Current Issue : October-December Volume : 2026 Issue Number : 4 Articles : 5 Articles
The excavation process of deep and large foundation pits in cities will inevitably be treated with dewatering, and the excavation and dewatering of foundation pits will cause changes in the free displacement field of surrounding soil, which will further cause uneven deformation of existing tunnels. The majority of research studies are paying more attention to the excavation-induced unloading stress on the underlying tunnel, ignoring the foundation pit dewatering for tunnel–soil interaction. Based on this condition, first, the Mindlin solution and the soil effective stress principle are used to obtain the additional stress at the axis of the tunnel under the action of foundation pit excavation and dewatering. Then, the existing tunnel is simplified as a Timoshenko beam lying on the three-parameter Kerr foundation model. The theoretical solution of tunnel–soil interaction is obtained by Fourier cosine series. Compared with the actual engineering monitoring data, the rationality of the method is verified. Comparison with the results from the Pasternak model and without considering the influence of foundation pit dewatering, the outcomes from the suggested method play a closer resemblance to the measurements. The parametric study shows that increasing the permeability coefficient of soil and depth of dewatering cause the deformation and internal force of the tunnel to decrease slowly. Increasing the depth of the tunnel will cause the deformation and internal force of the tunnel to decrease....
Optimizing the service life of reinforced concrete structures requires replacing traditional Portland Cement (PC) with Slag-Blended Cements (SBCs) that offer refined pore networks, which are vital for inhibiting the propagation of corrosion-induced cracks. In this study, we propose an integrated framework combining Direct Current (DC)-accelerated corrosion tests with computational quantification of cracking. For comparison purposes, the concrete samples with similar compressive strengths (~60 MPa), obtained after 65 days from the mixing process, were exposed to impressed currents while the evolution of cracks was monitored using image processing in MATLAB. It was found that the slag-blended cement significantly delayed the appearance of the crack, which occurred at 141 h, compared with 57 to 70 h for the PC specimen. The delay in corrosion damage initiation by SBC is 1.7 times higher than that by PC. In terms of damage severity, SBC reduced both the total crack lengths by 56% (83 mm for SBC and 189 mm for PC) and the maximum crack width by 22% (0.70 mm for SBC and 0.90 mm for PC). After 111 h of corrosion under the same conditions, the SBC still retained its ability to reduce the crack length (188 mm), whereas PC formed 270 mm cracks. These findings provide a basis for future calibration of sophisticated mesoscale fracture models, such as the Lattice Discrete Particle Method (LDPM) and the Finite Discrete Element Method (FDEM), as well as for creating data sets for future data-driven durability assessment....
Rutting is a critical distress that severely compromises the performance of the road, especially in severe climate conditions and heavy traffic loads. Accurate rutting prediction is key to improving pavement maintenance and management. This study proposed a rutting prediction model based on gene expression programming (GEP) using the long-term pavement performance (LTPP) database. The GEP model was trained using asphalt pavement data from the real world, extracted from the LTPP database containing important pavement performance variables such as pavement thickness (PT), dynamic modulus of AC layer, precipitation, temperature values, types of bound and unbound bases located under dry and wet (no-freeze) regions, and traffic loads (annual average daily truck traffic [AADTT], gross vehicle weight [GVW], and equivalent single axle load [ESAL]), to comprehensively reflect actual pavement conditions. The dataset contains 166 data points from 39 different pavement sections located across various climatic zones with sufficient diversity in traffic and environmental conditions. The model achieved R2 values of 0.87 (training) and 0.79 (validation), and root mean square error (RMSE) values of 1.1731 and 1.6264, respectively. The results show that the model has excellent predictive power for the rutting prediction. The GEP model outputs such symbolic regression equations, which can be expressed with explicit and interpretable mathematical forms, leading to a better-equipped model framework for PMS application (transparency). SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) analysis was also used to assess the contribution of input variables, significantly increasing the interpretability and reliability of the model....
The transformation of urban cities into smart one demands the paradigm shift in civil engineering education. The paper explains how Building Information Modelling (BIM) and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) can be used in incorporating innovative technologies to civil engineering education. The combination of BIM and GIS allows making informed decisions, improving the analysis based on geospatial and time, and facilitating more effective sustainable urban planning procedures. Through real world case studies, interactive simulation and interdisciplinary experiential learning modules, the students become accustomed to the real world of managing complex infrastructure issues within innovative city ecosystems. This study outlines a teaching system that fulfils the Industry4.0 criteria and enhances the professional skills in digital construction, environmental intelligence and cohesive infrastructure asset management. The suggested implementation connects the educational element with professional needs in civil engineering education, with a view to helping prepare the next generation of civil engineers to be active contributors to the design and management of smart cities....
Rising demand for sustainable construction materials, combined with the growing knowledge about geopolymers as a green substitute for ordinary Portland cement (OPC), which has an internationally well-known high CO2 footprint during manufacture, has increased research into this area. Specifically, this study is intended to investigate the behavior of metakaolin-based geopolymer concrete (GPC) modified with 5% by weight of calcium oxide and silica fume after being immersed in a solution of 5% sodium sulfate (Na2SO4). The parameters of the mix design included metakaolin, fine and coarse aggregates, superplasticizer, and water activated with sodium hydroxide and sodium silicate solutions in proportional quantities (372, 910, 603, 8, 56, 83, and 192 kg/m3, respectively). To make this further impactful towards sustainability, 10% of the voluminous natural coarse aggregate was replaced with recycled mixed plastic-waste or crumb rubber from used tires. Increasing the volume fraction of carbon fiber (0%, 0.15%, and 0.2%) to enhance its mechanical properties. This study examined the compressive strength and mass change, as well as visual assessment after exposure to sulfate solution for periods of 28, 90, 180, 366, and 456 days. After 90 days of sulfate exposure, compressive strength improvements were seen, ranging from 3% in the reference mix to 9% with plastic-waste aggregate and 0.2% carbon fibers in the GPC-based matrix. Although strength gradually reduced over time, after 456 days, the maximum loss was only about 22% in mixes with crumb rubber aggregate and carbon fibers, with remaining strength still acceptable. No significant surface degradation or cracking occurred, and the addition of carbon fibers enhanced both the microstructure density and compressive strength. A fiber-reinforced metakaolin-based GPC, which incorporates recycled aggregates, has been shown to maintain structural performance while also improving resistance to sulfate attack, suggesting it is a viable environmentally friendly alternative....
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