Engineering Commons^™

Strategies For Reducing The Environmental Impacts Of Construction “Improving Erosion And Sedimentation Control Practices On Construction Projects”, Richard Pate Jr

The Professional Constructor

There are numerous potential impacts associated with constructing our built environment; one in particular is fresh on contractor’s minds around the country and that is the erosion and sedimentation of our waterways. In this essay, I explain why this issue has become such a pivotal discussion within construction and green building efforts, what strategies have recently become available for addressing these issues, and how their implementation will affect a project’s overall budget and schedule. The strategies I have chosen to discuss are silt fence tieback systems, polyacrylamide (PAM) flocculants, and unmanned aerial vehicle inspections.

Strategies For Reducing The Environmental Impacts Of Construction, Alex Stewar

The Professional Constructor

In order to carry out a successful and sustainable construction project, quality project planning isessential. In this paper, I will discuss how design and preconstruction are the most important parts of a sustainableconstruction project. The three main points will be about the importance of selling sustainability to the owner, choosingthe proper project delivery method to integrate team members, and planning for the future when designing the project.Finally, I will touch on how my own education through the Construction Science and Management program at ClemsonUniversity has prepared me for this new era of construction.

Daylighting And Thermo-Electrical Performance Of An Autonomous Suspended Particle Device Evacuated Glazing, Aritra Ghosh

Doctoral

Suspended particle device (SPD) glazing is an AC powered switchable glazing. PV powered SPD evacuated (vacuum) glazing was proposed with the potential of reducing the heating demand, cooling demand and artificial lighting demand of a building. To achieve an autonomous SPD vacuum glazing, semi empirical simulation and outdoor characterisation was explored in this thesis. Transmission of SPD glazing (area 0.058 m2) varied from 5% when opaque to 55% when transparent in the presence of 110 V, 0.07 W AC supply was characterised in outdoor test cell in Dublin. The SPD glazing has variable spectral transmission in the presence of variable …

Advancing Concrete Strength Prediction Using Non-Destructive Testing: Development And Verification Of A Generalizable Model, Kamran Amini, Mehdi Jalalpour, Norbert Delatte

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

Accurate prediction of concrete compressive strength is imperative for investigating the in-situ concrete quality. To avoid destructive testing, developing reliable predictive models for concrete compressive strength using nondestructive tests (NDTs) is an active area of research. However, many of the developed models are dependent on calibration and/or concrete past history (e.g. mixture proportion, curing history, concrete mechanical properties, etc.), which reduces their utility for in-situ predictions.

This paper develops predictive models for concrete compressive strength that are independent of concrete past history. To this end, ultrasonic pulse velocity (UPV) and rebound hammer (RH) tests were performed on 84 concrete cylindrical …

Case Study Of Quantifying Energy Loss Through Ceiling-Attic Recessed Lighting Fixtures Through 3d Numerical Simulation, Ri Na, Shengmao Lin, Zhigang Shen, Linxia Gu

Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction: Faculty Publications

Air leakage through improperly installed recessed lighting fixtures has been identified as a common issue causing extra energy consumption of residential buildings. However, little quantitative study was found in this area. In this paper, a preliminary evaluation of the magnitude of such energy loss was conducted by numerical simulations using 3 dimensional transient computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model. A typical layout of recessed lighting fixtures was used in this case study with boundary conditions in four different seasons, which were obtained from past measured roof/attic temperature data sets. The results of the numerical simulations indicate that leakage of recessed lighting …

State-Of-The-Art Review Of Cathodic Protection For Reinforced Concrete Structures, Aimee Byrne, Niall Holmes, Brian Norton

Articles

Cathodic protection (CP) limits the corrosion of a metal surface by making it the cathode of an electrochemical cell. This can be achieved either by using a more active sacrificial anode to create a driving current, or by using inert anodes and impressing a current onto the cathode surface using an external direct current (DC) source. Impressed current cathodic protection (ICCP) is preferred where widespread protection is required, particularly in reinforced concrete structures. ICCP needs a constant DC power supply that is usually provided through a grid connection or independent generators. This paper presents the currently available CP systems for …

Case Studies Of Cavity And External Wall Insulation Retrofitted Under The Irish Home Energy Saving Scheme: Technical Analysis And Occupant Perspectives, Aimee Byrne, Gerard Byrne, Garrett O'Donnell, Anthony Robinson

Articles

The residential sector represents 27% of primary energy consumption in Ireland. This paper examines the case study of the Irish government’s national grant scheme to encourage energy efficiency retrofit in private housing. That is the Home Energy Saving (HES) Scheme, later rebranded the Better Energy: Homes (BEH) Scheme. The methodology involved monitoring several homes immediately before and after retrofit alongside discussions with occupants. The examination focused on specific measures commonly introduced through the HES/BEH programme − cavity and external wall insulation. It has been found that a significant decrease in heat loss through the walls was measured in all cases. …

Vocational Education And Training (Vet) Of Quantity Surveying In Hong Kong, Ken Hui

Staff Publications

Vocational education and training (VET) in Hong Kong has long been regarded as non-mainstream and second-tier education for students who failed in academic education (Lim, 2008, 2010). The government of HKSAR and some non-government organizations are offering education programmes for these students in concerning with social injustice. In Hong Kong, VET has acquired a stigma and is automatically seen as second-class education. (Lim, 2008). This assertion is tested on quantity surveying education in this study. Quantity surveying education originated as part time day-release programmes which allowed students to receive academic and practical training at the same time. It was then …

The Reinforcement And Healing Of Asphalt Mastic Mixtures By Rejuvenator Encapsulation In Alginate Compartmented Fibres, Amir Tabakovic, W. Post, D. Cantero, Oguzhan Copuroglu, S. J. Garcia, E. Schlangen

Research and Innovation - Articles

This paper explores the potential use of compartmented alginate fibres as a new method of incorporating rejuvenators into asphalt pavement mixtures. The compartmented fibres are employed to locally distribute the rejuvenator and to overcome the problems associated with spherical capsules and hollow fibres. The work presents proof of concept of the encapsulation process which involved embedding the fibres into the asphalt mastic mixture and the survival rate of fibres in the asphalt mixture. To prove the effectiveness of the alginate as a rejuvenator encapsulating material and to demonstrate its ability survive asphalt production process, the fibres containing the rejuvenator were …

Preliminary Investigation Into The Rate Of Carbonation Of Concrete Blocks Under Normal Production Yard Conditions, Aimee Byrne, Eanna Nolan

Conference papers

The release of CO2 from calcination during the manufacture of cement can be partially or fully offset by the CO2 it naturally absorbs during its lifetime. This paper reports results from a preliminary investigation into the rate of carbonation in concrete blocks stacked in a production yard over a period of 6 months. The blocks were stacked in a normal manner under natural exposure conditions. Carbonation progress was determined by splitting the blocks and spraying the freshly exposed surface with a phenolphthalein solution at intervals over the test period. It was found that the rate of the carbonation front progression …

Bridge End Settlement Evaluation And Prediction, Jiwen Zhang

Theses and Dissertations--Civil Engineering

A bridge approach is usually built to provide a smooth and safe transition for vehicles from the roadway pavement to the bridge structure. However, differential settlement between the roadway pavement resting on embankment fill and the bridge abutment built on more rigid foundation often creates a bump in the roadway. Previous work examined this issue at a microscopic level and presented new methods for eliminating or minimizing the effects at specific locations.

This research studies the problem at a macroscopic level by determining methods to predict settlement severity to assist designers in developing remediation plans during project development to minimize …

Enhancing Project Management With Lean World Class Manufacturing In Construction, Jacob Randles

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

In construction, the goal of commercial projects is to turn a profit. This is achieved by minimizing inputs and maximizing outputs while building a product that meets the customer’s perception of value. Value is determined through pre-negotiated specifications, plans, and material quality. Even in U.S. military construction, the unit executing the construction wants to complete the task on time and on budget, which can be difficult to do. Studies on project completion showcase a surprisingly high rate of failure in reaching the aforementioned “on time, on budget” goal. It is important to understand the nuances and details of U.S. Army …

Thermal Envelope Analysis Of Local Authority Low Rise Housing Based On Stock Aggregation Theory Using A Remote Feature Extraction Technique., James Pittam

Theses

Understanding the buildings thermal envelope is paramount to analysing existing problems which facilitate cold bridging and low surface temperatures. As no detailed housing stock database is in existence in Ireland which describes the geometrical configuration of the existing housing stock, and to create one would be a major challenge, this research set out to develop a high speed remote cataloguing and geometrical data extraction methodology to build such a database. Replacing traditional measurement methods with a remote method allows for the rapid extraction of fagade information. A remote surveying process is proposed named, the Virtual Survey Method, for the classification …

Object Detection For Agricultural And Construction Environments Using An Ultrasonic Sensor, Joseph S. Dvorak, Marvin L. Stone, Kelvin P. Self

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications

This study tested an ultrasonic sensor‘s ability to detect several objects commonly encountered in outdoor agricultural or construction environments: a water jug, a sheet of oriented strand board (OSB), a metal fence post, a human model, a wooden fence post, a Dracaena plant, a juniper plant, and a dog model. Tests were performed with each target object at distances from 0.01 to 3 m. Five tests were performed with each object at each location, and the sensor‘s ability to detect the object during each test was categorized as "undetected," "intermittent," "incorrect distance," "good." Rigid objects that presented a larger surface …

Forecasting Long Term Highway Staffing Requirements For State Transportation Agencies, Ying Li

Theses and Dissertations--Civil Engineering

The transportation system is vital to the nation’s economic growth and stability, as it provides mobility for commuters while supporting the United States’ ability to compete in an increasingly competitive global economy. State Transportation Agencies across the country continue to face many challenges to repair and enhance highway infrastructure to meet the rapid increasing transportation needs. One of these challenges is maintaining an adequate and efficient agency staff. In order to effectively plan for future staffing levels, State Transportation Agencies need a method for forecasting long term staffing requirements. However, current methods in use cannot function without well-defined projects and …

Single-Family Housing Construction Cost In The Greater Baton Rouge Area, Justin Pierce Estes

LSU Master's Theses

Most research focused on housing costs has noted a paucity of empirical cost data for residential construction, and researchers have suggested that collecting these data for individual metropolitan areas is ideal. The goal of this study is to obtain these data and compare them to national average sources to determine how well national data represent local costs. Data collection included obtaining prices from big box stores and through a survey of local Baton Rouge residential contractors for material, square foot and assembly costs for the major components of a house (i.e. foundation, wall, roof). From the material cost data evaluated, …

Flood Damage And Shutdown Times For Industrial Process Facilities, Matthew Lane Flynn

LSU Master's Theses

The vulnerability of the Gulf Coast to inundation poses a real threat to both national security and the regional economy due to the concentration of the nation’s energy infrastructure throughout the waterways of the southeastern United States’ waterways. Mitigation efforts thus far have been qualitative and fail to provide raw, quantitative data to aid in the successful management of flooding liabilities. This paper proposes a novel approach to analyzing infrastructure susceptibility by means of a component-based approach to consequences posed by water-borne incursions. Systems are simplified to collections of components, each with a lowest-member elevation, thereby identifying the benchmark for …

Identification Of Key Performance Tasks To Demonstrate The Benefit Of Introducing The Facilities Manager At An Early Stage In The Building Information Modelling Process On Public Sector Projects In Ireland., Barry Mcauley

Doctoral

Modelling (BIM) governed process was investigated in this thesis. Governments are now seeking a more rewarding methodology in the management and procurement of public sector building assets. This has seen an integrated focus by International Governments on BIM as a partial solution in both managing and procuring public sector building assets. Despite BIM bringing the Facility Manager closer to project conceptualisation, there was still a reluctance and a lack of perceived benefits of having them involved earlier in the design phase. There remains a lack of clear evidence on what improved contribution the Facilities Manager can provide. This thesis provides …

A Sustainability-Based Project Selection Algorithm: Socio-Technical-Economic Project Selection (Steps) Algorithm, Bharathi Bhattu

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Multi-dimensional aspects play a vital role in the task of project-decision making. Environmental effects are to be considered in addition to other technical and non-technical aspects in order to avoid undue environmental damage. This current work introduces a new decision-making algorithm (Socio-Technical-Economic Project Selection or STEPS) that is demonstrated with the use of RCA (recycled concrete aggregate) as riprap for slope stabilization and erosion control which leaches chemical arsenic when in contact with water. Arsenic has long been recognized for its lethal properties. The main intention of introducing this new algorithm is to use sustainability concepts of social, technical, and …

Lateral-Torsional Buckling Of Frp I-Section Beams, Mojtaba B. Sirjani, Zia Razzaq

Civil & Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

This paper presents the outcome of an experimental and theoretical investigation into the load-carrying capacity of Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FRP) I-section beams subjected to four-point loading. The overall lateral-torsional buckling, web and flange local buckling as well as material rupture load estimates are also made using the American Society of Civil Engineers Load and Resistance Factor Design (ASCE-LRFD) Pre-Standard for FRP Structures. Lateral-torsional buckling failure mode is found to govern for each of the beams studied. The study also revealed that the height of applied loads relative to the shear center has a very significant influence on lateral-torsional buckling load …

Elasto-Plastic Transient Dynamic Response Of Tubular Section Steel Cantilever Beam Under Impact Loading, Alial Aloosi, Zia Razzaq

Civil & Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

This paper presents the outcome of an experimental and theoretical investigation into the loadcarrying capacity of Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FRP) I-section beams subjected to four-point loading. The overall lateral-torsional buckling, web and flange local buckling as well as material rupture load estimates are also made using the American Society of Civil Engineers#x2019; Load and Resistance Factor Design (ASCELRFD) Pre-Standard for FRP Structures. Lateral-torsional buckling failure mode is found to govern for each of the beams studied. The study also revealed that the height of applied loads relative to the shear center has a very significant influence on lateral-torsional buckling load …

Bs News January/February

Building Services Engineering

No abstract provided.

Expedient Airfield Runway Repair Using Folded Fiberglass Mat, Christopher Y. Tuan, Willaim C. Dass

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering: Faculty Publications

For expedient airfield runway repair, the US Air Force has developed a folded fiberglass mat to cover craters repaired with a well-compacted granular base material. The objective of this study was to evaluate the adequacy of using polymer plugs to anchor the mat to a repaired asphalt pavement for heavy aircraft operations. The effort consisted of materials testing, field experiments and analytical modeling. An 89,800-kg (198,000-pound) load cart having the footprint of a single C-5 main gear was pulled on a mat with wheels locked to simulate full braking forces. Anchor bushings were instrumented to measure anchor loads. A simplified …

Ae 2250: Construction Graphics And Design—A Peer Review Of Teaching Project Benchmark Portfolio, Asregedew Woldesenbet

UNL Faculty Course Portfolios

This course portfolio designs and documents AE 2250 (Construction Design and Graphics) course that is taught in Spring 2016 at UNL's College of Engineering under the Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction program. The course is intended to introduce BIM (Building Information Modeling) to architectural engineering, construction engineering, construction management and civil engineering students ranging from freshman to juniors. This course portfolio documents the challenges associated with delivering this course, tailors the course objectives, activities and tracking measures to meet the course objectives throughout the semester. This portfolio uses quantitative and qualitative measures to track student performances and learning …

Analysis Of Productivity In Dredging Project : A Case Study In Port Of Tanjung Perak Surabaya – Indonesia, Tiggi P. Hardya

World Maritime University Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Subjective Perception Of Varying Reflection Densities In Room Impulse Responses, Hyun Hong

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

Reverberation time (RT) is a metric commonly used to describe room acoustic conditions, but different rooms which have the same reverberation time can have different reflection densities. Much less is known about how humans perceive different reflection densities and how sensitive humans are to changes in reflection density. Previous investigations in the existing literature have studied the upper limit of distinguishable reflection density using artificial impulse responses, but not with more realistic impulse responses simulated in room acoustic software or measured from real rooms. The aim of this dissertation is to investigate methods for quantifying reflection density from measured impulse …

Use Of Personality Profile Assessments In The Construction Industry, Brian Richard Childs

Theses and Dissertations

Various industries are using personality profile assessments as tools to help reduce employee turnover. Employee turnover is a continuing challenge in the construction industry that has negative effects on construction companies. Research found that it was difficult to know if companies in the construction industry are using personality profile assessments as a tool to help reduce employee turnover. After understanding that other industries were using personality profile assessments in their hiring, promoting, team building and leadership development to reduce turnover, it was desired to understand if the construction industry was doing the same. This research performed a survey among the …

Comparative Analysis Of Buckling-Restrained Braced Frames In Eccentric Configuration (Brbf-Es) And Eccentrically Braced Frames (Ebfs), Peter T. Vayda

Civil Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Continuing on the findings of “Using Buckling-Restrained Braced Frames in Eccentric Configuration,” by Dr. Gary S. Prinz, P.E., which determined that, from a performance standpoint, BRBF-Es could be a viable alternative for EBFs. A comparative analysis was conducted on the design procedures and initial cost estimates of BRBF-Es and EBFs. Upon designing four 12-Story buildings (two BRBF-Es and two EBFs), it was determined that BRBF-Es were easier to design due to the statically determinant system. The initial costs estimates of BRBF-Es; however, ranged upwards of 30% more cost than EBFs. Therefore, the initial investment of more intensive structural engineering design …

Developing Key Performance Indicators To Measure The Effectiveness Of Early Facilities Management Performance On Bim Governed Public Sector Projects, Barry Mcauley, Alan Hore, Roger West

Conference papers

Governments across the globe are now recognising the need to take steps to better manage their property portfolios due to the escalating costs of operating these buildings over their lifetime. This has seen them turn towards innovative work practices and technologies offered by Building Information Modelling (BIM). It is now becoming increasingly evident that BIM can bring significant added value to the design, construction and most importantly to the operational life of a public sector development project. This experience has resulted in a number of governments moving towards implementing BIM for all public works projects. BIM allows the building to …

The Application Of Industry Standards As An Alternative To In-House Proprietary Standards Within The Aec Iindustry, Robert Moore, Alan Hore, Barry Mcauley

Conference papers

The move from traditional 2D Computer Aided Design (CAD) practices towards Building Information Modelling (BIM) has witnessed some practices trying to adopt and update their own in-house CAD standards. These standards are wholly inadequate for working in a collaborative BIM environment and mean that they repetitively create and recreate local, non-reusable, non-interoperable solutions to the same problems, which leads to the employees potentially having to learn a new collaborative process every time they have to work with a new project team. Collaborative standards help teams produce information through a standardised process, so as to ensure the same form and quality …