Esta Dissertação de Mestrado trata da pesquisa e do estudo das esquadrias de alumínio para a construção civil de edifícios, nas diversas categorias de uso. Considera os aspectos referentes ao histórico do metal, aos processos de produção do alumínio e dos perfis para fabricação de esquadrias, à especificação técnica das esquadrias com suas diferentes tipologias, multiplicidade de usos e aplicações e desempenho técnico-construtivo do material. O objetivo deste trabalho é desenvolver literatura didática a respeito do sistema de vãos janelas de alumínio, de modo a orientar os profissionais da construção civil, particularmente os arquitetos, no emprego do material, aliando adequação técnica, estética e demais pormenores, além de promover a otimização de custos numa relação de custo-benefício. O produto resultante da pesquisa inserida nesta Dissertação poderá contribuir e auxiliar na elaboração do projeto e na especificação técnica das esquadrias de alumínio nos edifícios, sempre de maneira responsável e consciente. / This Masters Degree Dissertation is about the research and the study of the aluminum building products for doors and windows, considering the following aspects: the metals historic; the production process of aluminum and profiles for the windows fabrication; the technical specification of the windows, its typologies, its multiplicity of uses and applications and the performance technical constructive of the material. The objective of this job is to develop teaching literature about space systems aluminum windows, in order to orientate the professionals of civil construction, particularly the architects, to use material with the best possible way, allying technical adaptation, aesthetics, and others details, and to promote the cost optimization. The resulting of the research inside this Dissertation could contribute and helps in the technical specification, responsible and conscious, of the aluminum windows and doors for buildings.

Transportation Energy Analysis for Single-Family Residential Construction in California Tyler Langley Since the oil crisis of 1973, energy use in the United States of America has been a growing area of concern. Studies have shown that the construction industry is responsible for almost half of all annual energy consumption. With this awareness, the analysis of energy use within the related construction fields has become an emergent subject. One facet of construction energy use that has been less studied than others is that of the energy consumed in transporting building materials from manufacturing plants to construction sites. This thesis proposes a methodology for determining the energy consumed during the transportation of building materials to a construction site and applies this methodology to estimate the transportation component of the total energy consumed in the lifecycle of a residential building in California. Comparisons are then drawn among the embodied energy of the materials used in the construction of the building, the energy used to transport the materials and the products used in the on-site assembly of the building, and the energy consumed during the occupancy of the building. The first chapter covers the intent of the thesis, as well as a categorization and explanation of the main areas of energy usage in the construction industry. This is followed by a delineation of the methodology used to research transportation energy. Chapter 2 details the development of the framework that is discussed in Chapter 1. This includes the unique problem areas of calculating transportation energy, the resulting parameters that focus the area of study, and the general assumptions derived from those parameters. Chapter 3 is a case study of a single-family two-story house in northern California. First, the considerations and reasons for the choice are defined, establishing this as a representative residence for the area. The material choices and structural system choices are also discussed. Then, the framework introduced in Chapter 2 is applied in the case study. This introduces more case-specific problems in the types of calculations used for estimating transportation energy. Chapter 4 contains a summary of the findings as well as a reflection on the process followed by suggestions for future research and application for the subject of transportation energy usage. In this summary, it is shown that the energy used in transportation of materials to the site of the case study house amounts to 10.5 million Btu, which is roughly 2.5% of the embodied energy, and 21% of the occupational energy usage per year.

A significant number of building materials are based on wood. Wood competes with other materials and products for many building applications from structural framing to cladding. Wood appears to be preferable because of its aesthetic and structural properties, its versatility, economic cost and environmental benefits. However, timber wastage within the construction industry is incalculable. Waste occurs at all stages of the timber resource stream: procurement, conversion, installation, use, maintenance, dismantling and eventual disposal. Much of this loss can be avoided through eco-design strategies based on a better understanding of the total resource flows. This thesis addresses the ecological implications associated with the use and over-exploitation of timber in building construction. Applying bio-sensitive design principles and using a life cycle approach, the thesis examines ways of maximising timber resource yield through appropriate materials selection, design strategies and construction techniques to reduce their ecological footprint. Finally, an easy-to-use guide that incorporates economic and aesthetic-value criteria to the analysis is developed. The guide is aimed to offer a flexible decision-support tool that enables designers and other people involved in the construction industry to comprehend in a systematic way, the multiple dimensions interacting when selecting timber-building products. It is thus, intended to explore in practice the implications and trade-offs of state of the art timber products with the ultimate aim of integrating the ecological dimension to the decision-making process.

In 1987, Congress authorized a 5 year $150 million dollar research program called the Strategic Highway Research Program (SHRP). SHRP was divided into four major areas, including the asphalt research program. The asphalt research program was divided into six major research contracts, one such contract, SHRP-003A was called Performance Related Testing and Measuring of Asphalt Aggregate Interaction and Mixtures. Oregon State University performed the portion of this contract related to the development and validation of accelerated test procedures for aging, low temperature cracking, and moisture sensitivity of asphalt-aggreagte mixtures. This thesis contains five independent papers that discuss elements of the development, validation, and or implementation of these accelerated test procedures. In the first paper, the relationship between field performance and laboratory aging properties of asphalt-aggregate mixtures is discussed, including the relative importance of asphalt binder and aggregate type on the amount of aging experience. Based on this work recommended aging procedures are presented to simulate different environmental conditions and pavement age. The second paper makes use of the large body of resilient modulus data conducted as part of the SHRP research effort to compare data obtain in the diametral and the triaxial mode. It is not possible to give a relationship between triaxial and diametral resilient modulus, without describing specimen geometry and other test conditions. The third paper discusses the effect of aging on the thermal cracking properties of asphalt-aggregate mixtures. The temperature at which aging occurs affects the way cold temperature fracture properties change with time. Low temperatures result in quenching of the aging process, while high temperatures result in continued aging. The fourth paper discusses work conducted in association with the Oregon Department of Transportation to extend the environmental conditioning system (ECS) test procedure for moisture assessment to open graded mixtures. Comparison in the ECS of mixtures with and without anti-strip agents added indicates that they don't always decrease moisture damage potential. The final paper presents a discussion of asphalt chemistry and its relationship to asphalt-aggregate mixture performance. Using the SHRP asphalt model, aging and low temperature performance data collected at Oregon State University is explained. / Graduation date: 1995

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 2006. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 191-196).

Thesis (M.A. in applied economics)--Washington State University, May 2007. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 71-73).

This study examined the effects of construction types on the indoor environment of selected prison facilities in the State of Texas. Three collocated facilities of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice were monitored for temperature, relative humidity and barometric pressure over a period of fifteen months. The objectives of the study were to examine the response of the built environment to the stressors of ambient conditions, characterize the influence of the construction method for each facility and study the responses of the occupants of the buildings. From the data, an apparent temperature was calculated and then compared to the data collected by the regional National Weather Service facility for ambient conditions. A relationship between the type of facility and the resulting indoor environmental conditions was established. The construction materials chosen for a particular facility affected not only the rate of heating of the indoor environment but also the maximum temperature, apparent temperature and thermal variation experienced by the occupants. The peak temperature and relative humidity were higher in the metal facilities when compared to the concrete facility. Therefore, the difference in occupant living conditions was considerable when the internal environmental conditions (temperature and humidity) were compared between construction types. The concrete construction also moderated the changes in the occupant environment through a lag of internal conditions behind those of the external environment. This resulted in a slower apparent temperature rise over the course of the day in the concrete buildings and a delay in the internal high temperature of the day. Finally, the data shows that measures of aggression vary with the seasonal changes, Increasing in the warming months and decreasing in the cooling months. This increase in the metal constructed facilities is greater than the rate of increase found in the concrete constructed facility.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Oklahoma, 1998. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 215-221).

M. Tech. Civil Engineering / Composites of synthetic polymers and natural organic materials, used as fillers, find a wide application due to biodegradability, renewability, low-cost recyclability, low specific gravity, low weight, and non-abrasiveness to processing equipment. These composites find application in various areas such as automotive interior, households, ornaments, building, and packaging. In spite of these advantages, use of these materials as reinforcement or filler in thermoplastics in general and in polyolefin in particular, is not as extensive as expected. This is due to their limited thermal stability during processing, poor dispersion in the thermoplastic melt and limited compatibility with the matrix as well as poor toughness and stress transfer efficiency. The main objective of this research was to determine the suitability and performance of natural fibre reinforced polyolefin foam composite material as a possible construction material.

published_or_final_version / Civil and Structural Engineering / Master / Master of Philosophy