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Topic Review
Colloidal Silica and Geotechnical Properties of Liquefiable Soils
Colloidal silica (CS) is a kind of nanomaterial used in soil/rock grouting techniques in different branches of civil engineering. CS grout is chemically and biologically inert and, when injected into a subsoil, it can form a silica gel and stabilize the desired soil layer, thus representing an attractive, environmentally friendly alternative to standard chemical grouting techniques.
  • 2.5K
  • 23 Dec 2021
Topic Review
Urban Water Consumption
Urban water (here referred as urban water consumption) is defined by European Environmental Agency as the water abstracted for urban purposes which include domestic uses (households), small industries, municipal services, and public gardening [EEA]. Over the last three decades, the increasing development of smart water meter trials and the rise of demand management has fostered the collection of water demand data at increasingly higher spatial and temporal resolutions, especially for the domestic sector (i.e., household water use). Counting these new datasets and more traditional aggregate water demand data, the literature is rich with heterogeneous urban water consumption datasets. They are characterized by heterogeneous spatial scales—from urban districts, to households or individual water fixtures—and temporal sampling frequencies—from seasonal/monthly up to sub-daily (minutes or seconds).  This entry is based on  the review paper "Urban Water Consumption at Multiple Spatial and Temporal Scales. A Review of Existing Datasets" by Di Mauro et al. 2021 The review analyzes 92 water demand datasets and 120 related peer-review publications compiled in the last 45 years. The reviewed datasets are classified and analyzed according to the following criteria: spatial scale, temporal scale, and dataset accessibility. This research effort builds an updated catalog of the existing water demand datasets to facilitate future research efforts end encourage the publication of open-access datasets in water demand modelling and management research.
  • 2.5K
  • 19 Mar 2021
Topic Review
Green Production from BSFL
The purpose of this entry is to reveal the lipid and protein contents in black soldier fly larvae (BSFL) for the sustainable production of protein and energy sources. It has been observed from studies in the literature that the larval lipid and protein contents vary with the rearing conditions as well as the downstream processing employed. The homogenous, heterogenous and microbial-treated substrates via fermentation are used to rear BSFL and are compared in this review for the simultaneous production of larval protein and biodiesel. Moreover, the best moisture content and the aeration rate of larval feeding substrates are also reported in this review to enhance the growth of BSFL. As the downstream process after harvesting starts with larval inactivation, various related methods have also been reviewed in relation to its impact on the quality/quantity of larval protein and lipids. Subsequently, the other downstream processes, namely, extraction and transesterification to biodiesel, are finally epitomized from the literature to provide a comprehensive review for the production of unconventional protein and lipid sources from BSFL feedstock. Incontrovertibly, the review accentuates the great potential use of BSFL biomass as a green source of protein and lipids for energy production in the form of biodiesel. The traditional protein and energy sources, preponderantly fishmeal, are unsustainable naturally, pressingly calling for immediate substitutions to cater for the rising demands. Accordingly, this review stresses the benefits of using BSFL biomass in detailing its production from upstream all the way to downstream processes which are green and economical at the same time.
  • 2.5K
  • 09 Sep 2020
Topic Review
Granite Dust as a Sustainable Additive
The increase in infrastructure requirement drives people to use all types of soils, including poor soils. These poor soils, which are weak at construction, must be improved using different techniques. The extinction of natural resources and the increase in cost of available materials require us to think of alternate resources. The usage of industry by-products and related methods for improving the properties of different soils has been studied for several years. Granite dust is an industrial by-product originating from the primary crushing of aggregates. The production of huge quantities of granite dust in the industry causes severe problems from the handling to the disposal stage. Accordingly, in the civil engineering field, the massive utilization of granite dust has been proposed for various applications to resolve these issues. 
  • 2.5K
  • 21 Dec 2021
Topic Review
Fiber-Reinforced Polymer Composites in the Construction of Bridges
Fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) composites are two-phase materials consisting of a base material and filler material. Base material is referred as a matrix or a binder material. This is a polymer (plastic), either thermoset or thermoplastic. Polymer matrices are natural or synthetic. The latter kind is petrochemical-based and includes polyester, polypropylene (PP), polyethylene (PE) and epoxy. Due to its specific mechanical properties, a polymer matrix needs to be reinforced by filler material. FRP composites consist of fibers or other reinforcing material, which provide sufficient strength in one or more directions. 
  • 2.4K
  • 05 May 2022
Topic Review
Road Infrastructure Maintenance Management
Management of nonurban road network maintenance is a complex management process that requires the inclusion of many technical, economic, and other characteristics of the problem, as well as the continuous application of new knowledge and approaches, to maintenance management. To effectively manage the maintenance of the road network in conditions of limited financial resources, maintenance is examined through three interrelated management functions of planning: implementation, monitoring, and maintenance control. 
  • 2.4K
  • 20 Jun 2022
Topic Review
Iron-Based Shape Memory Alloys in Construction
As a promising candidate in the construction industry, iron-based shape memory alloy (Fe-SMA) has attracted lots of attention in the engineering and metallography communities because of its foreseeable benefits including corrosion resistance, shape recovery capability, excellent plastic deformability, and outstanding fatigue resistance. Pilot applications have proved the feasibility of Fe-SMA as a highly efficient functional material in the construction sector.
  • 2.4K
  • 11 Mar 2022
Topic Review
History of Fibre Reinforced Polymer Bridges
Fibre-reinforced polymer composites (FRPs) offer various benefits for bridge construction. Lightweight, durability, design flexibility and fast erection in inaccessible areas are their unique selling points for bridge engineering. History of all-FRP and hybrid FRP bridges is presented here.
  • 2.4K
  • 18 May 2023
Topic Review
Fe-Mn-Si-Based Shape Memory Alloys
In civil engineering, beam structures such as bridges require reinforcement to increase load-bearing capacity and extend service life due to damage, aging, and capacity degradation under long-time services and disasters. The utilization of Fe-based shape memory alloys (Fe-SMA) to reinforce structures has been proven efficient and reliable, and the recovery stress of activated Fe-SMA can satisfy the reinforcement requirements.
  • 2.4K
  • 09 Jun 2023
Topic Review
Durability Performance of Geopolymer Concrete
Geopolymer concrete is produced from the geopolymerization process, in which molecules known as oligomers integrate to form geopolymer networks with covalent bonding. Its production expends less thermal energy and results in a smaller carbon footprint compared to Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) concrete. It requires only an alkaline activator to catalyze its aluminosilicate sources such as metakaolin and fly ash, to yield geopolymer binder for the geopolymerization to take place. Because of its eco-friendly technology and practical application, current research interest is mainly concentrated on the endurance of geopolymer concrete to resist heat and chemical aggressions. 
  • 2.4K
  • 07 Mar 2022
Topic Review
Durability of Foam Concrete
Foam concrete is a type of concrete that is produced by locking air voids in the mortar with the help of a suitable foaming agent and is classified as lightweight concrete. It has low self-weight, minimum aggregate consumption (no coarse aggregate is used), high fluidity, controlled low strength and thermal insulation. The properties of foam concrete are affected by the production method and the materials used. Unlike other porous lightweight concrete, prefabricated foams with foaming agents are added to fresh cement paste and mortar. The air pores brought by the foams constitute 10–90% by volume of the hardened body. This porous structure forms the basis of the mechanical properties, thermal conductivity, acoustic and durability properties of foam concrete. One of the advantages of foam concrete is its weight reduction (up to 80%) compared to conventional concrete. The air bubbles are evenly distributed in the foam concrete body. The pore structure may be affected during the mixing, transportation and placement of fresh concrete, so it should have fixed walls. Air bubbles range in size from approximately 0.1 to 1 mm. The density of foam concrete is mainly affected by the amount of foam and varies between 400 and 1600 kg/m3. It can be used for structural, partitioning, insulation and filling applications with excellent acoustic/thermal insulation, high fire resistance, lower raw material costs, easier pumping and finally no compaction, vibration or leveling.
  • 2.3K
  • 17 Jun 2022
Topic Review
Ballasted Track
Ballasted track has the phenomenon of local instabilities, which are usually related to the intensive sleeper void development that requires enormous maintenance costs and influences track reliability, availability and safety. The appearance of the void zones is unavoidable in such structures as transition zones, turnouts and rail joints. 
  • 2.3K
  • 19 Jul 2021
Topic Review
Lightweight Aggregate Concrete
Lightweight aggregate concrete (LWAC) exhibits the advantages of thermal insulation, reduces energy consumption building costs, improves building efficiency and easy construction. Furthermore, the utilization of industrial wastes in concrete is advantageous in terms of environmental sustainability.
  • 2.3K
  • 28 Mar 2022
Topic Review
Concrete Reinforced with Sisal Fibers
Concrete is a commonly used building material; however, it is subject to abrupt failure and limited energy absorption when yielding. The use of short discrete fibers has displayed a lot of potential in overcoming these issues. Sisal is a natural fiber that is renewable, inexpensive, and readily accessible. SSF is a potential reinforcement for use in concrete because of its cheap cost, low density, high specific strength and modulus, negligible health risk, easy accessibility in certain states, and renewability. 
  • 2.3K
  • 12 Aug 2022
Topic Review
Mechanical Properties of Geopolymer Concrete
Geopolymer is essentially different from the conventional concrete which consists of hydraulic cement as a binder.
  • 2.3K
  • 12 Sep 2021
Topic Review
Asphalt Pavement Temperature Prediction Models
The performance of bituminous materials is mainly affected by the prevailing maximum and minimum temperatures, and their mechanical properties can vary significantly with the magnitude of the temperature changes. The given effect can be observed from changes occurring in the bitumen or asphalt mixture stiffness and the materials’ serviceable life. Furthermore, when asphalt pavement layer are used, the temperature changes can be credited to climatic factors such as air temperature, solar radiation and wind. 
  • 2.2K
  • 07 May 2021
Topic Review
Pathway to Sustainability in Buildings
Traditional energy sources, such as coal, oil, and natural gas, are finite and face depletion. With the global concern over climate change and the limited nature of traditional energy resources, there is a critical need to transition towards more sustainable and eco-friendly energy solutions, especially within the built environment.
  • 2.2K
  • 22 Jan 2024
Topic Review
Risk-Based Flood Management
“Flood management” refers to the general method involved in flood prevention and subsequent flood loss, whereas “risk-based flood management” is the combination of all of the actions that aim at the amelioration of the overall activities in a floodplain.
  • 2.2K
  • 21 Jan 2021
Topic Review
Benefits and Challenges for Electric Vehicles
Electric vehicles (EVs) are gaining popularity as they are independent of oil and do not produce greenhouse gases. For better public transportation services, transportation in a smart city should be hassle-free, environmentally friendly, and comprise networked and shared vehicles. The electric vehicle (EV), which also solves the world’s energy problems, is the finest option.
  • 2.2K
  • 31 May 2023
Topic Review
Aircraft 4D Trajectory Prediction in Civil Aviation
Aircraft four dimensional (4D, including longitude, latitude, altitude and time) trajectory prediction is a key technology for existing automation systems and the basis for future trajectory-based operations. The trajectory prediction is the process of estimating the future states of the aircraft based on the current aircraft state, estimation of the pilot and controller intent, expected environmental conditions, and computer models of aircraft performance and procedures.
  • 2.2K
  • 23 Feb 2022
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