Review: optical fiber sensors for civil engineering applications

Optical fiber sensor (OFS) technologies have developed rapidly over the last few decades, and various types of OFS have found practical applications in the field of civil engineering. In this paper, which is resulting from the work of the RILEM technical committee “Optical fiber sensors for civil engineering applications”, different kinds of sensing techniques, including change of light intensity, interferometry, fiber Bragg grating, adsorption measurement and distributed sensing, are briefly reviewed to introduce the basic sensing principles. Then, the applications of OFS in highway structures, building structures, geotechnical structures, pipelines as well as cables monitoring are described, with focus on sensor design, installation technique and sensor performance. It is believed that the State-of-the-Art review is helpful to engineers considering the use of OFS in their projects, and can facilitate the wider application of OFS technologies in construction industry

Health-Related Emergency Disaster Risk Management (Health-EDRM)

Disasters such as earthquakes, cyclones, floods, heat waves, nuclear accidents, and large scale pollution incidents take lives and cause exceptionally large health problems. The majority of large-scale disasters affect the most vulnerable populations, which are often comprised of people of extreme ages, in remote living areas, with endemic poverty, and with low literacy. Health-related emergency disaster risk management (Health-EDRM) [1] refers to the systematic analysis and management of health risks surrounding emergencies and disasters; it plays an important role in reducing hazards and vulnerability along with extending preparedness, response, and recovery measures. This concept encompasses risk analyses and interventions, such as accessible early warning systems, timely deployment of relief workers, and the provision of suitable drugs and medical equipment, to decrease the impact of disaster on people before, during, and after disaster events. Disaster risk profiling and interventions can be at the personal/household, community, and system/political levels; they can be targeted at specific health risks including respiratory issues caused by indoor burning, re-emergence of infectious disease due to low vaccination coverage, and gastrointestinal problems resulting from unregulated waste management. Unfortunately, there has been a major gap in the scientific literature regarding Health-EDRM. The aim of this Special Issue of IJERPH was to present papers describing/reporting the latest disaster and health risk analyses, as well as interventions for health-related disaster risk management, in an effort to address this gap and facilitate major global policies and initiatives for disaster risk reduction

5 European & African Conference on Wind Engineering

The 5th European-African Conference of Wind Engineering is hosted in Florence, Tuscany, the city and the region where, in the early 15th century, pioneers moved the first steps, laying down the foundation stones of Mechanics and Applied Sciences (including fluid mechanics). These origins are well reflected by the astonishing visionary and revolutionary studies of Leonardo Da Vinci, whose kaleidoscopic genius intended the human being to become able to fly even 500 years ago… This is why the Organising Committee has decided to pay tribute to such a Genius by choosing Leonardo's "flying sphere" as the brand of 5th EACWE

Dynamic numerical modelling of co-seismic landslides using the 3D distinct element method: Insights from the Balta rockslide (Romania)

peer reviewedAncient landslides of unknown origin can be found in large numbers in mountainous regions; some represent valid markers of (pre-)historic natural regimes referring to either long-term evolution or short-term peak events of climatic and seismotectonic nature. An example is represented by the Balta rockslide in the Romanian Carpathian Mountains. Its location in the seismically active Vrancea-Buzau region, as well as its morphological features, deep-seated rupture surface and large debris volume, raise the question of its failure history with regard to a possible co-seismic triggering. A 3D volume based reconstruction of the slope morphology together with field measurements of elasto-plastic in-situ rock properties allow to estimate pre-failure conditions of the slope, with special regards to the geological, i.e. flysch bedrock of poor to fair rock quality, and structural settings, i.e. anti-dip slope bedding crossed by the main joint family. The reconstructed slope behaviour was tested under static and dynamic forces with the 3D distinct element code 3DEC, subsequently used to simulate a failure scenario with a 120 s long real earthquake record that leads to the realistic post-failure morphology of Balta. For the latter, we observe a principally joint-controlled failure combined with internal fracturing of the undamaged rock mass. After 230 s of simulated time, the landslide debris reaches the valley bottom with maximum displacements of 1350 m and is marked by a lateral expansion to a broader extent than the source zone width, as observed in the field. Extension of this work to other pre-historic slope failures in the valleys of Vrancea-Buzau yield valuable new information for future seismic hazard estimations of the region

Novel Approaches for Structural Health Monitoring

The thirty-plus years of progress in the field of structural health monitoring (SHM) have left a paramount impact on our everyday lives. Be it for the monitoring of fixed- and rotary-wing aircrafts, for the preservation of the cultural and architectural heritage, or for the predictive maintenance of long-span bridges or wind farms, SHM has shaped the framework of many engineering fields. Given the current state of quantitative and principled methodologies, it is nowadays possible to rapidly and consistently evaluate the structural safety of industrial machines, modern concrete buildings, historical masonry complexes, etc., to test their capability and to serve their intended purpose. However, old unsolved problematics as well as new challenges exist. Furthermore, unprecedented conditions, such as stricter safety requirements and ageing civil infrastructure, pose new challenges for confrontation. Therefore, this Special Issue gathers the main contributions of academics and practitioners in civil, aerospace, and mechanical engineering to provide a common ground for structural health monitoring in dealing with old and new aspects of this ever-growing research field

Apollo Program Summary Report: Synopsis of the Apollo Program Activities and Technology for Lunar Exploration

Overall program activities and the technology developed to accomplish lunar exploration are discussed. A summary of the flights conducted over an 11-year period is presented along with specific aspects of the overall program, including lunar science, vehicle development and performance, lunar module development program, spacecraft development testing, flight crew summary, mission operations, biomedical data, spacecraft manufacturing and testing, launch site facilities, equipment, and prelaunch operations, and the lunar receiving laboratory. Appendixes provide data on each of the Apollo missions, mission type designations, spacecraft weights, records achieved by Apollo crewmen, vehicle histories, and a listing of anomalous hardware conditions noted during each flight beginning with Apollo 4

A History of Materials and Technologies Development

The purpose of the book is to provide the students with the text that presents an introductory knowledge about the development of materials and technologies and includes the most commonly available information on human development. The idea of the publication has been generated referring to the materials taken from the organic and non-organic evolution of nature. The suggested texts might be found a purposeful tool for the University students proceeding with studying engineering due to the fact that all subjects in this particular field more or less have to cover the history and development of the studied object. It is expected that studying different materials and technologies will help the students with a better understanding of driving forces, positive and negative consequences of technological development, etc

Proceedings of the 8th International Conference on Civil Engineering

This open access book is a collection of accepted papers from the 8th International Conference on Civil Engineering (ICCE2021). Researchers and engineers have discussed and presented around three major topics, i.e., construction and structural mechanics, building materials, and transportation and traffic. The content provide new ideas and practical experiences for both scientists and professionals

Unlimited Horizons: Design and Development of the U-2

This book describes the creation, history, design, and research value of the U-2 program. It also describes the involvement of NACA, as a cover story, and the later use by NASA of these aircraft as environmental research platforms

Development of Improved Design Criteria for Low-Rise Buildings in Developing Countries to Better Resist the Effects of Extreme Winds

Proceedings of a Workshop held at the Dr. Paulino J. Garcia Memorial Hall National Science Development Board Manila, Philippines November 14-17, 1973 about the development of improved extreme wind resistance design criteria for low-rise buildings in developing countries. Construction Techniques/Wind Resistance. (302.8)The digital Cuny Archive was made available in part through funding assistance from USAID