Date of Award

2024

Document Type

Open Access Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy in Civil Engineering (PhD)

Administrative Home Department

Department of Civil, Environmental, and Geospatial Engineering

Advisor 1

Qingli Dai

Committee Member 1

Zhanping You

Committee Member 2

Yousef Darestani

Committee Member 3

Chee-Wooi Ten

Committee Member 4

Leo Liu

Abstract

As climate change intensifies natural hazards and extreme weather events, critical infrastructure systems like power networks and pavements are increasingly vulnerable to damage. While significant progress has been made in studying individual hazards for specific systems, there remains a need for comprehensive frameworks addressing parametrized fragility for key components in critical infrastructure and their application in system risk and resilience evaluation. This dissertation investigates the failure mechanisms and fragility of power systems and pavements under extreme conditions, including winter storms, hurricanes, heatwaves, and flooding. Using structural analysis, numerical modeling, and statistical methods, this work evaluates system vulnerabilities, develops fragility models, and assesses risks to inform resilience-building strategies.

For power distribution systems under winter storms, the study identifies wind speed as a primary factor in pole rupture and demonstrates how combined ice and wind loads lead to conductor breakage and cascading outages. To address this, a novel Expected Outage Reduction (EOR) index is proposed to prioritize pole replacement, improving long-term system performance in a cost-effective manner.

For power transmission systems under hurricanes, the research integrates hurricane trajectory modeling with fragility analysis to assess structural vulnerabilities. Results show that even low-category hurricanes can significantly degrade system performance, while stronger storms increase the likelihood of widespread tower failures and outages.

For joint plain concrete pavements (JPCP) under heatwaves, the study examines factors like temperature increase, incompressible materials, and the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE). A buckling prediction model, validated with field data from Wisconsin, provides practical insights for preventive strategies. Fragility models further quantify risks under current and projected climate scenarios.

For asphalt pavements under flooding, findings emphasize the role of inundation duration and material choice in determining damage severity. Longer flooding durations lead to significant deterioration, while resilient material combinations minimize damage. Hydraulic simulations and fragility curves offer actionable tools for improving pavement design and maintenance.

By bridging gaps in existing research, this dissertation provides a unified framework for assessing infrastructure fragility under multi-hazard conditions. The methodologies and findings contribute to advancing resilience planning and sustainable infrastructure management in the face of escalating climate risks.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Available for download on Monday, December 01, 2025

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