Decision support tools for concrete infrastructure rehabilitation (using FRP composites)

This report presents a summary of the research conducted by the research team of the CRC project 2002-005-C, “Decision support tools for concrete infrastructure rehabilitation”. The project scope, objectives, significance and innovation and the research methodology is outlined in the introduction, which is followed by five chapters covering different aspects of the research completed. Major findings of a review of literature conducted covering both use of fibre reinforced polymer composites in rehabilitation of concrete bridge structures and decision support frameworks in civil infrastructure asset management is presented in chapter two. Case study of development of a strengthening scheme for the “Tenthill Creek bridge” is covered in the third chapter, which summarises the capacity assessment, traditional strengthening solution and the innovative solution using FRP composites. The fourth chapter presents the methodology for development of a user guide covering selection of materials, design and application of FRP in strengthening of concrete structures, which were demonstrated using design examples. Fifth chapter presents the methodology developed for evaluating whole of life cycle costing of treatment options for concrete bridge structures. The decision support software tool developed to compare different treatment options based on reliability based whole of life cycle costing will be briefly described in this chapter as well. The report concludes with a summary of findings and recommendations for future research

Developing a regenerative design framework for the built environment : a case study in Chiang Mai, Thailand

Regenerative design offers a sustainable design approach that aims to go beyond mainstream paradigms by prioritising the role of nature as a crucial part of the built environment design. However, previous studies show that current regenerative design frameworks have several factors that impact the efficiency and credibility of their use. Therefore, this study proposes a Regenerative Design Framework for the Thai context (RDF-T), aiming to develop a new framework that can address the gaps in previous studies. Regenerative design is relatively unknown among Thai design practitioners, and this approach has not yet been applied to Thai built environment design projects. RDF-T's structure combines the principle of regenerative design with the ‘Backcasting technique’ and ‘Thai's Rating of Energy and Environmental Sustainability (TREES)’ to strengthen its credibility and capability. This research investigates the potential of RDF-T as a contextual built environment design tool through its application in a 3-day workshop on the development of design guidelines for proposals within an area called Nong Bua in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Qualitative methodology is the main approach of this study, while a quantitative methodology is adopted to support the comprehensive outcomes. Findings reveal that RDF-T can produce a contextual built environment design for the case study area and has the potential to be applied to other built environment projects in Thailand. However, the findings also show that Thai Socio-Ecological Characteristics are important additional factors that can help underpin the efficiency of this framework for future users. In addition, an outcome of this study, the RDF-T manual, offers primary material for regenerative design in the Thai context and supports the application of the framework in different regions across the world.Regenerative design offers a sustainable design approach that aims to go beyond mainstream paradigms by prioritising the role of nature as a crucial part of the built environment design. However, previous studies show that current regenerative design frameworks have several factors that impact the efficiency and credibility of their use. Therefore, this study proposes a Regenerative Design Framework for the Thai context (RDF-T), aiming to develop a new framework that can address the gaps in previous studies. Regenerative design is relatively unknown among Thai design practitioners, and this approach has not yet been applied to Thai built environment design projects. RDF-T's structure combines the principle of regenerative design with the ‘Backcasting technique’ and ‘Thai's Rating of Energy and Environmental Sustainability (TREES)’ to strengthen its credibility and capability. This research investigates the potential of RDF-T as a contextual built environment design tool through its application in a 3-day workshop on the development of design guidelines for proposals within an area called Nong Bua in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Qualitative methodology is the main approach of this study, while a quantitative methodology is adopted to support the comprehensive outcomes. Findings reveal that RDF-T can produce a contextual built environment design for the case study area and has the potential to be applied to other built environment projects in Thailand. However, the findings also show that Thai Socio-Ecological Characteristics are important additional factors that can help underpin the efficiency of this framework for future users. In addition, an outcome of this study, the RDF-T manual, offers primary material for regenerative design in the Thai context and supports the application of the framework in different regions across the world

Development and implementation issues for managing sales performance

The research project concentrates on the issues which a host organisation faces, in developing and implementing an efficient and cost-effective conceptual framework for measuring and managing sales performance in the automotive retail sector. Sales performance is a critical and main issue for an organisation in order to achieve its strategic objectives, by translating the results into action and monitoring the process. Due to the global financial crisis, organisations experience an economic downturn. This makes the use of a standard framework which can support their derived action plans of vital importance. This framework would aim to offer a holistic view of the sales performance with accurate results. A review of the literature provided extensive information and analysis of the different models and frameworks that could be identified and used in performance measurement literature. In addition, it provided an evaluation of the existing documentary and practices of the host organisation regarding performance measurement. As, a result, the needs for the development of an improved framework were identified. The proposed methodology was based on the integration of three frameworks, namely the SWOT Analysis, Balanced Score Card and Internal procedures as part of a performance management system. The research indicated that it is essential to synthesise and extend the existing models and frameworks with the aim to produce the most suitable conceptual framework based on the size, kind, and available resources of the organisation. Through qualitative and quantitative analysis, this project provides evidence, which indicates the successful application of measuring and managing sales performance techniques through the use of reports, training communication capabilities and presentation skills. It creates a new political and organisational challenge for the staff of the organisation, which in its turn had to learn to interact fast and effectively in order to achieve their targets. It considers the external and internal influences impacting on a sales organisation and how the management team and staff can offer an actively sought process to monitor business performance on an on-going basis and to generate recommendations for changes. The research indicates that the proposed framework connects the measurement results with the derived action plans following a continuing improvement approach. The project has not only a theoretical approach but it also focuses on the implementation process. The proposed framework was developed in the host organisation with a step by step methodology establishing a reporting analysis tool. It concludes by the realisation that specific processes are required to implement the sales performance reporting analysis tool

The P3 platform: an approach and software system for developing diagrammatic model-based methods in design research

Many issues in design and design management have been explored by building models which capture the relationships between different aspects of the problem at hand. These models require computer support to construct and analyse. However, appropriate modelling tools can be time-consuming to develop in a research environment. Reflecting upon five design research projects, this paper proposes that such projects can be facilitated by recognising the iterative and tightly-coupled nature of research and tool development, and by attempting to minimise the effort of solution prototyping within this process. Our approach is enabled by a software platform which can be rapidly configured to implement many conceivable modelling approaches. This configurability is complemented by an emerging library of modelling and analysis approaches tailored to explore design process systems. The platform-based approach enables any mix of modelling concepts to be easily created. We propose it could thus help researchers to explore a wide range of questions without being constrained to existing conventions for modelling – or for model integration

Advanced Techniques for Assets Maintenance Management

16th IFAC Symposium on Information Control Problems in Manufacturing INCOM 2018 Bergamo, Italy, 11–13 June 2018. Edited by Marco Macchi, László Monostori, Roberto PintoThe aim of this paper is to remark the importance of new and advanced techniques supporting decision making in different business processes for maintenance and assets management, as well as the basic need of adopting a certain management framework with a clear processes map and the corresponding IT supporting systems. Framework processes and systems will be the key fundamental enablers for success and for continuous improvement. The suggested framework will help to define and improve business policies and work procedures for the assets operation and maintenance along their life cycle. The following sections present some achievements on this focus, proposing finally possible future lines for a research agenda within this field of assets management

A framework for developing engineering design ontologies within the aerospace industry

This paper presents a framework for developing engineering design ontologies within the aerospace industry. The aim of this approach is to strengthen the modularity and reuse of engineering design ontologies to support knowledge management initiatives within the aerospace industry. Successful development and effective utilisation of engineering ontologies strongly depends on the method/framework used to develop them. Ensuring modularity in ontology design is essential for engineering design activities due to the complexity of knowledge that is required to be brought together to support the product design decision-making process. The proposed approach adopts best practices from previous ontology development methods, but focuses on encouraging modular architectural ontology design. The framework is comprised of three phases namely: (1) Ontology design and development; (2) Ontology validation and (3) Implementation of ontology structure. A qualitative research methodology is employed which is composed of four phases. The first phase defines the capture of knowledge required for the framework development, followed by the ontology framework development, iterative refinement of engineering ontologies and ontology validation through case studies and experts’ opinion. The ontology-based framework is applied in the combustor and casing aerospace engineering domain. The modular ontologies developed as a result of applying the framework and are used in a case study to restructure and improve the accessibility of information on a product design information-sharing platform. Additionally, domain experts within the aerospace industry validated the strengths, benefits and limitations of the framework. Due to the modular nature of the developed ontologies, they were also employed to support other project initiatives within the case study company such as role-based computing (RBC), IT modernisation activity and knowledge management implementation across the sponsoring organisation. The major benefit of this approach is in the reduction of man-hours required for maintaining engineering design ontologies. Furthermore, this approach strengthens reuse of ontology knowledge and encourages modularity in the design and development of engineering ontologies

Life Cycle Costing and Food Systems: Concepts, Trends, and Challenges of Impact Valuation

Our global food systems create pervasive environmental, social, and health impacts. Impact valuation is an emerging concept that aims to quantify all environmental, social, and health costs of food systems in an attempt to make the true cost of food more transparent. It also is designed to facilitate the transformation of global food systems. The concept of impact valuation is emerging at the same time as, and partly as a response to, calls for the development of legal mechanisms to address environmental, social, and health concerns. Information has long been understood both as a necessary precursor for regulation and as a regulatory tool in and of itself. With global supply chains and widespread impacts, data necessary to produce robust and complete impact valuation requires participation and cooperation from a variety of food system actors. New costing methods, beyond basic accounting, are necessary to incorporate the scope of impacts and stakeholders. Furthermore, there are a range of unanswered questions surrounding realizations of impact valuation methods, e.g. data sharing, international privacy, corporate transparency, limitations on valuation itself, and data collection standardization. Because of the proliferation of calls for costing tools, this article steps back and assesses the current development of impact valuation methods. In this article, we review current methods and initiatives for the implementation of food system impact valuation. We conclude that in some instances, calls for the implementation of costing have outpaced available and reliable data collection and current costing techniques. Many existing initiatives are being developed without adequate consideration of the legal challenges that hinder implementation. Finally, we conclude with a reminder that although impact valuation tools are most often sought and implemented in service of market-based tools for reform, they can also serve as a basis for robust public policies