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Virginia Tech

Development of a Resilience Assessment Methodology for Networked Infrastructure Systems using Stochastic Simulation, with application to Water Distribution Systems

Abstract

dc:description.abstract

Water distribution systems are critical infrastructure systems enabling the social and economic welfare of a community. While normal failures are expected and repaired quickly, low-probability and high consequence disruptive events have potential to cause severe damage to the infrastructure and significantly reduce their performance or even stop their function altogether. Resilient infrastructure is a necessary component towards achieving resilient and sustainable communities. Resilience concepts allow improved decision making in relation with risk assessment and management in water utilities. However, in order to operationalize infrastructure resilience concepts, it is fundamental to develop practical resilience assessment methods such as the methodology and tool proposed in this research, named Effective Resilience Assessment Methodology for Utilities (ERASMUS). ERASMUS utilizes a stochastic simulation model to evaluate the probability of resilient response from a water distribution system in case of disruption. This methodology utilizes a parametric concept of resilience, in which a resilient infrastructure system is defined in terms of a set of performance parameters compared with their socially acceptable values under a variety of disruptive events. The methodology is applied to two actual water distribution networks in the East and West coasts of the US.

Degree

thesis:*
Name thesis:degree_name
Ph. D.
Level thesis:degree_level
doctoral
Discipline thesis:degree_discipline
Civil Engineering
Department dc:contributor.department
Civil and Environmental Engineering
Grantor dc:publisher
Virginia Tech
Year dc:date.issued
2013

Author and committee

dc:creator, dc:contributor.*
Author dc:creator
  • Gay Alanis, Leon F.
Chair dc:contributor.committeechair
  • Sinha, Sunil Kumar
Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember
  • Murray-Tuite, Pamela Marie
  • Pearce, Annie R.
  • Trani, Antonio A.

Subjects

dc:subject × 5

Rights

dc:rights
Statement dc:rights
  • In Copyright

Identifiers

dc:identifier.*
Dc Identifier Other
vt_gsexam:642
OAI identifier oai:identifier
oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/50595

Chain of custody

source
Harvested from
Virginia Tech
Base URL
vtechworks.lib.vt.edu/oai/request
Last updated
2026-07-22
Source record
OAI-PMH GetRecord
citation

Gay Alanis, Leon F.. Development of a Resilience Assessment Methodology for Networked Infrastructure Systems using Stochastic Simulation, with application to Water Distribution Systems. doctoral thesis, Virginia Tech, 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/50595