Publisher's Synopsis
This book contains sixteen papers presenting applications of expert system technology to civil engineering problems with emphasis on microcomputer implementations. It is divided into four parts: Structural engineering, geotechnical and environmental engineering, construction, and general. Topics include knowledge acquisition and machine learning, using PROLOG on a Macintosh, an environment for building integrated structural design expert systems, an integrated rule-based system for industrial building design, and integrating an expert system shell with spreadsheet programs. Expert systems for hazardous waste management, diagnosis and treatment of dam seepage problems, and analysis of activated sludge are presented. Also covered are knowledge elicitation techniques for construction scheduling, an expert system for construction contract claims, and knowledge acquisition for a contractor prequalification knowledge-based system. Finally, logic programming to manage constraint-based design, and development of an earthquake insurance and investment risk analysis system are discussed.
