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Sustainability and Resilience of Structural Engineering, Mechanics, and Materials

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A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainable Engineering and Science".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 April 2023) | Viewed by 7376

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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Fariborz M. Tehrani

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Guest Editor

Civil and Geomatics Engineering, California State University, Fresno, CA 93740-8030, USA
Interests: sustainable and resilient structural engineering, mechanics, and materials (SR-SEMM); earthquake engineering; project management; engineering education and leadership

Dr. Alessandro P. Fantilli

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Guest Editor

Department of Structural, Geotechnical and Building Engineering, Politecnico di Torino, 10129 Torino, Italy
Interests: high-performance fiber-reinforced concretes; concrete made from recycled aggregates from tires; eco-mechanical indices of concrete; concretes made from recycled aggregates from demolition
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Mohammad Ali Dastan Diznab

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Guest Editor

Department of Civil Engineering, Arak University, Arak 38481-77584, Iran
Interests: offshore structures; tall buildings; masonry structures; concrete

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to launch a new Special Issue focusing on recent developments in the sustainability and resilience of structural engineering, mechanics, and materials.

The broader field of structural engineering, mechanics, and materials (SEMM) significantly contributes to the sustainability and resilience of the built environment. Infrastructure planning and development benefits from SEMM to address primary concerns about climate change, the depletion of natural resources, and energy crisis. These benefits have broader impacts on social equity and justice, environmental preservation and protection, and the techno-economic sufficiency of engineering development aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs). The engineering paradigm shift toward sustainability and resilience has resulted in innovative approaches to planning, design, construction, maintenance, retrofitting, and decommissioning structural systems such as buildings, bridges, dams, and ports, among others. These approaches aim to enhance the durability of materials and extend the service life of systems using optimized resources, with zero impacts on emissions, water, waste, and energy. Innovations in SEMM may also address the robustness, redundancy, resourcefulness, and rapid recovery of engineering systems experiencing natural disasters and extreme loadings exacerbated by climate change.

This Special Issue endeavors to present a collection of research and practice-oriented works on sustainable and resilient SEMM (SR-SEMM). The scope of the Issue covers the lifecycle of engineering projects from inception to implementation and after-life operations, including re-use, recycling, and upcycling efforts. The Special Issue also aims to assess sustainable and resilient practices and the application of rating frameworks and objective methods in SEMM. Applications of SR-SEMM include but are not limited to high-performance, lightweight, recycled, and upcycled materials; bio-inspired, nano-mechanics, and composite systems; engineering guidelines and specifications; and other SEMM advancements. The overall purpose of the Special Issue is to offer best SEMM practices for (a) the reduction of net embodied energy, energy consumption, and water consumption; (b) the reduction of land and water contamination, greenhouse gas emissions, and air pollutant emissions; (c) enhancing long-term adaptability and extending the useful life of infrastructures; and (d) minimizing noise, vibration, and other adverse impacts on communities.

Prof. Dr. Fariborz M. Tehrani
Dr. Alessandro P. Fantilli
Dr. Mohammad Ali Dastan Diznab
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

sustainable development
infrastructure resilience
structural engineering
structural mechanics
structural materials

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 4239 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Sustainable Seismic Design of Triple Steel Structures

by Mark Grigorian, Abdolreza S. Moghadam and Ali Massumi

Sustainability 2023, 15(13), 10336; https://doi.org/10.3390/su151310336 - 29 Jun 2023

Viewed by 1324

Abstract

Dual systems composed of steel Moment Frames (MFs) and Eccentric Braced Frames (EBFs) are some of the most popular earthquake-resisting structures (ERSs) worldwide. Triple systems are similar to ERSs but with added hybrid rigid rocking cores (HRRCs) that render the trio sustainable against seismic events. Economy-based Sustainable Seismic Design (SSD) is a new concept with a view to achieving financial benefits and environmental protection. Earthquakes impose the utmost load conditions accompanied by large inelastic distortions of almost all structures. The challenge is always the same: to prevent collapse and attempt repairs. Hence, the aim is to design ERSs with an emphasis on the economy and Post-Earthquake Realignment and Repair (PERR), rather than complying with antiquated guidelines. In conventional ERSs, the aim is to satisfy code requirements, whereas in SSD, the economics and post-earthquake attributes of the system are as important as those during the event. The physical effort involved in PERR is directly affected by the design objectives. SSD is part of neither college curricula nor design guidelines. This article promotes the notion that seismic sustainability (SS) in a structure can be highly economical and environmentally friendly if it can prevent collapse, overcome residual effects, and lend itself to PERR. To gain insight into the inner workings of SSD, this report discusses the principles of performance control (PC), design-led analysis (DLA), and the use of replaceable energy-dissipating devices (REDDs). In conclusion, the main contribution of this paper is that it shows that the conventional design can be upgraded to economy-based SSD without resorting to untenable costs and technologies. All the results have been verified via independent computer analysis. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability and Resilience of Structural Engineering, Mechanics, and Materials)

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29 pages, 13567 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Seismic Resilience Assessment of Curved Reinforced Concrete Bridge Piers through Seismic Fragility Curves Considering Short- and Long-Period Earthquakes

by Tomoya Uenaga, Pedram Omidian, Riya Catherine George, Mohsen Mirzajani and Naser Khaji

Sustainability 2023, 15(10), 7764; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15107764 - 9 May 2023

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2134

Abstract

Curved bridges are commonly used for logistics and emergencies in urban areas such as highway interchange bridges. These types of bridges have complicated dynamic behaviors and also are vulnerable to earthquakes, so their functionality is a critical parameter for decision makers. For this purpose, this study aims to evaluate the bridge seismic resilience under the effects of changes in deck radius (50, 100, 150 m, and infinity), pier height irregularity (Regular and Irregular), and incident seismic wave angle (0°, 45°, and 90°) under short- and long-period records. In the first step, fragility curves are calculated based on the incremental dynamic analysis and probabilistic seismic demand models. Finally, seismic resilience curves/surfaces are constructed and their interpolated values of the log-normal distribution function presented for assessing system resilience. It is found that when long-period records are applied in one given direction, the angle of incidence has the most significant effect on seismic resilience, and bridges are most vulnerable when the angle of incidence tends to 0°. The effect of deck radius on seismic resilience became more remarkable as the angle of incidence increased. Additionally, results indicate that the bridge vulnerability in long-period records is more significant than that under short-period records. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability and Resilience of Structural Engineering, Mechanics, and Materials)

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23 pages, 10189 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Application of Sustainable Concrete in the Seismic Evaluation of an Innovative Type of Buckling Restrained Brace

by Ali Naghshineh, Fariborz M. Tehrani and Oliver Fischer

Sustainability 2022, 14(24), 16344; https://doi.org/10.3390/su142416344 - 7 Dec 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1491

Abstract

The Buckling Restrained Braced Frame (BRBF), consisting of a ductile steel core in concrete or a steel tube encased in concrete, is constructed to avoid brittle failure modes. The application of ductile materials with improved damping properties, such as tire-derived lightweight aggregate concrete, has not been investigated in BRBF systems, but it enhances the overall performance of the system and contributes to sustainability. Hence, this study aims to investigate the influence of such an application on the response modification, overstrength, and ductility factors, as well as the general earthquake performance, of 4-, 8-, and 14-story special reinforced concrete moment resisting frames equipped with BRBF. The current study compares 48 different BRBF models with TDA infill and conventional concrete infill by considering various bracing configurations, such as Chevron (Inverted V and V), Split X, and Single-Leg BRBF, and different span lengths of 6 m and 8 m. The evaluations include nonlinear response history analyses intended to provide insights into the performance of BRBF when exploiting the available experimental stress–strain characteristics of tire-derived lightweight aggregate concrete as an alternative material. Furthermore, the effectiveness of using tire-derived lightweight aggregate concrete as an alternative damping material in BRBF is examined by comparing BRBF with the new damping properties of concrete. Buildings equipped with BRB encased in TDA showed reduced base shear demand (by an average of 7%) when compared to concrete infill, and the prescribed value for the response modification factor for buildings of 50 m or less provides an acceptable estimation of the lower bond factors in approximately 95% of the cases. Furthermore, when a system requires more damping, the application of BRB encased in TDA is recommended. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability and Resilience of Structural Engineering, Mechanics, and Materials)

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16 pages, 8528 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Influence of Defects on In-Plane Dynamic Properties of Hexagonal Ligament Chiral Structures

by Ning An, Xunwen Su, Dongmei Zhu and Mileta M. Tomovic

Sustainability 2022, 14(18), 11432; https://doi.org/10.3390/su141811432 - 12 Sep 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1312

Abstract

Although the six-ligament chiral structure has many unique properties, due to its special structure, the stress concentration is prone to defects. In addition, additive manufacturing is also prone to defects. This paper studies the effect of defects, which is helpful for the better application of the six-ligament chiral structure. Several new six-ligament chiral structures with random and concentrated defects were designed to explore the effects of the defects on the in-plane dynamic properties. The structures were studied with the finite element ANSYS/LSDYNA numerical simulation and experimental methods. According to the defect-free six-ligament chiral structures exhibiting different deformation modes at different impact velocities, the effects of the defect rate and type (concentrated and random defects) on the six-ligament chiral structure, the in-plane impact deformation mode and energy absorption characteristics are discussed. The research results show that the defect rate and type reduce the energy absorption characteristics of the chiral structure to varying degrees, and the impact deformation mode also changes under medium- and low-speed impact. With the increase in speed, the influence of the defects on the deformation mode weakens. Moreover, the effects of the concentrated and random defects on the platform stress are different. When the defect rate is low, the effect of the random defects is more significant, and as the defect rate increases, the effect of the concentrated defects is more obvious. The study can provide guidance for structural design, predict the failure form of structures containing defects when they are impacted, and realize material recycling. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability and Resilience of Structural Engineering, Mechanics, and Materials)

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