Architectural Engineering Commons^™

Effects Of Short Noise Bursts On Human Performance And Perception, Christopher Ainley

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

The goal of this research project is to better quantify human reactions to short bursts of noise, to complement research at NASA Langley Research Center on evaluating human response inside buildings to low-level sonic booms. The project involved exposing participants over 30-minute sessions to a number of 250 ms broadband noise bursts of certain levels, presented in a controlled yet randomized fashion throughout the session, and gathering responses on human perception and performance on an arithmetic task dealing with short-term memory. While previous research has demonstrated effects of noise bursts of varying amplitudes on other types of tasks that study …

Effects Of Acoustic Environments On Speech Comprehension By Native-English-Speaking Listeners, Zhao Peng, Lily M. Wang, Siu Kit Lau

Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction: Faculty Publications

This study investigates the effects of acoustic conditions on speech comprehension, rather than speech intelligibility as often reported in existing literature. Sets of 15-minute-long listening comprehension tests were developed based on the format of the Test of English for International Communication (TOEIC). Each test set includes four types of tasks: matching aural phrases to photographs, selecting appropriate responses to aural questions, and answering questions after listening to conversations (between two talkers) and talks (single talker). Within the Nebraska acoustics test chamber, native-English-speaking participants are asked to perform these tests under 15 acoustic conditions, from combinations of three background noise levels …

Use Of Building Information Modelling In Responding To Low Carbon Construction Innovations: An Irish Perspective., Barry Mcauley, Alan V. Hore, Roger West

Conference papers

At present the Irish construction industry is facing one of its most uncertain and challenging periods and will see major cuts in all areas of the economy in 2012. Despite this, Ireland pushes forward in sustainability initiatives with the Government ruling that environmentally-friendly policies are to get priority in competing for State contracts worth up to €16 billion a year. This and further initiatives are in place, so as to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 20% by the year 2020.By the end of 2018 the public sector must own or rent only buildings with high energy-saving standards and …

Implementing Building Information Modeling In Public Works Projects In Ireland, Barry Mcauley, Alan V. Hore, Roger West

Conference papers

The Irish State in recent years has suffered huge financial losses in the public works sector, which has now pushed the Irish Government to explore new ways of controlling cost. This background lead to the introduction of the Capital Works Management Framework in 2007 which aimed to support the certainty of outcome in terms of cost and quality, as well as improved risk management, through the implementation of fixed price contracts. In order to successfully compete within this framework it is recommended by the authors, that Irish Government moves towards the legal mandating of BIM. This can ensure a greater …

Behavior Of Full-Scale Rc T-Beams Strengthened In Shear With Externally Bonded Frp Sheets, Abdeldjelil Belarbi, Sang Wook Bae, Antonio Brancaccio

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Recently many research studies have investigated the shear behavior of reinforced concrete (RC) beams strengthened with fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) composites. However, most were conducted on small-scale specimens. Thus, analytical models and design equations developed from those studies may not predict the actual behavior of large-scale RC beams strengthened with FRPs. in this study, an experimental study was performed on this topic using full-scale RC T-beams in order to understand the behavior of full-scale bridge beams strengthened in shear with FRP. the main parameters investigated in this study were the transverse steel reinforcement ratio and the effect of mechanical anchorage systems. …

Probabilistic Resilience Quantification And Visualization Building Performance To Hurricane Wind Speeds, Berna Eren Tokgoz

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Natural and man made disasters are unpredictable and unavoidable in today's world. Their frequency of occurrence and damages keep increasing. Due to the efforts to reduce negative consequences from such disasters, the concept of resilience has gained so much popularity in disaster management area especially after disasters like the September 11 attacks and Hurricane Katrina. Complex systems of today are under operational risks because of increasing threats and their high level of vulnerability. Hence, such systems need to adapt the concept of resilience for continuous operations. Resilience is a proactive concept which should incorporate both pre-event (preparedness and mitigation) and …

Interdisciplinary Capstone Design: Architects, Structural Engineers, And Construction Managers, James Guthrie, Allen Estes, Jill Nelson, Brent Nuttall

Architectural Engineering

The College of Architecture and Environmental Design at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo is the only college in the nation that has departments of Architecture, Architectural Engineering, Construction Management and Landscape Architecture 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 laboratory that every student would take. The course is now …

College And Industry Partnerships: The Samé, Tanzania Polytechnic And Weld Quality, Craig Baltimore, Allen C. Estes

Architectural Engineering

No abstract provided.

Ten Years Of Abet Ec 2000: One Person's Reflections, Allen Estes

Architectural Engineering

ABET accreditation criteria changed substantially at the turn of the century changing from a prescriptive, curricular-based standard to an outcomes-based approach for accreditation. The new system named Engineering Criteria (EC) 2000 required engineering programs to consult with their constituencies to establish program objectives and outcomes that define what their graduates will attain several years after graduation and at the time of graduation, respectively. The accreditation process involves assessing the degree to which graduates are attaining these outcomes and objectives and using the results to make changes and continuously improve the program. Most engineering programs have now been through two cycles …

Civil Engineering Program Evaluator Reflections: The Most Recent Lessons Learned, Karl F. Meyer, Allen Estes, Paul Francis Mlakar

Architectural Engineering

For the 2011-2012 ABET accreditation cycle, a number of changes across the criteria have impacted the way in which programs must approach their accreditation efforts.1 The most significant change is related to the reporting of assessment activities and their use for program improvement. For the first time this year, assessment results of program educational objectives and student outcomes are reported in Criterion 4, Continuous Improvement. Additionally, there have been changes to the former Criterion 9, Program Criteria. The Program Criteria is no longer numbered, but more importantly, contains some fairly significant changes impacting the assessment of student performance. The changes …

Multinomial Logistic Regression Model For Single-Vehicle And Multivehicle Collisions On Urban U.S. Highways In Arkansas, Ghulam Bham, Bhanu S. Javvadi, Uday R.R. Manepalli

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Multivariate analysis can be used to identify the effects of several factors on the causes of a crash compared with univariate analysis. This paper uses a multivariate-analysis technique, the multinomial logistic regression (MLR) model, to examine the differences in crash-contributing factors for six collision types for both divided- and undivided-highway nonjunctions, given that a crash has occurred. Multinomial logistic regression was used to investigate (1) single-vehicle and (2) multivehicle collisions, which included (1) angular, (2) head-on, (3) rear-end, (4) sideswipe-same-direction, and (5) sideswipe-opposite-direction collisions. the risks associated with different collision types were found to be significantly influenced by various vehicle …

Development And Testing Of Chemically-Based Self-Consolidating Concrete, Mahdi Arezoumandi, Mark Ezzell, Jeffery S. Volz

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Self-consolidating concrete (SCC) has the potential to significantly reduce costs associated with concrete construction. SCC is a highly flowable, Non segregating concrete that has a variety of advantages over conventional concrete (CC). However, SCC is not without its problems, which can include increased creep and shrinkage, as well as decreased bond and shear strength. the goal of this research project was to evaluate the creep, shrinkage, and shear behavior of a chemically Based SCC mix. One of the benefits of a chemically Based approach is the potential to eliminate the negative side effects of many SCC mixes. the investigation included …

High-Volume Fly Ash Concrete For Sustainable Construction, Jeffery S. Volz

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

With worldwide production of fly ash approaching 800 million tons annually, increasing the amount of fly ash used in concrete will remove more material from the solid waste stream and reduce the amount ending up in landfills. However, most specifications limit the amount of cement replacement with fly ash to less than 25 or 30%. Concrete with fly ash replacement levels of at least 50% - referred to as high-volume fly ash (HVFA) concrete - offers a potential green solution. the following study investigated the structural performance of HVFA concrete compared to conventional Portland-cement concrete. Specifically, the research examined both …

Performance-Based Analysis Of A Reinforced Concrete Shear Wall Building, Garrett Richard Hagen

Master's Theses

PERFORMANCE-BASED ANALYSIS OF A REINFORCED CONCRETE SHEAR WALL BUILDING

Garrett Richard Hagen

In this thesis, a special reinforced concrete shear wall building was designed per ASCE 7-05, and then the performance was investigated using the four analysis procedures outlined in ASCE 41-06. The proposed building was planned as a 6-story office building in San Francisco, CA. The structural system consisted of a two-way flat plate and reinforced concrete columns for gravity loads and slender structural walls for seismic loads. The mathematical building models utilized recommendations from ASCE 41-06 and first-principle mechanics. Moment-curvature analysis and fiber cross-section elements were used in …

Electromagnetic Harvesting To Power Energy Management Sensors In The Built Environment, Evans Sordiashie

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

Recently, a growing body of scholarly work in the field of energy conservation is focusing on the implementation of energy management sensors in the power distribution system. Since most of these sensors are either battery operated or hardwired to the existing power distribution system, their use comes with major drawbacks. Battery maintenance and associated labor costs can make implementing sensors very expensive. Although hardwired sensors require very little post-installation maintenance, any energy savings they may procure is offset by the amount of energy expended during the course of the sensors normal operation. In response to these energy challenges, this thesis …

Damage Detection In Metamorphic Stone Blocks Utilizing Impact-Echo Testing And Modal Analysis, Alexander C. Jording

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

Existing buildings decay with the passage of time, and as a result, continually require maintenance or rehabilitation. When considering existing structures, testing is often necessary to complete structural analysis in preparation for rehabilitation or repair. Non-destructive testing provides a structural assessment method applicable to a variety of materials and structures. The hypothesis of this research is that impact-echo testing, one of the many NDT techniques, can be adopted to develop a reliable and standardized method to assess the condition of rectangular metamorphic stones. After the baseline material parameters and general response to impact-echo testing were established, a novel method to …

Residential Energy Recovery Radiant Heat System, Scott Sharp

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

Energy recovery systems aim to recover waste energy that is normally lost to the environment. Waste energy comes in a variety of forms. Many processes involving building HVAC involves transferring energy from one working fluid to another. Governing codes put strict requirements on ventilation requirements for various occupancy types. Increased ventilation demands more from the HVAC equipment since outdoor air (ventilation air) is being brought into the building and requires tempering in order to retain occupant comfort. The energy required to temper this air increases as ventilation rates increase. Many commercial buildings have implemented exhaust air energy recovery, or runaround …

Assessing The Engineering Performance Of Affordable Net-Zero Energy Housing, Jordan P. Wallpe

Purdue Polytechnic Masters Theses

The purpose of this research was to evaluate affordable technologies that are capable of providing attractive, cost-effective energy savings to the housing industry. The research did so by investigating the 2011 Solar Decathlon competition, with additional insight from the Purdue INhome. Insight from the Purdue INhome verified the importance of using a three step design process to design a net-zero energy building. In addition, energy consumption values of the INhome were used to compare and contrast different systems used in other houses.

Evaluation of unbiased competition contests gave a better understanding of how a house can realistically reach net-zero. Upon …

Structural Performance Of Reinforced Concrete Flat Plat Buildings Subjected To Fire, Sara Jean George

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Reinforced concrete structures are typically considered to have inherent resistance to fire. However, several concrete structures around the world have experienced partial or total collapse under fire. Reinforced concrete flat-plate is a type of structural system widely used for office and residential buildings. Flat plate construction is prone to punching shear failure at slab-column connections which may lead to a catastrophic progressive collapse. The slabs of flat-plates generally have very thin concrete cover leaving steel reinforcement more sensitive to thermal loads. Little is known in the engineering community about the structural performance of flat-plate structures subjected to fire. Through a …

A Composite Structural Steel And Prestressed Concrete Beam For Building Floor Systems, Nathan Dewit

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

Precast prestressed concrete beams, such as rectangular and inverted tee beam, currently used in residential and commercial buildings are deep, heavy, and limited to span-to-depth ratios of 15. The research proposes a composite structural steel and prestressed concrete beam that is shallow, light, easy to produce and erect, and able to achieve a span-to-depth ratio of 24. The proposed beam is designed to be used with precast columns, hollow-core planks, and a cast-in-place topping to create a moment-resisting floor system that minimizes the need for shear walls. The goal of this system is to eliminate as many of the limitations …