No / This paper presents a numerical modelling method to predict the shear behaviour of typical wall-stud cold-formed steel wall panels subjected to in-plane monotonic loads. In the research presented in this paper, different material and mechanical properties for cold-formed steel sheets, self-drilling screwed connectors and wall fixing boundary conditions were considered to explore the influence of sheath sheeting, connectors and fixing boundary conditions on the structural behaviour of selected wall panels. After the FE model being validated against experimental results, a parametric study was conducted and the comparison and analysis highlight the effect of different sheaths, connectors on to the structural shear behaviour of typical wall-stud cold-formed steel wall panels.

Doctor of Philosophy / This study emphasizes the need to incorporate sustainable practices into urban planning in Saudi Arabia, therefore helping the country's Vision 2030 goals for a greener future. The research focuses on developing a framework for constructing beautiful wall panels using recycled materials, which is critical for solving energy and environmental issues. By integrating several research methodologies, the study creates an initial framework that is subsequently refined with expert feedback. The findings suggest that employing recycled materials for these wall panels not only improves their beauty but also helps to create a more sustainable and environmentally responsible approach to building in Saudi Arabia. This study's findings provide architects and designers with practical suggestions to assist them in creating more sustainable construction practices in the region.

The advantages of cold-formed thin-walled steel studs are many and their applications in building constructions continue to grow. They are used as load-bearing members. An example is lightweight wall panel assemblies which consist of channel steel studs with gypsum plasterboard layers attached to the two flanges, often with interior insulation. At present, expensive fire tests or advanced numerical modelling methods are necessary in order to discover the fire resistance of such wall assemblies. For common practice this is not effective and a simplified method, suitable for use in daily design, is necessary. The aim of this research is to develop such simplified methods. The first main objective of this study is to develop a simple approach to calculate the temperature distributions in the steel section, in particular the temperatures on both the exposed and unexposed sides when the panel is exposed to fire exposure from one side. These two temperatures are the most influential factors in the fire resistance of this type of wall assembly. The proposed method calculates the average temperatures in the flanges of the steel section and assumes that the temperature in the web is linear. The proposed method is based on a simple heat balance analysis for a few nodes representing the key components of the wall panel. The thermal resistance of these nodes are obtained by the weighted average of thermal resistances in an effective width of the panel within which heat transfer in the panel width direction is assumed to occur. The proposed method has been extensively validated by comparison with numerical parametric studies. In order to calculate the ultimate capacity of steel studs, the traditional method is by using effective width. However, this method is now being questioned as it considers elements of section in isolation and does not consider interaction between the elements. In addition, this method is not appropriate to be extended to steel studs under fire conditions. The cross-section under fire conditions has non-uniform temperature distribution which results in the non-uniform distribution of mechanical properties. Using an effective width method to deal with this problem will require many assumptions whose accuracy is uncertain. Recently, the direct strength method (DSM) has been developed and its accuracy for ambient applications has been comprehensively validated. This method calculates cross-sectional plastic resistance and elastic critical loads for local, distortional and global buckling modes with the aid of simple computer programs. The elastic and plastic resistances are then combined to give the ultimate resistance of the structure using interaction equations. This method is suited to steel studs with non-uniform temperature distribution in the cross-section. The second main objective of this study is to extend the direct strength method for application to thin-walled steel studs having non-uniform elevated temperature distributions in the cross-section. It has been found that the DSM concept is applicable, but the interaction equations should be modified to allow for the effects of elevated temperature (non-uniform temperature distribution and changes in stress-strain relationships). Also the effects of thermal bowing should be included when calculating the plastic resistance and the elastic buckling loads of the cross-section. This research has proposed new interaction equations and has developed design tools. By comparing the results of the proposed method with validated Finite Element simulations over a very large range of parametric studies, the proposed method has been demonstrated to be valid. The validation studies include both standard and parametric fire exposures and are generally applicable.

<p> The slitted wall, a concept originally used to improve the properties of infilled wall panels, is applied to shear wall structures. An ordinary reinforced concrete wall and three slitted walls were tested under cycles of repeated lateral displacements. The effect of vertical load and the lengthening of the slits to full panel height was also investigated. </p> <p> The walls are compared by considering the different crack formations, stiffness deteriorations, load-deflection characteristics and energy properties. It is shown that vertical slits do not produce improvements to the lateral response of wall panels. The application of vertical loads is beneficial and the lengthening of the vertical slits to full panel height is detrimental to the behaviour of the wall panels. </p> / Thesis / Master of Engineering (ME)

No / This paper presents the structural behaviour of cold-formed steel cassette wall panels subjected to in-plane shear loads. To understand the influence of configuration, lining material and connector arrangement on the overall shear behaviour of typical cassette wall panels, different lining materials, fastener spacing and positions, edge stiffeners and specific boundary conditions were assumed in the numerical simulations. The comparison and analysis presented in this paper demonstrate typical effect factors to the load-bearing capacity of selected wall panel systems. In particular, the effect of wall opening to the structural shear behaviour of wall panels is highlighted.

Thesis (MBA)--Stellenbosch University, 2011. / This case study explores why the strategic positioning of the wall-panel heater, manufactured by Econo-Heat, justifies a green marketing strategy. The primary research objective is to provide Econo-Heat with a coherent marketing strategy framework, based on the outcome of the strategic analysis of the competitive positioning of the wall-panel heater. The following factors form the context of the study: the impact companies have on the environment, the energy crisis and the rising “green economy” in South Africa, and the increased consumer awareness about lifestyle consequences for the environment. The wall-panel heater uses convection-heating technology to warm rooms and has unique selling properties, such as being energy efficient, economical, effective and safe. Other space-heating products found in South Africa do not encapsulate all these qualities in one product. A strategic analysis done of the company revealed that the current competitive positioning of the wall-panel heater is a best-cost strategy. However, based on a literature review, the strategic analysis of the company and an exploration of the small household appliance consumer profile, the study found that the current competitive positioning of the wall-panel heater could be augmented. The combination of factors revealed by this study could be interpreted as push-factors towards the implementation of an applicable green marketing strategy that could support the re-positioning of the wall-panel heater to a broad-differentiated competitive positioning. These factors are the unique selling properties of the wall-panel heater, the lean manufacturing principles of the company, the rising green economy in the country, the energy crisis and the slow recovery from the global financial crisis in South Africa, as well as the unique characteristics of the environmentally-focused consumer. The view is held that green marketing can mitigate mass consumption. The case study suggests a future marketing strategy framework that consists of three combined elements. First, the argument is made that the unique selling properties of the wall-panel heater in combination with the unique operations of the company, against the backdrop of external factors that influence companies and consumers (i.e. the rising green economy and the energy crisis), could be utilised to discover new market space. The concept of “lateral marketing” is suggested as a framework should the company position itself to differentiate along the green dimension. Secondly, the “green marketing strategy matrix” is suggested as a framework to establish the size and greenness of its consumer segment, as well as the ability to differentiate along the green dimension. Lastly, the suggestion is made that the marketing objective of the company (its greenness) can be measured through the application of a “green marketing grid” that leads to innovation and the challenging of consumer behaviour. The combination of these elements is thought to form a coherent green marketing framework that could in future place the product at a strategic and competitive advantage within the space-heating industry.

Building envelopes are perhaps the most influencing players on assuring indoor comfort conditions, in alliance with their impact on the sustainability and energy-efficiency of the building during operation. However, given the multitude of commercial solutions available on the market and the use of different criteria and inconsistent semantics among the existing categorization/classification systems of construction objects, there is still a need for uniformization of the many regarding the main Prefabricated Enclosure Wall Panel Systems (PEWPS) for building applications.In such context, this paper firstly explores the distinct categories of off-site Modern Methods of Construction (MMC), and how can they be classified. Secondly, focus will be given to panelized systems, where the classification of PEWPS is thoroughly investigated, the size and complexity of individual components have a significant impact on the ease of installation of a system. Larger prefabricated panels are typically heavier and bulkier, making transportation and erection more difficult. Smaller panels are made up of more and smaller a component, which increases the amount of on-site construction labor. In this paper, costs have been reduced by Stainless Steel 316This thesis has tried to devise a solution which balances the manufacture’s need to make a repetitive solution many times with an industry that generally designs a specific solution for each enclosure system.Customer-caused losses include inefficiencies such as frequent design and specificationmodifications, as well as delays due to missing approvals. The Lean Construction Institute hasaided in the transformation of the construction culture through the application of agile and leanphilosophies, principles, and techniques. This paper has highlighted the non-conformities at the organization and the NCR to curtail this to reduce costs and internal quality.

Structural engineers have traditionally detailed structures with structural and fabrication efficiency in mind, but often based on a limited understanding of thermal efficiency. Some connection designs can create significant thermal bridging, leading to unnecessary heat transfer and even premature degradation through condensation. Thermal bridging occurs when heat transfer is given a path through a more conductive material like concrete or steel rather than insulation. Concrete sandwich wall panels (SWP) tend to be highly efficient at preventing heat transfer in the middle of panels, with greatest heat transfer occurring at connections. This project identified thermally efficient details for future SWP construction to reduce heat transfer, lessen environmental impact, and increase sustainability of SWP structures. It can be particularly difficult to avoid thermal bridging at corbel connections, so 12 corbel specimens were created and tested to provide alternative corbel design options for engineers. Nine details were successfully created and are presented. Corbel specimens were modeled using the Beam-Spring Method with good agreement. After validating the Beam-Spring Model, a parametric study investigated effectiveness of the PCI Second Order Analysis and the effect of length, panel stiffness, and wythe configuration on SWP behavior under axial and flexural loads.

"Review of the literature shows that the reported correlation between predictions and experimental data of flame spread vary greatly. The discrepancies displayed by the models are generally attributed to inaccurate input parameters, user effects, and inadequacy of the model. In most experiments, the metric to which the model is deemed accurate is based on the prediction of the heat release rate, but flame spread is a highly complex phenomenon that should not be simplified as such. Moreover, fire growth models are usually made up of distinctive groups of calculation on separate physical phenomena to predict processes that drive fire growth. Inaccuracies of any of these “sub-models” will impact the overall flame spread prediction, hence identifying the sources of error and sensitivity of the subroutines may aid in the development of more accurate models. Combating this issue required that the phenomenon of flame spread be decomposed into four components to be studied separately: turbulent fluid dynamics, flame temperature, flame heat transfer, and condensed phase pyrolysis. Under this framework, aspects of a CFD model may be validated individually and cohesively. However, a lack of comprehensive datasets in the literature hampered this process. Hence, three progressively more complex sets of experiments, from free plume fires to fires against an inert wall to combustible wall fires, were conducted in order to obtain a variety of measurements related to the four inter-related components of flame spread. Multiple permutations of the tests using different source fuels, burner size, and source fire heat release rate allowed a large amount of comparable data to be collected for validation of different fire configurations. FDS simulations using mostly default parameters were executed and compared against the experimental data, but found to be inaccurate. Parametric study of the FDS software shows that there are little definitive trends in the correlation between changes in the predicted quantities and the modeling parameters. This highlights the intricate relationships shared between the subroutines utilized by FDS for calculations related to the four components of flame spread. This reveals a need to examine the underlying calculation methods and source code utilized in FDS."

Subject of the master's thesis is project planning and management of construction of apartment building in Ždírci nad Doubravou. There is prepared a technical report on the structural and technological project, situation with broder relations roadways, time and financial plan, studies the implementation of major technological stages, project construction site, design of building machines and mechanisms, plan for securing materiál resources, technological regulation for contact thermal insulation system, inspection and test plans contact thermal insulation system, budget of the main object, network graph of the construction process.