AHP based life cycle sustainability assessment (LCSA) framework: a case study of six storey wood frame and concrete frame buildings in Vancouver

Construction and building industry is in dire need for developing sustainability assessment frameworks that can evaluate and integrate related environmental and socioeconomic impacts. This paper discusses an analytic hierarchy process (AHP) based sustainability evaluation framework for mid-rise residential buildings based on a broad range of environmental and socioeconomic criteria. A cradle to grave life cycle assessment technique was applied to identify, classify, and assess triple bottom line (TBL) sustainability performance indicators of buildings. Then, the AHP was applied to aggregate the impacts into a unified sustainability index. The framework is demonstrated through a case study to investigate two six storey structural systems (i.e. concrete and wood) in Vancouver, Canada. The results of this paper show that the environmental performance of a building in Canada, even in regions with milder weather such as Vancouver, is highly dependent on service life energy, rather than structural materials.     

Use of recycled fine aggregate in concretes with durable requirements

The use of construction waste materials as aggregates for concrete production is highly attractive compared to the use of non-renewable natural resources, promoting environmental protection and allowing the development of a new raw material. Several countries have recommendations for the use of recycled coarse aggregate in structural concrete, whereas the use of the fine fraction is limited because it may produce significant changes in some properties of concrete. However, during the last decade the use of recycled fine aggregates (RFA) has achieved a great international interest, mainly because of economic implications related to the shortage of natural sands suitable for the production of concrete, besides to allow an integral use of this type of waste. In this study, the durable behaviour of structural concretes made with different percentage of RFA (0%, 20%, and 30%) is evaluated. Different properties related to the durability of concretes such as absorption, sorptivity, water penetration under pressure, and carbonation are determined. In addition, the results of compressive strength, static modulus of elasticity and drying shrinkage are presented. The obtained results indicate that the recycled concretes have a suitable resistant and durable behaviour, according to the limits indicated by different international codes for structural concrete.     

SRHSC梁主要设计参数损伤敏感度分析

以型钢高强混凝土(SRHSC)梁为研究对象,结合SRHSC梁受力机理及承载能力的试验研究成果,提出了极限状态下的承载能力是评价梁力学性能的关键指标,将损伤前后梁正截面抗弯承载力之比和斜截面抗剪承载力之比的均值作为自变量,给出了SRHSC梁损伤表征函数,并借助"预定损伤法",揭示了主要设计参数对SRHSC梁损伤演化的影响规律。研究成果将为建立地震激励下SRHSC框架结构楼层损伤模型提供理论和数据支持。     

加筋格宾新型组合支挡结构设计研究

依托湖南省湘潭至衡阳西线高速公路K 124+300~K 124+895段国内首座加筋格宾组合式挡土墙工程,介绍了以双绞合六边形金属网为筋材的2种新型加筋支挡结构:加筋格宾结构与绿色加筋格宾结构;以极限平衡理论为基础,吸收国外先进加筋土技术,提出了该组合结构的稳定性验算方法与公式;编制相关程序,深入研究了填料粘聚力、内摩擦角、网面拉力、地震力、填土重度、车辆荷载以及加筋间距等重要参数对安全系数的影响。研究表明,各设计参数对安全系数的影响程度不同。同时,也验证了该加筋格宾组合式挡土墙设计的科学性和合理性。研究成果可应用于具体支挡结构设计。     

加载速率对钢筋混凝土梁动态性能的影响

引入钢筋和混凝土的应变率效应,利用有限元分析软件ABAQUS中的显示动力分析模块ABAQUA/Explicit,对钢筋混凝土梁在不同单调加载速率下的受力性能进行了数值模拟.通过比较不同加载速率下的分析结果,探讨了地震作用下的动态荷载对钢筋混凝土梁受力性能的影响.分析结果表明,在动态荷载作用下,钢筋混凝土梁的受力性能有显...     

Novel Biocomposites Sheet Molding Compounds for Low Cost Housing Panel Applications

Biocomposites were made by a novel high volume processing technique named biocomposite sheet molding compound panel (BCSMCP) manufacturing process. This process design was inspired by the commercial glass fiber–polyester resin composite fabrication method called sheet molding compounding (SMC). This process yields continuous production of biocomposites on a large scale, and thus can be easily adopted in industries. A unique fiber dispersion method, which enabled uniform distribution of natural fibers, was used in this process. Consistency of the process was tested by evaluating the repeatability of the resultant materials mechanical properties. The low cost biocomposites produced as a result of the processing will be used for various panel applications such as housing and transportation. The molded samples were tested for various mechanical and thermal properties, in accordance with ASTM procedures. The biocomposites were made with various natural fibers including, big blue stem grass, jute, and industrial hemp. By combining different natural fibers in varying mass fractions, hybrid biocomposites were made using this process. Grass fiber reinforced polyester biocomposites processed by the SMC line showed very promising results.     

处理废弃轮胎的一种有效方法——轮胎加筋土结构

废胎占用大量空间 ,且会产生诸多环境问题 ,利用轮胎加筋建筑挡土墙或陡坡 (堤 )是解决该问题的一种有效方法。本文提供了一种加筋堤的设计方法 ,比较了不同加筋模式 ,并对该堤进行了环境及其它指标的评价 ,证明了其可行性。     

考虑人因差错影响的结构可靠度计算方法

通过对单个或任意多个人因差错影响下构件截面失效概率计算方法的分析讨论,推导出在理想已知条件下的数学解析求解公式;在考虑人因差错对结构参数影响程度的空间离散化后,得出了相应的简化计算方法;并以一个单筋梁的正截面为例进行了失效概率计算和人因差错影响程度分析.在目前人因差错的发生及其影响规律的研究不完善、缺乏必要的数学模型的现实条件下,该方法对人因差错影响下构件截面失效概率的分析计算有一定的实用价值.     

碎砖骨料再生混凝土配合比研究

用正交法试验分析了碎砖骨料混凝土的配合比，提出水灰比和碎砖骨料掺量分别是影响混凝土强度和流动性的主要因素。倡导用碎砖做混凝土骨料，保护生态环境。     

Increasing exfiltration from pervious concrete and temperature monitoring

Pervious concrete typically has an infiltration rate far exceeding any expectation of precipitation rate. The limiting factor of a retention based pervious concrete system is often defined by how quickly the underlying soil subgrade will infiltrate the water temporarily stored within the concrete and/or aggregate base. This issue is of particular importance when placing a pervious concrete system on compacted fine textured soils. This research describes the exfiltration from twelve pervious concrete plots constructed on a compacted clay soil in eastern Tennessee, USA. Several types of treatments were applied to the clay soil prior to placement of the stone aggregate base and pervious concrete in an attempt to increase the exfiltration rate, including: 1) control – no treatment; 2) trenched – soil trenched and backfilled with stone aggregate; 3) ripped – soil ripped with a subsoiler; and 4) boreholes – placement of shallow boreholes backfilled with sand. The average exfiltration rates were 0.8 cm d⁻¹ (control), 4.6 cm d⁻¹ (borehole), 10.0 cm d⁻¹ (ripped), and 25.8 cm d⁻¹ (trenched). The trenched treatment exfiltrated fastest, followed by the ripped and then the borehole treatments, although the ripped and borehole treatments were not different from one another at the 5% level of significance. The internal temperature of the pervious concrete and aggregate base was monitored throughout the winter of 2006–2007. Although the temperature of the pervious concrete dropped below freezing 24 times, freezing concrete temperatures never coincided with free water being present in the large pervious concrete pores. The coldest recorded air temperature was −9.9 °C, and the corresponding coldest recorded pervious concrete temperature was −7.1 °C. The temperature of the pervious concrete lagged diurnal air temperature changes and was generally buffered in amplitude, particularly when free water was present since the addition of water increases the thermal capacity of the pervious concrete greatly. The temperature of the aggregate base was further buffered to diurnal changes, and no freezing temperatures were recorded.