Search results for "1105"
showing 10 items of 459 documents
Benefits of entrepreneurship education and training for engineering students
2017
In the present economic situation, having knowledge of an academic subject is no longer sufficient for a new graduate. Students are increasingly required to have skills and abilities which will increase their employability, such as: the retrieval and handling of information; communication and presentation; planning and problem solving; and social development and interaction. Entrepreneurial education and training provides individuals with the ability to recognize commercial opportunities, self‐esteem, knowledge and skills to act on them. It includes instruction in opportunity recognition, commercializing a concept, managing resources, and initiating a business venture. It also includes inst…
Case study: developing campus spaces through co-creation
2016
ABSTRACTHigher education institutions are designed to support their core processes – learning, teaching, research, and societal impact. In order for university facilities to support these activities, it is crucial to determine together with the users what these activities are and how they are supposed to be developed in the future. This article examines the relationship between user needs and the service level in construction projects through a case study where a university cafeteria was renovated using a participatory design (PD) method called charrette. The aim of this case study was to study the effects of collaborative ways of working when applied to a space retrofit project, and how th…
New simplified approach for obtaining a reliable plateau value in fatigue analysis of bituminous materials
2017
The Plateau Value (PV) based on the Ratio of Dissipated Energy Change (RDEC) approach has been proven to provide a unique relationship with the fatigue life, N-f, independent of loading mode, temperature and frequency. In this paper, a new simplified approach is proposed to compute the unique energy parameter PV. The results of this study show that applying the proposed method allows a unique fatigue power law to be produced and eliminates the ambiguity and variability in calculating PV. However, the study also shows that the PV-N-f fatigue curves for bituminous materials are dependent on material type which is contradictory to other studies dealing with PV. The study also highlights the im…
Use of Concrete for Road Infrastructure: A SWOT Analysis Related to the three Catchwords Sustainability, Industrialisation and Digitalisation
2019
This paper aims at identifying the direction for more sustainable development of the use of concrete in road infrastructure in an industrialised context. The increase in the global mean temperature is one of the most severe challenges today. The concrete industry is responsible for significant emissions of greenhouse gases, most attributable to cement production. However, concrete is one of the most important building materials in the world and indispensable for the societal development in countries at all development stages. Thus, the concrete industry needs to take measures for reducing emissions. This paper investigates possible directions for the development of the concrete industry, to…
A new and simplified approach to assess the pavement surface micro- and macrotexture
2017
Abstract Road safety depends on pavement skid resistance and surface texture. Skid resistance mainly depends on micro-texture and macrotexture. Skid and texture measurements on samples, in the laboratory, at the preliminary stage of the design, would enhance the design in terms of timing, costs, and reliability. Consequently, this study aims at setting up and validating simple methods for assessing surface texture and skid resistance based on core/sample measurements. Experiments were carried out and predictive relationships were set up to explain and predict results. Under given conditions, miniaturised macro-and microtexture tests (modified EN 13036-1 and modified EN 13036-4, respectively…
Long term energy efficiency study on different wall envelopes in Latvian climate conditions
2017
Abstract Five test stands have been built in Riga, Latvia equipped with sensors (temperature, solar radiation, humidity, etc.) to measure energy efficiency and thermal comfort conditions. Roof and floor constructions are made the same. For the walls building envelopes differ and typical materials used in Latvia (aerated concrete, ceramic building blocks, wooden log and plywood frame with rock wool insulation) are compared. Only rock wool is used for insulation to provide moisture transport through the construction. For study to be comparative thermal transmittance of all five test stands have been calculated equal (U=0.15…0.16 W/(m 2 ∙K)). The aim of research is to compare the integral calc…
Failure by corrosion in PC bridges: A case history of a viaduct in Italy
2016
Purpose The paper illustrates a viaduct collapse due to corrosion phenomena. Moreover, a contribution to the issues related to both the control of existing structures and design methods to be followed for the construction of new buildings is provided. Design/methodology/approach The objectives were achieved by in situ observations and numerical analyses. The effects of corrosion phenomena are investigated, and the progressive collapse analysis is provided to be helpful in this case. Findings The damages induced by corrosion phenomena have caused the collapse of the viaduct taken in to account. The performed numerical analyses were able to reproduce the effects of corrosion in terms of redu…
Reducing the noise pollution level along main roads in Sibiu, Romania by optimizing the traffic flow
2017
Noise pollution is one of the most important negative effects of road traffic, especially in cities. The current paper presents an attempt to reduce the noise level created by the road traffic along some main roads in the city of Sibiu, Romania by suggesting ways to optimize the traffic flow. The number of cars and the resulting noise levels were recorded in a key area of Sibiu. The noise levels were compared to standards and to measurements taken in areas with less traffic. Then, they were fed, together with road geometry data, into a specialized simulation software that allowed the computer-aided reproduction of the traffic flow, but also the modifying of conditions such as the road geome…
Cloudy with a Chance of Fuzzy: Building a Multicriteria Uncertainty Model for Construction Project Delivery Selection
2017
AbstractThe process of choosing a project delivery method is infused with cognitive uncertainties associated with the decision maker. Fuzzy uncertainties arise because of imprecise understanding and subsequent representation of these uncertainties by the decision maker, whereas random uncertainties arise from variance of these imprecisions. Since there are no well-defined rules for spontaneous decisions, in order to be consistently confident in the appropriateness of the chosen delivery method, a structured approach incorporating uncertainty is required. Previously unanswered questions such as (1) what are the sources of uncertainty in project delivery decisions, (2) how do decision makers …
Performance of two innovative stress sensors imbedded in mortar joints of new masonry elements
2021
Abstract Many historical cities enjoy the presence of masonry buildings with inestimable historical, artistic and cultural value. Old masonry buildings often suffer structural deficiencies, design faults and materials aging process. In recent years, many researchers focused their attention on the opportunities that structural health monitoring (SHM) can ensure for the health state of existing masonry structures, where damage can be difficult to be promptly predicted, pontentially causing abrupt collapses, with high risks for the community. This paper presents an experimental study on the effectiveness of two types of stress sensor for SHM of new masonry elements. Ceramic piezoelectric senso…