Construction Engineering and Management Commons^™

The Optimization Of Financial Investment In Project Safety Practices, Ryan Stewart Nielsen

Construction Management

This research paper explains the notable benefits to pursing a comprehensive safety plan complete with the most cost-effective safety practices in the industry. Through communication with environmental health and safety professionals within the construction industry, it was determined that certain safety practices are deemed essential on any active jobsite. Enforcing mandatory jobsite safety training to all individuals entering a jobsite serves as the first line of defense when attempting to protect individuals and mitigate risk. This educational and effective safety practice highlights the potential safety concerns of a jobsite while also mitigating contractor liability if an accident were to occur. …

Best Practices For Lean Scheduling And Coordination In Commercial Construction, Josselyn Marie Verutti

Construction Management

Efficiency and optimization are the major factors required for success in the construction industry. Lean construction is the all-encompassing path to this success, but while many understand the goal of lean construction, few can implement it in a way where it will be successful in saving time and money. Effective scheduling, coordination, and communication comes down to the quality of information flow within the project team. As a result, interaction effectiveness becomes one of the most crucial factors in determining the outcome of a project. The Last Planner System is one of the tools used to improve lean scheduling and …

Implementation Of A 4d Schedule As A Project Communication Tool, Jared Jacobs

Construction Management

This report details the project that was completed to produce a preliminary 4D Schedule for the Alma Clark Glass Residence Hall on Western Washington University’s campus. A 4D schedule combines the 3D model of the building and the project schedule and ultimately shows the sequence of construction. The main objective of this project is to explore areas for improved communication strategies within the project team. A 4D schedule provides an added dimension of communication that has the potential, if delivered effectively, to clearly define construction milestones and sequences for an owner to understand. The goal of this project is to …

Development Of Bluebeam Curriculum For Construction Management Department In Virtual And In-Class Transmissions, Jacob K. Clark

Construction Management

This paper discusses the development of two new learning modules for the California Polytechnic University, San Luis Obispo Construction Management department on Bluebeam practices and usage that reflect industry and technological changes. Adapting to and maintaining practices in distance learning, this curriculum allows for optimal online education and further advancement and clarity in in-person transmissions. With step-by-step videos for optional distance learning, students and faculty can choose to engage in alternative modes of education delivery. Building on traditional roles of construction technology education, teaching instructions are provided for faculty. This project based senior project positively impacts the body of knowledge …

Workers Head Protection Preferences In Construction, Matthew R. Langbehn

Construction Management

Head injuries are one of the most common ways workers are injured on a construction site, but head protection has not evolved over the last few decades. A new style of head protection, a safety helmet is being introduced to better protect workers, but the new style has not been widely adopted. A survey was conducted to determine workers preferences when choosing head protection and 31 responses were collected. 68% of the respondents currently wear a safety helmet, but 60% of the respondents would choose a traditional helmet if given the choice. 73% workers with more than 5 years of …

Proposal For Purchase Of In-House Drone For Cal Poly’S Construction Management Department, Angel Sanchez

Construction Management

Over the years, the construction industry has been steadily seeing an influx of new technology and innovation that has potential to improve the industry in many ways. One form of technology that has been introduced into the construction industry is Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS). UAS technology includes drones, photogrammetry capabilities, and the software that links field data to analytic tools. In the past decade, drones in construction have seen a considerable amount of growth and the uses for drones in construction, therefore new job opportunities in construction have been created that require knowledge of UAS technology. As the construction industry …

Outsourcing Vdc Workflows, Kyle K. Bresnahan

Construction Management

In an increasingly demanding world for infrastructure, technological methods have been found to assist construction project's. As innovative construction methods are constantly increasing, so is the demand for technological needs within the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry. To ensure technological adoption, many countries have started to mandate higher levels of building information modeling (BIM) documentation beyond the 2D construction documents traditionally required throughout construction review and permitting. Some companies have capitalized on this change to the extent of making BIM their primary business. These companies focus solely on virtual design and construction (VDC) and determine whether clients lacking this …

The Zero Waste Concept In The California Commercial Construction Industry: A Case Study, Maureen Moreno

Construction Management

In 2018, the United States generated 600 million tons of Construction and Demolition Waste (CDW) which was more than twice the amount of municipal solid waste produced. Excessive CDW puts a burden on already scarce landfills as well as the environment and the health of its inhabitants. Implementing waste management practices has historically been a challenge. The zero waste concept emerged as an innovative solution to CDW and refers to the elimination of waste throughout construction activity. It is the process of eliminating waste where possible, minimizing waste where feasible, and reusing materials which otherwise might become waste. Fully adopting …

Waste Management Relating To Sustainable Practices In Construction Management Today, Danielle Grace Moody

Construction Management

This study is a combination of research from previous studies as well as interview to evaluate the effects of the various sustainable systems and rating systems, how they are working to improve waste management, and how this has plays into the current and future practices of construction. Construction and demolition (C&D) waste is one of the largest waste flows in the world, reaching 30–40% of the total solid waste because of the large-scale construction and demolition activities resulting from accelerated urbanization and city rebuilding (Islam, 2019). To evaluate the difference between LEED certified construction in comparison to non-LEED certified construction, …

A Holistic Analysis Of Energy Storage Systems Applied To Single-Family Residences In California, David Anthony Russian

Construction Management

The technology this paper focuses on is energy storage systems applied to single-family residences in California. This relatively new technology consists of a stationary battery that is connected to a power source, most notably photovoltaic panels on the roof. The holistic nature of this research paper is meant to incorporate the principle aspects surrounding the current state and affordability of these systems such as the type of batteries used, government incentives, the predominant benefits, and emerging trends that will dictate the future of these systems. The information was gathered by conducting an extensive literature review and interviewing ten energy storage …

The Leed Decision-Making Processes For Northern California Commercial Construction, Shannon Marie Coyle

Construction Management

The purpose of this project was to establish a common decision-making process behind selections on the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) scorecard. This report describes the similar and dissimilar motives and processes that lead construction project teams to choose the LEED credits to be implemented. By interviewing experienced project executives, architects, project managers, and LEED accredited professionals at industry-leading companies in the Bay Area, a summarization of the motives behind credit selection have been reported and commonalities and differences in the process have been noted. Through these interviews, time, cost, efficiency, and sensibility have all been considered prioritizing …

Volumetric Modules For Mixed-Use Buildings: Logan At 51st - A Case Study, Abraham J. Ahmed

Construction Management

Modular construction has been a building technique since the 16^th century and has since been refined into one of today’s leading construction approaches. Modular construction is the process of manufacturing buildings or structures off-site. Modular construction is split into panelized systems which are two-dimensional system or volumetric system which are three-dimensional. This paper will examine the largest volumetric modular project, The Logan at 51^st, in the Bay Area which is set to be complete by the end of 2020. This paper will outline the current modular construction trend; the different types of modular construction; the process that …

San Luis Obispo Botanical Garden Concrete Benches, Anthony N. Masarweh

Construction Management

The purpose of this project is to build a total of 10, 8-foot-long concrete benches. These benches will be stationed at the San Luis Obispo Botanical Garden located at 3450 Dairy Creek Road, San Luis Obispo. The design consists of a large block style bench with composite Trex boards layered on top for comfort upon sitting. The structure consists of a rebar cage made of #3, 12”x18” stirrups at 16” O.C. There is a foam core in the middle of the rebar cage to allow for lighter weight benches and also to minimize the cubic yards of concrete used per …

Variability In The Hamburg Wheel-Tracking Device (Hwtd) Data And Results, Ilerioluwa S. Giwa

LSU Master's Theses

Over the years, the Hamburg Wheel-Tracking Test (HWTT) has become one of the most popular devices used for characterizing asphalt mixtures for rutting potential and moisture susceptibility. However, although the HWTT is a reliable standard test for evaluating asphalt mixtures, it is not exempt from variability in the test data and result. Variability in the HWTT test data and results have been majorly attributed to imprecision in the test practice and due to some limitations in the HWT device setup.

The primary goal of this study is to evaluate the variability in the HWTT data and result by investigating a …

Fatigue Monitoring Through Wearable Sensors For Construction Workers, Srikanth Sagar Bangaru

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

About 40% of the US construction workforce experiences high-level fatigue, which leads to poor judgment, increased risk of injuries, a decrease in productivity, and a lower quality of work. Excessive fatigue from working in unpleasant working conditions, long working hours, or heavy workloads can aggravate fatigue's adverse effects, leading to work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) and productivity loss. Therefore, it is essential to monitor fatigue to reduce the adverse effects and preventing long-term health problems. However, since fatigue demonstrates itself in several complex processes, there is no single standard measurement method for fatigue detection. This research aims to develop a system …

Computational Design Of Nonlinear Stress-Strain Of Isotropic Materials, Askhad M.Polatov, Akhmat M. Ikramov, Daniyarbek Razmukhamedov

Chemical Technology, Control and Management

The article deals with the problems of numerical modeling of nonlinear physical processes of the stress-strain state of structural elements. An elastoplastic medium of a homogeneous solid material is investigated. The results of computational experiments on the study of the process of physically nonlinear deformation of isotropic elements of three-dimensional structures with a system of one- and double-periodic spherical cavities under uniaxial compression are presented. The influence and mutual influence of stress concentrators in the form of spherical cavities, vertically located two cavities and a horizontally located system of two cavities on the deformation of the structure are investigated. Numerical …

Assessment Of Contract Terms And Conditions For Lump-Sum Contracts, Omar Othman

Theses and Dissertations

A Contract is a tool that defines the obligations of the contracting parties and assigns the risk between them. Contracts are usually drafted to meet the interests of the owner by addressing the legal issues and liabilities. Meanwhile, less emphasis is placed on clearly communicating the contract terms and ensuring that all contracting parties comprehend their risks and obligations. In a country like Egypt, which has faced drastic economic and political changes in the past few years, and yet is experiencing a boom in the construction sector, many developers tend to draft contracts that might be legally complicated or lacks …

Context-Aware Sensing And Fusion For Structural Health Monitoring And Night Time Traffic Surveillance, Xinxiang Zhang

Electrical Engineering Theses and Dissertations

Rapid developments in computer vision technologies have been transforming many traditional fields in engineering and science in the last few decades, especially in terms of diagnosing problems from visual images. Leveraging computer vision technologies to inspect, monitor, assess infrastructure conditions, and analyze traffic dynamics, has gained significant increase in both effectiveness and efficiency, compared to the cost of traditional instrumentation arrays to monitor, and manually inspect civil infrastructures and traffic conditions. Therefore, to construct the next-generation intelligent civil and transportation infrastructures, this dissertation develops a comprehensive computer-vision based sensing and fusion framework for structural health monitoring and intelligent transportation systems. …

Error Prevention In Sensors And Sensor Systems, Pedro J. Chacon Dominguez

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Achievements in all fields of engineering and fabrication methods have led towards optimization and integration of multiple sensing devices into a concise system. These advances have caused significant innovation in various commercial, industrial, and research efforts. Integrations of subsystems have important applications for sensor systems in particular. The need for reporting and real time awareness of a device’s condition and surroundings have led to sensor systems being implemented in a wide variety of fields. From environmental sensors for agriculture, to object characterization and biomedical sensing, the application for sensor systems has impacted all modern facets of innovation. With these innovations, …

Reliability Of Sfrp-Strengthened Rc Bridge Columns Subjected To Blast Loads, Ahmad Alsendi, Christopher D. Eamon

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research Publications

The reliability of reinforced concrete bridge columns strengthened with externally bonded, steel-fiber reinforced polymer fabric subjected to blast loads was investigated. Columns were modeled with a nonlinear finite element approach that considers material damage, fracture, and separation. Different concrete strengths, longitudinal reinforcement ratios, and gravity and blast load levels were considered, while uncertainties in material strength and stiffness parameters, as well as load characteristics, were incorporated in the probabilistic analysis. It was found that the use of SFRP can allow significant increases in blast load while maintaining the same level of column reliability.

Exploration Of The Sludge Biodiesel Pathway, Zachary Christman

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Wastewater sludge is an overlooked source of fat, oil, and grease (FOG) that could be converted into biodiesel. The United States produces about 8 million tons of sludge per year. The disposal cost for this amount of sludge is about 2 billion US dollars. The widespread availability and low cost of sludge compared to other biodiesel raw materials make it an economical choice for a renewable fuel. Using sludge as a raw material can produce 25 to 30 mg per gram of fatty acid methyl ester (FAME); the main component of biodiesel. Sludge biodiesel has the potential of transforming a …

Comparison Of The Resistance Of Belitic Calcium Sulfoaluminate Cement And Portland Cement To Sulfate Attack And Sulfuric Acid, Rilye Dillard

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Microbially induced corrosion (MIC) is a fairly common concrete deterioration mechanism with many negative effects. MIC is a complex chemical and biological process that occurs in sewage systems and is nearly impossible to replicate in a laboratory setting. For this study, sulfate and sulfuric acid attack on concrete were studied to mimic two stages of the MIC process. The ASTM C1012, Standard Test Method for Length Change of Hydraulic-Cement Mortars Exposed to a Sulfate Solution and a modified ASTM C1012 accelerated method were used to compare the sulfate resistance of belitic calcium sulfoaluminate (BCSA) cement, portland cement (PC), and PC-fly …

Development Of An Ultraviolet Absorbance Assay To Estimate Air Entrainer Dosing For Concrete Containing Fly Ash, James Spencer

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Fly ash is a coal combustion byproduct that can be used as a supplementary cementitious material (SCM) in concrete, offering benefits such as increased workability, durability, and strength. Fly ash can be used as a partial replacement to cement, reducing concrete productions costs and decreasing disposal in landfills. However, variability of fly ash properties (e.g., carbon content, adsorption site density) confounds estimates of the air entraining admixture (AEA) dose needed to achieve a specified air content in concrete. Air entrainment is needed to improve freeze-thaw resistance and limit concrete cracking. The foam index (FI) test is currently used to estimate …

Meta-Network Analysis Of Complex Construction Systems: Improving Project Efficiency Using Novel Computer-Based Analytic Methodology, Ethan Cummiskey

Honors Scholar Theses

The objective of this study is to build upon the framework of a meta-network approach to assessing vulnerabilities in construction projects. By viewing these complex environments as configurations of various nodes and links, it is possible to show the relationship between each entity in the project and the overall completion that is achieved from these connections. To expand upon previous studies, the vulnerabilities measured from this approach will be used to optimize the current network to eliminate any shortcoming in the project model. By investigating the congruence of different agents on the project, resources and informational nodes can be supplied …

On The Computational Efficiency Of Les And Hybrid Rans-Les Models In Building Aerodynamics, Aly Mousaad Aly, Faiaz Khaled

Faculty Publications

Large-eddy simulation (LES) has proven to offer superior accuracy in regards to predicting surface pressures compared to the Reynolds-averaged Navier Stokes (RANS) models. However, the primary impediment is the high computational cost associated with LES. The authors attempt to investigate the computational cost and accuracy by employing different sub-grid scale (SGS) models in LES and hybrid RANS-LES models. One of the prerequisites of accurate pressure estimations is to ensure a horizontally homogeneous empty computational domain. This study aims to compare the computational competence qualitatively and quantitatively using an empty domain in regards to the ability to maintain horizontal homogeneity. The …

On The Computational Efficiency Of Les And Hybrid Rans-Les Models In Building Aerodynamics, Faiaz Khaled, Aly Mousaad Aly

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Cm Member Of Slocoe Peace Conference Center Feasibility Study, Jackson Reynolds

Construction Management

This paper describes the parking design and estimate portion of a whole feasibility study conducted by an interdisciplinary team. The interdisciplinary team consisted of three senior undergraduate industrial engineering students, and one senior undergraduate construction management student. This feasibility study was conducted for the San Luis Obispo County Office of Education (SLOCOE) to determine if it is feasible to construct a new, 400-person conference center on a site in San Luis Obispo, CA. The complete study includes analyses of the following topics: economic, utilities, traffic/road, approval from Chumash Tribe, social/historical, climate, geological, vegetation and wildlife, noise and pollution, parking, mandatory …

Market Analysis Of Virtual Estimating For Reconstruction, William Robert Spencer

Construction Management

Reconstruction is the sector of construction that focuses on fixing fire, mold, and water damage to properties. Typically these are covered by insurance companies and the cost of these are determined through an insurance estimate using Xactimate. These insurance estimates are typically performed through visiting the site a few times by both the insurance company and the reconstruction company. Each of them will typically put together an estimate based on normal photos and then compare the estimates and then pay out the homeowner. This paper will examine the market interest in California for using virtual tours and expert insurance estimators …

Journeyman International: Canopy Life School, Housing & Training Complex In Kenya, Spencer P. Mishky

Construction Management

The purpose of this project was to provide a master plan for a primary school complex in a rural village in Migori County, Kenya. This facility aims to eliminate any issues for students growing up in the area. The master plan includes a primary school, housing accommodations, a training center, and a dining hall to cultivate success through all stages of these children’s lives. The project is headed by a non-profit organization, Journeyman International in conjunction with Canopy Life International and Take Heart Africa. The project was interdisciplinary involving a construction manager, an architect, and two architectural engineers all working …

International Sustainability Trends In Construction And Potential Applications In The American Market, Dante De Mayo

Construction Management

The construction industry evolves everyday as it attempts to stay up to date on current technologies, meet the needs of consumers, and take action on the ever-pressing topic of sustainability. Sustainability is one of the main ways the industry continues to advance. The United States is one of the world leaders in sustainable construction, however with limited research and restrained interest there is only so much progress that can be made when solely relying on domestic resources. By studying and collaborating with foreign construction institutions, the American construction industry has the potential to improve its sustainability performance significantly. By performing …