scholarly journals Nuts & Bolts: An exploration of design for deconstruction and component re-use in engineered timber construction

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
George Strang
Keyword(s):  
Circular Economy ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Component Reuse ◽  
Braced Frame ◽  
Timber Products ◽  
Single Use ◽  
Frame Construction ◽  
Design Proposal ◽  
Connection Design ◽  
Construction System

<p><b>This research is fuelled by the ever-increasing impact of global pollution and climate change, and the role the construction industry plays in it. Vast amounts of construction waste, needless manufacturing of single-use and composite products, and poor construction practices culminate in a linear economy model on which the world operates. It is a problem that can no longer be ignored and must be rectified. This research aims to develop and propose a construction system suitable for deconstruction and continued component reuse, using engineered timber products available in today’s market. The system will be tested against several implementations across a variety of building scales. This research has the intention of enabling component reuse for a circular economy. A circular economy minimises waste produced. Less waste is good.</b></p> <p>The resulting design proposal is a modular and prefabricated braced frame construction system to suit large and small scales, with removable foundations and adaptive spatial planning. Effective separation of building layers is achieved to allow for access, maintenance, and simple disassembly. Traditional Japanese timber joining techniques have also been researched and used to influence component connection design for deconstruction. This research eliminates irreversible fixings such as adhesives, nails, and screws. The system is then tested across commercial, residential, and small-scale implementations to test its feasibility.</p> <p>It will serve as a case study that questions how we think of buildings and value their components. It aims to enable the same components to be useful across multiple building scales, minimising redundancy and waste.</p>

scholarly journals Nuts & Bolts: An exploration of design for deconstruction and component re-use in engineered timber construction

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
George Strang
Keyword(s):  
Circular Economy ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Component Reuse ◽  
Braced Frame ◽  
Timber Products ◽  
Single Use ◽  
Frame Construction ◽  
Design Proposal ◽  
Connection Design ◽  
Construction System

<p><b>This research is fuelled by the ever-increasing impact of global pollution and climate change, and the role the construction industry plays in it. Vast amounts of construction waste, needless manufacturing of single-use and composite products, and poor construction practices culminate in a linear economy model on which the world operates. It is a problem that can no longer be ignored and must be rectified. This research aims to develop and propose a construction system suitable for deconstruction and continued component reuse, using engineered timber products available in today’s market. The system will be tested against several implementations across a variety of building scales. This research has the intention of enabling component reuse for a circular economy. A circular economy minimises waste produced. Less waste is good.</b></p> <p>The resulting design proposal is a modular and prefabricated braced frame construction system to suit large and small scales, with removable foundations and adaptive spatial planning. Effective separation of building layers is achieved to allow for access, maintenance, and simple disassembly. Traditional Japanese timber joining techniques have also been researched and used to influence component connection design for deconstruction. This research eliminates irreversible fixings such as adhesives, nails, and screws. The system is then tested across commercial, residential, and small-scale implementations to test its feasibility.</p> <p>It will serve as a case study that questions how we think of buildings and value their components. It aims to enable the same components to be useful across multiple building scales, minimising redundancy and waste.</p>

Leadership for a climate resilient, net-zero health system: Transforming supply chains to the circular economy

2021 ◽  
pp. 084047042110036
Author(s):  
Neil H. Ritchie
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chains ◽  
Circular Economy ◽  
Multiple Stakeholders ◽  
Natural Systems ◽  
Climate Resilience ◽  
Global Pandemic ◽  
Net Zero ◽  
Climate Action ◽  
Zero Carbon ◽  
Single Use

The global pandemic has taught us that we can focus the attention of the healthcare system on a clear intention when there is a looming threat. Climate action is required from multiple stakeholders particularly private sector suppliers in order to achieve the net-zero carbon emission by 2050 goal established by the Canadian government. Also building climate resilience among healthcare institutions and their supply chains is urgently needed, as they are already affected by a changing climate. By adopting a circular economy framework, the industry can move away from the current damaging take, make waste economic model and adopt a more sustainable model characterized by designing out waste and pollution, keeping products and materials in use, and regenerating natural systems. Health leaders can adopt sharing platforms, product as a service, reduce single use products, encourage extended producer responsibility, and value-based procurement in order to further these aims.

scholarly journals Big Data-Enabled Solutions Framework to Overcoming the Barriers to Circular Economy Initiatives in Healthcare Sector

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (14) ◽  
pp. 7513
Author(s):  
Yiğit Kazançoğlu ◽  
Muhittin Sağnak ◽  
Çisem Lafcı ◽  
Sunil Luthra ◽  
Anil Kumar ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Big Data ◽  
Circular Economy ◽  
Energy Use ◽  
Current System ◽  
Big Data Analytics ◽  
Detailed Examination ◽  
Healthcare Sector ◽  
Single Use ◽  
Medical Materials ◽  
Negative Impacts

Ever-changing conditions and emerging new challenges affect the ability of the healthcare sector to survive with the current system, and to maintain its processes effectively. In the healthcare sector, the conservation of the natural resources is being obstructed by insufficient infrastructure for managing residual waste resulting from single-use medical materials, increased energy use, and its environmental burden. In this context, circularity and sustainability concepts have become essential in healthcare to meliorate the sector’s negative impacts on the environment. The main aim of this study is to identify the barriers related to circular economy (CE) in the healthcare sector, apply big data analytics in healthcare, and provide solutions to these barriers. The contribution of this research is the detailed examination of the current healthcare literature about CE adaptation, and a proposal for a big data-enabled solutions framework to barriers to circularity, using fuzzy best-worst Method (BWM) and fuzzy VIKOR. Based on the findings, managerial, policy, and theoretical implementations are recommended to support sustainable development initiatives in the healthcare sector.

scholarly journals Towards a hierarchy of consumption behaviour in the circular economy

2019 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 394-420 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eléonore Maitre-Ekern ◽  
Carl Dalhammar
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Circular Economy ◽  
Legal Framework ◽  
Consumption Patterns ◽  
European Union Law ◽  
Consumer Law ◽  
Consumption Behaviour ◽  
Single Use

In their roles as purchasers, users and dischargers of used products, consumers play an important role in the circular economy. In this article, we put forward a ‘hierarchy of consumption behaviour’ to support European Union policymaking. Among the priorities are avoiding the purchase of single-use and unnecessary products, prolonging the lifetime of products through maintenance and engaging in repair activities. Moreover, the hierarchy intends to privilege sharing and leasing to buying and second-hand products to new ones. Finally, consumption in the circular economy also requires allowing products to re-circulate. Changing consumption patterns is difficult insofar as they are largely determined by the paradigm upon which our economy is built and are enabled by the existing legal framework, most notably European Union consumer law. The article contains concrete recommendations to develop European Union law and promote the proposed hierarchy.

Lateral Load Performance of Panelized Wood I-Joist Floor Systems

2020 ◽  
Vol 70 (4) ◽  
pp. 428-438
Author(s):  
Sigong Zhang ◽  
Ying Hei Chui ◽  
David Joo
Keyword(s):  
Load Transfer ◽  
Mechanical Performance ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Construction Time ◽  
Plane Shear ◽  
Floor Systems ◽  
Diaphragm Action ◽  
Wood Frame ◽  
Strength And Stiffness ◽  
Frame Construction

Abstract Panelized light wood frame construction is becoming more popular due to the faster construction time and shortage of onsite skilled labor. To use light wood frame panels effectively in panelized floor systems, panel-to-panel joints must be fastened adequately to allow load transfer between panels. They must also possess in-plane shear strength and stiffness comparable to stick-built, staggered-sheathed assemblies. This study was designed to develop efficient and effective panel-to-panel joints for connecting adjacent floor panels built with wood I-joists and evaluate the efficiency of the joints in achieving diaphragm action. At first, a number of these panel-to-panel joints were tested in the laboratory using a small-scale diaphragm test setup to determine their efficiency in transferring in-plane forces between panels. Test results showed that a small decrease in in-plane stiffness was expected for the most effective joints, but their strengths were significantly higher than at the same location in a conventional site-built floor diaphragm. The presence of blockings and use of two-row nailing were found to considerably improve stiffness and strength. These features can be used to mitigate the potential reduction in mechanical performance of panelized floor construction, in comparison with the site-built wood I-joist floor.

On the dependability of highly critical non-recoverable space entities with short operation life. Case study of single-use mechanical devices

Dependability ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 3-12
Author(s):  
Yu. P. Pokhabov
Keyword(s):  
Process Engineering ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Design Engineering ◽  
Scale Production ◽  
Decimal Point ◽  
Engineering Analysis ◽  
Single Use ◽  
Mechanical Devices ◽  
Verification Techniques

Aim. To consider matters of dependability of highly critical non-recoverable space products with short operation life, whose failures are primarily caused by design and process engineering errors, manufacturing defects in the course of single-unit or small-scale production, as well as to define the methodological approach to ensuring the required reliability.Methods. Options were analysed for improving the dependability of entities with short operation life using the case study of single-use mechanical devices and the statistical approaches of the modern dependability theory, special methods of dependability of actuated mechanical assemblies, FMEA, Stage-Gate and ground experiments on single workout equivalents for each type of effect. Results. It was concluded that additional procedures need to be conducted for the purpose of predicting, mitigation and (or) eliminating possible failures as part of the design process using exactly the same approaches that cause failures, i.e., those of design and process engineering. The engineering approaches to dependability are based on early identification of possible causes of failures, which requires a qualified and systemic analysis aimed at identifying the functionality, performance and dependability of an entity, taking into account critical output parameters and probabilistic indicators that affect the performance of the required functions with the allowable probability of failure. The solution is found using a generalized parametric model of operation and design engineering analysis of dependability.Conclusion. For highly critical non-recoverable space entities with short operation life, the reliability requirements should be considered primarily in terms financial, economic, safetyrelated and reputational risks associated with the loss of spacecraft. From a design engineer’s standpoint, the number of nines after the decimal point (rounded to a smaller number of nines for increased confidence) should be seen as the indicator for the application of the appropriate approaches to ensuring the required reliability at the stage of product design. In case of two nines after the decimal point it is quite acceptable to use analytical and experimental verification techniques common to the aerospace industry, i.e., dependability calculations using the statistical methods of the modern dependability theory and performance indicators, FMEA and Stage-Gate, ground experiments on single workout equivalents for each type of effect. As the required number of nines grows, it is advisable to also use early failure prevention methods, one of which is the design engineering analysis of dependability that enables designers to adopt substantiated design solutions on the basis of engineering disciplines and design and process engineering methods of ensuring quality and dependability. The choice of either of the above dependability strategies is determined solely by the developer’s awareness and understanding of potential hazards, which allows managing the risk of potential rare failures or reasonably refusing to do so.

scholarly journals Towards a Circular Economy: Using Stakeholder Subjectivity to Identify Priorities, Consensus, and Conflict in the Irish EPS/XPS Market

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (23) ◽  
pp. 6834
Author(s):  
Jeffrey E Black ◽  
Kathrin Kopke ◽  
Cathal O’Mahony
Keyword(s):  
Circular Economy ◽  
Q Methodology ◽  
Action Plan ◽  
Expanded Polystyrene ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Marine Litter ◽  
Policy Interventions ◽  
Single Use ◽  
Industry Policy

In European Seas, plastic litter from fishing activities, river transport, and poor waste management is one of the fastest growing threats to the health of the marine environment. Extruded polystyrene (XPS) and expanded polystyrene (EPS), specifically, have become some of the most prominent types of marine litter found around Europe’s coastlines. To combat this problem, the European Commission has ratified a series of regulations and policies, including the Single-Use Plastics Directive and the EU Action Plan for the Circular Economy. However, in order to ensure that the benefits of such regulations and policies are realized at a scale that can adequately address the scope of the problem, decision-makers will need to integrate the opinions, values, and priorities of relevant stakeholders who operate across the EPS/XPS product lifecycle. In this study, we apply a 35-statement Q-methodology to identify the priorities of stakeholders as they relate to the Irish EPS/XPS market and the wider societal transition to a circular economy. Based on the responses of nineteen individuals representing industry, policy-makers, and community leaders, we identified three distinct perspectives: System Overhaul; Incremental Upgrade; and Market Innovation. The results demonstrate that the type and format of policy interventions linked to Ireland’s EPS/XPS circular economy are heavily contested, which presents significant challenges for driving the debate forward. These results provide valuable information on viewpoints that can be used by different stakeholders at national and EU levels to address areas of conflict, ultimately fostering the development of more effective, broadly supported co-developed policies.

scholarly journals Polylactic Acid/Polycaprolactone Blends: On the Path to Circular Economy, Substituting Single-Use Commodity Plastic Products

Materials ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (11) ◽  
pp. 2655 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marc Delgado-Aguilar ◽  
Rita Puig ◽  
Ilija Sazdovski ◽  
Pere Fullana-i-Palmer
Keyword(s):  
Tensile Strength ◽  
Young’S Modulus ◽  
Polylactic Acid ◽  
Circular Economy ◽  
High Density Polyethylene ◽  
Young's Modulus ◽  
Single Use ◽  
Internal Mixer ◽  
Impact Characteristics ◽  
Plastic Products

Circular economy comes to break the linear resource to waste economy, by introducing different strategies, two of them being: using material from renewable sources and producing biodegradable products. The present work aims at developing polylactic acid (PLA), typically made from fermented plant starch, and polycaprolactone (PCL) blends, a biodegradable polyester, to study their potential to be used as substitutes of oil-based commodity plastics. For this, PLA/PCL blends were compounded in a batch and lab scale internal mixer and processed by means of injection molding. Tensile and impact characteristics were determined and compared to different thermoplastic materials, such as polypropylene, high density polyethylene, polystyrene, and others. It has been found that the incorporation of PCL into a PLA matrix can lead to materials in the range of 18.25 to 63.13 megapascals of tensile strength, 0.56 to 3.82 gigapascals of Young’s modulus, 12.65 to 3.27 percent of strain at maximum strength, and 35 to 2 kJ/m2 of notched impact strength. The evolution of the tensile strength fitted the Voigt and Reuss model, while Young’s modulus was successfully described by the rule of mixtures. Toughness of PLA was significantly improved with the incorporation of PCL, significantly increasing the energy required to fracture the specimens. Blends containing more than 20 wt% of PCL did not break when unnotched specimens were tested. Overall, it was found that the obtained PLA/PCL blends can constitute a strong and environmentally friendly alternative to oil-based commodity materials.

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