Search results for: construction welding
Commenced in January 2007
Frequency: Monthly
Edition: International
Paper Count: 4013

Search results for: construction welding

3143 The Significance of a Well-Defined Systematic Approach in Risk Management for Construction Projects within Oil Industry

Authors: Batool Ismaeel, Umair Farooq, Saad Mushtaq

Abstract:

Construction projects in the oil industry can be very complex, having unknown outcomes and uncertainties that cannot be easily predicted. Each project has its unique risks generated by a number of factors which, if not controlled, will impact the successful completion of the project mainly in terms of schedule, cost, quality, and safety. This paper highlights the historic risks associated with projects in the south and east region of Kuwait Oil Company (KOC) collated from the company’s lessons learned database. Starting from Contract Award through to handover of the project to the Asset owner, the gaps in project execution in terms of managing risk will be brought to discussion and where a well-defined systematic approach in project risk management reflecting many claims, change of scope, exceeding budget, delays in engineering phase as well as in the procurement and fabrication of long lead items should be adopted. This study focuses on a proposed feasible approach in risk management for engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) level projects including the various stakeholders involved in executing the works from International to local contractors and vendors in KOC. The proposed approach covers the areas categorized into organizational, design, procurement, construction, pre-commissioning, commissioning and project management in which the risks are identified and require management and mitigation. With the effective deployment and implementation of the proposed risk management system and the consideration of it as a vital key in achieving the project’s target, the outcomes will be more predictable in the future, and the risk triggers will be managed and controlled. The correct resources can be allocated on a timely basis for the company for avoiding any unpredictable outcomes during the execution of the project. It is recommended in this paper to apply this risk management approach as an integral part of project management and investigate further in the future, the effectiveness of this proposed system for newly awarded projects and compare the same with those projects of similar budget/complexity that have not applied this approach to risk management.

Keywords: construction, project completion, risk management, uncertainties

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3142 Determining the Information Technologies Usage and Learning Preferences of Construction

Authors: Naci Büyükkaracığan, Yıldırım Akyol

Abstract:

Information technology is called the technology which provides transmission of information elsewhere regardless of time, location, distance. Today, information technology is providing the occurrence of ground breaking changes in all areas of our daily lives. Information can be reached quickly to millions of people with help of information technology. In this Study, effects of information technology on students for educations and their learning preferences were demonstrated with using data obtained from questionnaires administered to students of 2015-2016 academic year at Selcuk University Kadınhanı Faik İçil Vocational School Construction Department. The data was obtained by questionnaire consisting of 30 questions that was prepared by the researchers. SPSS 21.00 package programme was used for statistical analysis of data. Chi-square tests, Mann-Whitney U test, Kruskal-Wallis and Kolmogorov-Smirnov tests were used in the data analysis for Descriptiving statistics. In a study conducted with the participation of 61 students, 93.4% of students' reputation of their own information communication device (computer, smart phone, etc.) That have been shown to be at the same rate and to the internet. These are just a computer of itself, then 45.90% of the students. The main reasons for the students' use of the Internet, social networking sites are 85.24%, 13.11% following the news of the site, as seen. All student assignments in information technology, have stated that they use in the preparation of the project. When students acquire scientific knowledge in the profession regarding their preferred sources evaluated were seen exactly when their preferred internet. Male students showed that daily use of information technology while compared to female students was statistically significantly less. Construction Package program where students are eager to learn about the reputation of 72.13% and 91.80% identified in the well which they agreed that an indispensable element in the professional advancement of information technology.

Keywords: information technologies, computer, construction, internet, learning systems

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3141 Media Representation of China: A Content Analysis of Coverage of China-Related Energy in the New York Times

Authors: Lian Liu

Abstract:

By analyzing the content of the New York Times' China-related energy reports, this study aims to explore the construction of China's national image by the mainstream media in the United States. The study analyzes three aspects of the coverage: topics, reporting tendencies, and countries involved. The results of the study show that economic issues are the main focus of the New York Times’ China-related energy coverage, followed by political issues and environmental issues. Overall, the coverage tendency was mainly negative, but positive coverage was dominated by science and technology issues. In addition, the study found that U.S.-China relations and Sino-Russian relations were important contexts for the construction of China's national image in the NYT's China-related energy coverage. These stories highlight China's interstate interactions with the United States, Japan, and Russia, which serve as important links in the coverage. The findings of this study reveal some characteristics and trends of the U.S. mainstream media's country image of China, which are important for a deeper understanding of the U.S.-China relationship and the media's influence on the construction of the country's image.

Keywords: media coverage, China, content analysis, visualization technology

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3140 A New Suburb Renovation Concept

Authors: Anu Soikkelii, Laura Sorri

Abstract:

Finnish national research project, User- and Business-oriented Suburb Renovation Concept (KLIKK), was started in January 2012 and will end in June 2014. The perspective of energy efficiency is emphasised in the project, but also it addresses what improving the energy efficiency of suburban apartment buildings means from the standpoint of architecturally valuable buildings representing different periods. The project will also test the impacts of stricter energy efficiency requirements on renovation projects. The primary goal of the project is to develop a user-oriented, industrial, economic renovation concept for suburban apartment building renovation, extension and construction of additional storeys. The concept will make it possible to change from performance- and cost-based operation to novel service- and user-oriented, site-specifically tailored renovation methods utilizing integrated order and delivery chains.The present project is collaborating with Ministry of the Environment and participating cities in developing a new type of lighter town planning model for suburban renovations and in-fill construction. To support this, the project will simultaneously develop practices for environmental impact assessment tools in renovation and suburban supplementary and in-fill construction.

Keywords: energy efficiency, prefabrication, renovation concept, suburbs, sustainability, user-orientated

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3139 The Effect of Collapse Structure on Economic Growth and Influence of Soil Investigation

Authors: Fatai Shola Afolabi

Abstract:

The study identified and evaluates the causes of building failure and examined the effects of building failure with respect to cost in Lagos State, Nigeria. The method employed in the collection of data includes the administration of questionnaire to professionals in the construction industry and case studies for the sites. A purposive sampling technique was used for selecting the sites visited, and selecting the construction professionals. Descriptive statistical techniques such as frequency distribution and percentages and mean response analysis were used to analyze data. The study revealed that the major causes of building failures were bad design, faulty construction, over loading, non-possession of approved drawings, Possession of approved drawings but non-compliance, and the use of quarks. In the two case studies considered, the total direct loss to the building owners was thirty eight million three hundred and eight five thousand, seven hundred and twenty one naira (38,385,721) which is about One hundred and ninety four thousand, eighty hundred and fifty one dollars ($194,851) at one hundred and ninety seven naira to one US dollars, central bank Nigeria of exchange rate as at 14th March, 2015.

Keywords: building structures, building failure, building collapse, structural failure, cost, direct loss

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3138 Research on the Application of Renewability in the Construction Model of Zhejiang Rural Revitalization

Authors: Zheng Junchao, Wang Zhu

Abstract:

With the advancement of China's urbanization process, the Chinese government has put forward the strategy of rural revitalization which is aiming at realizing the comprehensive integration of urban and rural areas and the comprehensive revitalization of rural areas. The path of rural revitalization in Zhejiang province put forward a typical model from four dimensions: suburban area, plain, island and mountain area. Research methods include on-the-spot investigation, visiting a number of successful demonstration villages in Zhejiang and interviewing village officials. Based on the location conditions, resource endowments, industrial forms and development foundations of Zhejiang Province, this paper introduces in detail the model of rural revitalization in Zhejiang Province and the challenges it encounters, as well as the role of building construction. The rural development model of Zhejiang province makes the rural culture flourish. Taking the construction of rural scenic spots as the carrier, the rural culture, and natural landscape are constantly improved. It provides a model and template for the country's rural revitalization. The promotion of Zhejiang rural revitalization model will improve the current rural landscape, living standard and industrial structure, which will narrow the urban-rural gap greatly.

Keywords: comprehensive rural revitalization, Zhejiang model, reproducible, comprehensive integration

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3137 Influence of Coatings on Energy Conservation in Construction Industry

Authors: Nancy Sakr, Mohamed Abou-Zeid

Abstract:

World energy consumption has increased rapidly in the past few years. Due to population growth, total energy consumption is increasing; a large amount of energy is wasted on the cooling and heating processes in buildings. However, using thermal heating management can minimize costs, heat consumption and create a management system for the heat insulation for buildings. This concept is being implemented through different approaches. Based on analysis and research, there is evidence in the energy consumption before and after testing and applying construction approaches for thermal heating management in building units. This investigation addresses the evaluation of the influence of external coatings on energy consumption. Coatings are considered one of the smart effective available approaches for energy efficiency. Unfortunately, this approach is not widely applied in the construction industry. It needs more data to prove effectiveness and credibility between people to use it as a smart thermal insulation approach. Two precedents have been analyzed in order to monitor buildings’ heat exposure, and how the buildings will be affected by thermal insulation materials. Data sheets from chemical companies which produce similar coatings are compared with the usual products and the protective thermal products.

Keywords: energy consumption, building envelope, thermal insulation, protective coatings

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3136 Road Map to Health: Palestinian Workers in Israel's Construction Sector

Authors: Maya de Vries Kedem, Abir Jubran, Diana Baron

Abstract:

Employment in Israel offers Palestinian workers an income double what they can earn in the West Bank. The need to support their families leads many educated Palestinians to forgo finding work in their profession in the Palestinian Authority and instead look for employment in those sectors open to them in Israel, particularly the construction, agriculture, and industry sectors. The International Labor Organization estimated that about 1,200 workers in Israel die every year because of occupational diseases (diseases caused by working conditions). Construction workers in Israel are constantly exposed to dust, noise, chemical materials, and work in awkward postures, which require prolonged bending, repetitive motion, and other risk factors that can lead to illnesses and death. Occupational health is vastly neglected in Israel and construction workers are particularly at risk . As of June 2022, the Israeli quota in the construction sector for Palestinian workers stood at 80,000. Kav LaOved released a new study on the state of occupational health among Palestinian workers employed in construction in Israel. The study Roadmap to Health: Palestinian Workers in Israel's Construction Sector reviews the extent to which the health of Palestinian workers is protected at work in Israel. The report includes analysis of a survey administered to 256 workers as well as interviews with 10 workers and with 5 Israeli occupational health experts. Report highlights: • Among survey respondents, 63.9% stated that safety procedures to protect their health are rarely followed in their workplace (e.g., taking breaks, using protective gear, following restrictions on lifting heavy items, and having inspectors regularly on site to monitor safety). • All 256 Palestinian workers who participated to the survey said that their health has been directly or indirectly harmed by working in Israel and reported suffering from the following problems: orthopedic problems such as joint, hand, leg or knee problems (100%); headaches (75%); back problems (36.3%); eye problems (23.8%); breathing problems (17.6%); chronic pain (14.8%); heart problems (7.8%); and skin problems (3.5%). • Workers who are injured or do not feel well often continue working for fear of losing their payment for that day. About half of the 256 survey respondents reported that they pay brokerage fees to find an employer with a work permit, often paying between 2,000 and 3,000 NIS per month. “I have an obligation—I pay about NIS 120 a day for my permit, [and] I have to pay for it whether I work or not" a worker said. • Most Palestinian construction workers suffer from stress and mental health problems. Workers pointed to several issues that greatly affect their mood and mental state: daily crossings at crowded checkpoints where workers stand for hours; lack of sleep due to leaving home daily at 3:00-3:30 am; commuting two to four hours to work in each direction; and abusive work environments. A worker told KLO that the sight of thousands of workers standing together at the checkpoint causes “high blood pressure and the feeling that you are going to be squeezed.” Another said, “I felt that my bones would break.” In the survey workers reported suffering from insomnia (70.1%), breathing difficulties (35.8%), chest pressure (27.6%), or rapid pulse rate (12.2%).

Keywords: construction sector, palestinian workers, occupational health, Israel, occupation

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3135 Information Construction of Higher Education in Teaching Practice

Authors: Yang Meng, James L. Patnao

Abstract:

With the rapid development of information technology and the impact of the epidemic environment, the traditional teaching model can’t longer meet the requirements of the development of the times. The development of teaching mechanism is the inevitable trend of the future development of higher education. We must further promote the informatization of higher education in teaching practice, let modern information technology penetrate and practice in classroom teaching, and provide promising opportunities for the high-quality development of higher education. This article mainly through the distribution of questionnaires to teachers of colleges and universities, so as to understand the degree of informatization in the teaching of colleges and universities. And on the basis of domestic and foreign scholars' research on higher education informatization, it analyzes the existing problems, and finds the optimal solution based on the needs of education and teaching development. According to the survey results, most college teachers will use information technology in teaching practice, but the information technology teaching tools used by teachers are relatively simple, and most of them only use slides. In addition, backward informatization infrastructure and less informatization training are the main challenges facing the current teaching informatization construction. If colleges and universities can make good use of information technology and multimedia technology and combine it with traditional teaching, it will definitely promote the development of college education and further promote the modernization and informatization of higher education.

Keywords: higher education, teaching practice, informatization construction, e-education

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3134 Planning for Sustainability in the Built Environment

Authors: Adedayo Jeremiah Adeyekun, Samuel Oluwagbemiga Ishola

Abstract:

This paper aimed to identify the significance of sustainability in the built environment, the economic and environmental importance to building and construction projects. Sustainability in the built environment has been a key objective of research over the past several decades. Sustainability in the built environment requires reconciliation between economic, environmental and social impacts of design and planning decisions made during the life cycle of a project from inception to termination. Planning for sustainability in the built environment needs us to go beyond our individual disciplines to consider the variety of economic, social and environmental impacts of our decisions in the long term. A decision to build a green residential development in an isolated location may pass some of the test of sustainability through its reduction in stormwater runoff, energy efficiency, and ecological sustainability in the building, but it may fail to be sustainable from a transportation perspective. Sustainability is important to the planning, design, construction, and preservation of the built environment; because it helps these activities reflect multiple values and considerations. In fact, the arts and sciences of the built environment have traditionally integrated values and fostered creative expression, capabilities that can and should lead the sustainability movement as society seeks ways to live in dynamic balance with its own diverse needs and the natural world. This research aimed to capture the state-of-the-art in the development of innovative sustainable design and planning strategies for building and construction projects. Therefore, there is a need for a holistic selection and implication approach for identifying potential sustainable strategies applicable to a particular project and evaluating the overall life cycle impact of each alternative by accounting for different applicable impacts and making the final selection among various viable alternatives.

Keywords: sustainability, built environment, planning, design, construction

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3133 Apparent Temperature Distribution on Scaffoldings during Construction Works

Authors: I. Szer, J. Szer, K. Czarnocki, E. Błazik-Borowa

Abstract:

People on construction scaffoldings work in dynamically changing, often unfavourable climate. Additionally, this kind of work is performed on low stiffness structures at high altitude, which increases the risk of accidents. It is therefore desirable to define the parameters of the work environment that contribute to increasing the construction worker occupational safety level. The aim of this article is to present how changes in microclimate parameters on scaffolding can impact the development of dangerous situations and accidents. For this purpose, indicators based on the human thermal balance were used. However, use of this model under construction conditions is often burdened by significant errors or even impossible to implement due to the lack of precise data. Thus, in the target model, the modified parameter was used – apparent environmental temperature. Apparent temperature in the proposed Scaffold Use Risk Assessment Model has been a perceived outdoor temperature, caused by the combined effects of air temperature, radiative temperature, relative humidity and wind speed (wind chill index, heat index). In the paper, correlations between component factors and apparent temperature for facade scaffolding with a width of 24.5 m and a height of 42.3 m, located at south-west side of building are presented. The distribution of factors on the scaffolding has been used to evaluate fitting of the microclimate model. The results of the studies indicate that observed ranges of apparent temperature on the scaffolds frequently results in a worker’s inability to adapt. This leads to reduced concentration and increased fatigue, adversely affects health, and consequently increases the risk of dangerous situations and accidental injuries

Keywords: apparent temperature, health, safety work, scaffoldings

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3132 Assessment of Causes of Building Collapse in Nigeria

Authors: Olufemi Oyedele

Abstract:

Building collapse (BC) in Nigeria is becoming a regular occurrence, each recording great casualties in the number of lives and materials lost. Building collapse is a situation where building which has been completed and occupied, completed but not occupied or under construction, collapses on its own due to action or inaction of man or due to natural event like earthquake, storm, flooding, tsunami or wildfire. It is different from building demolition. There are various causes of building collapse and each case requires expert judgment to decide the cause of its collapse. Rate of building collapse is a reflection of the level of organization and control of building activities and degree of sophistication of the construction professionals in a country. This study explored the use of case study by examining the causes of six (6) collapsed buildings (CB) across Nigeria. Samples of materials from the sites of the collapsed buildings were taken for testing and analysis, while critical observations were made at the sites to note the conditions of the ground (building base). The study found out that majority of the building collapses in Nigeria were due to poor workmanship, sub-standard building materials, followed by bad building base and poor design. The National Building Code 2006 is not effective due to lack of enforcement and the Physical Development Departments of states and Federal Capital Territory are just mere agents of corruption allowing all types of construction without building approvals.

Keywords: building collapse, concrete tests, differential settlement, integrity test, quality control

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3131 Tracing the Developmental Repertoire of the Progressive: Evidence from L2 Construction Learning

Authors: Tianqi Wu, Min Wang

Abstract:

Research investigating language acquisition from a constructionist perspective has demonstrated that language is learned as constructions at various linguistic levels, which is related to factors of frequency, semantic prototypicality, and form-meaning contingency. However, previous research on construction learning tended to focus on clause-level constructions such as verb argument constructions but few attempts were made to study morpheme-level constructions such as the progressive construction, which is regarded as a source of acquisition problems for English learners from diverse L1 backgrounds, especially for those whose L1 do not have an equivalent construction such as German and Chinese. To trace the developmental trajectory of Chinese EFL learners’ use of the progressive with respect to verb frequency, verb-progressive contingency, and verbal prototypicality and generality, a learner corpus consisting of three sub-corpora representing three different English proficiency levels was extracted from the Chinese Learners of English Corpora (CLEC). As the reference point, a native speakers’ corpus extracted from the Louvain Corpus of Native English Essays was also established. All the texts were annotated with C7 tagset by part-of-speech tagging software. After annotation all valid progressive hits were retrieved with AntConc 3.4.3 followed by a manual check. Frequency-related data showed that from the lowest to the highest proficiency level, (1) the type token ratio increased steadily from 23.5% to 35.6%, getting closer to 36.4% in the native speakers’ corpus, indicating a wider use of verbs in the progressive; (2) the normalized entropy value rose from 0.776 to 0.876, working towards the target score of 0.886 in native speakers’ corpus, revealing that upper-intermediate learners exhibited a more even distribution and more productive use of verbs in the progressive; (3) activity verbs (i.e., verbs with prototypical progressive meanings like running and singing) dropped from 59% to 34% but non-prototypical verbs such as state verbs (e.g., being and living) and achievement verbs (e.g., dying and finishing) were increasingly used in the progressive. Apart from raw frequency analyses, collostructional analyses were conducted to quantify verb-progressive contingency and to determine what verbs were distinctively associated with the progressive construction. Results were in line with raw frequency findings, which showed that contingency between the progressive and non-prototypical verbs represented by light verbs (e.g., going, doing, making, and coming) increased as English proficiency proceeded. These findings altogether suggested that beginning Chinese EFL learners were less productive in using the progressive construction: they were constrained by a small set of verbs which had concrete and typical progressive meanings (e.g., the activity verbs). But with English proficiency increasing, their use of the progressive began to spread to marginal members such as the light verbs.

Keywords: Construction learning, Corpus-based, Progressives, Prototype

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3130 PPPs as Panacea to Delivery of Public Sector Construction Project in Zimbabwe

Authors: Ringisai Abigail Mawondo-Dhliwayo, Kahilu Kajimo-Shakantu

Abstract:

Due to financial challenges which governments in general face, it is becoming more difficult for many to continually use their limited resources to undertake infrastructural development. Governments increasingly now need other delivery approaches, in particular, the Public-Private Partnerships which make it possible for the public sector to achieve infrastructural development without incurring any/minimum cost. The literature reviewed outlined that benefits of PPPs include timely delivery of quality projects with cost limits. The methodology utilized for the empirical study comprised six interviews and sixty questionnaires which were undertaken and administered by construction consultants and government officials involved in PPPs projects. The results obtained showed that PPPs are not widely used in Zimbabwe although the need for their use exists. The study also found some challenges which prevent or derail the rate at which PPPs are utilized, of which the primary one was a political influence. It is concluded that despite limitations, PPPs remain the most effective and viable option for the delivery of government projects. The study recommends that policy and framework for the implementation of PPPs be developed. More useful information could have been obtained if final users of PPPs projects were included in the sample for data collection.

Keywords: construction projects, procurement, public private partnerships, public sector

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3129 Dynamic Modeling of the Green Building Movement in the U.S.: Strategies to Reduce Carbon Footprint of Residential Building Stock

Authors: Nuri Onat, Omer Tatari, Gokhan Egilmez

Abstract:

The U.S. buildings consume significant amount of energy and natural resources and they are responsible for approximately 40 % of the greenhouse gases emitted in the United States. Awareness of these environmental impacts paved the way for the adoption of green building movement. The green building movement is a rapidly increasing trend. Green Construction market has generated $173 billion dollars in GDP, supported over 2.4 million jobs, and provided $123 billion dollars in labor earnings. The number of LEED certified buildings is projected to be almost half of the all new, nonresidential buildings by 2015. National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) aims to increase number of net-zero energy buildings (NZB). The ultimate goal is to have all commercial NZB by 2050 in the US (NSTC 2008). Green Building Initiative (GBI) became the first green building organization that is accredited by American National Standards Institute (ANSI), which will also boost number of green buildings certified by Green Globes. However, there is much less focus on greening the residential buildings, although the environmental impacts of existing residential buildings are more than that of commercial buildings. In this regard, current research aims to model the residential green building movement with a dynamic model approach and assess the possible strategies to stabilize the carbon footprint of the U.S. residential building stock. Three aspects of sustainable development are considered in policy making, namely: high performance green building (HPGB) construction, NZB construction and building retrofitting. 19 different policy options are proposed and analyzed. Results of this study explored that increasing the construction rate of HPGBs or NZBs is not a sufficient policy to stabilize the carbon footprint of the residential buildings. Energy efficient building retrofitting options are found to be more effective strategies then increasing HPGBs and NZBs construction. Also, significance of shifting to renewable energy sources for electricity generation is stressed.

Keywords: green building movement, residential buildings, carbon footprint, system dynamics

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3128 Nanotechnology in Construction as a Building Security

Authors: Hanan Fayez Hussein

Abstract:

‘Due to increasing environmental challenges and security problems in the world such as global warming, storms, and terrorism’, humans have discovered new technologies and new materials in order to program daily life. As providing physical and psychological security is one of the primary functions of architecture, so in order to provide security, building must prevents unauthorized entry and harm to occupant and reduce the threat of attack by making building less attractive targets by new technologies such as; Nanotechnology, which has emerged as a major science and technology focus of the 21st century and will be the next industrial revolution. Nanotechnology is control of the properties of matter, and it deals with structures of the size 100 nanometers or smaller in at least one dimension and has wide application in various fields. The construction and architecture sectors were among the first to be identified as a promising application area for nanotechnology. The advantages of using nanomaterials in construction are enormous, and promises heighten building security by utilizing the strength of building materials to make our buildings more secure and get smart home. Access barriers such as wall and windows could incorporate stronger materials benefiting from nano-reinforcement utilizing nanotubes and nano composites to act as protective cover. Carbon nanotubes, as one of nanotechnology application, can be designed up to 250 times stronger than steel. Nano-enabled devices and materials offer both enhanced and, in some cases, completely new defence systems. In the addition, the small amount of carbon nanoparticles to the construction materials such as; cement, concrete, wood, glass, gypson, and steel can make these materials act as defence elements. This paper highlights the fact that nanotechnology can impact the future global security and how building’s envelop can act as a defensive cover for the building and can be resistance to any threats can attack it. Then focus on its effect on construction materials such as; Concrete can obtain by nanoadditives excellent mechanical, chemical, and physical properties with less material, which can acts as a precautionary shield to the building.

Keywords: nanomaterial, global warming, building security, smart homes

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3127 Project Time Prediction Model: A Case Study of Construction Projects in Sindh, Pakistan

Authors: Tauha Hussain Ali, Shabir Hussain Khahro, Nafees Ahmed Memon

Abstract:

Accurate prediction of project time for planning and bid preparation stage should contain realistic dates. Constructors use their experience to estimate the project duration for the new projects, which is based on intuitions. It has been a constant concern to both researchers and constructors to analyze the accurate prediction of project duration for bid preparation stage. In Pakistan, such study for time cost relationship has been lacked to predict duration performance for the construction projects. This study is an attempt to explore the time cost relationship that would conclude with a mathematical model to predict the time for the drainage rehabilitation projects in the province of Sindh, Pakistan. The data has been collected from National Engineering Services (NESPAK), Pakistan and regression analysis has been carried out for the analysis of results. Significant relationship has been found between time and cost of the construction projects in Sindh and the generated mathematical model can be used by the constructors to predict the project duration for the upcoming projects of same nature. This study also provides the professionals with a requisite knowledge to make decisions regarding project duration, which is significantly important to win the projects at the bid stage.

Keywords: BTC Model, project time, relationship of time cost, regression

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3126 A Review on Design and Analysis of Structure Against Blast Forces

Authors: Akshay Satishrao Kawtikwar

Abstract:

The effect of blast masses on structures is an essential aspect that need to be considered. This type of assault could be very horrifying, who where we take it into consideration in the course of the design system. While designing a building, now not only the wind and seismic masses however also the consequences of the blast have to be take into consideration. Blast load is the burden implemented to a structure form a blast wave that comes straight away after an explosion. A blast in or close to a constructing can reason catastrophic harm to the interior and exterior of the building, inner structural framework, wall collapsing, and so on. The most important feature of blast resistant construction is the ability to absorb blast energy without causing catastrophic failure of the structure as a whole. Construction materials in blastprotective structures must have ductility as well as strength.

Keywords: blast resistant design, blast load, explosion, ETABS

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3125 Incorporating Spatial Selection Criteria with Decision-Maker Preferences of A Precast Manufacturing Plant

Authors: M. N. A. Azman, M. S. S. Ahamad

Abstract:

The Construction Industry Development Board of Malaysia has been actively promoting the use of precast manufacturing in the local construction industry over the last decade. In an era of rapid technological changes, precast manufacturing significantly contributes to improving construction activities and ensuring sustainable economic growth. Current studies on the location decision of precast manufacturing plants aimed to enhanced local economic development are scarce. To address this gap, the present research establishes a new set of spatial criteria, such as attribute maps and preference weights, derived from a survey of local industry decision makers. These data represent the input parameters for the MCE-GIS site selection model, for which the weighted linear combination method is used. Verification tests on the model were conducted to determine the potential precast manufacturing sites in the state of Penang, Malaysia. The tests yield a predicted area of 12.87 acres located within a designated industrial zone. Although, the model is developed specifically for precast manufacturing plant but nevertheless it can be employed to other types of industries by following the methodology and guidelines proposed in the present research.

Keywords: geographical information system, multi criteria evaluation, industrialised building system, civil engineering

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3124 A Study on Energy-Saving Modular Housing Units Considering Environmental and Aesthetic Aspects

Authors: Jae Hee Chung, Tae Uk Kang, Byung Seo Kim

Abstract:

This study aims to propose design technologies for the energy-saving modular housing units considering environmental and aesthetic aspects. Modular houses are environmentally friendly based on 3R (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) because they can dramatically reduce carbon dioxide and construction wastes generated during the construction, use, and disposal process by the pre-fabrication at the factory and the recyclability of the unit, compared to the existing construction methods. The existing modular housing, however, tends to focus on quantitative aspects of energy reduction, such as windows, insulation, and introduction of renewable energy, and there is not much research on energy-saving type units considering the environmental aspects such as daylighting and ventilation, and the design that goes beyond the standardized appearance. Therefore, this study conducts theoretical investigation and analytical case studies on the energy-saving methods through various architectural planning elements as well as materials like insulation considering the environmental and aesthetic aspects in the modular housing. Then, comparative analysis on the energy efficiency through the energy simulation is conducted. As a conclusion, the energy-saving modular housing units considering environmental and aesthetics aspects are proposed. It is expected that this study will contribute to the supply and activation of modular housing through deriving design technologies for the energy-saving modular housing units that consider not only quantitative aspects but also qualitative aspects.

Keywords: aesthetic aspects, energy-saving, environmental, modular housing

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3123 Research on Construction of Subject Knowledge Base Based on Literature Knowledge Extraction

Authors: Yumeng Ma, Fang Wang, Jinxia Huang

Abstract:

Researchers put forward higher requirements for efficient acquisition and utilization of domain knowledge in the big data era. As literature is an effective way for researchers to quickly and accurately understand the research situation in their field, the knowledge discovery based on literature has become a new research method. As a tool to organize and manage knowledge in a specific domain, the subject knowledge base can be used to mine and present the knowledge behind the literature to meet the users' personalized needs. This study designs the construction route of the subject knowledge base for specific research problems. Information extraction method based on knowledge engineering is adopted. Firstly, the subject knowledge model is built through the abstraction of the research elements. Then under the guidance of the knowledge model, extraction rules of knowledge points are compiled to analyze, extract and correlate entities, relations, and attributes in literature. Finally, a database platform based on this structured knowledge is developed that can provide a variety of services such as knowledge retrieval, knowledge browsing, knowledge q&a, and visualization correlation. Taking the construction practices in the field of activating blood circulation and removing stasis as an example, this study analyzes how to construct subject knowledge base based on literature knowledge extraction. As the system functional test shows, this subject knowledge base can realize the expected service scenarios such as a quick query of knowledge, related discovery of knowledge and literature, knowledge organization. As this study enables subject knowledge base to help researchers locate and acquire deep domain knowledge quickly and accurately, it provides a transformation mode of knowledge resource construction and personalized precision knowledge services in the data-intensive research environment.

Keywords: knowledge model, literature knowledge extraction, precision knowledge services, subject knowledge base

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3122 Analysis of Operation System Reorganization for Load Balancing of Parcel Sorting

Authors: J. H. Lee

Abstract:

As the internet and smartphone use increases, the E-Commerce is constantly growing. Therefore, the parcel is increasing continuously every year. If the larger amount than the processing capacity of the current facilities is received, they do not process, and the delivery quality becomes low. In this paper, therefore, we analyze comparatively at the cost perspective between the case of building a new facility for the increasing parcel volumes and the case of reorganizing the current operating system. We propose the optimal discount policy per parcel by calculating the construction cost of new automated facility and manual facilities until the construction of the new automated facility, and discount price.

Keywords: system reorganization, load balancing, parcel sorting, discount policy

Procedia PDF Downloads 252
3121 Utilization of Bauxite Residue in Construction Materials: An Experimental Study

Authors: Ryan Masoodi, Hossein Rostami

Abstract:

Aluminum has been credited for the massive advancement of many industrial products, from aerospace and automotive to electronics and even household appliances. These developments have come with a cost, which is a toxic by-product. The rise of aluminum production has been accompanied by the rise of a waste material called Bauxite Residue or Red Mud. This toxic material has been proved to be harmful to the environment, yet, there is no proper way to dispose or recycle it. Herewith, a new experimental method to utilize this waste in the building material is proposed. A method to mix red mud, fly ash, and some other ingredients is explored to create a new construction material that can satisfy the minimum required strength for bricks. It concludes that it is possible to produce bricks with enough strength that is suitable for constriction in environments with low to moderate weather conditions.

Keywords: bauxite residue, brick, red mud, recycling

Procedia PDF Downloads 149
3120 Glushkov's Construction for Functional Subsequential Transducers

Authors: Aleksander Mendoza

Abstract:

Glushkov's construction has many interesting properties, and they become even more evident when applied to transducers. This article strives to show the vast range of possible extensions and optimisations for this algorithm. Special flavour of regular expressions is introduced, which can be efficiently converted to e-free functional subsequential weighted finite state transducers. Produced automata are very compact, as they contain only one state for each symbol (from input alphabet) of original expression and only one transition for each range of symbols, no matter how large. Such compactified ranges of transitions allow for efficient binary search lookup during automaton evaluation. All the methods and algorithms presented here were used to implement open-source compiler of regular expressions for multitape transducers.

Keywords: weighted automata, transducers, Glushkov, follow automata, regular expressions

Procedia PDF Downloads 141
3119 Engineering Topology of Construction Ecology in Urban Environments: Suez Canal Economic Zone

Authors: Moustafa Osman Mohammed

Abstract:

Integration sustainability outcomes give attention to construction ecology in the design review of urban environments to comply with Earth’s System that is composed of integral parts of the (i.e., physical, chemical and biological components). Naturally, exchange patterns of industrial ecology have consistent and periodic cycles to preserve energy flows and materials in Earth’s System. When engineering topology is affecting internal and external processes in system networks, it postulated the valence of the first-level spatial outcome (i.e., project compatibility success). These instrumentalities are dependent on relating the second-level outcome (i.e., participant security satisfaction). Construction ecology approach feedback energy from resources flows between biotic and abiotic in the entire Earth’s ecosystems. These spatial outcomes are providing an innovation, as entails a wide range of interactions to state, regulate and feedback “topology” to flow as “interdisciplinary equilibrium” of ecosystems. The interrelation dynamics of ecosystems are performing a process in a certain location within an appropriate time for characterizing their unique structure in “equilibrium patterns”, such as biosphere and collecting a composite structure of many distributed feedback flows. These interdisciplinary systems regulate their dynamics within complex structures. These dynamic mechanisms of the ecosystem regulate physical and chemical properties to enable a gradual and prolonged incremental pattern to develop a stable structure. The engineering topology of construction ecology for integration sustainability outcomes offers an interesting tool for ecologists and engineers in the simulation paradigm as an initial form of development structure within compatible computer software. This approach argues from ecology, resource savings, static load design, financial other pragmatic reasons, while an artistic/architectural perspective, these are not decisive. The paper described an attempt to unify analytic and analogical spatial modeling in developing urban environments as a relational setting, using optimization software and applied as an example of integrated industrial ecology where the construction process is based on a topology optimization approach.

Keywords: construction ecology, industrial ecology, urban topology, environmental planning

Procedia PDF Downloads 101
3118 Resolution Method for Unforeseen Ground Condition Problem Case in Coal Fired Steam Power Plant Project Location Adipala, Indonesia

Authors: Andi Fallahi, Bona Ryan Situmeang

Abstract:

The Construction Industry is notoriously risky. Much of the preparatory paperwork that precedes construction project can be viewed as the formulation of risk allocation between the owner and the Contractor. The Owner is taking the risk that his project will not get built on the schedule that it will not get built for what he has budgeted and that it will not be of the quality he expected. The Contractor Face a multitude of risk. One of them is an unforeseen condition at the construction site. The Owner usually has the upper hand here if the unforeseen condition occurred. Site data contained in Ground Investigation report is often of significant contractual importance in disputes related to the unforeseen ground condition. A ground investigation can never fully disclose all the details of the underground condition (Risk of an unknown ground condition can never be 100% eliminated). Adipala Coal Fired Steam Power Plant (CSFPP) 1 x 660 project is one of the large CSFPP project in Indonesia based on Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) Contract. Unforeseen Ground Condition it’s responsible by the Contractor has stipulated in the clausal of Contract. In the implementation, there’s indicated unforeseen ground condition at Circulating Water Pump House (CWPH) area which caused the Contractor should be changed the Method of Work that give big impact against Time of Completion and Cost Project. This paper tries to analyze the best way for allocating the risk between The Owner and The Contractor. All parties that allocating of sharing risk fairly can ultimately save time and money for all parties, and get the job done on schedule for the least overall cost.

Keywords: unforeseen ground condition, coal fired steam power plant, circulating water pump house, Indonesia

Procedia PDF Downloads 314
3117 Optimisation of Structural Design by Integrating Genetic Algorithms in the Building Information Modelling Environment

Authors: Tofigh Hamidavi, Sepehr Abrishami, Pasquale Ponterosso, David Begg

Abstract:

Structural design and analysis is an important and time-consuming process, particularly at the conceptual design stage. Decisions made at this stage can have an enormous effect on the entire project, as it becomes ever costlier and more difficult to alter the choices made early on in the construction process. Hence, optimisation of the early stages of structural design can provide important efficiencies in terms of cost and time. This paper suggests a structural design optimisation (SDO) framework in which Genetic Algorithms (GAs) may be used to semi-automate the production and optimisation of early structural design alternatives. This framework has the potential to leverage conceptual structural design innovation in Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) projects. Moreover, this framework improves the collaboration between the architectural stage and the structural stage. It will be shown that this SDO framework can make this achievable by generating the structural model based on the extracted data from the architectural model. At the moment, the proposed SDO framework is in the process of validation, involving the distribution of an online questionnaire among structural engineers in the UK.

Keywords: building information, modelling, BIM, genetic algorithm, GA, architecture-engineering-construction, AEC, optimisation, structure, design, population, generation, selection, mutation, crossover, offspring

Procedia PDF Downloads 221
3116 Application of Mobile Aluminium Light Structure Housing System in Sustainable Building Process

Authors: Wang Haining, Zhang Hong

Abstract:

In China, rapid urbanization needs more and more buildings constructed for the growing population in cities. With the help of the methodology which contains investigation, contrastive analysis, design based on component with BIM and experiment before real construction, this research based on mobile light structure system, trying to the sustainable problems partly in present China by systematic study. The system cannot replace the permanent heavy structure completely. So the goal is the improvement of the whole building system by the addition of light structure. This house system uses modularized envelopes and standardized connections, which are pre-fabricated and assembled in factories and transported like containers. Aluminum is used as the structural material in this system, and inorganic thermal insulation material used in the envelope, which have high fireproof properties. The relationship between manufactory and construction of the system is progressive hierarchy. They exist as First Industrial, Second Industrial, Third Industrial and Site Assembly Stage. It could maximize the land usage capacity by fully exploit the area where normal permanent architecture can't take advantage of. Not only the building system itself especially the thermal isolated materials used and active solar photovoltaic system equipped can save energy, but also the way of product development is sustainable.

Keywords: aluminum house, light Structure, rapid assembly, repeat construction

Procedia PDF Downloads 469
3115 Application of the Micropolar Beam Theory for the Construction of the Discrete-Continual Model of Carbon Nanotubes

Authors: Samvel H. Sargsyan

Abstract:

Together with the study of electron-optical properties of nanostructures and proceeding from experiment-based data, the study of the mechanical properties of nanostructures has become quite actual. For the study of the mechanical properties of fullerene, carbon nanotubes, graphene and other nanostructures one of the crucial issues is the construction of their adequate mathematical models. Among all mathematical models of graphene or carbon nano-tubes, this so-called discrete-continuous model is specifically important. It substitutes the interactions between atoms by elastic beams or springs. The present paper demonstrates the construction of the discrete-continual beam model for carbon nanotubes or graphene, where the micropolar beam model based on the theory of moment elasticity is accepted. With the account of the energy balance principle, the elastic moment constants for the beam model, expressed by the physical and geometrical parameters of carbon nanotube or graphene, are determined. By switching from discrete-continual beam model to the continual, the models of micropolar elastic cylindrical shell and micropolar elastic plate are confirmed as continual models for carbon nanotube and graphene respectively.

Keywords: carbon nanotube, discrete-continual, elastic, graphene, micropolar, plate, shell

Procedia PDF Downloads 139
3114 Design Guidelines for URM Infills and Effect of Construction Sequence on Seismic Performance of Code Compliant RC Frame Buildings

Authors: Putul Haldar, Yogendra Singh, D. K. Paul

Abstract:

Un-Reinforced Masonry (URM) infilled RC framed buildings are the most common construction practice for modern multi-storey buildings in India like many other parts of the world. Although the behavior and failure pattern of the global structure changes significantly due to infill-frame interaction, the general design practice is to treat them as non-structural elements and their stiffness, strength and interaction with frame is often ignored, as it is difficult to simulate. Indian Standard, like many other major national codes, does not provide any explicit guideline for modeling of infills. This paper takes a stock of controlling design provisions in some of the major national seismic design codes (BIS 2002; CEN 2004; NZS-4230 2004; ASCE-41 2007) to ensure the desired seismic performance of infilled frame. Most of the national codes on seismic design of buildings still lack in adequate guidelines on modeling and design of URM infilled frames results in variable assumption in analysis and design. This paper, using nonlinear pushover analysis, also presents the effect of one of such assumptions of conventional ‘simultaneous’ analysis procedure of infilled frame on the seismic performance of URM infilled RC frame buildings.

Keywords: URM infills, RC frame, seismic design codes, construction sequence of infilled frame

Procedia PDF Downloads 371