Architecture Commons^™

Numerical Simulation Of Centrifuge Tests On Homogeneous And Heterogeneous Soil Models, Pradipta Chakrabortty, Radu Popescu

Architectural Engineering

Soil liquefaction is a major cause of seismic damage in cohessionless soil during earthquakes. From past numerical and experimental research it has been observed that more excess pore water pressure (EPWP) is generated during earthquakes in a heterogeneous soil deposit than in the corresponding homogeneous soil with relative density equal to the average relative density of the heterogeneous soil. This interesting phenomenon is investigated here, by numerically simulating centrifuge experiments of seismically induced soil liquefaction using the finite element code DYNAFLOW. Two centrifuge tests are numerically simulated here: one in homogeneous soil and another in heterogeneous soil. Recorded experimental results …

Ann Based Load Identification And Forecasting System For The Built Environment, Hosen Hasna

Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction: Dissertations, Thesis, and Student Research

"Phantom Loads" cause energy waste in homes and the built environment as a whole. Consumers spend more than $3 billion a year on "Phantom Load" in the United States alone. The goal of this work is to conserve energy by increasing consumer awareness on their energy usage and appropriate tools which in turn will be reducing and /or eliminating phantom loads and mismanagement of the load in the built environment. A further goal is to improve upon existing power distribution systems in the built environment with limited hardware additions to increase energy conservation. This work investigates remote identification of load …

Life Cycle Costing Template (Excel), Dermot Kehily

Reports

No abstract provided.

Technologies Enabling Sustainability In The Built Environment, Mahmoud Alahmad, Muhammad Zulfiqar, Hosen Hasna Hh, Timothy Wisnieski, Nasser Aljuhaishi, Hamid Sharif

Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction: Faculty Publications

Energy conservation is among society’s greatest challenges, and the built environment has a concentrated impact on our natural environment, economy, and health. Fundamental understandings of how energy is consumed, monitored, and controlled are key prerequisites for an energy conservation process. This paper evaluates the effectiveness of real-time energy monitors (RTM) to influence behavior change in residential consumers. A methodology for remote identification of load types along the electrical circuitry where they (load) are being consumed is also presented. The load type and status (on, off, standby) are determined both remotely and in a non-intrusive manner using Non-Intrusive Load Monitoring Methods. …

Evaluation Of Pre-Consolidation Stress Determination Methods, Omar Conte, Stephanie Rust, Louis Ge, Richard Wesley Stephenson

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Pre-Consolidation Pressure Provides Valuable Information About Soil Behavior And, Specifically, Settlement under an Induced Load. Soil is Expected to Have Less Settlement Before its Pre-Consolidation Pressure and Much More Settlement after that Point. the Pre-Consolidation Pressure and the Compressibility of the Soil Can Be Determined from the Results of a One-Dimensional Consolidation Test. Different Methods Have Been Developed to Obtain the Accurate Pre-Consolidation Pressure from One Dimensional Consolidation Test Data. This Paper Presents and Discusses the Results of the One-Dimensional Consolidation Test Data from an Extensive Testing Program. the Test Specimens Used Were Obtained from Multiple Borehole Locations and Were …

Investigating Pipeline–Soil Interaction Under Axial–Lateral Relative Movements In Sand, Nasser Daiyan, Shawn Kenny, Ryan Phillips, Radu Popescu

Architectural Engineering

This paper presents results from an experimental and numerical study on the axial–lateral interaction of pipes with dense sand. A series of centrifuge tests were conducted, with a rigid pipeline displaced in the horizontal plane in a cohesionless test bed. The relative pipe–soil interaction included axial, lateral, and oblique loading events. A three-dimensional continuum finite element model was developed using ABAQUS/Standard (Hibbitt et al. 2005) software. The numerical model was calibrated against experimental results. A parametric study was conducted, using the calibrated finite element model to extend the investigations. The ultimate axial and lateral soil loading was found …

Mixing Numbers And Letters: Collaboration Between Engineering And English To Improve Graduate Student Work, Craig Baltimore, Deborah Wilhelm, Mary Forte, Pamalee Brady

Architectural Engineering

This paper will describe the issues and process of developing an introductory course in graduate writing and communication skills in conjunction with the industry of professional consulting engineering. The course was developed through a collaboration of English and engineering faculty and the collaboration is maintained in the teaching of the course. Innovative techniques incorporated into the course development include a four-pronged approach: 1) use of best practices for Writing in the Disciplines; 2) development of and focus on a multi-faceted collaborative model (Engineering and English, university and industry, students and faculty, industry and students); 3) team-teaching by engineering and English …

Phytoscreening For Chlorinated Solvents Using Rapid In Vitro Spme Sampling: Application To Urban Plume In Verl, Germany, Matt A. Limmer, Jean Christophe Balouet, Frank Karg, Don A. Vroblesky, Joel Gerard Burken

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Rapid Detection and Delineation of Contaminants in Urban Settings is Critically Important in Protecting Human Health. Cores from Trees Growing above a Plume of Contaminated Groundwater in Verl, Germany, Were Collected in 1 Day, with Subsequent Analysis and Plume Mapping Completed over Several Days. Solid-Phase Microextraction (SPME) Analysis Was Applied to Detect Tetrachloroethene (PCE) and Trichloroethene (TCE) to Below Nanogram/liter Levels in the Transpiration Stream of the Trees. the Tree Core Concentrations Showed a Clear Areal Correlation to the Distribution of PCE and TCE in the Groundwater. Concentrations in Tree Cores Were Lower Than the Underlying Groundwater, as Anticipated; However, …

Monitoring The Early-Age Hydration Of Self-Compacting Concrete Using Ultrasonic P-Wave Transmission And Isothermal Calorimetry, Bram Desmet, Kelly Chrysanthe Atitung, Miguel Angel Abril Sanchez, John Vantomme, Dimitri Feys, Nicolas Robeyst, Katrien Audenaert, Geert De Schutter, Veerle Boel, Gert Heirman, Özlem Cizer, Lucie Vandewalle, Dionys Van Gemert

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The Early-Age Hydration (B48 H) of a Series of Self-Compacting Concretes and Corresponding Mortars and One Traditionally Vibrated Concrete and Mortar is Monitored in a Continuous Way using Ultrasonic Testing and Isothermal Calorimetry. the Mixtures Differ in Type of Mineral Addition, Superplasticizer, Cement, Cement-To-Powder Ratio and Water-To-Powder Ratio. the Influence of These Different Mixture Compositions on the Kinetics of the Hydration during the First Days of the Hydration is Characterized by the Heat Production Rate Q and the Evolution of the P-Wave Velocity, which is a Consequence of the Microstructural Changes. the Variations in the Acceleration Caused by Mineral Additions …

Earthquake-Induced Deformation Analysis Of A Bridge Approach Embankment In Missouri, W. Liu, Ronaldo Luna, Richard Wesley Stephenson, S. Wang

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Earthquake-Induced Deformations for a Bridge Approach Earth Embankment Are Predicted using a Calibrated Numerical Model. the Constitutive Soil Model is a Modified Hyperbolic Model that Uses Masing Rules and Incremental Pore Pressure Relations. the Model Was Calibrated using Both Laboratory and Field Data. a Shaking Table Physical Model Was Used to Verify the Numerical Simulation. Additionally, the Upper San Fernando Dam Was Modeled to Reproduce the Deformations in the 1971 Earthquake. the Subsurface and Embankment Soil Conditions Were Characterized using Field and Laboratory Methods. the Model Developed Was Used to Predict the Earthquake-Induced Deformations of an Approach Embankment to Bridge …

Special Issue On The 6th International Phytotechnologies Conference, St. Louis, Missouri, 2009: Conference Review, Joel G. (Gerard) Burken, Jason C. White

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

No abstract provided.

Phytoforensics, Dendrochemistry, And Phytoscreening: New Green Tools For Delineating Contaminants From Past And Present, Joel Gerard Burken, Don A. Vroblesky, Jean Christophe Balouet

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

As Plants Evolved to Be Extremely Proficient in Mass Transfer with their Surroundings and Survive as Earth's Dominant Biomass, They Also Accumulate and Store Some Contaminants from Surroundings, Acting as Passive Samplers. Novel Applications and Analytical Methods Have Been Utilized to Gain Information About a Wide Range of Contaminants in the Biosphere Soil, Water, and Air, with Information Available on Both Past (Dendrochemistry) and Present (Phytoscreening). Collectively These Sampling Approaches Provide Rapid, Cheap, Ecologically Friendly, and overall "Green" Tools Termed "Phytoforensics". © 2011 American Chemical Society.

Implementation Of Integrated Commissioning, Retrofits, And Control Optimization Process In A Small Commercial Building, Xiangnan Shi

Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction: Dissertations, Thesis, and Student Research

A large amount of the primary energy consumed in the US is derived from the built environment followed by energy consumed in the transportation and industrial sectors. Consequently, improving the energy efficiency of buildings is an important part of ensuring a more sustainable world for future generations. Of the various techniques employed to improve the energy efficiency of buildings, commissioning and retrofits continue to be the most widely applied solutions. Control optimization, mainly imbedded with continuous commissioning so far, is not applied as widely. Even though there are currently a few applications that integrate all three techniques, no comparison has …

Optimized Control Strategies For A Typical Water Loop Heat Pump System, Xu Lian

Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction: Dissertations, Thesis, and Student Research

Water Loop Heat Pump (WLHP) System has been widely utilized in the Heating, Ventilating and Air Conditioning (HVAC) industry for several decades. There is no doubt about the energy saving potential of this type of system from the design and construction perspective. However, there are still many unsolved problems, such as high loop pump energy consumption, low heat pump efficiency and high electricity cost due to improper operation, although the system design intension was to save energy. Thus, how to control the WSHP to realize its energy-efficient value is an innovative but practical topic on which this thesis will focus. …

A Slurry Consolidation Approach To Reconstitute Low-Plasticity Silt Specimens For Laboratory Triaxial Testing, Shuying Wang, Ronaldo Luna, Richard Wesley Stephenson

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Silt Specimen Reconstitution using a Slurry Consolidation Approach is Commonly Used for Laboratory Testing. This Paper Presents a New Slurry Consolidation Approach to Reconstitute Silt Specimens for Use in Triaxial Testing. Silt Specimens Were Reconstituted in a Split Vacuum Mold Mounted on a Special Experimental Setup. the Uniformity of the Reconstituted Specimens Was Verified by Measuring the Water Content and Grain Size Distribution throughout the Specimens. the Testing Program Was Expedited using a Special Sample Handling Technique to Move the Specimen from the Special Experimental Setup to the Triaxial Chamber Base Platen. the Handling Process Did Not Disturb the Specimens …

How The New Architectural Engineering Program Criteria Differs From The New Civil Engineering Program Criteria, Allen Estes

Architectural Engineering

There are 17 ABET accredited architectural engineering (AE) programs in the country and over 200 civil engineering (CE) programs. To gain accreditation, a program must meet the ABET general criteria common to every engineering program and specific criteria that are unique to an individual program. The American Society of Civil Engineers is the lead professional society in this effort for both CE and AE programs. Recently the Civil Engineers rewrote and implemented the Civil Engineering ABET Program Criteria to incorporate changes in the ABET general criteria, the publication of the Civil Engineering Body of Knowledge I, and the work accomplished …

Interdisciplinary Design: The Saga Continues, Brent Nuttall, Jill Nelson, Allen Estes

Architectural Engineering

The College of Architecture and Environmental Design at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo is the only college in the nation that has departments of Architecture, Architectural Engineering and Construction Management in the same college. The institution has a 60 year tradition of collaboration between the engineering, architecture and construction disciplines, particularly at the lower division level. To enhance this collaboration, the college committed to providing an upper division interdisciplinary experience to every student in the form of a project based, team oriented five unit studio that every student would take. This new course, launched in 2009, requires small …

International Sustainability Through Knowledge Transfer Considering Culture And Resources – Sledgehammer Attacks On Adobe Masonry Walls, Craig V. Baltimore, David Lambert

Architectural Engineering

In terms of knowledge and technology innovation, sustainability is defined as the ability for a society or culture to develop, incorporate and maintain knowledge and technology in a long term manner without continued outside input. In rural East Africa, the prevalence of low-cost building materials and unskilled labor produce buildings that provide poor security for charitable groups working to improve the quality of life for communities and individuals there. Medicine and other medical supplies are targeted by thieves for their high value. Buildings constructed of the most common building material in the region, adobe masonry, are easily broken into by …

Variability Analysis Of Undrained Shear Strength For Reliability-Based Design, Site Onyejekwe, Xin Kang, Louis Ge, Richard Wesley Stephenson

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Description of the Spatial Variation of Compositional and Mechanical Soil Parameters is Often Paramount in Site Characterization of Geotechnical Design and Analysis. the Values of the Parameters Themselves Largely Depend on In-Situ State Factors Which Are Related to Spatial Locations. Also, for Large-Scale Engineering Projects Such as Earth Dams or Highways, It is Generally Expected that Heterogeneous Site Characteristics Will Be Revealed by Investigations at Spatially Distant Locations. Currently, Most Reliability-Based Design Methods Are based on the Second-Moment Statistics (Mean and Variance). However, They Are Unable to Adequately Describe the Spatial Variation of Soil Properties. in This Paper, Spatial Correlation …

Spatial Variation And Correlation Between Undrained Shear Strength And Plasticity Index, Xin Kang, Site Onyejekwe, Louis Ge, Richard Wesley Stephenson

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

A Soil Variability Analysis is Presented in This Paper. About 317 Unconsolidated Undrained Triaxial Compression Tests (UU) Were Carried Out on Undisturbed Samples from Four Locations in Missouri. the Spatial Variation of the Undrained Shear Strength and Plasticity Index Was Described by the Second-Moment Statistics (Mean and Variance). Meanwhile, the Correlation between the Undrained Shear Strength and Plasticity Index Was Established and Compared with Other Published Empirical Equations. the Results from the Soil Variability Analysis Provide a Framework to the Reliability-Based Design. © 2011 ASCE.

A Virtual Supply Airflow Rate Meter In Rooftop Air Conditioning Units, Daihong Yu

Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction: Dissertations, Thesis, and Student Research

Virtual sensing technology aims to estimate difficult to measure, expensive, or new quantities by using multifarious mathematical models along with non-invasive and low-cost measurements. Such embedded intelligence is a key to improving the performance of building systems in terms of functionality, safety, energy efficiency, environmental impacts, and costs. Considering the progress that has been achieved over many various fields (e.g., process controls, automobiles, avionics, autonomous robots, telemedicine) within the last two decades, numerous intelligent features have been incorporated and enabled that would otherwise not be possible or economical.

To identify the potential opportunities and research/development needs of virtual sensing technology …

How Much Do U.S. University Students Know, And Want To Know, About Sustainability And Green Building? The Findings Of A Survey, And Possible Implications For General Elective Curricula., Jeremy R. Farner

Purdue Polytechnic Masters Theses

Using the survey approach, this investigation examined the attitudes and interest of college students at two universities in different geographic locations within the United States. Approximately 24,000 students from all disciplines and majors at Weber State University (WSU) in Utah, and 4,000 at Purdue University in Indiana, were invited to participate in a study to determine current knowledge, familiarity, and interest in topics within the sustainability and Green Building educational arena. The goal of this study was to determine what students already know, would like to know, and how much interest there would be in developing …

Develop Energy Dashboard For Real-Time Campus Energy Use Monitoring, Hsui-Lin Winkler, Charlene Hoegler, William Batina

Cornerstone 3 Reports : Interdisciplinary Informatics

No abstract provided.

Investigations Of The Relationships Between Unoccupied Classroom Acoustical Conditions And Elementary Student Achievement, Lauren M. Ronsse

Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction: Dissertations, Thesis, and Student Research

Current building standards recommend specific unoccupied background noise levels and reverberation times for classroom spaces. While clear communication in elementary school classrooms may be critical for successful learning environments, the existing research does not show a consistent connection between the classroom acoustics parameters specified in building standards and student achievement. This research seeks to determine what acoustical conditions should be attained in elementary school classrooms to optimize student achievement.

In this dissertation, acoustical studies in two midwestern United States public school systems are described. Unoccupied background noise level (BNL) and reverberation time (RT) measurements were gathered in a range of …

How Much Do U.S. University Students Know, And Want To Know, About Sustainability And Green Building? The Findings Of A Survey, And Possible Implications For General Elective Curriculum., Jeremy R. Farner

Purdue Polytechnic Masters Theses

Using the survey approach, this investigation examined the attitudes and interest of college students at two universities in different geographic locations within the United States. Approximately 24,000 students from all disciplines and majors at Weber State University (WSU) in Utah, and 4,000 at Purdue University in Indiana, were invited to participate in a study to determine current knowledge, familiarity, and interest in topics within the sustainability and Green Building educational arena. The goal of this study was to determine what students already know, would like to know, and how much interest there would be in developing …

Adaptive Photovoltaic Configurations For Decreasing The Electrical Mismatching Losses, Mohamed Amer Chaaban

Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction: Dissertations, Thesis, and Student Research

Electrical mismatching losses in photovoltaic systems are of great interest to system designers. In this thesis, an adaptive photovoltaic (PV) system is proposed based on novel flexible switch matrixes that form different possible topologies. This system maximizes the generated power in real-time for utility interactive systems in a modified inverter configuration. The proposed system uses fewer components and achieves maximum efficiency during shading and module mismatches by reconfiguring the PV modules based on real-time solar insolation, current operational conditions, and maximum efficiency criterion. Simulation tools are used to demonstrate that the proposed topologies provide improvement in efficiency over existing traditional …

Real-Time Power Monitoring, Home Automation And Sustainability, Wisam Nader

Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction: Dissertations, Thesis, and Student Research

As the supply and demand of electrical energy is challenged within the context of environmental awareness and national security, the need to evaluate and advance each side is growing in importance. The electrical distribution system plays a critical role in the built environment as it is an enabling product, an intangible necessity used to power our systems. In order to manage our energy and prevent the consequences caused by energy wastage we need to develop tools for the built environment to become elastic with its consumption to respond to the national smart grid. To advance the research in this field, …

Using The Hyatt Regency Skywalk Collapse Case Study In Engineering Education., John W. Lawson, Pamalee A. Brady

Architectural Engineering

To this day, the 1981 skywalk collapse in the Kansas City Hyatt Regency resulted in the worst loss of life from a structural engineering mistake in United States history. While many important engineering lessons can be drawn from this disaster, it is just as important to recognize the broader lessons learned in the design and construction process as a whole that can be successfully brought into the classroom. Numerous organizations have undertaken the task of envisioning how engineering education can meet the demands of the future. ABET’s baccalaureate degree accreditation criteria, ASCE’s Body of Knowledge and Body of Knowledge 2 …

Stochastic Hybrid Embodied Co2-Eq Analysis: An Application To The Irish Apartment Building Sector, Adolf Acquaye, Aidan Duffy, Biswajit Basu

Articles

Although embodiedCO2-eq analysis has seen recent developments as evident in the establishment of the ISO14040 and 14044 LCA standards, it is recognized that due to weaknesses in gathering data on product-related emissions,embodiedCO2-eq values are probabilistic. This paper presents a stochastic analysis of hybrid embodied CO2-eq in buildings to account for this weakness in traditional methods and, by way of example, applies it to an Irish construction-sector case study. Using seven apartment buildings, 70,000 results are simulated with Monte Carlo analysis and used to derive probabilistic and cumulative embodied CO2-eq intensity distributions for apartment buildings in Ireland. A Wakeby distribution with …

Impacts Of Static Pressure Reset On Vav System Air Leakage, Fan Power And Thermal Energy- Part 1: Theoretical Model And Simulation, Mingsheng Liu, Jingjuan Feng, Zhan Wang, Lixia Wu, Keke Zheng, Xiufeng Pang

Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction: Faculty Publications

As for a variable air volume (VAV) System, the air duct static pressure is a typical control variable maintained by modulating supply fan speed. The static pressure equals to the summation of the duct pressure loss downstream of the sensor to the terminal box and box inlet static pressure. Typically, the air duct static pressure is set as a constant set point based on the system design information and sensor location. However, under partial load conditions, the terminal dampers have to be closed more since the required airflow which directly leads to much less pressure loss. This the static pressure …