bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
MULTI-HAZARD HURRICANE VULNERABILITY MODEL TO ENABLE RESILIENCE-INFORMED DECISION
Authors: Nofal Omar M. , van de Lindt John W. , Yan Guirong , Hamideh Sara , Dietrich Casey
Published: August 2021

Hurricanes or typhoons are multi-hazard events that usually result in strong winds, storm surge, waves, and debris flow. A community-level multi-hazard hurricane risk analysis approach is proposed herein to account for the combined impacts of hazards driven by hurricanes including surge, wave, and wind. A tightly coupled ADCIRC and SWAN model is used to account for the surge and wave hazard. Community-level exposure analysis is conducted using a portfolio of building archetypes associated with each hazard. A building-level hurricane vulnerability model is developed using fragility functions to account for content, building envelope, and structural damage. These fragility functions calculate the exceedance probability of predefined damage states associated with each hazard. Then, a building damage state is calculated based on the maximum probability of being in each damage state corresponding to each hazard. The proposed hurricane risk model is then applied to Waveland, Mississippi, a community that was severely impacted by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. The main contribution of this research is modeling the community-level hurricane vulnerability in terms of damage to the building envelope and interior contents driven by surge, wave, and wind using fragility functions to provide a comprehensive model for resilience-informed decision-making.
CREATING 3D-DATABASE FROM IMAGES AS TOOL FOR RECORDING BUILDINGS, IN CITIES WITH NATURAL DISASTER HAZARD
Authors: Rodriguez Ana Luisa , Navarro Frank , Avila Veronica , Justel Alexander
Published: August 2021

Preparing for natural disasters is vital for mitigating harm and loss of important cultural sites. In Cuba, this rigorous planning informed by years of experience has focused on the recuperation phase after a disaster or storm. Governmental agencies plan rehabilitation and reconstruction projects in the short, medium, and long term. Accurate models are essential for planning these recovery projects. Photogrammetry represents a novel way to create these models at a potentially city-wide scale. Images taken with conventional cameras are used for object measurement to create digital 3D models of buildings, which will be stored in an architectural database. Important cultural and historic sites were used as initial case studies for the creation of models through photogrammetry. These catalogs will facilitate the maintenance and assessment of these important sites and help to plan future reconstruction plans after a natural disaster. Photogrammetric corrections cause minimal graphic distortion to provide accurate metrics of geometric and decorative information. Examples of these techniques in other Latin American cities will also be discussed.
A RESILIENCE-BASED ASSESSMENT OF THE PERFORMANCE OF RESIDENTIAL COMMUNITIES SUBJECT TO HURRICANE HAZARD
Authors: Abdelhady Ahmed U. , Spence Seymour M.J. , McCormick Jason
Published: August 2021

Hurricanes are among the most devastating and costliest natural hazards. This devastating impact urged governments and policymakers to implement mitigation plans and strategies that can enhance the community’s resilience against hurricanes. A fundamental step to gauge the performance and effectiveness of these mitigations plans is to develop computational frameworks that can provide a probabilistic assessment of the resilience of the community. Therefore, this paper presents a framework to probabilistically estimate the resilience of residential wooden buildings against hurricane winds. The framework estimates the post-hurricane damage due to dynamic wind pressure and the impact of windborne debris using an engineering-based hurricane vulnerability. The building recovery function is then estimated by integrating the estimated damage with a building-level recovery model. By aggregating building recovery functions, the community recovery function is obtained. The Monte Carlo simulation method is used to account for uncertainties related to the hazard intensity, community vulnerability, and recovery process. The framework is applied to a residential neighborhood in Miami, FL. This framework can help decision-makers to compare current community resilience with target levels, identify the gap, and set strategies to improve community resilience.
EVALUATION METHOD FOR ALLOWABLE SHORT-TERM FLEXURAL STRENGTH AND YIELD STRENGTH OF CONCRETE-FILLED STEEL TUBULAR BEAM-COLUMNS
Authors: Fujinaga Takashi , Kawabata Tomoya
Published: August 2021

According to the Recommendations for Design and Construction of Concrete Filled Steel Tubular Structures from Architectural Institute of Japan, the allowable short-term flexural strength (ASFS) can be used as the yield strength for the restoring force characteristics model of concrete-filled steel tube (CFST) members. Therefore, it is necessary to examine whether the ASFS can be appropriate as an alternative for the yield strength. Furthermore, as the ASFS is typically calculated using the superposition method, the value of the deformation at the superposed strength cannot be evaluated. To address these issues, in this study, numerical analysis was conducted on the moment-curvature relation of CFST column sections using the finite fiber method. The characteristics of the point of ASFS and evaluation method for flexural yield strength in a broad sense were examined using the slope factor and strength satisfaction factor methods. The corresponding slope factor is larger than the value (1/3) that is generally used for the yield strength definition. Therefore, using the ASFS is as the yield strength of the CFST section is reasonable. Additionally, the formula for the curvature at the ASFS was also proposed.
REINFORCING I-BEAMS WITH WEB OPENINGS USING FILLET-WELDED PERFORATED PLATE
Authors: Kawabata Tomoya , Fujinaga Takashi
Published: August 2021

In beam-to-column connections in steel structures, it is crucial for stresses to be transmitted from the beam to column smoothly. However, openings of I-section steel beam web are often made at the end of the beam when piping facilities pass through the beam. Openings at the end of the I-section steel beam reduce its flexural strength, shear strength, and deformation capacity of the steel beam ends. If the openings are made at the end of a beam, the beam should somehow be reinforced to achieve acceptable stress transmission performance and good deformation capacity. There are several existing ways of reinforcing openings at the end of a beam in Japan; however, simpler and more economical reinforcing methods are desired. In this paper, a new reinforcing method of openings at the beam ends is proposed. The proposed reinforcement is a perforated steel plate connected to the beam web using fillet welding. The proposed method is simple, easier to produce, and easier to construct compared to conventional methods. An experiment was conducted to verify the performance of the proposed reinforcing method. The results of the experiments showed that the proposed reinforcing method can be designed conservatively using Kato’s formula.
AN RBF BASED HIGH-DIMENSIONAL MODEL REDUCTION APPROACH IN BUILDING OPTIMIZATION
Authors: Wang Qian , Nafash Joseph , Owens Paul
Published: August 2021

Building optimization has gained importance with the recent push to create the most economical and efficient buildings possible. As the effects of optimization are a function of the building size, it is crucial to understand and further develop optimization techniques for large-scale building structures. Practical structural optimization of buildings requires the use of a structural analysis software package and an iterative optimization procedure. As a result, finite element (FE) software shall be linked with an optimization solver. It is an expensive process which requires extensive computer coding. Alternative methods are available, including metamodeling methods, which are used to create simple and approximate functions based on complex FE simulations. In this study, the approximate functions are generated using a high-dimensional model representation (HDMR) framework. The HDMR framework is a model reduction approach and is found to be very accurate for different functions. The component functions of HDMR are expressed using augmented radial basis functions (RBFs). To further improve the numerical efficiency of the metamodels and reduce the total required number of structural analyses, a few different HDMR sampling approaches are investigated, including one static approach and two iterative strategies. An existing nonlinear programming (NLP) solver is employed in the design process. To illustrate the proposed approach, a three-dimensional building structure is selected as a numerical example. The numerical optimization is conducted to reduce the torsional response of the building. The proposed optimization method works very well and the results from different HDMR techniques are compared.
A NEW ELEMENT-BASED METHOD FOR SOLVING STRUCTURAL TOPOLOGY OPTIMIZATION PROBLEMS WITH NON-UNIFORM MESHES
Authors: Chou Kuang-Wu , Huang Chang-Wei
Published: August 2021

This study proposes a new element-based method to solve structural topology optimization problems with non-uniform meshes. The objective function is to minimize the compliance of a structure, subject to a volume constraint. For a structure of a fixed volume, the method is intended to find a topology that could almost conform to the compliance minimum. The method is refined from the evolutionary switching method, whose policy of exchanging elements is improved by replacing some empirical decisions with ones according to optimization theories. The method has the evolutionary stage and the element exchange stage to conduct topology optimization. The evolutionary stage uses the evolutionary structural optimization method to remove inefficient elements until the volume constraint is satisfied. The element exchange stage performs a procedure refined from the element exchange method. Notably, the procedures of both stages are refined to conduct non-uniform finite element meshes. The proposed method was implemented to use the Abaqus Python scripting interface to call the services of Abaqus such as running analysis and retrieving the output database of an analysis. Numerical examples demonstrate that the proposed optimization method could determine the optimal topology of a structure that is subject to a volume constraint and whose mesh is non-uniform.
EFFECT OF STRENGTH OF FILLED-CONCRETE ON STRUCTURAL PERFORMANCE OF CONTINUOUS BEAM-TYPE SQUARE CFST BEAM-TO-COLUMN CONNECTION
Authors: Doi Koki , Fujinaga Takashi
Published: August 2021

Continuous beam-type concrete-filled steel tube (CFST) column connections are simple to fabricate and exhibit effective seismic performance. Fujinaga and Clifton have previously studied the performance of continuous beam-type square CFST beam-to-column connections using concrete of relatively high strength (85 MPa) and demonstrated their effective performance and high energy-absorbing capacity. However, in their study, it was found that the local deformation of the steel beam under bending-induced beam tension had a large effect on the steel tube flange near the connection. Further, it was observed that filled concrete may not contribute substantially to the transmission of compressive load at the connection panel if low-strength concrete is used. In this study, the square CFST beam-to-column connection was investigated, and the connection performance and load transfer mechanisms were examined when the strength of the concrete was relatively low (40 MPa). The specimens demonstrated effective seismic performance, exhibiting sufficient strength and stable hysteretic behavior with high energy absorption even when low-strength concrete was used. Irrespective of the strength of the concrete used, the strain developed in the steel tube flanges was low on the compression side, and the filled concrete contributed to the transmission of the compressive load at the connection panel. The compressive strain in the steel tube was slightly higher when the strength of the concrete was low.
COLLAPSE SEISMIC RISK ASSESSMENT FOR IRREGULAR MID-RISE BUILDINGS
Authors: Lu Lyan-Ywan , Hsiao Fu-Pei , Huang Yin-Nan , Hsieh Wei-Huan
Published: August 2021

Mid-rise buildings, which may be used as office or apartment buildings, are very common structures in urban areas. Because these buildings are usually heavily populated, the casualty caused by the collapse of these structures in an earthquake could not be overestimated. Therefore, developing a suitable assessment method to identify these buildings with high collapse risk is an important issue. This paper presents a probabilistic assessment method, which involves nonlinear response-history analysis together with incremental dynamic analysis (IDA), to assess the collapse risk of a mid-rise building, so high-risk buildings and their damage patterns can be identified. This methodology is developed based on the procedure of collapse fragility analysis proposed by FEMA P-58, while the local and damage global criteria that define collapse failure are adopted from ASCE 41-13 and PEER-TBI, respectively. Finally, for demonstration, the proposed procedure is applied to assess the collapse risk of a mid-rise RC building that collapsed in a major earthquake occurred in Taiwan, 2016.
REINFORCEMENT METHOD OF COMPOSITE SEISMIC RESISTANT WALL BY STRUCTURAL PLYWOOD AND STEEL MEMBERS
Authors: Kono Seine , Kataoka Haruka , Ito Takumi
Published: August 2021

This is a study of a composite structural wall of wood and steel, in which two steel columns are sandwiched between two plywoods with a thickness of 12 mm. Previous studies have shown that plywood undergoes out-of-plane deformation that interferes with the usability of the building. Therefore, a horizontal loading test was conducted with the position of the bolt that fastens the plywood as a parameter, and out-of-plane deformation and destructive properties were examined. Furthermore, in order to suppress out-of-plane deformation of plywood, we proposed a new reinforcement method using a steel member with a thickness of 3.2 mm. Also, its effect was verified experimentally. As a result of experiments with four types of bolt layouts, the specimen with bolt layout close to center presented small out-of-plane deformation, and each bolt layout effected the mechanical properties each other. The out-of-plane reinforcement was effective for bolt layouts that were long in the horizontal direction.
AN INNOVATIVE BOUNDARY ELEMENT FORMULATION FOR BUILDING SLABS
Authors: Abdelhady Ahmed U. , Rashed Youssef F.
Published: August 2021

Slab supported by beams (i.e. beam-slab floor) is a common practice in the construction of buildings. Modeling this slab type using the boundary element method (BEM) is an essential step to provide seamless frameworks for the analysis of buildings with complex geometries. However, one of the most challenging difficulties that have been facing research efforts in this area is its theoretical setting with limited applicability to practical building slabs. This limitation is addressed in this research work and a practical BEM-based formulation for the slab-beam floor is presented. The presented formulation discretizes the connection area between the slab, and beams and columns into cells (supporting cells). The centroids of these cells are used to carry out an additional collocation scheme which is required to solve the resulting system of equations. To generate the slab stiffness matrix, the generalized displacements that correspond to the supporting cells’ degrees of freedom are set to unity (one at a time). By assembling the generated slab stiffness matrix with beams and columns stiffness matrices using the stiffness analysis method, the overall stiffness matrix is obtained. Hooke’s law is then applied to calculate the generalized displacements and straining actions are obtained in the post-processing phase. The developed formulation is applied to an example to validate its results by comparing it with the analytical solution.
EFFECT OF ASPECT RATIO ON THE BEHAVIOR OF GFRP-RC CIRCULAR COLUMNS UNDER SIMULATED SEISMIC LOADING
Authors: Abdallah Amr E. M. , El-Salakawy Ehab F.
Published: August 2021

The mechanical and physical properties of glass fiber-reinforced polymer (GFRP) reinforcement are different from steel, which requires independent code provisions for GFRP-reinforced concrete (RC) members. The currently available code provisions for GFRP-RC members still need more research evidence to be inclusive. For example, the available provisions for confinement reinforcement of FRP-RC columns do not consider the effects of column aspect ratio, which is not yet supported by any available research data. In this study, two full-scale spirally reinforced GFRP-RC circular columns were constructed and tested under concurrent seismic and axial loads. Both specimens had an aspect ratio (shear span-to-diameter ratio) of 7.0, while other two specimens with an aspect ratio of 5.0, from a previous stage of this study, were included for comparison purposes. For each aspect ratio, each specimen was loaded under one of two levels of axial load; 20 or 30% of the axial load capacity of the column section. All test specimens had a 35 MPa concrete compressive strength, 350-mm diameter, 85-mm spiral pitch and 1.2% longitudinal reinforcement ratio. The experimental results were analyzed in terms of hysteretic response, drift capacity and inelastic deformability hinge length. Based on the experimental results, it can be concluded that the aspect ratio affects the magnitude of secondary moments and inelastic deformability hinge length. In addition, the aspect ratio may affect drift capacity of GFRP-RC columns, depending on axial load level.
SEISMIC PERFORMANCE OF GFRP-RC RECTANGULAR COLUMNS: NUMERICAL STUDY
Authors: El-Salakawy Ehab F. , Ye Fangxin , Selmy Yasser M.
Published: August 2021

Composite materials like glass fiber-reinforced polymer (GFRP) is becoming widely acceptable to be used as a reinforcing material due to its high ultimate tensile strength-to-weight ratio and excellent resistance to corrosion. However, the seismic behavior of GFRP-reinforced concrete columns has not been fully investigated yet. This paper presents the results of a numerical analysis of full-size GFRP-RC rectangular columns under cyclic loading. The simulated column depicts the lower part of a building column between the foundation and the point of contra-flexure at the mid-height of the column. GFRP reinforcement properties and concrete modeling based on fracture energy have been incorporated in the numerical model. Experimental validation has been used to examine the accuracy of the constructed finite element models (FEMs) using a commercially available software. The validated FEM was used to perform a parametric study, considering several concrete strength values and axial load levels, to study its influence on the performance of the GFRP-reinforced concrete columns under cyclic loading. It was concluded that the hysteretic dissipation capacity deteriorates under high axial load level due to severe softening of the concrete. The FE results showed a substantial improvement of the lateral load-carrying capacities by increasing concrete compressive strength.
RESPONSE OF CONCRETE DEEP BEAMS REINFORCED WITH GFRP BARS AROUND REGIONS OF DISCONTINUITY
Authors: Arabasi Somoud , El-Maaddawy Tamer , ElZaher Ahmed
Published: August 2021

This research aims to investigate the effectiveness of using glass fiber-reinforced polymer (GFRP) bars as internal shear reinforcement around openings in concrete deep beams. The study comprised laboratory testing, numerical simulation, and strut-and-tie modeling (STM). Four deep beams with a shear span-to-depth ratio of a/h = 0.8 were tested to failure. One beam did not include an opening to act as a benchmark. Three beams included a square opening in each shear span. The opening height was 20% of beam depth. Two different GFRP reinforcing configurations were used around the openings. The layouts of the GFRP reinforcement were based on two different strut-and-tie models. Shear reinforcement in the form of diagonal GFRP bars intersecting the bottom chord was more effective in improving the shear capacity than similar bars intersecting the top chord. Numerical predictions in terms of crack pattern and shear capacity were in good agreement with laboratory test results. The accuracy of the STM approach was examined by comparing its predictions with the laboratory test results.
MACHINE LEARNING FOR SEISMIC-INDUCED DAMAGE ESTIMATION OF STEEL TANKS
Authors: Micheli Laura , Nguyen Han , Faytarouni Mahmoud , Chang Lin-Ching
Published: August 2021

Aboveground steel storage tanks are large vessels employed to store various liquids, including water, food, fertilizers, oil, and other hazardous chemicals. The damage and collapse of storage tanks can generate long-lasting consequences on built environment and communities. The seismic behavior of storage tanks is often evaluated employing fragility functions obtained simulating the tank under a variety of ground motion records. However, the computational demand of high-fidelity simulation models makes risk assessment a burdensome task. The use of data-driven surrogate models could represent a suitable solution to evaluate the seismic vulnerability of steel tanks rapidly. In this context, this paper presents an open dataset composed of 204 aboveground cylindrical steel liquid storage tanks with different geometric properties. The dataset was assembled based on past earthquake reconnaissance reports. In the dataset, different types of damage experienced by the steel tanks are divided into four classes, ranging from no damage to complete failure. Eight different machine learning algorithms are trained to predict the damage class of a steel tank as a function of its geometric properties and seismic excitation parameters. Stratified 5-fold cross-validation is used to split the dataset into training and testing subsets and to assess the prediction capability of the machine learning models. Results showed that the Support Vector Machine algorithm yielded the most accurate predictions, followed by Random Forest, XGBoost, and LightBoost. Overall, the paper demonstrated the feasibility of using machine learning models to predict the damage level of steel liquid storage tanks subjected to seismic hazard.
SEISMIC COLUMN SPLICE DEMANDS IN BRACED FRAMES WITH BUCKLING CONTROLLED BRACES
Authors: Faytarouni Mahmoud , Micheli Laura , Shen Jay , Seker Onur , Akbas Bulent
Published: August 2021

Numerous experimental tests showed that ductile square hollow structural sections (HSS) are susceptible to premature fracture under design-level earthquake ground motions. In addition, recent research has highlighted the vulnerability of column splices to reach their full strength once ductile square HSS braces experience a fracture in braced frames. In this study, the performance of column splices in 5-and 13-story special concentrically braced frames (SCBFs), with X-bracing configuration, located at a distance permitted by the seismic design provisions (i.e., four feet over the concrete floor level), is evaluated under a large number of ground motion excitations. The performance of identical SCBFs with conventional HSS braces and innovative buckling controlled HSS braces is compared. Overall, results from this research indicate that the prevention of brace buckling in SCBFs yields a substantial reduction in the seismically induced bending demands on the column splices, leading to a large margin of safety to remain elastic.
RESEARCH INTO THE DEVELOPMENT OF A RESPONSE MODIFICATION FACTOR FOR DIAGRID STRUCTURES
Authors: Salem Yasser , Aulakh Devindar , Lomiento Giuseppe
Published: August 2021

The diagrid structure system has recently gained popularity as an effective structural system for high rise buildings. The effectiveness of the system relies on the truss action developed by the perimeter diagrid system to resist lateral loads. In active seismic zones, ductile performance of the lateral resisting system is highly desired to dissipate energy developed in the structure from the ground shaking. In this study, the seismic performance of the diagrid system is investigated. Non-linear static pushover analysis followed by non-linear dynamic analysis were conducted to study the inelastic behaviour of diagrid systems. Through methods of analysis, the response modification factor of the modelled system was calculated. The results indicate that the reserve strength of a diagrid system is comparable to and often greater than that of many other lateral structure systems, such as steel special truss moment resisting frames and other structural systems as prescribed by the ASCE 7-10.
TREND OF SEISMIC RESPONSES OF EXISTING HIGH-RISE RC BUILDINGS
Authors: Maida Yusuke , Akita Tomofusa , Izumi Nobuyuki
Published: August 2021

This report presents studies on the seismic response of high-rise RC buildings in Japan. Data concerning the seismic response of approximately 600 high-rise RC buildings constructed from 1972 to 2015 were collected. Seismic response characteristics were analyzed by focusing on differences in seismic resistant structures, seismic response control structures, and seismic isolation structures. The results indicated that the maximum story drift ratio response under the level 1 study seismic ground motion (R) and the level 2 study seismic ground motion (R) criteria is smaller for seismic isolation structures than that of the seismic resistant structure and seismic response control structures. In addition, focusing on the R-R relationship, the correlation is low in the seismic resistant and seismic response control structures, but is almost linear in the seismic isolation structure. This is because the seismic isolation structure is designed such that the superstructure does not become plastic even with level 2 seismic ground motion.
STRUCTURAL BEHAVIOR OF CONNECTIONS BETWEEN CONCRETE COMPONENTS AND GUSSET PLATE WITH STUD BOLTS
Authors: Maida Yusuke , Harada Shuhei , Sakata Hiroyasu , Sato Takumi , Kubota Masaharu
Published: August 2021

Dampers are effective in ensuring the earthquake resistance of reinforced concrete (RC) buildings. Reliable connections between dampers and concrete components are critical for dampers to effectively function in RC buildings. In this study, the structural behavior of connections between concrete components and a gusset plate with stud bolts to join the damper to the RC buildings was analyzed. Component tests of the connections between the concrete components and the gusset plate with stud bolts were conducted. The specimen parameters were the arrangement of stud bolts and the presence or absence of a closing plate. As a result of the tests, the stiffness of the connections was different depending on the arrangement of the stud bolts. In addition, the specimen with the closing plates exhibited high stiffness and strength. Finally, an evaluation method for the force-displacement curve of the connections between the concrete components and the gusset plate with stud bolts is provided.
TIMBER-CONCRETE COMPOSITE-A HIGH-EFFICIENT AND SUSTAINABLE CONSTRUCTION METHOD
Authors: Holschemacher Klaus
Published: August 2021

Timber-concrete composite (TCC) is a well-tried building method for construction of sustainable and robust floor systems with high load-bearing capacity. TCC sections consist of timber beams linked by shear connectors with a plain or reinforced concrete slab. Usually, by the shear connectors only flexible bond between the timber beams and the concrete slab may be provided. Nevertheless, TCC slabs have high flexural stiffness and appropriate load-bearing capacity enabling their application in residential and office buildings, and even in bridge construction. The paper reports state-of-the-art and recent developments in design and construction of TCC slabs. Especially, in the context of revaluation and strengthening of existing timber-beam ceilings it is a widely accepted technique today. But also, in design of new buildings, TCC slabs are an advantageous solution because of their reduced environmental impact in contrast to traditional reinforced concrete slabs. By many examples in recent design practice the high efficiency of TCC systems was proved.
SUSTAINABILITY IN PPPS: A NETWORK ANALYSIS
Authors: Castelblanco Gabriel , Guevara Jose , Mendez-Gonzalez Paula
Published: August 2021

Over the last decades, sustainability-related topics have increased their relevance to infrastructure development. Researchers have conducted studies analyzing the relationship between Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) and sustainability. However, despite the PPPs have been recognized as a relevant factor for sustainable development, no bibliometric analyses have been conducted studying the relation between PPPs and sustainability. This paper introduces a comprehensive understanding of the body of knowledge of the nexus between sustainability and PPPs, their evolution, and the connections of their main topics. This analysis allows for integrating disperse studies within a comprehensive PPP-sustainable framework. The Network Analysis unraveled that the significance of sustainability within PPPs has grown over time evolving from traditional developed English-speaking countries to developing countries. Overall, the PPP research agenda has evolved from road infrastructure dominance driven by a public sector’s perspective of social welfare to increasing types of infrastructure driven by economic and environmental performance yet remaining to strengthen the latter.
SUSTAINABLE BUILDING PREFABRICATED ELEMENT BASED ON STABILIZED RESIDUAL QUARRY SLUDGE AND ITS HEAT TRANSFER ANALYSIS
Authors: Restrepo Andres , Zapata Nicolas , Torrenegra Juan , Arias Yhan , Ochoa Juan
Published: August 2021

In this work, a prefabricated masonry element is produced by reusing a residual sludge generated by the Colombian mining industry, especially the sandstone quarries. The addition of Ca (OH) 2 and NaOH stabilizes this waste. Application of a response surface model results in optimal admixture specifications, achieving improvements in load capacity (8 MPa) and durability according to its dimensional stability, upgrading the traditional techniques. Albeit remains a lack in the study of its thermal behavior. Thus, A heat transfer analysis employing computational simulations based on the Finite Element Method (FEM) is applied to predict the thermal performance of manufactured elements with stabilized quarry sludge (SQS). Besides, several construction materials are simulated, allowing their contrast and the complement between simulation and experimentation, pointing to the achievement of a good performance in different climatic conditions, including actual city case characteristics. It is concluded that according to SQS block thermal performance, it can be a suitable building element candidate. Hence, more sustainable processes in the mining and construction production chain can be achieved.
A STEP FORWARD ENHANCING GREEN BUILDINGS IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
Authors: Hazem Nahla , Fahim Irene Samy
Published: August 2021

Sustainability is essential for maintaining certain levels of life quality for next generations. Accordingly, Egypt started to establish its own rating system to achieve sustainable development. There are several green building rating systems that are recently used such as: the LEED (Leadership in energy and environmental Design) rating system, Green Pyramid Rating System “GPRS”, and TARSHEED rating system. GPRS and LEED are almost the same since GPRS is based on LEED. Due to the significant cultural and environmental changes between Egypt and the United States, LEED rating system cannot be implemented in Egypt. On the other hand, the rating system TARSHEED includes three categories only, namely energy, water, and habitat, to determine sustainable construction performances. For example, waste management category which is one of Egypt’s challenges is ignored by TARSHEED. This research introduces a new modified rating system for new construction with new weights to suit Egypt requirements. This work presents a comprehensive study and comparative analysis between the existing green building rating systems for new construction in Egypt. Moreover, some surveys and questionnaires are conducted to take the experts opinion in the green field. A new checklist for new construction is constructed using data obtained from Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) decision making tool. This list includes new categories and subcategories with new weights, which suit the environmental challenges in Egypt.
STRENGTH OF CONCRETE MORTAR PREPARED BY PARTIAL SUBSTITUTION OF CEMENT WITH RECYCLED GLASS POWDER
Authors: Solanki Pranshoo , Chauhan Harsh
Published: August 2021

This experiment was conducted to determine the utility of substituting cement with the recycled glass powder (RGP) in mortar mixtures. A total of 21 mortar mixtures were produced using various RGP (FG) ratios (CG), and fly ash (FA) powders. The mortar mixtures were used to prepare cubes which were tested for 7-and 28-day compressive strength. The substitution of cement with FG and CG in mortar resulted in reduced 7-and 28-day compressive strength values. However, the amount and type of RGP substituted for cement plays a crucial role in the determination of mortar strength. Above contraction in compressive strength was observed at an initial maturity than at the final maturity. Further, replacement of cement with Fly Ash showed increase in compressive strength up to certain content. More research and testing for the optimal percentage and size of waste glass powder that can be used is required in flowable fill.
FUZZY GREEN CONSTRUCTION FOR MEASURING ENVIRONMENTAL PERFORMANCES OF CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS
Authors: Soemardi Biemo Woerjanto , Putri Andira Triana
Published: August 2021

In the last three decades the Indonesian construction industry has gradually answered to demands for more environmentally responsible industry, where sustainability initiative has evolved from sharing idea amongst academia and professionals to real on-field implementation of green concept. While the application of the concept of green buildings has become a common practice in the building and housing sector, efforts to expand the application of green principles and sustainability to also cover the stages of the construction process only proceed slowly. One challenge is the lack of understanding from construction practitioners and project owners about the benefits of the green process, which is caused by the unavailability of metrics to assess the performance of green measures in construction projects. Such condition makes it difficult for the construction industry to promote the idea of green construction. This paper will discuss the development of instrument to measure the environmental impact of construction process in building construction process. This instrument is arranged in the form of a hierarchical structural system that addresses seven environmental aspects of construction work, that adopts fuzzy concepts to better accommodate human subjective assessments of resource use and other practical aspects of construction during the construction implementation process.
ENERGY SUPPORT IN THE SAUDI RESIDENTIAL SECTOR USING BUILDING INTEGRATED PHOTOVOLTAIC (BIPV)-A REVIEW
Authors: Qahtani Abdullah , Trigunarsyah Bambang , Simko Thomas
Published: August 2021

Over the past decade, there has been significant growth in power demand in Saudi Arabia. This has been due to various factors, including population increase, economic development, advancements in living standards, severe weather conditions, industrial growth, energy use policies, energy source diversification and low pricing energy regimes. It is necessary to use renewable energy sources as one of the solutions to cover and reduce that demand, which is particularly high in the residential sector. The use of solar power systems, such as building-integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) systems, in residential roofs is the fastest and simplest solution. Solar energy utilization could be one of the solutions to generate alternative energy in ways appropriate for the geographical location and other aspects of Saudi Arabia. This study will indicate the impact of this approach, which will have many advantages in supporting residential energy use. This study finds that Saudi Arabia is undoubtedly one of the countries in the world that needs to produce a combination of energy which balances oil production and sales and reduces domestic consumption. Such a balance must also provide sufficient energy to meet the targets of the Saudi economy, especially since most areas of Saudi Arabia are characterized by a very high-temperature tropical climate in the summer.
Assessment of Public Compliance with Development Control Regulations in Auchi, Edo State, Nigeria
Authors: Onaiwu Daniel Nosakhare
Published: August 2021

The spatial structure of modern settlements is organized based on development control. The compliance of urban residents with development control regulations makes it possible for cities to be well structured for physical, aesthetic, and economic developments. The study aims to assess public compliance with development control in Auchi. A sample of 378 residents of Auchi was used in the study. The study area was divided into six strata, and samples were selected from the strata based on their population sizes. The instrument was a 5-point Likert-type option, which was administered to the respondents. The findings revealed that there was low compliance with development control standards in Auchi. There was awareness of developers on compliance but did not translate into compliance. The building coverage specified by development control regulations was grossly violated. There was a medium correlation (0.55) between education and level of non-compliance; the variability of development control non-compliance in the six quarters of Auchi was statistically significant, and the eta squared effect was also large. It was recommended that the town planning regulations be reassessed for a better practical effect; monitoring of developments to encourage compliance should be strengthened; and town planning manuals should be used to monitor and control developments.
Affecting Factors on Community Based Mangrove Replantation Programs in Semarang Coastal Area
Authors: Septiarani Bintang , Yesiana Reny
Published: August 2021

Climate change is no longer seen as a natural process when it has been correlated with human behavior, especially from increasingly rapid development activities. In Semarang, climate change has been affecting people's activity, especially in the coastal area. Coastal communities that depend on coastal resources feel the effects of climate change. Fishers, mangrove farmers, and fishpond farmers are vulnerable groups to the impacts of climate change because the coastal resources in quality and quantity decrease and affect their lives. Stakeholders make efforts through mangroves rehabilitation programs all over the coastal line, including the community approach to increase the mangrove growth rate. However, mangrove seeds planted in Semarang coastal area have different levels of life and growth rate in each planting location. Based on Environmental Agency of Central Java Province data in 2013, 8,594.89 ha of 11,732 ha mangrove vegetation in the North Coast of Central Java Province are in damaged condition. Hence, this paper aims to elaborate on the key factors of community-based mangrove replantation affecting the mangrove growth in the Semarang coastal area. Five mangroves rehabilitation areas in Semarang namely in Kelurahan Mangkang Kulon, Mangkang Wetan, Mangunharjo, Tugurejo and Kelurahan Trimulyo are observed throughout 2015-2016. The results show that suitability between mangrove species and the location is very influential on mangrove growth rates in Semarang Coastal. The community effort in each location also becomes the external factor affecting the growth of mangroves in Semarang Coastal Area. By understanding the factors of mangrove growth rate on the community-based mangrove replantation, better results of mangrove replantation programs can be acquired in the future.
Pengaruh Internal Service Quality (INTQUAL) terhadap Kepuasan Karyawan di RS Islam Ahmad Yani Surabaya
Authors: Izza Ismiyatul , Setianto Budhi , Dhamanti Inge
Published: August 2021

The job satisfaction that employees get at the organization depends on whether or not the employee's needs are met. Employee needs that can be met will provide job satisfaction. The greater the employee's needs that can be met, the higher the employee's job satisfaction. Meanwhile, if the employee's needs are not met, the employee will have dissatisfaction. Objective: To identify the influence of internal service quality (intqual) on employee satisfaction at RSIAS. Methods: This study analyses an employee satisfaction survey conducted in 2020 using a cross-sectional study design. Population of this research is all employees in RSIAS. The sample of this study is also all employees in RSIAS, which is 421 people. The satisfaction survey is filled in using a score of 1 to 5, then averaged so that a score is obtained to determine the category of each aspect. The data obtained were analyzed based on the theory of internal service quality and employee satisfaction, then tested using a multiple linear regression statistical test model to determine the effect of internal service quality (intqual) on employee satisfaction at RSIAS. Results: The results of statistical tests showed that the value of p = 0.000, meaning that internal service quality has an effect on employee job satisfaction because the value of p <0.05. Several aspects of internal service quality affect job satisfaction, namely the aspects of tools, policies and procedures, management support, goal alignment, effective training and reward and recognition.
Comments on the Brussels Summit Communique, 14 June 2021
Authors:   Institute of Europe of Russian Academy Sciences, Gromyko Alexey
Published: August 2021

All in all, the document sadly contains few tangibles on NATO-Russia military risk reduction even on practical issues of obvious mutual interest. At the same time, it has incorporated a new dose of harsh rhetoric against Russia, which in some instances runs counter to the results of the Geneva summit. Some parts of the documents contradict each other. There is an impression that as far as Russia is concerned the task of the document was to strengthen even further its “hard talk” on Russia while keeping a minimal set of formal references about selective engagement. The Communique tilts further in the direction of raising stakes and showing no interest of NATO in playing its own or at least supportive role in military de-escalation in Europe. It seems that in this regard the Alliance’s intention is to wait and see what will happen next in Russia – US relations.
Monte Carlo Characterization of an Individual Albedo Neutron Monitor
Authors: Moreira Ribeiro Rosane , Souza-Santos Denison
Published: August 2021

An individual albedo neutron dosimeter is simulated with the Geant4 toolkit. The simulation results are compared with results from an international intercomparison for Monte Carlo codes. The doses are obtained for thermoluminescent dosimeters irradiated free in the air and also on the surface of a water phantom for different neutron energy values. The Geant4 toolkit was not used by any of the participants in this intercomparison, so with these results we can infer the applicability of Geant4 in radiation protection for this type of simulation in neutron fields.
Development of multi-systems for measurement of radionuclide absolute activity
Authors: Lima da Cruz Paulo Alberto , Da Silva Carlos Jose , Leiras Anderson , Quadros Andre Luiz Lopes , Rangel Johnny , Iwahara Akira
Published: August 2021

The development of a multi-systems triple-to-double coincidence ratio (TDCR) and coincidence 4pb-g methods, based on liquid scintillation to radionuclide standardization is presented in this work. The adjustments of multi-systems were made using standards of 3H and 14C and 60Co. The initial stage was performing measurements of pure beta-emitters 3H, 63Ni, and 90Sr90Y standard solutions by TDCR.  The results were consistent within the standard uncertainty. Measurements will be performed with a beta-gamma 60Co in a comparison to the SIR / BIPM to assess the multi-system's performance.
Radiology and mammography standard X-ray spectra simulated with the Monte Carlo method
Authors: Xavier Filho Joel Marques , Silveira Iury Santos , Caldas Linda Viola Ehlin
Published: August 2021

Six standard beams described in the TRS-457 (IAEA): RQR 5, 8, M1, M2, M3, M4 were simulated using the EGSnrc Monte Carlo code. Each spectrum was created by an X-ray tube simulated in BEAMnrc, and attenuation curves were obtained using the application egs_kerma. The quality of each beam was evaluated by the 1st and 2nd half-value layers, the homogeneity coefficients and the mean energies. All beams presented quality parameters compatible with those described in TRS-457 (IAEA).
Characterization of the outcome of CT angiography for pulmonary thromboembolism depending on age group and gender
Authors: Felix Warley Ferreira , Veloso Maria Auxiliadora Fortini , Abrantes Marcos Eugênio Silva , Miranda Ramon Vitor de
Published: August 2021

Pulmonary thromboembolism is the third cause of morbimortality between acute cardiovascular diseases and for your diagnosis, Angiotomography is the most used exam in the current. When performing analyzes by gender and age group of the population participating in a study, that they submitted an angiotomography for pulmonary thromboembolism, it was observed that the female gender comprised 65.48% of the population studied with an average age group (55.86 ± 16,88) years and the male 34.52% with an age average of (56.86 ± 16.87) years. Thus, the contrast ratio by age groups between genders was studied, where statistical studies did not show significant differences.
Digital processing of images with defects due to double beam attenuation in indirect X-ray fluorescence mapping
Authors: Silva Luisa Dutra , Souza Lucas da Costa , Oliveira Davi Ferreira , Anjos Marcelino José , Gonçalves Elicardo Alves de Souza
Published: August 2021

This work is based on the adaptation of a commercial X-ray fluorescence mapping equipment to map the transmission of characteristic X-ray beams through a sample. This adaptation was made without physical adjustments to the equipment, working only on the measurement and data processing parameters. The arrangement of the equipment's components causes not only the primary beam to pass through the sample, but also the resulting characteristic X-rays, causing a double attenuation and a defect in the final image known as ghosting. In this approach, a rudimentary genetic algorithm was developed using artificial images with simulated defects. This algorithm showed the characteristics of the convolution matrix K needed to solve the problem. The results show the real possibility of using the equipment for this adapted measurement and a methodology that can be expanded to different situations.