Civil and Structural Enginering

Utilization of five types of fine aggregate for concrete production was investigated. Normal concrete were made with different types of fine aggregate. The fine aggregate considered were sharp sand (control sample), sawdust , crushed groundnut shell, crushed palm kernel shell and quarry dust. Preliminary laboratory investigation was carried out on the aggregates to ascertain their suitability for construction work. Tests conducted were sieve analysis, bulk density, workability and specifi c gravity tests respectively. Compressive strength which is the most effective property of concrete was investigated for various types of fine aggregates as listed. 1:2:4 mix ratio and absolute volume method were adopted for the mix composition calculations. A total of 12 cubes of 150 mmx150 mmx150 mm size were cast f or each type of fine aggregate. Compressive strength were monitored for 7, 14, 21 and 28 days. Test results showed that concrete made from quarry dust has the highest workability followed by concrete made from crushed palm kernel shell, crushed groundnut s hell and sawdust fine aggregate respectively. Concrete made from quarry dust showed highest strength for all ages followed by concrete made from crushed palm kernel shell, crushed groundnut shell and saw dust respectively. Compressive strength table were made from the results of the research. This served as a guide to concrete users on the best alternative fine aggregate for concrete productions. Th e research shows that concrete made with quarry dust can serve as a good replacement to the conventional concrete made with sand while concrete made with groundnut shell and saw dust can be very useful for structural elements that requires lightweight and lower strength when combined with admixture.

The main aim of this study is to carryout comparative analysis of concrete strength made from various sizes of crushed coarse aggregate. In doing so, the suitability of these aggregate sizes as good concrete materials was evaluated. The samples of the crushed coarse aggregate used are; 25mm, 18.75mm, 12.5mm, 9.38mm and quarry dust. Other materials used are river sand as fine aggregate, Ordinary Portland cement and potable water. The mix ratio used was 1:2:4 while the tests carried out are Sieve analysis, Relative density, Absorption capacity, workability and compressive strength test. The results of the study shows that the strength of concrete made from different sizes of aggregate vary. The 12.5mm aggregates size achieved the highest strength of 33.93N/mm after 28 days of curing while the quarry dust has the least strength of 18.37N/mm. It was also observed that as the aggregate size increases, segregation in concrete increases, while homogeneity and absorption capacity decreases. However while the strength of the concrete cubes increases with the curing days in all samples. Finally, it is recommended to use aggregate size of 12.5mm for concrete when a high strength and high velocity concrete is required.

This study has been undertaken to investigate the
determinants of Design of Support structure in Santhi Nagar
near Narasaraopeta using IS 456:2000. The design code for
the manufacturing of DI K7 pipes which are to be used for the
design of the proposed support structure by using IS 456:200
and Working stress method. To design the support structure,
the design requirements to be considered from the existing site
conditions and the parameters that are required to be
followed for the design water flow and to make the structure
to withstand the loads & forces carried by the supports and the
footings .the design was undergone with manual calculations
by using standard design practices and this was under the
AMRUT scheme prestigiously carried out by the Government of
INDIA.

Train movements generate oscillations that are transmitted as waves through the track support system into its surroundings. The vibration waves propagate through the soil layers and reach to nearby buildings creating distractions for human activities and causing equipment malfunctioning. Not only the train components and the rails, but also the surrounding tunnel, soil and rock strata have dynamic characteristics that play significant roles in the vibration levels felt in a nearby structure. This paper presents a finite element study conducted to investigate the vibrations resulting from train movements in nearby subway tunnels. The subway line is located at an average horizontal distance of 50 ft (15.2 m) from the structure in assessment, which is a six-story office building. The main goal of the work is to assess the train-induced vibrations at the ground level of the building through a case study and sensitivity analysis. A plane strain finite element model is built to represent the railroad tunnel embedded in the rock and the soil stratum above it. The one train loading function is applied to the model as a point source at the track level and compared to the two-train scenario. Other simulations are undertaken for sensitivity analysis involving increased loading, decreased damping and decreased distance to tunnels. Even though there are several numerical studies on the propagation of train induced vibrations in the literature; a finite element model accompanied with a sensitivity analysis has not been discussed in detail in a technical publication before. The paper not only presents the finite element modeling but also compares the results with the criteria of Transit Noise and Vibration Impact Assessment Manual, which was published by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) of the U.S. Department of Transportation.

Opportunities offered by the explosion of Information Technology (IT) tools are not being adequately used to solve productivity, schedule, cost and quality problems faced by the design and construction of industrial projects.
The Computer Advanced Visualization Tools (CAVT) concept defined as “the collection of all the necessary tools, which allow for the visual representation of the ends and the means of AEC/EPC needed to accomplish an AEC/EPC design and construction project” was developed and its impact in the design process of industrial projects was described as an answer to the stated problem.
The research was carried out using the observation-participation method in which the industry became a laboratory that offered the opportunity to have access to events and groups that are not commonly accessible to scientific research.
The design process was studied considering the state of the art about production principles applied to the construction industry through the Lean Construction approach. This allowed the ability to model, analyze, understand and describe the design process, providing and adequate framework to study the impact of CAVT which is presented mainly considering activities that add value to the design process.
The research led to discover change patterns and trends in the design process of industrial projects that can lead to obtain benefits in terms of cost and schedule reduction, and productivity, quality and safety increase in construction industry projects.

Building Information and Modelling (BIM) is a technology that allows Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) professionals to digitally design, test, construct and manage the infrastructure. BIM in construction projects has not been fully implemented, due to a lack of effective strategy in the implementation of BIM. AEC industries struggle to implement BIM because of the absence of a Real-World BIM sample and BIM framework. This research aims to navigate AEC professionals to implement BIM with respect to structural discipline and this paper will also help to understand the coordination between other disciplines where one discipline model is superimposed on another discipline model. This paper will also help to understand different global BIM standards and the most efficient and effective BIM tools used all over the world. AEC professionals need assistance in the form of a framework that would provide a road map to process and implement BIM. Thus, the framework provided in the paper expected to increase BIM implementation and eventually widen the usage of BIM.

A Fiber Reinforced Concrete (FRC) is a composite material consisting of cement based matrix with an ordered or random distribution of fiber which can be steel, nylon, polythene etc. Development in technology enhances not only human comforts but also destroy the ecosystem. Fiber Reinforced Concrete is generally made with high cement content & low water content. Plain concrete fails suddenly once the deflection corresponding to ultimate flexural strength is exceeded, on the other hand, fiber reinforced concrete continue to sustain considerable loads ever at deflection considerably in excess of the fracture deflection of plain concrete. Use of metals as containers has become popular and safe now, especially to carry the liquids, In spite of the inherent advantages and disadvantages existent in its disposal. Today the construction industry is in need of finding cost effective materials for increasing the strength of concrete structures. Hence an attempt has been made in the present investigations to study the influence of addition of waste materials like waste steel powder & soft drink bottle caps, empty waste tin from workshop at a dosage of 1% of total weight of concrete as fibers. The present paper reviews the literature related to the utilization of waste material and its various effects on compressive strength, split tensile strength, flexural strength and workability of concrete. The steel powder, empty tins, soft drink bottle caps were deformed into the rectangular strips of 3mm width and 10mm length. The present paper reviews the literature related to the

Paper Mineral admixtures being the economical alternatives to Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) for various normal and special concretes induce desirable properties to concrete such as higher flow, low heat of hydration, higher strength gain and enhanced durability. Ground granulated blast furnace slag(GGBFS) being one of the largely used mineral admixture alongside Fly Ash as supplementary cementitious material in concrete contributes to enhanced durability properties and low heat of hydration. Various replacement percentages of GGBS at 30%, 40%, 50% and 60% are used in binary blended Self compacting concrete(SCC) in the present study. At 40% replacement level, SCC exhibited improved workability, strength and durability properties. Alccofine(Ultrafine GGBS) used in ternary blended SCC enhanced early strength gain without affecting workability of SCC to a significant extent.

A leading, international, engineering and construction company has carried out efforts to engage a new tool set and work process. Four-Dimensional Planning and Scheduling (4D-PS) is the new work process that aims toward better, more efficient planning and execution of large construction projects. This paper describes the case history and forecasts how this revitalized technique may ultimately impact the
construction industry. Despite academic and practitioners’ research and
development efforts to leverage from Information Technology (IT) in construction, the industry at large, being generally conservative, has adhered to the values of predictability and existing methods to minimize risk. 4D technology has struggled to find its way into mainstream construction practice for several years, and just
recently it has been shown that commercially available software and hardware can be applied effectively toward this end, greatly reducing investment risk. These relatively new tools promise new impetus to the use of 4D-PS in the construction industry. This paper describes how 4D-PS was applied on a major construction project, giving rise to a new work process that proved to be productive and cost effective. Emphasis is made on the fact that those expected to use such technology
must have the necessary training and, conversely, near-future versions of computerized tools can be made more intuitive for more widespread use. The use of such techniques will necessarily draw engineering/design and construction entities closer together, essentially improving coordination among them.

This research represents the collection of data from various previous studies done on the effect of skew angle on static behavior of reinforced concrete slab bridge decks and related topics. The skew angle can be defined as the angle between the normal to the centreline of the bridge and the centreline of the abutment or pier cap., Skew bridges have become a necessity due to site considerations such as alignment constraints, land acquisition problems, etc.

Concrete is frequently used in the construction industry because it is readily available and has proven high ductility. A primary component of concrete is cement, the production of which, however, is energy consuming and results in environmental pollutants. Consequently, researchers have begun to use geopolymers as an adhesive with chemical, thermal, or mechanical activators. The use of geopolymers is cost effective and energy saving because it is self-produced from industrial recycling. This research replaces cement with geopolymers to evaluate concrete behavior. Results show that use of geopolymers increases the compressive strength of concrete while lowering the temperature of the concrete environment due to decreased hydration rates.

Civil Engineering is that part of engineering that deals with the application of mathematical and scientific knowledge to improve infrastructures
like bridges, dams, buildings, roads, railways and dams and common utilities to help improve human lives and our society. The civil engineering
profession involves a lot of sub- disciplines and deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the built environment. Civil engineers
have that social responsibility to properly maintain and adapt structures that we depend on in our daily life and are also involve in making sure
the infrastructures are adapted to meet natural disaster, population growth and climate change challenges. They have that responsibility to find
and implement solutions to complex problems. However, these engineers face many challenges in executing their duties or carrying on their
responsibilities effectively. These challenges have a lot of impact in our society, our environment and the economy of every nation. A literature review
of some of these challenges and their impacts to society, environment and the economy are looked upon in this paper.
Keywords: Civil engineering; Engineers; Challenges; Infrastructures; Construction; Development; Environment; Developing Countries;
Government; Community; Sustainable; Safety; Management; Africa; Cameroon; Social; Political and Economic

Train movements generate oscillations that are transmitted as waves through the track support system into its surroundings. The vibration waves propagate through the soil layers and reach to nearby buildings creating distractions for human activities and causing equipment malfunctioning. Not only the train components and the rails, but also the surrounding tunnel, soil and rock strata have dynamic characteristics that play significant roles in the vibration levels felt in a nearby structure. This paper presents a finite element study conducted to investigate the vibrations resulting from train movements in nearby subway tunnels. The subway line is located at an average horizontal distance of 50 ft (15.2 m) from the structure in assessment, which is a six-story office building. The main goal of the work is to assess the train-induced vibrations at the ground level of the building through a case study and sensitivity analysis. A plane strain finite element model is built to represent the railroad tunnel embedded in the rock and the soil stratum above it. The one train loading function is applied to the model as a point source at the track level and compared to the two-train scenario. Other simulations are undertaken for sensitivity analysis involving increased loading, decreased damping and decreased distance to tunnels. Even though there are several numerical studies on the propagation of train induced vibrations in the literature; a finite element model accompanied with a sensitivity analysis has not been discussed in detail in a technical publication before. The paper not only presents the finite element modeling but also compares the results with the criteria of Transit Noise and Vibration Impact Assessment Manual, which was published by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) of the U.S. Department of Transportation.

The Mw 6.4 earthquake that occurred near the city of Durres, located on the west coast of Albania, may be considered small in comparison to the design earthquake, yet it caused an enormous amount of damage to buildings. Fifty-one people died, approximately 3,000 were injured and between 5,000 and 14,000 people needed shelter.
The paper presents observations of damaged buildings. Although there are many examples of building collapse and damage due to well-understood critical structural weaknesses, most damage appears to be caused by the incompatible combination of flexible frame structures then infilled with brittle clay hollow-brick and plastered walls. These walls suffered in-plane damage from lateral deformation and were mostly unrestrained from face-load collapse. These non-structural elements, as well as many interior partitions of the same material, dominated structural behavior.
In order to achieve more resilient buildings in the future, local engineers will need to re-evaluate especially two aspects of their current design approaches that cause excessive lateral flexibility; namely, moment frames without beams other than those within the depth of floor slabs, and the irregular orientation of rectangular columns that leads to many columns bending about their weak axis. Engineers will also need to work closely with architects to avoid future damage to infills and partitions.

Concrete is frequently used in the construction industry because it is readily available and has proven high ductility. A primary component of concrete is cement, the production of which, however, is energy consuming and results in environmental pollutants. Consequently, researchers have begun to use geopolymers as an adhesive with chemical, thermal, or mechanical activators. The use of geopolymers is cost effective and energy saving because it is self-produced from industrial recycling. This research replaces cement with geopolymers to evaluate concrete behavior. Results show that use of geopolymers increases the compressive strength of concrete while lowering the temperature of the concrete environment due to decreased hydration rates.

This study was carried out by employing several observatory and analytical techniques to observe and understand the types and nature of cracks associated with building, the causes of such cracks, what could have been done to prevent these cracks as well as reparative measures that could be employed to remedy the cracks. Reconnaissance study was carried out on the structure to discover the nature and extent of cracks with the aid of traditional laboratory tools that can measures and monitor the cracks. From the overall properties and behaviours of the cracks, their possible causes and reparative measures could be established. The compressive structural strength of the key members of the building (slabs, columns and beams) was determined using the non-destructive Schmidt Hammer test. The minimum required compressive strength of 28day old concrete is 25 N/mm2, this is supposed to have attained a strength of 31 N/mm2 after 1year of the concrete life, and the strength is supposed to marginally increase with time. The shear strength of the foundation soil was determined through the shear box test which yielded the soil cohesion to be, c = 0.0355 kN/m² and angle of internal friction, = 25.34° = 25°. The ultimate bearing capacity of the foundation soil which is 409.86Kpa is satisfactory and was calculated using the Terzaghi's formula, Qu = cNc+γzNq+0.5BNγ. The majority of the cracks observed in the building are non-structural cracks. The main structural cracks observed in the building were caused by differential settlement of soil, faulty design and poor workmanship. Some of these are still actively cracking and hence pose a real threat of future collapse. Hence, they require urgent professional repairs. The appropriate remedy to cracks should be such that its nature and causes should be properly investigated and established before repair. Otherwise, wrongly treated cracks would reappear after some time

Concrete is frequently used in the construction industry because it is readily available and has proven high ductility. A primary component of concrete is cement, the production of which, however, is energy consuming and results in environmental pollutants. Consequently, researchers have begun to use geopolymers as an adhesive with chemical, thermal, or mechanical activators. The use of geopolymers is cost effective and energy saving because it is self-produced from industrial recycling. This research replaces cement with geopolymers to evaluate concrete behavior. Results show that use of geopolymers increases the compressive strength of concrete while lowering the temperature of the concrete environment due to decreased hydration rates.

This review paper represents the collection of data and conclusion of the various studies done on the strength properties of steel fibered self-compacting concrete. Addition of Steel fiber at certain limit improves compressive strength and not only suppress the formation of cracks, but provides more strength. Steel Fibers have been added to hardened state. Fiber reinforced concrete becomes necessary whenever durability that is limited crack widths or safety considerations are design criteria.

This research represents the collection of data from various previous studies done on the importance of explicitly recognizing the presence of the open first storey in the analysis of the building. The error involved in modeling such buildings as complete bare frames, neglecting the presence of infills in the upper storeys, is brought out through the study of an example building with different analytical models. This paper argues for immediate measures to prevent the indiscriminate use of soft first storeys in buildings, which are designed without regard to the increased displacement, ductility and force demands in the first storey columns. Alternate measures, involving stiffness balance of the open first storey and the storey above, are proposed to reduce the irregularity introduced by the open first storey. The effect of soil flexibility on the above is also discussed in this paper

In this paper study about the seismic analysis of special and ordinary moment resisting frame by the pushover analysis with the help of the SAP2000 software which is product of the Computer and Structure &Inc. The code used for seismic analysis IS CODE 1893 part1:2016. The method used in this analysis is Nonlinear static Analysis in which static analysis represent the Response Spectrum method. The main aims of this paper to study about the plastic hinges which produce after the collapse of the structure and also comparative study about the ordinary and special moment resisting frame that which one is perform better in the push over analysis. The hinges apply at the all beam and column to study about the plastic hinges in the structure. The main purpose to choose special moment resisting frame is that frame which resist the strong ground motion during the earthquake. The ordinary moment resisting frame is that frame which resists the low ground motion as compared to the special moment resisting frame. After analysis we can say that which frame produce little plastic hinges as compared to the other frame. The designing criteria of the Special Moment Resisting Frame and Ordinary Moment Resisting Frame are given in the Indian Standard Code 1893 part1:2016.

In this paper, a novel one dimensional convolution neural network (1D-CNN) based structural damage assessment technique is validated with a benchmark study published by IASC-ASCE Structural Health Monitoring Task Group in 2003. In contrast with predominant machine learning based structural damage detection techniques of the literature, the technique shown in this paper runs without manual feature extraction or preprocessing stages. It runs directly on the raw vibration data. In CNNs, the stages of feature extraction and feature classification are merged into one stage; therefore, the proposed technique is efficient, feasible and economical. Utilizing the optimal features learned by 1D CNNs, the proposed CNN-based technique considerably improves the classification efficiency and accuracy. The performance improvement of the proposed technique is assessed by calculating the " Probability of Damage " values for damage estimations. The unseen structural damage cases between the two extreme end structural cases (zero damage and total damage) were successfully identified. Consequently, it is validated that the improved CNN-based technique is efficient since it predicted the level of damage consistently with the structural damage cases defined in the existing benchmark.

This study presentes a new nonparametric structural damage detection algorithm that integrates self-organizing maps with a pattern-recognition neural network to quantify and locate structural damage. In this algorithm, self-organizing maps are used to extract a number of damage indices from the ambient vibration response of the monitored structure. The presented study is unique because it demonstrates the development of a nonparametric vibration-based damage detection algorithm that utilizes self-organizing maps to extract meaningful damage indices from ambient vibration signals in the time domain. The ability of the algorithm to identify damage was demonstrated analytically using a finite-element model of a hot-rolled steel grid structure. The algorithm successfully located the structural damage under several damage cases, including damage resulting from local stiffness loss in members and damage resulting from changes in boundary conditions. A sensitivity study was also conducted to evaluate the effects of noise on the computed damage indices. The algorithm was proved to be successful even when the signals are noise-contaminated.

In order to determine the effects of coarse aggregate size on the flexural strength of concrete, concrete beams were produced in accordance with BS 1881-108 (1983) and American Society for Testing of Materials (ASTM C293) with varying aggregate sizes 9.0mm, 14mm, 18mm, and 24mm, using a standard mould of internal dimension of 150 x 150 x 750mm for the reinforced concrete beam. The water cement ratio was kept at 0.65 with a mix proportion of 1:2:4. The specimen produced were all subjected to curing in water for 28days and were all tested to determine the flexural strength using Universal Testing Machine. The slump tests (Workability) of the concrete mixtures prepared with each of the aggregate sizes were also conducted. The results showed that, aggregate sizes of 9.0, 14.0, 18.0 and 24.0mm have slump values of 101, 120, 158 and 160mm and flexural strengths of 4.91, 4.81, 4.13 and 4.03N/mm². It was concluded that, concrete to be used mostly to resist flexural stresses should be made of finer coarse aggregates.

The present paper reviews the literature of use of glass powder as a replacement of cement to assess the pozzolanic activity of fine glass powder in concrete and compare its performance with other pozzolanic materials like silica fume and fly ash. Nowadays glass is used in many forms in day-today life. It has limited life span and after use it is either stock piled or sent to landfills. Since glass is non-biodegradable, landfills do not provide an environment friendly solution. Hence there is strong need to utilize waste glasses. Many efforts have been made to use waste glass in concrete industry as a replacement of coarse aggregate, fine aggregate and cement. Its performance as a coarse aggregate replacement has been found to be non-satisfactory because of strength regression and expansion due to alkali-silica reaction.

The study examines Impact of Project Management (PM) Software on Project Failure Rates in Nigerian Construction Industry. The study adopted the survey research design in sourcing information for the study. A sample size of 190 was chosen while stratified random sampling technique was adopted in choosing the samples. Questionnaires were administered to 190 respondents while 180 questionnaires correctly filled and returned, were used for analysis. The data collected were presented in tables, while frequencies, percentages and Chi-Square(X2) test were used for data analysis. After the data analysis, the following findings were made: PM Software has significant impact in the reduction of project failure rates in the Nigerian Construction Industry. Level of competition and changing trends of technology enhance the use of PM Software. The use of PM Software contributes immensely to the project success in Nigerian Construction Industry. The study however, recommended as follows: The profes...

The aim of this study is to compare the numerical model of grouped stud behavior with the experimental results to validate the model under pulsating load. To this end, a numerical model is developed to estimate the static behavior of studs in grouped arrangement, which is often used in the composite structures. The precision of the numerical evaluation mostly depends on the appropriate modeling of shear force transmission from the stud shank to surrounding concrete. This is achieved by employing one-dimensional nonlinear bearing springs and the characteristic responses are estimated from trial and error method.

Train movements generate oscillations that are transmitted as waves through the track support system into its surroundings. The vibration waves propagate through the soil layers and reach to nearby buildings creating distractions for human activities and causing equipment malfunctioning. Not only the train components and the rails, but also the surrounding tunnel, soil and rock strata have dynamic characteristics that play significant roles in the vibration levels felt in a nearby structure. This paper presents a finite element study conducted to investigate the vibrations resulting from train movements in nearby subway tunnels. The subway line is located at an average horizontal distance of 50 ft (15.2 m) from the structure in assessment, which is a six-story office building. The main goal of the work is to assess the train-induced vibrations at the ground level of the building through a case study and sensitivity analysis. A plane strain finite element model is built to represent the railroad tunnel embedded in the rock and the soil stratum above it. The one train loading function is applied to the model as a point source at the track level and compared to the two-train scenario. Other simulations are undertaken for sensitivity analysis involving increased loading, decreased damping and decreased distance to tunnels. Even though there are several numerical studies on the propagation of train induced vibrations in the literature; a finite element model accompanied with a sensitivity analysis has not been discussed in detail in a technical publication before. The paper not only presents the finite element modeling but also compares the results with the criteria of Transit Noise and Vibration Impact Assessment Manual, which was published by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) of the U.S. Department of Transportation.

Total potential energy equation of thick anisotropic rectangular plate was differentiated with various displacement functions w, and. The results yielded the governing equations of thick anisotropic rectangular plate as shown in equation (1). The governing equation (1a) of displacement w was then minimized by adding the similar terms together to yield equation (9). The displacement functions of equation (9) were split by substituting w for. , for. and for. respectively. The split equation (14) was solved to obtain equations (33), (34), (35), (36), (37) and (38) respectively. These various differential and integral functions were then integrated to obtain the general displacement function solutions that many authors have been assuming when analyzing thick, thin, isotropic, orthotropic and anisotropic plates. These general displacement functions were determined in equations (40), (42), (44), (46), (49), (50), (51), (52) and (53) respectively. From the general displacement function we obtained the exact displacement function for SSSS rectangular plate as presented on Table 1. These exact displacement functions for SSSS rectangular plate can be used in analyzing thick anisotropic plate at any point.

It is already been known realizations that the raw materials used in cement are limited and also non-renewable. So it is been need to be conserved for future generations. With this goal of attaining sustainable construction and a strong trend favouring the increased use of admixtures in concrete is emerging throughout the world. The mineral admixtures are basically the waste products of industrial processes, produced to the tune of millions of tonnes whose disposal is a great concern. Fly ash from coal based power plants is one such waste which is abundantly available in the different parts of India.