Engineering Commons^™

Seismic Response Of A Tall Building To Recorded And Simulated Ground Motions, Nenad Bijelic, Ting Lin, Gregory Deierlein

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Seismological modeling technologies are advancing to the stage of enabling fundamental simulation of earthquake fault ruptures, which offer new opportunities to simulate extreme ground motions for collapse safety assessment and earthquake scenarios for community resilience studies. With the goal toward establishing the reliability of simulated ground motions for performance-based engineering, this paper examines the response of a 20-story concrete moment frame building analyzed by nonlinear dynamic analysis under corresponding sets of recorded and simulated ground motions. The simulated ground motions were obtained through a larger validation study via the Southern California Earthquake Center (SCEC) Broadband Platform (BBP) that simulates magnitude …

Bs News July/August

Building Services Engineering

No abstract provided.

Analysis Of Data Center Network Convergence Technologies, Robert-Lee Daniel Leblanc

Theses and Dissertations

The networks in traditional data centers have remained unchanged for decades and have grown large, complex and costly. Many data centers have a general purpose Ethernet network and one or more additional specialized networks for storage or high performance low latency applications. Network convergence promises to lower the cost and complexity of the data center network by virtualizing the different networks onto a single wire. There is little evidence, aside from vendors' claims, that validate network convergence actually achieves these goals. This work defines a framework for creating a series of unbiased tests to validate converged technologies and compare them …

The Effect Of Learning And Cost Optimization On Line Of Balance Scheduling, Kareem Essam Zahran

Theses and Dissertations

The increase in populations throughout the past years introduced the need for improving and increasing countries’ infrastructure. Moreover, there has been an increasing demand for dwelling units ranging from small economic housing blocks to high-rise buildings and residential villa compounds. These projects are known by their repetitive nature, where a constant unit is repeated several times. Scheduling techniques that consider the learning effect as an influencing parameter in calculating productivity rates can improve the effectiveness of the scheduling process. This achieves more realistic forecasts resulting in optimum utilization of resources and better control during implementation phases. Linear scheduling techniques are …

Aligning Bim And Lean Methodologies Within Capital Works Management Framework In Ireland, Barry Mcauley, Alan Hore, Muiris O'Loingsigh, John Deeney

Conference papers

In 2007, following continued dissatisfaction with the lack of cost certainty on publicly funded projects, the Irish Government introduced the Capital Works Management Framework (CWMF). This framework had stated strategic objectives of achieving greater cost certainty at contract award stage; better value for money at all stages during project delivery and, more efficient end-user delivery. The framework, in particular, sought to rebalance risk, so that there was an optimal transfer of risk to the contracting authority and the contractor through the implementation of fixed price contracts. Coinciding with the introduction of the CWMF, there was significant debate around the introduction …

Friction Bit Joining Of Dissimilar Combinations Of Advanced High-Strength Steel And Aluminum Alloys, Lile P. Squires

Theses and Dissertations

Friction bit joining (FBJ) is a new method that enables lightweight metal to be joined to advanced high-strength steels. Weight reduction through the use of advanced high-strength materials is necessary in the automotive industry, as well as other markets, where weight savings are increasingly emphasized in pursuit of fuel efficiency. The purpose of this research is twofold: (1) to understand the influence that process parameters such as bit design, material type and machine commands have on the consistency and strength of friction bit joints in dissimilar metal alloys; and (2) to pioneer machine and bit configurations that would aid commercial, …

Assessment And Cost Effective Analysis Of Leed Certified Single-Family Homes In Kentucky, Stephen Glossner

Morehead State Theses and Dissertations

A Thesis Presented to the faculty of the College of Science and Technology Morehead State University in Partial Fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree Masters of Science by Stephen Glossner on June 9, 2014.

Current Bim Practices Of Commercial Mep Contractors, Bryan John Kent

Theses and Dissertations

Building Information Modeling (BIM) use in the contracting industry has grown significantly in recent years. With this change in the construction industry, consensus has not been reached as to what BIM is, who is using it and what they are using it for. The purpose of this research was to determine current BIM practices of US-based commercial MEP contractors. Executive, middle management, and field personnel were interviewed to determine the current BIM practices in their companies. The majority of companies interviewed were using BIM and most were using it on a significant portion of their projects. The majority of MEP …

Real-Time Hybrid Simulation With Online Model Updating, Adam Mueller

Masters Theses

Hybrid simulations have shown great potential for economic and reliable assessment of structural seismic performance through a combination of physically tested components, called the experimental substructure, and numerically simulated components, called the numerical substructure. Current hybrid simulation practices often use a fixed numerical model without considering the possible availability of a more accurate model obtained during hybrid simulation through an online model updating technique. To address this limitation and improve the reliability of numerical models in hybrid simulations, this study describes the implementation of an online model updating method in real-time hybrid simulation (RTHS). The Unscented Kalman Filter (UKF) was …

An Integral Framework For Sustainable Building Design, Bushra Asfari

Masters Theses

Selection of materials for building design is a delicate process hinged of a number of factors which can be cost or environmental related, depending on the objectives of the design. This process becomes more difficult when designers are faced with several material options for each building component. This thesis presents the design and development of a framework that enables designers understand the trade-off between cost and environmental related factors when selecting materials for building design. The framework is based on the integration of Autodesk Revit, Microsoft access, and modeling modified Harmony search multi-objective optimization tool adapted to account for material …

Multi-Criteria Decision Modeling For Best Value Selections In Target Value Design Integrated Project Delivery, Brent Patrick Griffis

Master's Theses

Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) combined with Target Value Design (TVD) is a better way to deliver value for the client than traditional guaranteed maximum price (GMP) methods. With traditional GMP delivery methods, the interests of the parties are often at odds. The goal of IPD is to align all party interests in order to achieve a win-win scenario. Due to the aligning nature of IPD and the fact that each party’s success is dependent on achieving the project objectives as a whole; a non-biased, transparent, decision-making process is necessary in order to deliver the project objectives within the constraints of …

The Effect Of Clay, Cement And Fibers On The Strength And Durability Of Compressed Earth Blocks, Wyatt Adair Banker-Hix

Master's Theses

This Thesis examines the effect of soil characteristics, cement content and fibers on the strength and durability of compressed earth blocks (CEBs). This work expands on the available information regarding the constituent properties which affect the compressive and tensile strengths and durability of CEBs. Additionally, little research on the subject of synthetic fibers and their effect on strength and durability of CEBs is available and this work provides an initial study in this area.

To study the effects of fibers, as well as confirm the trends of previous research regarding the effects of clay and cement, 27 unique batches of …

Energy Mgmt Asset Value.Pdf, Khalid Siddiqi

Faculty Articles

The objective of this study was to establish a relationship between facility energy management and asset valuation in federal facilities. Current operating pool of federal government facilities of varying size and location were considered in this study to determine this relationship. The overall value of a building asset was considered and evaluated in the context of the building’s energy performance over time. One major conclusion was that facilities which had better energy management have higher “tier” ratings than those buildings which had little to no energy management. The findings of this study would be useful for facility/building managers and asset …

Ua66 Ogden College Of Science & Engineering Newsletter, Cheryl Stevens, Dean

Ogden College of Science & Engineering Publications

No abstract provided.

Bs News May/June

Building Services Engineering

No abstract provided.

Termediator-Ii: Identification Of Interdisciplinary Term Ambiguity Through Hierarchical Cluster Analysis, Owen G. Riley

Theses and Dissertations

Technical disciplines are evolving rapidly leading to changes in their associated vocabularies. Confusion in interdisciplinary communication occurs due to this evolving terminology. Two causes of confusion are multiple definitions (overloaded terms) and synonymous terms. The formal names for these two problems are polysemy and synonymy. Termediator-I, a web application built on top of a collection of glossaries, uses definition count as a measure of term confusion. This tool was an attempt to identify confusing cross-disciplinary terms. As more glossaries were added to the collection, this measure became ineffective. This thesis provides a measure of term polysemy. Term polysemy is effectively …

Accident Prediction Models For Partial Cloverleaf On-Ramp Loops, Valerian Kwigizile

Faculty Research and Creative Activities Award (FRACAA)

Accident prediction models, popularly known as safety performance functions (SPFs) play an important role in roadway safety analyses and evaluation processes. The 2010 Highway Safety Manual (HSM) provides a number of SPFs that can be used locally after calibration to reflect local conditions. However, most of these SPFs focus on intersections and roadway segments. A limited number of studies have developed SPFs for interchanges and especially on-ramps and their related sections such as ramp segments and point of freeway entry. This study was an effort to develop Michigan-specific SPFs for urban partial cloverleaf (parclo) on-ramp loops at freeway entry. A …

Comparative Study Of Base-Isolated And Fixed-Base Buildings Using A Damage/Cost Approach, Martin Lashgari

Department of Construction Engineering and Management: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

High performance base-isolated buildings are designed with a higher level of safety than the conventional fixed-base buildings under the current codes. As a sustainable development, these buildings have considerably lower social and economic impacts in a major event. The main factor limiting the extensive use of such systems is the higher initial construction costs. The cost estimations based on only initial investment may have concluded misleading results as the performance of those systems in earthquakes are different. Therefore, an evaluation considering initial costs and future repair costs due to damages from earthquakes gives a better scope for selection of an …

Multi-Rotor--Aided Three-Dimensional 802.11 Wireless Heat Mapping, Scott James Pack

Theses and Dissertations

Traditional wireless site surveys produce a heat-map of link strength or quality over a target area, usually on the ground plane. In recent years research has gone into using aerial drones in network attack and surveillance, making three dimensional awareness of wireless coverage areas of interest. A multi-rotor drone and data collection module were built and tested as part of this research. Site assessments were conducted both in open space and near structures. Collected data was interpolated across the target area, and visualized as points and contours. These visualizations were exported to a Keyhole Markup Language (KML) for visualization in …

Tools For Improving Your Workplace, Ray W. Wilson

Purdue Road School

In this fast-paced session, learn eight practical tools that will help you conduct better meetings, gather, analyze and present data about your organization, and experience how a group can use these tools to quickly learn the causes of problems and to decide where to focus effort.

Bs News March/April

Building Services Engineering

No abstract provided.

Analytical System For Planning Of Infrastructure Rehabilitation (Aspire), Purdue Ect Team

ECT Fact Sheets Archive

ASPIRE stands for Analytical System for Planning of Infrastructure REhabilitation, a decision support system that can be used for all kinds of infrastructure facilities. It is based on a rehabilitation modeling theory developed by Professor Makarand Hastak at Purdue University.

A Study Of A Landslide In Birmingham, Alabama, Caitlin L. Bukovitz

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

In 1988 a landslide occurred at a construction site in Birmingham, Alabama in which a portion of the construction site required excavating a rock slope with a group of apartments that were located at the top of the slope. During construction, two separate landslides occurred causing one and half of the apartment buildings to collapse downslope. The slope failure was investigated by two firms. One firm investigated the site conditions and the second firm investigated the design of the cut slope. The main concerns in the investigation were (1) the lack of consideration for the existing joint system, (2) using …

Employment Opportunities And Skills Requirements For Construction And Property Surveying 2014 - 2018, Roisin Murphy, Stephen Walsh

Reports

In Autumn 2012, a number of Society members expressed their increasing struggle to find qualified graduate surveyors to fill vacancies in their practices. At the same time, members working in academic institutions reported a severe reduction in the number of students enrolling on surveying courses at third level.

Active Confinement Of Weakened Concrete Columns, Niall Holmes, Dervilla Niall, C. O’Shea

Articles

This paper investigates the advantages of using of external active confinement to improve the compression load capacity of concrete cylinders using mild steel band clamps. For this, passive and actively pre-stressed steel bands have been attached to concrete cylinders to mimic real structural columns which may otherwise have to be removed and replaced due to poor strength performance. The experimental programme included compression load testing a number of unreinforced concrete cylindrical specimens to establish the effect the confinement had on the compressive load-carrying capacity and the stress-strain behaviour. A number of parameters were investigated in the study including the effect …

Longitudinal Shear Resistance Of Composite Slabs Containing Crumb Rubber In Concrete Toppings, Niall Holmes, Kevin Dunne, John O'Donnell

Articles

This paper investigates the behaviour and longitudinal shear capacity of metal deck composite slabs with the inclusion of crumb rubber in the concrete toppings. The ability of the slabs to act compositely is governed by the shear interaction between the concrete topping and the profiled steel deck. Results here show that crumb rubber concrete (CRC) improve the overall shear bond capacity between the steel deck and topping following an experimental study on full scale loading tests in accordance with Eurocode 4. The results confirm that composite slabs incorporating crumb rubber had no effect on the longitudinal shear resistance with similar …

Making Bridges Outlast Rising Waters, Daniel Cox

TREC Project Briefs

During Hurricanes Ivan in 2004 and Katrina in 2005, at least 11 highway and railroad bridges along the U.S. Gulf Coast were damaged by wave forces. The spans of these bridges typically rested on bent column supports, and were attached to the supports by a variety of connection methods. Failure of these connections caused bridge spans to be washed away when the water rose high enough to lift them off. To build bridges that can withstand such forces, engineers must be able to estimate the effects the forces will have.

Investigator Daniel Cox of Oregon State University has conducted wave …

Hispanic Construction Workers And Assertiveness Training, Pramen Shrestha, Nancy Menzel

Nursing Faculty Research

BACKGROUND: Hispanic (Latino) construction workers experience disparities in occupational death and injury rates in the United States. The cultural value of respect for those in authority may hinder these workers from requesting safe working conditions from supervisors.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate whether Hispanic construction workers in Las Vegas, Nevada found assertiveness training more useful than non-Hispanic trainees and whether or not they practiced this behavior at work after the training.

METHODS: An assertiveness training simulation was part of fall prevention classes offered to area construction workers. Eight weeks after the training, participants were interviewed by telephone about class topics they found …

เสถียรภาพแบบไม่ระบายน้ำของกำแพงกันดินเสาเข็มในดินเหนียว, กานต์ ถีระวงษ์

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

วิทยานิพนธ์นี้เสนอการศึกษาเสถียรภาพแบบไม่ระบายของกำแพงกันดินเสาเข็มสำหรับงานขุดในดินเหนียว ด้วยระเบียบวิธีไฟไนต์อิลิเมนต์สองและสามมิติ กำแพงกันดินและดินเหนียวถูกจำลองเป็นชิ้นส่วนแบบปริมาตร ชิ้นส่วนเชื่อมต่อระหว่างดินและโครงสร้างถูกนำมาใช้ที่ผิวสัมผัสระหว่างกำแพงและดินโดยรอบ ดินเหนียวถูกแบ่งเป็นสองชั้น คือ ดินเหนียวชั้นบนจะมีความลึกจากผิวดินจนถึงความลึกงานขุด และดินเหนียวชั้นล่างจะอยู่ตั้งแต่ความลึกงานขุดลงไป การศึกษานี้พิจารณาลักษณะการค้ำยันกำแพงในแนวระดับสี่ประเภทคือ กำแพงไม่มีการค้ำยัน กำแพงมีการค้ำยันที่จุดบนสุดของกำแพง กำแพงมีการค้ำยันที่จุดบนสุด และจุดกึ่งกลางที่ระยะครึ่งหนึ่งของความลึกงานขุดจากจุดบนสุดของกำแพง และกำแพงมีการค้ำยันต่อเนื่องตลอดฝั่งด้านเสาเข็มที่ขุดดินออก กำแพงกันดินเสาเข็มถูกจำลองเป็นวัสดุอิลาสติก ดินเหนียวถูกจำลองด้วยวัสดุมอห์ร-คูลอมบ์ที่สภาวะไม่ระบายน้ำ การจำลองสภาพวิบัติของระเบียบวิธีไฟไนต์อิลิเมนต์ใช้หลักการลดทอนกำลัง ผลการศึกษาถูกเสนอเป็นแผนภูมิออกแบบของตัวเลขเสถียรภาพที่สัมพันธ์กับพารามิเตอร์ไร้มิติของขนาดรูปร่างของกำแพงกันดิน งานขุด และคุณสมบัติดิน การเปรียบเทียบผลเฉลยกรณีกำแพงมีการค้ำยันต่อเนื่องแบบสองมิติของการศึกษานี้กับผลเฉลยจากวิธีวิเคราะห์ในอดีตแสดงความสอดคล้องกัน นอกจากนั้นยังได้เสนอสมการผลเฉลยเพื่อความสะดวกในการใช้งานผลการศึกษาจากแผนภูมิออกแบบ

Acoustic Properties Of Concrete Panels With Crumb Rubber As A Fine Aggregate Replacement, Niall Holmes, Alex Browne, Christopher Montague

Articles

This paper presents the acoustic performance of small scale crumb rubber concrete (CRC) panels in terms of the sound absorbance and insulation at low (63, 125, 250 & 500 Hz) and high (1000, 2000, 4000 and 5000 Hz) frequencies. Acoustic tests were conducted with differing levels of fine aggregate replacement with crumb rubber (7.5 and 15%) with four different grades following freezing and heating. Analysis of the workability, compressive strength and density are also presented. The results found that CRC performed well in terms of sound absorbance particularly with higher proportions (15% here) and grades of crumb rubber. As an …