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Forum papers are thought-provoking opinion pieces or essays founded in fact, sometimes containing speculation, on a civil engineering topic of general interest and relevance to the readership of the journal. The views expressed in this Forum article do not necessarily reflect the views of ASCE or the Editorial Board of the journal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forum papers are thought-provoking opinion pieces or essays founded in fact, sometimes containing speculation, on a civil engineering topic of general interest and relevance to the readership of the journal. The views expressed in this Forum article do not necessarily reflect the views of ASCE or the Editorial Board of the journal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forum papers are thought-provoking opinion pieces or essays founded in fact, sometimes containing speculation, on a civil engineering topic of general interest and relevance to the readership of the journal. The views expressed in this Forum article do not necessarily reflect the views of ASCE or the Editorial Board of the journal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forum papers are thought-provoking opinion pieces or essays founded in fact, sometimes containing speculation, on a civil engineering topic of general interest and relevance to the readership of the journal. The views expressed in this Forum article do not necessarily reflect the views of ASCE or the Editorial Board of the journal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forum papers are thought-provoking opinion pieces or essays founded in fact, sometimes containing speculation, on a civil engineering topic of general interest and relevance to the readership of the journal. The views expressed in this Forum article do not necessarily reflect the views of ASCE or the Editorial Board of the journal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Angle profiles belong to the most common steel profiles used in several types of civil engineering structures, such as in lattice towers. Although, in such towers, they are usually considered as axially loaded (truss) members, an additional bending moment develops due to the eccentricity between the point of load application and the gravity center of the profile. Therefore, this paper focuses on the buckling resistance of single-angle members subjected to combined compression and bending. The investigations have been performed through numerical parametrical studies and have been compared to different normative documents where interaction equations are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forum papers are thought-provoking opinion pieces or essays founded in fact, sometimes containing speculation, on a civil engineering topic of general interest and relevance to the readership of the journal. The views expressed in this Forum article do not necessarily reflect the views of ASCE or the Editorial Board of the journal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forum papers are thought-provoking opinion pieces or essays founded in fact, sometimes containing speculation, on a civil engineering topic of general interest and relevance to the readership of the journal. The views expressed in this Forum article do not necessarily reflect the views of ASCE or the Editorial Board of the journal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Construction Hazard Prevention through Design (CHPtD) is widely recognized as a key approach for preventing injuries in construction workplaces. It prioritizes the safety of construction workers by explicitly tackling potential hazards during the design development phase. This involves proactively incorporating design features aimed at minimizing the risk of workplace injuries. Despite the theoretical promise of CHPtD, practical implementation has faced significant challenges. Notably, prior research has emphasized issues such as designers' unfamiliarity with construction means and methods, along with their inability to anticipate safety hazards that may arise in the field due to their design choices. In response, proponents of CHPtD have advocated for educational interventions aimed at equipping designers with the essential skills needed for effective implementation of CHPtD. This investigation assessed the effectiveness of YouTube as an educational resource for enhancing hazard recognition in simulated CHPtD review sessions among civil engineering students. YouTube was expected to aid hazard recognition due to its extensive collection of videos featuring various construction operations and related safety hazards. The study utilized a randomized controlled experiment to evaluate treatment effects. The results indicate that YouTube can serve as a valuable tool in supporting CHPtD efforts. Furthermore, the benefits derived from using YouTube were more pronounced when examining specific building elements (e.g. interior upper-level drywall) compared to other elements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The architecture, engineering, construction, and operation (AECO) industry has brought transformations within the field. Despite the changes, traditional teaching methods such as analyzing two-dimensional plans and models are still being used in training processes, which do not effectively promote the development of spatial skills. In this context, augmented reality (AR) can be used as a tool to translate two-dimensional information into three-dimensional space. Thus, the present study explores the use of the VT-Platform AR tool to develop and reinforce spatial skills among undergraduate civil engineering students. The study follows a quantitative approach with a descriptive scope and an experimental design. Students in the sanitary engineering subject were divided into two groups: an experimental group and a control group. A short-term teaching-learning methodology was proposed for the experimental group using the VT-Platform AR tool. Both groups took the differential aptitude test (DAT) to measure their spatial skills. The experimental group showed a higher average score compared to the control group, with a difference of 29.8%. Furthermore, the use of the VT-Platform AR tool helped standardize the level of spatial skills within the experimental group. It was concluded that using the VT-Platform AR tool can effectively develop and reinforce spatial skills among students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transformer architecture based on the attention mechanism achieves impressive results in natural language processing (NLP) tasks. This paper transfers the successful experience to a 3D point cloud segmentation task. Inspired by newly proposed 3D Transformer neural networks, this paper introduces a new Transformer‐based module, which is called Local Geo‐Transformer. To alleviate the heavy memory consumption of the original Transformer, Local Geo‐Transformer only performs the attention mechanism in local regions. It is designed to mitigate the information loss caused by the subsampling of point clouds for segmentation. Global Geo‐Transformer is proposed to exploit the global relationships between features with the lowest resolution. The new architecture is validated on a masonry bridge dataset developed by the authors for their earlier work on a previous segmentation network called BridgeNet. The new version of the network with Transformer architecture, BridgeNetv2, outperforms BridgeNet in all metrics. BridgeNetv2 is also shown to be lightweight and memory efficient, well‐adapted to large‐scale point cloud segmentation tasks in civil engineering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Translation abstract The cable net models for the Olympic roof landscape in Munich. Last witnesses of model analysisAs part of the research project “Last Witnesses measurement models in civil engineering – scientific significance and preservation”, funded by the DFG in the priority programme 2255 ”Construction as Cultural Heritage“, the few surviving measurement models from the era of model analysis were examined and documented. This report provides insight into the physical models built for the Munich Olympic roof and their use in the planning process. The limitations of the model analysis method for large cable net constructions become clear and how this promoted digitalization in architecture and structural engineering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent advances in robotics have enabled robots to collaborate with workers in shared, fenceless workplaces in construction and civil engineering, which can improve productivity and address labor shortages. However, this collaboration may lead to collisions between workers and robots. Targeting safe collaboration, this study proposes an intention‐aware motion planning method for robots to avoid collisions. This method involves two novel deep networks that allow robots to anticipate the motions of workers based on inferences about workers' motion intentions. Then, a probabilistic collision‐checking mechanism is developed that enables robots to estimate the collision probability with the motions of workers and generate collision‐free adjustments. The results verify that the method enables robots to predict workers' intended motions 1 s in advance and generate adjustments with a collision probability of less than 5.0% during collaborative masonry tasks. This study facilitates the safe implementation of collaborative robots in construction and civil engineering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Engineering (17264073) is the property of Republic of Iraq Ministry of Higher Education & Scientific Research (MOHESR) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Vibration control has emerged as a significant concern in civil engineering, aiming to minimize the displacement and stress exerted on structures during seismic events. The accelerated oscillator damper (AOD), which is a damping device that depends on acceleration, has been demonstrated to be highly effective. However, in the case of traditional bridges, it is difficult to accurately place the secondary mass, spring, and damping components at the piers. Additionally, it has been found that as a general single-degree-of-freedom (SDOF) damping device, a significant limitation of the AOD system is its insufficient damping effect in the near-resonance region. This study presents a strengthened AOD with a liner spring (SAOD-LS), in which the secondary spring and damper are linked to the primary structure rather than being attached to the piers. This design not only provides enough space for the secondary system but also has a higher amplification factor of secondary spring and damping components compared with the original layout. In addition, we suggest a nonlinear spring device (NSD) that includes connecting rods and inclined linear springs arranged in a diamond configuration. This innovative design is intended to introduce nonlinear stiffness characteristics into the equivalent stiffness, thereby improving the device's performance and providing effective anti-resonance features in the near-resonance region. We have confirmed the motion equations for the SAOD-LS and used finite element (FE) analysis to validate the formulation of the equivalent external force and deformation of the NSD. We have thoroughly investigated both the SAOD-LS and the strengthened AOD equipped with NSD as the secondary spring (SAOD-NSD) for their potential implementation in a bridge project. These damping systems demonstrate exceptional performance and robustness, making them highly suitable for enhancing structural resistance to seismic activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is planned to reopen Midsomer Norton railway station, which is a station on the Somerset & Dorset Heritage Railway Line, to traffic. As a first step, Midsomer Norton will be a terminus, and it is proposed to build sidings and a depot for the trains that terminate there. However, a ground investigation is essential before commencing construction of the sidings and the depot, as this is a vital part of any civil engineering process. The behaviour of the ground must be known in order for a structure to be supported by it; therefore, data from the ground investigation are used as reference for any kind of structure development. This study covers a site investigation that includes a desk study, walkover survey, sampling and laboratory testing in order to ascertain the feasibility of a suitable design. Moisture content testing, liquid limit and plastic limit tests, standard compaction testing, shear vane tests, and triaxial compression tests were carried out to determine the soil characteristics and to analyse the soil behaviour. A strong recommendation was made to follow a systems engineering approach in the construction phase, as well as in the design stage. The dependability of the system is ensured by the good use of V – process of systems engineering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For many civil and mining engineering structures, rock is the primary construction medium. At engineering scales, the material of interest is the "rockmass," which contains sections of intact rock separated by a network of pre-existing joints (i.e. fractures). The mechanical behavior of a rockmass is defined by attributes of its intact rock (e.g. strength, stiffness, dilatancy), in addition to attributes of the pre-existing joints (e.g. orientation, surface condition, persistence). Testing representative rockmass specimens in the laboratory is uncommon because of its difficulty due to the required scale. The present study uses laboratory-scale rockmass analog specimens to study the effects that the pre-existing joints have on rockmass mechanical behavior. Smooth joints were sawed into decimeter-scale cylindrical specimens of Carrara marble. Specimens with two joint sets and two different degrees of jointing were tested. Specimens were loaded in compression using a triaxial apparatus under varying levels of confining pressure, and mechanical attributes were calculated including peak strength, residual strength, and pre-peak damage threshold parameters. At the higher end of confining pressures tested (12 MPa), the peak strength of the Carrara marble specimens was not influenced by the presence of pre-existing joints. These results were compared to the results of previous jointed specimen testing on the more brittle Blanco Mera granite. Notably, the drops in peak strength with increasing degrees of jointing were smaller for Carrara Marble than for Blanco Mera granite, which suggests that the Generalized Hoek–Brown failure criterion may not be appropriate to estimate rockmass strength for less brittle rocks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study consists of the distinct types of the exact soliton solutions to an important model called the beta-time fractional (1 + 1)-dimensional non-linear Van der Waals equation. This model is used to explain the motion of molecules and materials. The Van der Waals equation explains the phase separation phenomenon. Noncovalent Van der Waals or dispersion forces usually have an effect on the structure, dynamics, stability, and function of molecules and materials in different branches of science, including biology, chemistry, materials science, and physics. Solutions are obtained, including dark, dark-singular, periodic wave, singular wave, and many more exact wave solutions by using the modified extended tanh function method. Using the fractional derivatives makes different solutions different from the existing solutions. The gained results will be of high importance in the interaction of quantum-mechanical fluctuations, granular matters, and other applications of the Van der Waals equation. The solutions may be useful in distinct fields of science and civil engineering, as well as some basic physical ones like those studied in geophysics. The results are verified and represented by two-dimensional, three-dimensional, and contour graphs by using Mathematica software. The obtained results are newer than the existing results. Stability analysis is also performed to check the stability of the concerned model. Furthermore, modulation instability is studied to study the stationary solutions of the concerned model. The results will be helpful in future studies of the concerned system. In the end, we can say that the method used is straightforward and dynamic, and it will be a useful tool for debating tough issues in a wide range of fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Resonance is commonly used for in situ measurement of the dynamic elastic modulus to evaluate the strength of concrete samples. Many researchers are also exploring the application of this convenient measurement technology for safety monitoring. Nevertheless, the presence of cracks and variations in curing conditions within samples can impact the resonance frequency range, potentially leading to potential inaccuracies in measurements. In order to improve the measurement accuracy of resonance frequency, this study introduces the Generalized S-Transform (GST) algorithm for measuring the dynamic elastic modulus, which utilizes its high time-frequency resolution to scan the power peak-point in non-stationary and transient excitation signals to determine the resonance frequency. For concrete materials with lower consistency, the experimental results verify the high accuracy of this algorithm in measuring resonance frequency compared with Fast Fourier Transform (FFT). This provides a reference for using the algorithm to measure the dynamic elastic modulus in civil engineering applications, such as buildings and bridges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a type of transmission actuator commonly used in mechanical structures, high-speed rotary mechanisms are widely used in the machinery, energy, civil engineering, and military industries. The main working part of the mechanism is the end face, and the vibration characteristics of the end face directly affect the accuracy and completeness of the whole mechanism. In terms of performance, the end face vibration characteristics reflect the degree of change in the machine's end face displacement. The traditional end face displacement test method uses a single contact sensor for measurement, but the degree of error in the system is large. It is also difficult to adapt this method to the current high-precision working conditions under the requirements for accurate vibration prediction and control technology. Therefore, this work proposes a test method based on multi-sensor acquisition and data fusion, using different sensors to form a sensor test network. It seeks to address the limitations of the conventional test method that relies on a single-frequency domain, using high-frequency domain impact signals, medium-frequency domain vibration signals, and low-frequency domain rotational speed signals for multi-sensor data fusion to achieve a complete high-speed rotating mechanism with a particular focus on full-area coverage. In order to better obtain the test data, the sensor layout network is optimized through the optimization design method, and the optimal sensor installation scheme is proposed. Finally, the data fusion algorithm and sensor layout scheme are experimentally verified with a typical high-speed rotating mechanism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic served as a disjuncture causing individuals to seek various learning opportunities, including intentional informal learning (IIL). This study investigated 190 Turkey-based civil engineers’ IIL experiences influenced by the pandemic. Data were collected using a survey with close- and open-ended questions. Results revealed that the participants’ overall IIL engagement was at a moderate level, trying to compensate for the lack of information and skills deemed essential, most of which were job-related. Although they also indicated general interest-related IIL activities, these were still related to work. Results also showed that the participants normally used internet-based learning sources and had a tendency toward communicative and collaborative IIL activities. Based on the results, training programs for civil engineers are recommended to emphasize the notion of IIL and create communicative and collaborative learning opportunities in virtual and non-virtual environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista Educación en Ingeniería is the property of Asociacion Colombiana de Facultades de Ingenieria and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Structural health monitoring (SHM) ensures the safety and reliability of civil infrastructure. Autoencoders, as unsupervised learning models, offer promise for SHM by learning data features and reducing dimensionality. However, comprehensive studies comparing autoencoder models in SHM are scarce. This study investigates the effectiveness of four autoencoder-based methodologies, combined with Hotelling's T 2 statistical tool, to detect and quantify structural changes in three civil engineering structures. The methodologies are evaluated based on computational costs and their abilities to identify structural anomalies accurately. Signals from the structures, collected by accelerometers, feed the autoencoders for unsupervised classification. The latent layer values of the autoencoders are used as parameters in Hotelling's T 2 , and results are compared between classes to assess structural changes. Average execution times of each model were calculated for computational efficiency. Despite variations, computational cost did not hinder any methodology. The study demonstrates that the best fitting model, VAE- T 2 , outperforms its counterparts in identifying and quantifying structural changes. While the AE, SAE, and CAE models showed limitations in quantifying changes, they remain relevant for detecting anomalies. Continuous application and development of these techniques contribute to SHM advancements, enabling the increased safety, cost-effectiveness, and long-term durability of civil engineering structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The seismic resilience of bridges has become an important concept in civil engineering since these systems need to remain operative during and after earthquakes. In this regard, the definition of recovery needs to consider the delay time (named as the time between an event and the beginning of the recovery process). The original concept of seismic resilience has been expanded herein in order to account for the delay time of bridge configurations. Its role in the quantification of seismic resilience has been investigated by performing a case study of a Californian highway bridge subjected to an ensemble of 100 input motions. The results demonstrate that the delay time may significantly reduce the seismic resilience of bridges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of the investigation was to evaluate the utility of ChatGPT, a state‐of‐the‐art language model developed by Open AI, in the context of civil engineering education. To achieve this objective, 44 civil engineering students from a large state university in the United States were recruited and asked to respond to three questions pertaining to Construction Surveying and Geomatics. The students were then introduced to ChatGPT and provided with guidelines on how the platform could be utilized for educational purposes, including obtaining answers to questions like those presented to them earlier. The students were then given the opportunity to leverage ChatGPT to obtain responses to questions they had been presented with earlier and any other related queries of interest. Subsequently, the students were asked to provide written responses to the same questions they were presented with earlier, but without access to ChatGPT or its response, to assess any knowledge gains. The investigation also captured the student's acceptance and perceived usability based on their experience of using ChatGPT. The findings indicated that the student's written responses were more thorough, detailed, and informative after utilizing ChatGPT. The results also revealed that ChatGPT was largely well‐received by the students and they held a positive perception of the AI platform. The findings can inform efforts targeted at successfully integrating AI tools for civil engineering education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista Foco (Interdisciplinary Studies Journal) is the property of Revista Foco and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Tire derived aggregates (TDA) has been used successfully in numerous civil engineering projects. However, considerably few researchers investigated its performance in dynamic applications, despite the high energy absorption ability of TDA. Moreover, testing TDA samples with larger aggregate size is troublesome due to the limitation in specimen sizes available in geotechnical laboratories. Therefore, this paper provides more insights on the dynamic behavior of TDA with larger aggregate sizes. This work also investigates the extent of specimen size effect on the dynamic properties of TDA and Granulated rubber (GR). A series of undrained strain-controlled cyclic triaxial tests were performed using three specimen sizes with diameters of 70, 101 and 152 mm. TDA samples had maximum aggregate size of 19.1 and 25.4 mm, however, the GR samples had only a maximum aggregate size of 4.75 mm. All tests were performed at consolidation stress range of 25 to 100 kPa and shear strain range of 0.1 to 10%. It was found that the 70 mm specimens overestimated the shear modulus of TDA samples by a maximum of 15 to 26%. However, no significant variation was found in the shear modulus that is mobilized by the 101 and 152 mm specimens. Also, GR samples were marginally influenced by specimen size. Furthermore, regardless of the aggregate size, the damping capacity is independent of specimen size. Lastly, it is recommended to use triaxial specimen size with a diameter four times larger than the maximum aggregate size of considered TDA material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Retos: Nuevas Perspectivas de Educación Física, Deporte y Recreación is the property of Federacion Espanola de Asociaciones de Docentes de Educacion Fisica and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Undergraduate programs face the challenge of staying up-to-date by responding to globalization, internationalization, and regionalization processes. Civil engineering programs should meet the requirements of the Architecture, Engineering, Construction, and Operation (AECO) industry. Building Information Modelling (BIM) is a methodology that involves shared digital representations of built assets to facilitate design, construction, and operation processes within the construction knowledge field. The present research describes a methodology with six mechanisms to develop and consolidate BIM-related competencies within the construction area from an undergraduate civil engineering program. It also explores students' perceptions about the subjects within this area and their relationship with the training and reinforcement of the competencies. The study follows a descriptive scope with an action research design. The principal result is the methodology, which has six mechanisms: (1) BIM implementation into topics and syllabi; (2) use of collaborative platforms; (3) professor training programs; (4) establishment of student organizations; (5) development of a BIM application project; and (6) area and subject meetings. The validation process, which included professors, enrollment, employability and research rates, and the curricular proposal and students' perceptions, revealed that the mechanisms could effectively support the development and reinforcement of BIM-related competencies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently published professional learning outcomes require future engineers to think of the impacts that engineering decisions have on society. History shows that construction and civil engineering projects can exacerbate inequality by ignoring community concerns and failing to consider the impacts on marginalized and vulnerable stakeholders, among other factors. How might construction engineering professors help students meet these standards, and how do construction and civil engineering students respond when construction engineering is framed as inextricably linked to these obligations? We designed and evaluated curriculum modules aimed at helping develop a critical consciousness with construction and civil engineering students (N=177) in three construction and civil engineering courses at two universities in the midwestern region between 2020 and 2021. The curriculum builds on a three-phase framework aimed at encouraging students to see social inequities and their impacts, finding social inequities unjust, and enhancing reflective self-awareness. Post-implementation responses to the case study designed to make clear the need for a critical consciousness in engineering found that students responded positively to both the instructional approach of a case study and the content connected to critical consciousness. We discuss implications for the development of further curriculum and the implementation of such an approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forum papers are thought-provoking opinion pieces or essays founded in fact, sometimes containing speculation, on a civil engineering topic of general interest and relevance to the readership of the journal. The views expressed in this Forum article do not necessarily reflect the views of ASCE or the Editorial Board of the journal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forum papers are thought-provoking opinion pieces or essays founded in fact, sometimes containing speculation, on a civil engineering topic of general interest and relevance to the readership of the journal. The views expressed in this Forum article do not necessarily reflect the views of ASCE or the Editorial Board of the journal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thermal comfort strategies represent a very important aspect when it comes to achieving thermal comfort conditions. At the same time, recently, there has been a growing interest in user-centered building control concepts. Thus, this work focuses on developing a thermal control strategy that combines the restrictions related to achieving thermal comfort, expressed in terms of environmental parameters and specific factors of personal perception, with the objective of reducing energy consumption. This case study aims at implementing this strategy in a laboratory room located within the Technical University of Civil Engineering Bucharest. The strategy proposed by the authors is based on implementing a combination of a Model Predictive Control (MPC) model and a fuzzy system, which presents constraints related to the room occupancy level. Relevant observations regarding the parameterization of fuzzy systems are also highlighted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Landslides represent one of the most frequent and destructive natural hazards in recent years. In highly seismic countries, the occurrence of large earthquakes is a significant triggering factor in the generation of these landslides. Therefore, it is of interest to various disciplines within civil engineering to study these phenomena through empirical analysis, analytical methods, and numerical modelling, aiming to provide a more accurate representation of these complex phenomena. For this purpose, a computational modelling approach is developed to describe the dynamics of a landslide or rockslide induced by seismic loading, using the Material Point Method (MPM). Presently, the utilization of MPM holds considerable significance because it is a numerical method engineered to simulate large deformations. This stands in contrast to conventional methods like the Finite Element Method (FEM), which struggles to precisely deal with this type of problems due to the generation of errors related to mesh distortion. In this study, it is performed a modelling process involving a real and documented scenario--a massive landslide occurrence in the vicinity of Daguangbao, China, triggered by the 2008 Wenchuan Earthquake. The obtained results successfully capture the landslide dynamics in terms of velocities, deformations, and travel distances in accordance with existing reports and other research endeavours. The maximum attained velocities of the landslide are approximately 100 km/h, affirming the catastrophic nature of this event. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Discontinuity is a key element used by geoscientists and civil engineers to characterize rock masses. The traditional approach to detecting and measuring rock discontinuity relies on fieldwork, which poses dangers to human life. Photogrammetric pattern recognition and 3D measurement techniques offer new possibilities without direct contact with rock masses. This study proposes a new approach to detect discontinuities using close-range photogrammetric techniques and convolutional neural networks (CNNs) trained on a small amount of data. Investigations were conducted on basalts in Bala, Ankara, Türkiye. A total of 34 multi-view images were collected with a remotely piloted aircraft system (RPAS), and discontinuity lines were manually delineated on a point cloud generated from these images. The lines were back-projected onto the raw images to increase the amount of data, a process we call multi-view (3D) augmentation. We further evaluated radiometric and geometric augmentation methods, the contribution of multi-view augmentation to the proposed model, and the transfer learning performance of six different CNN architectures. The highest performance was achieved with U-Net + SE-ResNeXt-50 with an F1-score of 90.6%. The CNN model trained from scratch with local features also yielded a similar F1-score (91.7%), which is the highest performance reported in the literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Civil engineering structures under ambient excitations are essentially time-varying and nonlinear structural systems and the resultant response signals exhibit non-stationarity. To reveal the time-varying characteristics of non-stationary signals, time frequency analysis methods with high resolutions are required. Although synchroextracting short time Fourier transform (SESTFT) is able to generate more energy concentrated time frequency representations and allow signal reconstruction, its major disadvantage is the window function is fixed. To address this issue, an enhanced synchroextracting wavelet transform (ESEWT) method is proposed to refine frequency bands by combing synchroextracting and continuous wavelet transform. After that, dynamic optimization (DO) is used to extract instantaneous frequency (IF) curves within the refined frequency bands. Two numerical examples and an experimental study case are investigated to illustrate the effectiveness and accuracy of the proposed method. The results demonstrate that the proposed ESEWT is capable of extracting frequency bands more accurately and its combination with DO identifies IFs of non-stationary signals better than current time frequency analysis methods such as SESTFT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cellular materials are fundamental elements in civil engineering, known for their porous nature and lightweight composition. However, the complexity of its microstructure and the mechanisms that control its behavior presents ongoing challenges. This comprehensive review aims to confront these uncertainties head-on, delving into the multifaceted field of cellular materials. It highlights the key role played by numerical and mathematical analysis in revealing the mysterious elasticity of these structures. Furthermore, the review covers a range of topics, from the simulation of manufacturing processes to the complex relationships between microstructure and mechanical properties. This review provides a panoramic view of the field by traversing various numerical and mathematical analysis methods. Furthermore, it reveals cutting-edge theoretical frameworks that promise to redefine our understanding of cellular solids. By providing these contemporary insights, this study not only points the way for future research but also illuminates pathways to practical applications in civil and materials engineering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Least-cost path analysis (LCPA) is a widely recognized and practical algorithm for determining cost-effective paths between two points. This research presents an innovative LCPA designed to identify paths for infrastructure projects with slope threshold conditions (an interval of acceptable slopes). The algorithm incorporates potential DEM modifications through civil engineering structures, including cut-and-fill, tunnelling, and bridging, to include paths that otherwise exceed the maximum slope threshold. We conducted experiments of the developed LCPA on an area with complex topography, the Zagros Mountains in Iran, using three slope thresholds (5°, 8°, and 10°), with and without tunnelling and bridging. The results demonstrated the algorithm's ability to identify paths with lower cost across all slope thresholds, with the inclusion of tunnelling and bridging leading to further cost reductions. A comparison with an LCPA based on an extended moving window approach highlighted the identification of paths with lower costs, even in the absence of tunnelling and bridging, across all slope thresholds and window sizes. The implementation of the developed LCPA in real-world scenarios is expected to significantly enhance transportation planning and infrastructure design processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Utilizing an embedded system is crucial for exploring various fields of study, such as ground wave propagation, which interests earth and civil engineering scientists/students. The constructed system includes a data acquisition (DAQ) module and vibration sensors, which can be employed to study wave propagation. It is particularly beneficial for students lacking access to necessary instruments. The sensors utilized are MEMS accelerometers. Developed using LabVIEW programming software, a graphical interface controls the DAQ and visualizes the wave signals. The primary parameter of the DAQ is the sampling frequency, which is adjustable by the user from 1 kHz to 25 kHz. Consequently, when testing with distances ranging from 1 to 10 m between the sensor and the source, a sampling rate exceeding 10 kHz represents ground acceleration reliably. Another aspect addressed in subsequent studies using this system involves analyzing the results to characterize ground wave attributes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Building information modeling (BIM) can store a large amount of civil engineering information and has become a high-value economic and social resource. To improve BIM data interoperability, Industry Foundation Class (IFC) was proposed. However, the IFC instance data usually exceeds megabytes, and the logical relationship of the data is complex and changeable. Therefore, how to further enhance the usability of IFC instance data will become very important. To this end, this paper proposes a data deconstruction model 'Topological Induction Model (TIM)', which deconstructs the IFC instance data into a network structure 'Topological Induction Network (TIN)'. Through the analysis and operation of TIN, more effective utilization of IFC instance data can be realized. Based on TIN, the skeleton structure, citation structure and corresponding acquisition algorithm of IFC instance data are discussed, and the hierarchical characteristic, internal aggregation characteristic and data similarity of data topology are found. Subsequently, the working performance of TIM (TIN) is evaluated and compared with existing data deconstruction strategies. The results show that the overall performance of TIM (TIN) is better than traditional methods. Finally, we show how TIM (TIN) can be used in a graph database to enhance the usability of IFC instance data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of the engineering profession in colonial Madras did not originate from metropolitan models or indigenous precedents, but it was the result of the exigencies of running the empire. The Civil Engineering College, Guindy, was established in the year 1859 to supply the wants of the Public Works Department. Unlike the professions of law and medicine, the students of engineering completely relied on the state for their job, and the prospect of employment was not optimistic. By the 1930s, the problem of unemployment was apparent among engineering graduates, and a Madras Unemployment Committee was formed to examine the matter. However, the writings on the engineering profession have mainly dealt with the origin and growth of the institutes. The historiography is silent on the question of unemployment among emerging graduates. Viewed in this context, the article explores the progress of the profession of engineering and tries to locate the issue of unemployment among engineering students in colonial Madras. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study explores how modern graphics technology and computer-generated imagery (CGI) are revolutionizing the field of civil engineering. With an emphasis on 3D modelling, the study investigates how virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and 3D modelling may transform project design and communication. The research explores how these graphic tools improve planning, analysis, and presentation in civil engineering projects through case studies and software innovations. The construction of safer, more creative, and visually striking infrastructure projects is aided by the integration of CGI, which also enhances visualization and makes decision-making more effective. The important developments at the junction of civil engineering and graphics are highlighted in this study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]