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Sustainable Bridge: Design, Construction, Maintenance and Retrofitting

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 October 2023) | Viewed by 4891

Special Issue Editors

Center for Intelligent Infrastructure, Missouri University of Science and Technology, Rolla, MO 65409, USA
Interests: structural health monitoring; earthquake engineering; bridge inspection; intelligent infrastructure
Department of Bridge Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
Interests: seismic design of bridge; structural health monitoring; signal processing; system identification
College of Civil Engineering, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210096, China
Interests: bridges retrofitting; non-destructive evaluation; composite materials; artificial intelligence
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The world will invest 90 trillion USD in sustainable infrastructure by 2030, based on the estimates by the New Climate Economy. These demands are driven by the aging infrastructure in advanced economies, as well as higher economic growth, development of new materials, and structural change in emerging markets and developing countries. Bridges are critical components in transportation networks in terms of infrastructure and operation safety during their long service lives. The best way to optimize bridge sustainability is through extending the lifespan of a bridge, which is beneficial due to less environmental impacts and economic investments. Therefore, researchers are committed to developing a more sustainable bridge that covers the full life cycle, including design, construction, and continuing through operations and maintenance.

This Special Issue (SI) aims to present recent advances and emerging cross-disciplinary research in terms of sustainable bridges. Studies from experimental testing, analytical approaches, numerical simulation, and emerging algorithms to achieve the goal of sustainable bridges are more than welcome.

It is our pleasure to invite you to submit a manuscript for this SI. Technical articles and review papers are expected to reflect original research and technological advances on topics that include but are not strictly limited to, the following fields.

  • Emerging bridge design methodologies and related advanced technologies, such as Artificial Intelligent and Augment Reality.
  • Advanced materials or technologies and their applications in bridge construction and retrofitting.
  • Structural health monitoring and inspection methods in bridge maintenance.
  • Influence on bridge durability from extreme events and rehabilitation strategies towards service life extension.

Dr. Haibin Zhang
Dr. Hongya Qu
Dr. Xingxing Zou
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 bridge
  • emerging design methods
  • advanced materials
  • automation in construction
  • structural health monitoring
  • bridge retrofitting
  • rehabilitation strategies
  • extreme events

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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16 pages, 1900 KiB  
Article
Wind Resistance Performance Assessment of Long-Span Cable-Supported Bridges Based on Time-Varying Reliability Theory
by Yixiao Fu, Fenghui Dong and Jiaqing Wang
Sustainability 2024, 16(2), 923; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16020923 - 22 Jan 2024
Viewed by 481
Abstract
Long-span cable-supported bridges constitute the most common type of bridge with a span of more than 400 m. They are generally designed as a double-tower long-span structure with good spanning capacity and economic performance. Wind resistance safety performance is the main index used [...] Read more.
Long-span cable-supported bridges constitute the most common type of bridge with a span of more than 400 m. They are generally designed as a double-tower long-span structure with good spanning capacity and economic performance. Wind resistance safety performance is the main index used to control the long-span cable-supported bridge structure. During the life of a long-span cable-supported bridge structure, because the service life of the cables is far shorter than the design life of the structure, the wind resistance performance of the structure will inevitably deteriorate significantly, which will seriously affect the structural service performance of symmetric cable-supported bridges. Under strong wind loads, the static wind stability and flutter stability of cable-stayed bridge structures are components of the limit state of bearing capacity, which directly affects the safety performance of the structure. We take the flutter and static wind stability of a long-span cable-supported bridge structure as the main design control index, use inverse reliability theory to calculate the reliability index of a symmetric cable-supported bridge structure, use inverse reliability theory to calculate the safety factor of a symmetric cable-supported bridge structure, and evaluate the time-varying wind resistance performance of a long-span cable-supported bridge structure by comprehensively considering the reliability index and safety factor. Taking a practical project concerning a long-span cable-supported bridge as a specific case, the time-varying wind resistance reliability of the bridge throughout its operation for more than 30 years is analyzed along with the parameter sensitivity. The results show that the wind resistance performance of the cable-supported bridge structure is obviously affected by its cables, and the degradation of cable performance will have a significant impact on the time-varying wind resistance performance of the structure, especially the critical wind speed of the structure, which has obvious time-varying characteristics. The safety factor and reliability index can be used to objectively evaluate the time-varying wind resistance performance of long-span cable-supported bridge structures. Full article
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18 pages, 3283 KiB  
Article
Refined Analysis of the Transient Temperature Effect during the Closing Process of a Cross-Sea Bridge
by Zuolong Luo, Yuan Li, Jiaqing Wang and Fenghui Dong
Sustainability 2023, 15(17), 12970; https://doi.org/10.3390/su151712970 - 28 Aug 2023
Viewed by 580
Abstract
In order to study the transient temperature effect during the construction of a cross-sea bridge off the coast, based on the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge-Pipe Bridge Crossing Cliff 13-1 Gas Field, a refined analysis was conducted and the prediction of transient temperature gradient and [...] Read more.
In order to study the transient temperature effect during the construction of a cross-sea bridge off the coast, based on the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge-Pipe Bridge Crossing Cliff 13-1 Gas Field, a refined analysis was conducted and the prediction of transient temperature gradient and structural response was carried out under the conditions of strong solar radiation and atmospheric convection using the method of combining theoretical research and numerical simulation. Firstly, the partial differential equation of uniform heat flux density on the outer surface of the main girder under the action of solar radiation and atmospheric convection was established. The equation was realized by calculating the solar radiation intensity and the comprehensive heat transfer coefficient, as well as fitting the atmospheric temperature on the outer surface of the main girder, and the equivalent comprehensive temperature at any time on the main girder was obtained. Secondly, a numerical analysis model of the heat conduction of the main girder section was established, and the equivalent comprehensive temperature was input into the numerical model as the temperature field boundary to solve the transient temperature gradient of the section, and the result was verified in comparison with the measured data. Finally, the transient temperature gradient was applied to the girder, and the temperature effect of the main girder during the closing process was also calculated. Construction control measures were also discussed. The research results show that the predicted value of the transient temperature gradient is consistent with the measured value (the maximum deviation is less than 2 °C), and the predicted value is slightly larger than the measured value, which makes the structure safer. During the closing process, the temperature gradient of the main girder has obvious non-linear characteristics: the temperature gradient is relatively high within 0.4 m of the top surface of the roof while tending to zero outside 0.4 m. The best closing time for the main girder is from 21:00 in the evening of the closing day to 6:00 a.m. the next day. For the small angles at both ends of the closure segment during the best closing time, temporary adjustment jacks and temporary counterweights can be adopted to eliminate the small angles at both ends of the closure segment in order to facilitate the welding construction and meet the smoothness requirements of bridge alignment. Full article
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17 pages, 12409 KiB  
Article
Development and Characterization of Coal-Based Thermoplastic Composite Material for Sustainable Construction
by Haibin Zhang, Wenyu Liao, Genda Chen and Hongyan Ma
Sustainability 2023, 15(16), 12446; https://doi.org/10.3390/su151612446 - 16 Aug 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 839
Abstract
The exploitation of coal and the disposal of waste plastic present significant environmental and economic challenges that require sustainable and profitable solutions. In response, we propose a renewable construction composite material of coal-based thermoplastic composite (CTC) that can be made from low-grade coal [...] Read more.
The exploitation of coal and the disposal of waste plastic present significant environmental and economic challenges that require sustainable and profitable solutions. In response, we propose a renewable construction composite material of coal-based thermoplastic composite (CTC) that can be made from low-grade coal and plastic waste. We developed and tested the hot-press fabrication method for this CTC, using coal with a maximum particle size of 4.75 mm and recycled high-density polyethylene (HDPE). The effects of the coal fraction (50–80 wt%) on compressive properties, thermal properties, microstructure, and ecological and economic efficiencies of the CTC were investigated. Test results revealed that the compressive strength and modulus decrease as the coal fraction increases. However, the thermal properties, including thermal conductivity and specific heat, increase with higher coal contents. Compared to concrete, the CTC has about half the thermal conductivity and twice the specific heat, making it a more energy-efficient construction material. Microstructure testing helped to reveal the mechanisms behind the above behaviors of CTC from the observation of binder volume, bonding quality between coal and HDPE, and porosity variation. The life cycle analysis indicated that the CTC production reduced embodied energy, carbon footprint, and cost by up to 84%, 73%, and 14%, respectively. Therefore, we recommend the CTC with 50–70% coal fraction as an innovative construction material with satisfied mechanical and thermal properties, better cost efficiency, and a reduced ecological impact. Full article
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17 pages, 2830 KiB  
Article
Seismic Damage Identification of Composite Cable-Stayed Bridges Using Support Vector Machines and Wavelet Networks
by Zhongqi Shi, Rumian Zhong and Nan Jin
Sustainability 2023, 15(1), 108; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15010108 - 21 Dec 2022
Viewed by 1084
Abstract
A seismic damage identification method for composite cable-stayed bridges has been developed. The proposed method is based on a Support Vector Machine (SVM) and Wavelet Network (WN). A shaking table test of a composite cable-stayed bridge is employed to verify the identification accuracy [...] Read more.
A seismic damage identification method for composite cable-stayed bridges has been developed. The proposed method is based on a Support Vector Machine (SVM) and Wavelet Network (WN). A shaking table test of a composite cable-stayed bridge is employed to verify the identification accuracy of the WNSVM method; the test results show that the nonlinear Finite Element Model (FEM) can correctly simulate the single-tower cable-stayed bridge, and the learning samples of WNSVM can be produced based on the nonlinear FEM. The structural damage results identified by the WNSVM method are in good agreement with those obtained by the shaking table test, and the maximum error is less than 8%. Therefore, the WNSVM method can be used for the seismic damage identification of composite cable-stayed bridges. Full article
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12 pages, 8156 KiB  
Brief Report
Real-Time Tracking of Time-Varying Cable Frequency Based on a Time-Domain Signal Processing Method
by Zhongqi Shi, Rumian Zhong and Nan Jin
Sustainability 2023, 15(2), 1700; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15021700 - 16 Jan 2023
Viewed by 969
Abstract
In this paper, a time-domain signal processing method is proposed to extract the real-time time-varying cable frequency. The proposed conjugate-pair decomposition (CPD) method uses empirical mode decomposition (EMD) to obtain intrinsic mode functions (IMFs), and then the instantaneous frequency can be extracted by [...] Read more.
In this paper, a time-domain signal processing method is proposed to extract the real-time time-varying cable frequency. The proposed conjugate-pair decomposition (CPD) method uses empirical mode decomposition (EMD) to obtain intrinsic mode functions (IMFs), and then the instantaneous frequency can be extracted by post-processing the conjugate-pair of IMFs. Several numerical simulations and a composite cable-stayed bridge experiment are used to validate the accuracy and capability of the proposed method for tracking time-varying cable frequency. Moreover, the proposed method may be further used to assess cable fatigue damage. Full article
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