CivilEng

This article presented a method for grading and visualising corrosion in steel pedestrian bridges using Building Information Modelling (BIM). Traditional inspection methods are often manual and subjective, which reduces their reliability and repeatability. To enhance the recording and reporting of inspection results, a five-level corrosion severity grading system was developed using matched photographic data from two inspection campaigns conducted in February 2024 and April 2025. The grades were assigned based on visual signs, including surface rust, coating damage, and flaking. A Dynamo script was used to link each grade to the corresponding elements in a Revit model using colour overrides. The proposed approach enables corrosion data to be integrated into the BIM environment in a clear, structured manner. This helps engineers assess the structure’s condition, monitor changes over time, and make informed maintenance decisions. The workflow was demonstrated using case studies from a steel pedestrian bridge in Aveiro, Portugal. The method is adaptable for future digital twin applications and supports the development of BIM-based tools for bridge asset management. The workflow was applied to over 2600 elements, with 75 visually degraded cases identified and classified into five grades, demonstrating the method’s feasibility for systematic corrosion tracking. The proposed workflow was tested on a coastal steel bridge and could be generalised to other bridges with similar environmental conditions.

Given the apparent gap between scientific research and engineering practice, this paper tracks the dominating perspectives that have shaped the growth of hydrological research. Based on five eras, dominated with specific paradigms and/or ideologies, this paper highlights the punctuated growth of flood frequency analysis comparative to the enormous progress made in hydrological modeling can be claimed by the 20th century. The historical narrative underpinning this inquiry indicates that progress in hydrological understanding can be characterized by two contrasting claims: modeling breakthroughs and inconclusive results. Contradicting statistical assumptions, complex modeling structures, the standardization of specific techniques, and the absence of any unified physical meaning of the research results brought an apparent conflict between the scope of hydrologic research and the scope of end users, i.e., civil engineers. Some hydrologists argue that the debates associated with hydrologic progress, i.e., the evolution of statistical methods, dating back to the 1960s remain unaddressed, with each era introducing additional uncertainty, questions, and concerns. Progress, for it to happen, needs synthesis among scientists, engineers, and stakeholders. This paper concludes that, in a similar way to how physicists acknowledge the conflicts between quantum and Newtonian physics, hydrology too can benefit from acknowledging divergent principles emerging from engineering practice. While many advanced analytical tools—though varied in form—are grounded in the assumption that past data can predict future conditions, the contrasting view that past data cannot always do so represents a key philosophical foundation for resilience-based civil engineering design. Acknowledging contrasting philosophies describing the nature of reality can help illuminate the conundrum in the scope of hydrological research and can enable synthesis activities aimed at ‘putting the puzzle together’.

The structural performance of mid-rise buildings with a soft first story is a critical issue in earthquake-prone regions. This paper presents a detailed assessment of both the seismic performance and the structural reliability of a confined masonry mid-rise building with a soft reinforced-concrete first-story irregularity located in Mexico. This structure was designed according to outdated building codes to reflect construction practices that remain common in some parts of the country. Nonlinear dynamic analyses were conducted using ETABS v21. To simulate various seismic scenarios, ground motion records associated with return periods of 72, 475, and 975 years, respectively, were implemented. The results demonstrated that maximum inter-story drift is predominantly concentrated at the first story, exceeding the performance thresholds for immediate occupancy, life safety, and collapse prevention. Furthermore, a probabilistic performance assessment was developed considering the randomness of inter-story drift responses. Then, reliability index (β) was calculated for each seismic scenario. In all cases, β values remained consistently below the minimum recommended limit. These findings confirm the formation of a soft-story mechanism at the first level and are relevant for buildings designed under construction provisions like those used in the present case study.