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Articles 541 - 570 of 1063

Full-Text Articles in Civil and Environmental Engineering

Identification Of ‘Carbon Hot-Spots’ And Quantification 1 Of Ghg Intensities In The Biodiesel Supply Chain Using Hybrid Lca And Structural Path Analysis, Adolf Acquaye, Thomas Wiedmann, Kuishang Feng, Robert Crawford, John Barrett, Johan Kuylenstierna, Aidan Duffy, Lenny Koh, Simon Mcqueen-Mason Apr 2011

Identification Of ‘Carbon Hot-Spots’ And Quantification 1 Of Ghg Intensities In The Biodiesel Supply Chain Using Hybrid Lca And Structural Path Analysis, Adolf Acquaye, Thomas Wiedmann, Kuishang Feng, Robert Crawford, John Barrett, Johan Kuylenstierna, Aidan Duffy, Lenny Koh, Simon Mcqueen-Mason

Articles

It is expected that biodiesel production in the EU will remain the dominant contributor as part of a 10% minimum binding target for biofuel in transportation fuel by 2020 within the 20% renewable energy target in the overall EU energy mix. Life cycle assessments (LCA) of biodiesel to evaluate its environmental impacts have, however, remained questionable, mainly because of the adoption of a traditional process analysis approach resulting in system boundary truncation and because of issues regarding the impacts of land use change and N2O emissions from fertiliser application. In this study, a hybrid LCA methodology is used to evaluate …


Bs News March/April Mar 2011

Bs News March/April

Building Services Engineering

No abstract provided.


Personas As A User-Centred Design Tool For The Built Environment., Emma Siddall, Corelia Baibarac, Aimee Byrne, Niall Byrne, Ashling Deasy, Nuala Flood, Camille Goulding, Shane O'Driscoll, Niamh Rabbitt, Angharad Sweeney, Yue Wang, Mark Dyer Jan 2011

Personas As A User-Centred Design Tool For The Built Environment., Emma Siddall, Corelia Baibarac, Aimee Byrne, Niall Byrne, Ashling Deasy, Nuala Flood, Camille Goulding, Shane O'Driscoll, Niamh Rabbitt, Angharad Sweeney, Yue Wang, Mark Dyer

Articles

The physical structure of a city frequently defines how people interact with each other and their environment. This paper examines the use of personas as a user-centred design tool for the re-engineering of a city to promote sustainable behaviour and social inclusion of its citizens (the Eight Eyes of Dublin Project). The research was carried out through the adoption of personas and collaboration with design partners to identify barriers to sustainability, and resulted in recommendations for the future development of Dublin city, Ireland. These recommendations are then compared with the draft Dublin development plan 2011–17 to determine the effectiveness of …


A Parametric Study Of Pedestrian Vertical Force Models For Dynamic Analysis Of Footbridges, Paul Archbold, Joe Keogh, Colin C. Caprani, Paul Fanning Jan 2011

A Parametric Study Of Pedestrian Vertical Force Models For Dynamic Analysis Of Footbridges, Paul Archbold, Joe Keogh, Colin C. Caprani, Paul Fanning

Conference papers

Footbridge vibration has received much attention in recent years. However, stochastic models for crowd loading are not common, and estimation of crowd-induced vibration is typically done through enhancement factors applied to single pedestrian loading models. This work compares two such models, a moving force model and a spring-mass-damper model (SMD). Typical ranges for various pedestrian parameters are examined, and it is found that the pacing frequency has by far the greatest influence on bridge vibration response. It is also found that the magnitude of the response for pacing frequencies near the bridge natural frequency is lower for the SMD model, …


Modelling Of Highway Bridge Traffic Loading: Some Recent Advances, Bernard Enright, Colin C. Caprani, Eugene J. Obrien Jan 2011

Modelling Of Highway Bridge Traffic Loading: Some Recent Advances, Bernard Enright, Colin C. Caprani, Eugene J. Obrien

Conference papers

The accurate estimation of site-specific lifetime extreme traffic load effects is an important element in the cost-effective assessment of bridges. In recent years, the improved quality and increasing use of weigh-in-motion technology has meant that better quality and larger databases of vehicle weights are now available. This has enabled measurements of the regular occurrence of extremely heavy vehicles, with weights in excess of 100 t. The collected measurements have been used as the basis for building and calibrating a Monte Carlo simulation model for bridge loading. The computer programs written to implement this model generate simulated traffic in two lanes …


Advancing The Use Of Bim Through A Government Funded Construction Industry Competency Centre In Ireland, Alan V. Hore, Ken Thomas Jan 2011

Advancing The Use Of Bim Through A Government Funded Construction Industry Competency Centre In Ireland, Alan V. Hore, Ken Thomas

Conference papers

The main aim of this paper is to develop the early case for a new Competence Centre dedicated to industry led research in the Irish construction industry. It incorporates the results of a survey carried out by the Construction IT Aliance (CITA) and also identifies similiar centres carrying out industry led research around the world. Results from the survey show a clear support for the establishment of such a centre in Ireland and, in particular, a strong interest in Building Information Modelling (BIM) as a immediate priority research area. BIM is having a profound effect worldwide on the construction industry. …


Characteristic Vertical Response Of A Footbridge Due To Crowd Loading, Colin C, Caprani, Joe Keogh, Paul Archbold, Paul Fanning Jan 2011

Characteristic Vertical Response Of A Footbridge Due To Crowd Loading, Colin C, Caprani, Joe Keogh, Paul Archbold, Paul Fanning

Conference papers

The characteristic vertical vibration of a flexible footbridge subject to crowd loading is examined in this paper. Typically, bridge vibrations produced from a crowd of pedestrians are estimated by using an enhancement factor applied to the effect caused by a single pedestrian. In this paper, a single pedestrian model, represented by a spring mass damper, which incorporates variables such as pedestrian mass and body stiffness, is used to calibrate a computationally efficient moving force model. This calibrated moving force model is further used in Monte Carlo simulations of non-homogenous crowds to estimate characteristic vertical vibration levels. Enhancement factors, which could …


Modeling Same-Direction Two-Lane Traffic For Bridge Loading, Eugene J. Obrien, Bernard Enright Jan 2011

Modeling Same-Direction Two-Lane Traffic For Bridge Loading, Eugene J. Obrien, Bernard Enright

Articles

Many highway bridges carry traffic in two same-direction lanes, and modeling the traffic loading on such bridges has been the subject of numerous studies. Different assumptions have been used to model multiple-presence loading events, particularly those featuring one truck in each lane. Using a database of weigh-in-motion measurements collected at two European sites for over 1 million trucks, this paper examines the relationships between adjacent vehicles in both lanes in terms of vehicle weights, speeds and inter-vehicle gaps. It is shown that there are various patterns of correlation, some of which are significant for bridge loading. A novel approach to …


Combining A Virtual Learning Tool And Onsite Study Visits Of Four Conservation Sites In Europe, Alain Chenaux, Maurice Murphy, Garrett Keenaghan, James Jenkins, Eugene Mcgovern, Sara Pavia Jan 2011

Combining A Virtual Learning Tool And Onsite Study Visits Of Four Conservation Sites In Europe, Alain Chenaux, Maurice Murphy, Garrett Keenaghan, James Jenkins, Eugene Mcgovern, Sara Pavia

Conference papers

The design and evaluation of virtual learning environments for construction and surveying students is presented in this paper; by combining virtual learning environment and on-site student surveys to model and replicate practice in the architectural heritage sector. The Virtual Learning Environment is enhanced with real live survey projects whereby students collect the data to build virtual historic buildings from onsite surveys using advanced survey equipment. The survey data is modelled in HBIM; Historic Building Information Modelling (HBIM) is currently being developed as a virtual learning tool for construction and surveying students in the Technological University of Dublin. HBIM, is a …


Modeling Extreme Traffic Loading On Bridges Using Kernel Density Estimators, Cathal Leahy, Eugene J. Obrien, Bernard Enright Jan 2011

Modeling Extreme Traffic Loading On Bridges Using Kernel Density Estimators, Cathal Leahy, Eugene J. Obrien, Bernard Enright

Conference papers

Kernel density estimators are a non-parametric method of estimating the probability density function of sample data. In this paper, the method is applied to find characteristic maximum daily truck weights on highway bridges. The results are then compared with the conventional approach


Bs News January/February Jan 2011

Bs News January/February

Building Services Engineering

No abstract provided.


The Influence Of Different European Cements On The Transport And Early-Age Properties Of Concrete In The Cover-Zone, Niall Holmes, L. Basheer, S. Nanukuttan, Pam. Basheer, W. J. Carter, T. M. Chrisp, G. Starrs Nov 2010

The Influence Of Different European Cements On The Transport And Early-Age Properties Of Concrete In The Cover-Zone, Niall Holmes, L. Basheer, S. Nanukuttan, Pam. Basheer, W. J. Carter, T. M. Chrisp, G. Starrs

Conference papers

The use of in situ tests for performance based specification would require demonstration of their suitability to distinguish the quality of concrete. With the introduction of new European Standards for cements, this would mean concretes produced with these new cements should be classified for their quality using the performance tests. It is generally believed that transport properties of concrete are related to their durability and hence the measurement of these properties can form the basis of performance based specifications. This paper reports data indicating that transport properties measured at 28-days for concretes manufactured with different European cements and water-binder ratios …


Bs News November/December Nov 2010

Bs News November/December

Building Services Engineering

No abstract provided.


A Review Of Zero Discharge Wastewater Treatment Systems Using Reed Willow Bed Combinations In Ireland, Sean O'Hogain, Liam Mccarton, Anna Reid, John Turner Oct 2010

A Review Of Zero Discharge Wastewater Treatment Systems Using Reed Willow Bed Combinations In Ireland, Sean O'Hogain, Liam Mccarton, Anna Reid, John Turner

Conference papers

The concept of a reed willow bed combination has the potential to achieve a zero discharge wastewater treatment system. This paper will present results from a two year study to monitor the performance of a reed willow bed facility at Lynches Lane, Co. Dublin, Ireland. Outline design specifications for the facility will be presented. Monitoring results for a two year period including influent and effluent parameters, rainfall, potential evapotranspiration, and soil classification will be presented and discussed. During the two year monitoring period the system achieved a zero discharge. This paper will discuss the potential widespread application of similar systems …


The Operation Of Hybrid Reed Bed And Willow Bed Combinations In Ireland - Zero Discharge And The Potential For No Monitoring Of Domestic Applications Of This Combination, Sean O'Hogain, Liam Mccarton Oct 2010

The Operation Of Hybrid Reed Bed And Willow Bed Combinations In Ireland - Zero Discharge And The Potential For No Monitoring Of Domestic Applications Of This Combination, Sean O'Hogain, Liam Mccarton

Conference papers

This paper will briefly trace the development of reed beds, the treatment mechanisms involved and the evolution of the more popular designs, with emphasis on the hybrid reed bed. It will also present a review of the concept of using willow beds to deal with waste water. It will examine the Danish guidelines. It will also review the application of willows to treat effluent from a hybrid reed bed system and the evolution of this system in Wales. The theory of willow bed treatment will also be discussed with particular emphasis on the factors that effect evapotranspiration. Two alternative designs …


A Stochastic Hybrid Embodied Energy And Co2_Eq Intensity Analysis Of Building And Construction Processes In Ireland, Adolf Acquaye Oct 2010

A Stochastic Hybrid Embodied Energy And Co2_Eq Intensity Analysis Of Building And Construction Processes In Ireland, Adolf Acquaye

Doctoral

Given a general lack of research on Irish construction greenhouse gas emissions, a subsectoral embodied carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2-eq) analysis of this sector has been undertaken with the aim of overcoming some methodological challenges such as system boundary constraints, input-output aggregation, double counting of energy inputs and a general lack of data. Using this extended methodology, it is estimated that total embodied CO2-eq intensity of Irish construction in 2005 was 1,364gCO2-eq/€ with direct sub-sectoral embodied CO2-eq intensity averaging 56 gCO2-eq/€. Some 215gCO2-eq/€ is estimated to arise from domestic sources including 160gCO2-eq/€ from domestic indirect emissions. International arising emissions constituted 84% …


Peat Improvement Under Vacuum Preloading:A Novel Approach For Bog Roads In Ireland, Juan Pablo Osorio, Eric R. Farrell, Brendan C. O'Kelly Sep 2010

Peat Improvement Under Vacuum Preloading:A Novel Approach For Bog Roads In Ireland, Juan Pablo Osorio, Eric R. Farrell, Brendan C. O'Kelly

Conference papers

This paper presents the preliminary findings of a TCD/NRA vacuum preloading field trial that is part of a research project into the construction options for improving rampart roads. Vacuum preloading is a construction method used to accelerate settlement and the increase shear strength by applying a vacuum pressure to the ground by means of prefabricated vertical drains, an impervious tight sheet and a vacuum pump. Consolidating the ground by applying a vacuum load has several advantages over other techniques, for example; no fill material is required; construction periods are generally shorter; and there is no need for chemical admixtures. This …


Development Of A New Marine Exposure Site On The Atlantic North-West Coast Of Ireland, Niall Holmes, L. Basheer, S. Nanukuttan, S. Srinivasan, Pam Basheer, J. Mccarter, M. Chrisp Sep 2010

Development Of A New Marine Exposure Site On The Atlantic North-West Coast Of Ireland, Niall Holmes, L. Basheer, S. Nanukuttan, S. Srinivasan, Pam Basheer, J. Mccarter, M. Chrisp

Conference papers

This paper presents a new marine exposure site being developed on the North-west Atlantic coastline of Ireland in Co. Donegal by the Centre for Built Environment Research at Queen’s University Belfast. The site will initially contain a number of large precast concrete stems, each 1.5m high, 1.5m wide and 1m thick placed on concrete plinths poured in-situ. The concrete stems will be placed at three levels to achieve different exposure conditions outlined in EN 206, namely atmospheric (XS1), a splash or spray zone (XS3) and a tidal zone (XS3) where the stems will be submerged by the incoming tide twice …


Methodology For Designing Structures To Withstand Extreme Environments: Performance Based Specifications, S. Nanukuttan, Niall Holmes, S. Srinivasan, L. Basheer, P.A.M. Basheer, L. Tang, J. Mccarter Sep 2010

Methodology For Designing Structures To Withstand Extreme Environments: Performance Based Specifications, S. Nanukuttan, Niall Holmes, S. Srinivasan, L. Basheer, P.A.M. Basheer, L. Tang, J. Mccarter

Conference papers

Existing guidelines in BS 8500 allow the selection of concrete mix based on variables such as compressive strength, maximum water to binder ratio, minimum cement content and minimum cover thickness. This approach does not guarantee the durability and expected performance of the concrete structure in a given environment. One alternative is to develop performance- based specifications that supplement the existing guidelines in BS 8500, by specifying the required performance of concrete in terms of measurable properties such as resistance to environmental penetrations. This paper demonstrates one of such methodology for developing performance-based specifications for concretes exposed to marine environments. Chloride …


Bs News September/October Sep 2010

Bs News September/October

Building Services Engineering

No abstract provided.


A Life Cycle Cost Analysis Of Large-Scale Thermal Energy Storage Technologies For Buildings Using Combined Heat And Power, Kenneth Gaine, Aidan Duffy Jul 2010

A Life Cycle Cost Analysis Of Large-Scale Thermal Energy Storage Technologies For Buildings Using Combined Heat And Power, Kenneth Gaine, Aidan Duffy

Conference Papers

Buildings account for approximately 40% of energy consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in developed economies, of which approximately 55% of building energy is used for heating and cooling. The reduction of building-related GHG emissions is a high international policy priority. For this reason and because there are many technical solutions for this, these polices should involve significant improvements in the uptake of small-scale energy efficient (EE) systems. However the widespread deployment of many technologies, must overcome a number of barriers, one of which is a temporal (diurnal or seasonal) mismatch between supply and demand. Costeffective thermal storage solutions have …


Bs News July/August Jul 2010

Bs News July/August

Building Services Engineering

No abstract provided.


The Relevance Of Teaching Traditional Measurement Techniques To Undergraduate Quantity Surveying Students., Fiacra P. Mcdonnell Jun 2010

The Relevance Of Teaching Traditional Measurement Techniques To Undergraduate Quantity Surveying Students., Fiacra P. Mcdonnell

Articles

Measurement of quantities is a core skill which must be inherent in all graduates from Quantity Surveying courses. Many students find this subject difficult to grasp, and the learning experience can be problematic especially in the first semester of first year. This is not unique to measurement as in many cases first year students are in the process of adapting to a new stage in their life, along with attempting to master many new subjects (Cottrell, 2008). This is reinforced by Johnston (2010) who highlights the many challenges being experienced by first year students and observes that “ entering first …


Developments In Intelligent Monitoring Of Concrete Structures, T. M. Chrisp, G. Starrs, W. J. Mccarter, E. H. Owens, S. V. Nanukuttan, Niall Holmes, L. Basheer Jun 2010

Developments In Intelligent Monitoring Of Concrete Structures, T. M. Chrisp, G. Starrs, W. J. Mccarter, E. H. Owens, S. V. Nanukuttan, Niall Holmes, L. Basheer

Conference papers

Deterioration in concrete comprises an initiation period and a propagation period. The initiation period is characterised by changes that occur within the concrete in response to the exposure environment and continues until a stage is reached when damage begins to propagate. The propagation period begins at a point in time defined when a particular event occurs (e.g. loss of steel passivity due to chloride ingress) and continues until a specified limit state is reached. The initiation and propagation stages of a deterioration process result from a complex interaction of physical, chemical and electrochemical phenomena. Prediction of the field performance of …


An Investigation Into The Retrofitting Of Air Source Heat Pumps Into Fabric Improved, Detached, Oil Centrally Heated Dwellings In Rural Ireland, Ciara Ahern May 2010

An Investigation Into The Retrofitting Of Air Source Heat Pumps Into Fabric Improved, Detached, Oil Centrally Heated Dwellings In Rural Ireland, Ciara Ahern

Other resources

In Ireland the predominant house type is detached housing which constitutes 43 % of entire stock. 72% of the detached housing stock is rurally located and 68% is heated by fuel oil. 82% of houses in Ireland have a radiator heating system. Detached housing, due to larger size and high surface area to volume ratio, has a greater heat loss per m2 than all other house types of the same construction period. It follows that, if a heat pump can be successfully deployed in a house of this type it can be successfully deployed in almost all other house …


Bs News May/June May 2010

Bs News May/June

Building Services Engineering

No abstract provided.


Input-Output Analysis Of Irish Construction Sector Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Adolf Acquaye, Aidan Duffy Apr 2010

Input-Output Analysis Of Irish Construction Sector Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Adolf Acquaye, Aidan Duffy

Articles

Ireland is committed to limiting its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to 113% of 1990 levels over the period 2008-12 and to 84% of 2005 levels by 2020 under the Kyoto Agreement and the EU’s ’20 20’ by 2020 respectively. National policies have targeted many industry sectors but have failed to directly tackle GHG emissions associated with construction activity. This paper estimates energy and GHG emissions intensities of the Irish construction sector and subsectors and estimates its contribution to Irish national emissions. This information is used to identify and assess the impacts of policy measures which would result in a reduction …


Rebuilding After Disaster - Engineering Lessons From The 2004 Tsunami, Liam Mccarton Mar 2010

Rebuilding After Disaster - Engineering Lessons From The 2004 Tsunami, Liam Mccarton

Articles

On 26th December 2004 a magnitude 9 earthquake occurred off the west coast of northern Sumatra, Indonesia. The sudden and violent vertical displacement of the sea floor caused a disturbance to the overlying water column, which generated waves (tsunami) that propagated rapidly across the whole of the Indian Ocean. Typically, in open ocean waters, these waves have long wavelengths of the order of 200km and low trough to crest amplitudes. These properties allow them to conserve energy as they propagate over large distances. As the waves enter the shallower waters of coastal areas, their amplitude increases dramatically and their velocity …


Simulation Of Traffic Loading On Highway Bridges, Bernard Enright Mar 2010

Simulation Of Traffic Loading On Highway Bridges, Bernard Enright

Other resources

This work is based on weigh-in-motion measurements for approximately three million trucks obtained from sites in five European countries. Techniques have been developed, supported by photographic evidence, for filtering the measurements to identify and remove unreliable values, and for the classification of extremely heavy vehicles. The collected measurements have been used as the basis for building and calibrating a Monte Carlo simulation model for bridge loading. Two-lane traffic is simulated – either two lanes in the same direction or one lane in each direction. The model allows for vehicles that are both heavier and have more axles than in the …


Bs News March/April Mar 2010

Bs News March/April

Building Services Engineering

No abstract provided.