Sustainability analysis: A stochastic formulation for evaluating the sustainability of engineering systems

During their life-cycle, engineering systems typically suffer from deterioration due to regular operation and exposure to extreme events and harsh environmental conditions. As a result, regular recovery strategies are often required to restore the system to a target safety and functionality level. There is a need to evaluate the associated impact of such strategies on the life-cycle sustainability of engineering systems. This work proposes a novel stochastic formulation, named Stochastic Life-cycle Sustainability Analysis (SLCSA), for evaluating the sustainability of engineering systems throughout their service lives. In the SLCSA, the sustainability of the system is evaluated for a fixed time horizon in terms of its environmental impact, which includes the impact of the construction, operation processes and recovery strategies that are associated with the various structural and mechanical components of the system. The formulation proposes state-dependent stochastic models that capture the effects of gradual and shock deteriorations in the evaluation of the environmental impact of the system. Moreover, the formulation accounts for the relevant uncertainties, such as those in the external conditions (e.g., environmental exposure and potential hazards), and those in the environmental emissions, associated with the materials and energy used throughout the system life-cycle. As an illustration, the proposed analysis is used to evaluate the life-cycle sustainability of a typical reinforced concrete (RC) bridge.

Name thesis:degree_name

M.S.

Level thesis:degree_level

Thesis

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Civil Engineering

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2019

Author dc:creator

• Gharzouzi, Paul

Contributors dc:contributor

• Gardoni, Paolo

• Sustainability
• state-dependent stochastic models
• life-cycle analysis

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright 2018 Paul Gharzouzi

Language dc:language

en

Handle dc:identifier

http://hdl.handle.net/2142/102965

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/102965