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A probabilistic model for estimating tunnel excavation time is learnt with data from past tunnel projects. The model is based on the Dynamic Bayesian Network technique. The model inputs are determined through an analysis of data from three tunnels built by means of the conventional tunneling method. The data motivate the development of a novel probability distribution to describe the excavation performance. In addition, the probability of construction failure events and the delay caused by such failures are estimated using databases available in the literature. The model is applied to a case study, in which it is demonstrated how observations from the tunnel construction process can be included to continuously update the prediction of excavation time.

Homogenization of a simultaneous heat and moisture flow in a masonry wall is presented in this paper. The principle objective is to examine an impact of the assumed imperfect hydraulic contact on the resulting homogenized properties. Such a contact is characterized by a certain mismatching resistance allowing us to represent a discontinuous evolution of temperature and moisture fields across the interface, which is in general attributed to discontinuous capillary pressures caused by different pore size distributions of the adjacent porous materials. In achieving this, two particular laboratory experiments were performed to provide distributions of temperature and relative humidity in a sample of the masonry wall, which in turn served to extract the corresponding jumps and subsequently to obtain the required interface transition parameters by matching numerical predictions and experimental results. The results suggest a low importance of accounting for imperfect hydraulic contact for the derivation of macroscopic homogenized properties. On the other hand, they strongly support the need for a fully coupled multiscale analysis due to significant dependence of the homogenized properties on actual moisture gradients and corresponding values of both macroscopic temperature and relative humidity.

This paper presents a comprehensive approach to the evaluation of macroscopic material parameters for natural stone and quarry masonry. To that end, a reliable nonlinear material model on a meso-scale is developed to cover the random arrangement of stone blocks and quasi-brittle behaviour of both basic components, as well as the impaired cohesion and tensile strength on the interface between the blocks and mortar joints. The paper thus interrelates the following three problems: (i) definition of a suitable periodic unit cell (PUC) representing a particular masonry structure;(ii) derivation of material parameters of individual constituents either experimentally or running a mixed numerical-experimental problem; (iii) assessment of the macroscopic material parameters including the tensile and compressive strengths and fracture energy.

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