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Designs
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Innovative Approaches in Infrastructure Design, Resilience, and Maintenance
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Innovative Approaches in Infrastructure Design, Resilience, and Maintenance

A special issue of Designs (ISSN 2411-9660). This special issue belongs to the section "Civil Engineering Design".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 July 2025 | Viewed by 3654

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Xu-Yang Cao

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Civil and Transportation Engineering, Hohai University, Nanjing 210098, China
Interests: fabricated structures; new material structures; structural risk analysis; engineering structures
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

As infrastructure systems face increasing challenges from environmental changes, aging materials, and evolving demands, innovative solutions are crucial for enhancing their design, performance, and resilience. This Special Issue aims to address these challenges through advancements in planning, construction, monitoring, and maintenance of infrastructure systems, including roads, bridges, tunnels, buildings, airports, ports, and pipelines. It will highlight novel approaches for preserving and reinforcing infrastructure to improve durability and adaptability in the face of various risks and changing conditions.

The Special Issue will encompass a variety of topics related to infrastructure systems, with a focus on the following areas:

  1. Preservation and Monitoring Against Foundational Risks: Research on preserving infrastructure from risks like bridge scour and slope instability.
  2. Rehabilitation and Maintenance of Infrastructure Materials: Studies on addressing material distresses such as corrosion, cracking, and moisture damage.
  3. Infrastructure System Response and Resilience: Exploration of adaptation strategies to disasters, climate change, and extreme weather.
  4. Decision Support and Asset Management: Advances in data modeling, risk assessment, and life cycle analysis.
  5. Design and Performance of Advanced Infrastructure Materials: Innovations in new materials and structures.
  6. Remote Sensing, Monitoring, and Non-Destructive Evaluation: Applications of advanced monitoring technologies and evaluation methods.
  7. Structural Reliability and Safety: Improving structural reliability and safety through advanced modeling techniques.

This Special Issue seeks to feature cutting-edge research and practices to enhance the durability, performance, and resilience of infrastructure systems. It aims to provide a platform for knowledge exchange among experts in the field.

Dr. Xu-Yang Cao
Guest Editor

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. Designs 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 1600 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

  • infrastructure resilience
  • structural rehabilitation
  • remote monitoring
  • risk assessment
  • seismic performance
  • life cycle analysis

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  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue polices can be found here.

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

19 pages, 22605 KiB  
Article
Intelligent Inversion Analysis of Surrounding Rock Parameters and Deformation Characteristics of a Water Diversion Surge Shaft
by Xing-Wei Zou, Tao Zhou, Gan Li, Yu Hu, Bo Deng and Tao Yang
Designs 2024, 8(6), 116; https://doi.org/10.3390/designs8060116 - 6 Nov 2024
Viewed by 408
Abstract
The water diversion surge shaft is vital for a hydropower station. However, the complex geological properties of the surrounding rock make it challenging to obtain its mechanical parameters. A method combining particle swarm optimization (PSO) and support vector machine (SVM) algorithms is proposed [...] Read more.
The water diversion surge shaft is vital for a hydropower station. However, the complex geological properties of the surrounding rock make it challenging to obtain its mechanical parameters. A method combining particle swarm optimization (PSO) and support vector machine (SVM) algorithms is proposed for estimating these parameters. According to the engineering geological background and support scheme, a three-dimensional model of the water diversion surge shaft is established by FLAC3D. An orthogonal test is designed to verify the accuracy of the numerical model. Then, the surrounding rock mechanical parameter database is established. The PSO-SVM intelligent inversion algorithm is used to invert the optimal values of the mechanical parameters of the surrounding rock. The support for excavating the next layer depends on the mechanical parameters of the current rock layer. An optimized design scheme is then compared and analyzed with the original support scheme by considering deformation and plastic characteristics. The research results demonstrate that the PSO-SVM intelligent inversion algorithm can effectively improve the accuracy and efficiency of the inversion of rock mechanical parameters. Under the influence of excavation, the surrounding rock in the plastic zone mainly fails in shear, with maximum deformation occurring in the middle and lower parts of the excavation area. The maximum deformation of the surrounding rock under support with long anchor cables is 0.6 cm less than that of support without long anchor cables and 4.07 cm less than that of support without an anchor. In the direction of the maximum and minimum principal stress, the maximum depth of the plastic zone under the support with long anchor cables is 1.3 m to 2.6 m less than that of the support without long anchor cables and the support without an anchor. Compared with the support without long anchor cables and support without an anchor, the support with long anchor cables can effectively control the deformation of the surrounding rock and limit the development of the plastic zone. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovative Approaches in Infrastructure Design, Resilience, and Maintenance)
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15 pages, 4928 KiB  
Article
Modeling and Comparison of Design Features of Pendulum and Radial Micro-Hydropower Plants Considering the Influence of Variable Design Parameters
by Almira Zhilkashinova, Igor Ocheredko, Bagdat Azamatov, Mergen Nurbaev, Dmitry Dogadkin and Madi Abilev
Designs 2024, 8(5), 101; https://doi.org/10.3390/designs8050101 - 12 Oct 2024
Viewed by 730
Abstract
This article provides a comparative analysis of pendulum and radial micro-hydropower plants. The novelty of this study lies in the comparative analysis of units that are fundamentally different in design to achieve the most rational option for low-speed rivers. It has been established [...] Read more.
This article provides a comparative analysis of pendulum and radial micro-hydropower plants. The novelty of this study lies in the comparative analysis of units that are fundamentally different in design to achieve the most rational option for low-speed rivers. It has been established that a pendulum micro-hydropower plant has a high torque with relatively small dimensions but operates cyclically. At a diameter of 1 m and a blade area of 0.3 m2, the peak torque was 140 N·m. At the same time, the design is sensitive to the blade area and at 0.6 m2 and a lever length of 1.5 m, the torque reached 430 N·m. A radial micro-hydropower plant has lower torque but operates constantly. At an area of 1.23 m2 and a diameter of 1 m, the torque was 40.4 N·m. Accordingly, in terms of specific area with a diameter of 1 m, a pendulum micro-hydropower plant has up to 12 times more torque. It has been established that the pendulum hydropower plant best satisfies the requirements for converting a low river speed into high revolutions of a current generator. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovative Approaches in Infrastructure Design, Resilience, and Maintenance)
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22 pages, 3048 KiB  
Article
Seismic Design of Steel Frames with Protected Connections
by Luigi Palizzolo, Santo Vazzano and Salvatore Benfratello
Designs 2024, 8(5), 91; https://doi.org/10.3390/designs8050091 - 13 Sep 2024
Viewed by 669
Abstract
The present paper is devoted to the seismic design of steel frames constituted by multistep I-shaped cross-section beam elements. The proposed design problem formulation is aimed at protecting the connections among beams and columns. In particular, reference is made to beams welded at [...] Read more.
The present paper is devoted to the seismic design of steel frames constituted by multistep I-shaped cross-section beam elements. The proposed design problem formulation is aimed at protecting the connections among beams and columns. In particular, reference is made to beams welded at their ends to appropriate steel plates connected by bolts to the columns. Therefore, the protection against brittle failure of the beam end sections is ensured by appropriate constraints of the optimal design problem. A useful comparison is made between the adoption of the so-called Reduced Beam Sections (RBS) and the use of multistep beam elements. In particular, the RBS approach here considered is the well-known dogbone technique consisting of reducing the width of the beam cross-sections in correspondence with suitably located beam portions, while the typical multistep beam element is constituted by a factory-made I-shaped uniform piecewise profile. To perform the necessary comparison, reference is made to a three-story, two-span plane steel frame constituted by elastic, perfectly plastic material and subjected to static and seismic loads. The load conditions and the relevant combinations have been imposed in compliance with the Italian structural code. The frame is first studied as constituted by European standard steel profiles on sale, and the related design is obtained using the optimization tool contained in SAP2000 software. A linear dynamic analysis is performed to determine the response of the frame. Later, the same frame, either equipped with dogbone and constituted by multistep beam elements, subjected to serviceability load conditions, is studied in terms of inter-story drifts and beam deflections. The geometry of the multistep beam elements is obtained by the solution to the proposed optimization problem. Furthermore, a nonlinear static analysis is performed to evaluate the capacity curves of the same frames. The results obtained for the frames equipped with the described different devices, compared with those related to the original frame, provide very interesting information on the sensitivity of the seismic response of the structure, showing the full reliability of the multistep beam element approach. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovative Approaches in Infrastructure Design, Resilience, and Maintenance)
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19 pages, 8954 KiB  
Article
Study on the Mechanical Properties and Calculation Method of the Bearing Capacity of Concrete-Filled Steel Pipes under Axial Pressure Load
by Xin Liu, Jisheng Hu and Yuzhou Zheng
Designs 2024, 8(5), 90; https://doi.org/10.3390/designs8050090 - 12 Sep 2024
Viewed by 552
Abstract
Circular steel pipe concrete can give full play to the combination of steel pipes and concrete, resulting in an improvement in the steel pipe’s concrete bearing capacity and ductility. In this study, the axial compression load capacities of nine steel pipe concrete columns, [...] Read more.
Circular steel pipe concrete can give full play to the combination of steel pipes and concrete, resulting in an improvement in the steel pipe’s concrete bearing capacity and ductility. In this study, the axial compression load capacities of nine steel pipe concrete columns, including one traditional steel pipe concrete column and eight steel pipe self-stressed concrete columns, were analyzed using an axial pressure test. The damage patterns and stress–strain curves of all the specimens under axial compression load were analyzed, and a comparison analysis was made between the test results of the different specimens. The test results show that the longitudinal expansion displacement of concrete increases with the increase in the expansion agent content. The greater the self-stress, the higher the bearing capacity of steel-tube concrete columns under axial compressive load within a certain range of the expansion agent, indicating that self-stress can increase the bearing capacity of steel-tube concrete columns under axial compressive load, but the effect of the magnitude of the self-stress on the damage pattern of the specimens is limited. The damage patterns of all the specimens were bulging in the center and concave at both ends. In addition, the existing theoretical calculation method of the bearing capacity of steel pipe concrete columns is modified, and a theoretical calculation method applicable to steel pipe self-stressed concrete columns is proposed to simplify the calculation method of the bearing capacity of steel pipe self-stressed concrete columns, which provides a basis for decision-making in practical engineering. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovative Approaches in Infrastructure Design, Resilience, and Maintenance)
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19 pages, 4211 KiB  
Article
Use of Historical Road Incident Data for the Assessment of Road Redesign Potential
by Konstantinos Gkyrtis and Maria Pomoni
Designs 2024, 8(5), 88; https://doi.org/10.3390/designs8050088 - 3 Sep 2024
Viewed by 948
Abstract
Drivers’ safety and overall road functionality are key triggers for deciding on road interventions. Because of the socioeconomical implications of traffic incidents, either fatal or no, continuous research has been dedicated over the previous decades on the assessment of factors contributing to crash [...] Read more.
Drivers’ safety and overall road functionality are key triggers for deciding on road interventions. Because of the socioeconomical implications of traffic incidents, either fatal or no, continuous research has been dedicated over the previous decades on the assessment of factors contributing to crash potential. Apart from the behavioral aspects of driving, which are commonly studied through simulation and advanced modelling techniques, the road infrastructure status is of equal or even higher significance. In this study, an approach is presented to discuss the road redesign potentials based on the evaluation of network-level historical incident records from road crashes in Greece. Based on total and fatal crash records, the following infrastructure-related aspects were assessed as critical for the discussion of the road redesign potential needs: the status of road’s surface (i.e., dry, wet, etc.), the issue of improving driving conditions near at-grade intersections, the presence and suitability of signage and/or lighting, and the consideration of particular geometric design features. Overall, it is deemed that intervention actions for at least one of these pillars should aim at enhancing the safety and functionality of roadways. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovative Approaches in Infrastructure Design, Resilience, and Maintenance)
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