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Articles 55501 - 55530 of 197562

Full-Text Articles in Engineering

Image Processing And Classification Of Remotely-Sensed Satellite Imagery: An Application Towards Cloud Detection, Oluwamuyiwa Adesola Adeegbe Aug 2020

Image Processing And Classification Of Remotely-Sensed Satellite Imagery: An Application Towards Cloud Detection, Oluwamuyiwa Adesola Adeegbe

Theses and Dissertations

Atmospheric studies have been carried out for decades to forecast weather and climate trends such as tropical storms, etc. Of recent concern is the level of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, which has a relative influence on the weather and climate trends. Over the years, large weather satellites like the GOES series have been used to monitor these GHGs. However, an in-depth understanding of the movement of these gases requires consistent monitoring, which has given rise to the need for miniaturized satellites. Since the miniaturized satellites are novel, they require a ground-truth like the GOES-16 satellite to validate these observations. …

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A Fortran-Keras Deep Learning Bridge For Scientific Computing, Jordan Ott, Mike Pritchard, Natalie Best, Erik Linstead, Milan Curcic, Pierre Baldi Aug 2020

A Fortran-Keras Deep Learning Bridge For Scientific Computing, Jordan Ott, Mike Pritchard, Natalie Best, Erik Linstead, Milan Curcic, Pierre Baldi

Engineering Faculty Articles and Research

Implementing artificial neural networks is commonly achieved via high-level programming languages such as Python and easy-to-use deep learning libraries such as Keras. These software libraries come preloaded with a variety of network architectures, provide autodifferentiation, and support GPUs for fast and efficient computation. As a result, a deep learning practitioner will favor training a neural network model in Python, where these tools are readily available. However, many large-scale scientific computation projects are written in Fortran, making it difficult to integrate with modern deep learning methods. To alleviate this problem, we introduce a software library, the Fortran-Keras Bridge (FKB). This two-way …

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Research Progress Of Metal-Nitrogen-Carbon Catalysts Toward Oxygen Reduction Reaction Inm Changchun Institute Of Applied Chemistry, Ming-Jun Xu, Jie Liu, Jun-Jie Ge, Chang-Peng Liu, Wei Xing Aug 2020

Research Progress Of Metal-Nitrogen-Carbon Catalysts Toward Oxygen Reduction Reaction Inm Changchun Institute Of Applied Chemistry, Ming-Jun Xu, Jie Liu, Jun-Jie Ge, Chang-Peng Liu, Wei Xing

Journal of Electrochemistry

The development of highly active and stable catalysts toward oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) has been facing severe challenges. In recent years, pyrolytic M-N-C catalysts and metal-organic framework derived materials made the performance of non-noble metal catalysts greatly improved, however, the molecular and atomic level understanding in the reaction active sites and the mechanism are still lacking. Here, we summarize the recent research progress made in the Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry. We present a microporous metal-organic-framework confined strategy toward the preferable formation of ORR catalysts. Firstly, we studied the active site and proposed a new active site structure for the …

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A Review Of Electrochemical Energy Storage Researches In The Past 22 Years, Yu-Sheng Yang Aug 2020

A Review Of Electrochemical Energy Storage Researches In The Past 22 Years, Yu-Sheng Yang

Journal of Electrochemistry

In this paper, research activities from my groups in the field of electrochemical energy storage are reviewed for the past 22 years, which is divided into three sections. The first section describes the researches related to high specific energy and high specific power energy storage devices, including lithium sulfur batteriies (sulfur composite cathode material, lithium sulfur battery fabrication, lithium boron alloy as lithium sulfur battery anodes, and sulfur lithium-ion battery new system), supercapacitors (super activated carbon, capacitive carbon prepared from phenolic resin, carbon nanotube array parasitic pseudo-capacitive energy storage materials, necessary properties of capacitive carbons, nickel hydroxide xerogels pseudo-capacitive energy …

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Fuel Cell Performance Of Non-Precious Metal Based Electrocatalysts, Yan-Feng Zhang, Fei Xiao, Guang-Yu Chen, Min-Hua Shao Aug 2020

Fuel Cell Performance Of Non-Precious Metal Based Electrocatalysts, Yan-Feng Zhang, Fei Xiao, Guang-Yu Chen, Min-Hua Shao

Journal of Electrochemistry

The commercialization of proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) is hindered by high cost and low durability of Pt based electrocatalysts. Developing efficient and durable non-precious metal catalysts is a promising approach to addressing these conundrums. Among them, transition metals dispersed in a nitrogen (N)-doped carbon support (M-N-C) show good oxygen reduction reaction activity. This article reviews recent progress in M-N-C catalysts development, focusing on the catalysts design, membrane electrode assembly fabrication, fuel cell performance, and durability testing. Template-assisted approach is an efficient way to synthesize M-N-C materials with homogeneously dispersed single atom active site and reduced metal particles, carbides …

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Research Progresses Of Copper Interconnection In Chips, Lei Jin, Jia-Qiang Yang, Fang-Zu Yang, Dong-Ping Zhan, Zhong-Qun Tian, Shao-Min Zhou Aug 2020

Research Progresses Of Copper Interconnection In Chips, Lei Jin, Jia-Qiang Yang, Fang-Zu Yang, Dong-Ping Zhan, Zhong-Qun Tian, Shao-Min Zhou

Journal of Electrochemistry

In this paper, the copper interconnection technology in chip manufacturing is introduced in detail, and the essentials of acidic copper sulfate electroplating process and the mechanisms of common-used additives are reviewed. The progresses of novel additives at home and abroad are also summarized. Based on the studied achievement, the possibility of the novel copper interconnect process replacing the acidic copper electroplating is prospected.

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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 Aug 2020

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 …

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Hydraulics Of Scour In The Vicinity Of A Flexiarch Bridge, Prabuddha Sathurusinghe, Gerard Hamill, Su Taylor, Desmond Robinson Aug 2020

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 …

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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 Aug 2020

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 …

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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 Aug 2020

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 …

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Temperature Profiles Of Private Rental Housing Occupied By Third Level Students In Ireland, Ailbhe Ryan, Eimear Walsh, Paul Moran, Jamie Goggins Aug 2020

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 …

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Impact Of Occupant Behaviour On Indoor Environment Of A-Rated Dwellings, Niti Saini, Patrick Shiel, Roger P. West, Ruth Kerrigan, Ian Pyburn Aug 2020

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 …

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Key Considerations In The Design Of A One-Stop-Shop Retrofit Model, Orlaith Mcginley, Paul Moran, Jamie Goggins Aug 2020

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 …

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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 Aug 2020

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 …

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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 Aug 2020

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.

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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 Aug 2020

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 …

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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 Aug 2020

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 …

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Caha Tunnel Rock Repairs And Improvements Including Non-Destructive Testing, Roy Costello, Liam Duffy Aug 2020

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 …

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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 Aug 2020

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 …

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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 Aug 2020

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 …

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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 Aug 2020

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 …

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Performance Based Design Approach For Reinforced Concrete Precast Structures, Suhaib Salawdeh, Naveed Ahmad Aug 2020

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 …

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Design Of Reinforced Concrete Beams With Web Openings, Gerry Sweeney, Suhaib Salawdeh Aug 2020

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.

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Demountable Reinforced Concrete Structures: A Review And Future Directions, Tahreer Fayyad, Ahmed Abdalqader Aug 2020

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 …

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Community-Engaged Learning: A Building Engineering Case Study, Jamie Goggins, Magdalena Hajdukiewicz Aug 2020

Community-Engaged Learning: A Building Engineering Case Study, Jamie Goggins, Magdalena Hajdukiewicz

Civil Engineering Research in Ireland 2020

Community engaged learning is a form of experiential education with a civic underpinning. Community engaged learning is embedded with the civil engineering curriculum at NUI Galway and is framed by a research orientation, commitments to civic engagement and building university-community partnerships, city-university partnerships and partnerships with other official agencies, so that community users can provide real learning problems and contexts for students and researchers and benefit from the results. This paper presents the positive experience of the authors in facilitating over 300 community engaged learning projects undertaken by undergraduate students in civil engineering at NUI Galway. The paper highlights how …

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The Powerful Impact Of Role Models And Workshops On The Future Direction Of Females In Stem – Cit Campus Week Model, Mary Moloney, Norma Welch Aug 2020

The Powerful Impact Of Role Models And Workshops On The Future Direction Of Females In Stem – Cit Campus Week Model, Mary Moloney, Norma Welch

Civil Engineering Research in Ireland 2020

The Faculty of Engineering and Science (FES) at Cork Institute of Technology (CIT) recognises the overwhelming evidence of a severe shortage in the uptake of female students of STEM courses and ultimately STEM careers. In its attempt to turn this tide, the faculty has pioneered a ‘female only’ campus week showcasing science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) to TY students. This campus week commenced with a one-day event at CIT, in 2015 supporting the launch of the ‘I Wish’ initiative at Cork City Hall. The ‘I Wish’ (Initiative for women in STEM) is a not-for-profit group founded by three visionary …

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Embedment Of Un Sustainable Development Goals (Sdg) Within Engineering Degree Programmes, Thomas Adams, Sriram Kishore Kumar, Jamie Goggins, Richard Manton Aug 2020

Embedment Of Un Sustainable Development Goals (Sdg) Within Engineering Degree Programmes, Thomas Adams, Sriram Kishore Kumar, Jamie Goggins, Richard Manton

Civil Engineering Research in Ireland 2020

The UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), established by the United Nations in 2015, are having a significant influence on policy development worldwide. However, there is a key question about whether current and future engineering graduates will be equipped to contribute significantly to the achievement of these goals and provide sustainable solutions. One way to consider this is to better understand the level of focus within existing curricula of engineering degrees towards the SDGs.

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Teaching Engineering Materials Through Experiential Learning, Roger P. West, David Taylor, Martin Burke, Michael Grimes, Shane Hunt Aug 2020

Teaching Engineering Materials Through Experiential Learning, Roger P. West, David Taylor, Martin Burke, Michael Grimes, Shane Hunt

Civil Engineering Research in Ireland 2020

An opportunity was afforded to the authors to design and implement a semester-long laboratory-based project to complement a traditional first year materials engineering lecture module. The examinable lecture component involved the customary description of physical, mechanical, and electrical properties of materials, exemplified by studying real examples of different materials used in solving design problems, such as the challenges of concrete’s weakness in tension, brittleness, creep, shrinkage and vulnerability to corrosion, bamboo’s unique sustainability and tensile strength, or in the electronic properties of semiconductor components. Comprising equal civil, mechanical and electrical elements, the project involved the development of an understanding of …

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Examining Large Student Cohorts - A Question Of Questions, Roger P. West, Michael A. Wride Aug 2020

Examining Large Student Cohorts - A Question Of Questions, Roger P. West, Michael A. Wride

Civil Engineering Research in Ireland 2020

With pressure to increase student numbers on academic courses worldwide, the trends in exam marks distribution for subject modules become more acute, with more distinct pattern characteristics reflecting student choices, topic and exam question difficulty, and lecturer marking severity, refinement and consistency. The practice of representing the overall exam results in a module through histograms enables normality, skewness and randomness to be identified, interrogated and understood. However, when dealing with large numbers of exam candidates (of the order of 1000 or more), an investigation of the averages and histograms for individual exam questions can further reveal refined explanations for poor …

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Effect Of Casting Method And Test Setup On Flexural Characterization Of Uhpfrc, Yuanye He, Esmaeel Esmaeeli, Marios Soutsos Aug 2020

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, …

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