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  • Special Planning
    Editorial Department of China Journal of Highway and Transport
    China Journal of Highway and Transport. 2025, 38(12): 1-153. https://doi.org/10.19721/j.cnki.1001-7372.2025.12.001
    Subgrade engineering serves as the critical load-bearing component for pavement structures, which significantly influences the stability, safety and durability of road infrastructure. To further advance the sustainability of subgrade engineering in China, propel its high-quality development toward green low-carbon, sustainability, and intelligent development, and contribute to the national strategy of building a “Transportation Power”, this study systematically synthesizes the latest advancements in scientific and technological innovation within China's subgrade engineering domain in recent years, while comprehensively delineating the priority directions for future research. The research is grounded in an analysis of the industry's current development status and evolving trends, and centers on six thematic pillars, namely, engineering properties of subgrade fillers, durable subgrade design theory, subgrade widening technology, subgrade protection and retaining structures, intelligent construction of subgrade engineering, and subgrade disaster prevention and mitigation. Specifically, it encompasses cutting-edge research areas, including the mechanical behaviors of various subgrade soils (e.g., oversized-grained soil, coarse-grained soil, fine-grained soil, and special soils), subgrade moisture evolution mechanisms and associated design methodologies, approaches for determining subgrade structural modulus, calculation and control criteria for subgrade permanent deformation, indices and standards for uneven settlement control of widened subgrade, splicing techniques for new and existing subgrade segments, waterproofing and drainage systems for reconstructed/expanded subgrade, advanced ground improvement technologies, subgrade slope stability assessment, slope protection measures, anti-slide piles and retaining wall structures, design and rehabilitation of slope anchorage systems and waterproof-drainage facilities, intelligent compaction of subgrades, intelligent detection and real-time monitoring of subgrade performance, classification of subgrade disasters, subgrade defect detection, disaster monitoring and warning systems, prevention and mitigation strategies for subgrade defects and disasters, and evaluation and enhancement of subgrade disaster resilience. For each area, this study analyzes and deliberates on the current state of academic research, prevailing challenges, targeted countermeasures, and future development prospects. This review is intended to provide strategic guidance and reference for the advancement of China's subgrade engineering discipline, while offering novel perspectives and foundational insights for researchers and practitioners in this field.
  • Special Column on Road Traffic Safety
    WANG Xue-song, WU Meng-jiao, ZHOU Xuan, DU Feng, ZHOU Chu, CAI Gang, ZHOU Yan-ru, YUE Li-sheng-sa, CHEN Jia-wen, JI Xiang
    China Journal of Highway and Transport. 2025, 38(12): 154-173. https://doi.org/10.19721/j.cnki.1001-7372.2025.12.002
    Maintaining an adequate level of vigilance during driving is crucial for driving safety. Types of vigilance decline during driving can be categorized into fatigue, distraction, and prolonged automated driving monitoring. These types may differ in key features and attention mechanisms, but their heterogeneous characteristics remain unclear. This heterogeneity may contribute to the poor generalization ability and suboptimal performance of current models for detecting impaired driving states. This study systematically examines the characteristics and mechanisms of vigilance decline during driving through a literature analysis on measurement tools, types, features, influencing factors, underlying mechanisms, detection methods, and warning systems. The following conclusions were drawn: ① While measurement tools for vigilance have formed a relatively complete system, their application in traffic scenarios is not yet widespread. ② The characteristics of vigilance decline are generally defined, but research on type differences in fatigue driving is insufficient, and studies on EEG features of cognitive distraction are lacking. The effects of auditory-cognitive distraction, fatigue driving, and their interaction on takeover efficiency need further exploration. ③ Mechanistically, vigilance decline due to sleep-related fatigue is linked to reduced cortical activity, while task-related fatigue, distraction, and automated driving monitoring are associated with insufficient attention resources and arousal levels. ④ Existing detection technologies focus excessively on fatigue driving and visual-manual distraction, with insufficient research on detecting cognitive distraction and comprehensive vigilance assessment. The high cost and complexity of EEG and eye-tracking devices limit their use. ⑤ Current warning systems overlook factors such as driving environment and individual physiological and psychological states, lacking differentiated warning strategies based on vigilance decline mechanisms. The following recommendations are proposed: ① Strengthen interdisciplinary collaboration to develop a vigilance measurement paradigm specific to traffic scenarios and promote empirical research on vigilance measurement tools in transportation. ② Systematically compare the vigilance characteristics across different types of fatigue driving and analyze eye-tracking and EEG feature maps of distracted driving under various cognitive processing combinations. ③ Develop portable, low-invasiveness EEG devices and create real-time monitoring models for cognitive distraction based on eye-tracking features and ERP indicators. ④ Overcome ERP identification challenges through standardized experimental design, innovative data analysis methods, and multimodal data fusion techniques. ⑤ Establish classification-based warning standards for drivers, design personalized warning strategies based on vigilance decline mechanisms, and integrate in-vehicle environmental control warning systems.
  • Special Column on Road Traffic Safety
    ZHAO Xiao-hua, LIU Qi-qi, HUANG Jian-ling, WANG Xue-song
    China Journal of Highway and Transport. 2025, 38(12): 174-199. https://doi.org/10.19721/j.cnki.1001-7372.2025.12.003
    Traffic signs are crucial elements ensuring the safe, efficient, and green operation of the transportation system. However, the effectiveness of traffic signs is often restricted by the adaptability of traffic sign setting standards, the effectiveness of testing methods, and the comprehensiveness of utility analysis. This paper focuses on the three fundamental issues of “unable to find,” “difficult to understand,” and “incorrect navigation” caused by traffic signs, which affect travel quality. It systematically sorts out and summarizes the research hotspots of traffic signs using the scientific knowledge map method. Meanwhile, starting from the driver's cognitive decision-making chain of “discovery, understanding, and execution,” this paper comprehensively reviews the experimental testing platforms, basic theories, and key technologies in traffic sign research. The study further emphasizes the need to deeply characterize the complex impacts of traffic signs on drivers' visual perception, cognitive processing, manipulative behaviors, and vehicle operating states, and to explore their implicit influence pathways on driving behavior. Additionally, it conducts utility assessments and optimizations of the traffic sign system from the perspective of drivers' information needs. Based on this, combining the team's research experience, this paper innovatively constructs a research and application paradigm for traffic signs covering six aspects: “scheme design, feature representation, quantitative evaluation, optimized selection, supporting arrangements, and standard guidelines.” By analyzing typical traffic sign research cases, it elaborates on the specific implementation steps of this paradigm and compares it with similar research methods at home and abroad. The results show that the research and application paradigm of traffic signs integrating human factor needs has obvious advantages. It not only provides theoretical support for sign design research and optimization but also offers a solid basis for solving common issues related to safety facilities in the transportation industry and significant engineering applications.
  • Special Column on Road Traffic Safety
    ZHANG Hui, YANG Chun-hui, TIAN Kai, WU Chao-zhong, Lü Neng-chao, DING Nai-kan, LIU Shao-bo
    China Journal of Highway and Transport. 2025, 38(12): 200-229. https://doi.org/10.19721/j.cnki.1001-7372.2025.12.004
    Automated vehicles encounter significant safety and efficiency challenges within mixed traffic flows involving frequent pedestrian interactions. Precise modeling of this pedestrian-vehicle interaction is therefore crucial. Such modeling is fundamental not only to advancing the vehicle's decision-making intelligence but also to building high-fidelity virtual testbeds, collectively enabling safer navigation, enhanced user experiences, and superior traffic throughput. Despite its importance, the field currently suffers from highly fragmented research and a lack of systematic review. This paper addresses this gap by providing a comprehensive survey of the state-of-the-art progress and key challenges in pedestrian-vehicle interaction modeling. It first deconstructs the essential characteristics of this interaction through the lenses of traffic safety, utility maximization, social norms, and information exchange to establish a formal definition. It then systematically reviews dominant behavioral modeling techniques and interaction quantification methods, further examining the unique attributes and modeling paradigms of automated vehicles as interactive agents. The paper concludes with a summary and outlook on future technological trends. Our review identifies several critical limitations in the current literature: Theoretical: An inadequate understanding of pedestrian cognitive mechanisms and unsystematic insights into the role of communication; Modeling: The constraints of existing physics- or utility-based assumptions and a lack of research into hybrid models; Contextual: A general disregard for the heterogeneity of interaction scenarios, vehicles, and participants; Methodological: The persistent bottleneck of poor explainability in data-driven approaches. To overcome these challenges, future work must focus on deepening the understanding of cognitive processes, exploring the coupling of physics- and utility-driven models, and systematically integrating contextual factors. Significantly, emerging technologies like multimodal large language models and theories of embodied cognition are creating new research paradigms. We argue that substantial progress in this field necessitates deep interdisciplinary fusion and novel applications of these technologies, paving the way for a next-generation intelligent transportation system that is safer, more efficient, and fundamentally human-centric.
  • Special Column on Road Traffic Safety
    HU Jia, XU Tian, YAN Xue-run, LAI Jin-tao
    China Journal of Highway and Transport. 2025, 38(12): 230-248. https://doi.org/10.19721/j.cnki.1001-7372.2025.12.005
    With the rapid increase in the demand for automated driving testing, quickly selecting critical scenarios from numerous testing scenarios has become a top priority. Due to the scarcity and low occurrence probability of critical scenarios, which result in low testing efficiency, there is an urgent need to develop accelerated methods for critical scenario identification. To provide a comprehensive review of accelerated methods for critical scenario identification in automated driving testing, this review is explored in three dimensions: functional scenarios, logical scenarios, and concrete scenarios. In the functional scenario dimension, the research primarily focuses on scenario configuration, selecting the combinations of factors that constitute critical scenarios. In the logical scenario dimension, the research focuses on the scope of scenarios, selecting the range of values for the factors that define critical scenarios. In the concrete scenario dimension, the research emphasizes scenario instances, selecting the specific values of factors that constitute critical scenarios. It is noteworthy that current research on functional and logical scenarios is still insufficient, requiring more scholars to engage in this area. Furthermore, existing methods face multiple challenges, including insufficient scenario authenticity, limited acceleration effects, and incompatibility with automated driving functions. Future research should focus on addressing these issues, particularly in the areas of functional and logical scenarios, and continuously optimizing the accelerating technology for critical scenario identification to provide robust support for the ongoing advancement of automated driving testing technology.
  • Special Column on Long-term Performance Evolution Analysis and Evaluation of Bridge Structures
    LIU Yong-jian, CHEN Sha, WANG Zhuang, YE Ke-cheng, DUAN Hai, XU Bo
    China Journal of Highway and Transport. 2025, 38(11): 1-20. https://doi.org/10.19721/j.cnki.1001-7372.2025.11.001
    Steel bridges exposed to the atmospheric environment inevitably suffer from corrosion damage under the combined effects of temperature, relative humidity, and pollutants, posing a global challenge. To deepen the understanding of atmospheric corrosion, this study summarizes existing research findings from three perspectives: the macro-environment near bridge sites, the local environment around components, and the micro-environment on component surfaces, while also exploring future research directions. Current research shows that the macro-environment has reached a stage where it can be characterized and classified, along with a classification method based on standard coupon exposure test results and climatic parameters. The local environment only reflects the influence of long-term exposure to corrosive media at different parts of steel bridges but lacks characterization parameters such as the intensity and duration of corrosive media effects, making corrosivity level determination reliant on engineering experience. The micro-environment focuses on the mechanism of steel atmospheric corrosion, dynamically characterizing the corrosivity of different points on steel bridges through parameters such as surface temperature, surface humidity, and surface pollutant deposition. The existing corrosion environment zoning map of China has limitations, including low data density and exposure test stations located far from bridge sites, making it difficult to accurately reflect the corrosivity level of the macro-environment at bridge locations. It is recommended to establish a gradient-based atmospheric corrosion exposure monitoring network along Chinese highway system to obtain multi-source atmospheric corrosion data and develop a corrosion environment zoning map tailored for steel bridges. Future research should aim to build a micro-environment research system that is characterizable, quantifiable, and applicable. Theoretical studies on micro-environment calculations should be conducted to clarify the interaction mechanisms of micro-environment parameters and establish quantitative analysis methods. A predictive model for atmospheric corrosion rates at the micro-environment level should be developed to provide scientific principles for precise detection of localized corrosion, corrosion-resistant structural design, and targeted maintenance strategies.
  • Special Column on Road Transportation and Energy Integration
    JIANG Wei, WANG Teng, SHA Ai-min, WANG Ya-qiong, ZHANG Shuo, ZHANG Yu-fei
    China Journal of Highway and Transport. 2025, 38(11): 178-197. https://doi.org/10.19721/j.cnki.1001-7372.2025.11.012
    Driven by global carbon neutrality goals, the clean energy supply for highways presents a critical pathway to decarbonize transportation. This study systematically reviews the characteristics, collection pathways, and utilization potential of green energy in the road area from the perspective of synergistic development between transportation and energy. First, green energy in the road area was categorized into two types based on energy sources: natural energy, such as solar energy, natural wind energy, geothermal energy, and hydro energy; and traffic-induced energy, including mechanical vibration energy, pavement thermal energy, and convective wind energy. Then, the study reviews various energy collection technologies, including photovoltaic cells, wind turbines, heat pumps, hydro and wave energy conversion devices, vibration energy harvesters, and thermoelectric generators, as well as their conversion efficiency and technical challenges. Finally, by establishing a potential assessment model under a unified scenario, the study conducted a comparative analysis of output power, economic viability, and carbon reduction benefits, and summarized typical application scenarios. The study noted that while the potential for green energy is significant, its development and utilization face multi-dimensional challenges, including precise energy assessment, core technology efficiency and durability, and system integration and economic viability. This study aims to provide a theoretical framework and decision-making reference for constructing a clean, low-carbon, efficiently integrated, transportation energy ecosystem.
  • Pavement Engineering
    LYU Song-tao, WANG Shuang-shuang, LIU Chao-chao, ZHENG Jian-long
    China Journal of Highway and Transport. 2025, 38(11): 257-267. https://doi.org/10.19721/j.cnki.1001-7372.2025.11.017
    In order to objectively assess the fatigue damage characteristics of asphalt mixtures under complex service conditions, the strength, fatigue and residual strength tests of asphalt mixtures under different stress states, different test temperatures, and different loading frequencies (rates) have been carried out to reveal the limitations of the traditional fatigue damage model that characterizes fatigue damage with residual strength without taking into account the visco-elasticity characteristics of asphalt mixtures. Based on the three-dimensional strength yield model of asphalt mixtures characterized by effective stress, the fatigue stress ratio under a three-dimensional stress state is defined, the fatigue stress intensity ratio and fatigue life under a three-dimensional stress state are modeled, and the fatigue performance of different stress states, different temperatures, and frequencies is realized to characterize the fatigue performance in a normalized way. Furthermore, a nonlinear fatigue damage evolution model for asphalt mixtures under three-dimensional stress states was derived using the effective stress to characterize the residual strength under different stress states and the normalized fatigue equation to characterize the fatigue life. The results show that the traditional fatigue damage model characterizing fatigue damage by residual strength makes it difficult to objectively characterize the fatigue damage properties of asphalt mixtures under different test methods and conditions, with the model parameter γ1 fluctuating between 0.933--0.948, and the parameter γ2 fluctuating between 0.174--0.186. Three-dimensional stress state of asphalt mixture nonlinear fatigue damage evolution model to achieve the fatigue damage of the normalized characterization, not only intuitively verified the fatigue damage of asphalt mixtures of the time-temperature-stress state correlation and equivalence, but also to eliminate the impact of the test method and test conditions on the fatigue damage characterization, for quantitative analysis of asphalt mixtures of fatigue damage characteristics provide a theoretical basis.
  • Subgrade Engineering
    ZHANG Rui, LI Lu, HU Shao-jie, GOU Ling-yun, ZHANG Chao
    China Journal of Highway and Transport. 2025, 38(11): 283-307. https://doi.org/10.19721/j.cnki.1001-7372.2025.11.019
    Understanding pore water in soils has long been a central and challenging topic in soil mechanics. Its physical properties are also a key scientific issue shared across the mechanical research of various special soils, such as high liquid limit soils and soft soils. Pore water can be classified into free water and adsorptive water, depending on its state. Adsorptive water exhibits unique physical properties, including high density and strong structural characteristics, resulting in its distinct flow and phase change behaviors from free water. However, the effects of the physical properties of adsorptive water on soil permeability, strength, and deformation remain unclear. Moreover, practical engineering generally overlooks the significance of adsorptive water, failing to fully utilize its physical properties to optimize engineering practices. This paper provided a comprehensive review of recent progress on adsorptive water in soil and its influence on soil properties, both domestically and internationally. It covered theoretical and experimental studies across microscopic, mesoscopic, and macroscopic scales. Specifically, it systematically summarizes the formation mechanisms of adsorptive water, analyzes the differences in physical properties between adsorptive water and capillary water, and clarifies the effects of adsorptive water on the hydraulic and mechanical properties of soil. It also reviews experimental research on the effects of adsorptive water on soil permeability, along with recent advancements in permeability coefficient models that consider adsorption. Additionally, the experimental research on the effects of adsorptive water on soil strength is reviewed, along with the development of strength models considering the effects of adsorptive water. Additionally, the paper summarizes the research progress on the role of adsorptive water in soil compression deformation, creep deformation, and subgrade soil resilience, with a focus on its role in the creep behavior of high liquid limit soils and soft soils. Finally, the paper discusses the potential applications of adsorptive water in high liquid limit soil embankments and soft soil foundation engineering, and future research priorities and directions are outlined to provide a reference for further studies.
  • Tunnel Engineering
    QIAN Wang-ping, WANG Bo, XIONG Wen-wei, LUO Ding-wei, LI Shu-chen
    China Journal of Highway and Transport. 2025, 38(11): 320-332. https://doi.org/10.19721/j.cnki.1001-7372.2025.11.021
    To reveal the evolutionary law of the mechanical properties of lining structures under the blockage of the longitudinal drainage pipe in karst tunnels, a test device system was independently developed to simulate the blockage of longitudinal drainage pipes and karst channels. The complex tunnel drainage system was equivalent to the circumferential blind pipe and the longitudinal drainage pipe characterized by the cross-sectional area and longitudinal length, and the physical model experiment of tunnel seepage under different blockage degrees of longitudinal drainage pipe was conducted. The results reveal that the groundwater reduction speed in the karst channel and the tunnel drainage volume decrease rapidly with the increase of the blockage of the longitudinal drainage pipe, which significantly reduces the dissipation capacity of the tunnel drainage system. The groundwater in the karst channel directly exerts localized high-water pressure on the tunnel lining, significantly increasing the stress response of the tunnel lining structure. When the longitudinal drainage pipe is completely blocked, the decline rate of groundwater reduction speed and tunnel drainage are as high as 82.5% and 95.9%, respectively. The water pressure at the arch bottom position and the structural stress at the left waist position are the most sensitive, and the growth rates are 30.1% and 37.6%, respectively. Compared with the two blockage indices of the longitudinal drainage pipe, the longitudinal length blockage index directly influences the flow path length, and the cross-sectional area blockage index directly affects the equivalent permeability coefficient, which jointly determine the drainage performance of the tunnel drainage pipe. Furthermore, due to the nonlinear evolution trend, there are noticeable differences in the relative influence weights of two blockage indices during the blockage process, that is, the longitudinal length blockage index is the primary influencing factor under low blockage conditions, whereas the cross-sectional area blockage index becomes the dominant factor under high blockage conditions. The research results can provide a theoretical basis for the safety assessments and maintenance measures of lining structure affected by drainage system blockages during the operational phase of karst tunnels.
  • Traffic Engineering
    YANG Yan-qun, WANG Lin-wei, ZHAO Xiao-hua, LIU Qi-qi
    China Journal of Highway and Transport. 2025, 38(11): 342-361. https://doi.org/10.19721/j.cnki.1001-7372.2025.11.023
    Guide signs serve as essential tools for providing drivers with route guidance and decision-making support. However, existing studies on freeway guide signs largely concentrate on the effectiveness of signage at critical interchanges or exits, with limited attention to the overall coordination of signage systems across entire road networks. To address this gap, the concept of comprehensive coordination of network guide signs is introduced. A quantitative evaluation method based on a multidimensional collaborative cloud model is developed, incorporating three key dimensions: information continuity, format consistency, and stability of driver cognitive load. Taking the Shijiazhuang freeway network as a case study, sign information continuity at interchange nodes is determined using graph theory and Monte Carlo simulation. Format consistency is assessed via the Euclidean distance of factors such as information density, the number of signs, and advance placement distance. Driver cognitive load stability is measured through EEG and eye-tracking data collected from on-road driving experiments. These indicators are synthesized to evaluate the overall coordination level of guide signs within the network. Results indicate that the network exhibits a moderate level of coordination, with only 1 out of 13 interchanges rated as highly coordinated. While the average information continuity across interchanges reaches 0.93, one node shows a significantly low unidirectional continuity of 0.16, impairing effective navigation. Additionally, 53.85% of the interchanges score below the network average in format consistency, cognitive load stability, and overall coordination. The findings support the validity of the proposed coordination assessment model and reveal that information density is positively correlated with cognitive load. More critically, discontinuity in signage information exerts a stronger impact on cognitive load than density, indicating that cognitive load stability can serve as an effective indirect measure of guide sign coordination across freeway networks.
  • Automotive Engineering
    ZHANG Zhi-fei, FU Xiao-yu, XIA Zi-heng, HE Yan-song, LI Shu, YAN Hui, LIANG Tao
    China Journal of Highway and Transport. 2025, 38(11): 436-446. https://doi.org/10.19721/j.cnki.1001-7372.2025.11.029
    In order to achieve effective noise reduction performance, the vehicle road noise control system require numerous reference signals, increasing computation costs of hardware. The virtual reference signal can effectively balances computational efficiency and noise reduction performance in the vehicle road noise control system. However, the balance of computational complexity and practicality for various road conditions is still one challenge of the virtual reference signal method. To address that issue, a new time-domain virtual reference signal method is proposed using the multi-condition conversion matrix. The multi-condition conversion matrix was synthesized based on the vibration data characteristics under multiple conditions. First, the original reference signals were selected based on the multiple coherence method. For each condition, the covariance matrix of the reference signals was analyzed using singular value decomposition to obtain eigenvalues and eigenvectors. Next, the extracted eigenvectors matrices from each condition were sorted in descending order of their corresponding eigenvalues. Then, eigenvectors associated with smaller eigenvalues were truncated. The truncated eigenvector matrices were subsequently partitioned and reorganized in sequential order. The Pearson correlation of each eigenvector was analyzed within each eigenvector group. Finally, the eigenvectors with the highest average correlation coefficient in each group were selected to form the multi-condition conversion matrix. Virtual reference signals could be constructed under various conditions based on this matrix. To verify the feasibility and applicability of the proposed method, simulation and real-vehicle experiments were conducted on a hybrid vehicle under various conditions. Twelve original reference signals collected under various operating conditions were used to construct a multi-condition conversion matrix. Based on this matrix, seven virtual reference signals were generated. Real-vehicle experiments were conducted to validate the noise reduction performance of the method in practical engineering applications. The results indicate that, compared to existing method, the proposed method effectively reduces the computational complexity by approximately 11.5%. Furthermore, the testing and analysis across various typical road conditions demonstrated that the proposed method achieved superior noise reduction performance under all operating conditions. Compared to existing methods, the noise reduction of the total sound pressure level in the 50-500 Hz band is increased by 0.7-1.8 dB(A). This study demonstrates a promising approach for enhancing the application of virtual reference signals in engineering practice.
  • Special Column on Highway Subgrade Disaster Damage and Resilience Enhancement
    BAO Han, LI Xiao-guang, LIU Li, SONG Zhan-ting, LAN Heng-xing, YAN Chang-gen, JIANG Zi-yang
    China Journal of Highway and Transport. 2025, 38(10): 1-20. https://doi.org/10.19721/j.cnki.1001-7372.2025.10.001
    Highway slope disasters pose a significant threat to the safe operation of road traffic. Clarifying the fundamental causes of these disasters and developing lightweight monitoring and early warning systems have become urgent priorities to ensure the safety of road networks. Based on a comprehensive review of the characteristics and spatial distribution of highway slope disasters, this study systematically summarized five typical failure modes-collapse, landslide, debris flow, subgrade subsidence, and surface slumping-and analyzed the specific features and failure mechanisms of each type. An in-depth analysis was also conducted on the contributing factors and triggering conditions. Building on these insights, the study proposed a framework for lightweight monitoring and early warning of highway slope disasters. This framework consisted of five main components: on-site inspection, selection of monitoring indicators, optimization of monitoring locations, refinement of warning models, and implementation of preventive measures. The study also outlined the essential conditions required for implementing such lightweight monitoring and early warning. Based on this, the paper focused on highway embankment slopes characterized by “long corridors and strong constraints”. A core framework of “pre-screening before measurement, low-cost sensing, and lightweight modeling” was summarized, and a feasible implementation scheme was proposed. This work serves as a reference for the development and application of lightweight monitoring and early warning technologies for highway subgrade slopes and holds important implications for improving the resilience and safety of road infrastructure.
  • Special Column on Highway Subgrade Disaster Damage and Resilience Enhancement
    LIU Xian-lin, LYU Xi-lin, LAN Ri-yan, SHAO Yu, ZHONG Yi-shun, HE Mao-feng, XUE Da-wei
    China Journal of Highway and Transport. 2025, 38(10): 21-35. https://doi.org/10.19721/j.cnki.1001-7372.2025.10.002
    To address the challenges of complex spatiotemporal evolution, diverse triggering mechanisms, and delayed responses of conventional treatments for highway-associated landslides, this study proposed an integrated full-process “identification-early warning-control” approach for landslide hazard management. In the hazard identification stage, a rapid landslide detection and evolution-tracking method was developed by integrating multi-source data including remote sensing imagery, Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) interferometry, Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) photogrammetry, and Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR), combined with geophysical prospecting and borehole inclinometers to accurately delineate the geometric characteristics of sliding surfaces. In the monitoring and early warning stage, a multi-parameter monitoring system was established by integrating Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS), inclinometers, stress meters, microseismic sensors, and meteorological instruments, and a hierarchical early warning model was constructed based on deformation-mechanical control-environmental responses, enabling dynamic monitoring and accurate early warning under complex geological conditions. In the control strategy stage, a phased rapid emergency treating strategy was proposed, integrating structural optimization with components such as micropiles and intelligent anchoring systems, to achieve highly targeted and efficiently deployable countermeasures. The proposed methodology was validated through its application to the Naliang landslide treatment project along the Duba Expressway. The results demonstrate its strong engineering adaptability and high potential for broader implementation in integrated “identification-early warning-control” treatment of landslides along highway.
  • Special Column on Highway Subgrade Disaster Damage and Resilience Enhancement
    DING Hai-feng, FU Xiao-dong, WU Kai, KANG Jing-yu, YI Xue-bin
    China Journal of Highway and Transport. 2025, 38(10): 36-49. https://doi.org/10.19721/j.cnki.1001-7372.2025.10.003
    The dynamic evolution of earthquake-induced high-level rock mass collapses is highly complex, characterized by significant energy release, and poses severe threats to the safety of transportation lifeline projects. To elucidate the mechanism of dynamic instability and the associated hazard effects of high-level rock masses under strong seismic excitation, this study focused on the Lanhuazhai high-level dangerous rock zone, located merely 2.5 km from the epicenter in the Hailuogou Scenic Area during the 2022 Luding earthquake. A dynamic model incorporating real terrain features was established. Using the finite-discrete element method, the catastrophic evolution of the Lanhuazhai rock mass was numerically reproduced, and the failure modes of the highway subgrade under collapse-induced impact loading were identified. In addition, a quantitative assessment of the post-seismic hazard characteristics of the unstable rock mass was conducted, clarifying rockfall trajectories and their implications for highway safety. The results demonstrate that: under the “9·5” Luding earthquake, the Lanhuazhai high-level rock zone was governed by three dominant structural planes. Collapse instability generated a loose accumulation body of 90 000-160 000 m3 aligned along the NW-SE direction, constituting a critical obstacle for emergency highway clearance and post-disaster reconstruction; the catastrophic process of high-level rock collapse can be categorized into four dynamic stages: seismic cracking and sliding initiation, projectile flight, collision-induced fragmentation, and frictional accumulation; the hazard effects of earthquake-induced collapse on the highway subgrade were driven by a dual mechanism, in which seismic shaking induced micro-damage within the subgrade structure, while impact loading from collapsed rock masses triggered compressive-shear failure; two rockfall trajectories observed on January 18 and January 27, 2023, posed direct threats to the highway subgrade. For emergency restoration, a combined strategy of ‘stepped slope excavation and clearance of accumulation body + passive net protection of unstable rock’ is recommended, whereas a tunnel bypass scheme is advised for long-term reconstruction. These findings provide critical scientific insights and practical guidance for disaster prevention and mitigation of transportation infrastructure in mountainous regions affected by strong earthquakes.
  • Special Column on Highway Subgrade Disaster Damage and Resilience Enhancement
    WEN Hai-jia, YAN Fang-yi, ZHAO Jing-yi, LIU Yi
    China Journal of Highway and Transport. 2025, 38(10): 50-61. https://doi.org/10.19721/j.cnki.1001-7372.2025.10.004
    Aiming at the problems that there is a lack of a comprehensive assessment framework for landslide risks of mountainous expressways and existing studies only focus on landslide susceptibility, which makes it difficult to fully support risk management and control, this study intends to construct a scientific landslide risk assessment system for mountainous expressways. Based on Geographic Information System (GIS) technology, this study proposes a three-dimensional assessment framework integrating “landslide susceptibility of slope units-vulnerability of expressways-exposure”. Specifically, firstly, combined with the landslide triggering mechanism and engineering geological survey data, 15 landslide influencing factors including elevation, slope gradient and slope position were selected, and a LightGBM landslide susceptibility evaluation model was constructed using the semi-supervised learning method. Secondly, by quantifying the traffic volume after road completion and the economic losses that may be caused by the damage of different structures, 5 vulnerability indicators were determined, including life loss, vehicle loss, direct loss of expressway structures, repair costs and indirect loss caused by traffic interruption. The entropy weight method was used to calculate the weight of each indicator to complete the vulnerability evaluation. Finally, the exposure of the expressway was characterized by the area of the slope unit where the road affected by landslides is located and the average distance from the slope unit to the road. By multiplying susceptibility, vulnerability and exposure, this study realized the quantitative comprehensive assessment of landslide risks of mountainous expressways. This study breaks through the limitation of traditional studies that only focus on landslide susceptibility, and constructs a “susceptibility-vulnerability-exposure” trinity comprehensive assessment framework for landslide risks of mountainous expressways. Moreover, the selection and quantification methods of indicators in each dimension are more in line with practical engineering scenarios. The research results can provide methodological support for the comprehensive assessment of landslide risks, and at the same time offer a scientific basis for the mitigation, control and risk management decision-making of landslide risks of mountainous expressways.
  • Special Column on Highway Subgrade Disaster Damage and Resilience Enhancement
    CHEN Guang-fu, CHEN Ming-jiu, HUANG Chun-peng
    China Journal of Highway and Transport. 2025, 38(10): 62-74. https://doi.org/10.19721/j.cnki.1001-7372.2025.10.005
    To address the problem of random noise in micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS)-based landslide deep deformation monitoring signals, a noise reduction method that integrates an improved Honey Badger algorithm (IHBA), variational mode decomposition (VMD), and an improved wavelet threshold is proposed. First, the Tent chaotic mapping, the Whale Optimization algorithm (WOA) spiral search mechanism, and the Levy flight strategy were introduced into the traditional Honey Badger Algorithm (HBA). The IHBA was used to optimize the two key parameters of VMD decomposition, K (number of modes) and α (penalty factor), to obtain an optimal parameter combination. The noisy signal was then decomposed into multiple intrinsic mode functions (IMFs) via VMD. The variance contribution rate of each IMF was calculated to filter out components with low contributions. Subsequently, the remaining components were subdivided into effective, noisy, and noise components based on their correlation coefficients. An improved wavelet threshold function algorithm was designed by incorporating a high-precision fourth-power modulus processing method to overcome the limitation of the constant deviation in traditional threshold functions. The noisy components were denoised using this improved wavelet threshold algorithm. Finally, the denoised and effective components were reconstructed into a denoised signal. Simulation experiments demonstrated that the proposed method achieved the highest SNR (28.7642) and lowest RMSE (0.0101) compared with conventional denoising methods. Furthermore, a comparative analysis of real-world landslide deep deformation monitoring signal denoising revealed that the new method yielded the smallest RMSE and RVR and the highest NM and SNR, with all SERs exceeding 99%. It can effectively reduce noise while preserving the detailed features of the original signals, significantly improving the accuracy and reliability of MEMS-based landslide deep deformation monitoring data, thereby demonstrating promising application prospects.
  • Special Column on Highway Subgrade Disaster Damage and Resilience Enhancement
    WANG Yu-ke, ZHAO Bo-lin, SHAO Lin-lan, WAN Yu-kuai, ZHANG Fei
    China Journal of Highway and Transport. 2025, 38(10): 75-87. https://doi.org/10.19721/j.cnki.1001-7372.2025.10.006
    To enhance the rationality of the seismic stability assessment of soil slopes, this study integrates the pseudo-dynamic method with Spencer's limit equilibrium method to derive a formula for calculating the factor of safety under pseudo-dynamic conditions. The Karhunen-Loève expansion method was employed to generate random fields of the soil parameters, and a Monte Carlo simulation was used to compute the failure probability. A risk assessment model for soil slopes under pseudo-dynamic conditions was established to comprehensively account for the combined effects of seismic dynamic loading and spatial variability of soil parameters on slope stability. By analyzing the peak failure probability under pseudo-dynamic conditions and average failure probability over the seismic period, the influence patterns of seismic motion parameters, slope geometric characteristics, and spatial variability of soil parameters (including autocorrelation distance, coefficient of variation, and correlation coefficient) on failure probability and slope safety factor were revealed. The results indicate that as the horizontal seismic acceleration coefficient increases, the pseudo-dynamic factor of slope safety is reduced nonlinearly, while significantly increasing the peak failure probability within the seismic period. With an increase in seismic wavelength, the potential slip surface was distributed more dispersedly and extended deeper, leading to a higher peak failure probability. The failure probability of the slope was positively correlated with the slope height and slope ratio, and an increase in the spatial variability parameters led to a higher failure probability. Therefore, the spatial variability of soil parameters should not be overlooked in seismic slope risk assessment.
  • Special Column on Highway Subgrade Disaster Damage and Resilience Enhancement
    LIU Xiang, XIAO Cheng-zhi, WANG Zi-han
    China Journal of Highway and Transport. 2025, 38(10): 88-100. https://doi.org/10.19721/j.cnki.1001-7372.2025.10.007
    Highway slopes are prone to soil erosion, which poses a significant threat to slope stability and ecological security along road corridors. Vegetation is widely recognized as an effective measure for controlling slope erosion. Most existing studies have focused on qualitative analysis of the influence of vegetation on runoff velocity and erosion processes, while quantitative investigations into flow velocity variations and critical vegetation coverage for soil erosion control on highway-vegetated slopes remain limited. To address this gap, laboratory runoff scouring experiments were conducted under varying vegetation coverage levels, flow discharges, and slope angles. The flow regime characteristics and mean flow velocities were systematically analyzed. A predictive model for the mean flow velocity on vegetated slopes was developed, and a method for calculating the critical vegetation coverage was derived from the model. The results indicate that the surface runoff predominantly exhibits laminar and transitional flow regimes, with all flows operating in the supercritical regime. With increasing vegetation coverage, the Reynolds number increases, whereas the Froude number decreases. By contrast, higher flow discharges and steeper slope angles significantly increase both dimensionless numbers. The mean flow velocity decreases with increasing vegetation coverage, exhibiting a saturation effect at higher coverage levels. Both the flow discharge and slope angle have significant accelerating effects on flow velocity, following exponential growth patterns. Based on the principles of energy conservation and hydraulic theory, a predictive model for the mean flow velocity was established by incorporating modified Manning's roughness and local resistance coefficients under varying environmental conditions. The model was validated against 294 experimental datasets under diverse conditions, achieving high accuracy (R2>0.900) and demonstrating its robust applicability and stability. Based on the experimental results, the critical incipient velocity equation for soil particles and the Soil Conservation Service Curve Number model were integrated to establish a method for determining critical vegetation coverage on highway slopes. The effectiveness and reliability of this method in erosion control were evaluated using the cumulative sediment yield and particle size distribution data from runoff scouring experiments.
  • Special Column on Green, Low-carbon, and Durable Asphalt Pavement Materials and Structures
    HU Jing, ZHAO Wei-xiang, WEN Wu, HUANG Wei, LUO Sang
    China Journal of Highway and Transport. 2025, 38(9): 1-15. https://doi.org/10.19721/j.cnki.1001-7372.2025.09.001
    To investigate the long-term structural damage mechanism of asphalt mixtures under complex humidity conditions, this study focused on asphalt mixtures with 100% replacement of natural aggregates by steel slag. Constant humidity curing environments (60%RH, 80%RH, and 95% RH) were established. A multiscale coupling analysis was conducted by combining X-ray CT image analysis and long-term dynamic modulus testing. The results showed that the pore structure of steel slag asphalt mixtures under high humidity followed a three-stage evolution: micropore formation, development of small and medium pores, and coalescence into large pores. Valid pores dominated the volumetric expansion and performance degradation process. Significant differences were observed between mixtures with different gradations in pore evolution patterns and damage responses. In the SMA-13 gradation, strong pore coalescence formed large connected networks (average volume reached 47.12 mm3). In contrast, the AC-13 gradation showed micropore development (pore count increased by 91.4%), resulting in better structural stability. Dynamic modulus testing revealed that increased humidity and extended curing time significantly reduced the mixture stiffness. The hydration reactions of free calcium oxide (f-CaO) and free magnesium oxide (f-MgO) were the primary damage-inducing factors. In the micro-macro correlation analysis, the Mantel test was introduced to quantify the relationship between the pore structure parameter matrix and the dynamic modulus response matrix. The results confirmed that porosity and average coordination number were significantly negatively correlated with the dynamic modulus. The coupling relationship between microstructural parameters and macro performance varied with gradation. This study provides a theoretical basis and data support for optimizing the performance and promoting the efficient application of steel slag asphalt mixtures in road engineering.
  • Special Column on Green, Low-carbon, and Durable Asphalt Pavement Materials and Structures
    LIU Jin-zhou, ZHANG Wen-xuan, WANG Yu-chen, LIU Qi, CAI Ming-mao, YU Bin
    China Journal of Highway and Transport. 2025, 38(9): 16-31. https://doi.org/10.19721/j.cnki.1001-7372.2025.09.002
    The volume expansion characteristics and water-damage risks of steel slag restrict its engineering applications as a potential substitute aggregate for asphalt pavements. To address the challenge of predicting the volume expansion and water stability of steel slag asphalt mixtures, this study established a machine-learning prediction model that incorporated multiple factors. Based on immersion expansion tests and 300 water stability tests covering variables-such as asphalt type, steel slag content, f-CaO content, gradation, and environmental conditions, a backpropagation neural network model was developed based on water-induced volume expansion and a CatBoost prediction model was optimized using Bayesian optimization and cross-validation. SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) theory was employed to analyze the feature importance and parameter sensitivity that affect water stability. The results indicate that the volume expansion of the steel slag asphalt mixtures was significantly correlated with the gradation composition, f-CaO content, and immersion time. The CatBoost model achieved the highest prediction accuracy for the residual stability and tensile strength ratio (TSR) and effectively reflected the prediction error, with R2 >0.997 and MSE<0.344 5. Among the material factors influencing water stability, the f-CaO content of the steel slag coarse aggregate (mean SHAP values: 2.05, 1.21, 1.17, and 4.62, 1.44, and 0.77, respectively) was the most crucial, followed by the asphalt type (0.84 and 0.82), steel slag content (0.36 and 0.32), and asphalt content (0.12 and 0.38). There was an interactive effect between the feature combinations of steel slag f-CaO content-asphalt content and f-CaO content-steel slag content on water stability. To satisfy water stability requirements, the steel slag content in the surface layer of the asphalt pavement should not exceed 75%. Additionally, the f-CaO content thresholds for steel slag with particle sizes of 2.36, 4.75, and 9.5 mm should be controlled within 2.0%, 2.25%, and 2.0%, respectively. This study provides theoretical support for controlling steel slag expansion and predicting water stability, thereby promoting the resourceful utilization of steel slag in asphalt pavements.
  • Special Column on Key Scientific Problems and Technological Breakthroughs in Construction of Large-span Tunnels and Underground Engineerings
    CHEN Jian-xun, CHEN Li-jun, LUO Yan-bin, CHEN Hao
    China Journal of Highway and Transport. 2025, 38(9): 148-166. https://doi.org/10.19721/j.cnki.1001-7372.2025.09.011
    The feet-lock pipes (bolts, cables) have the functions of stabilizing the feet of initial support of the tunnels, preventing arch falling, and suppressing the discrete deformation of the surrounding rock. They are widely emphasized in the design and construction of tunnel supports in weak rocks. The support mechanism, mechanical characteristics, design parameters, and construction techniques of the feet-lock pipes (bolts, cables) have always been the focus of research and attention. Based on relevant research and engineering practices regarding feet-lock pipes (bolts, cables) support in weak rock tunnels, this paper systematically reviewed and summarized the six aspects: development history of support, construction processes, support function principles, mechanical testing methods, stress characteristics and design methods, while analyzing achieved research progress. Development history of support: the development has progressed through stages of “early arch foot bolt → feet-lock bolt → small-diameter feet-lock pipe → large-diameter feet-lock pipe → small-diameter prestressed feet-lock cable → constant-resistance feet-lock cable”. Construction Processes: the support parameters, drilling, anchoring and connection processes for small-diameter feet-lock pipes (cables), large-diameter feet-lock pipes, and small-diameter prestressed feet-lock cables have been determined. Support function principles: it is revealed that feet-lock pipes (bolts) primarily function through an inclined pile to control settlement of the arch foot, while feet-lock cables anchor deeply into the surrounding rock and can apply high pre-tensioning forces, providing suspension and active restraint effects on the arch foot of initial support. Mechanical testing methods: A simulated loading test method for feet-lock pipes (bolts) and feet-lock Pipes for force measurement using Fiber Bragg Grating (FBG) suitable for on-site testing have been developed. Stress characteristics: the stress characteristics of the feet-lock pipes (bolts) and its sharing effect on the foot load were explored, and the distribution law of strain on the feet-lock pipes was revealed. Design methods: it was analyzed that the feet-lock pipes (bolts, cables) increase the constraint (or support) strength and stiffness of the feet of initial supports, and the support design methods for feet-lock pipes (bolts, cables) and combination structure of steel rib, shotcrete, steel mesh and feet-lock pipes (bolts, cables) were established. At the same time, the research development trends, design and construction technical specifications, as well as the promotion and application of feet-lock pipes (bolts, cables) are prospected.
  • Special Column on Key Scientific Problems and Technological Breakthroughs in Construction of Large-span Tunnels and Underground Engineerings
    SUN Huai-yuan, ADILI·Rusuli, DAI Yi-ming, LI Xiao-jun, RUI Yi, LU Lin-hai
    China Journal of Highway and Transport. 2025, 38(9): 215-228. https://doi.org/10.19721/j.cnki.1001-7372.2025.09.016
    During tunnel construction, complex geology, variable processes, and high external uncertainty make collapse risk a major threat to project safety, progress, and human life/property. Current assessments rely on subjective expert judgment, which is slow and inefficient, hindering timely emergency response. To address this, we propose a tunnel collapse risk decision-making intelligent framework based on large language model (LLM). The framework leverages the iS3 Tunnel Intelligent Construction Platform to integrate geological, construction, and deformation monitoring data into a comprehensive risk database for subsequent analysis. Using prompt engineering, the LLM automatically quantifies collapse likelihood and accident severity, achieving intelligent fusion and analysis of multidimensional data. An improved cloud model and fuzzy risk matrix then accurately characterize evaluation uncertainty and classify risk levels, providing scientific safety recommendations for construction sites. Validation on four typical construction sites in the Yanjiazhai Tunnel shows that the framework accurately identifies and quantifies potential collapse risk, delivers real-time risk feedback, and proposes targeted countermeasures, thereby effectively enhancing tunnel risk management. Overall, this intelligent framework overcomes the limitations of subjective expert judgment, offers an efficient, automated approach for tunnel safety management, and supports broader application of LLM-based risk assessment and decision-making technologies.
  • Bridge Engineering
    YU Jia-yong, WANG Yu-dong, YANG Yu-chi, XIE Yi-lun, LI Ruo-xian, ZHOU Jun-hu
    China Journal of Highway and Transport. 2025, 38(9): 283-293. https://doi.org/10.19721/j.cnki.1001-7372.2025.09.021
    Field measurements of bridge vibrations provide crucial information for structural modal parameter identification, behavioral analysis, and load-bearing capacity evaluation. Long-span bridges often feature extensive spans and wide water areas at the bridge sites, making close-range monitoring difficult using traditional machine-vision measurement methods. Therefore, a bridge vibration displacement measurement method is proposed using integrated UAV close-range photography and adaptive Digital Image Correlation (DIC). This method first designs a novel remote laser projection device that allows precise projection of the laser spot onto the reserved area of the monitoring target by adjusting the screw of the instrument, compensating for and correcting changes in the UAV's hovering posture. Subsequently, breaking away from the traditional stationary setup of machine vision, a multirotor UAV was controlled to hover directly in front of the bridge monitoring target, capturing high-resolution, high-quality target images at a close range. Next, a UAV-based image processing method using adaptive DIC was developed by utilizing local feature matching to adjust and optimize the subset area of the measurement point frame-by-frame. Subpixel displacement was identified using the Fourier transform cross-correlation algorithm and the inverse compositional Gauss-Newton algorithm, thereby extracting the UAV measurement displacement sequence and laser correction value sequence. Finally, the UAV displacement measurement sequence is corrected using laser correction values and dynamic scaling factors to obtain high-precision bridge vibration displacements and frequencies. The verification experiments showed that the UAV method could accurately measure the vibration displacement and frequency of each model layer. Compared with the measurements by fixed cameras and laser displacement meters, the Normalized Root Mean Square Error (NRMSE) of the vibration displacement was not greater than 3.195%. The relative error of the vibration frequency was not greater than 0.96%. When applied to the vibration displacement measurement of the Hongshan Bridge in Changsha, the method successfully identified the vibration displacements and frequencies at the midpoint, 1/4 point, and 3/4 point of the main span, with a relative error in the vibration frequency not exceeding 0.77%, matching the results identified by the fixed camera and accelerometer. In conclusion, the UAV-based high-precision, high-efficiency, noncontact displacement measurement method proposed in this study provides a new approach for measuring the vibrations of long-span bridges and has significant scientific research and engineering application value.
  • Bridge Engineering
    YUAN Jian, PAN Zhi-huan, YIN Jian
    China Journal of Highway and Transport. 2025, 38(9): 294-306. https://doi.org/10.19721/j.cnki.1001-7372.2025.09.022
    To investigate the interface bond behavior between 600 MPa grade stainless-steel reinforcement and concrete, pull-out tests were conducted on 54 specimens (18 groups), with the effects of concrete strength, rebar diameter, cover thickness, relative anchorage length, split surface stirrup ratio, and reinforcement type on bond behavior were analyzed. The test results indicate that the failure patterns of the specimens include concrete splitting failure, rebar pull-out failure, and splitting-pull-out failure. For specimens with a relative anchorage length of 5, those specimens with a cover thickness of 3 times the rebar diameter exhibit a transition from concrete splitting failure to rebar pull-out failure. After configuring stirrups, specimens with a cover thickness of 2 times the rebar diameter shift from concrete splitting failure to splitting-pull-out failure. The interface ultimate interface bond strengths between 600 MPa grade stainless-steel reinforcement and concrete increase with the increase of concrete strength, initially rise and then stabilize as the cover thickness and split surface stirrup ratio increase, and show a phenomenon of first increasing and then decreasing as the increase of relative anchorage length, but is not significantly affected by the rebar diameter. The critical transition values are identified as 4.5 times rebar diameter for cover thickness, 2.0% for split surface stirrup ratio, and 5 for relative anchorage length. The bond behaviors of 600 MPa grade stainless-steel bars and ordinary steel bars before yielding are essentially equivalent in concrete with different strength grades, and the influence of elastic modulus on the bond behavior of steel bars can be completely ignored. After yielding, the bond stress-slip curves of stainless-steel reinforcement exhibit a relatively smooth transition, and the ultimate bond strength is slightly lower than that of ordinary reinforcement. Based on the test results of the bond behavior between 600 MPa grade stainless-steel reinforcement and concrete, a calculation formula for the ultimate bond strength with a certain guarantee rate and a bond stress-slip constitutive model are presented. Additionally, a formula for calculating the critical anchorage length of the steel bars expressing in terms of the design values of material strengths is proposed. It can serve as a reference for the bond anchorage design of 600 MPa grade stainless-steel reinforcement in concrete.
  • Traffic Engineering
    DU Zhi-gang, MEI Jia-lin, HE Shi-ming, DING Xu, MA Ao-jun
    China Journal of Highway and Transport. 2025, 38(9): 346-359. https://doi.org/10.19721/j.cnki.1001-7372.2025.09.026
    The entrances and exits of expressway tunnels often cause drastic changes in visual space and illuminance, which easily trigger “black-hole” and “white-hole” effects. The interior sections of tunnels are characterized by monotonous visual environments and a lack of reference objects, leading to “spatiotemporal tunnel” and “sidewall” effects. Tunnel groups and spiral tunnels are prone to inducing the “whipping effect” and “psychological rotation effect,” respectively. These negative psychological effects significantly interfere with drivers' perceptions and judgments, provoke inappropriate driving behaviors, and reduce traffic safety. Based on the logical chain of “tunnel visual environment-negative psychological effects-inappropriate driving behaviors-reconstruction of visual reference system-optimization strategies,” a framework for analyzing and regulating drivers' negative psychological effects was constructed. The relationship between the visual environment and negative psychological effects was explored, regulatory strategies were proposed, and methods for optimizing and evaluating visual reference systems were summarized. The results indicate that drivers' negative psychological effects mainly originate from drastic changes in the visual reference system at tunnel entrances and exits and from the lack of variation in the weak visual reference system within the interior section. Ordinary tunnels should upgrade their basic visual reference system to a safe or comfortable type; extra-long tunnels and connection sections of tunnel groups should adopt a rhythmic visual reference system; and spiral tunnels (and tunnel groups) require a constant, stable, continuous, and redundant visual reference system. Regulation strategies include clarifying the spatial right-of-way, aligning with drivers' perceptual needs, decomposing driving tasks, enhancing comfort and rhythm, and introducing linear visual guidance and curve-constant delineation systems. Shading facilities, lighting installations, visual guidance devices, landscaping, interior decorations, and pavement treatments can effectively optimize the visual environment. However, their design parameters require further systematic investigation. Currently, the evaluation of visual reference systems lacks a unified index system and methodology, and should integrate optical parameters with human factor indicators, including visual perception, visual characteristics, physiological responses, and driving behaviors. In the future, evaluation systems and optimization strategies should be improved through engineering case studies to support the development of safe, energy-efficient, comfortable, and aesthetically pleasing tunnel environments.
  • Traffic Engineering
    GAO Jian-qiang, CHEN Yu-ren, YU Bo, REN Wei-xi, CHEN Xiu-he
    China Journal of Highway and Transport. 2025, 38(9): 377-390. https://doi.org/10.19721/j.cnki.1001-7372.2025.09.028
    To ensure driving safety on highway segments with complex alignment combinations, this study proposed a data-driven prediction model for passenger car speed distribution. The model addressed the issues of insufficient quantitative representation of highway alignment information and the limited consideration of the coupling effect between highway geometric alignment and drivers' visual perception on running speed. The study conducted experiments using an eight-degree-of-freedom driving simulator and a high-precision eye-tracking device, collecting driving speed and visual perception data from 38 drivers across 106 typical mountainous highway segments. From the dual perspective of highway segments and drivers' visual field, highway alignment features were extracted, and driver visual alignment was reconstructed using a variational autoencoder model. The study introduced a “highway segment-visual field” graph to fuse and quantify alignment information, and a passenger car speed distribution prediction model was constructed based on spatio-temporal graph attention neural networks. The results indicate that the proposed model exhibits superior performance on the testing dataset, with a prediction accuracy of 96.3% and 98.1% for the mean and standard deviation of running speed, respectively. The root mean square errors are 4.6, 1.2 km·h-1, while the mean absolute errors are 3.8, 0.8 km·h-1. Additionally, ablation and comparative experiments further validate the model's effectiveness and applicability across different typical highway segments. The self-attention mechanism reveals that highway geometric alignment provides a fundamental temporal guide for passenger car speed, while drivers' visual alignment offers dynamic spatial adjustment and feedback. The findings could establish a theoretical foundation for intelligent highway safety evaluation and geometric design methods, while also contributing to the advancement of refined speed management in intelligent transportation systems.
  • Special Column on Urban Road Traffic Granule-flow Collaborative Control
    Shao-hua CUI, Bin YU
    China Journal of Highway and Transport. 2025, 38(8): 16-29. https://doi.org/10.19721/j.cnki.1001-7372.2025.08.002
    Abstract:

    Following the rapid development of vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure technologies,Connected autonomous vehicles (CAVs ) have become a research hotspot. However,the widespread adoption of CAVs is still a long-term goal,and the coexistence of CAVs and human-driven vehicles (HDVs)will remain in a transitional state in the foreseeable future.When a CAV follows an HDV,its performance may degrade owing to the lack of intervehicle communication and coordination.To mitigate the adverse effects of performance degradation on mixed traffic,CAVs can use collaborative signals,such as honking,light signals,and heads-up displays to enhance HDV drivers'awareness of their acceleration and deceleration behaviors,thereby improving cooperation efficiency.This study investigates the effects of CAV performance degradation and collaborative signaling behaviors on the stability and road capacity of mixed traffic flow. By modifying various car-following models,this study quantifies the microscopic car-following behaviors of HDVs considering collaborative signaling,as well as those of well-performing CAVs and degraded-performance CAVs.A stability analysis method for mixed traffic flow is then developed,deriving the mixed traffic flow stability conditions related to CAV penetration rates.Additionally,this study develops a fundamental diagram model related to CAV penetration rates for mixed traffic,and analyzes the key factors affecting the fundamental diagram. Numerical simulations validate the reliability of the stability analysis and the constructed fundamental diagram.The results indicate that when CAV penetration is below 40%,the CAV advantages are almost negligible;only when the penetration rate reaches 60% or higher,the benefits of CAVs become evident.Moreover,collaborative signaling behaviors of CAVs enhance their cooperation with HDVs,mitigating the considerable performance decline caused by the lack of intervehicle communication,and improving the stability and road capacity regarding mixed-traffic flows.Therefore,while improving CAV technologies to enhance road capacity,it is equally important to design effective signaling mechanisms to promote cooperation between CAVs and HDVs,thereby improving CAV performance at lower penetration rates.

  • Special Column on Urban Road Traffic Granule-flow Collaborative Control
    Jun-yan MA, Chen-ying LIU, You-quan LIU, Xiang-mo ZHAO, Xin SHI
    China Journal of Highway and Transport. 2025, 38(8): 70-82. https://doi.org/10.19721/j.cnki.1001-7372.2025.08.006
    Abstract:

    Intelligent connected technology is the future trend for intelligent transportationsystems.However,mixed traffic flows consisting of Connected and Automated Vehicles (CAVs) and Human-Driven Vehicles (HDVs)will persist for a long time.One of the key challenges is leveraging the connectivity and controllability of CAVs to optimize traffic operations and enhance the efficiency of road resource utilization.Currently,research on lane management in mixed traffic flows primarily focuses on the allocation of road rights under different traffic demands and CAV penetration rates,without fully considering the active adaptation capabilities of CAVs and their bidirectional interaction with traffic controlsystems.Therefore,the concept of Dedicated Lanes for Granule/Flow Cooperation (DEL4GFC) was proposed.The control method for DEL4GFC encompasses three components:the management zone,lane configuration,and granule/flow cooperativestrategies.Granule/flow cooperativestrategies are aimed at optimizing road management through centralized and distributed CAV control.For regular highway trafficscenarios,asingle management zone and DEL4GFC were established.Through threesets of distributed CAV granule controlstrategies,varying degrees of control were achieved in four aspects:CAV noncooperative lane changing,cooperative lane changing,dedicated lanespeed adjustment,and all-lanespeed adjustment,which enhanced the aggregation of vehicles on roads. The experimental resultsshow that the maximum improvement in traffic capacity can reach 17.0%.For highway accidentscenarios,three management zones-adjustment,lane changing,and recovery-were established,and the corresponding road rights werespecified. The management zones implemented cooperativestrategies for temporary lane closures through distributed CAV flow headway adjustments,centralized CAV granule traffic balancing,and distributed CAV granule lane recoverystrategies.The experimental resultsshow that the DEL4GFC control method can improve traffic capacity by up to 18.1% compared to the baseline,and the maximum reduction in the average vehicle delay time is 336s.Insummary,by enhancing the degree of physical coupling between CAV flows and mixed traffic flows and leveraging cooperativestrategies for targeted trafficscenarios,DEL4GFC cansignificantly enhance road capacity and effectively optimize traffic operationsimultaneously.

  • Special Column on Urban Road Traffic Granule-flow Collaborative Control
    Lu XING, Yi-jun CAO, Kong-ning JIN, Xin PEI, Ye LI, Dan-ya YAO
    China Journal of Highway and Transport. 2025, 38(8): 103-121. https://doi.org/10.19721/j.cnki.1001-7372.2025.08.008
    Abstract:

    To improve the traffic efficiency and safety near freeway bottlenecks,this study proposes a two-stage dynamic speed limit control method based on CAV (Connected and Automated Vehicle)moving barrier for the Car-Truck and CAV-HDV (Human-driven Vehicle) mixed traffic flow.Firstly,an improved two-stage dynamic speed limit control framework including CAV lane change control and CAV dynamic speed control was developed,which is suitable for multi-lane,and a moving barrier that regulates the overall traffic flow is formed by optimizing the distribution and speed of CAV-Cs and CAV-Ts (CAV Cars and Trucks ). Secondly,considering the heterogeneous characteristics of cars and trucks,the dynamic speed control model was formulated for CAV-Cs and CAV-Ts to accurately determine the control speed.Meanwhile,the key evaluation index in the CAV lane-changing strategy-uniform distribution coefficientP,was also improved based on the difference between CAV-Cs and CAVTs.Under the condition of whether CAV-T can change to the fast lane,with the optimization objective beingP,four algorithms-enumeration,simulated annealing,genetic algorithm and reinforcement learning-were used to solve the optimal lane-changing plan for CAV-Cs and CAVTs.Finally,the control effect of the proposed method is discussed,and its effectiveness is verified by the SUMO simulation of the one-way two-lane and the one-way four-lane highways. The results indicate that the proposed CAV lane changing control strategy can significantly enhance the distribution uniformity of CAV-Cs and CAV-Ts.The uniform distribution effect is significantly influenced by the lane-changing constraints of trucks.When the proportion of CAV-Ts to CAVs is higher than 50%,the control strategy without vehicle lane-changing restrictions outperforms the strategy with restrictions. By combining with the lane-changing control strategy,the two-stage dynamic speed limit control strategy can significantly reduce driving risk and improve traffic flow stability.As the proportion of CAV-Ts increases,the control effect can generally be further improved,even though the truck's characteristics will disrupt the traffic flow.These research results provide effective theoretical support for improving the efficacy of active traffic control near freeway bottlenecks under intelligent and connected transportation scenarios.

  • Special Column on Urban Road Traffic Granule-flow Collaborative Control
    Zheng-wu WANG, Xi LI, Hao LI, Tao CHEN, Jian XIANG
    China Journal of Highway and Transport. 2025, 38(8): 122-137. https://doi.org/10.19721/j.cnki.1001-7372.2025.08.009
    Abstract:

    Intelligent connected vehicles (ICVs)and human-driven vehicles (HDVs)coexist in mixed traffic flows,significantly affecting the merging behavior at highway on-ramps.This coexistence poses challenges,such as low throughput efficiency and high energy consumption,owing to the inadequate integration of merging control sequences and vehicle trajectory interactions in dense traffic scenarios. To address these issues,we introduced a dynamic cooperative merging control strategy tailored for highway vehicles. This strategy initially involved identifying potential gaps for ramp vehicles based on the real-time status within the control area.It then proceeded to collaboratively optimize the merging sequences and vehicle trajectories with the aim of minimizing energy consumption.This included proactive lane changes and speed adjustments for both ramp vehicles and those in anticipated merging gaps. Furthermore,considering the dynamics of HDVs,the strategy incorporated a dynamic control mechanism to regulate vehicles in the merging area,ensuring efficient integration under varying traffic densities.The effectiveness of the proposed strategy was validated using simulations in SUMO and Python,comparing it against scenarios with no control and a PID-based control strategy.The results demonstrated substantial improvements:① With high ramp traffic volumes,the strategy reduced the overall collision metrics by 38.84% to 94.25%,reduced total delays by 13.45%-80.82%,and increased average speeds by 36.01%-52.87%.② Compared with PID-based control,it further reduced collision rates by up to 81.38%,delays by up to 66.95%,and energy consumption by up to 8.17%,while ensuring smoother vehicle trajectories and more evenly distributed vehicle speeds.③ Although the preemptive lane-changing strategy results in higher energy consumption,it substantially enhances safety and throughput efficiency,underscoring the benefits of the proposed dynamic cooperative merging control strategy in managing mixed traffic on highways.

  • Special Column on Urban Road Traffic Granule-flow Collaborative Control
    Xiao-yu CAI, Zi-mu LI, Cai-lin LEI, Yi-han ZHANG, Bo PENG
    China Journal of Highway and Transport. 2025, 38(8): 138-154. https://doi.org/10.19721/j.cnki.1001-7372.2025.08.010
    Abstract:

    Mountainous cities face challenges owing to their complex terrain,leading to significant difficulties in multi-lane merging areas on arterial roads.These areas have complex geometric structures,varying traffic flow directions,and frequent conflict interactions.Under high traffic flow volumes,the merging of multiple traffic streams results in frequent vehicle behavior conflicts.This study proposes a cooperative control approach for multi-lane merging areas based on connected and automated vehicles (CAVs)to address the limitations of current control strategies such as isolated measures and single-objective designs.First,a cooperative control framework for multi-lane merging in an intelligently connected environment was developed,incorporating signal control and variable speed limit control agents.Second,the state space,action space,and reward mechanism for the agents were designed considering the specific traffic flow characteristics of mountainous cities. Finally,a multi-agent deep deterministic policy gradient algorithm was applied to achieve cooperative control among agents.Using a specific interchange in Chongqing as a case study,ten simulation experiments were conducted under high and medium traffic volume scenarios to evaluate the effectiveness of different control strategies. The results show that under conditions of low CAV penetration and high traffic volume,the proposed method reduces the average travel time on the mainline by 37.02% and the average vehicle delay by 69.57% compared with the fixed-timing control strategy.Compared with traditional feedback-based cooperative control methods,the proposed approach reduces the upstream queue length by 88.06%,increases the average speed in the bottleneck area by 8.77%,and improves the downstream discharge flow by 3.47%.These findings indicate that the proposed method can effectively mitigate traffic conflicts and congestion in multi-lane merging areas of mountainous cities,providing valuable theoretical support for traffic congestion management in these complex urban environments.

  • Special Column on Urban Road Traffic Granule-flow Collaborative Control
    Fang ZONG, Yu-xuan LI, Meng ZENG, Kun ZHAO
    China Journal of Highway and Transport. 2025, 38(8): 171-186. https://doi.org/10.19721/j.cnki.1001-7372.2025.08.012
    Abstract:

    Analyzing the characteristics and laws of traffic phase change is the key to traffic flow state estimation and speed prediction.Due to the complex time-varying characteristics of traffic flow with both periodicity and chance,mathematical statistics and machine learning methods lack the analysis of the evolution mechanism of traffic flow state,and there is a shortage that the interpretability of the model decreases with the change of the scene.In order to reduce the negative impact of scene variation on the prediction effect,and to solve the problem of limited application environment,this paper analyzed the mechanism of phase transition of traffic flow,and proposed a traffic state estimation and speed prediction method considering the lag effect of phase transition.Firstly,by analyzing the traffic flow state change process of expressway exit ramps,it is found that the spatio-temporal transfer of motion differences between microscopic vehicles is the cause of macroscopic traffic phase change.This phenomenon was defined as traffic disorder,which was quantitatively expressed analogously to the Ising model.Subsequently,the spatio-temporal distribution of disorder before and after the traffic phase change was calculated,which revealed the law of traffic phase change,i.e.,the state of traffic flow has a time lag relative to the change of disorder.On this basis,an autoregressive distributed lag model of traffic flow speed with respect to the disorder was established,and the real-time speed and displacement of vehicles collected by the on-board and roadside connected detection equipment were used as inputs to obtain the time series of predicted values of traffic flow speed.The parameter analysis results of controlled experiments with different models show that ① the proposed lag model has higher prediction accuracy compared with Radial Basis Function Neural Network and Long Short-Term Memory.② In mixed traffic flow,the higher the Intelligent Connected Vehicle penetration rate,the higher the model prediction accuracy.In addition,the proposed method is applicable to traffic scenarios with varying levels of vehicle-road cooperative networking,which is conducive to timely traffic control measures,improving both the operational efficiency and safety of the transportation system from a prospective perspective.

  • Traffic Engineering
    Peng-hui LI, Luo-yan ZHOU, Yue-ning HU, Qian-ru DONG, Wen-hao HU, Meng-xia HU, Ling-yun XIAO
    China Journal of Highway and Transport. 2025, 38(8): 397-408. https://doi.org/10.19721/j.cnki.1001-7372.2025.08.028
    Abstract:

    Cut-in scenarios arehigh-risk situations for automatedvehicles(AVs),primarily because of unclear risk mechanisms and a lack of precise assessment models.In this study,30000 cut-invehicle trajectories and video segments were extracted from naturalisticdrivingdata collected under real road conditions.From these,489 cut-in scenarios with varying risk levels were selected using objective risk indicators such as the time to collision.A subjective riskassessment questionnaire tailored to the characteristics of AVs wasdeveloped,and engineers involved in thedevelopment and testing of AVs were recruited to conduct subjective risk evaluations and in-depth interviews.Subjective risk levels and contributing factors were identified from an AV perspective,and a comprehensive cut-in scenario riskdataset covering 24dynamic and static factors was established.Finally,a quantitative risk evaluation model for cut-in scenarios was constructed based on a random parameter-ordered logit(RPOL)framework.The results show the following:① road factors such as intersections and lane marking change indicator increase the probability of a cut-in scenario beingdangerous by 0.3% and 17.9%,respectively,② weather conditions like nighttime and rainy weather raise thedanger probability by 19.4% and 23.3%,respectively,③ in terms of traffic participant factors,the probability ofdanger increases by 10.6% for irregular cut-invehicles;the presence of non-motorizedvehicles or pedestriansduring cut-in raises the risk by 17.9% and 32.8%,respectively,while each additional nearbyvehicle increases the risk by 0.6%,and ④ amongvehicle kinematic features,each unitdecrease in initial longitudinaldistance and relative speed increases thedanger probability by 0.3% and 1.04%,respectively,while each unit increase in initial lateraldistance anddeceleration of the cut-invehicle raises the risk by 0.5% and 0.6%,respectively.These results indicate that vulnerable road users,irregular cut-invehicles,low visibility,lane marking changes,and lane obstructions arehigh risk factors for AVs in cut-in scenarios.Priority should begiven to optimizing the relevant perceptions anddecision-making algorithms.

  • Special Column on Applications of Artificial Intelligence in Seismic Resistance of Bridge Structures
    Jian ZHONG, Jia-nian WEN, Xiao-wei WANG, Kai WEI, Qiang HAN
    China Journal of Highway and Transport. 2025, 38(7): 5-17. https://doi.org/10.19721/j.cnki.1001-7372.2025.07.001

    Artificial intelligence (AI) technology has become a core component of national strategic science and technology. Its integration with bridge seismic engineering is emerging as a critical approach to enhancing the seismic resilience of infrastructure. Bridge seismic analysis has long faced challenges such as complex physical models and the difficulty of balancing efficiency with accuracy. Addressing these challenges, this study systematically reviews the application and innovation of traditional machine learning models, deep learning models, and next-generation AI fusion technologies in bridge seismic analysis, including: ① Intelligent synthesis and input of complex ground motions; ② Seismic capacity analysis and demand prediction; ③ Damage assessment and fragility analysis; ④ Resilience evaluation and recovery strategy optimization; ⑤ Seismic analysis of large-scale bridge networks. AI has significantly improved the efficiency and accuracy of bridge seismic analysis, opening new avenues for exploring problems involving multiple parameters and strong nonlinearity. However, existing AI models still face persistent challenges, including insufficient foundation in physical laws, weak model generalization capabilities, and difficulties in effectively integrating heterogeneous data sources. Looking ahead, AI technology will further advance the field of bridge seismic engineering through enhancing the interpretability of physical laws, developing multi-modal sensing technology, building high-fidelity databases, strengthening model generalization capabilities, and developing novel intelligent algorithms. This research facilitates a paradigm shift in bridge seismic studies, moving from reliance on manual expertise towards a deep integration of physical laws with artificial intelligence.

  • Special Column on Applications of Artificial Intelligence in Seismic Resistance of Bridge Structures
    Shi-xiong ZHENG, Chuan-he LEI, Hong-yu JIA, Yong-ping ZENG, Li-wei LIU, Can-hui ZHAO
    China Journal of Highway and Transport. 2025, 38(7): 18-30. https://doi.org/10.19721/j.cnki.1001-7372.2025.07.002

    Rapid post-disaster assessment of bridges in near-fault regions plays an important role in saving time for earthquake relief and advancing post-disaster reconstruction. To predict the seismic response and structural damage fragility of near-fault bridges quickly and accurately, a deep learning-based rapid prediction method for the seismic response and fragility of near-fault bridges is proposed to rapidly predict the nonlinear seismic response and fragility curves of bridges under near-fault impulsive seismic effects. The method is based on a unidirectional multilayer stacked Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) network with two parts of the seismic response time history and peak response as the output of the model. Furthermore, the techniques of sliding time window, residual connection, and constrained cyclic kernel, which effectively capture the pulse-like ground motion inputs and the bridge responses (e.g., pier bottom bending moments, pier bottom curvature, and top of pier displacements), are employed. The nonlinear mapping between the pulse-like ground motion inputs and bridge responses (e.g., pier bottom bending moment, pier bottom curvature, and pier top displacement) is accurately predicted based on the probabilistic seismic demand model. Considering the Miaoziping Bridge damaged by the Wenchuan earthquake as an actual engineering research object, based on the OpenSees numerical model, a database of 619 near-fault ground motions, corresponding nonlinear seismic responses, and bridge susceptibility is established to verify the accuracy and rapidity of the proposed method. The results show that the LSTM model can predict the response over a long period of time with multiple outputs and can accurately capture the seismic response demand of bridge structures under impulsive seismic effects. In the peak response prediction, the bending moment index has the best prediction effect, and the mean and standard deviation of the ratio of the predicted value to the actual value are less than 1.03 and 0.12, respectively, followed by the displacement index and curvature index. The results of the predicted fragility curve and actual results are very close to each other, with a coefficient of determination of 0.97 and a maximum difference of 1.92% in the probability of failure. The time required for this method and traditional method is approximately 1 s and 66 h, respectively. The fast fragility prediction method proposed in this study has high accuracy and rapidity, and it can provide strong theoretical support for post-disaster bridge assessment.

  • Special Column on Applications of Artificial Intelligence in Seismic Resistance of Bridge Structures
    Hui JIANG, Cong ZENG, Chen LI, Guang-song SONG, Yu-tai SONG, Yun SHAN
    China Journal of Highway and Transport. 2025, 38(7): 31-48. https://doi.org/10.19721/j.cnki.1001-7372.2025.07.003

    The seismic mitigation design of suspension bridges has many problems such as complex structure and multiple control optimization objectives, which is especially prominent under the ground motions in fault rupture zone with high seismic intensity. In order to realize the efficient multi-objective optimization of the seismic mitigation system of suspension bridge, adopting the safety level of multiple key components and damper costs as control objectives, the response surface theory, competitive multi-objective particle swarm optimization algorithm, and various solution select strategies were combined to construct a multi-strategy multi-objective intelligent damping optimizing method for suspension bridge. Taking a suspension bridge perpendicularly crossing strike-slip fault as an example, the proposed method was used to intelligently optimize the bidirectional viscous damper coefficient distribution and the rational damper distribution law for this bridge type was clarified. Finally, its rationality was verified. The results show that ① the proposed method can better realize the balance between multiple control objectives while it has high optimization accuracy, efficiency, and flexibility; ② the rational ratio of the total transverse damper coefficient at abutments to that at pylons locates at 1.5-2.0; ③ compared with the initial damping scheme, the damping scheme optimized by the proposed method increases the safety factors of the main truss, the suspender, the longitudinal and transverse damper by 3.42%, 18.13%, 30.11%, and 21.28%, respectively, while keeping the damping system cost basically unchanged. Meanwhile, the adaptability of the optimized damping system to large permanent fault displacement is improved.

  • Special Column on Applications of Artificial Intelligence in Seismic Resistance of Bridge Structures
    Xiao-luo LU, Kai WEI, Xiao-min TANG, Zhen-chen HU
    China Journal of Highway and Transport. 2025, 38(7): 49-60. https://doi.org/10.19721/j.cnki.1001-7372.2025.07.004

    Existing seismic resilience assessment frameworks for bridges often fail to adequately consider the repair sequence of components in functionality restoration models. Therefore, a post-earthquake functionality restoration model and seismic resilience assessment methodology considering component repair sequences were proposed. First, a segmented functionality restoration model that incorporates the influence of the component repair sequence during the bridge repair process was developed using typical analytical restoration models. Second, a graphical approach is employed to derive a simplified formula for the resilience indicator for the proposed restoration model, and a seismic resilience assessment framework considering the component repair sequence is proposed. Finally, a four-span continuous-girder bridge was selected as a case study, and various component damage scenarios were generated using fragility parameters and Monte Carlo sampling. The proposed resilience assessment framework was validated, and the impacts of different component repair sequences on the seismic resilience of an example bridge were explored. The results showed that the proposed model better reflects the repair sequence of bridge components and the contribution of the component repair process to functional restoration than typical restoration models. The derived simplified formula for the resilience indicator overcomes the computational difficulties associated with integration into the traditional resilience quantification method and improves computational efficiency without compromising accuracy. The resilience indicators of the bridges under various component repair sequences differ. The variation in the resilience indicator depends on the component damage scenario and functionality loss of the bridge. By reasonably optimizing the component repair sequence, the seismic resilience of small-to-medium-span continuous girder bridges can be effectively enhanced without changing their structural design.

  • Special Column on Applications of Artificial Intelligence in Seismic Resistance of Bridge Structures
    Jing-cheng WANG, Xiao-wei WANG, Yue LI, Ai-jun YE
    China Journal of Highway and Transport. 2025, 38(7): 61-74. https://doi.org/10.19721/j.cnki.1001-7372.2025.07.005

    Over 80% of bridges in China are of small to medium spans, making it critical important to rapidly predict and analyze their seismic performance using machine learning (ML). However, the “black-box” nature of many ML models, due to their algorithmic complexity, often raises concerns about reliability and applicability in real-world scenarios. Therefore, developing interpretable ML models has become an urgent necessity. This study focuses on continuous girder bridges with small to medium spans, aiming to explore high-interpretability ML methods for predicting longitudinal seismic responses. To achieve this, two popular ML algorithms-neural network (NN) and support vector regression (SVR)-were employed, using bridge structural parameters and ground motion intensity measures as input features. Predictive models for bridge seismic responses were developed. The interpretability of the predictive models was systematically analyzed using four machine learning interpretability methods, including SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP), Permutation Importance (PI), Partial Dependence Plot (PDP), and Local Interpretable Model-agnostic Explanations (LIME). The findings indicate that both NN and SVR can accurately predict bridge seismic responses, with coefficients of determination exceeding 0.9. Interpretability analyses using SHAP and LIME based on the NN models provide relatively stable and reliable explanations. Additionally, the high correlation among ground motion intensity features results in competitive contributions to the prediction outcome. Removing features with less contributions to predictions not only preserves predictive accuracy but also reduces model complexity, thereby enhancing interpretability. Based on the predictive performance and interpretability of ML models, the average spectral acceleration (AvgSa), Peak Ground Displacement (PGD), Peak Ground Velocity (PGV), and Housner Intensity (HI) are recommended as the most suitable seismic intensity measures for ML-based surrogate modeling of bridge seismic responses.

  • Special Column on Applications of Artificial Intelligence in Seismic Resistance of Bridge Structures
    Gui-xiang XUE, Jing-li MIAO, Dan ZHANG, Ning LI
    China Journal of Highway and Transport. 2025, 38(7): 75-86. https://doi.org/10.19721/j.cnki.1001-7372.2025.07.006

    Segment self-centering bridges have attracted significant attention in bridge engineering research because of their good resilience and seismic performance. However, to date, their application in high-intensity areas is rare. Therefore, it is particularly important to examine the seismic response of self-centering bridges in high-intensity earthquake areas. However, self-centering bridge structures are highly nonlinear and uncertain, which pose significant challenges for the accurate prediction of their seismic response. In this study, a bridge seismic response prediction model integrating Variational Modal Decomposition (VMD), Convolutional Neural Network (CNN), and Bidirectional Long Short-Term Memory (BiLSTM) was proposed using measured data from a self-centering bridge shaking table test and simulated data from a finite element model. The model adopted VMD to capture the frequency feature information of the ground motion data. Furthermore, the model used a CNN to extract the spatial features of the data, and the long-term time dependence of the data was mined using BiLSTM to accurately predict the seismic response of the bridge. In this study, we first conducted prediction training on bridge superstructure response data under five types of seismic ground motions with different amplitudes measured from the shaking table test. We then conducted prediction training on the simulated data using the finite element model to understand the dynamic response of the bridge under larger-amplitude seismic ground motions. The results of the two predictions demonstrate that the proposed algorithm exhibits superior prediction accuracy and robustness when compared with four comparative algorithms of LSTM, RNN, SVR, and XGBoost. The model evaluation indices of R2 demonstrated improvements of approximately 11.9% and 3.2% when compared to SVR and LSTM models, respectively. Additionally, RMSE and MAE indices demonstrated reductions of approximately 52.4% and 32.5% and 49.6% and 30%, respectively, when compared with SVR and LSTM models.