bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Does Community Health Centers Have Contextual Effect on Midwife Performance in the Implementation of Prevention Mother to Child Transmission Counseling and Testing?
Authors:   Dolopo Regional Public Hospital, Madiun, East Java,   Masters Program in Public Health, Universitas Sebelas Maret, Budihastuti Uki Retno ,   Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Dr. Moerwardi Hospital, Sulaeman Endang Sutisna ,   Faculty of Medicine, Univesitas Sebelas Maret
Published: February 2021

ABSTRACT Background: Prevention mother to child transmission counseling and testing (PMTCT) service is primarily provided at health facility level. However, their full implementation requires strong linkages with communities. The purpose of this study was to examine contextual effect of community health centers on midwife performance in the implementation of PMTCT? Subjects and Method: This was an analytic observational study with a cross-sectional design. The study was conducted at 24 community health centers in Madiun, East Java, from August to September 2019. A sample of 184 midwives was selected by total sampling. The dependent variable was implementation of PMTCT. The independent variables were age, tenure, knowledge, training, work performance, and accreditation. The data were collected by questionnaire and analyzed by a multiple linear regression. Results: Implementation of PMTCT counseling and testing improved with tenure ≥8 years (b= 0.51; 95% CI= 0.15 to 0.87; p= 0.006), good knowledge (b= 0.61; 95% CI= 0.33 to 0.89; p<0.001), had trained (b= 0.41; 95% CI= 0.08 to 0.74; p= 0.014), good work performance (b= 0.56; 95% CI= 0.21 to 0.92; p= 0.002), and good accreditation (b= 0.49; 95% CI= 0.04 to 0.95; p= 0.031). Implementation of PMTCT counseling and testing reduced with midwives age ≥35 years (b= -0.51; 95% CI= -0.80 to -0.21; p= 0.001). Conclusion: Implementation of PMTCT counseling and testing improves with tenure ≥8 years, good knowledge, had trained, good work performance, and good accreditation. Implementation of PMTCT counseling and testing reduces with midwives age ≥35 years. Keywords: implementation, prevention mother to child transmission, work performance, accreditation Correspondence: Sringatin. Dolopo Regional Public Hospital, Madiun, East Java. Jl. Raya Dolopo 117, Dolopo, Madiun 63174, East Java, Indonesia. Email: sringatine22@gmail.com. Mobile: 081231683090. DOI: https://doi.org/10.26911/the7thicph.03.96
The Associations between Cigarette Smoke Exposure, Family History of Infertility, and the Risk of Infertility among Women in Reproductive Age, in Surakarta, Central Java
Authors:   Masters Program in Public Health, Universitas Sebelas Maret, Zauma Luthfia , Budhiastuti Uki Retno ,   Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Dr. Moewardi Hospital, Surakarta, Pamungkasari Eti Poncorini ,   Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Sebelas Maret
Published: February 2021

ABSTRACT Background: Previous studies suggest that tobacco use affects systems of the human body involved in the reproductive process. Tobacco smoke exposure affects uterine receptivity, which may lead the risk of infertility. This study aimed to investigate the associations between cigarette smoke exposure, family history of infertility, and the risk of infertility among women in reproductive age. Subjects and Method: A case control study was conducted at obstetrics and gynecology polyclinic and Sekar fertility clinic, in Dr. Moewardi hospital, Surakarta, Central Java, from October to November 2019. A sample of 200 reproductive age women was selected by fixed disease sampling. The dependent variable was infertility. The independent variables were age, body mass index (BMI), physical activity, endometriosis, family history of infertility, smoking exposure, and stress. The data were obtained from medical record and questionnaire. The data were analyzed by a multiple linear regression. Results: The risk of infertility increased with age ≥35 years (b= 1.24; 95% CI= 0.18 to 2.30; p= 0.012), BMI <18 or ≥25 (b= 2.76; 95% CI= 1.74 to 3.76; p<0.001), high physical activity (b= 1.44; 95% CI= 0.38 to 2.51; p= 0.009), endometriosis (b= 1.06; 95% CI= 0.06 to 2.05; p= 0.038), tobacco smoke exposure (b= 1.37; 95% CI= 0.30 to 2.43; p= 0.012), and severe stress (b= 1.07; 95% CI= 0.16 to 2.00; p= 0.022). Conclusion: The risk of infertility increases with age ≥35 years, BMI <18 or ≥25, high physical activity, endometriosis, smoke exposure, and severe stress. Keywords: infertility, women of reproductive age Correspondence: Luthfia Zauma. Masters Program in Public Health, Universitas Sebelas Maret. Jl. Ir. Sutami 36A, Surakarta 57126, Central Java, Indonesia. Email: el.chizauma@gmail.com. Mobile: 081337977377. DOI: https://doi.org/10.26911/the7thicph.03.97
Effect of The Disability Integrating Health Post on The Quality of Life of Children with Cerebral Palsy: A Path Analysis Evidence from Sukoharjo, Central Java
Authors:   Masters Program in Public Health, Universitas Sebelas Maret, Rohaniyati Retno Dwi , Salimo Harsono ,   Department of Pediatrics, Dr. Moewardi Hospital, Surakarta, Pamungkasari Eti Poncorini ,   Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Sebelas Maret
Published: February 2021

ABSTRACT Background: Children with cerebral palsy (CP) often represent a subgroup within children with special healthcare needs (CSHCN), children with medical complexity, and/or children with disabilities. Poor disability integrating health post access may leads to healthcare disparities and poor quality of life in children with CP. This study aimed to investigate effect of the disability integrating health post on the quality of life of children with cerebral palsy using a path analysis model. Subjects and Method: A cross-sectional study was carried out at 12 inclusion studio in Sukoharjo, Central Java, Indonesia, in October 2019. A sample of 100 children with cerebral palsy aged 4-18 years was selected by fixed disease sampling. The dependent variable was quality of life. The independent variables were gross motor function, parental cope, frequency of visit, and quality of service. Quality of life was measured by the cerebral palsy-quality of life (CP-QoL) questionnaire version parental proxy. Gross motor was measured by gross motor function classification system (GMFCS). The other variables were collected by questionnaire. The data were analyzed by path analysis run on Stata 13. Results: Good quality of life in children with cerebral palsy was directly decreased by high GMFCS score (b= -49.66; 95% CI= -69.58 to -29.75; p= 0.001). Good quality of life was directly increased by strong parental cope (b= 32.51; 95% CI= 9.45 to 55.58; p= 0.006) and good quality of service (b= 33.70; 95% CI= 10.98 to 56.42; p= 0.004). Quality of life was indirectly affected by frequency of visit through parental cope and quality of service. Conclusion: Good quality of life in children with cerebral palsy is directly decreased by high GMFCS score. Good quality of life is directly increased by strong parental cope and good quality of service. Quality of life is indirectly affected by frequency of visit through parental cope and quality of service. Keywords: quality of life, cerebral palsy, disability Correspondence: Retno Dwi Rohaniyati, Masters Program in Public Health, Universitas Sebelas Maret. Jl. Ir. Sutami 36A, Surakarta 57126, Central Java, Indonesia. Email: retnodr16@gmail.com. Mobile: 081546268418. DOI: https://doi.org/10.26911/the7thicph.03.98
Railway Bridges on the Iron Ore Line in Northern Sweden - from Axle Loads of 14 to 32,5 Ton
Authors: Coric Ibrahim , Täljsten Björn , Blanksvärd Thomas , Sas Gabriel , Ohlsson Ulf , Elfgren Lennart
Published: February 2021

The Iron Ore Railway Line was built around 1900 and has more than 100 bridges. It has a length of
ca 500 km and runs from Kiruna and Malmberget in northern Sweden to the ice-free harbour in
Narvik in Norway on the Atlantic and to Luleå in Sweden on the Baltic. The original axle load was
14 ton. The axle load has gradually been increased to 25 ton in 1955, to 30 ton in 1998 and to 32,5
ton in 2017.

The increases in axle loads have been preceded by monitoring and assessment studies of the
bridges. The capacity and need for strengthening or replacement of the bridges have been
evaluated. Many of the bridges could carry a higher load than what it was designed for.
Experiences from studies before the axle load increases in 1998 and 2017 are presented and discussed.
Inspection of large infrastructure – A new approach using UAVs and virtual inspection tool
Authors: Jespersen Morten Holm Seneka , Hviid Claes Bergholt
Published: February 2021

In the Scandinavian countries it is common practice for all surfaces of civil structures to be inspected at least every 5-6 years. However, due to insufficient funds and a highly competitive market, not all surfaces are inspected at a hand-near distance. Most often, hands-on inspections are performed by foot, using a lift, by boat or by rope access, typically resulting in an extensive time consumption for large structures. These methods have not changed much over the last decades despite the technical development.
Since 2012, COWI has been using Unmanned Aircraft Vehicles (UAVs) for a large number of inspection projects ranging from the simplest jobs such as documenting and calculating volumes of sand piles to complex tasks of, for example, multispectral imaging for environmental analysis.
As a natural development, this service evolved and in collaboration with COWIs bridge inspectors a number of trials with UAV inspection on Danish bridges were performed. The first trials were performed to establish a common understanding between bridge inspectors and drone pilots. The bridge inspectors quickly realized the challenge of locating each observation by video due to the comprehensive size of the structure and the many identical spans. Therefore, COWI developed a new tool "COWI Virtual Inspection" (CVI), where a 3D model can be created based on the images from the UAV inspection and on top of this surface model, the images are applied. The new CVI tool has made it easy to locate each visual damage.
This has resulted in a new approach for principal inspection of large bridges and will for large structures reduce the hours spent significantly as well as the amount of traffic interruption.
In the future, structures can automatically be screened by UAVs, where image recognition software will be able to point out relevant areas, where a hand-near inspection is needed.
Effective Width for Section Classes 1 and 2 of Composite Girders
Authors: Dulevski Encho
Published: February 2021

A statement is articulated that equalization of the effective width of class 1 and 2 girders with that of other classes in Eurocode 4 contradicts to the principle of the effective width determination. A
new approach to the problem is proposed with taking into account the transversal strain
distribution. The critical point is localized on the girder axis at upper concrete plate level where
the strain reaches  value. Sideways the strain decreases to  and further according to the
direct stresses distribution in elastic condition. Plastic and elastic zones in the concrete plate cross
section are outlined. The stresses there contribute to the girder bending resistance accordingly.
Numerical experiments show that the resistance obtained, compared with the same according to
Eurocode 4 provisions is highest with 24%. The approach can be used in RC T-girder calculations
but with smaller effect.
Ambient vs Forced Excitation & Continuous vs Discrete Sampling of
Data for Structural Health Monitoring
Authors: Stefan Maas , Viet-Hà Nguyen , Tanja Kebig , Sebastian Schommer , Arno Zürbes
Published: February 2021

Structural Health Monitoring with analysis of dynamic characteristics intends to detect stiffness
changes caused by damage. As local stiffness loss itself cannot directly be measured, the modal
parameters i.e. eigenfrequencies, damping, modeshapes with modal masses allow to obtain residua
of the transfer matrix. One row of transfer matrix is equivalent to physical description based on
mass-, damping- and stiffness-matrix, where the latter is of interest to identify and localize changes
due to damage. Today several practical options for tracking modal parameters are used. Changing
ambient temperature has important influence on modal parameters and hence on stiffness, which
should be separated from damage. Furthermore, reinforced concrete shows dependency on
excitation force, which is a non-linear phenomenon to be considered. After presenting these effects,
the paper will focus on ambient excitation compared to forced excitation including appropriate
exciters. Then continuous monitoring will be discussed versus discrete testing in distinct timeintervals.
The intention is to give an overview to localize and quantify damage later on.
Bridges and Structures: Design Practice and New Trends
Authors: Reis António
Published: February 2021

Sustainable and innovative built environments require from structural engineers a broad knowledge from environmental and urban integration, architectural , hydraulics and geotechnical engineering, road and rail design A variety of examples from our design practice along more than 45 years are presented.

Concept design of bridges and structures is a key stage for exploring ideas on new architectural and engineering thoughts. This should be developed from simple sketches and simplified calculations rather than detail drawings and complex computer models. In the following figure an example is given from a viaduct integrated in a urban space with a main span of 120 m axially suspended by stay cables. The back stays in a two plane arrangement and the mast with an opening at the base section allows pedestrian traffic in a 5m width walkway at the axis of the road platform
We Need More Accurate and More Useful Environmental Assessment of Infrastructure
Authors: Horvath Arpad
Published: February 2021

Broadly defined, infrastructure includes structures, equipment, and services that provide society with shelter, mobility, water services, and energy. It is one of the most important investments soci- ety and private organizations make in perpetuity, year after year, generation after generation. It is also one of the most expensive. Suboptimal or outright bad decisions end up costing us a lot.

The external costs of infrastructure are not understood completely, but they are sure to be enor- mous. It is up to all professionals involved with infrastructure, primarily civil and environmental en- gineers, to help in assessing the environmental and societal costs of infrastructure, one of the most important components of a more sustainable future. We need to reduce external costs, as well as manage the life cycles of infrastructure components with resource depletion, rising economic costs, changing societal expectations, climate change, and an ever-changing global society in view.

There is widespread manifestation that we have not done enough about our civil infrastructure. While the energy system, vehicle manufacturing, and a handful of other industries have already spent significant research and development resources to reduce their external costs, we can do much more about our buildings, roads, and mobility, water, and waste management systems with respect to smarter and more sustainable material selection, design, construction, operation, maintenance, and end of life. These systems are interconnected, and the way to reduce their im- pacts will have to come through multifaceted approaches that simultaneously consider the various systems. We need to start asking questions that span multiple infrastructure systems, and develop models and methods that simultaneously improve and optimize them. However, across the board, data are missing to make the best decisions. Infrastructure is ubiquitous but unique, which makes data collection challenging. But using average data and assuming that all infrastructure components are the same throughout their life cycle around the world is unhelpful for robust decision making. We need to accelerate data collection and methods development for environmental assessment of infrastructure.
Building the Present, Creating the Future
Authors: Jonge Menno de
Published: February 2021

There is an urgent need to transform the way we shape our built environment. Royal BAM Group is taking a leading role in the digital transformation of the industry. We are building the present while we are creating the future. We “make it before we make it”, in other words: we built it digital first, before we built it physically. After a brief introduction to Royal BAM Group, the WHY, the HOW and the WHAT are discussed, including examples of using digital technologies in real projects. The WHY part focusses on the needs of the digital transformation for the construction industry, showing that the world of construction is changing. In the second part, the HOW part, Royal BAM Group’s vision and strategy on the digital transformation is entailed. In the final part, the WHAT part, actual examples from daily practice in BAM are presented. Final conclusions and a summary of the presentation concludes the keynote.
A Novel Approach to Residual Stiffness Analysis of Flexural Concrete Elements with Composite Reinforcement
Authors: Gribniak Viktor , Sokolov Aleksandr , Rimkus Arvydas , Sultani Haji Akbar , Tuncay Murat Can , Torres Lluis
Published: February 2021

This study introduces a simplified tension-stiffening approach for the flexural stiffness analysis. It employs a new testing layout designed with the purpose to form multiple cracks in a small laboratory specimen. The proposed analytical model is based on the following assumptions: smeared crack approach; linear strain distribution within the section depth; elastic behaviour of reinforcement and compressive concrete; a rectangular distribution of stresses in the tensile concrete. The latter assumption enables obtaining a closed-form solution of the tension-stiffening problem. The achieved solution requires neither iterative calculations nor description of the loading history. The proposed methodology is acceptable for estimating residual stiffness of elements with various combinations of reinforcement. The application of the proposed technique is illustrated experimentally. Several composite reinforcement schemes are considered. The specimens are subjected to monotonic and cyclic loading patterns.
A proactive approach to the conservation of historic and cultural Heritage: the HeritageCare methodology
Authors: Morais Maria José , Masciotta Maria-Giovanna , Ramos Luís F. , Oliveira Daniel V. , Azenha Miguel , Pereira Eduardo B. , Lourenço Paulo B. , Ferreira Teresa C. , Monteiro Paula
Published: February 2021

Presently, no systematic policy for the preventive conservation of the built cultural heritage exists in South-West Europe. Current approaches for inspection, diagnosis, monitoring and reactive conservation are normally intermittent, unplanned, expensive and lack methodical strategy. The available financial resources are scarce and are mostly addressed to listed buildings. Besides, owners and stakeholders often reveal reluctance to invest in preventive conservation and maintenance programs. In view of these considerations, and driven by the principle “prevention is better than cure”, the HeritageCare project has developed a system for the preventive conservation and maintenance of the built heritage. The main aim of this paper is to briefly describe the methodology, including its three levels of service, and present the main results of the implementation and validation of the service level 1 on a case study belonging to the Portuguese architectural heritage.
A Scenario-Based Procedure for Structural Robustness Assessment
Authors: Hajj Diab Mohammad EL , Orcesi Andre , Desprez Cédric , Bleyer Jeremy
Published: February 2021

Modern design codes recommend to ensure an appropriate level of robustness to prevent from disproportionate collapse under an exceptional event. One of the major difficulties is to quantify the concept of structural robustness when checking the structural integrity under exceptional situations. This study proposes practical means for assessing structural robustness, by identifying the maximum capacity of the structure to withstand significant structural failure scenarios. Each scenario is characterized by the required energy of events to cause the local failure. Two structural robustness indicators are then introduced: a first index identifies the maximum capacity of the structure to resist a local failure, and a second one identifies the maximum degree of failure propagation.
Active protection system for Main cable of suspension bridge against HGV or Hazardous material fires
Authors: Inoue Manabu , Takai Yusuke , Yanagihara Masahiro , Durmaz Müslüm , Kara Aydin , Kroon Inger Birgitte
Published: February 2021

Road traffic fires may have critical impact on long span bridges. Especially for suspension bridges, critical damages on the main cable and the tower can be fatal and practically not be repairable / replaceable. In Osman Gazi Bridge in Turkey, which has the main span of 1,550m and opened for traffic on 1st of July, 2016, the necessity of fire protection on the main cable was revealed through the risk analysis with ALARP principle so as to keep the temperature of main cable below 400oC against HGV (Heavy Good Vehicle) fires or hazardous materials fires, where those flame temperatures can reach up to 1,200oC. Through several trials for details, an active fire protection was selected to protect the main cable. It is the first application for the suspension bridge in the world and the paper introduces the result of risk analysis, design, trial and application of the fire protection system for the main cable of Osman Gazi bridge.
ALLPLAN Bridge - A new BIM tool tailored for Bridge Engineering
Authors: Samec Vanja , Stampler Johann , Strekelj Gregor
Published: February 2021

BIM application in bridge engineering is becoming more and more requested. However, many solutions do currently not yet address the special needs of bridge construction.

The paper explains the relevant features of the new approach, developing the bridge structure for detailing and analysis purposes in one parametrical model by using appropriate mathematical prescriptions. Specific characteristic of this solution is the combination of an intelligent database and a user interface tailored for engineers.
Ambient Vibration Testing, Dynamic Identification and Model Updating of a historical bridge.
Authors: Pachón Pablo , García Enrique , Compán Víctor , Jiménez-Alonso Javier F. , Castro Rafael
Published: February 2021

The proper maintenance of bridges is nowadays fundamental and unavoidable. These structures have to be preserved and technical works are usually essential to ensure its correct preservation. In this respect, it is common to use the finite element method as a numerical technique to assess the structural behaviour of this type of structure. However, when it comes time to face a historical construction, it is well known the high level of uncertainty surrounding the definition of the parameters that characterize it. Material properties, connections between structural parts or construction process are aspects that can cause significant changes between the classical numerical results and those experimentally identified. Among non-destructive techniques, finite element modal updating allows for adjusting the numerical model on the basis of dynamic characterization of the structure. This study presents the implementation of this process on the bridge of Posadas (Cordoba, Spain), a historic construction designed by the famous engineer Eduardo Torroja in 1957. The singularity of this historical construction lies in its special configuration, a concrete deck with inverted bowstring steel trusses, which can only be found in two other examples in Europe.
An information value guide for infrastructure design and operation executives – fundamental idea & concept
Authors: Sousa Helder , Wenzel Helmut , Thöns Sebastian
Published: February 2021

Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) has been a subject of major international research in Civil Engineering structures mainly during the last 20 years. While in the beginning, SHM mainly focused on sensor developments, nowadays practical implications regarding the acquisition, collecting and processing of data are being addressed. Indeed, SHM systems have been evolving along the two last decades and have been steadily implemented as a complement to visual inspections.

Nevertheless, the decision to invest on a SHM system should be set on evidence that a payback is given to the owners/authorities and/or to society in terms of reduced maintenance costs and/or increased structural safety. A novel utilization of applied decision analysis on how to assess the value of SHM is being addressed in the COST Action TU1402 – Quantifying the Value of SHM.

In this context, a guide for infrastructure design and operation executives is presented with the main objective of supporting owners and concessionaires in the (re)negotiation of the contract terms related to asset management of Civil Engineering structures along the concession period, when evidence is given on the benefit of the utilization of SHM systems. This guide for infrastructure design and operation executives is a high-level document, concise and objective, built on a bottom- up approach and supported on the case studies and guidelines of the COST Action TU1402.
An innovative approach for the assessment of masonry bridges based on two new limit analysis theorems
Authors: Stagnitto Giuseppe , Pederzani Alessandro
Published: February 2021

The structural safety of a masonry arch bridge is usually assessed using the so-called kinematic approach. In this paper it is proved that the adoption of the dual static method can be more convenient, since a recent theorem (theMinimum Equilibrated Compressiontheorem) makes its application straightforward for any kind of arch. Computations are checked via the kinematic method by locating the plastic hinges (as many as needed to form a collapse mechanism) in the sections with maximum compression stress. Thanks to theConsecutive Plastic Hingestheorem, the kinematic multiplier may be then evaluated, using familiar moments of forces, without computing the virtual displacements due to the vertical and horizontal loads acting on the arch.
Analysis of BIM methodology implementation in structure projects
Authors: Sampaio Alcinia Zita
Published: February 2021

Building Information Modelling (BIM) methodology is currently widely used in a large number of sectors linked to the construction industry. The present work intends to conduct a state of knowledge regarding the BIM technology, mainly focusing on the development of the structural project. In the study, the capability of BIM-based tools applied to the structural design is analysed and an optimized work-flow, from the viewpoint of the structural engineer, is presented. BIM structural models of two study cases were created, the consistency of the correspondent analytical model is verified and the transposition process of the model to the structural analysis software is carefully examined. During the process inaccuracies are identified and adjustments are referred in order to optimize the application of BIM methodology on structure projects. The assessment of the level of interoperability is based on the analysis of the quality from the information transposed between software and from the consistency of the final product.
Assessing uncertainty in the computation of seismic failure rates due to record-selection process
Authors: Zanini Mariano Angelo , Hofer Lorenzo , Faleschini Flora , Pellegrino Carlo
Published: February 2021

Current seismic codes suggest selecting earthquake records close to uniform hazard spectrum (UHS) estimates in the frame of non-linear time history analysis of structural systems subject to earthquakes. However, different results can be achieved using the same number of records but with different strong motion data, and also the number of records itself can impact results of the seismic fragility estimation process. The present work aims therefore to highlight how the process of record selection can significantly influence the results, being a source of relevant uncertainty. Hence, a methodology for stochastically define a hazard-consistent record selection is defined with the aim to assess its influence on the uncertainty in quantifying a seismic failure rate f.
Assessment of roadway bridges damaged by human errors using risk indicators and robustness index
Authors: Galvão Neryvaldo , Campos e Matos José , Oliveira Daniel V. , Santos Carlos
Published: February 2021

To the bridges failures that have been arising over the years, experts have pointed out as the main cause of failure, human errors, in the design, construction and operation phases. One of the main goals of this paper is the identification of the foremost causes of failure due to human errors in design and construction procedures. Therefore, a bridge failure database that includes several failure cases and a human errors survey will be used to support this line of work. After the identification of some explicit human errors that is believed to be the source of several reinforced concrete bridges failures, a selective analysis using risk indicators, namely, the probability of occurrence and consequence, is performed to choose those that might represent a higher risk for the structural safety. The outcome of five selected human errors in a specific case study is quantified using a robustness index, computed according to the variation of the structure reliability index due to the damages caused by human errors, allowing to demonstrate their impact in the structural safety. The modelling process and the finite element analysis of the structure is performed using TNO DIANA software, allowing the calculation of the reliability index of the structure damaged by different human errors. Within the COST action TU-1406, the main goal of this work is a contribution for the establishment of a roadways bridge quality control plan with higher efficiency in the reduction of bridge failures, their mortality rates and economic loss.
Assessment of the connection properties of a prefabricated wooden sandwich panel under static and cyclic loads
Authors: Pasca Dag P. , Myhrvold Caroline , Tomasi Roberto , Høibø Olav A. , Nyrud Anders Q.
Published: February 2021

This paper presents the results of a study assessing the resistance of a recently developed standing wood-based prefabricated sandwich panel. The work was carried out in the framework of a product test, and consisted in a total number of 154 tests upon several different configurations. The connections investigated were those involved in constituting the lateral force-resisting system for a wall assembly, namely the panel-to-sill connection and the vertical connection between panels. For some configurations the test were performed in both monotonic and cyclic condition in order to get information about strength and stiffness properties as well as ductility and energy dissipation capacity. The varied parameter within each configuration were the type of connector, screws and nails; their inclination, 90° and 60° degrees; and the material composing the sills, Solid Timber and Solid Wood Panels. The variation of the parameter allowed identifying which configuration yielded the best performances.
Assessment of the Seismic Response of Isolated Bridges under extra- stroke displacement demands
Authors: Furinghetti Marco , Pavese Alberto
Published: February 2021

Seismic isolation techniques for bridge structures have been more and more improved in last years, thanks to results of both numerical and experimental investigations on full-scale devices. In addition, significant advances on testing techniques have led to extremely realistic responses of an isolated bridge. Particularly, hybrid tests allow to consider a numerical model of the overall structure, together with an experimental contribution, represented by the real force of a full-scale isolation device. Generally, the response of an isolated bridge structure is strongly affected by the valley topography: consequently high piers may not need isolation devices, since they are enough flexible to accommodate the design displacement in the elastic range. On the other hand, at those locations no hysteretic damping is provided and higher displacements can be achieved, in comparison to the design value.

In this work the seismic response of an isolated bridge case study structure has been investigated, through non linear time history analyses, by accounting for the effective contribution of both isolators and elastic response of piers. Moreover, the actual hysteretic behaviour of all devices has been properly modelled, also for displacements higher than the design value, so in the extra- stroke range. Results have been compared to the ordinary response, which accounts for no difference between forces under displacements lower rather than higher than the target value, in order to highlight main consequences of such a behaviour on the overall response parameters.
Behaviour of laminar RC structures subjected to cyclic loading
Authors: Varma Rajendra , Barros Joaquim A. O. , Sena-Cruz José
Published: February 2021

When a concrete element is subjected to a multi-axial stress field, a suitable failure criterion is required to define the failure of concrete, e.g. Mohr-Columb, Drucker Prager, etc. This paper presents the modelling of laminar concrete structures like walls that can be considered as a plane stress problem, or 3D plane shells assumed as the assemblage of layers in plane stress state.

Some of the important aspects of the plane stress simulation are to address the following issues: the strength of concrete subjected to biaxial stresses; deviation in material properties before and after cracking; concrete cracking and, the crack propagation. As all these mechanical behaviours are critical to predict the behaviour of laminar structures, hence the issues are investigated by development of numerical model. Cyclic material constitutive laws were implemented in in-house finite element software – FEMIX. The material model matches the existing experimental evidence for the behaviour of reinforced concrete shear wall subjected to monotonic and cyclic loading. The implemented model does simulate the strength increase of concrete when submitted to biaxial compression, and the strength decrease when submitted to tension-compression and tension- tension, as was evidenced by experimental research.
Building rehabilitation proposal from a sustainable and solidary approach
Authors: Juárez Ruiz Lidia A. , Pozo C Sofía del
Published: February 2021

Oaxaca State (Mexico) has great tangible and intangible wealth. Its history includes buildings dated from the Spanish crown conquest in the XVI century. Its architecture is considered a monumental wealth, in spite of the damages caused by earthquakes along its history. In this work the social - educational approach has been considered as part of the frame of work to preserve and to rehabilitate the built heritage. We present a case study in San Jeronimo Taviche. In this town, as in others, the built patrimony has been lost due to lack of valuation of this patrimony, and lack of economic resources for its conservation and maintenance. The "white house" is a building built at the beginning of the 20th century with traditional systems. It was realized the topographic and architectural survey and a social participative diagnostic. The participative methodologies allow the involved people to be a part of the diagnosis and of the proposal of solution, with which at medium period we hope to achieve the appropriation of the project. With the social and educational approach, the capacities of the people become stronger for the conservation of their patrimony and for the search of resources of financial support for its rehabilitation as a Community Development Center.
CFRP Strengthening and Long-Term Monitoring of an Old Metallic Roadway Bridge in Melbourne
Authors: Ghafoori Elyas , Hosseini Ardalan , Al-Mahaidi Riadh , Zhao Xiao-Ling , Motavalli Masoud , Koay Yew-Chin
Published: February 2021

This study gives an overview on carbon fibre-reinforced polymer (CFRP) strengthening and wireless sensor network (WSN) monitoring of a 121-year-old metallic roadway bridge in Melbourne, Australia. A flat prestressed unbonded retrofit (FPUR) system was developed to apply prestressed CFRP plates to the steel cross-girders of Diamond-Creek Bridge. The bridge is subjected to daily passenger and heavy truck vehicles. Sets of laboratory tests were performed to examine the efficiency and fatigue performance of the proposed FPUR system, prior to its installation on the bridge. Furthermore, in order to demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed retrofit technique, the bridge was instrumented with different types of sensors (including strain gauges, temperature and humidity sensors), and short- and long-term measurements were performed. As for short-term measurements, the bridge was loaded by a 42.5-tonne semi-trailer before and after strengthening. For the long-term monitoring, a WSN system was used to monitor the prestress level in the CFRP reinforcements for at least one year. The CFRP plates were prestressed up to about 980 MPa (38% of the CFRP ultimate strength), which resulted in about 50% reduction in the maximum tensile stress in the bottom flanges of the strengthened I-girders. The results of the short- and long-term measurements in this study showed that the proposed FPUR system can be very effective for flexural and fatigue strengthening of such bridge girders.
Change of load-carrying capacity of real bridge structure due to modified reliability levels and planned remaining lifetime
Authors: Koteš Peter , Vican Josef , Prokop Jozef
Published: February 2021

The paper is focused on diagnostic and calculation of load-carrying capacity of bridge object in village Vitanova, Slovakia. The bridge is on the road II/520 connecting town Trstenná and village Suchá Hora near border with Poland and bypass the river Oravica. The bridge object was built in 1957, so, it was 60 years old bridge in time of calculation in 2017. It is reinforced concrete slab bridge of two single spans. In 2016, the Department of Structures and Bridges, the Faculty of Civil Engineering, University of Žilina, was asked to carry out the construction and technical survey and diagnostic of above mentioned bridge. The visual inspection, diagnostic, verifying real dimensions and material characteristics were requested. In 2017, the calculation of load-carrying capacity was done. For determining the load-carrying capacity, the standard approach given in Eurocodes was used. As an alternative, the modified (lower) reliability levels and their adequate partial safety factors according to Eurocodes were used.
Coura and Valença Bridges on Minho Railway line – old structures, updated performance
Authors: Guimarães Miguel , Teixeira Alberto
Published: February 2021

The pleasant Minho railway single lane line section from Caminha to Valença crosses the Minho river at Valença, through a very interesting and beautiful steel bridge. At Caminha it crosses the river Coura, by an also attractive steel bridge. Both are more than a century old and were refurbished and upgraded in a recent past and had before severe speed restrictions and load limitations:

Coura bridge: This 1879 iron bridge is a 3 span 164m lower deck continuous closed lattice girder, for a live load of only 4t/m without dynamic effects allowance. It was totally supported by a new continuous steel arch bridge, so both work together, combining in a very elegant construction.

Valença bridge: This double-deck 1886 bridge is a steel 5 span 333m continuous lattice girder. Pathologies like excessive bending on the columns top sections, changing inappropriate bearing and a lock-up system for the braking action resulted in a demanding but discrete reinforcement.
Damage Detection in Structures – Examples
Authors: Duvnjak Ivan , Damjanović Domagoj , Sabourova Natalia , Grip Niklas , Ohlsson Ulf , Elfgren Lennart , Tu Yongming
Published: February 2021

Damage assessment of structures includes estimation of location and severity of damage. Quite often it is done by using changes of dynamic properties, such as natural frequencies, mode shapes and damping ratios, determined on undamaged and damaged structures. The basic principle is to use dynamic properties of a structure as indicators of any change of its stiffness and/or mass. In this paper, two new methods for damage detection are presented and compared. The first method is based on comparison of normalised modal shape vectors determined before and after damage. The second method uses so-called 𝑙l-norm regularized finite element model updating. Some important properties of these methods are demonstrated using simulations on a Kirchhoff plate. The pros and cons of the two methods are discussed. Unique aspects of the methods are highlighted.
Detection of Sparse Damages in Structures
Authors: Sabourova Natalia , Grip Niklas , Ohlsson Ulf , Elfgren Lennart , Tu Yongming , Duvnjak Ivan , Damjanović Domagoj
Published: February 2021

Structural damage is often a spatially sparse phenomenon, i.e. it occurs only in a small part of the structure. This property of damage has not been utilized in the field of structural damage identification until quite recently, when the sparsity-based regularization developed in compressed sensing problems found its application in this field.

In this paper we consider classical sensitivity-based finite element model updating combined with a regularization technique appropriate for the expected type of sparse damage. Traditionally, (I), 𝑙2- norm regularization was used to solve the ill-posed inverse problems, such as damage identification. However, using already well established, (II), 𝑙l-norm regularization or our proposed, (III), 𝑙l-norm total variation regularization and, (IV), general dictionary-based regularization allows us to find damages with special spatial properties quite precisely using much fewer measurement locations than the number of possibly damaged elements of the structure. The validity of the proposed methods is demonstrated using simulations on a Kirchhoff plate model. The pros and cons of these methods are discussed.
Developing case studies for implementing COST TU1406 Quality Control plan procedure for typical highway bridges
Authors: Kedar Amir , Sein Sander , Ademović Naida , Panetsos Panagiotis , Ryjáček Pavel , Duke Amos , Matos José C.
Published: February 2021

An extensive work was done by COST TU1406 working groups (WG) 1,2 and 3 for preparing a guidance document for Quality Control Plan (QCP) of road bridges. WG 1, 2 and 3 reports named 'Performance Indicators for Roadway Bridges', 'Performance Goals for Roadway Bridges' and 'Establishment of a quality control plan' are already published. Based on these documents and the work done to-date, a new procedure for implementing the developed guidelines for the preparation of QCP for roadway bridges was developed by WG4 members in order to unify the method used and to validate the outcomes of the developed QCP. At the first stage, a set of common highway bridge prototypes were identified including girder, frame, arch and truss bridges. A database was created where each participating country has identified local bridges for developing of the case studies. Nine out of sixty bridges where selected for the first stage of preparing an example of QCP and the case study reports were compared with an objective to validate the outcomes. A guideline document was prepared with unified instruction on how to develop the national case study per country. The typical case study includes few stages which are defined based on the work done by WG1, 2 and

3. The stages includes data collection, element identification and grouping, defining vulnerable zones, damage processes and failure modes, selecting and evaluating performance indicators (PIs) and calculating key performance indicators (KPIs), establishing demands, creating QCP scenarios and comparing them by spider diagrams. First outcomes of the prototypes case study reports are now being updated to reflect the final version of WG3 report and together with the guidelines document will be distributed among participating countries to enable the benchmarking process for the full set of bridges representing Europe common highway bridge topologies.
Different bridge maintenance strategies and life cycle costs: Comparison of costs in Croatia, Slovenia and the Netherlands
Authors: Palic Sandra Skaric , Stipanovič Irina , Bukhsh Zaharah Allah , Šajna Aljoša
Published: February 2021

Bridges are highly complex structures exposed to heavy environmental and mechanical loads, which require immense financial investments in all life cycle periods, from planning, design, operation and end of life phase. The longest period in whole life cycle of a bridge is operational phase which includes numerous maintenance and repair activities. Timing of these activities and their extent is a crucial factor that influences bridge future performance.

Traditionally, the decision to perform maintenance is based on the infrastructure managers' observations, judgments and choices which are derived from inspection results, available budgets and abrupt failures. Though, maintenance based on these drivers very often leads to undue maintenance with increased cost. For this reason, predictive maintenance is considered to be a most effective maintenance policy that suggests to perform maintenance only where it is promptly needed. However, predictive maintenance poses decision-making challenges for infrastructure managers. Particularly for road infrastructure networks, the maintenance decision-making is a difficult task due to a widespread network of diverse infrastructure objects, availability demands, deterioration rate and budget constraints. Such infrastructure maintenance requirements pose decision-making dilemmas to the infrastructure managers, where maintenance planning is challenged by the number of conflicting issues (e.g. limited budget vs. aging network, the risk of failures vs. traffic intensity over an object).

This paper tries to examine the effect of two opposing maintenance strategies for life cycle management of bridges, corrective and preventive maintenance based on historical data about bridges in three countries and 30 years of experience. The maintenance costs for bridge structural elements at different condition levels are analysed, based on the data from three countries, Croatia, Slovenia and the Netherlands, where different approaches to maintenance strategies are being applied. The overall maintenance costs over a longer period of time, up to 30 years are collected and analysed, with the aim to clearly define pros and cons for both approaches.
Discrete-continuum approach to assess 3D failure modes of masonry arch bridges
Authors: Pulatsu Bora , Erdogmus Ece , Lourenço Paulo B.
Published: February 2021

There are two main objectives of this research. First, a full masonry arch bridge with all structural components are considered. The failure mechanism of spandrel wall and backfill-masonry interaction are successfully simulated using a 3D discrete-continuum model as validated by previously published experimental data. Moreover, the influence of the frictional resistance between soil and masonry components is discussed. Second, two different skew arches, with different bond patterns, are analysed to understand the influence of construction method (helicoidal and false) on the damage pattern and capacity. The results of the analysis demonstrated that discrete and mixed discrete-continuum approaches can predict complex 3D collapse mechanisms of masonry arch bridges and provides detailed information about their damage progression.