Engineering Commons^™

Decision Aid For Electronic Simulation In Construction, Purdue Ect Team

ECT Fact Sheets Archive

The Decision Aid for Electronic Simulation in Construction is an output of the research “Electronic Simulation in Construction” sponsored by CII (Construction Industry Institute). The Web-based Decision Aid was developed to assist a decision-maker in utilizing the results of this research. This system along with the database allows the user to (i) establish the need for electronic simulation, (ii) ascertain specific needs with respect to application domain, product features, and operating system requirements, and (iii) identify products and suppliers that support the need and requirements established in the previous steps.

T.O.C.S. : Hydrogen Sulfide Remission System, Purdue Ect Team

ECT Fact Sheets Archive

BioEnviroTech, Inc., (BET) developed Toxicity Odor Corrosion Sulfides (T.O.C.S.) Remission System for hydrogen sulfide reduction in municipal and industrial wastewater sewer, lift stations and force mains. This safe and cost effective biotreatment technology uses safe and natural bacteria to interrupt sulfide generation.

Mobile Bricklaying Robot, Purdue Ect Team

ECT Fact Sheets Archive

Bricklaying is a highly repetitive and physically exhaustive task. The tasks of the construction site bricklaying robot include removing bricks or blocks from prepared pallets, the application of bonding material and the erection of brickwork at a high level of accuracy and quality. Prototype realization of the bricklaying robot, which is based on a commercial construction machine, has been done by two research institutes in close cooperation with ten industrial partners.

3m Personal Air Monitoring Systems, Purdue Ect Team

ECT Fact Sheets Archive

3M monitors are made to allow sample desorption directly in the monitor itself. The monitor comes with a snap-on elution cap that permits the desorbing solvent to be injected into the monitor. The solution is then poured into sample vials for analysis. 3M monitors use standard analytical methods: gas chromatography for the organic vapor monitor and ethylene oxide monitor, and colorimetry for the formaldehyde monitor.

Ehydraulic Pneumatic Fracturing, Purdue Ect Team

ECT Fact Sheets Archive

The technology is an enhancement process designed for integration with primary in-situ treatment technologies such as vapor extraction, bioremediation, thermal treatment, and 'pump and treat'. Fractures in dense soils are created, using hydraulic or pneumatic methods, making existing fractures larger to get at contaminants and allowing a more effective distribution of the extractive air throughout the soil. Pneumatic Fracturing was jointly developed by Accutech Remedial Systems Inc. and the New Jersey Institute of Technology. It involves the injection of air (or another gas) into a contaminated geologic formation at sufficient pressure and flow rate to create artificial fractures or to …

Electro Osmotic Pulse Technology For Prevention Of Water Intrusion In Concrete Structure, Purdue Ect Team

ECT Fact Sheets Archive

Groundwater intrusion into a building can cause serious structural degradation, corrosion of expensive mechanical equipment. ElectroOsmotic Pulse (EOP) technology is based on the concept of electroosmosis; the movement of an electrically charged ion in a liquid under the influence of an external electric field. EOP not only eliminates water-seepage problems from the interior of the structure without excavation, but it further mitigates corrosion damage to mechanical equipment and reduces the interior relative humidity of the basements.

Soundprint: Continuous Acoustic Monitoring For Structure, Purdue Ect Team

ECT Fact Sheets Archive

The effective evaluation and management of corrosion in unbonded post-tensioned tendons requires an understanding of the causes of corrosion as well as an appreciation of the measures required to mitigate future corrosion. Present evaluation methods have been unsuccessful in accurately assessing the existing condition of post-tensioned structures. Continuous monitoring technology allows engineers to locate future failures so that property owners can implement cost-effective management strategies. An acoustic monitoring system, SoundPrint® has been developed which allows continuous monitoring of entire structures.

Arcagent – Weld Process Quality Monitoring System, Purdue Ect Team

ECT Fact Sheets Archive

The ARCAgent 2000 is a real-time monitoring and alarming unit for automated and semi-automated arc welding (GMAW, GTAW, FCAW, SAW, SMAW) applications. The ruggedized ARCAgent 2000 uses an embedded microprocessor for high speed analysis of arc current, supply voltage, gas flow, wire feed speed, and an additional 4-20 mA sensor to verify the weld process parameters. When process problems are detected, context specific diagnostics information is displayed directly to the operator for corrective action.

Alternative Material Dowel Bars For Rigid Pavement Joints, Purdue Ect Team

ECT Fact Sheets Archive

Over the last thirty to forty years, dowel support of the joint in Rigid Joint Pavement (RJP) has been widely used. The problem of deterioration of concrete pavement joints has resulted in the search for alternate solutions. Fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) and stainless steel represent corrosion resistant alternatives to conventional galvanized steel in this application. The recently study by the FHWA of Alternative Materials for Highway Construction demonstrated that even with extended wet-dry cycles of exposure to fluids of high chloride content, at various temperatures and PH levels, stainless steel had corrosion resistance hundreds and in many cases thousands of times …

Procurezone.Com, Purdue Ect Team

ECT Fact Sheets Archive

TProcureZone.com is a comprehensive procurement system. On-line functions include: estimating the cost of a purchase; preparing and issuing detailed specifications and complete requests for proposals; requesting bids from selected suppliers; communicating with bidders; receiving, comparing, and evaluating bids; negotiating offers and conducting auctions; issuing purchase orders with all required attachments; making payment; and monitoring schedules and deliveries.

Armstrong I-Ceilings - Wireless Systems, Purdue Ect Team

ECT Fact Sheets Archive

It is sometimes inconvenient to use cell phones with laptop computers in many buildings, especially in a room with no windows or on the basement floors. Cell phone or wireless equipment coverage is limited in many buildings due to the lack of technical support to the wireless service. It has required installing many small antennas in a building. Armstrong's new i-ceilings Wireless Systems Antenna Panel is a standard Armstrong ceiling panel with the antenna already imbedded inside.

Self-Placing Concrete, Purdue Ect Team

ECT Fact Sheets Archive

Certain concrete pours have areas where the congestion of reinforcing bars make placement of concrete almost impossible. Using conventional placing and vibration techniques, the resulting concrete can have considerable honeycombing due to the development of voids. Self-placing concrete is a possible solution to the problem. Also known as self-compactable concrete, self-consolidating concrete, flowable concrete, and non-vibration concrete. These concretes eliminate the need for vibration in a placement process where the reinforcement makes proper vibration difficult or impossible.

Rapid-1 Hardening Accelerator Concrete Admixture, Purdue Ect Team

ECT Fact Sheets Archive

SIKA Rapid-1 is a concrete admixture that allows the development of very early high strengths in concrete consisting of commonly used mix components. Unlike concrete set accelerators, it does not reduce set time or long-term strength, and it does not corrode steel reinforcing. This hardening accelerator allows placement of fresh concrete without early stiffening, followed by a period of very rapid strength gain after initial set.

Corrosion Inhibitors For Reinforced Concrete, Purdue Ect Team

ECT Fact Sheets Archive

Steel corrosion in reinforced concrete structures has been a major problem across the U.S. Steel-reinforced concrete structures are continually subject to attack by corrosion brought on by naturally occurring environmental conditions. FerroGard, a corrosion inhibitor, developed by Sika Corporation, penetrates hardened concrete to dramatically reduce corrosion by 65% and extend the structure's service life.

Automated Spray Pothole Patching Truck, Purdue Ect Team

ECT Fact Sheets Archive

The RA-300 patcher, manufactured by Rosco Manufacturing, Madison, S.D., is a fully automated spray patching road maintenance vehicle, which fills potholes and cracks on the road. A operator can control all patching functions with the control panel and joystick from the safety and comfort of the truck cab.

Lateral Statnamic Testing, Purdue Ect Team

ECT Fact Sheets Archive

STATNAMIC system was developed by adapting an axial test device. The device consists of three main parts: piston, cylinder/silencer, and reaction masses. STATNAMIC testing overcomes the practical difficulties of both static and dynamic load tests.

Encapco Emulsified Treated Base Product, Purdue Ect Team

ECT Fact Sheets Archive

Encapco’s organic-based asphalt emulsion is used to immobilize lead in contaminated soil. Unlike other fixation or stabilization technologies, which physically bind contaminants in the soil matrix, Encapco’s emulsion is capable of chemically fixating lead. The Encapco process employs a chemical binding reaction in addition to encapsulation to meet regulatory leaching tests. The Encapco process has been evaluated on a number of contaminated materials ranging from silty sand from a quarry site, contaminated sand from a steel mill, and a foundry sand.

The Case Method: Using Case Based Instruction To Increase Ethical Understanding In Engineering Courses, Brock Barry, Aman Yadav

School of Engineering Education Graduate Student Series

The case method: Using case-based instruction to increase ethical understanding in engineering courses Introduction

The paper presents a discussion of how case-based instruction is performed and the perceived benefits of its application. We begin with a brief discussion of the historical background of case- based instruction and then discuss the use of case methodologies within various educational contexts. Connections are then made to its use in general ethics instruction, as well as specifically engineering ethics instruction. Finally, we conclude the paper with a call for rigorous education research to compare the various methods of ethics instruction, including case-based instruction, and …

Dry Link Hose Coupling Assembly, Purdue Ect Team

ECT Fact Sheets Archive

Conventional dry-disconnects routinely leak up to 15cc of process fluid after every transfer and require catch buckets and costly cleanups. The Dry Link System, by Victaulic, solves this problem by implementing a hose coupling assembly with a drip free design. This pipe connection technology is proving to be a highly versatile solution when there is a need to transfer volatile and/or toxic fluids through a series of hoses or pipes.

Realabor: Labor Management Software, Purdue Ect Team

ECT Fact Sheets Archive

In the construction industry, many operations and processes are labor intensive. Efficient management of labor or human resources can be key in a successful construction project. REALabor is a real time labor cost and productivity tool designed for the daily interactive tracking of performance on the job site. REALabor is an electronic daily timesheet that displays all employees and all cost codes for a project on one sheet.

Acoustic Wave Sensors, Purdue Ect Team

ECT Fact Sheets Archive

Modern office buildings are generally considered safe and healthful working environments. However, energy conservation measures have minimized the infiltration of outside air and contributed to the buildup of indoor air contaminants. Three products manufactured by Microsensor Systems Inc. are introduced: HAZMATCAD, CW Sentry Plus, MiniCAD MKII.

Pavemend - Ceracrete Rapid Repair Products, Purdue Ect Team

ECT Fact Sheets Archive

Repair of concrete continues to be a major maintenance item in the budget of many agencies. There are many circumstances in which a rapid repair is highly desirable. Ceracrete Technologies, Inc. (CTI) is a Richmond, Virginia-based small business. CTI focuses on the manufacture of commercial products for construction applications using non-hazardous inorganic recovered raw materials to replace conventional virgin raw materials. Ceracrete technology is a chemical bonding process that uses very high percentages of coal ash, municipal solid waste ash, foundry sand residue, dredge material, flue gas desulferization by-products, etc. to create rapid concrete repair products.

Prepacked Shotcrete Admixture : Spray-Con Ws, Purdue Ect Team

ECT Fact Sheets Archive

Over the past 10 years, the wet shotcrete method has become increasingly used in the repair of vertical and overhead concrete surfaces. The wet shotcrete admixture products, Spray-Con, are mixed on-site with locally supplied sand and Portland cement. Spray-Con's silica fume enhanced and fiber reinforced formulations make it easy to control air entertainment in shotcrete - an important requirement for freeze/thaw durability and salt-scaling resistance.

Soil-Stiffness Gauge For Soil Compaction Control, Purdue Ect Team

ECT Fact Sheets Archive

Soil stiffness and modulus are the most meaningful engineering parameters for soil structures. Until now, there were no practical and reliable means to rapidly measure the in-situ soil stiffness and elastic modulus of soils. The Humboldt Stiffness Gauge (HSG) enables both the design and construction to be controlled by the same physical parameters, namely stiffness and modulus. Used as a compaction process control tool, it brings the contractor closer to the real purpose of compaction, which is to improve the stability of the soil over the life of the structure. The HSG's sensitivity and ability to rapidly take large amounts …

Fiber Optic Sensor : Monitoring Precast Beams, Purdue Ect Team

ECT Fact Sheets Archive

A new bridge over the Rio Puerco river, west of Albuquerque will be the first of its kind in the nation with built-in fiber-optic sensors to monitor stress in the bridge's girders. Known as "smart bridge" technology, the self-monitoring system offers many advantages over methods that rely largely on visual inspections.

Deep Mixing Method For Ground Improvement, Purdue Ect Team

ECT Fact Sheets Archive

Many causes including presence of peats and highly organic soils in construction projects increase the risk of foundation failure or inadmissible settlements due to low strengths, high compressibility, prolonged creep, and low permeability. The Deep Mixing Method (DMM), also known in parts of the U.S. as soil mixing, is an in situ soil treatment and improvement technology mechanically blending the in situ soil with cementitious materials that are referred to as binders using a hollow stem auger and paddle arrangement.

Precast Concrete Beam-To-Column Connection System, Purdue Ect Team

ECT Fact Sheets Archive

Compared to conventional concrete constructions, precast concrete is a better option which is more cost-effective for production, transport, and erection when columns and beams can be fabricated independently. The BSF connection is a hidden beam and connection for gravity loads that eliminates the need for projecting column corbels. From a steel box cast into the concrete beam end, a sliding steel “knife” plate with a safety notch is cantilevered into a steel box that has been cast into the concrete column.

Rapid In-Situ Load Testing, Purdue Ect Team

ECT Fact Sheets Archive

Load tests and structural monitoring are used to gain information regarding the health and performance of an existing structure. Both are more representative than analytical approaches to evaluate the structure, especially when little is known about the structure's geometry and composition. Rapid in-situ load testing is intended to be much simpler and can be carried out in a fraction of the time and at a much lower cost. The testing procedure was originally developed at Center for Infrastructure Engineering Studies, University of Missouri-Rolla to offer a non-destructive yet conclusive demonstration of the performance of new construction techniques and technologies.

Plasma Arc Torch Technology Stabilization And Ground Improvement, Purdue Ect Team

ECT Fact Sheets Archive

This technology represents an additional alternative for stabilizing weak foundation soils upon which buildings, bridges, roads or other structures are to be constructed. A plasma is a gas that has been ionized by the electric arc of a plasma torch and can therefore respond to electrical and magnetic fields. Plasma arc technology can create plasma using almost any type of gas (oxygen, nitrogen, carbon monoxide, air, etc.) and in a wide range of pressures (vacuum to 20 atmospheres).

Osterberg Load Cell, Purdue Ect Team

ECT Fact Sheets Archive

Establishing the bearing capacity of piles, piers, and shafts is difficult and expensive for engineers to determine. The Osterberg Load Cell allows geotechnical engineers to determine the capacity of drilled shafts, piers, and driven piles. It is used to test for the bearing and skin friction forces that can be developed in the soil through which the shaft, pier, or pile is placed.