Life cycle engineering of a construction object

Building objects are anthropogenic objects that are born - planning, arise - design, develop - build and die - are demolished or modernized at the end of their lives. In this way, they create a life cycle in which human needs in the field of broadly understood construction are met.The article presents the use of engineering for the analysis and assessment of the construction life cycle."The essence of engineering object construction is the procedure leading to the creation of a safe object throughout its life cycle."

Using Ontologies in Autonomous Robots Engineering

The construction and operation of autonomous robots is heavily based of systemic conceptualizations of the reality constituted by the robot, its controller and the environment where it performs. In this chapter we address the role that computer ontologies play in the whole life cycle—engineering and operation—of autonomous robots: from its conception and construction by human engineering teams to deployment and autonomous operation in dynamic and uncertain environments. This chapter summarizes the state of the art, gives some examples and establishes a roadmap for future activity in this domain to produce shareable ontologies that could streamline autonomous robot development and exploitation.

A Life Cycle Engineering Perspective on Biocomposites as a Solution for a Sustainable Recovery

Composite materials, such as carbon fibre reinforced epoxies, provide more efficient structures than conventional materials through light-weighting, but the associated high energy demand during production can be extremely detrimental to the environment. Biocomposites are an emerging material class with the potential to reduce a product’s through-life environmental impact relative to wholly synthetic composites. As with most materials, there are challenges and opportunities with the adoption of biocomposites at the each stage of the life cycle. Life Cycle Engineering is a readily available tool enabling the qualification of a product’s performance, and environmental and financial impact, which can be incorporated in the conceptual development phase. Designers and engineers are beginning to actively include the environment in their workflow, allowing them to play a significant role in future sustainability strategies. This review will introduce Life Cycle Engineering and outline how the concept can offer support in the Design for the Environment, followed by a discussion of the advantages and disadvantages of biocomposites throughout their life cycle.