SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT FOR R/C BUILDING VULNERABILITY INDEX AND MEMBER IMPORTANCE CALCULATION Turkey has many active faults which have the potential to generate large earthquakes. Recent earthquakes showed that the buildings in Turkey are not well designed and vulnerable to earthquakes. Previous studies on the subject showed that many structures in Turkey need to be strengthened before the next major earthquake to minimize property loss and casualties. A number of fast and approximate (mostly empirical) methods have been developed in the past to process large building stock. However, there are some important and special structures that do not fit with the general building stock and needs special consideration (e.g., disaster management center, governmental buildings, hospitals, tall structures, etc.). This study targets to evaluate those important and special structures in a detailed, fast, and correct manner. The developed software, which constitutes an important part of this study, does process the building information several times to determine member-based importance factors. The vulnerability index of the building will be determined using the importance of each load-carrying member and how much each member is forced with respect to its capacity. In order to augment user perception, a functional graphical user-interface is designed. Software is equipped with modules that generate input files for SAP2000 analysis program, conduct dynamic and static analysis automatically, and postprocess the generated analysis results which enable the engineer to make a decision on the vulnerability of the structure. Program is written in C++, using object-oriented programming technique. The main difference between this and similar studies is the generator program which automatically generates 3D-FE models and post-processes nonlinear analysis results for an effective decision mechanism. In this way, more realistic results can be obtained much faster. As future studies, new routines are planned to be implemented to the graphical user interface of the program which will suggest smart and engineered retrofit/strengthening alternatives to the user.

The aim of this study was to investigate the quantifiable planimetric design efficiency of residential buildings designed to be built with &amp / #147 / Autoclaved &AElig / rated Concrete&amp / #148 / (AAC) panels. Focus was on the effects of plan shape, plan size and layout organization and the modularity of vertical AAC wall panels on the planimetric design efficiency of residential buildings. To this end, relevant analyses were conducted on 30 residential building projects obtained from the design office of an AAC panel manufacturing firm in T&uuml / rkiye, AKG Gazbeton. The lengths, widths and areas of building elements (quantitative data) were then calculated from the production drawings of these building. A total of fifteen ratios, which were considered relevant to the study as indicators of design efficiency, were computed by using this quantitative data. This was followed by the construction of frequency distribution tables and histograms showing the variations of the computed ratios. At the final phase, Analyses of Variance (ANOVA) were conducted to determine the source of variation and Chi-Square tests conducted to determine whether or not the distributions could be considered &amp / #145 / normal&amp / #146 / . According to the results of the study, it was found that plan shape and plan size of building projects together with their layout organizations, were the main influential factors on the efficiency of their wall and floor areas. It was also found that the modularity of vertical wall panels used in these buildings was another important factor to be considered in planimetric design efficiency.

Economic instabilities in our country over the past few decades and improvement in communication technologies, have encouraged Turkish construction firms to utilize business opportunities in foreign countries. However, working abroad brings with it certain risks and problems. The aim of this thesis were to define and clarify problematic factors during the design stages in international design projects (IDP), to collect relevant suggested solutions and to try and determine the sources of these factors. The survey starts with general problems and/or factors which affect international projects and continues to examine whether these problems are the same as those faced in the architectural field. Also, the place of the Turkish construction industry in the world market, the reasons for the increase in international projects and the problems which might be faced while executing IDP have formed the scope of this thesis. To this end informal interviews were carried out with managers and design professionals of architectural firms, based in Ankara, which were involved in international projects, in order to determine types of problems encountered in execution of IDPs. The first questionnaire was based on insight gained from these interviews. Thereafter, the results of the first questionnaire formed the basis of the second questionnaire, which was delivered more extensively. According to the research carried out in this study, the major effective factors in execution of IDPs could be listed as, cultural differences, communication within the project team, information technologies, standards and regulations, client and local authorities and economical situation of target country.

Construction cost indices are developed to measure the degree of price variations in construction material and labor costs. However, each specific type of construction is a combination of unique set of materials and labor. As such, the degree of price variations referring to each specific type of construction shall be measured by specific price indices, in order to achieve more accurate results. In Turkey, Producer Price Index (PPI) published by State Statistics Institute is commonly used for the escalation of building costs. This study aims to compare the existing cost indices as well as new alternative cost indices in terms of their adequacy for the representation of variations in the building costs in Turkey. The developed price indices will be tested to measure their fit with the cost of building projects, will be compared with the price indices published by the Ministry of Public Works and Settlement and also State Statistics Institute, and finally the most adequate price indices among the examined ones to be used for building projects will be selected. Moreover, models representing past price movements will be developed.

Most common building materials are polymer based. Thus toxic products evolving from burning polymers is the single most important factor in fire fatalities. Fire hazard calculations require modelling of heat generation, toxic combustion products generation and its transport in realistic building scenarios involving common building material. However, the thermal decomposition, combustion behaviour and chemical kinetics for common polymers like wood, plastics, rubber and textiles are extremely complex. In the present study, a methodology (STEM-LER: the Scalar Transport Equation based Model using the Local Equivalence Ratio concept) based on solving separate transport equations for the species and using the yield correlations obtained from bench-scale experiments to model the source terms is proposed to predict the products generation and its transport during enclosure fires. Modelling of complex solid phase degradation and chemical kinetics of polymers is bypassed by measuring the product yields as a function of equivalence ratio by burning the samples in a bench-scale combustion apparatus called Purser furnace. Since the accuracy of prediction depends upon the quality of the yield data obtained from the Purser furnace, attempts were also made to numerically investigate this bench-scale toxicity test method in order to understand its modus operandi. Finally, a preliminary assessment on the effect of cable fires on building evacuation for the simulated fire scenarios was carried out using a sophisticated evacuation model.

The focus of this thesis is on the prediction of sound attenuation through a lined duct, based on a mathematical model. Ducts with a single section as well as multi-segmented sections are discussed. The duct of interest has a rectangular cross-section as normally used for ventilation purposes. The mean flow in a ventilation duct is very low and can be neglected. In this thesis, two-dimensional analytical models are developed for sound transmission in a series of different duct configurations. Two models of the lining behaviour are considered, either locally-reacting or bulk-reacting. The models are used first to obtain the transverse and axial wavenumbers of various modes of the duct. The required finite numbers of wavenumbers are tracked using Müller’s method. The wavenumbers are traced from a very low frequency to high frequency using small frequency steps. It is found that, for a duct with a bulk-reacting lining, the number of modes with a transverse wavenumber below a particular value may exceed the corresponding number of modes in a duct with a locally-reacting lining. These additional modes are termed lining modes. The number of lining modes depends on the lining thickness. Dispersion curves are presented for both types of lining. The transmission of sound through the duct is then calculated using the mode-matching technique. The mode-matching model allows analysis of multi-modal wave propagation in the duct. The model is first developed for an infinitely long rigid duct with a finite length of lined insert. The estimation from the locally reacting model, that is widely available in the literature, is compared with the estimation from the newly developed bulk-reacting model. Although the locally reacting model often overestimates the performance of a bulk-reacting lining it is found that this is not always the case, especially for a small lining thickness and at lower frequencies where the locally reacting model may under-estimate the performance. The analytical model is then extended to a multi-segmented lining where the lined section is uniformly segmented with rigid walled sections in a periodic manner. For a bulk-reacting lining, the segmented arrangement renders the lining more similar to the behaviour of a duct with a locally-reacting lining and improves the peak attenuation. Little improvement is found in the case of a multi-segmented locally-reacting lining. The effect of duct height, lining thickness and lining flow resistivity on sound attenuation is studied using the analytical model. Experiments are presented which validate the analytical model.

The design of the physical learning environment (PLE) in Higher Education facilities, has been found to influence students’ satisfaction (Hill & Epps, 2010, Riley, 2013, Yang & Mino, 2013). With the initiation of the Teaching Excellence Framework, the consideration of students’ satisfaction is becoming more prominent. Beckers et al. (2016a) concluded that further research should explore preferences of students to identify if preferences differed between groups of students. Features of the PLE were identified that required further examination as to the impact they can have on students’ satisfaction, specifically, their individual requirements, which may be influenced by their personality traits. In the quality of the PLE; it was also noted that the sense of community is important. Utilising a sequential mixed methods design this research aimed to identify students’ specific requirements of their PLE. Case study methodology was adopted in Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU), across the schools Art and Design, Built Environment, Engineering and Business. Surveys were used to examine relationships with features of the PLE, school specific requirements and personality traits. Factor analysis was conducted to identify components of the PLE. Focus groups were undertaken with students to explore students’ perceptions of the PLE and expand current understanding regarding students’ specific requirements. Utilising grounded theory analysis, features of the PLE were identified and a framework developed. The research found that there is a notable difference in preferences for features within the PLE between students in different schools, and that these differences may be due to the influence of personality traits. The research also identified a framework for defining what students perceive to be a quality PLE. Alongside which, features of the PLE that students identify as being important for the development of a sense of community were identified. The research has led to the development of a framework for the design of the PLE based on students’ specific requirements that can be used to inform universities of the aspects of design to consider in future developments or refurbishments. Validation of the findings of this research was also conducted to evaluate the usefulness of the final framework.

The concept of sustainable construction is increasingly being recognised, not only as a way to reduce the environmental impact of construction, but as a valuable business strategy. Stakeholders such as companies, professional bodies, government and the education sector all have the ability to have an influence on sustainability as it is being incorporated into agendas by the government and firms. Educational institutions can take it one step further by preparing future construction professionals to enter into a changing-and hopefully sustainable industry. This research focuses on the impact that education can have on this preparation with the use of psychological constructs. This thesis contributes to original knowledge by outlining the development of a measurement tool designed specifically to tap into sustainable construction attitudes. This tool was also used to assess the level of sustainability within built environment curriculum. The research was conducted in four phases, with phase four making the contribution to knowledge. All phases were carried out using a sequential mixed methodology where quantitative data was collected in phases one and two and qualitative interviews were carried out in phase three. In phase four, quantitative data was collected before and after the intervention and subsequently analysed. This was followed by qualitative data in the form of reflective student essays. A phenomenographic approach was used to analyse qualitative data, which investigates the different ways individuals can experience or understand something. The conclusions drawn from phase four were that the quantitative results indicated that student attitudes did not improve positively after the project. However, phenomenography revealed that all students experienced increased knowledge and attitudes did indeed change. With relation to psychological constructs, it was determined that the personality traits 'conscientiousness' and 'agreeableness' were associated with sustainabilitv the most. Emotional intelligence was found to be most significant with social issues of sustain ability followed by environmental issues which lends support to the view that emotional intelligence can extend from caring about others to caring for the environment.

The central idea behind the newly developed toxicity model is the use of the Local Equivalence Ratio (LER). The species yields as functions of the Global Equivalence Ratio (GER) and temperature are input parameters of this model. Correlations for most building materials are available from small-scale fire experiments. Similar approaches to this method are also developed using the CO/CO2 and H2/H2O mole ratios. The LER methodology is further refined by an approach which divides the computational domain for the calculation of toxic gases into two parts, a control region in which the toxic gases are dependent on the LER and temperature, and a transport region in which the toxic gas concentrations are dependent on the mixing of hot gases with fresh air. The toxicity model is then extended to two-fuel cases. In the two-fuel model, the LER is a function of the two mixture fractions, which are used to represent the mixture of the two different fuels, oxygen and combustion products. This model is useful in simulating residential fires, in which wood lining of sidewalls or ceilings is the second fuel. Finally, the transportation of HCI within fire compartments is considered. A mathematical model is developed to simulate the exchange of HCI between gas boundary and wall surfaces and the reaction of HCI with walls. All the toxicity models developed in this study can be integrated into the practical volumetric heat source approach and the Eddy Break-up (EBU) combustion model typically used in practical engineering analysis.

This is a detailed study of learning in the context of dry stone walling. It examines what happens in the learning situation. The aim of this work was: 'To understand the nature of expertise in dry stone walling, how it is understood by those practising the craft, and how it is transmitted to others'. The main research questions were, therefore: What happens when dry stone wallers are learning their craft? How do they acquire expertise in dry stone walling? How is this learning communicated? This process necessitated developing a way of engaging with the practitioners, eliciting descriptive data about what they were doing, and why they were doing it, through interviews (or conversations) with both individuals and groups, whilst they practiced their skill. Twenty three wailers were interviewed as they worked, building walls. The material obtained was analysed under seven different themes: 'Knowing how' The use of tacit knowledge or intuition 'Flow' Constant decision making, reflection and learning from mistakes Individual and subjective variations and experiences The relevance of emotion The use of 'rules of thumb' or maxims. Learning walling does not fit simply into any of the seven themes. It is contextualised, complex and individual. It demonstrates tacit knowledge and intuition. It involves emotion, sometimes consciously, sometimes not. It involves memory, problem solving, and learning from mistakes, and reflection. Maxims or 'rules of thumb' were a key element in the learning process at all stages. Linear stages of learning were not evidenced. Deep understanding of the practice is evidenced, and the wider learning and teaching implications are explored.