Model Validation and Simulation

The Bauhaus Summer School series provides an international forum for an exchange of methods and skills related to the interaction between different disciplines of modern engineering science. The 2012 civil engineering course was held in August over two weeks at Bauhaus-Universität Weimar. The overall aim was the exchange of research and modern scientific approaches in the field of model validation and simulation between well-known experts acting as lecturers and active students. Besides these educational intentions the social and cultural component of the meeting has been in the focus. 48 graduate and doctoral students from 20 different countries and 22 lecturers from 12 countries attended this summer school. Among other aspects, this activity can be considered successful as it raised the sensitivity towards both the significance of research in civil engineering and the role of intercultural exchange. This volume summarizes and publishes some of the results: abstracts of key note papers presented by the experts and selected student research works. The overview reflects the quality of this summer school. Furthermore the individual contributions confirm that for active students this event has been a research forum and a special opportunity to learn from the experiences of the researchers in terms of methodology and strategies for research implementation in their current work

General Report - Session 3

This General Report summarizes the 84 papers accepted for the Session 3 focused on: - 3a. Case Histories on Failure and Remediation of Slopes, Dams, Embankments and Landfills (53 papers), - 3b. Case Histories on Failure and Remediation of Retaining Structures, Slurry Walls, and Deep Excavations, Dewatering, Stability (27 papers), - 3c. Improving the Stability and Maintenance of Monuments (4 papers). The papers originate from 26 countries (11 European countries, 3 American countries, 11 Asian countries and 1 African country). The papers cover a number of relevant topics divided into three different sub - sessions. As for the two papers included in Session 3c, only one deals with maintenance and retrofit of historical monuments. Indeed paper 3.03c is more pertinent to session 3b. On the other hand some papers included in Session 3a could also be considered in Session 3b and vice versa

Performance-based damage assessment of masonry structures subjected to settlement using rigid block models

The issue of built Cultural Heritage (CH) exposed to natural hazards is a challenging topic in both research and engineering practice. In the last decades, many efforts were addressed to the protection of CH against seismic hazard, which is the main threat for the integrity and stability of structures. On the other hand, settlements induced by hydrogeological phenomena such as subsidence and landslides also represent a severe risk for existing buildings. Nevertheless, the investigation of damage induced by settlements on structures is a still open challenge. Empirical approaches were proposed, commonly based on the assessment of damage in terms of local parameters, e.g. crack widths. However, the severity of crack width can be affected by different factors such as structural configuration, masonry texture and material properties. Thus, models for the quantitative assessment of damage in terms of global safety levels of structures subjected to foundation movements are demanded. In this framework, this dissertation thesis aims at the development and application of a numerical approach based on rigid block modelling for the performance-based damage assessment of masonry structures subjected to settlement. Two in-house numerical models are proposed, namely a rigid block model with rigid contacts for the linear kinematic analysis and a rigid block model with no-tension elastic contacts for the non-linear kinematic analysis. The first tool aims at the prediction of the failure shape for settled structures as well as the value of the base reaction at the onset of mechanism. It is worth noting that masonry buildings usually exhibit a resilient safety behaviour with respect to settlements. Conversely, appropriate considerations of serviceability limit state are demanded to control damage on the structure and preserve the aesthetics. To this end, the non-linear kinematic model aims to predict the response of masonry structures under settlements also in the early damage states. The output is mainly represented by specific capacity curves, named "push-down curves", where the loss of base reaction is plotted as a function of the displacement of a control point at the settling support. Thus, the numerical formulation allows the damage propagation monitoring, from crack opening until incipient collapse. The dissertation thesis explores the possibility to use such a capacity curve to propose criteria for the displacement-based damage assessment and quantification. A comparison of the proposed approach with empirical damage classification methods is performed

Innovative Methods and Materials in Structural Health Monitoring of Civil Infrastructures

In the past, when elements in sructures were composed of perishable materials, such as wood, the maintenance of houses, bridges, etc., was considered of vital importance for their safe use and to preserve their efficiency. With the advent of materials such as reinforced concrete and steel, given their relatively long useful life, periodic and constant maintenance has often been considered a secondary concern. When it was realized that even for structures fabricated with these materials that the useful life has an end and that it was being approached, planning maintenance became an important and non-negligible aspect. Thus, the concept of structural health monitoring (SHM) was introduced, designed, and implemented as a multidisciplinary method. Computational mechanics, static and dynamic analysis of structures, electronics, sensors, and, recently, the Internet of Things (IoT) and artificial intelligence (AI) are required, but it is also important to consider new materials, especially those with intrinsic self-diagnosis characteristics, and to use measurement and survey methods typical of modern geomatics, such as satellite surveys and highly sophisticated laser tools

General Report - Session 6

This general report provides a summary of 40 accepted papers submitted to sessions 6a on ground improvement methods and session 6b on geoenvironmental engineering. The papers are contributed by the researchers and professionals from the United States and 15 other countries and they cover a wide range of topics based on laboratory experiments, field design, construction and monitoring, and mathematical modeling. A brief summary of each paper is provided under organized sections and the reader is referred to consult the full paper for details. Finally, the topics for discussion are listed

Geotechnical Engineering for the Preservation of Monuments and Historic Sites III

The conservation of monuments and historic sites is one of the most challenging problems facing modern civilization. It involves, in inextricable patterns, factors belonging to different fields (cultural, humanistic, social, technical, economical, administrative) and the requirements of safety and use appear to be (or often are) in conflict with the respect of the integrity of the monuments. The complexity of the topic is such that a shared framework of reference is still lacking among art historians, architects, structural and geotechnical engineers. The complexity of the subject is such that a shared frame of reference is still lacking among art historians, architects, architectural and geotechnical engineers. And while there are exemplary cases of an integral approach to each building element with its static and architectural function, as a material witness to the culture and construction techniques of the original historical period, there are still examples of uncritical reliance on modern technology leading to the substitution from earlier structures to new ones, preserving only the iconic look of the original monument. Geotechnical Engineering for the Preservation of Monuments and Historic Sites III collects the contributions to the eponymous 3rd International ISSMGE TC301 Symposium (Naples, Italy, 22-24 June 2022). The papers cover a wide range of topics, which include: 　 - Principles of conservation, maintenance strategies, case histories - The knowledge: investigations and monitoring - Seismic risk, site effects, soil structure interaction - Effects of urban development and tunnelling on built heritage - Preservation of diffuse heritage: soil instability, subsidence, environmental damages The present volume aims at geotechnical engineers and academics involved in the preservation of monuments and historic sites worldwide

The design of a yacht manufacturing facility for Robertson & Caine in the East London harbour

This treatise deals with the design of a new yacht manufacturing facility for Robertson and Caine in the East London harbour. It arose from issues with the degradation of the precinct and social and economic issues relating to this. This treatise investigates the issues and process involved in the design of a Yacht manufacturing Facility in the East London Harbour. The purpose of this treatise is to better understand the contextual, spatial, physical and theoretical nature of a Yacht Manufacturing Facility. This identifies a set of architectural issues to which an appropriate architectural design is proposed. Conclusions based on the research findings and analysis of a selected site will be drawn and translated to formulate a vision for the proposed yacht manufacturing facility

Model Validation and Simulation

The Bauhaus Summer School series provides an international forum for an exchange of methods and skills related to the interaction between different disciplines of modern engineering science. The 2012 civil engineering course was held in August over two weeks at Bauhaus-Universität Weimar. The overall aim was the exchange of research and modern scientific approaches in the field of model validation and simulation between well-known experts acting as lecturers and active students. Besides these educational intentions the social and cultural component of the meeting has been in the focus. 48 graduate and doctoral students from 20 different countries and 22 lecturers from 12 countries attended this summer school. Among other aspects, this activity can be considered successful as it raised the sensitivity towards both the significance of research in civil engineering and the role of intercultural exchange. This volume summarizes and publishes some of the results: abstracts of key note papers presented by the experts and selected student research works. The overview reflects the quality of this summer school. Furthermore the individual contributions confirm that for active students this event has been a research forum and a special opportunity to learn from the experiences of the researchers in terms of methodology and strategies for research implementation in their current work