Wenjie Li

This study investigates flood-induced dynamic responses of bridge piers and local scour around pile-group foundations, using the Jangwani Bridge in Tanzania as a case study. Separate fluid–structure interaction and coupled hydrodynamic–sediment transport scour models were developed for the bridge pier and pile-group foundation, respectively, to examine hydrodynamic forces, displacements, stresses, and scour evolution under different pier cross sections, approach-flow velocities, water levels, and pile diameters. The results show that the short-duration hydrodynamic response of bridge piers to the initial flood impact is distinctly transient and comprises three stages: initial impact, damped oscillation, and quasi-steady flow-past response. Under representative conditions, the peak transient impact force is 1.61–2.93 times the quasi-steady hydrodynamic load. Pier cross-sectional shape significantly affects the structural response, with the circular section exhibiting lower peak impact force and maximum principal stress than the square and rectangular sections. The fluid–structure interaction coefficient ranges from 0.98 to 1.41, indicating that the mean force predicted with fluid–structure interaction exceeds that for a rigid pier in most cases. Local scour around pile-group foundations develops rapidly at first, followed by slower growth toward the end of the 3000 s simulations. The scour hole is concentrated mainly near the upstream front-row piles, whereas the downstream rear-row piles experience less scour because of shielding. Under the selected reference condition and local perturbations, approach-flow velocity has the greatest effect on maximum scour depth, followed by water level and pile diameter. These findings provide a basis for flood-resilient bridge-substructure design, foundation scour protection, and construction-stage safety management in floodplains.

To quantify the carbon footprint of cross-border bridges built by Chinese companies in Africa, based on the Janwani Bridge in Tanzania and the life cycle theory, it is divided into five stages: production, transportation, on-site construction, operational maintenance, and demolition and disposal. Using the emission factor method to construct carbon emission models for each stage, while considering cross-border supply chains and the addition of vegetation carbon sinks, we quantify the emissions for each stage. The research is based on the project design stage bill of quantities and construction organization data for prediction and estimation. The energy consumption parameters of construction machinery refer to the Chinese quota standards, and the energy consumption of lighting during the operation period is estimated according to the design parameters. The results show that the total carbon emissions of the life cycle of the bridge is about 41,668,548.20 kgCO₂e, with the production stage being the dominant position (87.48%), and cement and reinforcing steel contributing more than 95% of the emissions during this stage. The operational maintenance stage comes second (7.28%), mainly driven by lighting electricity (accounting for 73.65% of the total emissions in this stage), attributed to the local power grid dominated by fossil fuels. Sensitivity analysis shows that the key factors are ranked as cement > reinforcing steel > electricity > diesel. Considering the reality of insufficient supply of low-carbon materials and weak infrastructure in Africa, emission reduction measures are proposed from three aspects: optimizing concrete mix proportion, controlling construction machinery, and implementing intelligent lighting. The research contribution lies in incorporating the entire cross-border transportation chain and newly added vegetation carbon sinks into the LCA boundary of bridges, while considering the dual attributes of “technology output + localized operation”, and constructing a carbon emission accounting model adapted to the built-up areas of African cities. On this basis, the carbon emission characteristics of the life cycle were quantitatively analyzed, feasible emission reduction measures in the region were proposed, and the carbon reduction potential was calculated, providing scientific basis for low-carbon control of Chinese enterprises’ overseas bridges.

Wind-induced response poses a significant challenge to the stability of extra-large-span heavy steel box girders during synchronous lifting operations. This study adopted a method combining numerical simulation with on-site monitoring to investigate the aerodynamic characteristics the beam during the overall hoisting process of the Xiaotun Bridge. A high-fidelity finite element model was established using Midas NFX 2024 R1, and fluid–structure interaction (FSI) analysis was conducted, utilizing the RANS k-ε turbulence model to simulate stochastic wind fields. The results show that during the lifting stage from 3 m to 25 m, the maximum horizontal displacement of the steel box girder rapidly increases at wind angles of 90° and 60°, and the peak displacement is reached at 25 m. Under a strong breeze at a 90° wind angle and 25 m lifting height, the maximum lateral displacement was 42.88 mm based on FSI analysis, which is approximately 50% higher than the 28.58 mm obtained from linear static analysis. Subsequently, during the 25 m to 45 m lifting stage, the displacement gradually decreases and exhibits a linear correlation with lifting height. Concurrently, the maximum stress of the lifting lug of the steel box girder increases rapidly in the 3–25 m lifting stage, reaches the maximum at 25 m, and gradually stabilizes in the 25–45 m lifting stage. The lug stress under the same critical condition reached 190.80 MPa in FSI analysis, compared with 123.83 MPa in static analysis, highlighting a significant dynamic amplification. Furthermore, the detrimental coupling effect between mechanical vibrations from the lifting platform and wind loads was quantified; the anti-overturning stability coefficient was reduced by 10.48% under longitudinal vibration compared with lateral vibration, and a further reduction of up to 39.33% was caused by their synergy with wind excitation. Field monitoring validated the numerical model, with stress discrepancies below 9.7%. Based on these findings, a critical on-site wind speed threshold of 9.38 m/s was proposed, and integrated control methods were implemented to ensure construction safety. During on-site lifting, lifting lug stresses were monitored in real time, and if the predefined threshold was exceeded, contingency measures were immediately activated to ensure a controlled termination.