Perceptions on Barriers to the Use of Burnt Clay Bricks for Housing Construction

Burnt clay bricks can be readily manufactured in Ghana as all ten regions have significant clay deposits with the Ashanti region having the highest estimated deposit of 37.1 million metric tonnes. In recent times, burnt clay bricks have been regarded as old fashioned and replaced by other perceived modern walling units within Kumasi, the metropolitan capital of Ashanti Region, despite its availability, unique advantages (aesthetics, low maintenance cost, etc.), and structural and nonstructural properties. This study involved a questionnaire survey of 85 respondents made up of architects, brick manufacturing firms, and brick house owners or occupants in the Kumasi Metropolis of Ghana and sought to examine their perceptions on barriers to the use of burnt clay bricks for housing construction. The findings revealed that the key factors inhibiting the use of burnt clay bricks for housing construction are low material demand, excessive cost implications, inappropriate use in construction, noncompatibility of burnt clay bricks with other materials, unreliable production, and transportation problems. The findings however provide a platform for stakeholders to address the barriers to enable the extensive use of clay bricks in housing constructions.

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Maintenance cost implications of utilizing bathroom modules manufactured offsite

Construction Management and Economics ◽

10.1080/01446190802422161 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 26 (10) ◽

pp. 1067-1077 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Wei Pan ◽

Alistair G. F. Gibb ◽

Andrew B. Sellars

Keyword(s):

Maintenance Cost ◽

Cost Implications

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Key Factors for Green Product Line Design: Opposing Consumer Perceptions, Cost Implications, Price and Quality Optimization

SSRN Electronic Journal ◽

10.2139/ssrn.2871583 ◽

2016 ◽

Author(s):

Monire Jalili ◽

Nagesh Murthy

Keyword(s):

Product Line ◽

Consumer Perceptions ◽

Green Product ◽

Key Factors ◽

Quality Optimization ◽

Product Line Design ◽

Cost Implications ◽

Line Design

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Sustainability assessment of brick work for low-cost housing: A comparison between waste based bricks and burnt clay bricks

Sustainable Cities and Society ◽

10.1016/j.scs.2017.11.025 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 37 ◽

pp. 396-406 ◽

Cited By ~ 17

Author(s):

Saurabh N. Joglekar ◽

Rhushikesh A. Kharkar ◽

Sachin A. Mandavgane ◽

Bhaskar D. Kulkarni

Keyword(s):

Sustainability Assessment ◽

Low Cost ◽

Clay Bricks ◽

Burnt Clay ◽

Low Cost Housing

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Ziegel und Terrakotta - Wissenszuwachs aus der BMBF-Forschung für die Denkmalpflege / Burnt clay bricks and terracotta - gain of knowledge by BMBF supported research for the protection of monuments

Restoration of Buildings and Monuments ◽

10.1515/rbm-1999-5422 ◽

1999 ◽

Vol 5 (6) ◽

pp. 599-608

Author(s):

H. Ruebesam

Keyword(s):

Research Programme ◽

Brick Masonry ◽

Clay Bricks ◽

Research Institutes ◽

Burnt Clay ◽

Different Types ◽

Close Cooperation

Abstract First of all it is pointed out that ten years ago little was known on deterioration and repair of exposed brick masonry or terracotta. A comprehensive research programme has been initiated and financially supported by the German Federal Ministry for Research and Technology (BMFT). One aim of this research programme was to identify deterioration mechanisms in close cooperation between representatives from services for the protection of monuments and from research institutes. In addition repair methods meeting both practical needs and requirements of the protection of monuments were to be developed. Different types of damage have been characterized at numerous buildings. As a result repair methods specific for each building have been established. In this contribution most important results of the huge research programme are briefly mentioned.

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Review and prospect of maintenance technology for traction system of high-speed train

Transportation Safety and Environment ◽

10.1093/tse/tdab017 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 3 (3) ◽

Author(s):

Shaolong Xu ◽

Chunyang Chen ◽

Zhenjun Lin ◽

Xiao Zhang ◽

Jisheng Dai ◽

...

Keyword(s):

High Speed ◽

Research Direction ◽

Maintenance Cost ◽

High Speed Train ◽

Transportation Industry ◽

Key Factors ◽

The World ◽

High Speed Trains ◽

Oil Crisis ◽

Traction System

Abstract In the past few decades, high-speed trains have witnessed tremendous and vigorous development with the appearance of the oil crisis and industrialization, which became a significant trend in the transportation industry the world over. With the increase of high-speed railway mileage, the amount of high-speed train has grown sharply, the service life of the trains has increased gradually and the components of the vehicle traction system have become worn and aged as a result. Therefore, advanced maintenance technology and its application are key factors to reduce maintenance cost, human resource input and ensure safe, stable and reliable operation of trains. This paper summarizes and discusses the development, application mode, maintenance management and maintenance technology of high-speed railways of the major countries in the world, especially discusses the condition-based maintenance and the key technology of the traction electrical system, and offers the prospect of research direction and the development of traction maintenance technology.

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Fault Diagnosis Strategy for Wind Turbine Generator Based on the Gaussian Process Metamodel

Mathematical Problems in Engineering ◽

10.1155/2020/4295093 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 2020 ◽

pp. 1-10

Author(s):

Dongmei Zhang ◽

Jun Yuan ◽

Jiang Zhu ◽

Qingchang Ji ◽

Xintong Zhang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Gaussian Process ◽

Wind Turbine ◽

Industrial Development ◽

Wind Farm ◽

Wind Farms ◽

Maintenance Cost ◽

Key Factors ◽

Turbine Generator ◽

System Availability ◽

Wind Turbine Generator

To facilitate continuous development of the wind power industry, maintaining technological innovation and reducing cost per kilowatt hour of the electricity generated by the wind turbine generator system (WTGS) are effective measures to facilitate the industrial development. Therefore, the improvement of the system availability for wind farms becomes an important issue which can significantly reduce the operational cost. To improve the system availability, it is necessary to diagnose the system fault for the wind turbine generator so as to find the key factors that influence the system performance and further reduce the maintenance cost. In this paper, a wind farm with 200 MW installed capacity in eastern coastal plain in China is chosen as the research object. A prediction model of wind farm’s faults is constructed based on the Gaussian process metamodel. By comparing with actual observation results, the constructed model is proved able to predict failure events of the wind turbine generator accurately. The developed model is further used to analyze the key factors that influence the system failure. These are conducive to increase the running and maintenance efficiency in wind farms, shorten downtime caused by failure, and increase earnings of wind farms.

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Experimental and finite element analysis on thermal conductivity of burnt clay bricks reinforced with fibers

Construction and Building Materials ◽

10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2019.06.055 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 221 ◽

pp. 190-199 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Khuram Rashid ◽

Ehsan Ul Haq ◽

Muhammad Sajid Kamran ◽

Nazish Munir ◽

Amber Shahid ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Thermal Conductivity ◽

Finite Element Analysis ◽

Finite Element ◽

Element Analysis ◽

Clay Bricks ◽

Burnt Clay

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Exporting Activity at Turning Point

Research Anthology on Small Business Strategies for Success and Survival ◽

10.4018/978-1-7998-9155-0.ch062 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1284-1298

Author(s):

Christos Lemonakis ◽

Eleni Batzanakaki ◽

Stylianos Steiakakis ◽

Alexandros Garefalakis

Keyword(s):

Economic Activity ◽

Turning Point ◽

Small And Medium Enterprises ◽

Manufacturing Firms ◽

Financial Indicators ◽

Key Factors ◽

Factors Affecting ◽

Export Activity ◽

Food And Beverage ◽

Medium Enterprises

The purpose of this article is to study key factors affecting export activity in the Greek manufacturing small and medium enterprises (SMEs). Under this condition the authors focus on four consecutive sectors of Greek economic activity, i.e.: food and beverage (F&B), clothing, machinery, and wood and furniture sectors. The important characteristics are analyzed by using the sample firms' size, age, and financial indicators such as leverage and liquidity to underscore the importance of exporting activity in providing increased efficiency in the Greek manufacturing firms. The study uses an OLS econometric model to determine the importance of these factors and to present an overall perception of explanatory characteristics increasing business continuity and firms' viability.

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