Engineering Commons^™

Improvements Of Hybrid Ac/Dc House Prototype, Arden Abude

Electrical Engineering

This is an iteration from previous designs of the Hybrid AC/DC House with a systematic addition of a portable AC power supply unit. This iteration for the Hybrid AC/DC House is an innovation of independence for sustainable housing solutions. It will serve as an alternative for rural communities needing power to rely on self-sustainable microgrids rather than large-scale AC electric grids. The addition of a portable AC power supply would allow the microgrid to remove its reliance on AC power from the larger grid and would elevate the system to complete energy independence. The microgrid has DC power generated from …

Analyzing Residential Curbside Collection For Food Waste In Humboldt County, Yvette Lindler

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

The most prevalent material in the California landfill-destined solid waste stream is food. Food waste is not only an economic and social concern, but a significant environmental challenge as well. Most food waste is disposed of in landfills, where it anaerobically decomposes and releases methane, an extremely potent greenhouse gas and driver of climate change. Policies passed in California, including AB 1826 and SB 1383, aim to implement organic waste recycling programs and reduce methane emissions by diverting organic waste from landfills. The technology to process this food waste exists, but these facilities are limited or nonexistent in rural areas …

Hierarchical And Distributed Architecture For Large-Scale Residential Demand Response Management, Pramod Herath Mudiyanselage

All Dissertations

The implementation of smart grid brings several challenges to the power system. The ‘prosumer’ concept, proposed by the smart grid, allows small-scale ‘nano-grids’ to buy or sell electric power at their own discretion. One major problem in integrating prosumers is that they tend to follow the same pattern of generation and consumption, which is un-optimal for grid operations. One tool to optimize grid operations is demand response (DR). DR attempts to optimize by altering the power consumption patterns. DR is an integrated tool of the smart grid. FERC Order No. 2222 caters for distributed energy resources, including demand response resources, …

Alternative Redistribution Of Residential Solar Energy, David T. Holmes

Construction Management

The use of solar panels on residential structures has been prevalent since the mid 1970’s and over the decades their presence has become more pronounced and more valued. The creation of energy on-site using clean methods for an individual is truly a remarkable feat. As solar panels become increasingly common, so do the inherent issues and their supporting infrastructure. Of these issues a common inconvenience is what owners are to do with extraneous energy. What this entails is that an owner typically does not have means to store energy that is created in surplus, the resulting solution is the power …

Methods Residential Construction Firms Have Taken In The Past To Survive A Recession And How To Apply Them Towards The Next One, Dustin Thompson

Construction Management

The success of construction firms and the health of the U.S. economy have always been interdependent. Recessions continually set back the construction industry in terms of growth, production, layoff rates, profit, and cause a high number of firms to go out of business. No other sector in construction feels the painful effects of a recession more than the residential side. This research aimed to produce a playbook of steps a residential builder should take to come out of a recession successfully. In order to create this playbook residential professionals who have experienced recessions in the past and pulled their companies …

Advancing Data Collection, Management, And Analysis For Quantifying Residential Water Use Via Low Cost, Open Source, Smart Metering Infrastructure, Camilo J. Bastidas Pacheco

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Urbanization, climate change, aging infrastructure, and the cost of delivering water to residential customers make it vital that we achieve a higher efficiency in the management of urban water resources. Understanding how water is used at the household level is vital for this objective.Water meters measure water use for billing purposes, commonly at a monthly, or coarser temporal resolutions. This is insufficient to understand where water is used (i.e., the distribution of water use across different fixtures like toilets, showers, outdoor irrigation), when water is used (i.e., identifying peaks of consumption, instantaneous or at hourly, daily, weekly intervals), the efficiency …

Development Of A Hurricane Recovery Function And Resilience Model For Single-Family Residential Homes, Uriel Robert Donald Clark

Theses and Dissertations

The resilience of communities, infrastructure, and the environment in the face of hurricanes has increasingly become of public interest in the wake of recent natural disasters and environmental activism. Previous methodologies have attempted to quantify resilience for various structures and scenarios. Many studies have primarily investigated the robustness of critical infrastructure (e.g., bridges, emergency facilities, and water systems) which are essential to the function of a community. However, few studies have applied this approach to individual residential buildings. Therefore, this research aimed to adapt the most recent recovery functions developed for residential homes by considering measurable factors that are known …

Arc Flash In Single-Phase Electrical Systems, John Francis Wade

Doctoral Dissertations

Arc flash and blast are hazards unique to electrical installations. Such events can start fires, destroy equipment, and severely injure or kill workers. NFPA 70E and IEEE 1584 are defining standards for arc flash hazard analysis used during system design, construction, and maintenance. Both focus on three-phase faults for calculations since three-phase power distribution is predominant in utility and industrial applications. However, discussion of arc flash in single-phase systems prevalent in residential and commercial facilities is excluded. Single-phase faults can also occur in a variety of industrial and utility circumstances.

This dissertation explores historic background and treatment of arc flash …

Evaluating Public Transit Accessibility In Albuquerque, New Mexico: A Fixed-Route Bus Service Analysis, Risa E. Gutierrez

Civil Engineering ETDs

This research analyzed how residential accessibility to fixed-route bus service in Albuquerque, New Mexico varies by distance, income level, and headway. A literature review investigated components of travel that might deter people from using public transit such as travel distance, sidewalk condition or availability, bus headway, lack of active travel in today’s society, personal and traffic safety, and access equity. Geographic Information System (GIS) mapping was used to determine if low-income neighborhoods have better or worse access to ABQ Ride bus stops relative to medium- or high-income neighborhoods. Residential land use was divided into three economic classes based on 2018 …

Economically Viable Methods For Wildfire Protection For Residential Homes In Santa Barbara County, Ryan F. Chiment

Construction Management

Santa Barbara County experiences wildfires often, with fourteen major wildfires occurring in the last thirty years. Title 24, Part 9 of the California Building Code establishes the minimum building requirements for fire protection in residential construction, but there are many ways to protect a home from wildfires that go beyond the minimum requirements established in the building code. The goal of this paper is to assess the perceived increase in value to Santa Barbara County homeowners of wildfire protective measures for their homes, and to determine realistic methods for wildfire protection that are within the budget of these homeowners. This …

Kentucky St. Fence: 3d Model, Price Estimate, And Construction, Andrew Gordon Shafer

Construction Management

This project consists of the design, estimate, and rebuild of a residential fence. The house is located on Kentucky street in San Luis Obispo, California. The project was completed by two Cal Poly Construction Management students, Andrew Shafer and Michael Cerone, during the spring quarter of the 2020 academic school year. These students will be referred to as “the builders” throughout this paper. The beneficiary of the fence was a local San Luis Obispo woman, who lives on the same street as Michael. Michael walked past the beneficiary’s house every morning, and noticed that the backyard fence was in poor …

Kentucky St. Fence Rebuild: Planning, 3-D Modeling, And Philanthropic Construction, Michael E. Cerone

Construction Management

A residential fence estimate, design, and rebuild was completed by Michael Cerone and Andrew Shafer, two Cal Poly San Luis Obispo Construction Management (CM) students for an elderly member of the local San Luis Obispo (SLO) community. The beneficiary lives on Kentucky St. near Cerone and has been living in San Luis Obispo for 30 years. The reconstruction idea came about when Cerone noticed her existing fence was extremely worn and damaged. Cerone suggested that he and Shafer could build her a new fence, free of charge. The beneficiary stated she could not afford to get a new one built …

Integration Of Bim Management Into Custom Residential Construction, Cruz Calderhead

Construction Management

The custom residential sector of construction currently lacks the usage of BIM management tools. This paper looks to research the current usage, advantages, and disadvantages of using BIM management software’s within custom residential construction. There will be a comparative case study held between two custom residential contractors, one with minor BIM usage and one who has fully integrated BIM software into their management procedure. The goal is to find out if BIM management is cost-effective and scalable to the custom residential industry. This information will be beneficial to the custom residential industry because it will provide custom residential general contractors …

A Case Study On The Financial Implications Of The Zero Net Energy (Zne) Goal In California, Shane A. Willingham

Construction Management

This paper is a case study that identifies potential financial implications from the updated Title 24, Part 6 code requirements established in 2019 by the California Energy Commission (CEC). The CEC works closely with the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), who’s long term goal is to make all residential structures Zero Net Energy (ZNE) throughout the state. The CEC’s updated code requirements include mandatory measures for detached residential homes to meet Zero Net Electricity on an Energy Design Rating (EDR) basis, a step towards Zero Net Energy. The purpose of this study is to understand the additional construction costs associated …

Means And Methods Of Residential Construction And Design In Remote Areas Of Southeast Alaska, Joseph Anthony Masters

Construction Management

Building in the remote locations of Southeast Alaska is currently an unexplored area of construction that has been avoided due to the complications that accompany such projects. Many property owners in the Southeast Alaska region face challenges due to a lack of common practices that would simplify the construction process, particularly those deprived of road access and utility services. These potential residents must rely on sustainable techniques and alternative modes of material transportation, creating an abundance of planning concerns. Additionally, while code restrictions are limited due to the uniqueness of these properties, certain codes regarding the Alaska Department of Natural …

Implementing Ipd Principles On Custom Residential Projects: Tools And Best Practices, Giuseppi K. Jenkins

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research is to see how Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) principles and practices can be used on high end custom residential construction projects to increase the collaboration and efficiency of the project team. A case study was conducted on a custom home project to observe how and what IPD principles were used. Observations, interviews and a survey were used as part of that case study to gain insights. This research found that IPD principles and practices could be used on residential projects. In addition, the research found that those involved found the experience positive and beneficial to …

Framing Exterior Partitions For The Great Northern Services Housing Project, Michael-Jeremiah R. Eseed

Construction Management

In the wake of a fire in Weed, CA that destroyed nearly 150 homes, a non-profit organization called Great Northern Services (GNS) reached out to Cal-Poly San Luis Obispo about a service-learning opportunity that involved designing a single-family home and prefabricating the exterior partitions in San Luis Obispo. In Fall 2017, interdisciplinary teams of students delivered design proposals in the Integrated Project Delivery studio. The selected design was then finalized into a permitted set of drawings and planning for the prefabrication began. The extent of the prefabrication was limited to the framing and sheathing of the exterior walls. The length …

Framing Exterior Partitions For The Great Northern Services Housing Project, Patrick Pierre Shami

Construction Management

In the wake of a fire in Weed, CA that destroyed 150 homes, Great Northern Services (GNS), a nonprofit organization, reached out to Cal-Poly San Luis Obispo about a service-learning opportunity. This opportunity involved designing a single-family home and prefabricating the exterior partitions in San Luis Obispo. In Fall 2017, interdisciplinary teams of students delivered design proposals in the Integrated Project Delivery studio. The selected design was then finalized into a permitted set of drawings, and planning for the prefabrication began. The extent of the prefabrication was limited to the framing and sheathing of the exterior walls. The length of …

Prefabrication Of Exterior Partitions For Great Northern Services, John Christofer Claudio Espino

Construction Management

In the wake of a fire in Weed, CA that destroyed 150 homes, a non-profit organization called Great Northern Services (GNS) reached out to Cal-Poly San Luis Obispo about a service-learning opportunity that involved designing a single-family home and pre fabricating the exterior partitions in San Luis Obispo. In Fall 2017, interdisciplinary teams of students delivered design proposals in the Integrated Project Delivery studio. The selected design was then finalized into a permitted set of drawings and planning for the prefabrication began. The extent of the prefabrication was limited to the framing and sheathing of the exterior walls. The length …

Local Peer-To-Peer Communication To Improve Demand Response In Residential Neighborhoods, Ryan Schwartz

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Increased electricity production from intermittent renewables presents a challenge to utilities. Since the grid has little ability to store energy, fluctuations in solar and wind generation require either an increase in generation from expensive sources or a reduction of demand. Demand Response (DR) programs focus on the latter and are designed to increase grid flexibility by allowing grid operators to modify when or how customers use electricity. For residential customers, this typically means shedding load during periods of high demand through a central controller temporarily shutting off air conditioning (AC) compressors. This type of DR can cause spikes in demand …

Discovering The Benefits Of Integrating Bim Workflows Into Residential Construction Estimating, Trey R. Garcia

Construction Management

As Building Information Modeling tools become increasingly more prevalent within the construction industry, primarily the commercial sector, it is important to recognize how it can impact and/or improve other sectors of the industry. This paper will focus primarily on residential construction and the potential cost benefits that could be achieved with the implementation of model-based estimating. Other benefits that the commercial sector currently thrive on will also be noted and explained for potential implementation for residential construction. The project explained in this paper has a dual purpose; which is to discover if both cost and time benefits can be developed …

3d Printing Homes Impact On The Residential Construction Industry, Jeffrey Hammond

Construction Management

Construction companies are always looking for ways to reduce costs and shorten schedules and with new technologies there are more and more ways of achieving these goals. One new technology aimed to achieve those goals within the residential construction management industry is the three dimensional (3D) printer. Recently 3D printers have been put to use within the residential construction industry by printing the structures of homes, instead of framing them, at fractions of the cost and time, with greater efficiency, and less labor. 3D printed homes have a tremendous potential to impact impoverished citizens that need the peace and comfort …

Community Service Project For Senior Citizen, Adam J. Bloomer

Construction Management

This community service project for a local senior citizen consisted of a complete construction package including: obtaining funding, purchasing necessary materials, schedule planning, design, development and construction of a mid-sized concrete staircase. Using the knowledge and prior practices I acquired while studying Construction Management at California Polytechnic University San Luis Obispo I was able to fulfill every aspect the client had requested. This staircase not only served as an easier walkway into the backyard of the home but also as a stormwater accessway allowing for minimal puddle and mud accumulation outside the clients front door. The projects material cost of …

Accuracy Of Residential Water Meters In Response To Short, Intermittent Flows, John R. Chadwick

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

In this study, water meter accuracy in response to short, intermittent flows was tested. Burst flows have short durations (a few seconds or less), and occur at a variety of flow rates. For some types of meters, it is difficult to accurately measure short, intermittent flow rates. Depending on the meter type, an intermittent flow can result in either under-registering or over-registering of the actual throughput.

During the testing for this research, water was passed through meters for various time combinations, test setups, and flows. It should be understood that realistically, a household setting will not see burst flows occurring …

The Effects Of Surge Flows On Residential Water Meters, Ryan P. Weller

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

All residential water meters have published flow rates for which they will operate as designed. These specifications include a maximum operating flow rate, which is recommended not to exceed. However, there are situations which may cause a meter to flow above the maximum flow rate. This thesis explores what effect these surge flows have on residential water meters.

Twenty-one 5/8”x3/4” meters were tested in this study: three oscillating pistons, six nutating disks, nine ultrasonic, and three electromagnetic. Testing was done at the Utah Water Research Laboratory using a gravimetric test bench specifically designed for residential water meter testing.

The results …

The Skilled Framing Carpenter Shortage On The Central Coast Of California: A Focus On Residential Construction, Trevor John Nally

Construction Management

The residential construction industry has many critical components. When one of these components is not operating optimally, it can be detrimental to the system as a whole. A critical component to residential construction is skilled craftspeople. Without them, there can be no significant physical work completed on any residential project. Currently the component of skilled craftspeople in residential construction is in a state of short supply. Throughout the United States, there is an inadequate amount of craftspeople to fill the demand for their skills. The Central Coast of California is experiencing this issue much like the rest of the nation …

Beauchemin Residence, Hannah E. Rogers

Architectural Engineering

The following report details the structural engineering completed on the Beauchemin Residence, as well as the associated drawings, details, and special considerations. The Beauchemin Residence is an existing single story wood frame building on raised wood floor, located in the city of San Clemente. The scope of work includes calculations for a new roof, new walls (gravity & lateral), retrofit of the existing foundation, new foundation, and providing calculations. The process and progression of the structural design is documented, and correlated to the final product in the Appendix A & B.

Integrating Radiant Flooring With Insulation, Zachary J. Faber

Construction Management

Radiant flooring has gained traction in recent years becoming very common in residential construction, especially in custom homes. There are different types of radiant flooring that has been deployed into the construction of residential homes, but not all of them have been effective. Currently, radiant flooring must be installed either during construction of a new home, or requires the removal of existing flooring in order to place radiant components below and then reinstall the flooring. Not only does it require the removal of flooring, it is also quite expensive to purchase and install. This paper looks into whether or not …

Taylor Place- Fire Life Safety Report, Christopher Thomas

Fire Protection Engineering: Culminating Experience Project Reports

This document is a Fire and Life Safety Report on the Taylor Place Dormitory located in Phoenix, Arizona as part of the Arizona State University (ASU) downtown campus. The building was evaluated on a prescriptive basis based on the current City of Phoenix building codes and further evaluated on using performance based methods from the Society of Fire Protection Engineers (SFPE) Handbook and National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 101 Life Safety Code®.

These building features and systems were evaluated using prescriptive methods:

General construction, fire resistive construction and fire resistive separations Occupancy, Life safety features and building egress Smoke management …

Integrated Sustainability And Resiliency Assessment Methodology For The Design Of Single-Family Residential Structures Subject To Wind And Flood Hazards, Elizabeth Chisolm Matthews

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Sustainability and resiliency have become important in shaping the criteria in performance-based design objectives in the recent past and will continue to shape future design as climate change impacts and disasters become more prevalent. While much work has been carried out in developing tools to aid in sustainable and resilient performance-based design there is still much work to be done. It is evident that while sustainability and resiliency have mutual advantages there are also inherent conflicts between the two design approaches. Some of the conflict relates to the robustness required of resilient design, which may have higher environmental impacts than …