Modeling of Moisture Behavior of Wood Planks in Nonvented Flat Roofs

A computer model was extended and adapted to simulate the hygrothermal behavior of building envelope-wood components. The model was used to predict moisture movement in wood planks forming the decks of nonvented flat roofs insulated with cellulose. The gradient of water potential was considered as the driving force for moisture movement in wood. The model required the determination of convective heat- and mass-transfer coefficients, the sorption curves, the effective water conductivity for different wood species, and the hygrothermal conditions within the assembly to characterize the mass-conservation equation. Once these parameters were integrated in the computer model, this approach was then validated by carrying a simulation of the drying process of wood planks using experimental data from a large-scale test.     

Cost-Benefit Analysis of Residential Energy-Efficiency Upgrades in Phoenix, Arizona

With worldwide energy consumption rising, there is a need to reduce energy use of the housing stock. While this general idea is well-known, there is an overwhelming amount of product data and manufacturers claims through which the homebuilder or designer must sort to make informed selections of energy-efficient upgrades. The main objective of this research was to identify cost effective–energy efficient upgrades from a group of 16 commonly available choices, and rank them according to the most beneficial for the least cost. This study was conducted in Phoenix, Arizona, and included a sample of 30 production-style homes typical of the Phoenix metropolitan area. Energy-simulation software was used to perform energy evaluations and derive the benefits of each upgrade. The cost of each upgrade was obtained from a database of national average costs and from a local context. Differences in the selection of beneficial upgrades vary dramatically with the source of the cost information. This research provides a generic methodology that can be used by builders and designers to select appropriate energy-efficient upgrades for a given geographic area that will provide high operating benefits relative to the amount of capital investment.     

Shear transfer capacity along pumice aggregate concrete and high-performance concrete interfaces

This paper aims to present an experimental investigation on the behaviour of interfaces between pumice LWAC (lightweight aggregate concrete) and HPC (high-performance concrete-high-strength and fibre-reinforced), typically found in the faces and core, respectively, of hybrid precast structural sandwich panels. The evaluation of the experimental data resulted in the derivation of a semi-empirical relationship that relates the interface strength with materials strength, interface geometry and loading parameters. A brief overview of existing shear friction theories and proposed relationships, as well as a somparison among existing models and that proposed by the authors, are also outlined in the paper.     

Undergraduate Summer Research in Structural Engineering

For the last seven years, a summer Research Experiences for Undergraduates site in structural engineering, funded by the National Science Foundation, has operated at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. During this time, 33 students from 22 colleges and universities have participated in the site. Participants are recruited nationally and have come from as far away as California and Puerto Rico. The program is intended to provide students interested in graduate studies with an introduction to research methods, and to provide students who will not continue their studies past a bachelor of science in civil engineering with a better understanding of how research provides the theoretical foundation of engineering practice. Students work individually with faculty on literature reviews, computer modeling, laboratory testing, and field research. Three students have researched structural failure case studies and the technical and ethical lessons to be learned from them. Participants also have the opportunity to tour construction sites and construction material manufacturers’ and fabricators’ facilities. During the past three years, an ethics seminar series has been added. At the end of the program, students prepare research papers and Web pages documenting their work and present their results to faculty, students, and other participants.     

Estimation of Aeroelastic Parameters of Bridge Decks Using Neural Networks

A new method of estimating flutter derivatives using artificial neural networks is proposed. Unlike other computational fluid dynamics based numerical analyses, the proposed method estimates flutter derivatives utilizing previously measured experimental data. One of the advantages of the neural networks approach is that they can approximate a function of many dimensions. An efficient method has been developed to quantify the geometry of deck sections for neural network input. The output of the neural network is flutter derivatives. The flutter derivatives estimation network, which has been trained by the proposed methodology, is tested both for training sets and novel testing sets. The network shows reasonable performance for the novel sets, as well as outstanding performance for the training sets. Two variations of the proposed network are also presented, along with their estimation capability. The paper shows the potential of applying neural networks to wind force approximations.     

Use of Warranties on Highway Projects: A Real Option Perspective

Since the introduction of warranty provisions in federal highway jobs, more and more state departments of transportation (DOTs) have considered the use of such provisions to protect their initial investment. This paper describes the pros and cons of warranty contracting in highway construction based on a survey of warranty practices in the United States. In particular, the need for state DOTs to buy a warranty for a well-built project is questioned. As an alternative, this paper introduces the warranty option, which gives the DOT the right to buy a warranty only if it becomes necessary at the end of construction. This option is exercised if the performance on site warrants it. This paper describes the mechanics of the warranty option and its advantages over the conventional warranty. A bid evaluation model is also developed for the warranty option approach.     

Contractor-Performed Quality Control: Is the Fox Guarding the Henhouse?

At the same time that state departments of transportation are allowing contractor-performed quality control, they are also concerned about using the contractor-reported data for acceptance and payment purposes. The question is, are we putting the fox in charge of guarding the chickens? To address this concern, a large number of asphalt and concrete projects in Kentucky were examined. The statistical analyses showed that for the most part there is no significant difference between the contractor-performed acceptance data and concomitant highway agency-performed verification data. This is obviously a very encouraging finding that is expected to enhance the level of trust between the contractors and highway agencies.     

The Effect of Ozone Gas-Liquid Contacting Conditions in a Static Mixer on Microorganism Reduction

The effect of gas-liquid contacting conditions in a static mixer on ozone transfer efficiency and reduction of Bacillus subtilis spores was studied in an experimental ozone contactor. An empirical mathematical model was developed that related the transfer efficiency in the experimental system to the superficial liquid velocity in the mixer, the gas-liquid flow rate ratio and the height of the down-stream bubble column. Spore reduction was determined primarily by the dissolved ozone concentration-time (C_avgt_m) product in the reactive flow segment and was independent of the gas-liquid contacting conditions in the static mixer. In an integrated ozone contacting system, the static mixer should be designed to maximize ozone mass transfer while the reactive flow segment should be designed for efficient microorganism reduction.     

Determination of Boundary Shear Stress and Reynolds Shear Stress in Smooth Rectangular Channel Flows

A method for computing three-dimensional Reynolds shear stresses and boundary shear stress distribution in smooth rectangular channels is developed by applying an order of magnitude analysis to integrate the Reynolds equations. A simplified relationship between the lateral and vertical terms is hypothesized for which the Reynolds equations become solvable. This relationship has the form of a power law with an exponent of n = 1, 2, or infinity. The semiempirical equations for the boundary shear distribution and the distribution of Reynolds shear stresses are compared with measured data in open channels. The power-law exponent of 2 gave the best overall results while n=infinity gave good results near the boundary.