Construction Engineering Commons^™

Integrating Artificial Intelligence And Augmented Reality For Enhanced Task Performance In The Construction Industry, Aasish Chandrika Bhanu

All Dissertations

The Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) sector, characterized by its complex tasks, often faces challenges in adopting cutting-edge technologies, a trend that can significantly hinder productivity improvements compared to other industries. This dissertation explores the emerging integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Augmented Reality (AR) within the AEC domain, investigating how effectively this can be implemented to potentially revolutionize industry practices. AI could be used in the AEC domain for advanced analytical and decision-making processes, while AR could be used for training, visualization, and remote collaboration.

In scenarios where construction site workers require expert guidance, these technologies could be helpful. …

Building Sevices Engineering July/August 2024

Building Services Engineering

No abstract provided.

Mitigating Uncertainty: Analyzing The Role Of Risk Management In The Construction Industry, Mike Nwafor

Harrisburg University Dissertations and Theses

The construction industry, inherently dynamic and complex, faces a myriad of uncertainties that can significantly impact project outcomes. In this context, effective risk management emerges as a critical component in ensuring project success and sustainability. This abstract explores the role of risk management in the construction industry, highlighting its multifaceted impact on project timelines, costs, and overall quality. Risk management in construction includes detecting, assessing, and managing possible hazards and opportunities throughout the project's life cycle. It includes a proactive approach to anticipating, analyzing, and responding to uncertainties driven by factors such as design modifications, material shortages, labor concerns, weather …

A Machine Learning Framework For Predicting Fabrication Hours For Industrial Steel Structure Projects, Dalia Ibrahim

Theses and Dissertations

Construction projects are considered high risk projects especially due to their required large capital making them require extreme attention in estimation as overestimating a project will lead to losing bids and underestimating them will lead to incurring more costs than budgeted resulting in losses. However, estimators are often faced with very tight timelines to finish their estimates leading them to primarily rely on their experience disregarding some crucial factors resulting in inaccurate estimates. In the steel structures industry, the steel fabrication phase accounts for 30 to 40% of the overall project cost; in addition, the steel industry is labor driven; …

Sustainable Sensing With Paper Microfluidics: Applications In Health, Environment, And Food Safety, Sanjay Kumar, Jyoti B. Kaushal, Heow Pueh Lee

Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction: Faculty Publications

This manuscript offers a concise overview of paper microfluidics, emphasizing its sustainable sensing applications in healthcare, environmental monitoring, and food safety. Researchers have developed innovative sensing platforms for detecting pathogens, pollutants, and contaminants by leveraging the paper’s unique properties, such as biodegradability and affordability. These portable, low-cost sensors facilitate rapid diagnostics and on-site analysis, making them invaluable tools for resource-limited settings. This review discusses the fabrication techniques, principles, and applications of paper microfluidics, showcasing its potential to address pressing challenges and enhance human health and environmental sustainability.

Modeling And Design Parameter Optimization To Improve The Sensitivity Of A Bimorph Polysilicon-Based Mems Sensor For Helium Detection, Sulaiman Mohaidat, F. M. Alsaleem

Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction: Faculty Publications

Helium is integral in several industries, including nuclear waste management and semiconductors. Thus, developing a sensing method for detecting helium is essential to ensure the proper operation of such facilities. Several approaches can be used for helium detection, including based on the high thermal conductivity of helium, which is several times higher than air. This work utilizes the high thermal conductivity of helium to design and analyze a bimorph MEMS sensor for helium sensing applications. COMSOL Multiphysics software (version 6.2) is used to carry out this investigation. The sensor is constructed from poly-silicon and SiO₂ materials with a trenched …

Ace Mentor Program - Central Coast Chapter, Brayden Samuel Groshart

Construction Management

For my senior project, I established a chapter of the ACE (Architecture, Construction, and Engineering) Mentor Program in San Luis Obispo, California. This program provides high school students with hands-on experience and exposure to careers in the architecture, construction, and engineering industries. The program spanned eight weeks, balancing theoretical knowledge and practical application. The curriculum began with sessions on the fundamentals of architecture, engineering, and construction. In order to expose the students to real world practices, we organized tours of an architecture firm, an engineering firm, and an active construction site. These visits allowed students to engage with professionals, observe …

Son Care Foundation – Lean To Shade Structure Design And Construction, Ryan Joseph Mccann

Construction Management

This paper discusses the design and construction of a lean-to-shade structure built for the Son Care Foundation in San Luis Obispo. The Son Care Foundation is a nonprofit organization that raises guide dogs for veterans and first responders with PTSD. This shade structure is 16 feet long and 6 feet wide, its height slopes from 9 feet in the front down to 8 feet in the back creating a roof pitch of 2:12. The sheet metal roof also has an overhang of approximately 1 foot. As requested by the client, the shade structure was designed to fit the aesthetic of …

Effect Of Pismo Clams As Partial Fine And Coarse Aggregate Replacement On Workability And Compressive Strength Of Concrete, Alan Munoz Pille

Construction Management

Concrete has been utilized for ages. Unfortunately, over the hundreds of years there has been little development in the applications of new aggregate materials. The world is moving towards a sustainable way of living and as a result seashells have come into the mix. Pismo Clams are a native species to San Luis Obispo County. This marine species has the possibility of becoming a partial aggregate replacement for fine and coarse aggregates in concrete. The results of prior studies indicate a possible application of seashell use in concrete. This paper evaluates the workability and compressive strength of concrete containing fine …

Bird Trail Stairway Access Replacement, Mackenzie Wright, William Spellman, Nicholas Buccino, Jack Long

Mechanical Engineering

Dana Adobe & Cultural Center, a non-profit organization in Nipomo, California, seeks to restore access to the Bird Trail located on their site. This project aims to design and manufacture a replacement stairway for safe creek bed crossing on the trail. Within this document, we have detailed our system design, function, and justification for our design. The procurement, manufacturing, and assembly plan have been outlined along with tests we completed.

One of the most important functions of our design is for the structure to be retractable so that it can be removed from the creek bed when needed. To address …

Sustainable And Cost-Effective Work Zone Scheduling On Two-Lane Highways With Managed Lanes, Ahmed Z. Edrees

Dissertations

Roadway maintenance projects greatly influence the roadway capacity, resulting in potential traffic disturbances captured by delays. Additionally, costs associated with these projects tend to be exorbitantly extensive. Most agencies and planners try to find a solution that minimizes roadway maintenance costs, traffic delays, crash risks, and environmental impact.

Work zones on two-way two-lane roadway typically avoids high-demand periods. Lane-closure scenario is commonly used and converts the open lane into a phantom intersection, alternating two-direction movements on one lane with the help of a flagger or a temporary signal. Alternatively, using shoulders as temporarily managed lanes allows for simultaneous two-way movements …

The Development Of A Convenient And Consistent Methodology For Flight Proficiency To Certify Multi-Rotor Uas Pilots For State Departments Of Transportation, Colin Dees

All Dissertations

To fly an unmanned aircraft system (UAS), commonly referred to as a “drone,” the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) requires pilots to pass a knowledge test. There is no requirement at the state or federal level for drone operators to demonstrate the ability to operate a UAS. The National Institute of Science and Technology (NIST) has created an exam for public and private entities to assess basic UAS flight proficiency. It is the only nationally recognized flight proficiency protocol. NIST does not provide a scoring recommendation and leaves it to the user to determine the minimum criteria to pass. There is …

Building Services Engineering May/June 2024

Building Services Engineering

No abstract provided.

Quantifying Hurricane Effects On Housing: Evaluating Damage, Loss, And Shelter Demands Using Historical And Simulated Storm Tracks, Adish Deep Shakya

All Theses

This research introduces an advanced framework which employs parametric wind field models for peak wind speeds, and building fragility curves, loss functions, and demographic data to estimate for estimating housing damage and loss. The uninhabitable units immediate displaced households, short-term and long-term shelter need households are determined. with a particular focus on those eligible for FEMA assistance. The framework's validity is reinforced by a high correlation in the analysis of recent hurricane events between estimated numbers of displaced households and actual FEMA aid recipients, where FEMA aids about 20-60% of the predicted long-term displaced households. A novel application of the …

Evaluating Company Culture Of Roofing Contracting Companies To Attract And Retain Women In The Industry, Gopika Viswanathan

All Theses

The US construction industry, similar to many other industries, has a low representation of women. This difference is even more pronounced in construction trades, such as the roofing industry. The admission of more women into the industry is important to address workforce shortage issues that the industry is facing. Company culture has been cited as one of the primary reasons why women choose not to enter the industry or face barriers during their careers. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the company culture of roofing companies through factors identified by literature and by women and companies in …

Adopting Information System Technologies In Construction Project Management, Hadi Haikal

Harrisburg University Dissertations and Theses

The construction sector has remained late in integrated information systems' adopting process to perform the system improving processes. Lack of adoption of technology has been a root cause of the early issues they faced, such as budgetary and scheduling overshoots, quality defects, safety occurrences, and generally poor communication and coordination among the stakeholders. This research looks into the benefits and challenges, the key success factors, and the implications of using an array of information systems, including building information modeling (BIM), artificial intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT) sensing, and enterprise systems, to comprehensively address issues in project management in construction …

Cal Poly's Old Powerhouse Analysis Assessing Stakeholder Preferences, Marissa D. Burns

Construction Management

This research paper delves into the historical and cultural relevance of Cal Poly’s Old Powerhouse, the college’s oldest architectural landmark, which has remained in a state of disuse since the 1990s. Employing meticulous survey methodology; perspectives from faculty, staff, alumni, students, and community members are gathered to illustrate the significance of the Old Powerhouse within the various stakeholders. The study refrains from imposing interpretation but rather seeks to capture the sentiments expressed by stakeholders, providing valuable insights into the building’s perceived value. By centering on the community opinions, the research will underscore the building’s potential and expand on the collected …

Distribution Fitting And Anova Test To Analyze Pavement Sensing Patterns For Condition Assessments, Dada Zhang, Chun-Hsing Ho

Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction: Faculty Publications

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the vehicle-based sensor effect and pavement temperature on road condition assessment, as well as to compute a threshold value for the classification of pavement conditions.

Design/methodology/approach – Four sensors were placed on the vehicle’s control arms and one inside the vehicle to collect vibration acceleration data for analysis. The Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) tests were performed to diagnose the effect of the vehicle-based sensors’ placement in the field. To classify road conditions and identify pavement distress (point of interest), the probability distribution was applied based on the magnitude values of …

Efficacy Of Passive Ventilation With High Exhaust Demands: A Case Study Of Cal Poly Sst, Siddarth Bokka

Construction Management

The Simpson Strong Tie Demonstration Laboratory serves as a multipurpose space allowing students at the College of Architecture and Environmental Design at California Polytechnic State University to build full scale construction projects. The building features a material storage area, a high bay for construction of full-scale projects, and a mezzanine level that houses digital fabrication equipment. However, the building was never designed to house the specific equipment currently installed on the mezzanine and ventilate the exhaust fumes from them. Rather, the building relies on passive natural ventilation that is likely ineffective at properly exhausting hazardous fumes, resulting in complaints from …

Sustainability Of Apparel Exporting Industry Facilities In South Asia, Sree L. Anilkuma, George H. Berghorn, M.G. Matt Syal

The Professional Constructor

The apparel industry’s contribution to the gross domestic product in South Asian countries is significant and provides livelihoods for millions of people in this region. Although this industry’s contribution towards the economy is substantial, its negative impact on the environment and the working conditions have always been critical issues of concern. The two countries of emphasis in this research, Bangladesh, and India, have experienced numerous garment factory accidents in the form of building collapses, factory fires, and boiler explosions, which have killed and injured thousands of workers. These incidents have brought attention on the need to improve poor facilities and …

Taxonomy Of Trust And Maslow’S Hierarchy Of Needsin The Construction Industry, Ann B. Lyons, Vivek Sharma, Shima Clarke

The Professional Constructor

Trust is vital in every facet of life, enabling collaborative efforts and valuing contributions from various individuals. This is particularly true in the construction industry, where teamwork is essential for success. Prior research has consistently demonstrated that heightened trust levels significantly contribute to better project outcomes and increased client satisfaction. Despite its critical role, the construction industry has yet to adopt a structured hierarchical perspective of trust that aligns with its unique demands. This study aims to fill this gap by validating a comprehensive taxonomy of trust specifically designed for the construction sector. Through literature review, this study identifies key …

Building Services Engineering March/April 2024

Building Services Engineering

No abstract provided.

The Professional Constructor, Full Issue, Volume 49, Number 01

The Professional Constructor

No abstract provided.

Mixed Reality For In-Field Construction Activities: A Systematic Literature Review To Identify Challenges And Solutions, Sumanth Sai. P., Jason Lucas

The Professional Constructor

With the new industrial revolution, “Industry 4.0,” it is important to understand and incorporate the new standards and technologies evolving in the market. Industry 4.0 relies on the integrated use of big data and analytics coupled with various technologies to help make decisions and manage projects. This revolution has brought Mixed Reality (MR) into the construction field. Mixed reality (MR) offers significant benefits for smart industries, such as enhancing productivity, training, manufacturing, error correction, assembly, and packaging processes. But how feasible are Mixed Reality Technologies (MRTs) considering the high initial investment required for acquiring devices, subscribing to services, planning and …

Computer-Integrated Construction Management With Procore, Vedanth Ashoka, M.G. Matt Syal

The Professional Constructor

The construction industry faces difficulties in managing the enormous amounts of data generated at each stage of a project, impacting project coordination and decision-making. Currently the industry is facing the issue of a lack of interoperability among the multiple software programs being used for different functions. To address this lack of interoperability, there is a need for an integrated environment that allows seamless flow of data between different functions. Among the few software tools that have emerged in recent year, Procore, a cloud-based construction project management software, has emerged as a widely used solution in the industry, enabling collaboration among …

Root And Causes Of Skilled Labor Shortage In Construction Industry: Comprehensive Literature Review, Nicholas Hardy, Carolina Barbosa-Resende, James Kereri, Arash Taghinezhad

The Professional Constructor

The skilled labor shortage is well documented from a historical perspective via studies focusing various construction trades such as carpentry, mechanical, electric and plumbing, and tile setters. Causes of such shortages such as industry image, college as a preferred choice after high school, and construction being a last resort have been investigated extensively. Consequently, possible solutions ranging from amplifying shop classes in high school to intensifying recruiting efforts for union training programs have all been addressed throughout the last 40 years. However, recent studies have focused on identifying the magnitude and reach of the skilled labor gap while limited attention …

Evolvement Of Excusable Delay Clauses In Government Contracts Since The Covid-19 Pandemic, Jung Hyun Lee, Yunping Liang, Seyed Mohammad Ehsan Tabatabaee, Bryce Riccitelli

Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction: Faculty Publications

Excusable delay clauses in government construction contracts, often considered boilerplate with minimal modifications, have increased in attention since the outbreak of COVID-19. Despite the studies enumerating triggering events of the clause in the background of the pandemic, it is necessary to capture insights into how the unprecedented event is systematically accommodated by contract languages. The overarching goal of this study is to identify changes in contract languages over the pre-and post-pandemic eras by state departments of transportation (DOTs), focusing on excusable delay clauses. This study conducts a content analysis and a comparative analysis of state DOT construction contract documents, including …

Synthesis And Characterization Of Cellulose Microfibril-Reinforced Polyvinyl Alcohol Biodegradable Composites, Fatemeh Mahdiyeh-Boroujeni, Gabriella Fioravanti, Ronald Kander

School of Design and Engineering Papers

The pursuit of an environmentally sustainable manufacturing process requires the substitution of less damaging and recyclable solutions for harmful reagents. This study aims to assess the effectiveness of using cellulose microfibrils synthesized via different hydrolysis reactions as reinforcing agents in polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) at varying concentrations. The investigation explores the morphology, thermal properties, and chemical behavior of the cellulose particles. The cellulose microfibrils (CMFs) produced using citric acid exhibited the highest yield and aspect ratio. Notably, particles from organic acids demonstrated greater thermal stability, with oxalic acid-derived particles displaying the maximum thermal degradation temperature. Subsequently, cast films of PVA reinforced …

Visual Privacy As An Approach To Improve Human Needs In Residential Buildings In Egypt, Inas Samir Ibrahim, Walaa Nour, Mustafa Alwan

Journal of Engineering Research

Architecture reflects a nation’s cultural, social, and environmental characteristics. As a result of the recent globalization, countries have lost their distinctive architectural identities; due to this, it is difficult to identify A country’s unique identity locally and regionally. Specifically, in Egypt, houses in the traditional style are considered one of the most iconic architectural styles. There is an amazing local identity and a unique spatial quality in the region that characterizes Egypt. On the other hand, Western influences have caused many of the values and attributes of houses to fade. One of the most prominent values is the home’s loss …

The Effect Of Building Information Modeling Technology On The Future Of Architecture Education Development In Universities, Mohamed Abd Elnaser Hamoda, Mahmoud Ahmed Zaki, Marwa Ahmed Kamer Faculty Of Engineering, Tanta University

Journal of Engineering Research

At the beginning of the current century , and with the development of computer technology , a new system based on three-dimensional drawings and modeling appeared with an accurate definition and description of all the elements in the submitted design , with the big development of construction methods and the advancement of the related technology and software, the advantages of the new system were defined and became more specific and relied in many organizations , companies and in design and construction institutions , and this system was called the building information modeling (BIM) .

Despite the importance of the system …