Walter Scott, Jr. College of Engineering

Sustainable Infrastructure Systems

Sustainable Infrastructure Systems

 

Life cycle assessment and cost optimization

Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) provides a rational framework to plan and evaluate design and mitigation strategies for engineering systems, and can promote the sustainable use of the existing resources. During its life-cycle, engineering system typically experiences alternating phases of being in use and of being down due to deterioration, repair, maintenance, or recovery from damage or failure due to extreme loadings such as those from natural hazards. There are costs and benefits associated with each phase. For a complete LCA of engineering systems, it is critical to model and incorporate the deterioration processes, the repair and recovery processes, and the various associated uncertainties.

Our faculty has expertise in (i) modeling of aging and deterioration of infrastructure systems, e.g., deterioration of reinforced concrete bridges and steel bridges due to corrosion, deterioration of steel dams and locks due to fatigue; (ii) life cycle based analysis and optimization of repair, retrofit, and maintenance strategies for bridge infrastructure; (iii) advanced simulations to model the complex life cycle of infrastructures; (iv) uncertainty modeling and propagation.

Example:

  • Topic: Stochastic Life-Cycle Analysis and Optimization of Deteriorating Reinforced Concrete Bridges under Deterioration due to Corrosion and Seismic Loadings
    Deteriorating Reinforced Concrete Bridge Deteriorating Reinforced Concrete Bridge