The utility service providers calculate the peak demand charges based on the highest level of power consumption that a facility uses in any interval (usually 15 mins) during the billing cycle. The peak demand charges in facilities such as supermarkets could represent nearly up to 40% of the total utility bill. In supermarkets, besides the building, refrigeration systems could potentially play a major role in affecting the peak demands.
To evaluate the overall performance of the newly developed Structural Insulated Panels (SIPs) in flexure, including deflections, stiffness and ultimate capacity, an experimental program has recently been launched. The program includes transverse bending tests of a total of 18 full-sized SIPs with various configurations using a vacuum chamber. Pressure and deflections are measured during the tests and are used to determine the flexural responses of the panels. For the comprehensive test matrix, the experimental results will be analysed systematically.
On-site conditions may not precisely reflect the as-designed building information models (BIMs). Inconsistencies between design and execution can lead to cumulative risks in the construction and operation stages. This project aims to improve the reliability of schedule and quantity discrepancy detection between as-designed and as-built models by exploiting the implicit information in as-designed 4D BIM (3D + schedule) using graph representation learning. The output of this module will be a semantic-aware element-wise classification of BIM objects based on their as-built status.
Precast concrete is used in many types of structures including those serving commercial, multi-unit residential, and industrial uses. Hollow core prestressed slabs (or planks) are one type of precast concrete that is used primarily for flooring systems. These planks have advantages of being able to span long distances while being relatively thin and light when compared with cast in place concrete solutions while being economically advantageous to manufactures and builders due to their ease of production.
Reinforced concrete (RC) is widely used due to its ease of construction, accessibility of raw materials, and excellent integrity. However, severe breakdown of RC structures due to mechanical and environmental loads may result in the need for strengthening to increase functionality and extend the service life of such structures. The use of fibre-reinforced polymer (FRP) composites with external bonding (EB) through epoxy adhesive is a fast, effective, and reliable solution to increase flexural or shear strength.
Digital Workflows for Adaptive Reuse of Historic Houses in Ottawa’s downtown (Canada) will explore newapplications of emerging digital technologies for the rehabilitation of our built heritage, especially in producingrecords relevant for the understanding of the historic fabric of residential buildings in Ottawa. Good decision inheritage conservation relay on accurate and precise information about the building’s fabric and structure.
The Rammed Earth (RE) has become the newest trend in construction owing to its energy-efficient, eco-friendly, and sustainable approach. The recent research has modernized rammed earth construction by using cement treatment to improve its strength and durability. The non-compensable damages to the environment associated with cement production and application pose significant arguments against its widespread use in rammed earth construction. Our partner organization, Innovative Earth Inc.
Scaffolding, as a type of temporary structure on construction sites, provides access for trades to certain areas for performing construction activities. Depending on project sizes, the budget for scaffolding can account for a substantial amount of the total direct work budget. Failure to the management of scaffolding activities can result in cost overrun and schedule delays in the projects. Meanwhile, scaffolding management is challenging by its nature, e.g., ad-hoc trivial daily activities with various material components consumed at different locations.
A helical pile is a screw steel pile comprising a small diameter hollow shaft welded with one or multiple helices. It has been widely used to retrofit structures or provide foundation support for infrastructure. The current research and design practice of helical piles have heavily focused on the “capacity”. In contrast, little attention has been paid to the performance of these piles, i.e., the movement of piles. This research project aims to understand the load-movement response through static loading tests of helical piles with and without post-grouting in soft clays.
In this project different UHPC mixes will be proposed and tested for mechanical and physical material properties when subjected to extreme cold temperatures. The mixes which meet the required properties and are most economical will be used for further structural wall panel testing and will be proposed to the company. The proposed concrete mix will be used to build insulated sandwich wall panel specimens and structural strength test will be conducted on them.
