Reliability assessment with density scanned adaptive Kriging

Reliability assessment with adaptive Kriging has gained notoriety due to the Kriging capability of accurately replacing the performance function while performing as a self-improving function for learning procedures. Recent works on adaptive Kriging pursued to improve the efficiency of the active learning through the application of distinct...

Interdependent Infrastructure Interventions Optimization: an Integrative Systems Thinking Approach

Despite widespread attention for the governance of infrastructures and improvements of the way infrastructure assets are maintained, the interdependency of infrastructures is not often considered from a systemic maintenance and renovation perspective. In this context, the issue of unforeseen intervention delays is of particular relevance because...

The open design education approach: An integrative teaching and learning concept for management and engineering

Construction Management and Engineering students need to acquire managing skills for solving real-world problems that are complex, rarely straightforward and lack 'one right answer'. For this, they need to become 'open designers', capable to be reflective, integrative and creative in- and on action with dynamic and new situations. In this...

Constrained observability techniques for structural system identification using modal analysis

The characteristics of civil structures inevitably suffer a certain level of damage during its lifetime and cheap, non-destructive and reliable methods to assess their correct performance are of high importance. Structural System Identification (SSI) using measured response is the way to fine why performance is not correct and identify where...

Simulation-based education involving online and on-campus models in different European universities

Simulation-based education (SE) refers to the use of simulation software, tools, and serious games to enrich the teaching and learning processes. Advances in both computer hardware and software allow for employing innovative methodologies that make use of SE tools to enhance the learning experience. Moreover, thanks to the globalisation of e...

New Approach to Multisite Downscaling of Precipitation by Identifying Different Set of Atmospheric Predictor Variables

Estimating reliable projections of precipitation considering climate change scenarios is important for hydrological studies. General circulation models provide future climate simulations at large scale in terms of large-scale atmospheric variables (LSAVs). Those LSAVs can be downscaled to finer special resolution using several downscaling...

Determination of soil permeability coefficient following an updated grading entropy method

This paper presents a critical review of the grading entropy approach of permeability-coefficient predictions (k P) for coarse-grained soils. The approach applies the grading entropy theory to particle-size distributions (PSDs), such that the entirety of each gradation curve can be interpreted as a single point on a grading entropy chart,...

Resilience Quantification of Large-Scale Water Distribution Networks: A Probabilistic Approach

The capacity of a community to react to and resist during an emergency situation is highly related to the proper functioning of its infrastructure systems. Improving the infrastructure response and recovery capacity through management and adaptation strategies can help increase community resilience. Infrastructural assets are considered outdated...

Attractiveness of bike-sharing stations from a multi-modal perspective: The role of objective and subjective features

When analysing the performance of bike-sharing scheme (BSS) stations, it is common to find stations that are located in specific points that capture the interest of users, whereas nearby stations are clearly underused. This uneven behaviour is not totally understood. This paper discusses the potential factors influencing station...

Structured expert judgment to understand the intrinsic vulnerability of traffic networks

The concept of intrinsic vulnerability of a traffic network is defined for the first time in this paper. Intrinsic vulnerability is the susceptibility to incidents characterised by a probability of occurrence in space and time of difficult estimation, which can result in considerable reduction or loss of the system functionality. Given the...

Probabilistic safety analysis of railway lines

A new probabilistic safety assessment method applicable to conventional and high speed railway lines is presented. The main idea consists of reproducing the railway line items which are relevant to safety by means of a Bayesian network as an alternative to more limited event and fault tree structures. The model evaluates the probability of...

Understanding the vulnerability of traffic networks by means of structured expert judgment elicitation

There is a lack of consensus in relation to the operationality of important concepts and descriptors of traffic networks such as resilience and vulnerability. With the aim of determining a framework with mathematical sound to objectively define and delimit these concepts, the expert judgment uncertainty quantification has been selected to assess...