Detta examensarbete, på uppdrag av Atlas Copco Rock Drills AB, syftar till att kartlägga de problem gällande vibrationer som finns och uppstår vid användandet av produkten Scaletec MC och komma med förslag till lösningar på ett nytt system som bättre hanterar vibrationer än det befintliga. Lösningarna är avgränsade till hytten och hyttens koppling mot ramen. Kartläggningen av Scaletec MC visade att den största problemskaparen är den långa bommen med den tunga hydraulhammaren framtill. Den skapar rörelse i hytten både vid skrotning och vid transport. Vid transport är även den odämpade stolen, de ojämna vägarna och det faktum att axlarna är stela ett stort problem som genererar helkroppsvibrationer hos operatören. Konceptfasen fokuserade på att hitta en robust och kompakt konstruktion som med rätt val av frihetsgrader skulle kunna lösa de existerande problemen med vibrationer. Arbetet resulterade i två lösningar som på ett kontrollerat sätt hanterar de vibrationer som uppstår vid skrotning och transport. Det ena konceptet syftar till att åtgärda de brister dagens system besitter medan det andra även är anpassat för att hantera större vibrationsnivåer. / The aim of this thesis, commissioned by Atlas Copco Rock Drills AB, is to investigate the vibration problems concerning the Scaletec MC and give proposals on new concept solutions that improve the handling of the vibration problems. The solutions are limited to the cabin and the cabins connection to the frame. The conclusion tells us that the most important issue is the long reaching boom with the hydraulic hammer attached to it. This assembly creates movements in the cabin during scaling and transportation. The non-damped transportation chair, the rough roads and the stiff axles are also factors that create problems with whole body vibrations. The concept phase focused on finding a robust and compact design that, with the correct degree of freedoms, reduces the influence of the vibrations. The result consists of two solutions, both controlling and managing the existing vibrations. The first solution focuses on the flaws that the existing system possesses and the other is designed to handle greater vibration levels.

The main goal with the master thesis has been to do a status evaluation of the chain machinery with its start chain and wire to secure the production on a short basis due to that a reconstruction is not planned at this time. An evaluation of the condition of the start chain and the rollers in the chain depository has been done. An offer has been requested for a new start chain and the evaluation of the start chains may be a basis for the decision taking. The production has been able to go on, although it has arisen some problems which have been difficult to find the causes for. There is no gathered “picture” of the machinery status and a mapping of each machinery has been compiled of comprehensive logs. Observations and measurements have also been done to prove and elucidate the biggest problems. After the compilation a concentration has been done of the two most frequently problems during the last years, that is to say, 2006 to 2008. The work has finally fallen into suggestions for improvements of routines and suggestions for concepts for construction changes to keep a continuous stable production until a bigger reconstruction will be made. The two problems which have been focused on were the “limit-switches” for the wires and the heat-radiation-shields situated under the tilt bridges. The arrangement for the wire problem shown to be quite simple to implement and its cause was due to that the friction was to big in the shackle, which function is to be pressed down by the wire, and thereby didn’t trigger an alarm on the computer screens. To prevent this, lubrication was done for respective shackle to sustain the production for a short period of time. Although there have been done some concepts to sustain the production for a longer period of time. The problems concerning the heat-radiation-shields under the tilt bridges can be solved mainly by changed maintenance routines, which have been attached in the list which has been formed.

Civil infrastructure construction sites including incomplete structures and unsecured resources are among the most vulnerable environments to hurricane conditions. Hurricane driven damages cause disruption of construction sites and considerable schedule delays, and thus negatively impact the efficiency of the construction projects. This research aims to study current best practices on securing construction sites from hurricane conditions and evaluate the performance of the preparedness plan. To do that, first, an interview-survey is conducted with key project personnel from multiple construction companies. Then, the insight from the interviews serves to do a Micro and Macro Environmental Analysis. For further analysis, a Balanced Scorecard is used to suggest metrics to measure and improve the performance of the Hurricane Preparedness Plan. The findings from this research improves the organizational processes and enhances the assessment of disaster preparedness, which ultimately generates new and highly specific knowledge on disaster mitigation and preparedness guidelines for construction sites.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the main causes of fall accidents and, to pinpoint the factors that influence the risk of falls in the U.S. construction industry. This study employed the Integrated Management Information System (IMIS) data from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to examine 9,141 fall accidents, recorded for the period of last 20 years. The results show that specialty trade contractors working on low-budget, residential housing and commercial building projects are more susceptible to fall accidents. In terms of fall height, 85% of the fall accidents occurred on heights less than 30 ft., and most of them are not equipped with a fall protection tool. The main contribution of this study is that it has specifically analyzed fall heights and the current state of usage of fall protection using actual accident data. Since there has been hardly any research done in the last decade to study falls in the U.S. construction industry, by examining the IMIS database; this study also presents updated analysis on fall accidents.

The aim of this thesis is to examine the effect that Thermal Energy Storage (TES) sizing has on a building’s ability to meet heating and cooling demands in an energy and cost efficient manner. The focus of the research is the quantification the effects of TES for system sizing and boiler cycling. Research is accomplished by modelling TES systems with various storage capacities using thermodynamic analysis. Energy costs are subject to increase during peak usage periods due to a limited supply of energy. Peak heating and cooling periods also force thermal systems to be sized for loads that are only experienced for a small fraction of the year leading to poor efficiencies and frequent cycling during off peak times of year. TES introduces the capability to mitigate this issue by shifting peak thermal loads from one period to another, theoretically reducing the minimum necessary boiler or chiller capacity for a given system and potentially improving the efficiency of 4 thermal systems. The scope of this research is to model the operation of thermal systems with varying storage capacities in order to quantify these capabilities with respect to capacity and cycling. This is accomplished with modelling in Transient Systems Simulation Program (TRNSYS). In this software, a simple heating loop and cooling loop are independently considered and subjected to hourly load data extrapolated from heating and cooling load data originating from a retirement community in Massachusetts. The model built is intended to be robust enough to be easily applied and adapted to assess similar problems with energy storage capacity sizing.

No description available.

Dr. Joseph Shrestha, Assistant Professor, ETSU Department of Engineering Technology shares that U.S. roads received a D-grade in the latest report card from American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). His presentation will discuss various aspects of U.S. roads; including funding sources, cost estimation, cost overruns, speed limits, and crash statistics.

The purpose of this research is to analyze the evolution of outdoor renovations on East Tennessee State University’s campus by examining the effects these renovations have had on students and faculty, and then using this data to propose possible successful renovations to the remainder of the University Commons project. To complete this project, data was obtained through East Tennessee State University administrative faculty interviews, surveys of students residing in campus resident halls, and observations. By examining the impact on behavior, designers and developers are then able to successfully determine the factors that aid in positively influencing human behaviors. Design suggestions were then proposed for the future development of Ross Drive, Pride Walk, and the second phase of the University Commons.

The Fountain Landslide located along I-84, five kilometers east of Cascade Locks, Oregon has moved periodically for over thirty years. Aerial photographs taken prior to recorded movement of the landslide show the headscarp of a large preexisting landslide. In 1952 a cut was made into the toe of the landslide to straighten Highway 30. The recorded movement history begins at this time. Stabilization procedures in the late 1950's focused on dewatering the slide mass. Movement had nearly stopped by 1957. A deeper cut was made into the toe of the landslide in 1966 to widen the highway to the four-laned I-8ON (later renamed I-84). Accelerated movement resulted. The Oregon State Highway Division removed 264,000 cubic meters of material from the head of the movement zone. Accelerated movement continued. The Oregon State Highway Division then began intense research of the landslide. Research included core logs, slope inclinometers, and the ground water data. The western portion of the slide mass was unloaded more extensively in 1970 (1.2 million cubic meters). This later unloading slowed down the movement, but it continues periodically. The oldest unit found in the area is a volcaniclastic unit. It is found only in core logs in the SW portion of the slide. The basalts of the Columbia River Basalt Group are found intact and as talus in the study area. Quartz diorite intrusives younger than the Columbia River Basalt Group is found at the surf ace and at depth along the entire length of the toe of the landslide. Wind River Lava crossed from Washington, dammed the Columbia River and was deposited within the study area. The slide mass consists primarily of Columbia River Basalt Group talus and Wind River Lava talus. The slip plane consists primarily of rocky mudstone. The ground water table is elevated over the intrusive at the toe of the landslide and over the volcaniclastic unit at the head. Surface cracks and scarps indicate that the slide mass moves northward, drops at the head and heaves at the toe. A slope stability analysis of the Fountain Landslide showed that the instability here is the result of elevated groundwater and the removal of material at the toe for highway construction. It also showed that the eastern portion is more stable than the western portion. The differences in the stability result of the addition of fill at the toe and a lower ground water table in the eastern portion. The development of the prehistoric slide resulted when the dam of Wind River Lava was removed and lateral support for the deposit was lost. This study shows that it is essential to have adequate geologic information prior to construction or remedial design for any preexisting landslide to avoid stability problems.

The principal objective of this study is to determine the accuracy of calculating stresses in concrete pavements and unbonded overlays under different loading conditions. The computed stresses for the single layer pavements are obtained based on Westergaard theory, the finite-element model (ILLI-SLAB), and the elastic layered model (ELSYM5). For the two-layer unbonded systems, stresses are estimated based on the finite-element theory and the Portland Cement Association design method. The experimental results for the comparison were available from a series of tests done on model scale concrete pavements and unbonded overlays. The results of present investigation show that the computed stresses for the single layer pavement slab are in good agreement with the observed stresses selected for this study, when the slab is loaded at the interior. When the pavement slab is loaded at the edge, the analytical methods give lower stresses and further investigation is recommended. On the other hand, the unbonded overlay of concrete pavement is thoroughly explored. The stresses as given by the analytical methods are, in general, of smaller magnitude than the observed ones in the unbonded overlay. The difference in the magnitude of stresses is considered attributable to the manner in which the stresses are distributed in the slab through the contact area with the load. A revised equation for the determination of the equivalent contact area is suggested to bring the analytical stresses in line with the experimental values. This revised formula is further verified in its application to some of the experimental stresses obtained from other tests and is found to give satisfactory results.