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Sustainability in Civil and Infrastructure Engineering
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Sustainability in Civil and Infrastructure Engineering

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 2024) | Viewed by 6702

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Ali Jamshidi

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Engineering and Science; University of the Sunshine Coast; Queensland 4556, Australia
Interests: pavement engineering; construction material recycling; concrete pavements; asphalt pavements; concrete block pavements; sustainable pavements; environmental impact assessments
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The construction of infrastructure is a material- and labour-intensive task that results in massive environmental burdens. In response to natural disasters due to global warming and human calamity, a new concept has emerged: resilient infrastructure. This term underpins any approaches and technologies that lead to an energy-efficient, eco-friendly, and sustainable life cycle. It should be noted that the environmental burdens of infrastructure assets in the utility phase may be higher than those in the construction and recycling phases. Therefore, it is essential to analyse the energy feedstocks and carbon footprints of infrastructure assets from the cradle to the grave. However, one of the most energy-intense phases of the infrastructure industry is the construction phase. Any change that results in energy being saved is a form of investment towards a greener economy, as infrastructure assets encompass a wide range of facilities within socio-economic development, as follows:

  • Water and wastewater;
  • Waste management;
  • Energy production and distribution;
  • Buildings;
  • Recreation facilities;
  • Communication;
  • Transportation.

To overcome the challenges of the development of sustainable and resilient infrastructure, it is necessary to benefit from cutting-edge technologies, digital platforms, machine learning, novel approaches, sophisticated analytical models, and research.

This Special Issue provides a platform for publishing world-class research, paving the way toward the sustainable construction of infrastructure. All authors, researchers, technologists, developers, business staff, technicians, and vendors are invited to submit their research papers, review papers, book reviews, discussions, or short comments on sustainable construction infrastructure or the state of the art of the technology/materials related to one or more of the following topics:

  • Carbon footprints;
  • Digital transformation;
  • Artificial intelligence;
  • Machine learning;
  • Pavements;
  • Fuel consumption;
  • Life cycle analysis;
  • Concrete;
  • Metal manufacturing;
  • Asphalt;
  • Nanomaterials;
  • Nanotechnology;
  • Data science;
  • Waste material;
  • Water resources;
  • Roads;
  • Airports;
  • Ports;
  • Railways;
  • Photovoltaic technology;
  • Renewable energy.

I look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Ali Jamshidi
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. 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 infrastructure material
  • sustainable construction
  • concrete pavements
  • asphalt pavements
  • heavy-duty pavements
  • infrastructure asset management

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

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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15 pages, 8255 KiB  
Article
Identification of Risk Zones During Infrastructure Construction and Maintenance Using Satellite SAR Data for Sustainable Urban Areas in South Korea
by Wooseok Kim, Sungpil Hwang, Hyangsun Han, Byungsuk Park and Wankyu Yoo
Sustainability 2024, 16(23), 10627; https://doi.org/10.3390/su162310627 - 4 Dec 2024
Viewed by 1229
Abstract
Satellite data have emerged as a widely used tool for global research. In particular, satellite data aid in overcoming long-term observational challenges caused by seasonal effects, facilitating comprehensive monitoring of large regions and simplifying infrastructure maintenance. However, in Korea, the application of satellite [...] Read more.
Satellite data have emerged as a widely used tool for global research. In particular, satellite data aid in overcoming long-term observational challenges caused by seasonal effects, facilitating comprehensive monitoring of large regions and simplifying infrastructure maintenance. However, in Korea, the application of satellite SAR (Synthetic Aperture Radar) data within the construction sector remains relatively limited. This study used satellite SAR data to analyze the effects of infrastructure (underground roads and subway systems) currently under construction in Korea on the surrounding ground surface, in order to identify risk zones. This study explored methods for continuously monitoring extensive areas over long distances and selecting potential risk zones. The results indicated substantial ground displacements at specific locations and seasonal changes. Furthermore, past and current satellite SAR data were overlapped to facilitate a time-series analysis. The results confirmed that satellite SAR can improve the monitoring of construction projects in Korea and provide valuable information that can contribute to enhancing maintenance efforts, including near-future ground displacement data. The results are expected to help citizens maintain a safe and sustainable life in urban areas. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability in Civil and Infrastructure Engineering)
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31 pages, 6694 KiB  
Article
Digitalization of Analysis of a Concrete Block Layer Using Machine Learning as a Sustainable Approach
by Parviz Narimani, Mohsen Dehghanpour Abyaneh, Marzieh Golabchi, Babak Golchin, Rezwanul Haque and Ali Jamshidi
Sustainability 2024, 16(17), 7591; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16177591 - 2 Sep 2024
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2393
Abstract
The concrete block pavement (CBP) system has a surface layer consisting of concrete block pavers and joint sand over a bedding sand layer. The non-homogeneous nature of the surface course of CBP, along with different laying patterns and shapes of block pavers, makes [...] Read more.
The concrete block pavement (CBP) system has a surface layer consisting of concrete block pavers and joint sand over a bedding sand layer. The non-homogeneous nature of the surface course of CBP, along with different laying patterns and shapes of block pavers, makes the analysis of CBP cumbersome. In this study, the surface course of CBP was modeled based on the slab action of the block pavers and joint sand, which are connected together in full contact. Four different laying patterns, including herringbone, stretcher, parquet, and square, were modeled using a finite element model. The elastic moduli of the block pavers varied from 2500 MPa to 45,000 MPa, with thicknesses ranging from 60 mm to 120 mm. As a result, modeling of CBP based on slab action can be considered a realistic strategy. In addition, a dataset was created based on quantitative inputs, e.g., elastic modulus and thickness of the block pavers, and qualitative input, i.e., block laying patterns. The approaches of machine learning adopted were support vector regression, Gaussian process regression, single-layer and deep artificial neural networks, and least squares boosting to implement prediction approach based on input and output. The analyses of statistical accuracy of all five machine learning methods showed high accuracy; however, the Gaussian process and deep artificial neural network methods resulted in the most accurate outputs and are recommended for further studies. Based on the machine learning models, digitalization is achieved through the development of simple, user-friendly software for electronic devices in order to perform a preliminary analysis of different laying patterns of CBP. Such a platform may result in less laboratory work and boosts the level of sustainability in concrete block pavement technology. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability in Civil and Infrastructure Engineering)
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Review

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18 pages, 1010 KiB  
Review
Six Connotations of Sustainability in Civil and Construction Engineering: A Corpus Linguistics Study
by Xiaomei Wang, Andrew South, Brett Hashimoto and Clifton Farnsworth
Sustainability 2024, 16(15), 6271; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16156271 - 23 Jul 2024
Viewed by 2407
Abstract
This research explores the historic use of the concept of sustainability in civil engineering academic literature and identifies its conceptual evolution and connotative treatment over the last 40 years. We find that academic research addressing sustainability is exponentially increasing and that the focus [...] Read more.
This research explores the historic use of the concept of sustainability in civil engineering academic literature and identifies its conceptual evolution and connotative treatment over the last 40 years. We find that academic research addressing sustainability is exponentially increasing and that the focus on sustainability is enlarging from a primarily environmental perspective to include more social elements. Additionally, we propose a set of six connotations of sustainability: assessment, progress, permanence, abstractness, multidimensional, and intersectional. These connotations provide conceptual clarity for academics and practitioners in better-defining sustainability objectives and measuring outcomes. These connotations also promote more efficient collaboration with other necessary disciplines in the pursuit of project and societal-level goals. The research employs a novel use of computational corpus linguistics in CCE to identify and examine patterns of collocates associated with the word sustainability in a corpus of 335,020 peer-reviewed civil and construction engineering (CCE) scholarly abstracts published between 1981 and 2021. Demonstrating this research method is a contribution to CCE researchers systematically extracting meaning from large volumes of literature. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability in Civil and Infrastructure Engineering)
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