Methodology for the development of a new Sustainable Infrastructure Rating System for Developing Countries (SIRSDEC)

The improvement of infrastructures in developing countries has become a priority for the most advanced economies, which have founded a broad range of international development organizations to undertake infrastructure projects worldwide. Infrastructure is the key driver that can accelerate the balance among the economic, social and environmental aspects forming the Triple Bottom Line (TBL) in these countries. Given the lack of appropriate tools to ensure the achievement of this goal, this paper describes the methodology conceived for the development of a Sustainable Infrastructure Rating System (SIRSDEC) aimed at promoting the design, construction and operation of sustainable infrastructure projects in these geographical areas. SIRSDEC is structured into a hierarchical decision-making tree consisting of three levels of elements (requirements, criteria and indicators) selected to assess infrastructure systems according to sustainability principles. The methodology on which SIRSDEC is based combines the action of two multi-criteria decision-making methods (MCDM) such as the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) and the Integrated Value Model for Sustainable Assessment (MIVES). AHP is proposed to weight the elements forming the decision-making tree after processing the opinions provided by a group of international experts regarding the importance of requirements, criteria and indicators, whilst MIVES is suggested to value infrastructure projects according to their contribution to the TBL. The article emphasizes the added value provided by the combination of AHP and MIVES in the design of an ad-hoc rating system aimed at fostering the implementation of sustainable infrastructure projects in developing countries

Application of the Sustainable Infrastructure Rating System for Developing Countries (SIRSDEC) to a case study

A large amount of international public and private not-for-profit organizations strives to enhance the conditions of less developed economies under the flagship of sustainability throughout a wide range of infrastructure projects. However, the results are uncertain. Sustainable development in poorer countries requires effective frameworks to ensure the balanced consideration of social, economic and environmental dimensions. This paper discusses the application of the Sustainable Infrastructure Rating System for Developing Countries (SIRSDEC) to a mining infrastructure project located in Peru, in order to validate the methodology developed for this framework. The opinions returned from a questionnaire addressed to international experts according to the pairwise comparison scale of the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) method were processed to obtain the weights of the elements forming the decision-making tree of SIRSDEC. The Integrated Value Model for Sustainable Assessment (MIVES) was introduced to assess infrastructure projects through the definition of value functions for each sustainability indicator, which enables the integration of variables measured in different units into a standardized value index. The weights obtained for SIRSDEC reflected the balance of the three pillars of sustainability, with a slight predominance of the social dimension. The case study highlighted the contribution of the new system to identify key sustainability issues which were omitted in the original project and posed several actions to improve community?s perception and facilitate the development of the project

Grapa de fijación de cables

Solicitud: U200301272 (23.05.2003)Nº Pub. de Solicitud: ES1054792U (16.08.2003)Nº de Modelo de Utilidad: ES1054792Y (01.12.2003

Evaluation of existing sustainable infrastructure rating systems for their application in developing countries

Several sustainable building rating systems were created worldwide during the last decades due to economic growth and the significance of environmental impact associated with the building industry. Similar infrastructure rating tools have started to be developed and implemented, being highly necessary to promote its development. Even though the existing sustainable infrastructure rating systems are focused on advanced economies, growing environmental concerns are increasing the need for new systems in the Developing World. This research analyses some of the mainstream infrastructure rating frameworks such as Envision (USA), Civil Engineering Environmental Quality (CEEQUAL) assessment (UK) and Infrastructure Sustainability (IS) Rating Tool (Australia) from the perspective of the Triple Bottom Line (economy, environment and society), in order to determine the effectiveness of their application in the context of the least developed countries. The analysis revealed that the three tools are biased towards the environmental dimension and are mainly oriented to developed countries. Consequently, the foundations on which these systems are based need to be further developed and enhanced to be of real relevance in poorer nations by balancing the weight of sustainable pillars, incorporating effective management guidelines and development goals set by United Nations declarations, and considering impacts beyond the single project framework

Self-Healing Capacity of Asphalt Mixtures Including By-Products Both as Aggregates and Heating Inductors.

Major advances have been achieved in the field of self-healing by magnetic induction in which the addition of metallic particles into asphalt mixtures enables repairing their own cracks. This technology has already been proven to increase the life expectancy of roads. Nevertheless, its higher costs in comparison with conventional maintenance caused by the price of virgin metallic particles still makes it unattractive for investment. This research aimed at making this process economically accessible as well as environmentally efficient. To this end, an intense search for suitable industrial by-products to substitute both the virgin metal particles and the natural aggregates forming asphalt mixtures was conducted. The set of by-products used included sand blasting wastes, stainless shot wastes, and polished wastes as metallic particles and other inert by-products as aggregates. The results demonstrated that the by-products were adequately heated, which leads to satisfactory healing ratios in comparison with the reference mixture.This paper was financed by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness with funds from the State General Budget (PGE) and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) through the research project SIMA+ (Ref. BIA2016-77372-R)

Numerical and Experimental Evaluation of a CFRP Fatigue Strengthening for Stringer-Floor Beam Connections in a 19th Century Riveted Railway Bridge

ABSTRACT: A local and global finite element analysis of the stringer-floor beam connection of a 19th century riveted railway bridge in Spain made of puddle iron were performed to obtain the maximum principal strains in the riveted connecting angles corresponding to bending moments from train loading on the bridge. Due to the anisotropic nature of puddle iron, the connecting angles were modelled using Hill anisotropic plasticity potential and a parametric study in the local FE model of the connection was performed. A laboratory specimen fabricated with original stringers dismantled from the railway bridge was tested to calibrate the numerical models, so the yield stress ratio that best fitted experimental results was obtained. Based on the method of constant fatigue-life diagram and modified Goodman fatigue failure criterion, it was detected that the connecting angles were prone to fatigue crack initiation, as the combination of mean stress and alternating stress amplitude at the toe of the angle fillet remained outside the infinite fatigue-life region. An innovative strengthening system based on adhesively-bonded carbon-fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) angles was designed to prevent fatigue crack initiation in the connecting angles of the stringer-floor beam connection. Different CFRP laminate layouts were numerically evaluated and a proper configuration was obtained that reduced both the mean stress and the alternating stress amplitude in the connecting angle to shift from finite fatigue-life region to infinite fatigue-life region in the constant fatigue-life diagram. To validate the effectiveness of the proposed CFRP strengthening method, its application on a second laboratory specimen fabricated with original stringers was evaluated experimentally and compared with numerical results. The research study conducted showed that the use of adhesively-bonded CFRP angles was an effective strengthening system in reducing the stress level in the fillet region of the puddle iron connecting angles (where fatigue cracks are prone to initiate) and consequently could increase fatigue life of the stringer-floor beam connection

Effect of copper slag addition on mechanical behaviour of asphalt mixes containing reclaimed asphalt pavement

Annually, copper production and refining processes of generate large volumes of copper slag, and the disposal of this waste remains a major economic and environmental problem. This annual production causes an increase in the number and volume of landfills, as well as the quantity of slag that backs up landfills, it also produces leachates which contain metals such as Cu, Pb, Hg and SO2. In this research, friction and cohesive qualities of copper slag are exploited, in order to incorporate this slag as aggregate in asphalt mixes containing Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement (RAP). Results demonstrate that the use of copper slag in an addition percentage of 35% is favorable, because flow values increase and stability values decrease. The Marshall Quotient is reduced up to 27%, improving the performance of mixes with RAP and obtaining behavior similar to a traditional mixture. This improvement is also reflected in an 8% increase in the indirect tensile strength, which stands the use of copper slag as a solution in RAP applications with more demanding tensile and fatigue requirements.The presented results are part of the FONDECYT Initiation into Research project No. 11140889, funded by CONICYT-Chile, and the DID S-2014-27 project, funded by the Universidad Austral de Chile. The authors also would like to thank Bitumix S.A. and its CDI, CONAV S.A. and the Regional Laboratory of Transportation of Puerto Montt for the material donations and facilitation of their dependencie

Influence of the diatomite specie on the peak and residual shear strength of the fine-grained soil

Diatomite is a powdering mineral mainly composed of diatom microfossils present in marine and lacustrine soils, which influences their physical and mechanical properties. Although many articles have been found in the literature concerning the influence of diatomite in the overall behavior of natural soils, few research efforts have been carried out to evaluate the influence of the diatom microfossil species on their shear resistance. Therefore, in this research, the influence of the diatomite species and the content in the peak and the residual shear strength of diatomite-fine grained soil mixtures was analyzed using the annular shear strength test. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Atterberg limits were also carried out as additional tests to explain the interlocking effect between the microfossils and the soil. Overall, both diatomite species increased both peak and residual shear strength of the soil similar to dense sands. Nevertheless, the Mexican species reveal higher friction angle values compared with Colombian species

Experimental analysis of enhanced cement-sand-based geothermal grouting materials

Nowadays, Ground Source Heat Pumps (GSHP) are achieving significant efficiencies, mostly because of the development of their electromechanical components. However, concepts such as the technical performance of the grouting materials deserve more profound analysis, as becoming essential in areas where good potential thermal performance of the GSHP and serious risks of groundwater contamination exist. In this paper, several fluid mortars with enhanced characteristics have been evaluated. Results show improved mechanical and thermal properties compared to conventional grouting materials. Likewise, mortars exhibited good performance after being subjected to durability treatment. For now, the cost of some mortars may constitute a barrier.This work is based on the project with reference BIA2013-40917-R. This project was financed by the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness through the State General Budget and the European Regional Development Fund (FEDER)