Monitoring of transport infrastructure exposed to multiple hazards: a roadmap for building resilience

How the interplay of monitoring-enabled digital technologies and human factors facilitates or hinders metro systems' resilient response to operational disruptions

The metro is susceptible to disruption risks and requires a system response capability to build resilience to manage disruptions. Achieving such resilient response state requires readiness in both the technology side, e.g., utilizing digital technologies (DTs) to monitor system components, and the human factors side, e.g., fostering positive human coping capabilities; however, these two sides are usually considered independently, without sufficient integration. This paper aims to develop and empirically test a model in which monitoring-enabled DTs, employees' reactions, and their positive capabilities are simultaneously considered in terms of their interplay and impact on system response capability. The results showed that while DTs for monitoring physical components enhanced perceived management commitment and fostered collective efficacy, DTs for monitoring human components increased psychological strain and inhibited improvisation capability, creating a "double-edged sword" effect on system response capability. Additionally, explicit management commitment buffered the adverse effect of DTs-induced psychological strain on individual improvisation.

Integrating fire safety into bridge design is essential for resilient infrastructure

The frequent occurrences of bridge fires and the substantial disruptions and direct/indirect economic losses resulting from these events highlight the immediate need for effective fire-safety-oriented design of new bridges and retrofit approaches for vulnerable existing bridges. In this Perspective, we discuss why a holistic engineering approach integrating innovative fire analysis methods and structural design/retrofit strategies into multi-hazard and future-oriented risk modeling frameworks represents the way forward to more sustainable and resilient infrastructure in an uncertain and rapidly changing built environment.

Sustainable resilient E-waste management in London: A circular economy perspective

The circular economy (CE) is reasoned to organize complex systems supporting sustainable resilience by distinguishing between waste materials and economic growth. This is crucial to the electronic waste (e-waste) industry of developed countries, and e-waste operation management has become their top priority because e-waste contains toxic materials and valuable sources of elements. In the UK, although London Metropolitan city boasts an ambitious sustainable resilience target underlying the context of CE, practical implementation has yet to be feasible, with few investigations detailing if and how the existing target implications enable industrial and social-ecological sectors to continue their performance functionalities in the face of undesired disruptions. In this paper, a dynamic Bayesian Network (dynamic BN) approach is developed to address a range of potential risks. The existing London e-waste operation management is considered as an application of study for sustainable resilience development. Through the utilization of dynamic BN, a comprehensive analysis yields a Resilience Index (RI) of 0.5424, coupled with a StdDev of 0.01350. These metrics offer a profound insight into the intricate workings of a sustainable system and its capacity to swiftly rebound from unexpected shocks and disturbances. This newfound understanding equips policymakers with the knowledge needed to navigate the complexities of sustainable e-waste management effectively. The implications drawn from these in-depth analyses furnish policymakers with invaluable information, enabling them to make judicious decisions that advance the cause of sustainable e-waste management. The findings underscore that the absorptive capacity of a sustainable and resilient e-waste operation management system stands as the foremost defense mechanism against unforeseen challenges. Furthermore, it becomes evident that two pivotal factors, namely "diversifying the supply chain" and "enhancing supply chain transparency," play pivotal roles in augmenting the sustainability and resilience of e-waste operation management within the context of London's ambitious sustainability targets. These factors are instrumental in steering the trajectory of e-waste management towards a more sustainable and resilient future, aligning with London's aspirations for a greener and more eco-conscious future.

Is Resilient Transportation Infrastructure Low-Carbon? Evidence from High-Speed Railway Projects in China

Establishing resilient transport infrastructure is an effective way for cities to deal with external disturbances and uncertainties during rapid urbanization. However, human society is presently facing a series of sustainable development obstacles, where the energy shortage and environmental pollution are catching significant concerns. Hence, it is imperative to investigate the carbon emission of the growing number of resilient transportation infrastructure (RTI) projects. Through extracting the carbon emission factor (CEF), this study built the carbon emission measurement model (CEMM) to evaluate the carbon emission of 26 resilient high-speed railway construction projects in China. The results indicated that the carbon emissions of the entire high-speed railway infrastructure projects in China show regional and social environmental differences. Meanwhile, there are potential correlations and positive relationships between the resilience of the high-speed railway infrastructure projects and their carbon emission. Suggestions and recommendations for governments and construction enterprises are put forward to further improve the resilient and low-carbon development of transportation infrastructure in China.

Experimental Consideration of Conditions for Measuring Residual Stresses of Rails Using Magnetic Barkhausen Noise Method

Residual stress, a factor affecting the fatigue and fracture characteristics of rails, is formed during the processes of fabrication and heat treatment, and is also generated by vertical loads on wheels due to the weight of vehicles. Moreover, damage to rails tends to accelerate due to the continuous increase in the number of passes and to the high speed of passing vehicles. Because this can have a direct effect on safety accidents, having a technique to evaluate and analyze the residual stresses in rails accurately is very important. In this study, stresses due to tensile loads applied to new rails and residual stresses remaining in used rails were measured by using magnetic Barkhausen noise method. First, a magnetization frequency and noise band suitable for the rails were selected. Moreover, by applying tensile loads to specimens and comparing the difference in magnetization amplitudes for each load, the stresses applied to the rails by using the magnetic Barkhausen noise method were measured, and the analysis of the results was verified. Based on these results, the difference in the results for the loads asymmetrically applied according to the wheel shape was analyzed by measuring for the head parts of used rails.

Built Infrastructure Conditions Mediate the Relationship between Stakeholders Attributes and Flood Damage: An Empirical Case Study

Most of the previous research has tended to focus on the impact of flood characteristics on built infrastructure damage rather than to investigate the condition of the infrastructure and stakeholders’ capacity to manage flood risks. The role of stakeholder attributes, such as the power, legitimacy, and urgency of local governments, in reducing the impact of disasters on built infrastructure remains ambiguous. Stakeholders’ organizational attributes, together with socio-economic and built infrastructure conditions, need to be considered to provide a better understanding of how to reduce disaster risk. The main aim of this research was to empirically investigate the mediating role of socio-economic and infrastructure conditions in the direct relationship between stakeholders’ attributes and economic damage to road infrastructure from flooding. Survey data collected from local governments in New South Wales, Australia and historical data for over 20 years from archive databases were analyzed using structural equation modeling with the partial least squares estimation approach. The results showed that socio-economic and infrastructure conditions have significant mediating effects on the direct relationship between stakeholders’ attributes and flood damage. Engaging stakeholders proactively empowers legitimate stakeholders in urgent conditions, and this is essential to reduce the economic impact of flood disasters and to better manage road infrastructure. Finally, to better manage flood risks, local governments need to improve their capacity of power, legitimacy, and urgency; state and federal governments need to improve the socio-economic conditions of the communities; and the transport infrastructure authorities need to develop long-term solutions for resilient roads and bridges.

Earth Observation for Sustainable Infrastructure: A Review

Infrastructure is a fundamental sector for sustainable development and Earth observation has great potentials for sustainable infrastructure development (SID). However, implementations of the timely, large–scale and multi–source Earth observation are still limited in satisfying the huge global requirements of SID. This study presents a systematical literature review to identify trends of Earth observation for sustainable infrastructure (EOSI), investigate the relationship between EOSI and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and explore challenges and future directions of EOSI. Results reveal the close associations of infrastructure, urban development, ecosystems, climate, Earth observation and GIS in EOSI, and indicate their relationships. In addition, from the perspective of EOSI–SDGs relationship, the huge potentials of EOSI are demonstrated from the 70% of the infrastructure influenced targets that can be directly or indirectly derived from Earth observation data, but have not been included in current SDG indicators. Finally, typical EOSI cases are presented to indicate challenges and future research directions. This review emphasizes the contributions and potentials of Earth observation to SID and EOSI is a powerful pathway to deliver on SDGs.

The Way Forward for Indirect Structural Health Monitoring (iSHM) Using Connected and Automated Vehicles in Europe

Europe’s aging transportation infrastructure requires optimized maintenance programs. However, data and monitoring systems may not be readily available to support strategic decisions or they may require costly installations in terms of time and labor requirements. In recent years, the possibility of monitoring bridges by indirectly sensing relevant parameters from traveling vehicles has emerged—an approach that would allow for the elimination of the costly installation of sensors and monitoring campaigns. The advantages of cooperative, connected, and automated mobility (CCAM), which is expected to become a reality in Europe towards the end of this decade, should therefore be considered for the future development of iSHM strategies. A critical review of methods and strategies for CCAM, including Intelligent Transportation Systems, is a prerequisite for moving towards the goal of identifying the synergies between CCAM and civil infrastructures, in line with future developments in vehicle automation. This study presents the policy framework of CCAM in Europe and discusses the policy enablers and bottlenecks of using CCAM in the drive-by monitoring of transport infrastructure. It also highlights the current direction of research within the iSHM paradigm towards the identification of technologies and methods that could benefit from the use of connected and automated vehicles (CAVs).

Seismic Vulnerability Assessment Methodologies for Roadway Assets and Networks: A State-of-the-Art Review

Road networks are considered as one of the most important transport infrastructure systems, since they attain the economic and social prosperity of modern societies. For this reason, it is vital to improve the resiliency of road networks in order to function normally under daily stressors and recover quickly after natural disasters such as an earthquake event. In the last decades, vulnerability assessment studies for road networks and their assets gained great attention among the research community. This literature review includes a brief introduction about seismic vulnerability assessment, followed by the roadway assets damage and their damage states, and then the main typologies for the vulnerability assessment of roadway assets. Moreover, it focuses on available assessment methods, which were proposed to quantify the vulnerability of road networks and its assets. These methods are divided into two main categories, physical and traffic-based approaches. Methods based on fragility functions and vulnerability indexes were investigated in physical approach for roadways and its assets. On the other hand, accessibility and link importance index were explored in traffic-based approach for road networks. This paper reviews and comments the most common vulnerability assessment methods for road networks and its assets and points out their advantages and disadvantages. The main gaps and needs are identified and recommendations for future studies are provided.