Traffic congestion has been one of the most important issues in urban areas, which results in pollution, fuel cost, loss of time (work hours), stress and anxiety. It is possible to increase the traffic network efficiency through solutions such as Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) by adapting the existing network to ongoing operational conditions, especially in bottle neck conditions. In this study to minimize travel time losses, speed limits are optimized to adapt the traffic network to its operational conditions in real-time. To do so, an intelligent agent is developed to estimate the traffic in part of the M50 motorway in Dublin and is given the capability to learn and change the operational scenarios of the motorway that allow it to perform online management of its speeds. Results, tested in SUMO, indicate that the intelligent agent can reduce the travel time at peak congestion by a maximum of 60% in average travel times for a period of 10 min, and it has an overall significant benefit to alleviate congestion in the M50 section of interest during peak morning and afternoon times.

Manufacturing imperfections are an inherent aspect of the production process, affecting the reliability and performance of all engineered components, including actuators. This work investigates the effects of manufacturing uncertainty in coil assembly. Given the manufacturing tolerances of geometrical and material properties of wires and coils, the coil’s electrical response is studied from a probabilistic perspective. While many researchers acknowledge these uncertainties, they often do not quantify their effects on the system’s response. We propose the use of copulas to model nonlinear relationships and quantify the probabilistic dependence between design variables (i.e., wire and coil’s properties) and their effects on electrical responses. Additionally, tolerances of the design variables are determined through unstructured expert elicitation. The results show the impact of the thickness of the wire’s insulation in the performance of the coil. Furthermore, we establish a design space that is studied probabilistically, allowing for probabilistic design optimization.

This paper addresses the growing need to shift wildfire management strategies from suppression to greater preparedness and adaptation in response to increasingly frequent and intense wildfire events. Traditional approaches prioritize suppression actions, but this study emphasizes the combined role of adaptation measures and suppression efforts in enhancing resilience to wildfires. While suppression tackles immediate threats, adaptation aims to reduce long-term vulnerabilities and enhance resilience to future wildfire risks. The European Union has made significant efforts to promote fire-resistant territories, but gaps persist in adaptation knowledge and preparedness. To address this, the study demonstrates the effectiveness of a resilient-preparedness framework to analyze the systemic impact of adaptation measures. Subsequently, the framework is extended to identify the most cost-effective combination of measures to enhance system resilience. The methodology employs a genetic multi-objective algorithm to identify the most effective set of adaptation measures across various wildfire intensities and dimensions of resilience, including physical, operational, and social aspects. By integrating grey, green, and soft adaptation measures, the methodology contributes to understanding how to enhance the wildfire resilience of road networks. Overall, it serves as a decision-support tool to guide initiatives under the EU Green Deal and improve wildfire management strategies.

Recent advancements in intelligent transportation systems and data analytics within transportation systems present a significant opportunity to enhance operational efficiency. In this context, the pivotal role of intelligent agents in achieving real-time optimisation for traffic management is highlighted. Such agents can predict and decide autonomously and can be trained to understand the underlying complexities of the traffic in real-time. In this paper, an innovative framework to perform real-time traffic optimal management decisions is proposed. Its rationale uses a fusion of data observations and simulation to enable an autonomous agent capable of accurate adaptive traffic management. A Case Study of application is developed using the M50 motorway in Dublin, where the speed limits are applied as adaptive parameters for optimal traffic management. Results show that the intelligent agent can autonomously predict travel times and decide in real-time the optimal speed limits to impose on a motorway when signs of congestion are found. The agent can reduce the mean travel time of a time interval by up to 55 % and the mean waiting time by up to 69 % in a situation of congestion. The average travel times of the studied M50 junction have significantly improved, showing the potential of autonomous agents in enhancing real-time optimal traffic management.

Due to the inherent uncertainties in manufacturing properties and intrinsic variability of materials, the assumption of homogeneous input variables is generally not justified. As a result, stochastic forward problems have emerged as a tool to incorporate these uncertainties into numerical simulations, improving model prediction capability in structural analyses. Although most of the existing methods focus on the consideration of stochastic loading, the recently developed statFEM employs a Bayesian paradigm to incorporate data and propagate uncertainties from random physical properties in finite element models. This tool, however, is not developed for cases when Gaussian assumptions are inadequate. The present work provides a copula-based approach embedded into the statFEM methodology to propagate uncertainty from arbitrarily distributed physical properties. The random variables are defined in terms of a Gaussian Copula Process, where samples are drawn from a latent variable governed by a Gaussian Process and then brought respectively to copula and marginal spaces, producing random variables with the desired distribution while retaining the usually desired smooth Gaussian dependence in the spatial domain. The quality of the approximated results is then assessed in a simplified 1D Poisson problem by comparing with Monte Carlo sampling results for different random diffusion coefficients, demonstrating that the method is capable of providing good responses for non-Gaussian physical parameters.

Laser powder bed fusion (LPBF), a prominent metal-based additive manufacturing (AM) technique, enables the production of complex, neat-net-shape components with minimal material waste and reduced lead times. However, achieving high final product quality is challenging due to numerous process variables and intricate, nonlinear interactions introduced by LPBF’s thermal-mechanical mechanisms. This study employs a copula-based analysis using multi-physics numerical simulations to probabilistically map relationships among process and part quality variables. Dependence and tail-dependence analyses are performed to provide deeper insights into variable interactions, enabling the identification of preferred operational windows with a balanced trade-off between product quality and productivity. The developed methodology advances the understanding of uncertainty propagation in LPBF, contributing toward improved process optimization, repeatability, and reliability.

The Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) pertains to scholarly endeavors centered on the pedagogical aspects of teaching and learning, and its principal objective is the enhancement of students’ educational experiences. This systematic literature review addresses the following questions: (1) In what capacity do educators within the field of civil and structural engineering (CaSE) engage with SoTL?, and (2) What are the benefits of implementing a SoTL for CaSE educators? The scope of the review encompasses SoTL studies specifically developed by CaSE educators and implemented within CaSE teaching and learning environments. Findings are synthesized and disseminated via a bibliometric analysis and a narrative synthesis. The review was conducted according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) methodology. It was found that CaSE educators participate in SoTL endeavors through diverse approaches; however, such involvement remains more of an exception than a common practice. The insufficiency of existing benefits and incentives, if any, serves as a barrier hindering broader engagement and participation in SoTL activities.

This paper introduces a computation-free method for evaluating and prioritizing simulation-based stress tests for resilience assessment of transport systems. It enables infrastructure managers to efficiently screen and rank stress tests, optimizing the selection process to maximize insights into system resilience while minimizing computational demands. Stress tests have been proven to be a practical tool for understanding and mitigating the impact of disruptive events, yet conducting all possible tests using simulations, particularly for complex systems including plausible scenarios to account for climate change and other stressors, is computationally impractical, thus discouraging their use in practice. To address this, the paper suggests a methodology to estimate the impact of stress tests on risks at no computation cost and rank them accordingly to be selected for more detailed assessment. It uses the results of an initial risk assessment and, through a novel implementation of importance sampling and Bootstrapping resampling, selects subsets of the initial results to mimic specific stress test conditions, estimating their impact on risks. The methodology was validated through application to a Swiss road network facing flooding, demonstrating its practical effectiveness in identifying stress tests with significant potential impact on risks, hence having higher priority for more detailed assessment. In the presented case study, the proposed method enabled instant screening of 80 stress test scenarios, saving approximately 56 weeks of computation.

The adoption of a novel industry paradigm is an untamed problem that requires strong social consensus and involves a high degree of technological uncertainty. To solve this problem a multi-actor engagement and agreement are needed. In this article, the methodology and the findings obtained after conducting a stakeholder analysis to understand how different actors could work together towards the adoption of Industry 5.0 principles and enabling technologies are presented. The analysis has been framed within a case study dealing with the conservation of historical bridges in the city of Oslo, Norway. The education institutions of the city were assumed as the problem owners. This research indicates that the Ministry of Transport and the Ministry of Climate and Environment, along with their subordinate agencies (Statens Vegvesen and Riksantikvaren, respectively) together with Oslo Kommune and its Cultural Heritage Office, possess the critical financial and regulatory resources necessary for adopting this paradigm. Their leadership and capacity to mobilise resources are pivotal in incentivising other stakeholders. Such resources should be driven towards a suitable business model, the adoption of human-centric digital twins as enabling technology, the establishment of interdisciplinary collaborations between the identified stakeholders, and the up-skilling/re-skilling of the industry workforce.

Corrosion is a deterioration phenomenon of buried long-distance pipelines involving complex dynamic processes. The complexity poses challenges to addressing the safety concerns caused by corrosion. In recent years, the concept of resilience has been introduced into the assessment of engineering systems. However, there is a limited effort in quantitatively assessing the resilience of a pipeline's response to corrosion. This work aims to develop a novel framework to quantify the resilience of pipelines against corrosion while considering the resilience evolution induced by future corrosion growth, dynamic in-line inspection (ILI) plans, and distinct repair strategies (re-coating, composite material reinforcements, and pipe replacement). Pipeline Service Resilience (PSR) is modeled as a function of absorption, adaptability, and restoration capabilities based on the time-dependent burst pressure metric. Dynamic Monte Carlo Simulation technique is employed to model the potential resilience evolution scenarios to predict the PSR. The proposed framework is demonstrated on an in-service pipeline. The case results show that the PSR value ranges from 0.8943 to 1 due to the uncertainty of the resilience evolution process. Noteworthy impacts on PSR include repair time, ILI intervals, anti-corrosion ability, decision-making time, corrosion depth growth rate, and corrosion length growth rate (in decreasing order of sensitivity). The proposed methodology can potentially emerge as a significant tool for evaluating pipeline resilience under corrosion.

Understanding and enhancing the resilience of transport networks against climate-induced extreme events, such as wildfires, is critical to minimizing disruptions and their societal impacts. In this context, resilience is essential for effectively coping with these hazards, as road disruptions can hinder evacuation efforts, reduce accessibility, and lead to significant economic losses. Despite scientific progress, existing resilience assessment frameworks have limitations, including scenario-specific results and limited consideration of the underlying resilience concepts. To address these limitations, this paper introduces a resilience framework based on dynamic thresholds and characteristic curves to evaluate system recovery capacity. The framework incorporates a temporal dimension, allowing for the analysis of recovery time and recovery rate, which depend on the resources available for recovery activities. The characteristic curves illustrate system resilience by capturing key information on the preparedness, response, and recovery capacities inherent in each network. Consequently, the framework offers a more comprehensive view of system behavior during the recovery stage, as demonstrated through its application to a Portuguese case study. The insights gained can assist stakeholders in determining the feasibility of strengthening system resilience through enhanced response and recovery efforts, as well as in identifying when it is critical to reinforce resilience at earlier stages through adaptation measures.

The evolving energy landscape in Europe is showing concrete signals that hydrogen will play a central role in the energy transition scenario. In this light, a report of the European Hydrogen Backbone pinpoints no less than forty existing projects focused on the commissioning of several kilometers of hydrogen pipelines in the following years. Hence, ensuring a safe operability of these systems represents a topic worthy of investigation and marked by significant challenges, especially given the unique properties that make hydrogen a potentially hazardous substance. Established techniques may prove helpful in supporting the development of dedicated prevention and mitigation strategies for hydrogen systems. Among these, Risk-Based Inspection (RBI) could represent an effective tool to design inspection programs aimed at the detection of hydrogen-induced damages, especially for components working in pressurized environments, including pipeline materials. However, the lack of operational experience associated with emerging technologies may lead to the adoption of over-conservative safety measures, which could impact the economic attractiveness of these systems. Therefore, this study proposes an evolution of conventional RBI planning by implementing concepts of safety economics and optimization modelling, thus building a novel approach named “Cost-Informed Risk-Based Inspection” (CIRBI). The proposed methodology is therefore applied to a case study of inspection techniques potentially suitable for pipeline materials (i.e., API X-series pipeline steels), showcasing its potential as a self-standing approach for inspection planning while also demonstrating the insight that it may provide to ensure a safe operability of hydrogen pipelines.

Travel-time prediction is a critical component of Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS), offering vital information for tasks such as accident detection, congestion management, and traffic flow optimisation. Accurate predictions are highly dependent on the selection of relevant features. In this study, a two-stage methodology is proposed which consists of two layers of Optimisation Algorithm and one Data-Driven method (OA2DD) to enhance the accuracy and efficiency of travel-time prediction. The first stage involves an offline process where interconnected optimisation algorithms are employed to identify the optimal set of features and determine the most effective machine learning model architecture. In the second stage, the real-time process utilises the optimised model to predict travel times using new data from previously unseen parts of the dataset. The proposed OA2DD method was applied to a case study on the M50 motorway in Dublin. Results show that OA2DD improves the convergence curve and reduces the number of selected features by up to 50 %, leading to a 56 % reduction in computational costs. Furthermore, using the selected features from OA2DD, reduced the prediction error by up to 29 % compared to the full feature set and other feature selection methods, demonstrating the method's effectiveness and robustness.

Around the world, an increasing amount of bridge infrastructure is ageing. The resources involved in the reassessment of existing assets often exceed available resources and many bridges lack a minimum structural assessment. Therefore, there is a need for comprehensive and quantitative approaches to assess all the assets in the bridge network to reduce the risk of collapsing, damage to infrastructure, and economic losses. This paper proposes a methodology to quantify the structural criticality of bridges at a network level. To accomplish this, long-run site-specific simulations are conducted using Bayesian Networks and bivariate copulas, utilizing recorded traffic data obtained from permanent counting stations. To enhance the dataset, information from Weigh-in-Motion systems from different regions was integrated through a matching process. Subsequently, the structural response resulting from the simulated traffic is assessed, and the extreme values of the traffic load effects are obtained for selected return periods. Site-specific bridge criticality as a performance indicator for traffic load effects is derived by comparing the extreme load effects with the design load effects. The outcomes are mapped to facilitate visualization employing an open-source geographic information system application. To illustrate the application of the methodology, a total of 576 bridges within a national highway network are investigated, and a comparison with a popular simplified method is shown. The methodology herein presented can be used to assist in assessing the condition of a bridge network and prioritizing maintenance and repair activities by identifying potential bridges subjected to major load stress.

In addressing the impact of climate change on the corrosion of RC buildings, it is crucial to distinguish between two adaptation strategies. The first refers to measures integrated during the design phase for new structures. The second involves strategies implemented during the service phase to enhance the resilience of existing structures. This differentiation ensures that both new and existing buildings are equipped to withstand the challenges posed by a changing climate. This section focuses on the first while the strategies implemented during the service life of the existing buildings are discussed in the following section.

This paper introduces a novel extension of the multi-system optimisation method, known as the 3C concept, tailored for optimising budget allocation for bridge interventions at the network level. This extended methodology accounts for the interdependencies among bridges due to their spatial proximity within the network. It incorporates direct and user costs, bridge performance indicators, and a bridge deterioration model. A real-world case study involving a portfolio of 555 bridges demonstrates the practicality of the methodology, efficiently determining the optimal intervention sequence. Over an 18-year analysis period, the proposed methodology achieved a 23% reduction in total costs by combining repairs for bridges with high to severe damage and maintenance for the others. This represents a significant improvement compared to the traditional approach, used by bridge management agencies, which relies exclusively on maintenance. The optimised procedure outperforms human intuition in managing complex bridge networks, particularly over extended periods. This methodology can assist transportation agencies in implementing and exploring various scenarios by adjusting the time between consecutive interventions and budget constraints, supporting comprehensive analysis and informed decision-making.

Large-scale electrification of heavy-duty road freight faces challenges including scarcity of charging infrastructure and high battery costs. Dynamic charging could help overcome these challenges by enabling trucks to charge while driving. Important additional benefits for carriers related to lower required sizes and longer lifetimes of batteries could justify the required investments. The study investigates the optimal configuration of network sections to be electrified so that the balance between costs and benefits turns out positive. A case study for a highway network spanning 4 countries in Europe suggests that dynamic charging can lead to a significant reduction in overall transport system costs, up to very large network sizes. The study supports the decision-making of policymakers and road authorities by providing new insights into the costs and benefits of dynamic charging networks, and simultaneously considering the perspectives of investors and users.

Digital twins are expected to facilitate the digital transformation of the architecture, construction, engineering, management, operation, and conservation industry. One of their main applications in the field of bridge engineering is the possibility of real-time damage detection. To achieve this, advanced anomaly detection algorithms need to be validated to alert bridge operators on the risks related to the detected anomalies. A synthetic data generation framework has been proposed to generate benchmark databases for testing and validation as a cheaper and faster alternative to the collection of real monitoring data. In this paper we present the S101 Bridge, which has been selected as first case study for the generation of the proposed synthetic database. A finite element model of the bridge was developed and calibrated based on the reported natural frequencies and mode shapes of the actual structure available in the literature. The calibration process is described in detail along with the sensitivity analysis of the considered parameters. The results indicate a strong agreement between the first four natural frequencies and mode shapes of the experimental and numerical bridge model. It is concluded that the calibrated model is suitable for the generation of bride digital twins what-if scenarios, which will be of great significance for both practitioners and the research community.

Climate change is causing an increase in the frequency and intensity of wildfires, demonstrating that our capacity to respond to them is insufficient. Therefore, it is necessary to reconsider wildfire management policies, practices, and decision-support tools, extending beyond emergency measures. This study presents the extension of a GIS-based methodology for fire analysis, providing decision-making support for the implementation of new fire-related policies for road transportation infrastructure. It represents a novel contribution that facilitates the transition towards proactive wildfire policies. The framework is demonstrated to support informed decision-making, addressing both reactive actions, i.e., emergency response, and the evaluation of proactive adaptation measures at a system level. The results suggest that landscape management policies can play an important role in improving the resilience of road networks to wildfires.

Factors such as human activity and climate change are contributing to an increase in the frequency and intensity of wildfires. This problem has challenged society's knowledge, response capacity, and resilience, revealing its inadequacy to cope with the new wildfire regime characterized by extreme wildfire events (EWE). Policies on wildfire management mainly focus on suppression and managing emergencies, which may be insufficient to reduce EWE's incidence and cope with its impact. Consequently, there is a lack of tools to support decision-making in wildfire management in other important aspects, such as prevention and protection. This study examines global wildfire policies specifically in the Iberian Peninsula (Portugal and Spain), including cross-border policies. A GIS-based tool to evaluate different normal and extreme wildfire management policies is applied to a cross-border case study, paying attention to the impact on critical land-based transport systems. A relevant outcome of the tool application is that suppression must be complemented with other wildfire management strategies in the analyzed area. The gained insights can help stakeholders to improve decision-making in wildfire management to successfully address EWE.