@article {bnh-5620, title = {Analysis of design standards and applied loads on road structures under extreme events}, number = {480}, year = {2019}, month = {06/2019}, institution = {Bushfire and Natural Hazards CRC}, address = {Melbourne}, abstract = {

This is the fourth report for the Bushfire and Natural Hazards CRC project B8, entitled {\textquoteleft}Enhancing the Resilience of Critical Road Infrastructure: bridges, culverts and flood-ways under natural hazards{\textquoteright}. The work presented here addresses milestone 3.2.2 {\textquotedblleft}Analysis of design standards completed{\textquotedblright} and 3.2.3 {\textquotedblleft}Draft report 4{\textendash} Loads applied on structures under extreme events (flood, earthquake, fire){\textquotedblright}, which are due on 30 December 2015. Thus, this draft report will be reviewed and refined through the input of the external stakeholders, in particular Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads (DTMR), VicRoads, RMS (NSW) and the Lockyer Valley Regional Council (LVRC).
The following draft report presents an analysis of relevant design codes in regards to bridges, culverts and flood-ways design considerations under natural hazards (earthquake, flood and bushfire). Although effort has been made to include major design codes, the main focus of the practice code analysis has been Australian codes, major American codes and European codes. Section 5 also discusses the strengthening methods for reinforced concrete members under natural hazards.

}, keywords = {applied loads, engineering, extreme weather, resilience, structure}, issn = {480}, author = {Sujeeva Setunge and Chun Qing Li and Darryn McEvoy and Kevin Zhang and Jane Mullett and Hessam Mohseni and Priyan Mendis and Tuan Ngo and Nilupa Herath and Karu Karunasena and Weena Lokuge and Buddhi Wahalathantri and Dilanthi Amaratunga} } @article {bnh-6126, title = {Enhancing resilience of critical road infrastructure annual report 2018-2019}, number = {519}, year = {2019}, month = {10/2019}, institution = {Bushfire and Natural Hazards CRC}, address = {Melbourne}, abstract = {

The overarching aim of the proposed second stage of the project is to work closely with key stakeholders to implement the methodologies that have been developed for vulnerability modelling of road structures to priorities vulnerable structures for improvements, to quantify the cost of reconstruction and/or cost of hardening of structures, and to integrate community resilience considerations into the decision-making process.

During the last financial year, the research team has published seven peer-reviewed journal papers (5 Scimago Q1 journal papers), 13 national/international conferences papers and one technical report, while there are eight journal papers under review now.

The major research activities include the generic analysis of bridges in terms of structural analysis, community impact model for decision making on strengthening, floodway inspection methodology, and strengthening options for different hazard types and levels. A floodway inspection and maintenance framework were also developed to guide the future inspection and maintenance of those bridges, especially for those have undergone hazard events.

Four workshops and four meetings were held during the second year of Stage 2 of the project. Two workshops were held at RMIT University to discuss with end users and colleagues regarding the feedback and comments of the project progresses. One workshop was held at the University of Southern Queensland and the Queensland University of Technology, respectively. Feedbacks from these end users have largely benefited the research progress.

Four major utilization activities have been identified and are in progress.

Our next step is to focus on the remaining milestones and engaging with those end users to tailor the research direction and fulfill their urgent research needs. The final project completion report will be also submitted then for the review of BNH CRC.

}, keywords = {Emergency management, engineering, infrastructure resilience}, issn = {519}, author = {Sujeeva Setunge and Chun Qing Li and Darryn McEvoy and Kevin Zhang and Jane Mullett and Hessam Mohseni and Priyan Mendis and Tuan Ngo and Lihai Zhang and Nilupa Herath and Karu Karunasena and Weena Lokuge and Buddhi Wahalathantri and Dilanthi Amaratunga} } @article {bnh-5435, title = {Enhancing resilience of critical road infrastructure: bridges, culverts and flood-ways under natural hazards Annual Report 2017-2018}, number = {466}, year = {2019}, month = {03/2019}, institution = {Bushfire and Natural Hazards CRC}, address = {Melbourne}, abstract = {

During stage 1 of the project, disaster risk was understood in terms of the vulnerability of road structures, and the impacts of road failure on local communities. Stage 2 aims to enhance disaster preparedness, inform more effective responses, and ensuring that damaged structures are built back better during the recovery. In Stage 2 of this project, research will continue to apply the methods developed in Stage 1 to examine the vulnerability of categories of road structures for decision making. In addition to the assessment of structural vulnerability, a decision support framework will be developed through collaboration with other research projects of the BNH CRC such as decision making and fire modeling. The overarching aim of the proposed second stage of the project is to work closely with key stakeholders to implement the methodologies that have been developed for vulnerability modelling of road structures to priorities vulnerable structures for improvements, to quantify the cost of reconstruction and/or cost of hardening of structures, and to integrate community resilience considerations into the decisionmaking process. During the first year of Stage 2, several research objectives have been achieved, including hazard mapping for Victoria and Queensland, categorization of road structures, and floodway design process. The related methodologies are introduced below one by one.

}, keywords = {bridges, floodways, infrastructure resilience, Natural hazards}, author = {Sujeeva Setunge and Chun Qing Li and Darryn McEvoy and Kevin Zhang and Jane Mullett and Hessam Mohseni and Priyan Mendis and Tuan Ngo and Lihai Zhang and Nilupa Herath and Karu Karunasena and Weena Lokuge and Buddhi Wahalathantri and Dilanthi Amaratunga} } @article {bnh-4479, title = {Community adaptation to cope with disaster related road structure failure}, journal = {Procedia Engineering}, volume = {212}, year = {2018}, month = {02/2018}, chapter = {1355}, abstract = {

Natural hazards can cause a wide range of social and economic impacts both to the area directly affected by the hazards as well as to the broader community. Although community resilience is an important aspect that influences post-disaster response and recovery stages, it has not been explicitly studied by most scholars, and is rather taken to be embedded in the socio-economic landscape studied in the literature. Road structures such as bridges, culverts and flood-ways play a vital role in times of natural disasters as their functionality directly influences evacuation, rescue, recovery and reconstruction activities. In addition to the direct benefits derived from road structures, in the event of a disaster, they play a vital role in resilience by connecting individuals and communities. This paper identifies adaptation methods practiced by disaster affected communities targeted at increasing their accessibility and mobility, and analyses how such adaptation activities can minimise the negative effects brought on by the failure of road structures. The paper uses a recent case study from regional Queensland, Australia, to understand how adaptation options vary in rural areas and to explore possible methods to improve resilience of communities.

}, keywords = {Community adaptation, Natural hazards, road structure failure.}, doi = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.proeng.2018.01.175}, url = {https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877705818302030?via\%3Dihub}, author = {Akvan Gajanayake and Hessam Mohseni and Guomin Zhang and Jane Mullett and Sujeeva Setunge} } @article {bnh-5216, title = {Failure mechanisms of bridge structures under natural hazards}, year = {2018}, month = {12/2018}, institution = {Bushfire and Natural Hazards CRC}, address = {Melbourne}, abstract = {

The report captures the major failure modes of bridges under exposure to potential natural hazards in Australia: flood, bushfire and earthquake. Attributes of bridge structures which influence failure and the typical levels of natural hazards experienced in Australia are explored. Case studies on analysis of failure of bridges have been presented which can provide input to vulnerability modelling of the bridge structures.

Analysis of case studies and literature indicated that the most common failure mechanisms of bridge structures under flood is scour, debris loading and damage to approach roads. Failure mechanisms of bridges due to bushfire are significantly affected by the construction material of bridge components. Major mechanisms of failure in reinforced concrete structures is observed to be the spalling of concrete, failure due to reduction in strength and elastic modulus of concrete and yielding of reinforcing steel. In steel bridges, when temperatures rise above 400 degrees Celsius, a rapid reduction in strength of members could lead to failure. Failure mechanisms of the bridges due to earthquake are explored using analytical methods and fragility curves have been developed using finite element modeling of a bridge structure. Deck joints have been observed to be the most vulnerable elements of girder bridges in Australia under earthquake loading. The generic methodology developed will be applied to other structural forms in future.

}, issn = {446}, author = {Sujeeva Setunge and Chun Qing Li and Darryn McEvoy and Kevin Zhang and Jane Mullett and Hessam Mohseni and Priyan Mendis and Tuan Ngo and Nilupa Herath and Karu Karunasena and Weena Lokuge and Buddhi Wahalathantri and Dilanthi Amaratunga} } @article {bnh-4386, title = {Enhancing the resilience of critical road infrastructure: annual project report 2016-17}, number = {311}, year = {2017}, month = {09/2017}, institution = {Bushfire and Natural Hazards CRC}, address = {Melbourne}, abstract = {

In the funded first stage, the project aimed to develop vulnerability models for critical road structures: bridges, culverts and floodways under natural hazards of flood, bush fire and earthquakes. In the second stage of the project, optimized maintenance and strengthening regimes required to enhance resilience of critical road structures will be identified and a decision making tool will be developed.

During the past year, the research focused on analysis of the case studies available from end user partners and development of the methodology for vulnerability modeling of bridges and floodways under natural hazards of flood, earthquake and bushfires. Three case studies were analysed to further establish the methodology and a reliability based approach was established to account for the variability of the frequency and the intensity of disasters. A field study was undertaken to understand the economic impact due to failure of road structures during the 2011 and 2013 floods in the Lockyer Valley region in Queensland.

Three major workshops and a number of informal meetings were held during the past year with excellent participation of end users and researchers. A workshop has also been organized on 24 July 2017 to plan the work program for the second stage of the project and develop the utilization plan.

Six Ph.D candidates are progressing their research funded by APA, RMIT and IPRS scholarships. Three of the students secured CRC top up scholarships as well. One Master by research student completed in 2016 and one PhD will complete in 2017.\  Each of the four strands of the project has recruited a researcher to engage in the project and also utilized final year undergraduate projects to contribute to the research project.

Major outcomes during the past year can be summarized as development of the vulnerability modeling methodology for critical road structures exposed to extreme events and demonstration of the methodology using four case studies. This work has been published in number of journal papers and conferences and posters published in highly regarded journals and conferences. Members of the team also has been successful in winning awards for their work.\ 

}, issn = {311}, author = {Sujeeva Setunge and Chun Qing Li and Darryn McEvoy and Kevin Zhang and Jane Mullett and Hessam Mohseni and Priyan Mendis and Tuan Ngo and Nilupa Herath and Karu Karunasena and Weena Lokuge and Buddhi Wahalathantri and Dilanthi Amaratunga} } @article {bnh-3116, title = {Enhancing resilience of critical road infrastructure: bridges, culverts and flood-ways under natural hazards: annual project report 2015-2016}, number = {236}, year = {2016}, month = {10/2016}, institution = {Bushfire and Natural Hazards CRC}, address = {Melbourne}, abstract = {

In the funded first stage, the project aims to develop vulnerability models for critical road structures: bridges, culverts and floodways under natural hazards of flood, bush fire and earthquakes. In the second stage of the project, optimised maintenance and strengthening regimes required to enhance resilience of critical road structures will be identified and a decision making tool will be developed.

During the past year, the research focused on analysis of the case studies available from end user partners and development of the methodology for vulnerability modeling of bridges and floodways under natural hazards of flood, earthquake and bushfires. Three case studies were analysed to further establish the methodology and a reliability based approach was established to account for the variability of the frequency and the intensity of disasters. A field study was undertaken to understand the economic impact due to failure of road structures during the 2011 and 2013 floods in the Lockyer Valley region in Queensland.

Four workshops and a number of informal meetings were held during the project with excellent participation of end users and researchers. A mini-symposium held in July 2015 at RMIT University brought researchers, end users and wider stakeholders from across Australia and the UK. A stakeholder workshop held on 17 March 2016 identified end user needs and a utilisation plan was developed based on the outcomes. During the workshops, case study data were identified and the methodology for vulnerability modeling was refined. Future data needs were communicated to the end users.

Five Ph.D candidates commenced work with the research team on APA and IPRS scholarships. Three of the students secured Bushfire and Natural Hazards CRC{\textquoteright}s top up scholarships as well. One Masters by research student and one PhD will complete in 2016 and 2017 respectively.\  Each of the four strands of the project has recruited a researcher to engage in the project and also utilised final year undergraduate projects to contribute to the research project.

Major outcomes during the past two years can be summarised as development of the vulnerability modeling methodology for critical road structures exposed to extreme events and demonstration of the methodology using four case studies. This work has been published in 26 Publications including 9 journal papers, 12 refereed conference papers and 5 reports. In addition, the project research team has been invited to a total number of 12 highly regarded conferences roundtables, workshops and forums to present keynote speeches, chair and co-chair panels and facilitate workshops.

}, issn = {236}, author = {Sujeeva Setunge and Chun Qing Li and Darryn McEvoy and Kevin Zhang and Jane Mullett and Hessam Mohseni and Priyan Mendis and Tuan Ngo and Nilupa Herath and Karu Karunasena and Weena Lokuge and Buddhi Wahalathantri and Dilanthi Amaratunga} } @article {bnh-2351, title = {Enhancing resilience of critical road infrastructure: bridges, culverts and floodways under natural hazards: Annual project report 2014-2015}, number = {144}, year = {2015}, month = {02/11/2015}, institution = {Bushfire and Natural Hazards CRC}, address = {Melbourne}, abstract = {

The project aims to develop vulnerability models for critical road structures: bridges, culverts and floodways under natural hazards of flood, bushfire and earthquakes. In the second stage of the project, optimized maintenance and strengthening regimes required to enhance resilience of critical road structures will be identified and a decision making tool will be developed.

During the past year, the research focused on analysis of the case studies available from end user partners and development of the methodology for vulnerability modeling of bridges and floodways under natural hazards of flood, earthquake and bushfires. A field study was undertaken to examine the community impact due to failure of road structures during the 2011 and 2013 floods in the Lockyer Valley region in Queensland. Researchers spent one week conducting semi-structured interviews of the community and identified the major community impacts due to failure of road structures.

Four workshops and a number of informal meetings were held during the year with excellent participation of end users researchers. During the workshops, case study data were identified and the methodology for vulnerability modeling was refined. Future data needs were communicated to the end users.

Two new Ph.D candidates commenced work with the research team on APA scholarships and two more will commence in July 2015. Each of the four strands of the project has recruited a researcher to engage in the project.

Major outcomes during the past year can be summarized as development of the vulnerability modeling methodology for critical road structures exposed to extreme events and demonstration of the methodology using four case studies. This work has been published in three peer reviewed conference papers and submitted as four journal papers. One journal paper has been accepted for publication. In addition, work was presented as invited papers at three industry events.

}, issn = {144}, author = {Sujeeva Setunge and Chun Qing Li and Darryn McEvoy and Kevin Zhang and Jane Mullett and Hessam Mohseni and Priyan Mendis and Tuan Ngo and Nilupa Herath and Karu Karunasena and Weena Lokuge and Buddhi Wahalathantri and Dilanthi Amaratunga} }