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The nuclear purpose of this research paper is to analyse representative bridges around the world as a tourist attraction and iconic element through destination marketing organisations’ (DMOs’) tourism official websites where these are localised and three online travel agencies’ (OTAs’) websites.

This research used a mixed method. The author carried out Google research (13 March 2023) that included the following search word string “iconic bridges around the world” and “the most famous bridges worldwide” to select the most relevant bridges around the globe. Moreover, this research used a content analysis to examine how Expedia, Booking and Orbitz OTAs promote the bridges through their websites in terms of a tourist attraction, iconic element, tourist package, images and information.

Findings suggest that the most representative bridges analysed in this study are promoted as iconic element and tourist attraction through DMOs’ websites. Nevertheless, Booking, Expedia and Orbitz OTAs promote and sell products and services related to bridges selected, except in the case of the Millau Viaduct in France, the Si-O-Se-Pol bridge in Iran, the Danyang Kunshan Grand bridge in China and the Royal Gorge in the USA. Furthermore, results support that OTAs need to enhance the quality and variety of products and services that are linked to iconic bridges sightseeing tours because at the moment, there is a great uniformity in the promotion of products and services provided.

This paper contributes to broader debates in the importance of bridges as a tourist attraction and iconic element to attract tourists through tourism promotion websites.

Viscous dampers are commonly used in large span cable-stayed bridges to mitigate seismic effects and have achieved great success.

However, the nonlinear analysis on damper parameters is usually computational intensive and nonobjective. To address these issues, this paper proposes a simplified method to determine the viscous damper parameters for double-tower cable-stayed bridges. An empirical formula of the equivalent damping ratio of viscous dampers is established through decoupling nonclassical damping structures and linearization of nonlinear viscous dampers. Shaking table tests are conducted to verify the feasibility of the proposed method. Moreover, this simplified method has been proved in long-span cable-stayed bridges.

The feasibility of this method is verified by the simplified model shaking table test. This simplified method for determining the parameters of viscous dampers is verified in cable-stayed bridges with different spans.

This simplified method has been validated in cable-stayed bridges with various spans.

The purpose of this paper is to review the Fuzzy Markov development for assessing the structural integrity of buried transportation bridges. In doing so, the appropriateness of Fuzzy Markov will be assessed, leading to the subsequent model.

This research will utilize the Fuzzy Markov techniques as the conceptual framework. Such methodology is further supported via the utilization and evaluation of 30 buried transportation bridges using the developed Fuzzy Markov model.

Subsequently, through a developed Fuzzy Markov model, this research found that as the basis of structural resilience, specific matrices for age-dependent transition probability can be compiled using conditional survival probabilities in the various structural states; as the basis of structural integrity, specific environmental and economic schemes can also be established based on inspection intervals, intervention systems and failure phases; exact inspection and maintenance intervals can be scheduled to further prolong an asset’s life; and clear and early warning signs can also be formulated for immediate intervention when the structural integrity of the asset are indeed compromised.

The gap within the literature currently surrounds the limitation of computational analysis for some buried structures such as bridges. Specifically, to streamline such evaluation and regimes, a Fuzzy Markov is developed and reviewed.

The existing methods for determining cable forces in cable‐stayed bridges constructed are based on assumption of complete determinacy of structural parameters. This is usually referred to as deterministic analysis. But in reality there are uncertainties in design variables. These uncertainties include geometric properties (cross‐sectional properties and dimensions), material mechanical properties (modulus and strength, etc), load magnitude and distribution, etc. Thus deterministic analysis cannot provide complete information regarding cable forces in cable‐stayed bridges constructed. The purpose of this paper is to determine cable forces in cable‐stayed bridges constructed under parametric uncertainty.

An efficient and accurate algorithm is proposed to determine the cable forces in cable‐stayed bridges constructed under parameter uncertainty. The proposed method is a hybrid method, consisting of the improved Monte Carlo simulation method and forward process analysis method.

The proposed algorithm can obtain more information about the cable forces at different construction stages than the commonly used deterministic method, and it provides an improved understanding of the cable forces in cable‐stayed bridges constructed with parameter uncertainties.

The values of this type of research are that: it developed an efficient and accurate algorithm for determining the cable forces in cable‐stayed bridges constructed under parameter uncertainty; and it provided an improved understanding of the cable forces in cable‐stayed bridges constructed with parameter uncertainties.

The work on bridge resilience assessment includes quantitative and qualitative approaches to compare the multiple bridges based on their resilience. But still, the bridge resilience obtained by these assessment approaches is inefficient when prioritising multiple bridges to improve their resilience. Therefore, this study aims to develop a methodology for prioritising the bridges to improve their resilience.

The research methodology follows three sequential phases. In the first phase, criteria importance through intercriteria correlation (CRITIC) technique is used to compute the criteria weights. The criteria considered are age, area, design high flood level, finish road level FRL and resilience index of bridges. While 12 river-crossing bridges maintained by one bridge owner are considered as alternatives. Then, in the second phase, the prioritisation of each bridge is evaluated using five techniques, including technique for order of preference by similarity to ideal solution, VIKOR (in Serbian, Visekriterijumska Optimizacija I Kompromisno Resenje), additive ratio assessment, complex proportional assessment and multi-objective optimisation method by ratio analysis. Finally, in the third phase, the results of all five techniques are integrated using CRITIC and the weighted sum method.

The result of the study enables bridge owners to deal with the particular bridge that requires resilience improvement. The study concluded that it is not enough to consider only the bridge resilience index to improve its resilience. The prioritisation exercise should consider various other criteria that are not preferred during the bridge resilience assessment process.

The proposed methodology is a novel framework based on the existing multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) techniques for contributing knowledge in the domain of bridge resilience management. It can efficiently overcome the pitfall of decision-making when two bridges have the same resilience index score.

The limitation of bridges’ operation can cause serious social, environmental and economic losses. Therefore, the monitoring and maintenance actions of these structures must be efficient and periodic, especially for bridges located in aggressive environments, such as urban-industrial centres, where the higher volume of carbon dioxide emissions favours carbonation induced corrosion. The purpose of this paper is to analyse the utility of including non-destructive testing (NDTs) to bridges assessment in that regions as a way of obtaining more in-depth information on the conditions of the material composing the structure.

First, the main bridges’ damages were detected by visual inspection. Then, based on the observations of bridges design, environment and main damages, an NDT programme was executed including surface hardness, ultrasonic pulse velocity test, pH indicator spraying, half-cell potential measurements and concrete resistivity tests.

It was observed that, for the studied cases, the carbonation did not present harmful depths, except for the structural elements where segregation and wear of the concrete were noticed. NDTs, associated with visual inspection, indicated the regions where corrective or preventive maintenance actions were actually needed, bringing greater security to the decision maker in regions where repairs are unnecessary or could be postponed.

This paper highlights the contribution of NDTs application in structures in urban-industrial regions where the main mechanism of deterioration is carbonation-induced corrosion, demonstrating the importance of these methods in the rational decision making of investments for maintenance.

The utilisation of emerging technologies for the inspection of bridges has remarkably increased. In particular, non-destructive testing (NDT) technologies are deemed a potential alternative for costly, labour-intensive, subjective and unsafe conventional bridge inspection regimes. This paper aims to develop a framework to overcome conventional inspection regimes' limitations by deploying multiple NDT technologies to carry out digital visual inspections of masonry railway bridges.

This research adopts an exploratory case study approach, and the empirical data is collected through exploratory workshops, interviews and document reviews. The framework is implemented and refined in five masonry bridges as part of the UK railway infrastructure. Four NDT technologies, namely, terrestrial laser scanner, infrared thermography, 360-degree imaging and unmanned aerial vehicles, are used in this study.

A digitally enhanced visual inspection framework is developed by using complementary optical methods. Compared to the conventional inspection regimes, the new approach requires fewer subjective interpretations due to the additional qualitative and quantitative analysis. Also, it is safer and needs fewer operators on site, as the actual inspection can be carried out remotely.

This research is a step towards digitalising the inspection of bridges, and it is of particular interest to transport agencies and bridge inspectors and can potentially result in revolutionising the bridge inspection regimes and guidelines.

This paper aims to understand the effect of different foundation designs of passive house on the resultant thermal bridges, at the junction between a wall and a slab on grade.

The linear thermal transmittances of some newly developed foundations of passive house are determined. The investigated foundation designs are L-element, U-element and foundation with foam glass technique.

It is found that the special design of passive house foundation can considerably influence the heat flow through thermal bridges. In this context, it is proposed a new foundation design of passive house, which has relatively low heat loss through thermal bridges. The results are compared with the “default” ISO values used to evaluate the effect of thermal bridges in typical buildings. It is found that there is large difference between the calculated linear thermal transmittances at the investigated foundations of passive house as compared to typical buildings.

The results can hopefully be used to improve the energy efficiency of the passive house.

Sustainable solution of buildings.

A new foundation design of passive house is suggested to reduce heat loss through thermal bridges.

It is estimated that there are some 49,000 bridges throughout Great Britain which were not built to comply with national loading standards, introduced in 1922, or were built before the standards were introduced. Some of these bridges were assessed for their load‐carrying capacity in the early 1970s in a programme called ‘Operation Bridgeguard’. The Department of Transport is once more assessing older bridges in a three part programme to:

Infrastructure maintenance management has become a challenge field for civil engineers and government managers because of the increasing number of deteriorated structures, their complicated spatial locations, the improved service requirements, the limited maintenance budgets and so on. Therefore, maintenance management approaches have been developed for civil infrastructures such as bridges and roads over the past several decades, but most of such approaches focused on one specific structure only – project‐level maintenance management. Now, there are increasing demands and appropriate conditions for network‐level maintenance management for civil infrastructure systems. Aims to explore such a maintenance management approach by integrating and applying the current information technologies, which include the database management system, geographic information system, genetic algorithm and the Internet. Several possible applications of each technology are discussed for solving real‐world problems.