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One effective method to minimize the increasing cost in the construction industry is by using coal bottom ash waste as a substitute material. The high volume of coal bottom ash waste generated each year and the improper disposal methods have raised a grave pollution concern because of the harmful impact of the waste on the environment and human health. Recycling coal bottom ash is an effective way to reduce the problems associated with its disposal. This paper reviews the current physical and chemical and utilization of coal bottom ash as a substitute material in the construction industry. The main objective of this review is to highlight the potential of recycling bottom ash in the field of civil construction. This review encourages and promotes effective recycling of coal bottom ash and identifies the vast range of coal bottom ash applications in the construction industry.

Abstract A testing program to investigate the thermal performance of concrete masonry wall assemblies has been developed and completed. The intent was to study the thermal contribution of both the air cells contained in concrete masonry blocks and the mortar joints holding the unit blocks together. This was accomplished by testing three individual walls. The first constituted a 6-in (0.15 m) conventional concrete masonry wall. This wall acted as the control specimen with which the other walls were compared. In the second wall, the mortar was eliminated and replaced by an adhesive. This allowed the measurement of the contribution of the mortar to the thermal resistance of the conventional prototype wall. In the third wall the air cells (along with the mortar joints) were eliminated to study the effect of the air cells on the thermal resistance of the conventional wall assembly. A temperature-controlled test plate, calibrated with fibrous glass board material of known thermal conductivity was used with heat flow sensors to determine periodically the thermal resistances of the test walls. Results indicated that the R-value of the 6-in conventional concrete masonry wall (including mortar joints) measured 2.05 (hr ft2 °F)/Btu. However, in the absence of mortar joints, the thermal resistance of the concrete masonry wall assembly decreased by approximately 8%. Thermal resistance of concrete masonry walls in which the air cells were eliminated was approximately 25% less than the conventional prototype wall, and 18% lower than the mortarless wall. This indicates that the air cells in the concrete blocks contribute significantly to the thermal resistance of masonry walls. Based on the testing conditions, it is concluded that both the containment of air cells and mortar joints in the masonry wall assembly represent an asset rather than a liability to the thermal integrity of masonry envelopes. Analysis and comparison of these results with published data are included.

Statistical energy methods in vibroacoustics, like the statistical energy analysis (SEA) or the statistical modal energy distribution analysis (SmEdA), rely on specific modal coupling assumptions (MCAs) between subsystem modes. These methods assume that the behavior of subsystem mode amplitudes mimic that of oscillators, that the modes within a subsystem are uncoupled, and that the coupling between two different subsystems only takes place through the interaction of resonant modes. In the case of more than two subsystems being connected at a junction, however, it becomes difficult to establish a modal interaction scheme for them. In SEA, the problem is avoided by resorting to the travelling wave approach instead of the modal one. Nevertheless, there is a need for other energy-based methods, like SmEdA, to deal with such a situation. In this work it is proposed to extend the displacement-stress dual formulation, originally intended for two subsystems, to the case of multiple flexural waveguides connected at a junction. Numerical results are presented for a test case consisting of a floor coupled to two walls at right angle. The fulfillment of the MCAs by the dual modal formulation is examined in terms of the impedance mismatch between the floor and the walls.

The in-service Hakka rammed earth buildings, in the Fujian Province of China, are unique in design and performance. Their UNESCO’s inscription as World Heritage sites recognizes their artistic, cultural, social and historic significance. Sponsored by the National Science Foundation of the United States, the authors have examined the engineering values of these buildings in terms of comfortable living at low energy consumption, sustainability and durability. The objective of this study was to better understand the thermo-mechanical and aging responses of Hakka earth buildings under thermal and earthquake loads through nondestructive field evaluation, including full-scale roof truss and floor testing, laboratory testing of field samples and finite element modeling. This paper presents our observations and findings from the field nondestructive evaluations with emphasis on the integrity of the rammed earth outer walls and inner wood structures, as well as the thermal comfort of living in these buildings, while a second paper presents the results from the material characterization of field samples and the structural responses of a representative building under earthquake induced loads through finite element analysis.

Sustainability addresses the need to reduce the structure’s impact on the environment but does not reduce the environment’s impact on the structure. To explore this relationship, this study focuses on quantifying the impact of green roofs or vegetated roofs on seismic responses such as story displacements, interstory drifts, and floor level accelerations. Using an archetype three-story steel moment frame, nonlinear time history analyses are conducted in OpenSees for a shallow and deep green roof using a suite of ground motions from various distances from the fault to identify key trends and sensitivities in response.

Abstract This work was motivated by the increasing need for proper metrics and tools to demonstrate the effect of mechanical performance, as a function of concrete mix composition, in dictating the dimensions of structural elements and associated costs and embodied carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. Mixture compositions associated with different concrete technologies were compared using multi-criteria comparison indices derived using structural design considerations and calculated using information on compressive strength, volumetric embodied CO2 and unit costs. In addition, predicted compressive strengths obtained with machine learning (ML) models are used to calculate these indices for a domain of mix proportions associated with ultra-high-performance concrete materials to generate multi-objective density diagrams (MODDs). The makeup of this tool facilitates the evaluation of rather complicated trends associated with mix proportions and multi-objective outcomes, allowing ML-based tools to be of easy interpretation by industry personnel with no expertise in artificial intelligence. MODDs could be used as aids in the decision-making process during mix design stages and serve as proof of mixture optimization that could be introduced in environmental product declarations. Results show that, in contrast to conventional wisdom, high-binder content and ultra-high strength concrete technologies are not necessarily detrimental to cost and/or eco efficiencies. For the applications evaluated herein, optimum solutions were mostly obtained with these types of concrete, suggesting that industry trends toward requiring minimization of embodied carbon footprint on a per volume of concrete basis are misguided and should not be used as a standalone metric to minimize the total carbon footprint of concrete structures.

Abstract The objective of this paper is to advance the design of slender steel tubes by developing a practical approach for utilizing high-resolution measurements of geometric imperfections to estimate the buckling location and strength of such tubes in bending. This approach includes a novel measure of imperfection severity that is designed to be insensitive to noise. The ability of this measure to predict buckling behavior of slender tubes in bending is assessed through comparison with eight large-scale tests, and, for this set of data, the predictions are promising. This study is intended to be a starting point in the development of a simple, but accurate, design method to quantify the impact of imperfections on the buckling behavior of slender tubes.

Accelerated pavement testing (APT) facilities has been demonstrated for years as a multi-purpose solution for pavement and non-pavement research. Even though APTs are widely known in the pavement industry, little has been publicized about their successful applications in non-pavement research. This paper provides a survey of APT applications in non-pavement research. The purpose of the survey is to review and encourage APT owners and agencies to explore the opportunities that APT facilities can present to promote non-pavement research initiatives. The survey demonstrates the ability of APTs to conduct research for bridges, transportation technology, drainage, geotechnical engineering, automobiles, environmental engineering, highway safety, among others. Non-pavement research can be incorporated into APT programs to diversify funding sources for research operations and promote cooperation with other agencies. Finally, suggestions for future and current APTs are made in this paper, including evaluating connected vehicles, work zone applications, smart infrastructure, truck platooning effects on bridge performance, sustainable drainage systems, bridges, advancement in geotechnical methods, sustainable fuels, and unmanned aerial systems.