Chapters authored
BIM Approach for Smart Infrastructure Design and Maintenance Operations
In the age of the Internet-of-Things and Big Data, Building Information Modeling (BIM) is being expanded into sectors for which it was not originally designed, such as the infrastructure sector, and becomes a necessity for the planning and management of smart cities. The digitization of the urban environment, its building and infrastructural heritage and its services is at the center of the concept of smart city, and this appears strongly linked to the use of BIM on an increasingly extended scale as an enabling tool for planning cities that are increasingly intelligent, sustainable, interconnected and above all liveable. In this chapter a creation process for the digitalization of existing roads, as well-known as reverse engineering method, will be shown as follows: a) modeling 3D digital terrain model; b) creating the horizontal alignment, vertical profiles and editing cross-sections; c) modeling the 3D corridor. As a response to long-term development between BIM and road engineering, this chapter will contribute also by offering innovative and practical solutions for integration of road design and pavement analysis, for a better management and optimization of road pavement maintenance.
Part of the book: Models and Technologies for Smart, Sustainable and Safe Transportation Systems
Road Asphalt Pavements Made by Bottom Ashes from Waste-to-Energy Plant as a Filler
Not all waste is completely burned by waste-to-energy plants. About 73% of it is bottom ashes (BA). Sustainable reuse of the BA is to reprocess them into the production chain of the asphalt mixtures for road pavements. This research deals with an experimental investigation of the mechanical performance of hot and cold asphalt mastics made with the BA filler versus the traditional ones containing limestone powder (LP). First, environmental compatibility tests were carried out and then a rheological analysis, applying viscosity, frequency sweep, and multiple stress creep and recovery tests, was performed to check the feasibility of using the BA as a filler for asphalt-based materials. Looking at the main results, the ecotoxicological tests in terms of EC50 for toxicity on Daphnia and EC50 for algal growth inhibition confirmed the usability of all the mastics from an environmental point of view. The rheological results showed higher G* values for cold asphalt mastics made up with the BA compared to the corresponding solutions made with the LP. Additionally, it was also observed that the mastics containing BA returned a 90% decrease in non-recoverable creep compliance at test temperatures over 40°C compared to the corresponding mastics made with the LP.
Part of the book: Asphalt Materials - Recent Developments and New Perspective [Working title]