Resilient Civil Infrastructure, 2nd Edition

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31 July 2026

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31 October 2026

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Topic Information

Dear Colleagues,

This topic is “Resilient Civil Infrastructure”, which has proven to be successful in the past (https://www.mdpi.com/topics/RCI). Due to their vital role in modern communities and cities, civil infrastructures should be able to resist and recover from natural or human-made disasters such as earthquakes, hurricanes, floods, tsunamis, fires, blasts, etc. Developing a resilient civil infrastructure has garnered significant research attention over the last decade. Although significant advances have been made in this field in recent years, there are still important challenges related to more effective resilience quantification and the resilience enhancement of civil infrastructures to multiple disasters, ranging from the theory aspect (e.g., mechanical principle, interaction effect) to the technology aspect (e.g., material property, system innovation) and the decision aspect (e.g., assessment strategy, decision making). These challenges require further, more comprehensive efforts and more general intervention planning. From the above perspective, this topic aims to improve knowledge and performance in resilient civil infrastructure through enhanced scientific and multi-disciplinary works. The potential topics include (but are not limited to): Methodology for resilience assessment and quantification; Probabilistic theory and method for resilient infrastructure; Resilient construction materials; Innovative resilient structures; Multiple-hazard effects on resilience; Resilient community and smart city; Structural resilience and service life extension; Design optimization for resilient structure; Resilient management and performance improvement; Interaction between resilient structures and environment.

Prof. Dr. De-Cheng Feng
Dr. Ji-Gang Xu
Dr. Xu-Yang Cao
Topic Editors

Keywords

Participating Journals

Journal Name	Impact Factor	CiteScore	Launched Year	First Decision (median)	APC
Applied Sciences applsci	2.5	5.3	2011	18.4 Days	CHF 2400	Submit
Buildings buildings	3.1	3.4	2011	15.3 Days	CHF 2600	Submit
Designs designs	-	3.9	2017	21.7 Days	CHF 1600	Submit
Infrastructures infrastructures	2.7	5.2	2016	17.8 Days	CHF 1800	Submit
Journal of Marine Science and Engineering jmse	2.7	4.4	2013	16.4 Days	CHF 2600	Submit

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Published Papers (10 papers)

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All Applied Sciences Buildings Designs Infrastructures JMSE

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18 pages, 15108 KiB  

Open AccessArticle

Vulnerability Assessment of Reinforced Concrete Piers Under Vehicle Collision Considering the Influence of Uncertainty

by Xiaohui Yu, Yihang Chen and Yu He

Buildings 2025, 15(8), 1222; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings15081222 - 8 Apr 2025

Viewed by 237

Abstract

In recent years, the serious damage and even collapse accidents of bridge under vehicle-to-pier collision occurred frequently and have attracted growing attention world widely. Numerous studies have been conducted to examine the structural resistance of bridge piers against vehicle-with-pier collisions. Nevertheless, most of [...] Read more.

In recent years, the serious damage and even collapse accidents of bridge under vehicle-to-pier collision occurred frequently and have attracted growing attention world widely. Numerous studies have been conducted to examine the structural resistance of bridge piers against vehicle-with-pier collisions. Nevertheless, most of those studies employed a deterministic approach without incorporating the inherent uncertainty in structural and loading parameters. This study proposes a probabilistic approach to investigate the vulnerability of reinforced concrete (RC) piers under collisions with trucks and tractors. To do this, a dynamic mass-spring numerical model was developed to simulate the pier–vehicle collision process, which was further validated through simulating experimental data. A total of four parameters, including concrete strength, pier diameter, stirrup yield strength, and stirrup spacing, were considered and regarded as uncertainty parameters with their probability distributions determined according to the available studies. The Monte Carlo simulation method was used to generate 1000 samples for each of the uncertainty parameters and these random samples were coupled in the simplified numerical model. Through probabilistic analysis, the collapse vulnerability of RC piers was estimated. The results revealed that a tractor with a higher mass can result in higher failure probabilities than a truck. The uncertainty of the pier diameter and concrete strength have a great impact on the vulnerability of RC piers under different damage states. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic Resilient Civil Infrastructure, 2nd Edition)

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20 pages, 5333 KiB  

Open AccessArticle

A New Prediction Model of Dam Deformation and Successful Application

by Shuangping Li, Bin Zhang, Meng Yang, Senlin Li and Zuqiang Liu

Buildings 2025, 15(5), 818; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings15050818 - 5 Mar 2025

Viewed by 440

Abstract

In most dam deformation monitoring practices, some single-point models do not consider the spatial correlation, and the traditional regression models do not consider the nonlinear relationship between the environmental quantity and the deformation quantity, resulting in poor prediction accuracy. In view of the [...] Read more.

In most dam deformation monitoring practices, some single-point models do not consider the spatial correlation, and the traditional regression models do not consider the nonlinear relationship between the environmental quantity and the deformation quantity, resulting in poor prediction accuracy. In view of the poor accuracy of the monitoring data, which reflect the overall deformation response in the current dam monitoring practices, this paper proposes an innovative solution of ensemble empirical mode decomposition and a wavelet noise reduction method. A high-precision prediction model considering spatial correlation is constructed. By studying the measured deformation data of an arch dam and comparing the performance parameters of various models, the superiority and universality of the proposed method are verified. Dam deformation monitoring data are of great significance to describe the operation behavior of dams. It is significant for us to optimize the health monitoring of dam safety structures and ensure dam safety and realize social harmony in our country. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic Resilient Civil Infrastructure, 2nd Edition)

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23 pages, 10722 KiB  

Open AccessArticle

Time-Dependent Seismic Fragility of Coastal RC Frames Considering Effect of Distance from Coastline

by Xiaohui Yu, Zenghui Li, Ao Yang, Yushi Li, Dagang Lu and Kuangyu Dai

Buildings 2025, 15(5), 737; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings15050737 - 25 Feb 2025

Viewed by 391

Abstract

Reinforced concrete (RC) structures in coastal atmospheres commonly suffer the penetration of chloride ions, which can lead to the corrosion of reinforcements and, thus, a reduction in their structural performance under earthquakes. In recent years, time-dependent seismic fragility analysis has been widely used [...] Read more.

Reinforced concrete (RC) structures in coastal atmospheres commonly suffer the penetration of chloride ions, which can lead to the corrosion of reinforcements and, thus, a reduction in their structural performance under earthquakes. In recent years, time-dependent seismic fragility analysis has been widely used as an effective tool to represent the deterioration in the seismic performance of aging RC structures. However, few studies have considered the influences of varying chloride ion exposure environments due to the different distances of structures from a coastline. In light of this, this study performs a time-dependent seismic fragility analysis for aging RC frames, considering varying distances of the buildings from the coastline. To conduct this, a time-dependent reinforcement corrosion rate model that can consider the effect of the distance of a building from the coastline is established by combining a concrete surface chloride ion concentration model, an initial corrosion time model, and an electrochemical corrosion rate model. By integrating material deterioration models for reinforcements and concrete, the seismic fragility relationships for structures with different degrees of corrosion damage can be developed. A corrosion deterioration factor is then proposed to quantify the relationship between the seismic fragility function parameters and the corrosion rate. Subsequently, time-dependent fragility functions considering the effect of the distance from the coastline can be established. A nine-story RC frame designed according to the existing Chinese codes is used for illustration. The time-dependent seismic fragility relationship of the structure is developed considering different distances of buildings from the coastline. The results show that the effect of the distance of a building from the coastline varies under different categories of environment. The seismic fragility results for a structure under a III-a environment are more significantly influenced by the structural distance from the coastline compared to those for a structure under a II-a environment. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic Resilient Civil Infrastructure, 2nd Edition)

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31 pages, 4823 KiB  

Open AccessArticle

Philosophical Research Combined with Mathematics in Dam Safety Monitoring and Risk Analysis

by Yan Wang, Shuangping Li, Qi He, Meng Yang, Zuqiang Liu and Taoming Jiang

Buildings 2025, 15(4), 580; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings15040580 - 13 Feb 2025

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 564

Abstract

In this study, philosophical research combined with mathematics was carried out in the area of dam safety monitoring and risk analysis. Variational mode decomposition was improved and proposed for dam deformation prediction though deep learning. The accuracy and generalization ability of dam deformation [...] Read more.

In this study, philosophical research combined with mathematics was carried out in the area of dam safety monitoring and risk analysis. Variational mode decomposition was improved and proposed for dam deformation prediction though deep learning. The accuracy and generalization ability of dam deformation prediction were improved effectively. These should be fully understood in the context of the interaction and mutual promotion relationship between dam safety and risk monitoring and analysis, with a consideration of the imbalance of the environment and structure in development during the analysis and research of dam safety. The feasibility of this method for improving structural health monitoring systems is verified by analyzing the deformation monitoring data of a concrete dam. Moreover, a basic reference frame for opening up the deep cross-integration of disciplines was formulated with the dialectical, comprehensive, and dynamic study and exploration of dam safety monitoring and analysis from the perspective of philosophy. It is of great significance to optimize dam safety structure health monitoring, construct dam safety monitoring systems scientifically, ensure dam safety, and realize social harmony by analyzing and exploring the philosophical root of dam safety and risk analysis from the perspective of connection and development, contradiction, and unity. It was found that the proposed deformation analysis model can select the optimal set of influence factors for dam displacement and quickly perform modal decomposition compared with the conventional monitoring model. The prediction accuracy and generality of the model were improved to a certain extent. The purpose of this research is to search for a new pathway to obtain a more objective and accurate method for dam safety analysis. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic Resilient Civil Infrastructure, 2nd Edition)

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15 pages, 5058 KiB  

Open AccessArticle

Numerical Modeling and Analysis of Steel Sheet Pile Cofferdams, Considering the Construction Sequence

by Guangdong Lv, Zhengrong Liu, Xiang Yu, Fuhai Zhang, Qingxiang Meng and Xiaojing Hu

Buildings 2025, 15(3), 407; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings15030407 - 27 Jan 2025

Viewed by 780

Abstract

The construction of steel sheet pile cofferdams is a systematic project. Simplified construction sequences are widely used to facilitate the numerical modeling of cofferdams, while the mechanical behaviors of cofferdams with different construction sequences have yet to be understood. In the present study, [...] Read more.

The construction of steel sheet pile cofferdams is a systematic project. Simplified construction sequences are widely used to facilitate the numerical modeling of cofferdams, while the mechanical behaviors of cofferdams with different construction sequences have yet to be understood. In the present study, finite element models of steel sheet pile cofferdams with different construction sequences were established, based on the temporary cofferdam of the Shenzhen–Zhongshan Link. The mechanisms of simplified construction sequences on bending moment were revealed by analyzing the displacements and contact press of steel sheet piles. The distribution of bending moment with elevation demonstrates the importance of the layered backfill process in numerical modeling. In addition, a finite element model of the cofferdam considering steady-state seepage was also established. The comparison of the hydrostatic pressure results and the bending moment results obtained by engineering experience and seepage analysis were discussed. The analysis results showed that the empirical method overestimated the maximum bending moment of the inner side of piles, which led to a more conservative design of the cofferdam. This work can serve as a reference for numerical modeling of steel sheet pile cofferdams and contribute to risk assessment in related engineering projects. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic Resilient Civil Infrastructure, 2nd Edition)

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20 pages, 6937 KiB  

Open AccessArticle

Study on the Stability of Unbalanced Rotation of Large-Tonnage T-Shaped Rigid Frame Bridges

by Hantao Wu, Zheng Yang, Chunting Lu, Zhongming Li, Chen Guo and Guohua Sha

Buildings 2024, 14(12), 3927; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings14123927 - 9 Dec 2024

Viewed by 684

Abstract

In the design of cantilever method bridge anti-overturning structures, the appropriate gap between the supporting foot and the lower rotating table is a crucial factor. It affects the distribution of the upper load and the friction force of the rotating structure, playing a [...] Read more.

In the design of cantilever method bridge anti-overturning structures, the appropriate gap between the supporting foot and the lower rotating table is a crucial factor. It affects the distribution of the upper load and the friction force of the rotating structure, playing a key role in stability control. Currently, a reasonably defined range for this gap based on engineering practice has not been established. This study, set against the backdrop of practical engineering for large-tonnage rotational bridges, analyzes potential overturning instability forms during rotation. It provides a detailed examination of the stability performance of bridges in unbalanced states under single-side joint support configurations and analyzes the mechanical performance and stability under different gaps and impact velocities during rotation. The result is that the impact acceleration, angular acceleration of rotation, and tilt angle (gap) increase displacement and stress in the support system, posing a significant safety risk. The present research demonstrates the safety and rationality of the proposed unbalanced rotation and provides control limits for tilt angle and rotation acceleration during the rotation process. These results demonstrate that the proposed support mode ensures safety requirements during unbalanced rotation, offering insights for the design and construction of large-tonnage rotational bridges. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic Resilient Civil Infrastructure, 2nd Edition)

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23 pages, 13336 KiB  

Open AccessArticle

The Influence of Key Dimensions of the Swivel Hinge on the Mechanical Performance of Bridge Rotary Structure

by Hantao Wu, Zheng Yang, Chunting Lu, Zhongming Li, Chen Guo and Guohua Sha

Buildings 2024, 14(12), 3905; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings14123905 - 6 Dec 2024

Viewed by 685

Abstract

To assess the influence of the spherical and supporting radius of swivel hinges on the anti-overturning capability of T-structures and the safety of lower turntables, this study focuses on large-tonnage rotary bridges spanning the South-to-North Water Diversion Project along the Jiaozuo to Tanghe [...] Read more.

To assess the influence of the spherical and supporting radius of swivel hinges on the anti-overturning capability of T-structures and the safety of lower turntables, this study focuses on large-tonnage rotary bridges spanning the South-to-North Water Diversion Project along the Jiaozuo to Tanghe Expressway. The research involved theoretical analysis and numerical simulations to evaluate the stability of the rotary structures and the load-bearing capacity of rotary platforms with varying spherical and supporting radii, and we generated 15 numerical models. The results indicate that the critical eccentricity for T-structure anti-overturning increases with larger supporting and spherical radii, with diminishing returns as the supporting radius decreases. The critical eccentricity for spherical hinges is consistently lower than that seen for flat hinges. The lower turntable’s failure characteristics divide it into four zones, as follows: main compressive stress failure at the bottom under the hinge, main tensile stress failure at the top around the hinge, and two other regions less prone to failure. The supporting radius significantly influences compressive and tensile stress failures, while the spherical radius mainly affects the tensile stress area. These results offer insights for the design and construction of large-tonnage rotational bridges. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic Resilient Civil Infrastructure, 2nd Edition)

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18 pages, 7247 KiB  

Open AccessArticle

Intelligent Inspection Method for Rebar Installation Quality of Reinforced Concrete Slab Based on Point Cloud Processing and Semantic Segmentation

by Ruishi Wang, Jianxiong Zhang, Hongxing Qiu and Jian Sun

Buildings 2024, 14(11), 3693; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings14113693 - 20 Nov 2024

Viewed by 1288

Abstract

The rebar installation quality significantly impacts the safety and durability of reinforced concrete (RC) structures. Traditional manual inspection is time-consuming, inefficient, and highly subjective. In order to solve this problem, this study uses a depth camera and aims to develop an intelligent inspection [...] Read more.

The rebar installation quality significantly impacts the safety and durability of reinforced concrete (RC) structures. Traditional manual inspection is time-consuming, inefficient, and highly subjective. In order to solve this problem, this study uses a depth camera and aims to develop an intelligent inspection method for the rebar installation quality of an RC slab. The Random Sample Consensus (RANSAC) method is used to extract point cloud data for the bottom formwork, the upper and lower rebar lattices, and individual rebars. These data are utilized to measure the concrete cover thickness, the distance between the upper and lower rebar lattices, and the spacing between rebars in the RC slab. This paper introduces the concept of the “diameter calculation region” and combines point cloud semantic information with rebar segmentation mask information through the relationship between pixel coordinates and camera coordinates to measure the nominal diameter of the rebar. The verification results indicate that the maximum deviations for the concrete cover thickness, the distance between the upper and lower rebar lattices, and the spacing of the double-layer bidirectional rebar in the RC slab are 0.41 mm, 1.32 mm, and 5 mm, respectively. The accuracy of the nominal rebar diameter measurement reaches 98.4%, demonstrating high precision and applicability for quality inspection during the actual construction stage. Overall, this study integrates computer vision into traditional civil engineering research, utilizing depth cameras to acquire point cloud data and color results. It replaces inefficient manual inspection methods with an intelligent and efficient approach, addressing the challenge of detecting double-layer reinforcement. This has significant implications for practical engineering applications and the development of intelligent engineering monitoring systems. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic Resilient Civil Infrastructure, 2nd Edition)

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14 pages, 3811 KiB  

Open AccessArticle

Recovery Resiliency Characteristics of Interdependent Critical Infrastructures in Disaster-Prone Areas

by Partha Sarker, Bhushan Lohar, Sean Walker, Stephanie Patch and John T. Wade

Infrastructures 2024, 9(11), 208; https://doi.org/10.3390/infrastructures9110208 - 19 Nov 2024

Viewed by 981

Abstract

When Hurricane Maria struck the island of Puerto Rico in September, 2017, it devastated the island’s critical infrastructures, including the well-documented total loss of electric power systems. The strong interdependencies or associations among critical infrastructures in modern society meant that the failure of [...] Read more.

When Hurricane Maria struck the island of Puerto Rico in September, 2017, it devastated the island’s critical infrastructures, including the well-documented total loss of electric power systems. The strong interdependencies or associations among critical infrastructures in modern society meant that the failure of power systems propagated to and exacerbated the failure of other infrastructure systems. Moreover, these associations impact systems recovery just as they impact system failure. This study is a follow-up of previous research by the first author on Hurricane Maria. In this research authors extracted and quantified the recovery associations of Hurricane Fiona (September 2022) made landfall in Puerto Rico and inflicted considerable damage to its critical infrastructures. The recovery efforts following the disaster provided an opportunity to follow up on the previous research and examine the recovery associations. Significant money and efforts have gone into upgrading the infrastructures of Puerto Rico to make them more resilient to natural disasters such as hurricanes or tropical storms following Hurricane Maria. This paper explores the new recovery resiliency characteristics of Puerto Rico’s critical infrastructure systems (CISs) that the recovery efforts following Hurricane Fiona illustrate. This research shows that the power systems and other CISs of Puerto Rico are much more resilient when compared to their state of resiliency in 2017. Moreover, examining the recovery interdependencies reveals that some of the CISs are strongly dependent on power systems recovery. Outcomes of this study suggest that CIS relationships based on recovery data from Puerto Rico, are transferable to similar disaster-prone areas such as the Caribbean islands or other island nations, as they have similar characteristics and challenges. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic Resilient Civil Infrastructure, 2nd Edition)

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21 pages, 5643 KiB  

Open AccessArticle

Study on the Effect of Heat Transfer Characteristics of Energy Piles

by Xiaoyang Wang, Tongyu Xu, Kaiming Zhao, Yueqiu Xia, Yuechen Duan, Weijun Gao and Gangqiang Kong

Buildings 2024, 14(11), 3593; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings14113593 - 12 Nov 2024

Viewed by 1093

Abstract

The thermal performance of energy piles equipped with new metal fins to improve heat transmission is examined in this research. The solid heat transfer module of COMSOL Multiphysics was used to create a 2D numerical model of the energy pile, utilizing the energy [...] Read more.

The thermal performance of energy piles equipped with new metal fins to improve heat transmission is examined in this research. The solid heat transfer module of COMSOL Multiphysics was used to create a 2D numerical model of the energy pile, utilizing the energy pile at a field test site in Nanjing as an example. By contrasting the experimental data, the COMSOL Multiphysics model’s correctness was confirmed. After that, a new kind of energy pile fin was created to improve the heat transfer of the pile. The impact of the new fin type on the energy pile’s heat transfer efficiency was assessed, and the temperature change within the soil surrounding the pile before and after the fin was set was examined by contrasting the parameters of pipe configuration, buried pipe depth, and concrete thermal conductivity. The results indicate that after setting the fins to run for 336 h, the temperature of the concrete area increases by 10.8% to 12.3%, and the temperature of the region surrounding the pile increases by 5.3% to 8.7% when the tube diameter is chosen to be between 20 and 40 mm; The fins maximize the heat transfer temperature between the surrounding soil and the concrete, and as the tube diameter increases, the temperature drops. For 336 h of pile operation, the temperature of the concrete may be raised by 10.8% to 12.3% after the fins are set, and the temperature around the pile can be raised by 5.3% to 8.7%. The heat transmission efficiency of the energy pile can be improved by raising the temperature of the soil surrounding the pile through an increase in the concrete’s thermal conductivity; however, the degree of improvement diminishes as the conductivity rises. It is intended that this study will offer insightful information on the best way to design energy pile heat transfer efficiency. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic Resilient Civil Infrastructure, 2nd Edition)

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