Review of Structural Dynamics, Multi Hazard Effects, and Intelligent Monitoring

Abstract

In this paper, the authors focus on the major impacts of rockfall hazards on the bridge and railway infrastructure in terms of dynamic structural responses and the efficacy of the present-day mitigation measures. The authors conducted a systematic literature review of the publications from the year 2020 to 2026 and explored the topics of high-end computational simulations, multi-hazard interaction methodologies, and the use of artificial intelligence. We synthesized data from well-validated numerical models, natural disasters case studies like the Kaikoura earthquake, and the analyses of failures of protective systems. The analysis indicates that structural resilience depends significantly on complex aspects such as strain-rate effects and the non-additive damage resulting from seismic-rockfall cascades, which might decrease the capacity of a pier by more than 80%. It is demonstrated that the performance of protection measures, such as flexible barriers and pier-targeted composites, depends to a large extent on connection detailing and the capability to withstand cascading geohazards. Nevertheless, some issues were noted, like the unavailability of general-purpose machine learning models, the oversimplification of rock fragmentation in computer simulations, and the absence of standardized performance protocols. These drawbacks may render the current design methods less trustworthy. The authors highlight the importance of physics-informed neural networks, thermal-hydraulic-mechanical coupling at the modeling stage, and resilience-based design codes, amongst others, which provide a coherent guide to the building of robust and adaptable transportation infrastructure in geologically unstable zones.