scholarly journals Current State of Modern Rammed Construction: A Case Study of First Peoples House after Seven Years Exposure

2015 ◽  
Vol 666 ◽  
pp. 63-76 ◽  
Author(s):  
Allan Kailey ◽  
Gupta Rishi

This paper presents a study on the current condition of the First Peoples House, located at the University of Victoria in British Columbia. The building houses two rammed earth walls that exemplify the use of stabilized rammed earth as a modern construction material. These rammed earth walls have been exposed to 7 years of natural weathering in a wet climate. A rebound hammer, infrared camera, and a new method developed to quantify surface deterioration were used in Non-Destructive Testing (NDT). The results provided insight into the compressive strength, thermal envelope and surface condition of the walls. Relationships between wind direction and wind speed are presented. It is postulated that the wall that is most exposed to a combination of both effects will exhibit the largest forms of deterioration. This hypothesis was addressed using results from NDT and local wind data.

Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 325
Author(s):  
Giada Giuffrida ◽  
Maurizio Detommaso ◽  
Francesco Nocera ◽  
Rosa Caponetto

The renewed attention paid to raw earth construction in recent decades is linked to its undoubted sustainability, cost-effectiveness, and low embodied energy. In Italy, the use of raw earth as a construction material is limited by the lack of a technical reference standard and is penalised by the current energy legislation for its massive behaviour. Research experiences, especially transoceanic, on highly performative contemporary buildings made with natural materials show that raw earth can be used, together with different types of reinforcements, to create safe, earthquake-resistant, and thermally efficient buildings. On the basis of experimental data of an innovative fibre-reinforced rammed earth material, energy analyses are developed on a rammed earth building designed for a Mediterranean climate. The paper focuses on the influences that different design solutions, inspired by traditional bioclimatic strategies, and various optimised wall constructions have in the improvement of the energy performance of the abovementioned building. These considerations are furthermore compared with different design criteria aiming at minimising embodied carbon in base material choice, costs, and discomfort hours. Results have shown the effectiveness of using the combination of massive rammed earth walls, night cross ventilation, and overhangs for the reduction of energy demand for space cooling and the improvement of wellbeing. Finally, the parametric analysis of thermal insulation has highlighted the economic, environmental, and thermophysical optimal solutions for the rammed earth envelope.


2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 1296 ◽  
Author(s):  
Quoc-Bao Bui ◽  
Tan-Trung Bui ◽  
Mai-Phuong Tran ◽  
Thi-Loan Bui ◽  
Hoang-An Le

Rammed earth (RE) is a construction material which is made by compacting the soil in a formwork. This material is attracting the attention of the scientific community due to its sustainable characteristics. Among different aspects to be investigated, the seismic performance remains an important topic which needs advanced investigations. The existing studies in the literature have mainly adopted simplified approaches to investigate the seismic performance of RE structures. The present paper adopts a numerical approach to investigate the seismic behavior of RE walls with an L-form cross-section. The 3D FEM model used can take into account the plasticity and damage of RE layers and the interfaces. The model was first validated by an experimental test presented in the literature. Then, the model was employed to assess the seismic performance of a L-form wall of a RE house at different amplitudes of earthquake excitations. Influences of the cross-section form on the earthquake performance of RE walls were also investigated. The results show that the L-form cross-section wall has a better seismic performance than a simple rectangular cross-section wall with similar dimensions. For the L-form cross-section wall, the damage observed concentrates essentially on the connection between two flanges of the wall.


2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 ◽  
pp. 1-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Q.-B. Bui ◽  
T.-T. Bui ◽  
R. El-Nabouch ◽  
D.-K. Thai

Rammed earth (RE) is a construction material which is manufactured by compacting soil by layers within a formwork to build a monolithic wall. RE material is the subject of numerous scientific researches during the last decade because of the significant heritage of RE buildings and the sustainable properties of this material: low embodied energy, substantial thermal inertia, and natural regulator of moisture. The seismic performance of RE buildings is an interesting topic which needs to be thoroughly investigated. This paper presents a numerical study which assesses the relevancy of a seismic reinforcement technique for RE walls by using two vertical steel rods installed at two extremities of the walls. The discrete element method (DEM) was used to model unreinforced and reinforced RE walls. These walls were first loaded with a vertical stress on the top to simulate the vertical loads and then submitted to a horizontal loading on the top to simulate the seismic action. Two current cases of RE buildings were investigated: one-storey and two-storey buildings. The results showed that the reinforcement technique enhanced the maximum horizontal force about 25% and 10%, respectively, for the cases of one- and two-storey buildings. Higher effectiveness of this reinforcement technique is expected for RE materials having higher compressive strength, for example, stabilized RE.


Author(s):  
Tania Maritza Díaz Macías ◽  
Leila María Álava Barreiro ◽  
Diana Stefani Velásquez García

The work aims to provoke critical educational reflections on the current state of the scientific-pedagogical conception of inclusive education in the university context. In this sense, we are aware of the existence of an extremely positive conceptual evolution in recent times. It is necessary to articulate new discourses and teaching practices that project and illuminate the idea that inclusive education as a permanent process of change in education and for which the development of psychological activities outlined in resilience can play an important role. The Ecuadorian higher education system has experienced, for a few years, changes of great pedagogical interest. In this framework, a whole process of generating educational policies and inclusive education is shown, taking as a framework the professors and managers of the Technical University of Manabí (UTM) (Ecuador), to contribute to the greater inclusive development of the said university. The main challenges for university institutions regarding fostering the resilience of the academic process are presented.


Author(s):  
N.R. Madhava Menon

The purpose of looking at Indian universities in a comparative perspective is obviously to locate it among higher education institutions across the world and to identify its strengths and weaknesses in the advancement of learning and research. In doing so, one can discern the directions for reform in order to put the university system in a competitive advantage for an emerging knowledge society. This chapter looks at the current state of universities in India and highlights the initiatives under way for change and proposes required policy changes.


2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 51-83
Author(s):  
Davide Tanasi ◽  
Stephan Hassam ◽  
Kaitlyn Kingsland ◽  
Paolo Trapani ◽  
Matthew King ◽  
...  

Abstract The archaeological site of the Domus Romana in Rabat, Malta was excavated almost 100 years ago yielding artefacts from the various phases of the site. The Melite Civitas Romana project was designed to investigate the domus, which may have been the home of a Roman Senator, and its many phases of use. Pending planned archaeological excavations designed to investigate the various phases of the site, a team from the Institute for Digital Exploration from the University of South Florida carried out a digitization campaign in the summer of 2019 using terrestrial laser scanning and aerial digital photogrammetry to document the current state of the site to provide a baseline of documentation and plan the coming excavations. In parallel, structured light scanning and photogrammetry were used to digitize 128 artefacts in the museum of the Domus Romana to aid in off-site research and create a virtual museum platform for global dissemination.


Solar Energy ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 141 ◽  
pp. 70-80 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lucile Soudani ◽  
Monika Woloszyn ◽  
Antonin Fabbri ◽  
Jean-Claude Morel ◽  
Anne-Cécile Grillet

2021 ◽  
Vol 1022 ◽  
pp. 80-86
Author(s):  
Mikhail G. Kholodnyak ◽  
Sergey A. Stelmakh ◽  
Evgeniy M. Shcherban ◽  
Mukhuma P. Nazhuev

The paper considers the current state of the mineral raw material base and the construction material market of the Rostov Region. The effect of various factors on the strain-stress behavior of local limestones has been investigated. The scientific and technical literary sources devoted to the processes of rock failure under various loads have been analyzed. The experimental studies have shown that the tested samples of limestone with a high content of cuboidal grains have characteristics comparable to those of the crushed granite stone. It has been concluded that the use of the Rostov Region limestones in the construction industry is competitive and feasible, provided the proper implementation of the engineering measures proposed in their production.


2016 ◽  
Vol 78 (11) ◽  
Author(s):  
N. S. Rusli ◽  
I. Z. Abidin ◽  
S. A. Aziz

Eddy current thermography is one of the non-destructive testing techniques that provide advantages over other active thermography techniques in defect detection and analysis. The method of defect detection in eddy current thermography has become reliable due to its mode of interactions i.e. eddy current heating and heat diffusion, acquired via an infrared camera. Such ability has given the technique the advantages for non-destructive testing applications. The experimental parameters and settings which contribute towards optimum heating and defect detection capability have always been the focus of research associated with the technique. In addition, the knowledge and understanding of the characteristics heat distribution surrounding a defect is an important factor for successful inspection results. Thus, the quantitative characterisation of defect by this technique is possible compared to the conventional non-destructive which only acquired qualitative result. In this paper, a review of the eddy current thermography technique is presented which covers the physical principles of the technique, associated systems and its applications. Works on the application of the technique have been presented and discussed which demonstrates the ability of eddy current thermography for non-destructive testing of conductive materials.   


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