Because of difficulty in inspection and retrofit of foundation in comparison with other elements, the common design philosophy is to avoid any nonlinear deformation in the foundation. This paper shows that by employing controlled foundation nonlinearity, in predetermined sections with arrangements for inspection and retrofit, it is possible to reduce seismic demand on superstructure. Localizing nonlinear deformation to pre-specified zones in the foundation, it is possible to avoid wide spread nonlinear deformation across various members in the superstructure in the case of strong ground motions. To evaluate the efficiency of the proposed model, the response of steel braced frames is examined on rigid foundation, rocking elastic foundation and finally on rocking foundation with controlled nonlinear deformation. Results show that while rocking could be used to protect the superstructure elements from possible overloading during large earthquakes for low-rise structures; it has no remarkable effect on the response of high-rise structures. However, the proposed model with nonlinearity in the foundation could be used in both cases (low-rise and high-rise structures) to effectively control the response of structure.

This paper presents the numerical analysis of seismic soil-pile-superstructure interaction in soft clay using free-field soil analysis and beam on Winkler foundation approach. This model is developed to compute the nonlinear response of single piles under seismic loads, based on one-dimensional finite element formulation. The parameters of the proposed model are calibrated by fitting the experimental data of large-scale seismic soil-pile-structure tests which were conducted on shaking table in UC Berkeley. A comparative evaluation of single piles shows that the results obtained from the proposed procedure are in good agreement with the experimental results.

This study introduces an energy superstructure for waste management in a large-scale farm. It selects the optimal technologies by optimizing the productivity factor and greenhouse gas (GHG) emission functions. The optimization results show that the optimal solution to maximize the efficiency factor is to use a biogas engine that produces a significant amount of 1695.825 GWh of electricity and 1893.11 GWh of heat in a year. Also, one of the advantages of this scenario is that it is economical and has a good return on investment, which attracts investors to it. On the other hand, the optimal solution to minimize GHG emissions do by using combined heat and power based on gas turbine and carbon capture storage; this scenario emits 114.585 Kton of carbon dioxide per year. It is worth noting that this amount, based on waste management, as well as electricity and heat production, reveals the high value of bioenergy potential.

Bridges constitute an expensive segment of construction projects; the optimization of their designs will affect their high cost. Segmental precast concrete bridges are one of the most commonly serviced bridges built for mid and long spans. Genetic algorithm is one of the most widely applied meta-heuristic algorithms due to its ability in optimizing cost. Next to providing cost optimization of these bridge types, the effects of each one of the main three selections, crossover and mutation operators are assessed, and the best operator is determined through the Taguchi experimental design. To validate the functionality of this algorithm, a bridge constructed in the city of Isfahan, Iran (completed in 2017) is optimized, a total of 13% reduction in cost and weight of its superstructure is evident. The efficiency of applying the Taguchi method in determining the type of operators of the genetic algorithm is proved.

The main design criteria of ballasted railway tracks include rail deflections, rail bending stresses, rail wheel contact stresses, sleeper bending moments and ballast sleeper contact pressures. Various criteria have been defined for the design of ballasted railway tracks due to the various mechanical properties of track components and their complex interaction. Therefore, the railway track design is a difficult and time-consuming process. These complications highlight the need to focus attention on the necessity of a thorough investigation into the effect of the track and rolling stock parameters on the design criteria. In an attempt to overcome this problem, a sensitivity analysis of the main railway track design criteria was conducted in this study. Consequently, the roles of track and rolling stock parameters (including track modulus, sleeper spacing, train speed and axle load) in the design of railway track were investigated for various track design criteria. The research findings provide new and practical suggestions in the analysis and design of ballasted railway tracks.