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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 (28 February 2023) | Viewed by 15178

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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Xiangxiong Kong

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Guest Editor

Department of Physics and Engineering Science, Coastal Carolina University, Conway, SC 29528, USA
Interests: structural health monitoring; hazard mitigation; computer vision

Prof. Dr. Yubo Jiao

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Faculty of Architecture, Civil and Transportation Engineering, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, China
Interests: structural health monitoring; sustainable civil materials

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The civil and construction sector is estimated to be the major driver for the global economy in the next few decades but is subjected to formidable challenges to support our society over the long term. Such challenges lie in the fields, such as difficulties in maintaining aging civil structures, lack of sustainable construction materials or technologies, insufficient structural resilience against natural disasters, and gaps in training the next-generation construction workforce. Therefore, investigating emerging technologies for maintaining a sustainable next-generation construction sector becomes an urgent need.

This Special Issue aims to contribute to the literature by presenting emerging technologies that can generate new knowledge for achieving sustainability in the civil and construction sector. We welcome contributions of original research and review articles in (but are not limited to) the following areas:

New technologies in evaluating the performance of new or existing construction materials.
Structural health monitoring and nondestructive testing of aging civil structures through small-scale laboratory tests and/or full-scale field deployments.
Computer vision, remote sensing, photogrammetry, and LiDAR applications in the construction industry.
New developments in virtual, augmented, and mixed realities for construction site inspections, workforce training, and engineering education in construction.
Tools, strategies, and methodologies that can achieve modernization and industrialization of construction, such as Building Information Modeling, 3D printing, Artificial Intelligence, Internet of Things, Digital Twin, etc.
Novel numerical methods, experimental studies, and sensing technologies to mitigate civil structures against extreme natural disasters caused by earthquakes, strong winds, flooding, landslides, etc.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Prof. Dr. Xiangxiong Kong
Prof. Dr. Yubo Jiao
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

construction engineering
structural health monitoring
nondestructive testing
virtual reality
workforce development
remote sensing
hazard mitigation
computer vision

Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

32 pages, 6376 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Performance Evaluation of Clay Plastic Concrete of Cement and Epoxy Resin Composite as a Sustainable Construction Material in the Durability Process

by Sanaz Soltaninejad, Seyed Morteza Marandi and Naveen BP

Sustainability 2023, 15(11), 8987; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su15118987 - 02 Jun 2023

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1473

Abstract

In this research, bentonite soil was stabilized with cement and epoxy resin additives by gradually increasing the ratio of epoxy resin to water to withstand six successive wetting/drying (W/D) cycles. Unconfined compressive strength (UCS) tests were performed on the stabilized samples after curing and 24 h of soaking in the third and sixth cycles. The swelling–shrinkage potential of bentonite soil was evaluated indirectly by analyzing its stress–strain behavior. The results showed that for different amounts of cement, the minimum ratio of epoxy resin to water added to bentonite soil to last up to six cycles was equal to 1:1. Also, by stabilizing the bentonite soil so that the total weight of the optimum moisture content was replaced with epoxy resin, the strength and rigidity attained the level of normal concrete, with the difference that the ductility was much more significant. The failure strain value increased by 32 times, and the plastic region of the stress–strain curve expanded over the wide strain interval with a length of about 5%. Clay plastic concrete design consisting of cement and epoxy resin develops sustainable ground improvement methods. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Achieving Sustainability in Civil and Construction Engineering through Emerging Technologies)

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26 pages, 5775 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Numerically Evaluation of Dynamic Behavior of Post-Tensioned Concrete Flat Slabs under Free Vibration

by Faham Tahmasebinia, Zhiyuan Hu, Qianhao Wei and Wenjie Ma

Sustainability 2023, 15(1), 845; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su15010845 - 03 Jan 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1748

Abstract

The objective of this paper is to investigate the dynamic behaviour of post-tensioned concrete flat slabs with different geometries and damping ratios. Four groups of models with different lengths, widths, thicknesses and damping ratios designed according to the AS3600 standard. These were used to determine the influence of each parameter on the vibration serviceability by comparing the control variable method with the reference model. The vibration assessment parameters were used as natural frequency, peak acceleration, and response factor. Both the SCI/CSTR43 standard theoretical calculations method and the Strand7 finite element analysis (FEA) method are used to determine the effect of different geometries and damping ratios on vibration. The feasibility of the Strand7 FEA method for vibration analysis is also assessed by calculating the errors of the two methods. The paper concludes that the Strand7 FEA method is highly accurate and feasible. The span in both directions has a large effect on the natural frequency, and increasing both the slab thickness and the damping ratio are effective methods to improve the vibration serviceability. Based on the research in this paper, recommendations are provided for future vibration design of post-tensioned concrete slabs. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Achieving Sustainability in Civil and Construction Engineering through Emerging Technologies)

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16 pages, 8188 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Experimental Investigation on the Shear Characteristics of Frozen Silty Clay and Grey Relational Analysis

by Wanjun Huang, Xuesong Mao, Qian Wu and Jianxun Zhang

Sustainability 2023, 15(1), 180; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su15010180 - 22 Dec 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1257

Abstract

In the spring thawing season, the decrease in the strength of frozen soil caused by temperature may lead to slope instability. Therefore, researchers have studied the relationship between the temperature and strength of the freeze-thaw zone. However, previous studies have considered the impact of thawing temperature on the strength, but less research on shaping temperature. Therefore, direct shear tests were performed on specimens with different thawing temperatures (i.e., −5, −2 and 1 °C) and different water contents (i.e., 9, 16, and 23%) at different shaping temperatures (i.e., −2, −7 and −12 °C). The results indicated that: the stress-strain curves under different test conditions exhibited strain softening characteristics; shear strength and shear index decreased with increasing shaping temperature; the effect of cohesion on strength was greater than that of internal friction angle; the mechanical mechanism in the freeze-thaw zone was related to the unfrozen water content of the specimen. In addition, the grey correlation analysis showed that the water content had the greatest effect on the shear index, while the shaping temperature had the least effect on the shear index. The grey relational grade of shaping temperature was greater than 0.5, indicating that the effect of shaping temperature on strength was not negligible. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Achieving Sustainability in Civil and Construction Engineering through Emerging Technologies)

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Graphical abstract

23 pages, 5749 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effect of Seismic Isolation on the Performance of High-Rise Buildings with Torsional Instability

by Fevzi Saritaş, Idris Bedirhanoglu, Arova Konak and Mehmet Salih Keskin

Sustainability 2023, 15(1), 36; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su15010036 - 20 Dec 2022

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2585

Abstract

Seismic bearings have been used to mitigate the harmful effect of the earthquakes. Torsion mode, one of the most important irregularities, generally increases the shear forces to the vertical members such as columns and shear walls in turn this may results in brittle failure of the reinforced concrete (RC) members. Accordingly, it is vital to eliminate the torsion failure mode or switch to the higher modes with lower mass contribution. This study has evaluated the seismic performance of a high-rise building with torsion mode through push-over analysis including nonlinear time history analyses. The damage conditions of RC structural members are defined considering the Eurocode definitions and general performance assessments of the building have been evaluated accordingly. Lead rubber bearings have been used for base isolation system. By using enough number of rubber bearings, the dominant torsion mode (first free vibration mode) has been shifted to higher modes. Various earthquake records have been used in non-linear dynamic analysis to evaluate the positive effects of the bearings. The results revealed that proper arrangement of rubber bearings in structural plan of ground floor can effectively improve dynamic behavior of a high rise building with torsional instability to achieve better seismic performance. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Achieving Sustainability in Civil and Construction Engineering through Emerging Technologies)

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17 pages, 3519 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effect of Bentonite as Partial Replacement of Cement on Residual Properties of Concrete Exposed to Elevated Temperatures

by Sardar Farhan Mushtaq, Ather Ali, Rao Arsalan Khushnood, Rana Faisal Tufail, Ali Majdi, Adnan Nawaz, Serdar Durdyev, Dumitru Doru Burduhos Nergis and Jawad Ahmad

Sustainability 2022, 14(18), 11580; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su141811580 - 15 Sep 2022

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 1898

Abstract

This study investigated the effect of elevated temperature on the mechanical, physical and durability properties of normal strength concrete, modified with bentonite. The bentonite concrete was cast by substituting cement with bentonite content in proportions of 5, 10 and 15% by weight. Mechanical tests were conducted (compressive and splitting tensile strength). Furthermore, durability performance (mass loss and sorptivity) and specimen properties (elastic modulus, stress–strain behaviour, ductility and energy absorption) were evaluated and discussed. The results demonstrated that samples incorporating bentonite showed better fire endurance than the control mix. The inclusion of bentonite in concrete decreased the mass loss of the specimens exposed to high temperatures. The performance of bentonite concrete was better in terms of mechanical behaviour (compressive and tensile strength) than that of conventional concrete, and it had high resistance to water absorption. Higher ductility and energy absorption capacity were observed for the concrete specimen containing bentonite than its counterpart control specimens. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Achieving Sustainability in Civil and Construction Engineering through Emerging Technologies)

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15 pages, 4098 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Research on the Realization Path of Railway Intelligent Construction Based on System Engineering

by You Wang, Ziwei Wang, Tingting Ma, Guowei Li and Huixia Tie

Sustainability 2022, 14(11), 6945; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su14116945 - 06 Jun 2022

Cited by 12 | Viewed by 3042

Abstract

The implementation of railway intelligent construction is the need of national strategic development and the demand of society. Based on the idea of system engineering, this paper proposes a three-dimensional railway intelligent construction system architecture composed of a full life cycle, management level and technical support. Based on this architecture, a “three-step” implementation path is proposed. Then, it analyzes the technology support framework required in the architecture based on Building Information Modeling (BIM), incorporating Global Positioning System (GPS) and Geographic Information System (GIS), algorithmic prediction and machine learning technology, Internet of Things (IoT) and artificial intelligence technology, big data and cloud computing technology, and the application of railway intelligent construction system architecture is analyzed by taking a railway tunnel project in Zhejiang Province of China as an example. Finally, it discusses the problems that may be encountered in the implementation of railway intelligent construction and puts forward relevant suggestions. The results show that railway intelligent construction is an essential way. At present, China’s railway intelligent construction is still in the primary stage. The design organization should do a good job in the top-level design and accumulate sufficient data for the later stage. All parties in the middle stage of construction should do a good job in the induction and integration of information and accumulate sufficient experience. In this way, we can integrate into the advanced stage and give full play to the advantages of software and hardware integrated applications such as BIM, IoT, big data, cloud computing and intelligent devices so as to truly realize the intellectualization and modernization of railway construction. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Achieving Sustainability in Civil and Construction Engineering through Emerging Technologies)

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18 pages, 4572 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Evaluation on Seismic Performance of Beam-Column Joints of Fabricated Steel Structure with Replaceable Energy-Dissipating Elements

by Yuanqi Li and Binhui Huang

Sustainability 2022, 14(6), 3350; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su14063350 - 12 Mar 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2393

Abstract

This research proposes a beam-column hinged joint with additional replaceable energy-dissipating elements, which is highly industrialized and fully fabricated. In this structure, steel beam and steel column are hinged with pins, at which corners a replaceable energy dissipation element is added. The energy dissipation element is rigidly connected to the steel column through a section of H-beam and high-strength bolts and is hinged to the steel beam using high-strength bolts. The main materials, such as energy dissipation elements, steel columns, and steel beams, are all steel with a design yield strength of 345 MPa. Under the condition that the vertical clear distance between the energy dissipation element and the steel beam is constant at 0.2 m, and the size and section of the beams and columns remain unchanged, six groups of different test samples are constructed by changing the thickness and the horizontal length of the energy-dissipating element. Through the experimental research and numerical simulation of 6 groups of specimens, the strength, stiffness, ductility, hysteresis curve, energy dissipation coefficient, equivalent viscous damping coefficient, and failure mechanism of the joints are obtained, and the horizontal section of the energy dissipation element is mainly analyzed. The effects of parameters such as the ratio of length to span and its ratio to the linear stiffness of steel beams on the seismic performance of the joints were compared with those of traditional welded steel frame beam-column joints. The research results show that the joints can be fully assembled, the energy-consuming components can be replaced, and the beam-column connection joints can be controlled in practical applications. The deviation between the experimental results and the numerical simulation results is less than 10%, which is in good agreement. The failure mode of the node conforms to the seismic performance concept of “energy-dissipating elements are destroyed first and easily replaced after earthquakes”; when the ratio of the horizontal length to the span of the energy-consuming components is 0.225, and the ratio to the linear stiffness of the steel beam is 0.7, the seismic performance is close to or superior to that of traditional welded steel frame beam-column joints, that is, equal to or better than traditional welded steel frame beam-column joints. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Achieving Sustainability in Civil and Construction Engineering through Emerging Technologies)

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