Prepacked aggregate concrete (PAC) is a particular form of concrete that is manufactured by placing and packing aggregates with different sizes in a formwork, and the spaces between the aggregates are then filled through the injection of cement grout with high flowability. This study proposed the prepacked aggregates fiber-reinforced concrete (PAFRC), which is a newly developed concrete, with a unique

The captive-column and short-column effects are resulted from constructing nonstructural walls or facades to the structural system which restricts the ability of the column to deformlaterally, or from constructing horizontal structural elements at mid-height of the column leaving the column divided in two short segments, or can dynamically evolve during earthquakes when the nonstructural walls partially

The article presents the results of tests on frost resistance of self-compacting concretes made with the use of cement containing mineral additives after 150 freezing and thawing cycles. Concrete with types of cement containing 30 and 50% blast furnace slag, cement with 30% silica fly ash and with types of cement containing both slag and ash with a combined proportion of 60% (30% both mineral components)

Residential buildings consume a large share of world energy with comparable CO2 emissions. This article has undertaken a comparative Life Cycle Energy Analysis (LCEA) using a new approach. This involved classifying the LCEA outputs of a case study house as material groups to see the contribution made by polymers used in the building industry, most of which currently depend on oil for their production

Precast concrete (PC) frames are considered vulnerable to progressive collapse as inadequate ties between precast components can lead to a loss of structural continuity. In previous studies, slabs and masonry infill walls were found able to mitigate the progressive collapse behaviours of reinforced concrete (RC) frames. However, progressive collapse physical tests of PC frames with prefabricated concrete

Nowadays, the Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) bottle, which is a post-consumer product, has generated a strong interest in the environmental consequences that surround it, and a suitable alternative is to incorporate it in mortar and concrete. Therefore, the aim of this research was to evaluate rendering mortars based on Portland cement/hydrated lime produced with PET bottle waste, used to partially

Wind-profile simulation is fundamental to structural wind engineering. The transiting test method is used to test the wind-resistance performance of structures via vehicle-driving wind. Herein, we establish a novel method of simulating the wind profile of Commonwealth Advisory Aeronautical Research Council (CAARC) high-rise building standard model type-C-terrain by using flat plates through a transiting

Present study explores the effect of molarity of sodium hydroxide on the aluminosilicate content in laterite aggregate and the resulting strength development mechanism in Laterised Geopolymer Concrete (LGC). The proposed LGC is to develop its strength without temperature curing by partially replacing fly ash with Ground Granulated Blast Furnace Slag (GGBFS) and to have quarry fines as fine aggregate

A typical Buckling Restrained Brace (BRB) consists of a steel core and a mortar-filled tube to prevent buckling of the core. In BRBs, the mortar used in a casing considerably increases their weight. In another type of such braces, to reduce the weight, a steel casing is used to avoid buckling of the steel core. In this paper, discontinuous restraint is investigated analytically and numerically to manage

Passive solar systems like solar chimney do require to be exposed to the sunlight. Hence, when the sunlight vanishes due to either sunset or cloudy weather, the system cannot provide the required heating load of a room. Therefore, without an axillary system, a part of solar energy must be stored at the same time which can happen by introducing Phase Change Material (PCM), enabling the system to benefit

The control strategy of heating, ventilating, and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems is cost-effective to achieve energy saving in buildings. It is believed that identifying representative behavioral patterns of end-users in multi-zone buildings helps personalize the control parameters of HVAC systems. Thus, this will result in energy saving while minimizing thermal discomfort of end-users. With advanced

Good energy performance is very important for decreasing the consumption of energy-intensive buildings. This paper studies a new multi-objective evolutionary approach to optimize the building energy performance. Firstly, the problem is modeled as two-objective optimization functions, i.e., minimizing the energy consumption and maximizing the comfort level. Next, a new solving algorithm based on bare-bones

Foam concrete has a low density and excellent functionality, which has been widely used in construction applications. Considering the recycling and reusing of waste clay brick from construction and demolition waste (CDW), the clay brick powder (CBP) derived from waste clay brick was used, as the supplementary cementitious material (SCM), to prepare foam concrete in this paper. The foam concrete with

In this paper, the effect of direct evaporative cooling (DEC) system design parameters, including the cooling pad saturation efficiency, the airflow, and the thermostat set-points on the system electricity and water consumption, is evaluated in four different climates of Iran according to Köppen-Geiger classification. EnergyPlus is used to perform the simulations for a typical residential apartment

In this article, damage states for Reinforced Concrete (RC) elements of framed RC buildings, including beams, columns, and joints, were presented and defined. For this purpose, the benchmark RC structures were considered, and details of their members were extracted. Each of the elements was separately modeled, and a pushover load was applied until the observed force/moment reached the predicted amount

Accumulation of marble waste increases pressure on the environment and human healthcare. In this work, it is focused that square-shaped nano calcium carbonate was prepared from marble polishing waste by nitric acid treatment and the effects of various preparation parameters, such as the concentration of nitric acid, reaction time and temperature on the morphology and size of nano calcium carbonate

This paper presents new models to predict chloride penetration into self-compacting concrete (SCC) using the rapid chloride penetration test (RCPT). The research mainly focuses on the effect of supplementary cementitious material (i.e., fly ash and silica fume) and elevated temperature curing of SCC on results of the RCPT. Models are developed to predict the value of RCPT using two statistical algorithms

Corrosion of stirrups can be a major factor in the degeneration of seismic behavior for reinforced concrete (RC) structures. In this work, low-cycle loading tests were conducted on six rectangular RC beam specimens at joints with different stirrups corrosion levels. The failure modes, hysteretic curves, skeleton curves, stiffness degradation curves, ductility factor, energy dissipation and bearing

Energy use in buildings contributes a large part in global energy demand. To reduce energy use in this group of consumers, specially in cold seasons, an automatic control technique is proposed. In this paper, a model predictive controller (MPC) is employed to minimize the boiler activation time. The method uses the building model and incorporates the weather forecast data to act on the actuator in

In spite of the advancement in the management of the construction industry, construction projects still facing the issue of cost overrun. Many factors influence the cost overrun but one of the most critical is the inflation rate, which plays a vital role in deviating prices of construction materials during the project lifecycle. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the behaviour of building materials

Boundary conditions of non-loadbearing precast concrete cladding panels differ from monolithic cast-in-place walls by relying on discrete connections for attachment to the main structural system, typically at the floor diaphragms. When the panels are designed to resist far-field blast loading, discrete connections at the diaphragms are commonly idealized as horizontal lines of continuous support, with

Total dissolved solids (TDS) is one of the main impurities in the mixing water that can influence the properties of concrete, and therefore, the codes of practice limit the concentration of TDS in water used for producing concrete. The present study investigates the effect of TDS present in the mixing water on the properties of concrete in fresh and hardened states. Concrete mixtures were prepared

The mechanical and durability behavior of Recycled concrete aggregates (RCA) based High volume fly ash-Self compacting concrete (HVFA-SCC) has been examined through detailed experimental investigation. The article explores the overall behavior of HVFA-SCC made with 0%, 25%, 50%, 75% and 100% of RCA with alteration of Natural coarse aggregates (NCA) and in conjunction with 10% of Coal bottom ash (CBA)

The aim of this paper is to evaluate the environmental, economic and energy (3E) performance of different flat roofs solutions, from “cradle to cradle” (C2C), in order to support the selection of the best alternative to be used in each building. Firstly, each of the 3E dimensions is assessed individually using the 3E-C2C method. Then, their aggregated assessment is presented, using the 3E cost-C2C

Geopolymers are important alternative materials for use in support of recycling and sustainability, and one of the most important properties is durability. While many studies perform durability tests 28 days after production, we carried out durability tests on a mixture of geopolymers starting 365 days after production. In this case, other conditions that occur until durability conditions are applied

Biophilic design is a popular form of sustainable building design because of its potential to contribute to human health and wellbeing. While many design processes are now mediated by computer technologies such as immersive virtual environments (IVEs), the reliability of IVEs to create the same benefits of biophilic designs as in-situ is yet to be determined. To this end, we conducted a comparative

In this paper, the influence of important parameters affecting shear transfer strength and deformation of concrete strengthened externally using CFRP laminate has been investigated. Parameters investigated were the internal steel reinforcement, CFRP layers, existence of preloading, and existence of tension on shear plane. For the latter one, a special type of push-off specimen has been developed, different

The present study includes a reconstruction proposal based on the original architectural and structural features of a historical masonry barrack building, which was built as a military barracks in 1866 and then demolished in the last 1940s. The building under the investigation is one of the first structures, in the historical peninsula, constructed by using industrial bricks in the Ottoman period.

The method used in the study was the multiple step change in shear rate, as well as the Kembłowski and Petera model for quantitative assessment of the thixotropic behaviour of cement pastes with and without application of a polycarboxylate-based superplasticizer. It was demonstrated that the Kembłowski and Petera model provides good matches for results of experimental testing in an assumed waiting

Predicting explosive spalling of concrete containing polypropylene (PP) fibers at elevated temperature is a challenging problem. It is difficult for traditional FEM or DEM method to tackle this problem at the moment due to unclear mechanism of PP fibers in mitigating explosive spalling and difficulty to measure instantaneous hot permeability of concrete. This paper described development of two Artificial

The paper aims at developing a new design to find an aerodynamic form of a pavilion that is optimized to generate on-site electricity with attached wind turbines. To do so, the authors present a way in which advanced digital technologies can be integrated to manage a series of complex design parameters and data. Through the design process, the paper integrates parametric (Non-uniform rational basis

This paper aims to use the waste cooking oil emulsions as shrinkage reducing admixture (SRA) to improve the durability of concrete, thus the recycling of the waste cooking oil is achieved. In order to make oils emulsions SRA (OSRA) capable of reducing shrinkage and enhance its dispersion and stability, oil-in-water emulsion was prepared by dispersing the waste cooking oil in water with the help of

This research focused on studies of the cross-laminated timber (CLT) construction system and, in particular, on an innovative panel composition of eucalyptus (Eucalyptus grandis) heartwood, which is considered in Brazil as a low-added-value material that is often discarded or used for less noble purposes. The aim of this study was to investigate the thermo-energetic performance of CLT panels for use

Due to the finite sources of natural aggregates, recycled concrete aggregates can be used as a suitable and economic material for the production of recycled concrete. Use of the recycled aggregates in concrete may undermine some mechanical properties of concrete. The aim of this study is to determine an optimum mix design made with the recycled aggregates, so that the environmental and economic aspects

The study of the effect of solar radiation on the built environment is a significant subject especially in the radiant systems and it is increasingly important because large glazed envelopes are widely adopted in modern architecture. In this paper, a radiant heating system was analyzed the effect of solar radiation on indoor thermal comfort using CFD simulations and experiments. The results show that

Offsite prefabrication of the non-structural components of residential and commercial low- and high-rise buildings is becoming increasingly popular due to its sustainability, fast on-site execution, safety and cost-effectiveness. The benefits of offsite prefabrication can be further enhanced if it is coupled with the principles of Design for Manufacturing and Assembly (DfMA), which is based on materials

Sustainable rehabilitation of stone architectural heritage and repair of cracks in concrete require the development of new compatible repair mortars. In addition, recycling industrial waste has become an attractive solution to environmental problems. In this context, the aim of this paper is to study the influence of addition of a new polymer latex (styrene-polyacrylic latex (SPA)), on the physico-mechanical

This paper deals with the seismic performance of a confined masonry (CM) building using innovative light weight cellular (LWC) panels, under displacement controlled quasi-static reversed cyclic lateral loading. The LWC panels measured 590 × 270 × 140 mm, with four 60 mm diameter vertical holes and a 35 mm high trough shaped groove for interlocking along the length. A full-scale CM building was constructed

Currently, the high energy consumption of district heating system represents a problem. Thus, accurate prediction of future heat load is the key to ensure energy saving and improve system operation efficiency. However, the accuracy of the prediction model based on single machine learning algorithms need to be improved, and the hybrid prediction model suffers from redundant inputs. The objective of

The severely cold regions of Northeast have a colder climate and large latitude span in China. Scholars should pay more attention to the creation of a comfortable indoor thermal environment in winter. In order to understand indoor thermal environments and residents’ thermal comfort statuses in areas at different latitudes, a field survey was conducted in three areas: Harbin (45°N), Changchun (43°N)

Sustainable development and realistic assessment of building sustainability have attained greater importance all over the world. In order to promote sustainable construction practices, Building Sustainability Assessment Systems (BSAS) has been developed by various organisations, academicians and practitioners. The BSAS mainly include Green Building Rating Systems (GBRS). Apart from GBRS there exist

In order to analyse the behaviour of concrete exposed to chloride attack, 243 specimens of 5 cm in diameter and 10 cm in thickness were prepared in order to analyse the influence of water/cement ratio, mineral additions, type of cement, period of curing and the level of exposure to the penetration of chloride ions. The aim of this paper was to get chloride depth penetration and chloride diffusion of

Based on shaking table experiments for a five-floor SRC spatial frame with special-shaped columns, the translational response, torsional response, and translational-torsional response were analyzed. Results indicate that the vibration modes of 1st∼4th order are translation in direction X, translation-torsion in direction Y, torsion, and translation in direction Y, respectively. With increase of peak

Development of cost-effective and energy – efficient materials is an on-going effort in construction sector. For this purpose, researchers have focused on utilizing various industrial by – products and nano thermal insulation materials in cement – based mixtures in recent years. This paper presents a comparative study on mechanical, pore structure, thermal conductivity properties and microstructure

This work aimed to investigate the possibility of using binder obtained from calcined laterite and phosphoric acid as a novel stabilizing for the manufacturing of compressed earth bricks (CEB). Various proportions of binder from up to 20 wt% were used to stabilize the soils. Fourier Transformed Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD) thermal analysis (TGA-DSC), Scanning Electron Microscopy

In order to maximize the recovery of heat energy from shower greywater, improve the operation stability of the wastewater source heat pumps and reduce the complexity of the system, a serially cascaded wastewater source heat pumps (SCWSHP) with large temperature difference was proposed. In this paper, an experimental system for testing the heating performance of the SCWSHP was built. The heating performance

The complex, uncertain, and dynamic nature of the maintenance management environment is a source of concern to facility managers in hospitals due to the unexpected failure of building components, daily arrival of maintenance orders, and changes in schedule. In such circumstances, centralized systems become far-fetched because of their top-down approach which lacks a feedback mechanism and ignores new

The paper investigated the possibility of using sawmill industry by-products, i.e. chips and sawdust as raw materials for the production of building wood-based boards. We prepared three-ply boards with the outer layer made from two types of pine particles (A and B) with different dimensions, and the core layer containing a mixture of chips and sawdust at 70 : 30 or 60 : 40 wt ratio. The boards also

The recent development of the calculation methodology for dynamic thermal properties of buildings has opened new possibilities for reducing their energy demand; however, building codes still rely on the traditional static approach. This research aims at filling in this gap by exploring how periodic thermal properties can be implemented in the Spanish regulatory framework. For this purpose, 2,413 wall

Steel plate shear walls in this paper consist of X-shaped restrainers, embedded steel plates and boundary restrainers (simply referred to as XSPSW). The XSPSW was constrained by sliding X-shaped restrainers. The embedded steel plate was divided into diagonally arranged square sub-plates with small height-to-thickness ratio by X-shaped restrainers set on two sides of the embedded steel plate. Shear

Chinese residents often use range hoods to exhaust cooking oil fumes (COF) and at the same time open inner/outer doors and windows for natural air supplement. Factors such as the layout of kitchens, the exhaust efficiency of range hoods, and the effect of natural air supplement, directly determine transmission characteristics of COF, which in turn affect the capture efficiency of range hoods and the

This paper introduces a numerical study aimed at analysing and quantifying existing correlations between structural masses of the gravity frame in building structures (i.e. excluding lateral load resisting system) and some key basic design variables, such as bay areas of the frame layout, magnitude of floor loads and (main) structural material. Three material options are considered, namely: reinforced

The present work is focused on the study and evaluation of the mechanical properties of the new low-nickel 2001 lean–duplex stainless steel (LDSS), 2205 duplex stainless steel (DSS) and B500SD carbon steel rebars, influenced by aggressive corrosion environment. Test specimens were loaded to 85% of the yield strength while simultaneously exposed to 8 wt% Cl− concrete pore solution for 315 days. Subsequently

The dynamic nature of daylight and occupant's position can cause some issues such as heat gains and visual discomfort, which need to be controlled in real-time operation. Responsive facades have been pervasively used for preventing daylight glare and meeting daylight performance requirements. However, some passive strategies such as the colored glass of the Orosi typical architectural elements used