Developing A Common Framework For A Bridge Management System At National Level,
2020
Department for Infrastructure, Belfast, Northern Ireland
Developing A Common Framework For A Bridge Management System At National Level, Thomas Neeson, Myra Lydon, Kristopher Campbell, Nicola Ann Stevens, Adelle Marshall, Aleksander Novakovic
Civil Engineering Research in Ireland 2020
Transport infrastructure is directly impacted by climate change as extreme weather conditions account for 10-35% of delays/service interruptions to road and rail infrastructure. The current reactive method of maintaining bridges within these infrastructure systems results in a lack of contingency capacity and ultimately a reduced ability to adapt to uncertain future needs. To allow infrastructure providers to prepare for future events, there is a need to develop asset management systems (AMS) with embedded decision-making support which considers factors such as climate change and population growth. A National approach would enable strategic risk assessment to mitigate the consequences of climate change …
Conversion Of Legacy Inspection Data To Bridge Condition Index (Bci) To Establish Baseline Deterioration Condition History For Predictive Maintenance Models.,
2020
School of Natural and Built Environment, Queens University, Belfast
Conversion Of Legacy Inspection Data To Bridge Condition Index (Bci) To Establish Baseline Deterioration Condition History For Predictive Maintenance Models., Nicola Ann Stevens, Myra Lydon, Kristopher Campbell, Thomas Neeson, Adelle Marshall, S. E. Taylor
Civil Engineering Research in Ireland 2020
Bridge Management Systems (BMS) have been introduced across the world with the goal of aiding the decisions regarding maintenance, rehabilitation and replacement (MR&R) of bridges. Deterioration modelling is the most important part of the BMS because the ability to predict the future condition is vital as it will determine the quality of the decisions made. Markovian-based models are the most common predictive maintenance tool utilised in existing BMS, by obtaining probabilities of transition of bridge condition from one state to another based on historic bridge inspection data. Prior to the introduction of the Bridge Condition Index (BCI) the use of …
A Review Of The Data Held On 3,437 Masonry Arch Bridges In Northern Ireland,
2020
Department for Infrastructure, Belfast, Northern Ireland
A Review Of The Data Held On 3,437 Masonry Arch Bridges In Northern Ireland, Kristopher Campbell, Nicola Ann Stevens, Myra Lydon, Thomas Neeson, Su Taylor, Alan O'Connor
Civil Engineering Research in Ireland 2020
Queens University of Belfast and the Department for Infrastructure (DfI), who are the local road authority in Northern Ireland, have undertaken a joint project to develop a new bridge management system to cover the inspection and maintenance of DfI bridges and associated structures. An initial review of the asset data held by DfI, including bridge properties and current and legacy inspection data has been undertaken for the entire network. This paper primarily focuses on 3,437 masonry arch bridges which make up nearly 53% of the total bridge stock in NI. It presents data which has been classified into groups in …
Caha Tunnel Rock Repairs And Improvements Including Non-Destructive Testing,
2020
RPS Group Ltd., Innishmore, Ballincollig, Cork, Ireland
Caha Tunnel Rock Repairs And Improvements Including Non-Destructive Testing, Roy Costello, Liam Duffy
Civil Engineering Research in Ireland 2020
This paper describes Caha Tunnel, a 180m long rock tunnel of siltstone and sandstone formation located along the N71 between Kenmare, Co. Kerry and Glengarriff Co. Cork. The tunnel was formed in the mid-19th century through blasting methods, thus giving it its inhomogeneous cross-sectional shape throughout and exposing the natural face of the rock. In recent years there has been numerous reports of rock falls within the tunnel which is causing uncertainty of the safety of the tunnel amongst road users. Calls for rehabilitation works are sought amongst the public to ensure the long-term safety of the tunnel is provided …
Hydraulics Of Scour In The Vicinity Of A Flexiarch Bridge,
2020
School of Natural and Built Environment, Queen's University Belfas
Hydraulics Of Scour In The Vicinity Of A Flexiarch Bridge, Prabuddha Sathurusinghe, Gerard Hamill, Su Taylor, Desmond Robinson
Civil Engineering Research in Ireland 2020
Floods and scour are major causes of failure of bridges and with the increase in short-duration and high intensity rainfall events the occurrence of such failures is increasing. While standard free flow scour at bridge piers is an extensively researched area, the increased scour that occurs when the upstream water level is at or above the crown of an arch bridge (pressure-flow scour) is comparatively less well studied. As the frequency and magnitudes of floods increase, more bridges may be at a higher risk of being subject to pressure-flow scour. A modern masonry arch bridge system called the ‘FlexiArch’, that …
Full-Scale Structural Testing Of Wind And Tidal Turbine Blades,
2020
Civil Engineering, School of Engineering, National University of Ireland Galway, Ireland; MaREI Research Centre for Energy, Climate and Marine, Ryan Institute, National University of Ireland Galway, Galway, Ireland
Full-Scale Structural Testing Of Wind And Tidal Turbine Blades, William Finnegan, Patrick Meier, Yadong Jiang, Afrooz Kazemi Vanhari, Edward Fagan, Le Chi Hung, Jamie Goggins
Civil Engineering Research in Ireland 2020
In recent years wind energy has been established as a leading source of renewable energy and, now, tidal energy is nearing commercial viability. In both cases, the reliability and longevity of certain key components of energy converters is paramount. The blades of these turbines are such key components. The turbine blades convert the energy of the resource into mechanical energy, encountering high variations in loading. In order to ensure that tidal turbine blades have the required structural capacity, mechanical static and fatigue testing of the blades is performed. This study examines the performance of wind and turbine blades as they …
A Novel Solution For Preventing Leading Edge Erosion In Wind Turbine Blades,
2020
Civil Engineering, School of Engineering, National University of Ireland Galway, Ireland; MaREI Research Centre for Energy, Climate and Marine, Ryan Institute, National University of Ireland Galway, Galway, Ireland
A Novel Solution For Preventing Leading Edge Erosion In Wind Turbine Blades, William Finnegan, Michael Flanagan, Róisín Ó Coistealbha, Priya Dasan Keeryadath, Tomas Flanagan, Jamie Goggins
Civil Engineering Research in Ireland 2020
As the world shifts to using renewable sources of energy, wind energy has been established as one of the leading forms of renewable energy. However, as wind turbines get increasingly larger, new challenges within the design, manufacture and operation of the turbine are presented. One such challenge is leading edge erosion on wind turbine blades. With larger wind turbine blades, tip speed begin to reach over 500 km per hour. As water droplets impact along the leading edge of the blade, rain erosion begins to occur, increasing maintenance costs and reducing the design life of the blade. In response to …
Equivalent Load Profile Development For Fatigue Testing Of A 13-Metre Wind Turbine Blade,
2020
Civil Engineering, School of Engineering, National University of Ireland Galway, Ireland; MaREI Research Centre for Energy, Climate and Marine, Ryan Institute, National University of Ireland Galway, Galway, Ireland
Equivalent Load Profile Development For Fatigue Testing Of A 13-Metre Wind Turbine Blade, Afrooz Kazemi Vanhari, Edward Fagan, Yadong Jiang, Patrick Meier, William Finnegan, Jamie Goggins
Civil Engineering Research in Ireland 2020
As blades are a key component of wind turbines, blade manufacturers are required to carry out static and fatigue tests of full-scale blades as part of the certification process prior to their deployment for commercial use. A 13-meter turbine blade is existing in the Large Structure Research Laboratory located in the Alice Perry Engineering Building, NUI Galway. We are going to test the blade (static and fatigue) in both the edgewise and flatwise directions. The blade is constructed from a novel glass-fibre reinforced powder epoxy composite material and consists of a double internal shear web. The blade is supported at …
Natural Frequency Measurement Of A 13-Meter Wind Turbine Blade Using Different Techniques,
2020
School of Engineering, National University of Ireland, Galway;Ryan Institute, National University of Ireland, Galway; SFI MaREI Centre for Energy, Climate and Marine, Environmental Research Institute, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
Natural Frequency Measurement Of A 13-Meter Wind Turbine Blade Using Different Techniques, Yadong Jiang, William Finnegan, Afrooz Kazemi Vanhari, Patrick Meier, Edward Fagan, Jamie Goggins
Civil Engineering Research in Ireland 2020
Nowadays the wind energy markets continue to grow to accommodate the current demands of renewable energy. As the wind turbine blades are susceptible to suffer damage from complex and irregular loading caused by catastrophes, development of quick and reliable ways for wind turbine health monitoring is becoming crucial. Natural frequency testing is one of the most commonly used non-destructive health monitoring methods, as any damages could lead to changes in the structural vibration characteristics. In this paper, a series of tests were carried out to measure the natural frequencies of a 13 m wind turbine blade. Various testing techniques and …
Static And Fatigue Testing Of A Full Scale Helical River Turbine Foil,
2020
Civil Engineering, School of Engineering, National University of Ireland Galway, Ireland; MaREI Research Centre for Energy, Climate and Marine, Ryan Institute, National University of Ireland Galway, Galway, Ireland
Static And Fatigue Testing Of A Full Scale Helical River Turbine Foil, Patrick Meier, William Finnegan, Patrick Cronin, James Donegan, Matthew Barrington, Le Chi Hung, Jamie Goggins
Civil Engineering Research in Ireland 2020
Despite opposition from some sectors, the imminent impact of increased hydrocarbon emissions on climate is generally accepted. Alternative energies from as many different sources must be exploited, in order to reduce the dominating market share of fossil fuels on the global energy budget. One such potential source is the capture of hydro-mechanical energy harnessed from river or tidal flows. The former is a mature industry in the case of large permanent hydroelectric plants, but smaller mobile, moored systems are of special interest in remote locations where grid connection is less widespread. Since servicing of these remote installations becomes costly, the …
Impact Of Occupant Behaviour On Indoor Environment Of A-Rated Dwellings,
2020
Department of Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering, Trinity College, College Green, Dublin 2
Impact Of Occupant Behaviour On Indoor Environment Of A-Rated Dwellings, Niti Saini, Patrick Shiel, Roger P. West, Ruth Kerrigan, Ian Pyburn
Civil Engineering Research in Ireland 2020
An increase in energy efficiency and airtightness in the absence of adequate ventilation in A-rated houses has brought about an increase in indoor environment quality (IEQ) issues which can lead to health hazards, such as mould formation due to high humidity levels, or the sustained presence of Carbon Dioxide, both generated by human activities. Relative humidity above 80% for prolonged periods can result in mould growth on any cold unventilated surfaces, such as behind curtains, blinds, wardrobes, etc. Levels of humidity can also affect an occupant’s feeling of well-being, for example, low levels of humidity can lead to drying of …
Characterization And Performance Of Cement-Based Thermoelectric Materials,
2020
School of Civil and Structural Engineering, Technological University Dublin, Ireland
Characterization And Performance Of Cement-Based Thermoelectric Materials, Ruchita Jani, Niall Holmes, Roger P. West, Kevin Gaughan, Xiaoli Liu, Esther Orisakwe, Conrad Johnston, Ming Qu, Jorge Kohanoff, Lorenzo Stella, Hongxi Yin
Civil Engineering Research in Ireland 2020
Thermoelectric materials enable direct conversion of thermal energy to electricity. Ambient heat energy harvesting could be an effective route to convert buildings from being energy consumers to energy harvesters, thus making them more sustainable. There exists a relatively stable temperature gradient (storing energy) between the internal and external walls of buildings which can be utilized to generate meaningful energy (that is, electricity) using the thermoelectric principle. This could ultimately help reduce the surface temperatures and energy consumption of buildings, especially in urban areas.
The Use Of Three-Dimensional Conjugate Cfd To Enhance Understanding Of, And To Verify, Multi-Modal Heat Transfer In Dynamic Laboratory Test Walls,
2020
Department of Civil& Structural Engineering, Technological University, Dublin, Ireland
The Use Of Three-Dimensional Conjugate Cfd To Enhance Understanding Of, And To Verify, Multi-Modal Heat Transfer In Dynamic Laboratory Test Walls, Rakshit D. M, Tim O'Leary, Ronan Hogan, Anthony James Robinson, Aimee Byrne
Civil Engineering Research in Ireland 2020
This work describes the use of conjugate computational fluid dynamics (C-CFD) to simulate controlled laboratory based dynamic heat transfer tests on building components. This study proposes that conjugate CFD simulation can be used to evaluate the influence of combined convective and conductive heat transfer in multi-state building components. To this end, a solid wall and cavity wall were tested with a Calibrated Hotbox and subject to variable temperature conditions leading to combined convective and conductive heat transfer. The varying temperature of the heat source was monitored and used as the input boundary condition in the simulation model, which included a …
Temperature Profiles Of Private Rental Housing Occupied By Third Level Students In Ireland,
2020
Civil Engineering, School of Engineering, College of Science & Engineering, National University of Ireland, Galway
Temperature Profiles Of Private Rental Housing Occupied By Third Level Students In Ireland, Ailbhe Ryan, Eimear Walsh, Paul Moran, Jamie Goggins
Civil Engineering Research in Ireland 2020
The Irish Government published a National Student Accommodation Strategy to tackle issues surrounding the availability of accommodation for students in higher education. 23,634 students could not be accommodated with a bed space supplied by a Higher Education Institution in 2017. Therefore, many students live in private rental accommodation during the academic year. This paper examines the indoor temperature profiles of private rental housing occupied by third level students in Ireland. From the results, the temperature levels across the majority of the 16 cases were found to have temperatures below the recommended 18°C. At least 90% of the recorded temperature data …
Key Considerations In The Design Of A One-Stop-Shop Retrofit Model,
2020
Civil Engineering, School of Engineering, College of Science & Engineering, National University of Ireland, Galway; SFI MaREI Centre, Ryan Institute, National University of Ireland, Galway, University Road, Galway, Ireland; ERBE Centre for Doctoral Training, National University of Ireland, Galway, University Road, Galway, Ireland.
Key Considerations In The Design Of A One-Stop-Shop Retrofit Model, Orlaith Mcginley, Paul Moran, Jamie Goggins
Civil Engineering Research in Ireland 2020
The Irish Government’s Climate Action Plan emphasizes the need for increased retrofit activity within the built environment. As such, the plan has set targets for the completion of 500,000 energy efficient retrofits by 2030 at a rate of 50,000 per annum. Ireland’s current retrofit uptake rate is considered relatively low, at approximately 23,000 primarily shallow retrofits per annum. Thus, a significant step change is required to drive retrofit investment at a national scale, however, there are various barriers existing to such. Considering these targets, the establishment of a One-Stop-Shop (OSS) retrofit model has been identified in the Climate Action Plan …
Performance Based Design Approach For Reinforced Concrete Precast Structures,
2020
Department of Building and Civil Engineering, Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology, Dublin Road, Galway, Ireland
Performance Based Design Approach For Reinforced Concrete Precast Structures, Suhaib Salawdeh, Naveed Ahmad
Civil Engineering Research in Ireland 2020
Precast concrete structures are becoming one of the most popular constructions in the world. They are expected to lead the global construction because they are fast, cheap and simple to construct with precast concrete elements produced in tightly controlled conditions. Moreover, they are sustainable products with high durability. Minimal waste is produced during manufacture and precast elements can be fully recycled at the end of their life. In this paper, a Performance Based Design (PBD) approach is proposed for multi-storey precast concrete frame structures. A full review of Direct Displacement Based Design (DDBD) methodology to design precast concrete structures is …
Effect Of Casting Method And Test Setup On Flexural Characterization Of Uhpfrc,
2020
School of Natural and Built Environment, Queen's University Belfast, Northern Ireland; College of Architecture Engineering, Xinjiang University, Urumqi, China
Effect Of Casting Method And Test Setup On Flexural Characterization Of Uhpfrc, Yuanye He, Esmaeel Esmaeeli, Marios Soutsos
Civil Engineering Research in Ireland 2020
Ultra-High-Performance Fibre Reinforced Concrete (UHPFRC) has received extensive attention due to its excellent mechanical properties. UHPFRC not only offers a very high compressive strength, but also a unique tensile strain-hardening behaviour. Casting method is critical as it determines the fibre alignment, which in turn affects the performance of UHPFRC. In practice, casting in one single pour requires large equipment, large volume of concrete and it is time consuming and in general difficult to achieve. To evaluate the flexural behaviour, 3PB (three-point bending) and 4PB (four-point bending) tests are generally carried out following the methodologies recommended by the material testing standards, …
Design Of Reinforced Concrete Beams With Web Openings,
2020
Chartered Engineer, Main St, Loughrea, Co Galway, Ireland
Design Of Reinforced Concrete Beams With Web Openings, Gerry Sweeney, Suhaib Salawdeh
Civil Engineering Research in Ireland 2020
Web openings in Reinforced Concrete (RC) beam construction are common place. An extensive review of the current research on RC beams with web openings is conducted. It is identified that a numerical model could be developed for RC beams with openings and validated against existing experimental research data. The Finite Element (FE) application, Ansys, is used to develop five different FE models. The numerical results compared well with experimental and analytical data. Overall model results are provided and discussed, with key findings and recommendations for future work presented.
Finite Element Appraisal Of The Strut And Tie Method For The Design Of Reinforced Concrete Structures,
2020
RPS Group, West Pier Business Campus, Old Dunleary Rd., Dun Laoghaire, Co. Dublin A96 N6T7
Finite Element Appraisal Of The Strut And Tie Method For The Design Of Reinforced Concrete Structures, Seán Quinn, Kieran Ruane
Civil Engineering Research in Ireland 2020
The Strut-and-Tie Method (STM) can be used for the design of reinforced concrete elements such as deep beams and pile caps. STM allows the reduction of complex states of stress, which are known as D- or Discontinuity regions, within a structure to an assembly of simple stress states. Normal beam theory where B- or Bernoulli regions occur, does not apply. Up until recent times, design for deep beams was generally on simple rules and empirical formulas, however STM is now included in most modem design code provisions. Yet, there still remains a lack of clear understanding of the STM.
Demountable Reinforced Concrete Structures: A Review And Future Directions,
2020
Tracey concrete Ltd, Enniskillen, Northern Ireland, UK
Demountable Reinforced Concrete Structures: A Review And Future Directions, Tahreer Fayyad, Ahmed Abdalqader
Civil Engineering Research in Ireland 2020
Consuming about 60% of natural resources, construction industry recently has been under a continuous pressure to ensure an efficient consumption of natural resources. Recent decades have witnessed some valuable steps toward making the construction industry more sustainable. This includes the trials to change the linear life cycle model to cyclic one by the consideration of the 3Rs; recycling, reusing and reducing to help in closing the material loop. However, recent studies have showed that the reason for demolition is not really the end-of-life span of structures but actually the lack of adaptability, also, demolition and recycling demand huge energy. So …
