Elaboration of a rapid assessment method for masonry arches

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthias Haslbeck ◽  
Hendrik Vallée ◽  
Thomas Braml

<p>Reassessment of masonry arches necessitates feasible methods for analysing the static behaviour of the persisting structure. In this paper, a method is presented that gives an approximation of the load bearing capacity using only very few geometrical dimensions. Unlike other commercial software kits, the methodology is not tailored to do an exact structural analysis using as-built drawings and documentations, but it is made for a rapid classification of civil engineering structures in the field. Characteristics of the proposed methodology are the analysis using thrust lines and the minimized time consumption for the exploration of the structural properties, which makes the approach the first choice for rapid classification tasks within the German Armed Forces. The application that will be delivered as an App for tablets and other mobile devices shall be used for rapid classification of masonry arches with regard to the crossing of military vehicles, but can easily be adapted for civil applications. For a worked example on the presented methodology, see [25].</p><p><br clear="none"/></p>

2018 ◽  
Vol 192 ◽  
pp. 02033
Author(s):  
Eva Rolia ◽  
Dwita Sutjiningsih ◽  
Fitria Fitria

Catchment area of aquatic system in Universitas Indonesia (UI) campus has a function as groundwater recharge for Depok area, which is the buffer zone of Jakarta. This catchment area has high level of imperviousness as a consequence of increasing population. The high imperviousness implicates in the degradation of the catchment area health. For that reason, the vulnerability assessment of UI catchment area is needed to arrange of restoration recommendation. This research applies Rapid Assessment Method which implements eco-hydrological concepts including aquatic and riparian condition as well as imperviousness of catchment area. Locations of the research are Kenanga and Agathis catchments area. The result of initial classification based imperviousness both catchment areas are categorised as Non-Supporting, where the imperviousness of Kenanga and Agathis is 31,0% and 77,18% respectivelly. Based on the assessment on aquatic and riparian condition as well as future land use, the final classification of both catchment areas is Restorable Non-Supporting catchment area.


2016 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 46
Author(s):  
Abdul Hamid Mar Iman ◽  
Edlic Sathiamurthy

Attention to damage assessment is always a priority especially in cases of natural disaster. The state of Kelantan is known to be one of a few Malaysian states with noticeable natural disaster, in particular, flood. In December 2014, an extraordinary magnitude of flood – nicknamed as yellow flood – struck the state causing hundreds of million ringgit of damage to properties. The purpose of this study is to demonstrate a spatial approach to estimating property damage incurred by flood. By selecting a badly affected area, GIS was used to map geo-referenced flood-hit location in Kuala Krai, Kelantan. Flood hazard was modelled and superimposed on estimated property damage. GIS spatial technique was then employed to estimate the flood damage incurred. This study, however, did not make a complete damage assessment of the properties but rather focusing on the methodology of damage assessment to show how it can be implemented. In conclusion, GIS spatial technique can generally be used to provide flood damage rapid assessment method.


2016 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 20 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simon Albert ◽  
Alifereti Tawake ◽  
Ron Vave ◽  
Paul Fisher ◽  
Alistair Grinham

There has been a resurgence in community-based management of coral reef resources in the developing world over the last two decades. However, many of the threats to reef ecosystems are increasing at a rate beyond local knowledge acquisition. Consequently, there is a continuing need for management tools and monitoring to support community-based approaches. Using algal, fish and reef indicators we provide a rapid assessment method of herbivorous fishes in Locally Managed Marine Areas in Fiji. The algal indicator technique provided a time-integrated assessment of the process of herbivory within Locally Managed Marine Areas and could be used by untrained community members to quantify management responses. Generally, reefs with higher herbivore biomass had a diverse low biomass of algae typical of healthy reefs. Reefs with fewer herbivores had a higher biomass of turf or leathery algae typical of degraded reefs. These results show that simple ecological indicators can be a useful addition to the existing local knowledge that underpins community-based management.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gabriel Spreitzer ◽  
Isabella Schalko ◽  
Robert M. Boes ◽  
Volker Weitbrecht

&lt;p&gt;Large wood (LW) and logjams are common and important elements in rivers, yet knowledge about composition, volume and porosity of wooden structures in streams is still limited. Most studies apply a rectangular approach (manually measuring a rough bounding-box of the logjam) to estimate LW accumulation volume and porosity. However, this method cannot capture the complex dimensions of LW accumulations and may introduce an additional human-made estimation error. Furthermore, there is a risk of accidents involved when obtaining manual measurements on logjams in the field. Drones represent a powerful tool in geosciences, yet their potential has not been fully exploited to date. The application of non-intrusive quantification methods is widely available in geosciences and recently also increasing for research related to LW in rivers. Recent studies demonstrated that drone imagery and Structure-from-Motion photogrammetry provide true replicates of prototype logjams in form of 3D-models. In the present study we used video footage of a LW accumulation, obtained via standard drone (DJI Phantom 4 Pro+), to evaluate its potential for a rapid assessment of geometric measures (e.g. length, width, height, volume) of the LW accumulation. The gained results from the 4k drone video footage (4,096 x 2,160 pixels) were scaled solely from the obtained video georeferencing data and verified with a properly scaled 3D-accumulation-model that has been generated from high resolution drone imagery (5,472 x 3,648 pixels). We are interested in the level of detail and accuracy, that can be obtained from georeferenced drone footage, and aim to introduce a practical and more reliable assessment method as a state-of-the-art alternative to the traditionally applied rectangular approach. Our study may be of interest for river managers and engineers to rapidly and safely assess LW accumulation volume and porosity in the field.&lt;/p&gt;


Author(s):  
Fedele Cuculo ◽  
Alberto di Ludovico ◽  
Annunziata di Niro ◽  
Maria Pina Izzo ◽  
Maria Eugenia Mobbili ◽  
...  

Wetlands ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 40 (4) ◽  
pp. 825-838
Author(s):  
Aaron Onufrak ◽  
Megan A. Rúa ◽  
Katie Hossler

AbstractTo preserve wetland ecosystem function, federal and state agencies have developed assessment procedures to better manage remaining wetland areas. Currently, wetland assessments do not consider microorganisms when determining wetland quality. This is notable, because fungi are often the primary decomposers of organic material and thus important players in nutrient cycling. The objective of this study is to quantify how wetland quality, as measured using the Ohio Rapid Assessment Method (ORAM), relates to fungal community composition. We sampled soils from six depressional emergent marshes in Ohio belonging to each of the three ORAM quality categories, assessed soil physicochemical properties, and recovered fungal DNA. We then determined if wetland quality as expressed by the ORAM reflects soil health. Our results indicate that ORAM scoring methodology significantly explains differences in fungal community composition between wetlands. We also found that soil physicochemical properties not currently included in the ORAM are strong drivers of fungal community composition, particularly bulk density, pH, soil organic matter, and soil moisture. Overall, our results suggest fungal community composition reflects wetland quality as assessed by the ORAM, and that the ORAM and potentially other wetland assessments could better capture the soil environment by including easily measured soil physicochemical properties.


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