (SSI) in [...] Read more.
The type and the properties of the soil can potentially intensify the internal forces on buildings during seismic loads. To predict the effects of the soil parameters on the soil–structure interaction of buildings, it is necessary to consider the soil–structure interaction (SSI) in the modeling process. Therefore, this document aims to evaluate the seismic effect on the maximal displacement and inter-story drift, and evaluate the behavior of buildings under the second-order effect known in the literature as the P-delta effect. For this purpose, three cases of buildings with 5, 10 and 15 stories were modelled using a FLAC 2D finite-difference element calculation software with infinite soil conditions, including five types of base with four types of soil (one cohesive soil and three non-cohesive soils) considering the soil–structure interaction and a fixed base (without soil–structure interaction). According to the results for the above-mentioned boundary, as the height of the building increases and due to the weak properties of the soil, we notice that the maximal displacements and inter-story drift increase considerably. To that purpose, we recommend considering the second-order effect in seismic design, especially for non-cohesive soil. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Multi-Hazard Approach to Infrastructures Risk Reduction)
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15 pages, 5361 KiB  
Article
Seismic Assessment of Six Typologies of Existing RC Bridges
by Pietro Crespi, Marco Zucca, Nicola Longarini and Nicola Giordano
Infrastructures 2020, 5(6), 52; https://doi.org/10.3390/infrastructures5060052 - 26 Jun 2020
Cited by 19 | Viewed by 3070
Abstract
Over the last few decades, the attention on the safety of existing reinforced concrete (RC) structures has significantly increased. RC bridges, in particular, are highly relevant for strategic importance. In the Italian context, several of these bridges were built around 1960, when engineering [...] Read more.
Over the last few decades, the attention on the safety of existing reinforced concrete (RC) structures has significantly increased. RC bridges, in particular, are highly relevant for strategic importance. In the Italian context, several of these bridges were built around 1960, when engineering practice commonly ignored or underestimated the presence of seismic actions. Therefore, it is fundamental to quantify as accurately as possible their seismic safety level with state-of-the-art analysis techniques. In this paper, an efficient procedure based on the multi-modal pushover analysis approach is proposed for the risk evaluation of several bridges of the Italian highway network. This procedure, tailored for portfolio level assessment, takes into account the non-linear behavior and the complex dynamic response this type of structure with limited computational effort. Three fundamental aspects are defined for the structural modelling of bridges, i.e., materials’ constitutive law, finite element type and nonlinear hinge models. Flexural and shear nonlinearities of piers are included to account for ductile and brittle damage potential. The standardized procedure guarantees consistent comparisons among different bridges of the same network in the form of risk indexes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Multi-Hazard Approach to Infrastructures Risk Reduction)
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