This book is a collection of papers presented at the International Workshop on Geotechnical Natural Hazards held July 12-15, 2014, in Kitakyushu, Japan. The workshop was the sixth in the series of Japan-Taiwan Joint Workshops on Geotechnical Hazards from Large Earthquakes and Heavy Rainfalls, held under the auspices of the Asian Technical Committee No. 3 on Geotechnology for Natural Hazards of the International Society for Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering. It was co-organized by the Japanese Geotechnical Society and the Taiwanese Geotechnical Society. The contents of this book focus on geotechnical and natural hazard-related issues in Asia such as earthquakes, tsunami, rainfall-induced debris flows, slope failures, and landslides. The book contains the latest information and mitigation technology on earthquake- and rainfall-induced geotechnical natural hazards. By dissemination of the latest state-of-the-art research in the area, the information contained in this book will help researchers, designers, consultants, government officials, and academicians involved in the mitigation of natural hazards. The findings and other information provided here is expected to contribute toward the development of a new chapter in disaster prevention and mitigation of geotechnical structures.

The world of construction is intrinsically linked with that of finance, from the procurement and tendering stage of projects right through to valuation of buildings. In addition to this, things like administrations, liquidations, mergers, take-overs, buy-outs and floatations affect construction firms as they do all other companies. This book is a rare explanation of common construction management activities from a financial point of view. While the practical side of the industry is illustrated here with case studies, the authors also take the time to build up an understanding of balance sheets and P&L accounts before explaining how common tasks like estimating or valuation work from this perspective. Readers of this book will not only learn how to carry out the tasks of a construction cost manager, quantity surveyor or estimator, they will also understand the financial logic behind them, and the motivations that drive senior management. This is an essential book for students of quantity surveying or construction management, and all ambitious practitioners.

Topics in Dynamics of Bridges, Volume 3: Proceedings of the 31st IMAC, A Conference and Exposition on Structural Dynamics, 2013, the third volume of seven from the Conference, brings together contributions to this important area of research and engineering. The collection presents early findings and case studies on fundamental and applied aspects of Structural Dynamics, including papers on: Vibration Monitoring Damping Damage Detection Health Monitoring Dynamic Behavior Dynamic Modeling Human-Induced Vibration

The river Danube is an international waterway flowing 2857 km across Europe from the heights of the Schwarzwald massif down in the Black Sea delta. In its passage, the second longest European river crosses 22 geographical longitudes, joining 8 countries: Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria and Ukraine. The International Conference on Bridges across the Danube has become a traditional international event in bridge engineering, initiated by Prof. Miklos Ivanyi and organized periodically each third year in different Danube countries: 1992 on a ship, sailing on the Danube from Vienna via Bratislava to Budapest, 1995 in Bucharest, 1998 in Regensburg, 2001 in Bratislava, 2004 in Novi Sad, 2007 in Budapest and 2010 in Sofia. The Eight International Conference on Bridges across the Danube took place in Timisoara (Romania) and Belgrade (Serbia) in October 2013 aiming at analysing present trends in bridge construction in every Danube country.

Special Topics in Structural Dynamics, Volume 6: Proceedings of the 31st IMAC, A Conference and Exposition on Structural Dynamics, 2013, the sixth volume of seven from the Conference, brings together contributions to this important area of research and engineering. The collection presents early findings and case studies on fundamental and applied aspects of Structural Dynamics, including papers on: Teaching Experimental & Analytical Structural Dynamics Sensors & Instrumentation Aircraft/Aerospace Bio-Dynamics Sports Equipment Dynamics Advanced ODS & Stress Estimation Shock & Vibration Full-Field Optical Measurements & Image Analysis Structural Health Monitoring Operational Modal Analysis Wind Turbine Dynamics Rotating Machinery Finite Element Methods Energy Harvesting

This book is a collection of ISRM suggested methods for testing or measuring properties of rocks and rock masses both in the laboratory and in situ, as well as for monitoring the performance of rock engineering structures. The first collection (Yellow Book) has been published in 1981. In order to provide access to all the Suggested Methods in one volume, the ISRM Blue Book was published in 2007 (by the ISRM via the Turkish National Group) and contains the complete set of Suggested Methods from 1974 to 2006 inclusive. The papers in this most recent volume have been published during the last seven years in international journals, mainly in Rock Mechanics and Rock Engineering. They offer guidance for rock characterization procedures and laboratory and field testing and monitoring in rock engineering. These methods provide a definitive procedure for the identification, measurement and evaluation of one or more qualities, characteristics or properties of rocks or rock systems that produces a test result.

This is a State of the Art Report resulting from the work of RILEM Technical Committee 224-AAM in the period 2007-2013. The Report summarises research to date in the area of alkali-activated binders and concretes, with a particular focus on the following areas: binder design and characterisation, durability testing, commercialisation, standardisation, and providing a historical context for this rapidly-growing research field.

Written by an international group of active researchers in the field, this volume presents innovative formulations and applied procedures for sensitivity analysis and structural design optimization. Eight chapters discuss subjects ranging from recent developments in the determination and application of topological gradients, to the use of evolutionary algorithms and meta-models to solve practical engineering problems. With such a comprehensive set of contributions, the book is a valuable source of information for graduate students and researchers entering or working in the matter.

This collection focuses on the development of novel approaches to address one of the most pressing challenges of civil engineering, namely the mitigation of natural hazards. Numerous engineering books to date have focused on, and illustrate considerable progress toward, mitigation of individual hazards (earthquakes, wind, and so forth.). The current volume addresses concerns related to overall safety, sustainability and resilience of the built environment when subject to multiple hazards: natural disaster events that are concurrent and either correlated (e.g., wind and surge); uncorrelated (e.g., earthquake and flood); cascading (e.g., fire following earthquake); or uncorrelated and occurring at different times (e.g., wind and earthquake). The authors examine a range of specific topics including methodologies for vulnerability assessment of structures, new techniques to reduce the system demands through control systems; instrumentation, monitoring and condition assessment of structures and foundations; new techniques for repairing structures that have suffered damage during past events, or for structures that have been found in need of strengthening; development of new design provisions that consider multiple hazards, as well as questions from law and the humanities relevant to the management of natural and human-made hazards.

Ever wonder how a graceful and slender bridge can support enormous loads over truly astonishing spans? Why domes and free-standing arches survive earthquakes that flatten the rest of a city?

Physicist Mark Denny looks at the large structures around us--tall buildings, long bridges, and big dams--and explains how they were designed and built and why they sometimes collapse, topple, or burst.

Denny uses clear, accessible language to explain the physics behind such iconic structures as the Parthenon, the Eiffel Tower, the Forth Rail Bridge in Edinburgh, and Hoover Dam. His friendly approach allows readers to appreciate the core principles that keep these engineering marvels upright without having to master complex mathematical equations.

Employing history, humor, and simple physics to consider such topics as when to use screws or nails, what trusses are, why iron beams are often I-shaped, and why medieval cathedrals have buttresses, Denny succeeds once again in making physics fun.

Craig's Soil Mechanics continues to evolve and remain the definitive text for civil engineering students worldwide. It covers fundamental soil mechanics and its application in applied geotechnical engineering from A to Z and at the right depth for an undergraduate civil engineer, with sufficient extension material for supporting MSc level courses, and with practical examples and digital tools to make it a useful reference work for practising engineers. This new edition now includes: Restructured chapters on foundations and earthworks, the latter including new material on working platforms and collapse of underground cavities (sinkhole formation). New mobilised-stress-based deformation methods that can straightforwardly be used with both linear and non-linear soil stiffness models and field measurements of shear wave velocity, for serviceability limit state design. Extended sets of correlations for making sensible first estimates of soil parameters, adding deformation-based parameters for broader coverage than the Eighth Edition. Extended section on robust statistical selection of characteristic soil parameters. Greater use of consolidation theory throughout in determining whether actions, processes and laboratory/in-situ tests are drained or undrained. Extended chapter on in-situ testing, adding the Flat Dilatometer Test (DMT), and interpretation of consolidation parameters from CPTU and DMT testing. An updated section on pile load testing. Additional worked examples and end-of-chapter problems covering new material, with fully worked solutions for lecturers. The electronic resources on the book's companion website are developed further, with the addition of two new spreadsheet numerical analysis tools and improvement of existing tools from the Eighth Edition. Using these, readers can take real soil test data, interpret its mechanical properties and apply these to a range of common geotechnical design problems at ultimate and serviceability limiting states.

A critical review of key developments and latest advances in Structural Health Monitoring technologies applied to civil engineering structures, covering all aspects required for practical application Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) provides the facilities for in-service monitoring of structural performance and damage assessment, and is a key element of condition based maintenance and damage prognosis. This comprehensive book brings readers up to date on the most important changes and advancements in the structural health monitoring technologies applied to civil engineering structures. It covers all aspects required for such monitoring in the field, including sensors and networks, data acquisition and processing, damage detection techniques and damage prognostics techniques. The book also includes a number of case studies showing how the techniques can be applied in the development of sustainable and resilient civil infrastructure systems. Structural Health Monitoring of Large Civil Engineering Structures offers in-depth chapter coverage of: Sensors and Sensing Technology for Structural Monitoring; Data Acquisition, Transmission, and Management; Structural Damage Identification Techniques; Modal Analysis of Civil Engineering Structures; Finite Element Model Updating; Vibration Based Damage Identification Methods; Model Based Damage Assessment Methods; Monitoring Based Reliability Analysis and Damage Prognosis; and Applications of SHM Strategies to Large Civil Structures. Presents state-of-the-art SHM technologies allowing asset managers to evaluate structural performance and make rational decisions Covers all aspects required for the practical application of SHM Includes case studies that show how the techniques can be applied in practice Structural Health Monitoring of Large Civil Engineering Structures is an ideal book for practicing civil engineers, academics and postgraduate students studying civil and structural engineering.

Are you about to embark on a research project for the first time? Unsure which data collection methods are right for your study? Don't know where to start? By presenting the reader with a series of key research management questions, this book introduces the novice researcher to a range of research designs and data collection methods. Building an understanding of these choices and how they can impact on the dissertation itself will lead to a more robust and rigorous dissertation study. This book is designed to direct your research choices with informative text and key questions, advice from "virtual supervisors" and reflections from students. Lists of suggested further reading also help to support you on your journey to developing an organised and successful dissertation project. Researchers seeking support on their journey to a successful dissertation will find this book a valuable resource.

This book compiles and critically discusses modern engineering system degradation models and their impact on engineering decisions. In particular, the authors focus on modeling the uncertain nature of degradation considering both conceptual discussions and formal mathematical formulations. It also describes the basics concepts and the various modeling aspects of life-cycle analysis (LCA). It highlights the role of degradation in LCA and defines optimum design and operation parameters. Given the relationship between operational decisions and the performance of the system's condition over time, maintenance models are also discussed. The concepts and models presented have applications in a large variety of engineering fields such as Civil, Environmental, Industrial, Electrical and Mechanical engineering. However, special emphasis is given to problems related to large infrastructure systems. The book is intended to be used both as a reference resource for researchers and practitioners and as an academic text for courses related to risk and reliability, infrastructure performance modeling and life-cycle assessment.

The book provides suggestions on how to start using bionic optimization methods, including pseudo-code examples of each of the important approaches and outlines of how to improve them. The most efficient methods for accelerating the studies are discussed. These include the selection of size and generations of a study's parameters, modification of these driving parameters, switching to gradient methods when approaching local maxima, and the use of parallel working hardware. Bionic Optimization means finding the best solution to a problem using methods found in nature. As Evolutionary Strategies and Particle Swarm Optimization seem to be the most important methods for structural optimization, we primarily focus on them. Other methods such as neural nets or ant colonies are more suited to control or process studies, so their basic ideas are outlined in order to motivate readers to start using them. A set of sample applications shows how Bionic Optimization works in practice. From academic studies on simple frames made of rods to earthquake-resistant buildings, readers follow the lessons learned, difficulties encountered and effective strategies for overcoming them. For the problem of tuned mass dampers, which play an important role in dynamic control, changing the goal and restrictions paves the way for Multi-Objective-Optimization. As most structural designers today use commercial software such as FE-Codes or CAE systems with integrated simulation modules, ways of integrating Bionic Optimization into these software packages are outlined and examples of typical systems and typical optimization approaches are presented. The closing section focuses on an overview and outlook on reliable and robust as well as on Multi-Objective-Optimization, including discussions of current and upcoming research topics in the field concerning a unified theory for handling stochastic design processes.

Irregular engineering structures are subjected to complicated additional loads which are often beyond conventional design models developed for traditional, simplified plane models. This book covers detailed research and recent progress in seismic engineering dealing with seismic behaviour of irregular and set-back engineering structures. Experimental results as well as special topics of modern design are discussed in detail. In addition, recent progress in seismology, wave propagation and seismic engineering, which provides novel, modern modelling of complex seismic loads, is reported. Particular emphasis is placed on the newly developed rotational, seismic ground-motion effects. This book is a continuation of an earlier monograph which appeared in the same Springer series in 2013 (http://www.springer.com/gp/book/9789400753761).

Huge earthquakes and tsunamis have caused serious damage to important structures such as civil infrastructure elements, buildings and power plants around the globe. To quantitatively evaluate such damage processes and to design effective prevention and mitigation measures, the latest high-performance computational mechanics technologies, which include telascale to petascale computers, can offer powerful tools. The phenomena covered in this book include seismic wave propagation in the crust and soil, seismic response of infrastructure elements such as tunnels considering soil-structure interactions, seismic response of high-rise buildings, seismic response of nuclear power plants, tsunami run-up over coastal towns and tsunami inundation considering fluid-structure interactions. The book provides all necessary information for addressing these phenomena, ranging from the fundamentals of high-performance computing for finite element methods, key algorithms of accurate dynamic structural analysis, fluid flows with free surfaces, and fluid-structure interactions, to practical applications with detailed simulation results. The book will offer essential insights for researchers and engineers working in the field of computational seismic/tsunami engineering.

This book examines in detail the entire process involved in implementing geotechnical projects, from a well-defined initial stress and deformation state, to the completion of the installation process. The individual chapters provide the fundamental knowledge needed to effectively improve soil-structure interaction models. Further, they present the results of theoretical fundamental research on suitable constitutive models, contact formulations, and efficient numerical implementations and algorithms. Applications of fundamental research on boundary value problems are also considered in order to improve the implementation of the theoretical models developed. Subsequent chapters highlight parametric studies of the respective geotechnical installation process, as well as elementary and large-scale model tests under well-defined conditions, in order to identify the most essential parameters for optimizing the process. The book provides suitable methods for simulating boundary value problems in connection with geotechnical installation processes, offering reliable predictions for the deformation behavior of structures in static contexts or dynamic interaction with the soil.

This popular and useful text has been completely revised and up-dated so that it forms and indipensible handbook for any student of surveying. An additional chapter on modern developments is included and the text has also been extended to cover ordnance survey; calculation of areas; computation of true horizontal length; measurement of vertical angles; Code of Measuring Practice; curve ranging and calculations of volumes for earthworks.

Empirical Structural Design for Architects, Engineers and Builders provides an explanation of empirical design as a practical means of making preliminary structural design decisions. The descriptive text, tables and figures assist the reader in completing a building design on the basis of proven ratios, simple rules of thumb, standard practices and acceptable minimum sizes. Key feature of this book include * international appeal through the inclusion of metric and customary US units * reduction of preliminary structural decisions to simple rules * matching building programmes to appropriate structural types * simplified design rules that are easy to retain and easy to look up. Written to be accessible to all professionals in the building design and construction process, this book will be an essential read for students or practitioners who are at an early stage in their architectural or engineering careers. The book will also be valuable to participants in the building construction process, including engineers.

The book includes peer-reviewed contributions selected from presentations given at the Istanbul Bridge Conference 2014, held from August 11 - 13 in Istanbul, Turkey. It reports on the current challenges in bridge engineering faced by professionals around the globe, giving a special emphasis to recently developed techniques, innovations and opportunities. The book covers key topics in the field, including modeling and analysis methods; construction and erection techniques; design for extreme events and condition assessment and structural health monitoring. There is a balanced presentation of theory, research and practice. This book, which provides the readers with a comprehensive and timely reference guide on current practices in bridge engineering, is intended for professionals, academic researchers and students alike.

This practical guide to the assessment and repair of historic buildings is invaluable for structural engineers, architects, surveyors and builders working in all aspects of building conservation. Taking a practical step-by-step approach, the authors discuss the appraisal of buildings and the differences in structural behaviour between new and existing structures. Each stage in the appraisal is explained, using examples from the authors' own work. Each major construction material is assessed in detail, with separate sections on masonry, concrete, timber and the particularly complex issues of iron and steel framed buildings. Techniques for testing the ability of a building to continue its existing use or to be converted to a new use are explained.

In this book, experts on textile technologies convey both general and specific information on various aspects of textile engineering, ready-made technologies, and textile chemistry. They describe the entire process chain from fiber materials to various yarn constructions, 2D and 3D textile constructions, preforms, and interface layer design. In addition, the authors introduce testing methods, shaping and simulation techniques for the characterization of and structural mechanics calculations on anisotropic, pliable high-performance textiles, including specific examples from the fields of fiber plastic composites, textile concrete and textile membranes. Readers will also be familiarized with the potential offered by increasingly employed textile structures, for instance in the fields of composite technology, construction technology, security technology and membrane technology.

The sudden arrival of Building Information Modelling (BIM) as a key part of the building industry is redefining the roles and working practices of its stakeholders. Many clients, designers, contractors, quantity surveyors, and building managers are still finding their feet in an industry where BIM compliance can bring great rewards. This guide is designed to help quantity surveying practitioners and students understand what BIM means for them, and how they should prepare to work successfully on BIM compliant projects. The case studies show how firms at the forefront of this technology have integrated core quantity surveying responsibilities like cost estimating, tendering, and development appraisal into high profile BIM projects. In addition to this, the implications for project management, facilities management, contract administration and dispute resolution are also explored through case studies, making this a highly valuable guide for those in a range of construction project management roles. Featuring a chapter describing how the role of the quantity surveyor is likely to permanently shift as a result of this development, as well as descriptions of tools used, this covers both the organisational and practical aspects of a crucial topic.

This book presents and applies a novel efficient meta-heuristic optimization algorithm called Colliding Bodies Optimization (CBO) for various optimization problems. The first part of the book introduces the concepts and methods involved, while the second is devoted to the applications. Though optimal design of structures is the main topic, two chapters on optimal analysis and applications in constructional management are also included. This algorithm is based on one-dimensional collisions between bodies, with each agent solution being considered as an object or body with mass. After a collision of two moving bodies with specified masses and velocities, these bodies again separate, with new velocities. This collision causes the agents to move toward better positions in the search space. The main algorithm (CBO) is internally parameter independent, setting it apart from previously developed meta-heuristics. This algorithm is enhanced (ECBO) for more efficient applications in the optimal design of structures. The algorithms are implemented in standard computer programming languages (MATLAB and C++) and two main codes are provided for ease of use.