• Title/Summary/Keyword: Environmental Carrying Capacity

Search Result 224, Processing Time 0.028 seconds

A Decision-Supporting Model for Rehabilitation of Old Water Distribution Systems

  • Kim, Joong-Hoon;Geem, Zong-Woo;Lee, Hyun-dong;Kim, Seong-Han
    • Korean Journal of Hydrosciences
    • /
    • v.8
    • /
    • pp.31-40
    • /
    • 1997
  • Flow carrying capacity of water distribution systems is getting reduced by deterioration of pipes in the systems. The objective of this paper is to present a managerial decision-making model for the rehabilitation of water distribution systems with a mininum cost. The decisions made by the model also satisfy the requirements for discharge and pressure at demanding nodes in the systems. Replacement cost, pipe break repair cost, and pumping cost are considered in the economic evaluation of the decision along with the break rate and the interest rate to determine the optimal replacement time for each pipe. Then, the hydraulic integrity of the water distribution system is checked for the decision by a pipe network simulator, KYPIPE, if discharge and pressure requirements are satisfied. In case the system does not satisfy the hydraulic requirements, the decision made for the optimal replacement time is revised until the requirments are satisfied. The model is well applied to an existing water distribution system, the Seoul Metropolitan Water Supply System (1st Phase). The results show that the decisions for the replacement time determined by the economic analysis are accepted as optimal and hydraulic integrity of the system is in good condition.

  • PDF

Strength deterioration of reinforced concrete column sections subject to pitting

  • Greco, Rita;Marano, Giuseppe Carlo
    • Computers and Concrete
    • /
    • v.15 no.4
    • /
    • pp.643-671
    • /
    • 2015
  • Chloride induced reinforcement corrosion is widely accepted to be the most frequent mechanism causing premature degradation of reinforced concrete members, whose economic and social consequences are growing up continuously. Prevention of these phenomena has a great importance in structural design, and modern Codes and Standards impose prescriptions concerning design details and concrete mix proportion for structures exposed to different external aggressive conditions, grouped in environmental classes. This paper focuses on reinforced concrete column section load carrying capacity degradation over time due to chloride induced steel pitting corrosion. The structural element is considered to be exposed to marine environment and the effects of corrosion are described by the time degradation of the axial-bending interaction diagram. Because chlorides ingress and consequent pitting corrosion propagation are both time-dependent mechanisms, the study adopts a time-variant predictive approach to evaluate residual strength of corroded reinforced concrete columns at different lifetimes. Corrosion initiation and propagation process is modelled by taking into account all the parameters, such as external environmental conditions, concrete mix proportion, concrete cover and so on, which influence the time evolution of the corrosion phenomenon and its effects on the residual strength of reinforced concrete columns sections.

Predicting compressive strength of bended cement concrete with ANNs

  • Gazder, Uneb;Al-Amoudi, Omar Saeed Baghabara;Khan, Saad Muhammad Saad;Maslehuddin, Mohammad
    • Computers and Concrete
    • /
    • v.20 no.6
    • /
    • pp.627-634
    • /
    • 2017
  • Predicting the compressive strength of concrete is important to assess the load-carrying capacity of a structure. However, the use of blended cements to accrue the technical, economic and environmental benefits has increased the complexity of prediction models. Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) have been used for predicting the compressive strength of ordinary Portland cement concrete, i.e., concrete produced without the addition of supplementary cementing materials. In this study, models to predict the compressive strength of blended cement concrete prepared with a natural pozzolan were developed using regression models and single- and 2-phase learning ANNs. Back-propagation (BP), Levenberg-Marquardt (LM) and Conjugate Gradient Descent (CGD) methods were used for training the ANNs. A 2-phase learning algorithm is proposed for the first time in this study for predictive modeling of the compressive strength of blended cement concrete. The output of these predictive models indicates that the use of a 2-phase learning algorithm will provide better results than the linear regression model or the traditional single-phase ANN models.

Performance-based and damage assessment of SFRP retrofitted multi-storey timber buildings

  • Vahedian, Abbas;Mahini, Seyed Saeed;Glencross-Grant, Rex
    • Structural Monitoring and Maintenance
    • /
    • v.2 no.3
    • /
    • pp.269-282
    • /
    • 2015
  • Civil structures should be designed with the lowest cost and longest lifetime possible and without service failure. The efficient and sustainable use of materials in building design and construction has always been at the forefront for civil engineers and environmentalists. Timber is one of the best contenders for these purposes particularly in terms of aesthetics; fire protection; strength-to-weight ratio; acoustic properties and seismic resistance. In recent years, timber has been used in commercial and taller buildings due to these significant advantages. It should be noted that, since the launch of the modern building standards and codes, a number of different structural systems have been developed to stabilise steel or concrete multistorey buildings, however, structural analysis of high-rise and multi-storey timber frame buildings subjected to lateral loads has not yet been fully understood. Additionally, timber degradation can occur as a result of biological decay of the elements and overloading that can result in structural damage. In such structures, the deficient members and joints require strengthening in order to satisfy new code requirements; determine acceptable level of safety; and avoid brittle failure following earthquake actions. This paper investigates performance assessment and damage assessment of older multi-storey timber buildings. One approach is to retrofit the beams in order to increase the ductility of the frame. Experimental studies indicate that Sprayed Fibre Reinforced Polymer (SFRP) repairing/retrofitting not only updates the integrity of the joint, but also increases its strength; stiffness; and ductility in such a way that the joint remains elastic. Non-linear finite element analysis ('pushover') is carried out to study the behaviour of the structure subjected to simulated gravity and lateral loads. A new global index is re-assessed for damage assessment of the plain and SFRP-retrofitted frames using capacity curves obtained from pushover analysis. This study shows that the proposed method is suitable for structural damage assessment of aged timber buildings. Also SFRP retrofitting can potentially improve the performance and load carrying capacity of the structure.

3D Printing in Modular Construction: Opportunities and Challenges

  • Li, Mingkai;Li, Dezhi;Zhang, Jiansong;Cheng, Jack C.P.;Gan, Vincent J.L.
    • International conference on construction engineering and project management
    • /
    • 2020.12a
    • /
    • pp.75-84
    • /
    • 2020
  • Modular construction is a construction method whereby prefabricated volumetric units are produced in a factory and are installed on site to form a building block. The construction productivity can be substantially improved by the manufacturing and assembly of standardized modular units. 3D printing is a computer-controlled fabrication method first adopted in the manufacturing industry and was utilized for the automated construction of small-scale houses in recent years. Implementing 3D printing in the fabrication of modular units brings huge benefits to modular construction, including increased customization, lower material waste, and reduced labor work. Such implementation also benefits the large-scale and wider adoption of 3D printing in engineering practice. However, a critical issue for 3D printed modules is the loading capacity, particularly in response to horizontal forces like wind load, which requires a deeper understanding of the building structure behavior and the design of load-bearing modules. Therefore, this paper presents the state-of-the-art literature concerning recent achievement in 3D printing for buildings, followed by discussion on the opportunities and challenges for examining 3D printing in modular construction. Promising 3D printing techniques are critically reviewed and discussed with regard to their advantages and limitations in construction. The appropriate structural form needs to be determined at the design stage, taking into consideration the overall building structural behavior, site environmental conditions (e.g., wind), and load-carrying capacity of the 3D printed modules. Detailed finite element modelling of the entire modular buildings needs to be conducted to verify the structural performance, considering the code-stipulated lateral drift, strength criteria, and other design requirements. Moreover, integration of building information modelling (BIM) method is beneficial for generating the material and geometric details of the 3D printed modules, which can then be utilized for the fabrication.

  • PDF

A Study on the Priority Ranking Algorithm for Bridge Management at Network Level (Network Level을 고려한 교량의 우선순위 산정 알고리즘에 관한 연구)

  • Kim Kwang-Soo;Kim Hyeong-Yeol;Park Sun-Kyu
    • Journal of the Korea Concrete Institute
    • /
    • v.17 no.3 s.87
    • /
    • pp.323-328
    • /
    • 2005
  • Bridge structures are properly designed in accordance with the design specifications with required safety margin. However, due to the heavy vehicle traffic and environmental attacks, bridge often requires repairs and the deteriorated one should be replaced or rehabilitated. In this paper, a prior ranking algorithm is proposed to assist a decision making process in bridge management at network level. Based on the literature survey for the existing studuies, two important factors which affect the decision making procedure for bridge management at network level are identified. These factors are implemented into the algorithm as a load carrying capacity function and traffic function, respectively.

Analysis of Agricultural Working Load Experiments for Reduction Gear Ratio Design of an Electric Tractor Powertrain (전기구동 파워트레인의 감속기어비 설계를 위한 농용 트랙터의 작업 부하 분석)

  • Kim, Jung-Yun;Park, Yeong-Il
    • Transactions of the Korean Society of Automotive Engineers
    • /
    • v.20 no.5
    • /
    • pp.138-144
    • /
    • 2012
  • Recent environmental issues such as exhaust gas and greenhouse effect make the agricultural machinery market takes into account the hybrid and electric propulsion technology used in automotive engineering. Generally the agricultural machinery, particularly an agricultural tractor, needs large load capacity and long continuous operating time comparing with conventional vehicles. In case of a pure electric tractor, it is necessary for considering large capacity batteries and long charging time. Therefore we take an AER extended PHEV (All Electric Range extended Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle) power transmission system in developing an electric tractor in this study. First we propose a PHEV powertrain structure in order to substitute the conventional diesel engine equipped tractor. And we performed the road tests using a conventional mechanical tractor with various load conditions, which were classified and statistically treated real agricultural works. The test results were analysed with respect to the power characteristics of the power source. Finally using the test result, we designed two-stepped reduction gear ratios in the proposed an electric tractor powertrain for carrying out typical agricultural works.

Flexural behaviors of full-scale prestressed high-performance concrete box girders

  • Gou, Hongye;Gu, Jie;Ran, Zhiwen;Bao, Yi;Pu, Qianhui
    • Structural Engineering and Mechanics
    • /
    • v.75 no.5
    • /
    • pp.595-605
    • /
    • 2020
  • In this study, the flexural behaviors of full-scale prestressed concrete box girders are experimentally investigated. Four girders were fabricated using two types of concrete (compressive strengths: 50 MPa and 70 MPa) and tested under four-point bending until failure. The measured parameters included the deflection, the stress and strain in concrete and steel bars, and cracks in concrete. The measurement results were used to analyze the failure mode, load-bearing capacity, and deformability of each girder. A finite element model is established to simulate the flexural behaviors of the girders. The results show that the use of high-performance concrete and reasonable combination of prestressed tendons could improve the mechanical performance of the box girders, in terms of the crack resistance, load-carrying capacity, stress distribution, and ductility.

The Development of Extended Urban Land Information System for Sustainable Urban Management

  • Koh, June-Hwan
    • Korean Journal of Geomatics
    • /
    • v.1 no.1
    • /
    • pp.61-67
    • /
    • 2001
  • This study aims to develop the Extended Urban Land Information System (EULIS) which can support the sustainable urban management. Although the existing Urban Land Use Information system (ULUIS) that aids the micro-level land use information is a good means for the understanding of urban spatial structure and district-level planning and management (such as urban design, redevelopment planning and district-level transportation planning, etc.), it has some limitations in supplying the information for sustainable urban management, such as environmental and traffic analysis, urban infrastructure's carrying capacity analysis, etc. The EULIS is designed to efficiently supply the information for sustainable urban management. For the successful construction of EULIS, the followings have to be considered. 1) the integration of topographic maps which contain the building's footprints and cadastral maps which contain the parcel's boundary, 2) the integration of EULIS and FM (Facility Management) system for the full utilization of information about capacity analysis of infrastructure, 3) the construction of standardized georeferencing system and spatial unit for the combined use of environment and traffic census data. This study shows 1) why EULIS is needed for the sustainable urban management and which elements are needed for the system,2) the E-R data model for the EULIS, 3) the strategies for the construction of EULIS and 4) the conclusion.

  • PDF

Response of square anchor plates embedded in reinforced soft clay subjected to cyclic loading

  • Biradar, Jagdish;Banerjee, Subhadeep;Shankar, Ravi;Ghosh, Poulami;Mukherjee, Sibapriya;Fatahi, Behzad
    • Geomechanics and Engineering
    • /
    • v.17 no.2
    • /
    • pp.165-173
    • /
    • 2019
  • Plate anchors are generally used for structures like transmission towers, mooring systems etc. where the uplift and lateral forces are expected to be predominant. The capacity of anchor plate can be increased by the use of geosynthetics without altering the size of plates. Numerical simulations have been carried out on three different sizes of square anchor plates. A single layer geosynthetic has been used as reinforcement in the analysis and placed at three different positions from the plate. The effects of various parameters like embedment ratio, position of reinforcement, width of reinforcement, frequency and loading amplitude on the pull out capacity have been presented in this study. The load-displacement behaviour of anchors for various embedment ratios with and without reinforcement has been also observed. The pull out load, corresponding to a displacement equal to each of the considered maximum amplitudes of a given frequency, has been expressed in terms of a dimensionless breakout factor. The pull out load for all anchors has been found to increase by more than 100% with embedment ratio varying from 1 to 6. Finally a semi empirical formulation for breakout factor for square anchors in reinforced soil has also been proposed by carrying out regression analysis on the data obtained from numerical simulations.