Letteratura scientifica selezionata sul tema "Civil Engineering not elsewhere classified"

This paper presents an analysis of red light running (RLR) conducted at saturated intersections in the city of Mumbai, India, where the traffic is highly heterogeneous with respect to vehicle classes and driver behavior. When all vehicles are considered, almost one in 17 drivers is seen to be jumping red signals there. Unlike the RLR behavior that has been previously reported from intersections elsewhere, a peculiarity observed here is that, within a single red phase, two distinguishable segments of RLR behavior exist. The authors classified them into two regimes: Regime 1, just after the onset of red, and Regime 2, just before the onset of the next green. About one-third of RLR events occur in Regime 1 and the rest in Regime 2. The authors fit different distributions on the time distribution of RLR events. The Kolmogorov–Smirnov test suggests that, at all intersections, exponential distribution fits best for RLR behaviors in Regime 1, and extreme value distribution fits for Regime 2. In addition to those two regimes, RLR at a lower rate is observed in the period between those regimes, and normal distribution fits there. To analyze the causal factors of RLR behavior in the two regimes, the authors developed models at a mesoscopic level specific to vehicle class and regime. Although the red-to-green ratio and the presence of policing prove to be relevant factors affecting RLR in both the regimes, the relative time for which the conflict area is free affects RLR in Regime 2 but not in Regime 1.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the main causes of delay in public construction projects. This is motivated by feedback from public construction experts concerning substantive delays during the last decade. The study thus seeks to help decision makers in Jordan and elsewhere identify problems and develop mitigating strategies. Design/methodology/approach Causes of delay were identified from previous related studies and then augmented after consultation with experts. This resulted in 56 delay factors classified into eight groups. The sampling frame for the study was defined in terms of public construction projects (mostly related to roads) owned by the Ministry of Public Works and Housing in Jordan. A survey was conducted with engineers working as representatives of the owner, contractors or consultants to elicit and evaluate the importance of the 56 delay factors. Findings Overall, 113 completed questionnaire responses were returned and analyzed to rank the causes of delay using the relative importance index method. Owners and consultants showed more interest in factors related to themselves, while contractors showed highest interest in an external factor related to the owner of services. Four recommendations are put forward for decision makers to mitigate against delays. Originality/value This research investigates a relatively large number of delay factors compared to other studies and these are categorized into groups to facilitate thematic understanding. Further, compared to previous related research, this research fills a gap by exploring the opinions of different contract parties.

A large number of crosswalks are indicated by pavement markings and signs but are not signal-controlled. In this study, such a location is called “semi-controlled”. In locations where such a crosswalk has moderate amounts of pedestrian and vehicle traffic, pedestrians and motorists often engage in a non-verbal “negotiation”, to determine who should proceed first.

In this study, 3400 pedestrian-motorist non-verbal interactions at such semi-controlled crosswalks were recorded by video. The crosswalk locations observed during the study underwent a conversion from one-way operation in Spring 2017 to two-way operation in Spring 2018. This offered a rare opportunity to collect and analyze data for the same location under two conditions.

This research explored factors that could be associated with pedestrian crossing behavior and motorist likelihood of decelerating. A mixed effects logit model and binary logistic regression were utilized to identify factors that influence the likelihood of pedestrian crossing under specific conditions. The complementary motorist models used generalized ordered logistic regression to identify factors that impact a driver’s likelihood of decelerating, which was found to be a more useful factor than likelihood of yielding to pedestrian. The data showed that 56.5% of drivers slowed down or stopped for pedestrians on the one-way street. This value rose to 63.9% on the same street after it had been converted to 2-way operation. Moreover, two-way operation eliminated the effects of the presence of other vehicles on driver behavior.

Also investigated were factors that could influence how long a pedestrian is likely to wait at such semi-controlled crosswalks. Two types of models were proposed to correlate pedestrian waiting time with various covariates. First, survival models were developed to analyze pedestrian wait time based on the first-event analysis. Second, multi-state Markov models were introduced to correlate the dynamic process between recurrent events. Combining the first-event and recurrent events analyses addressed the drawbacks of both methods. Findings from the before-and-after study can contribute to developing operational and control strategies to improve the level of service at such unsignalized crosswalks.

The results of this study can contribute to policies and/or control strategies that will improve the efficiency of semi-controlled and similar crosswalks. This type of crosswalk is common, so the benefits of well-supported strategies could be substantial.

In our daily use of the transportation system, we are faced with several road construction work zones. These construction work zones change how road users interact with the transportation system due to the changes that occur in the system such as increased travel times, increased delay times and vehicle stopped times. A microscopic traffic simulation was developed to depict the changes that occur in the transportation system. The impacts of the changes in the transportation system on the human travel behavior was investigated using ordered probit and logit models using five independent variables; age, gender, driving experience, annual mileage and percentage of non-work trips. Finally, a business impact assessment framework was developed to assess the impact of the road construction work zones on various businesses categories such as grocery stores, pharmacy, liquor stores and fast foods. Traffic simulation results showed that the introduction of work zones in the road network introduces an increase in delay times, vehicle stopped times, and travel times. Also, the change in average travel times, delay times and vehicle stopped times differed from road link to link. The observed average changes saw an increase as high as 318 seconds per vehicle, 237 seconds per vehicle and 242 seconds per vehicle for travel time, delay time and vehicle stopped time, respectively, for the morning peak period. An average increase as high as 1607 seconds per vehicle, 258 seconds per vehicle and 265 seconds per vehicle was observed for travel time, delay time and vehicle stopped time, respectively, for the afternoon peak period. The statistical model results indicated that, on a work trip, a high driving experience, high annual mileage, and high percentage of non-work trips makes an individual more likely to change their route. The results also showed gender difference in route choice behavior. Concerning business impacts, businesses in the work zone were impacted differently with grocery and pharmacy stores having the highest and lowest total loss in revenue, respectively.

Failure along rock discontinuities can result in economic losses as well as loss of life. It is essential to develop methods that monitor the response of these discontinuities to shear loading to enable prediction of failure. Laboratory experiments are performed to investigate geophysical techniques to monitor shear failure of a pre-existing discontinuity to detect signatures of impending failure. Previous studies have detected precursors to shear failure in the form of maxima of transmitted waves across a discontinuity under shear. However, those experiments focused on well-matched discontinuities. However, in nature, rock discontinuities are not always perfectly matched because the asperities may be weathered by chemical, physical or mechanical processes. Further, the specific shear mechanism of mismatched discontinuities is still poorly understood. In this thesis, the ability to detect seismic precursors to shear failure for various discontinuity conditions—well-matched (rough and saw-tooth), mismatched (rough), and nonplanar (discontinuity profile with a half-cycle sine wave (HCS))—was assessed. The investigation was carried out through a coupled geophysical and mechanical experimental program that integrated detailed laboratory observations at the micro- and meso-scales. Shear experiments on gypsum discontinuities were conducted to observe changes in compressional (P) and shear (S) waves transmitted across the discontinuity. Digital Image Correlation (DIC) was used to quantify the vertical and horizontal displacements along the discontinuity during shearing to relate the location and magnitude of slip with the measured wave amplitudes.

Results from the experiments conducted on planar, well-matched rough discontinuities (grit 36 sandpaper roughness) showed that seismic precursors to failure took the form of peaks in the normalized transmitted amplitude prior to the peak shear stress. Seismic wave transmission detected non-uniform dilation and closure of the discontinuity at a normal stress of 1 MPa. The results showed that large-scale roughness (presence of a HCS) could mask the generation of precursors, as it can cause non-uniform closure/dilation along the fracture plane at low normal stress.

The experiments on idealized saw-toothed gypsum discontinuities showed that seismic precursors to failure appeared as maxima in the transmitted wave amplitude and conversely as minima in the reflected amplitudes. Converted waves (S to P & P to S) were also detected, and their amplitudes reached a maximum prior to shear failure. DIC results showed that slip occurred first at the top of the specimen, where the load was applied, and then progressed along the joint as the shear stress increased. This process was consistent with the order of emergence of precursors, i.e., precursors were first recorded near the top and later at the center, and finally at the bottom of the specimen.

Direct shear experiments conducted on specimens with a mismatched discontinuity did not show any precursors (in the transmitted amplitude) to failure at low normal stresses (2 MPa), while those precursors appeared at higher normal stresses (5 MPa). The interplay between wave transmission, the degree of mismatch, and the discontinuity’s micro-physical, -chemical and -mechanical properties was assessed through: (1) 3D CT in-situ Xray scans to quantify the degree of mismatch at various normal stresses; (2) micro-indentation testing, to measure the micro-strength of the asperities; and (3) Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Electron Xray Diffraction (EDX), to study the micro-structure and chemical composition of the discontinuity. The X-ray results showed that contact between asperities increased with normal stress, even when the discontinuity was mismatched. The results indicated that: (1) at 2 MPa, the void aperture was large, so significant shear displacement was needed to interlock and damage the asperities; and (2) the micro-hardness of the asperities of the mismatched discontinuity was larger than that of the well-matched discontinuity, which points to inducing less damage for the same shear displacement. Both mechanisms contribute to the need for larger shear displacements to the mismatched discontinuity asperities to cause damage, which is consistent with the inability to detect seismic precursors to failure. The experimental results suggest that monitoring changes in transmitted wave amplitude across a discontinuity is a promising method for predicting impending failure for well-matched rock discontinuities. Precursor monitoring for mismatched rock discontinuities seems only possible when there is sufficient contact between the two rock surfaces, which occurs at large normal stresses.

In recent years, there have been a number of truck fires involving bridges with concrete components. If the fire burns for a significant period of time, the structural integrity of concrete components could be damaged due to fire. Research-based guidance for evaluating the level of fire damage is currently unavailable and would be beneficial for post-fire bridge inspectors.

This research project focused on evaluating the effects of fire induced damage on concrete bridge deck elements. In order to achieve this goal, a series of controlled heating experiments and material analysis were conducted. Two concrete bridge deck specimens from the I-469 bridge over Feighner Road were heated for different time durations (40 - 80 min.) following the ISO-834 temperature-time curve. The deck specimens were cooled naturally after the specific heating durations. The temperature profiles through the depth of deck specimens were measured during heating and cooling. After testing, concrete samples were taken from the deck specimens for material analysis. Different types of material tests were conducted on samples taken from the undamaged and damaged deck specimens. The material test results were used to evaluate the effects of fire induced damage on the concrete microstructure, and to correlate the microstructure degradation with the through-depth temperature profiles of deck specimens.

From the experimental results, several critical parameters that can affected by fire temperature and duration were discussed: (i) through-depth temperature profiles of deck specimens, (ii) cracks on the exposed surface of deck specimens, (iii) color changes of deck specimens, (iv) microstructure of heated concrete samples, (v) content of calcium hydroxide in fire damaged concrete samples at various depths. Based on the results from heating experiments and observations from material analysis, recommendations and guidance for evaluating concrete decks subjected to realistic fire scenarios are provided to assist bridge inspectors.

In 2011, the Deep River Portage-Burns Waterway Watershed was identified as a priority in the Northwest Indiana watershed management framework by the Northwester Indiana Regional Planning Committee. 319 grant cost-share programs were initiated in effort of maintaining and restoring the health of Deep River Portage-Burns Waterway Watershed. A watershed management plans have been developed for this watershed which proposed the implementation of vegetated filter strips (VFS) as an option. In this thesis work, the effectiveness of VFS as a best management practice (BMP) for the Deep River system was evaluated using a hydrological model scheme.

Ecology, Engineering, and the Paradox of Management is the first book that addresses and reconciles what many take to be the core paradox facing environmental decision-makers and stakeholders: How do they restore the environment while at the same time provide ever more services reliably from that environment, including clean air, water and energy for more and more people? The book provides a conceptual framework, empirical case analyses, and organizational proposals to resolve the paradox, be it in the US, Europe, or elsewhere. Thus, Ecology, Engineering, and the Paradox of Management has multiple audiences. First are the key professions involved in the protection and improvement of ecosystems and in the provision and delivery of services from those ecosystems. These include ecologists (and other natural scientists such as conservation biologists, climatologists, forest scientists, and toxicologists), engineers (as well as hydrologists, environmental engineers, civil engineers, and line operators), modeling and gaming experts, managers, planners, and power, agriculture, and recreation communities. Another audience includes university researchers in ecology, conservation biology, engineering, the policy sciences, and resource management. Those interested in interdisciplinary approaches in these fields will also find the book especially helpful. Finally, those interested in the Everglades, the Columbia River Basin, San Francisco Bay-Delta, and the Green Heart of western Netherlands will find new insights here, as the book provides a detailed examination of the paradox in each of these cases.

AbstractForests mainly consist of long-lived trees or shrub species and are exposed to natural or human disturbances of different severities. They are essential components of the natural development of forest ecosystems, since by triggering natural selection and ecological succession processes, they can achieve the best status in terms of species composition and structure. Nevertheless, extreme events can cause serious economic or naturalistic losses and, in some cases, endanger specific forest ecosystems. Disturbance events that damage forests vary and include pests and diseases, fires, pollution, climate changes, overexploitation or inadequate silvicultural practices, excessive grazing and browsing, to name just a few. Health monitoring of forests is a necessary condition to provide useful information for the conservation of forest resources, as well as to support forest management practices aimed at increasing the resilience of forests and their adaptation capacity. Through ground surveys, the Italian national forest inventory INFC has classified the health condition of Italian forests and produced the estimates presented in the chapter. These concern the distribution of the Forest area by pathologies and damage presence, severity and cause. Estimates of the Forest area affected by defoliation, divided by defoliation class and localization of defoliation, are also presented.

One of the fastest growing areas in the world is the Asia-Pacific region. With anticipated acceleration in motorization and potentially-damaging unplanned urban sprawl, the region will be threatened by problems of traffic congestion, pollution and road hazards. Several countries in the region have taken a variety of proactive measures to ensure that the urban transportation systems are designed and operated in a smart, sustainable and safe manner. This chapter identifies the policies and practices in South Korea, Japan, China, Taiwan, Singapore and Australia, and seeks to draw lessons from these on how transportation schemes can be implemented elsewhere in Asia.

Transportation has the greatest importance in logistics. The main focus for the carriers is the cost of transportation. Transportation of hazardous materials (hazmat) is a special kind of transportation due to freight transported. Causalities due to the accidents caused by vehicles that are carrying hazardous materials will be intolerable. For hazmat transportation, in addition to transport costs, risk of transporting hazmat also has to be considered. Many researchers studied on hazmat transportation problems in order to propose optimal solutions with respect to cost, risk, emergency response, facility location etc. In this study, a literature survey of articles about hazmat transportation was prepared. The articles published in refereed journal from 1973 to 2014 were taken into consideration. The articles were also classified according to their main focuses and hazmat type carried.

Additive manufacturing (AM) is also referred to as 3D printing, rapid prototyping, solid freeform fabrication, rapid manufacturing, desktop manufacturing, direct digital manufacturing, layered manufacturing, generative manufacturing, layered manufacturing, solid free-form fabrication, rapid prototype, tool-less model making, etc. It is emerging as an important manufacturing technology. It is the process of building up of layer-by-layer by depositing a material to make a component using the digital 3D model data. The main advantages of AM are mass customization, minimisation of waste, freedom of designing complex structures, and ability to print large structures. AM is broadly applicable to all classes of materials including metals, ceramics, polymers, composites, and biological systems. The AM methods used for producing complex geometrical shapes are classified based either on energy source (laser, electron beam) used or the material feed stock (powder feed, wire feed).

The increasing of global competition and the need for rapid response to market changes drive manufacturing enterprises to adopt new business models. This chapter examines the recent years of research developed in the field of coordination approaches to support distributed production systems. The papers discussed concern the period of 2004-2010 published in international ISI journals. The research articles are classified according to nine fields of research: operational research models; collaborative architecture; negotiation and bargaining models; capacity exchange; revenue sharing; chemical engineering; electronic approach; general review; case study. The analysis of the literature highlights that the articles are distributed uniformly over the years analyzed. The most fields investigated are the collaborative architecture and operational research models, while emerging fields are the chemical engineering and revenue sharing based approaches. The discussion underlines the limitation of the literature and suggests the directions for future research.

Chapter 2 focuses on the period of the Civil War and Reconstruction, when formerly enslaved persons, classified as “contrabands” and refugees, were placed as domestic workers in northern households. The involvement of the Bureau of Freedmen, Refugees, and Abandoned Lands (the Freedmen’s Bureau) in the placement of refugees as servants prefigured the federal government’s expanded role as a broker of immigrant labor in the decades that followed, yet proved controversial. Designed to reduce government expenditures on the relief of refugees in Washington, D.C., and elsewhere, the Freedmen’s Bureau’s financing of black servants’ migration was viewed with skepticism by detractors who claimed that it revived—under the thin veneer of “free” labor—a version of the slave trade. Due to insufficient federal funding, the reluctance of black refugees to relocate to uncertain job situations in the North, and constant questions about its efficacy, the Freedmen’s Bureau—after contracting thousands of women and children to service positions—was ultimately forced to disband this initiative.

Smart transportation is a framework that leverages the power of Information and Communication Technology for acquisition, management, and mining of traffic-related data sources. This chapter categorizes them into probe people and vehicles based on Global Positioning Systems, mobile phone cellular networks, and Bluetooth, location-based social networks, and transit data with the focus on smart cards. For each data source, the operational mechanism of the technology for capturing the data is succinctly demonstrated. Secondly, as the most salient feature of this study, the transport-domain applications of each data source that have been conducted by the previous studies are reviewed and classified into the main groups. Possible research directions are provided for all types of data sources. Finally, authors briefly mention challenges and their corresponding solutions in smart transportation.

International research has shown that in most countries, there are few women studying towards information technology (IT) careers (Galpin, 2002), and there is much research, particularly in the United States (U.S.), United Kingdom (UK) and Australia into why this is the case (Gürer & Camp, 2002). This article considers the situation in sub-Saharan Africa and focuses on women’s involvement in the generation and creation of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in sub-Saharan Africa, as opposed to ICT use in sub-Saharan Africa, which is considered elsewhere in this volume. There are a number of aspects to the generation and creation of ICTs: how women are involved in this process as IT professionals and how they are educated for these careers, as well how technology can be used appropriately within the specific conditions of sub-Saharan Africa. ICTs will be considered in the broadest sense of the word, covering all electronic technologies, from computers and networking to radio and television. Women’s participation is important: The World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) Gender Caucus (www.genderwsis.org) has identified women’s involvement in the design and development of technology as well as technology management policy, as key principles for the information society. Marcelle (2001) emphasizes the necessity for African women to become involved in technological and scientific areas, including “computer science, software engineering, network design, network management and related disciplines” (Marcelle, 2001, para. 15) to create an information society appropriate for African women. The diversity of those involved in design leads to higher-quality and more appropriate technological solutions (Borg, 2002; Lazowska, 2002). Background Sub-Saharan Africa has a population of 641 million, young (almost half under 15) and rural (35% urban). Significant problems are undernourishment, poverty and HIV/AIDS (United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), 2004). All the countries in sub-Saharan Africa are classified as developing countries. Some countries are relatively wealthy, such as Mauritius, South Africa, and Nigeria, but have large wealth disparities within their populations. Women in sub-Saharan Africa are expected to focus on the home, they have less access to education and health, and their contribution to family and community is not valued (Huyer, 1997).

Delamination between thin films is classified into two types: opening mode and sliding mode. Corresponding to each mode, there is the interface strength between thin films. This paper aims to evaluate interface strength between the sub-micron thin films for opening mode and sliding mode, respectively. We already developed the evaluation method of interface fracture toughness for opening mode on the basis of fracture mechanics concept elsewhere. Moreover, the evaluation method of sliding mode is proposed and the interface strength between thin films for an advanced LSI is evaluated as the fracture toughness by using both methods. In both modes, the stress singularity appears in the vicinity of the edge of interface and governs the delamination. The criterion of crack initiation for each mode is evaluated as the interface toughness. The fracture toughness at the edge of interface in sliding mode is lower than that in opening mode.

In this study, ten pedestrian crossing spots located in Dohuk City suburban area were selected to make analysis and evaluation to the behavior of the people crossing the main streets, and walking on sidewalks according to their genders. Data was collected using double video cameras fixed on selected points to observe pedestrian movements along crossings and sidewalks, their interaction with drivers, and vehicles conflicting them. Data compiled was classified and presented to measure numbers of moving vehicles, people, vehicle gaps, space, pedestrian unit flow, speeds of both pedestrians and vehicles passing the crossing lines on suburban midblock. Data was presented using Dohuk City GIS up-to-date map taken from the city Municipality Directorate. Data analysis was implemented, and different empirical models were chosen to study the different interactions and effects of human, geometric, and vehicular traffic parameters on the behavior of pedestrians crossing, and walking on crosswalks and sidewalks respectively. Results show that in crosswalks, pedestrian flow with their speeds were polynomial in nature, while unit flow and speed relationships with density were linearly correlated. The relation between unit flow and their speed (for both male and female) on suburban sidewalks is Polynomial 2nd degree, and the optimum walking speed obtained is 1.16 and 1.0 m/sec for male and female respectively, with minimum walking speed for females are lower than male but the maximum walking speed is similar.

Marine autonomous systems, be they underwater or surface vehicles are growing in numbers, maturing as technologies used by civil, science and military operators, and are gaining new capabilities. It is possible to insure autonomous systems at a reasonable rate. The regulatory frameworks pertaining to their use vary from country to country, but the international law for armed marine autonomous systems is out of date and would benefit from revision and update. This paper is a light-touch review of typical uses and capabilities of systems, does not contain classified or commercial in confidence material, based on the author’s 25+ years of familiarity with marine autonomous systems as they have evolved from laboratory prototypes into routinely used platforms for science, survey and surveillance.

There are 19 in-service civil research reactors in China nowadays, which are quite diverse on reactor type, usage, power levels, operation modes and safety features [1]. The common practice in nuclear energy advanced countries is to do safety classification and classified management of research reactors. In recent years, China has gradually refined and improved the related work. This paper summarizes the existing research reactor graded approach and safety management requirements included in certain regulations, guidelines and technical documents of IAEA, the United States, Japan and China, and specific practice and experience on operational level as well. And then the classification principles, classification elements, classification methods, safety management requirements and other aspects of the countries or government organizations mentioned above are compared from the view of research reactor safety classification. It comes to the conclusion: As far as China’s research reactor graded approach and safety management requirements are concerned, more work are needed. The relevant provisions of research reactor graded approach of IAEA are comprehensive, and have good reference value for China’s legislation system, but the classification method operability is not strong enough, and there are no detailed management and technical guides as the supplement to the graded approach. The relevant provisions of the research reactor graded approach of the United States and Japan are not systemic enough, but the classification methods are clear and operable, which are referable for China’s relevant practice on research reactor safety classification. After the Fukushima nuclear power plant accident, the classified management of the research reactors has achieved quite good results in comprehensive safety inspection of China’s civil research reactors. Finally, some suggestions in respect of the establishment and improvement of China’s research reactor safety classification guidelines and documents, standardization the use of graded approach, and application in the review and supervision of research reactor in China are put forward.

The 5 Russian Arctic Seas have common features, but differ significantly from each other in the sea ice regime and navigation specifics. Navigation in the Arctic is a big challenge, especially during the winter season. However, it is necessary, due to limited natural resources elsewhere on Earth that may be easier for exploitation. Therefore sea ice is an important issue for future development. We foresee that the Arctic may become ice free in summer as a result of global warming and even light yachts will be able to pass through the Eastern Passage. There have been several such examples in the last years. But sea ice is an inherent feature of Arctic Seas in winter, it is permanently immanent for the Central Arctic Basin. That is why it is important to get appropriate knowledge about sea ice properties and operations in ice conditions. Four seas, the Kara, Laptev, East Siberian, and Chukchi have been examined in the book “Russian Arctic Seas. Navigation Condition and Accidents”, Marchenko, 2012 [1]. The book is devoted to the eastern sector of the Arctic, with a description of the seas and accidents caused by heavy ice conditions. The traditional physical-geographical characteristics, information about the navigation conditions and the main sea routes and reports on accidents that occurred in the 20th century have reviewed. An additional investigation has been performed for more recent accidents and for the Barents Sea. Considerable attention has been paid to problems associated with sea ice caused by the present development of the Arctic. Sea ice can significantly affect shipping, drilling, and the construction and operation of platforms and handling terminals. Sea ice is present in the main part of the east Arctic Sea most of the year. The Barents Sea, which is strongly influenced and warmed by the North Atlantic Current, has a natural environment that is dramatically different from those of the other Arctic seas. The main difficulties with the Barents Sea are produced by icing and storms and in the north icebergs. The ice jet is the most dangerous phenomenon in the main straits along the Northern Sea Route and in Chukchi Seas. The accidents in the Arctic Sea have been classified, described and connected with weather and ice conditions. Behaviour of the crew is taken into consideration. The following types of the ice-induced accidents are distinguished: forced drift, forced overwintering, shipwreck, and serious damage to the hull in which the crew, sometimes with the help of other crews, could still save the ship. The main reasons for shipwrecks and damages are hits of ice floes (often in rather calm ice conditions), ice nipping (compression) and drift. Such investigation is important for safety in the Arctic.

Process plants are vulnerable to natural hazards and, in particular, to earthquakes. Nevertheless, the quantitative assessment of seismic risk of process plants is a complex task because available methodologies developed in the field of civil and nuclear engineering are not readily applicable to process plants, while technical standards and regulations do not establish any procedure for the overall seismic risk assessment of industrial process plants located in earthquake-prone areas. This paper details the results of a case study performing a seismic risk assessment of an Italian refinery having a 85,000 barrels per day production capacity, and a storage capacity of over 1,500,000 m3. The analysis has been carried out resorting to a novel quantitative methodology developed in the framework of a European Union research program (INDUSE 2 SAFETY). The method is able to systematically generate potential starting scenarios, deriving from simultaneous interactions of the earthquake with each separate equipment, and to account for propagation of effects between distinct equipment (i.e. Domino effects) keeping track of multiple simultaneous and possibly interacting chains of accidents. In the paper the methodology, already described elsewhere, is briefly resumed, and numerical results are presented showing relevant accident chains and expected economic loss, demonstrating the capabilities of the developed tool.

<p>Ground improvement has become one of the most effective tools of geotechnical engineering, being adopted for an always larger variety of civil engineering applications. To reduce the role of subjective choices of operators, the use of different techniques tends to be codified by specific guidelines. In the European Union there is an ongoing effort to standardize execution and design within codes continuously reviewed by designated committees. A widespread and systematic standardisation on the ground improvement as a mean to mitigate the effects of liquefaction on buildings and infrastructures is missing. The paper presents and overview of traditional and new ground improvement technologies suitable for this application. The methods are firstly classified by considering their effects on the ground (e.g. densification, stabilization, drainage, desaturation, etc.). Design principles are then outlined for new or pre-existing buildings and infrastructures, considering the ongoing review process of the design Eurocodes.</p>

Shape Memory Alloys (SMAs) are active metallic materials classified as “smart” or “intelligent” materials along with piezoelectric ceramic and polymers, electro-active plastics, electro-rheological and magneto-rheological fluids and others. SMAs show a multitude of different and dependent properties interesting for technological applications. These properties depend on the peculiar deformation mechanisms, accounting for the so-called shape memory effect. SMAs are nowadays used in quite different fields, like thermo-mechanical devices, anti-loosening systems, biomedical applications, mechanical damping systems, in some cases employed for large scale civil engineering structures. These multifunctional materials can be naturally considered as sensor-actuator elements demonstrating large possibilities for applications in high-tech smart systems. The use of SMAs in actuators offers an excellent technological opportunity to develop reliable, robust, simple and lightweight elements within structures or as stand-alone components that can represent an alternative to electro-magnetic actuators commonly used in several fields of industrial applications, such as automotive, appliances, consumer electronics and aerospace. NiTi-based SMAs demonstrated to have the best combination of properties, especially in terms of the amount of work output per material volume and the large amount of recoverable stress and strain. However, there are several limiting factors to a widespread diffusion of SMAs to technological fields. For instance, SMAs display a critical dependence of the shape-memory related properties, like transition temperatures, on their actual composition. For this reason, a great care in the production steps, mainly based on casting processes, is required. Another critical aspect, that is to be considered when dealing with SMAs, is the strong influence of their thermo-mechanical history on their properties. This may disclose interesting perspectives of application to smart devices in which different aspects of the shape memory phenomenology, like one and two way shape memory effect, pseudoelasticity, damping capacity, etc., are used. Last, but not least, one of the most debated aspects around NiTi alloys is microcleanliness. This concept is becoming increasingly important as the industrial market moves to smaller, lower profile devices with thinner structures. In this work a general overview about the peculiar behavior of NiTi alloys along with their main issues, the shape memory components under development, and the main efforts and directions for materials improvement will be presented and discussed. A bird’s-eye view on the future opportunities of NiTi-based shape memory actuators for industrial applications will also be given.