Engineering Commons^™

Energy Analysis Of Heating, Ventilation, And Air Conditioning Systems, Erica Ferguson

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

This project studied Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) systems for commercial buildings. I completed an energy model Raleigh County Sheriff’s Department in West Virginia. This building’s HVAC has been completed by the consulting engineering firm: Scheeser Buckley Mayfield. I intern at this company, so they allowed me to use their original design as a basis for comparison. Load calculations, utility costs, energy consumption, and carbon footprint were derived from this energy analysis. The energy model compared three systems: variable air volume (VAV) with electric reheat, variable air volume with hydronic reheat, and variable refrigerant volume (VRV). Based on the …

A Comparison Of Common Structural Materials, Molly Green

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

This report will compare structural steel, concrete, and lumber through the lenses of mechanical properties, design process, cost, and environmental impact. Steel is a versatile, strong, and lightweight material that comes at a premium price – both financially and environmentally. It is the most expensive material of the three included in this report. This is largely due to its complex manufacturing process that is also responsible for a significant amount of the world’s carbon dioxide emissions. Concrete is significantly less expensive than steel, but the carbon dioxide emissions from manufacturing are approximately equal. Concrete also only performs well in compression …

Affordable And Sustainable Housing, Brandon Gibson

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Due to the current state of the world, families around the world have started to invest in their homes. This change in lifestyle has caused the average cost to build a new home to increase to nearly $300,000, with an additional $35,872 due to the pandemic-related uptick in material costs. Custom homes take an ample amount of planning, construction time, along with excessive amounts of materials. I am looking to put my spin on a recent trend that allows an efficient construction timeline, along with the reduction of materials and waste.

Shipping Containers. Though their history of utilization has solely …

Residential Dwelling Design And Construction Planning, Jodi Beery

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

This report presents a step-by-step guide in building a hypothetical residential dwelling in Wayne County, Ohio. The project begins with the initial site investigation phase, which gathers general information about the physical site of proposed construction as well as the requirements of the governing body of the area; applications for permits and inspections for example. Next, phase is the site design which includes creating plans for the building footprint, pavement areas, and utility locations. The next phase in the design will be the building plans which will include floor plans and associated material lists for the construction of the home. …

Analysis Of Modern Barn Design, Gunther Soehnlen

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The agriculture industry is always changing. Barn structures are one of the most important aspects of the agriculture industry. As the agriculture industry changes, so does the design and construction of barns. There are many types of barns, but over the last 300 years four of the most prevalent types have been the Bank Barn, Open Span Truss Barn, Hoop Barn, and Transverse Frame Barn. The Bank Barn and Transverse Frame Barn have been popularly built for over 200 years. The Hoop Barn and the Open Span Truss Barn have been recently introduced to the industry, becoming popular within the …

Impact Of Increased Precipitation On Midwestern Construction, Monica Feltman

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

This paper presents the current impact of increased precipitation in the Midwest on the construction industry. Mainly, the impact on jobsite safety, increasing insurance rates, and the resulting changes in design codes, or lack thereof. The goal of this independent research is to gather a better understanding of the influence of these changes, because only then can one accurately seek to combat their harmful effects. As a vital element of the global economy, the construction industry must be conscious of their changing relationship with the environment around them. Therefore, understanding the affects of harmful climate change, will increase awareness of …

Analysis Of Standardized Concrete Mixes, Riley Graybeal

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Concrete is one of the most common materials used in construction. It is mass produced throughout the country, with numerous different designs for concrete mixes. A common practice among concrete manufacturers is to use a standardized concrete mix design. These standardized mix designs are pre-tested and are not usually altered frequently. The hypothesis of this research project is that manufacturers do not constantly investigate new ways to save on their mixes, and simply use the same standardized mix designs.

In this research, investigations into what alterations may reduce the cost of standardized mixes began with a baseline mix design provided …

Basic Highway Workzone Safety, Collin Shamberger

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The purpose of this essay will be to examine, and provide information detailing work zone safety practices, and maximizing safety in construction zones. This report will examine the functionality of components of a work zone and how they work together, the use of standard construction drawings of work zones, personal protective equipment of workers, possible hazards of work zones, minimizing risks and ultimately work zone safety training. Also this report will provide a spreadsheet which can be used to calculate and layout a construction work zone based on a GPS location.