Empirical Evaluation of the Effect of Heat Gain from Fiber Optic Daylighting System on Tropical Building Interiors

A fiber optic daylighting system is an evolving technology for transporting illumination from sunlight into building interiors. This system is a solution developed by daylighting designers to reduce operational costs and enhance comfort. As an innovative technology, fiber optic daylighting systems can illuminate building interiors efficiently compared with other daylighting strategies. However, as a transmission medium in daylighting systems, optical fibers require uniform light distribution in sunlight concentration, which could generate heat. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the effect of heat buildup produced by end-emitting fiber optic daylighting systems in tropical buildings. The applied method adopts a new fiber optic daylighting system technology from Sweden called Parans SP3, with a 10 m cable to be tested in an actual room size under the Malaysian climatic environment, particularly within the vicinity of the main campus of the Universiti Sains Malaysia. Results show that the system generated a temperature of 1.3 °C under average conditions through fiber optic diffusers and increases indoor temperature by 0.8 °C in a 60 m3 room. According to the results, applying fiber optic daylighting systems, as renewable energy sources, generates extra heat gain in building interiors in the tropics

Indicator of housing affordability in Malaysia

There are many indicator of housing affordability in Malaysia such as household income, household expenditure, house prices and others. If the income is adequate to pay for a house and other household expenditure, then the individual concerned can be described as having home affordability. The objective of this paper is to discuss the indicator of housing affordability in Malaysia and variables that affect housing affordability amongst the lowincome group in Malaysia. From the experience of developed countries, the indicators of housing affordability in Malaysia that affecting housing affordability are mainly house price and housing finance. The finding of this paper conducted on low-cost housing at Kuala Lumpur is there are two main indicator affecting housing affordability i.e. household income and household expenditure. In conclusion, the understanding of indicator of housing affordability in Malaysia are important as input to improve our housing policy

Effect of steel fibre volume fraction on thermal performance of lightweight foamed mortar (LFM) at ambient temperature

Lightweight foamed mortar (LFM) has grow into utmost commercial building material in the construction industry for non-structural and semi-structural applications owing to its reduced self-weight, flowability, stability and excellent thermal insulation properties. Hence, this study was conducted with the aims to develop an alternative for conventional concrete bricks and blocks for non-structural and semi-structural applications of masonry. Lightweight foamed mortar (LFM) is either a cement paste or mortar, relegated as lightweight concrete, in which suitable foaming agent entraps the air-voids in mortar. It therefore has a wide range of applications such as material for wall blocks or panels, floor & roof screeds, trench reinstatement, road foundations and voids filling. This research focuses on experimental investigation of thermal properties of LFM with inclusion of relatively low volume fraction (0.2% and 0.4%) of steel fibre at ambient temperature. There are three parameters will be scrutinized such as thermal conductivity, thermal diffusivity as well as the specific heat capacity. There are two densities of 600kg/m3 and 1200kg/m3 had been cast and tested. The mix design proportion of LFM used for cement, aggregate and water ratio was 1: 1.5:0.45. The experimental results had indicated that the thermal conductivity, thermal diffusivity and specific heat value slightly higher than control mix due to the addition of steel fibres. For instance, thermal conductivity, diffusivity and specific heat of 600 kg/m3 density control mix were 0.212W/mK, 0.477mm2/s and 545 J/kg◦C respectively. When 0.2% volume fraction of steel fiber was added in the mix of 600 kg/m3 density, the value of thermal conductivity, diffusivity and specific heat were increased to 0.235W/mK, 0.583mm2/s and 578 J/kg◦C correspondingly. This is due to the characteristic of the steel fibre application in which steel fibre is good as heat conductor and excellent in absorbing heat. Therefore there is a potential of utilizing steel fiber in cement based material like LFM for components that needs excellent heat absorption capacity

Awareness of the Installation the Lightning Protection System (LPS) by Using Structural Bonding Method in Malaysia

Structural Bonding Method (SBM) is one type of Lightning Protection System (LPS), design to protect human, structures, contents inside structures, electrical equipment, transmission lines and other from the lightning flash. Besides, SBM is a standard LPS that comply with technical standards or codes of practice or called as conventional Lightning Protection System. In order to know the level of the Awareness of the Installation LPS by using SBM in the building among Civil Engineering Consultants, conducting survey need to be done. This paper presents the Research Design and Research Strategy in conducting the survey. It is explaining about the way before conducting the survey which are determine the population of sample (Consultant Company at Northern Region Area), samples of respondents (Civil Engineer at Consultant Office with the number of sample is 40), data collecting process, structure of the questionnaire form and the way in analysis the data. After the analysis the data, the result of the level of awareness in the Installation of LPS by using SBM are consider as moderate level

Apraisal of workplace Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) in office buildings at Penang Island

As the weather is quite a big challenge to Malaysia, thus the Malaysians are tending to create the living environment as comfortable as we can.Workplace environment is very important as it ensure the health, activeness and productivity of workers who work in there.To ensure an optimum working environment, the indoor environmental quality, or frankly said, the HVAC system plays a big role.The objective if this paper is to determine the current indoor environmental quality of the selected offices in Penang Island.A few parameters were determined such as temperature, humidity, air velocity, air flor, noise level and lighting condition.Through indoor environmental quality measurement, it is found that most of the offices facing the lighting and noise problem

Assessment of waterproofing failures in concrete buildings and structures

This paper focuses on waterproofing failures in concrete buildings and structures.The objectives of this paper are three folds; (1) to determine the main factors that contribute to waterproofing failures in concrete buildings and structures (2) to discover different types of present waterproofing system applied for concrete buildings and structures (3) to propose remedial waterproofing solutions of concrete buildings and structures. There are 4 case studies were carried out at Cyberjaya, Malacca, Kuala Lumpur and Seremban.Each of them consist of different type of building namely SOHO (small office), Commercial building, Hotel Building and shopping mall.The results obtained shows that the main factors that contribute to waterproofing failures in concrete buildings and structure are cracks, deteriorated waterproofing system, honeycombs in concrete and construction joint failure.At the moment there are few types of present waterproofing system applied for concrete buildings and structures such as cementitious system, sheet membrane system and liquid system.Remedial waterproofing solutions of concrete building structures includes cleaning, removing old sealant or joint, injecting appropriate epoxy or chemical grout and applying a new layer of waterproofing system

Designing an integrated daylighting system for deep-plan spaces in Malaysian low-rise buildings

© 2017 Elsevier Ltd Daylighting technologies have been developed recently to harness solar energy, and eventually, meet the goals of sustainable development. However, the use of natural light in the tropics is challenging. Many factors limit the efficiency of solar energy because of the intensity of solar irradiance and the inconstancy of sky conditions in this region. This research aims to design and evaluate an integrated daylighting system for enclosed spaces without access to daylight from side openings. The proposed system eliminates the requirements for electrical lighting during daytime. The new design combines three components, namely, roof light, dynamic shading, and fiber optic daylighting system, in one integrated platform. The methodology was based on a quantitative approach that used empirical experiments in an actual-sized room. Two stations were set up outside and inside the test cell for data collection. The study used a data acquisition system with nine calibrated sensors to record the performance of the integrated daylighting system. The readings indicated the capability of the system to control natural light from 8:00 to 18:00, even during peak hours. Results showed that the proposed system utilized and boosted the efficiency of the individual components, and the fiber optic daylighting system delivered sufficient level of natural light within the range of 300–680 lx, at an average of 492 lx, with functionality ranging from 44% to 54%. In addition, the skylights were controlled with a dynamic shading system and delivered a maximum reading below 2000 lx during peak times, at an average of 350 lx, with functionality between 46% and 56% under the intermediate sky condition. The integrated daylighting system delivered uniform illuminance when solar irradiance was above 500 W/m2

Investigation of rising damp and salt attack problems of heritage buildings

Conservation is a new issue in Malaysia as compared to other countries.Conservation is a more challenging task which requires a deep understanding of the structure of the buildings and the problems of the buildings. A proper dilapidation is a must before conservation work takes action to ensure that appropriate action is being taken.Salt contamination and rising dampness, which are the interrelated problem, are the most common problem among the rest due to the geographic location of Penang Island as it surrounded by sea water.Moreover, salt contamination and rising dampness are also considered as the most challenging problem.In this paper, five inheritance buildings that have salt contamination and dampness problem are chosen as the case study.Dilapidation survey is done and salt contamination sample collected from the case studies is sent to laboratory for X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) test to determine the salt content of the sample.The finding of this study can be used for reference before the conservation works take place and it could improve the effectiveness and outcome of the outcome of the building from the conservation works

Design and Development of a DAST Based on 2RPS-1S Parallel Mechanism

There are a number of process design that available in the literature in order to develop a new parallel mechanism that can be applied to the solar farm. However, the best ways to develop a new mechanism still have a challenge. Therefore, this project provides a systematic process design with include the kinematics derivation, mechanical and hardware development, and software development. This project aims to design and development of a Dual Axes Solar Tracking (DAST) based on 2RPS (Revolute-Prismatic-Spherical) -1S (Spherical) parallel mechanism by implementing the systematic process design. The focus is on a two degree-of-freedom (DOF) parallel mechanism – which encloses a closed loop in the structure. Based on MATLAB simulation and real prototyping motion result is show that the movement position of the solar panel has similarity. In summary, both method simulation and prototyping are able to represent a two DOF parallel mechanism. At the same time, the comparative analysis is able also to validate the equation of kinematics that derives from Denavit-Harternberg (DH) methods

A Study on the Influence of Oil Palm Trunk Fiber on Ultrasonic Pulse Velocity (UPV) and Shrinkage of Foamcrete

Presently there is increasing attention in utilization foamcrete as a lightweight non-structural and semi-structural element in buildings to take advantage of its excellent insulation properties. Though, foamcrete has been noticed to have some disadvantages: considerable brittleness; results in low compressive and flexural strength, poor fracture toughness, poor resistance to crack propagation and low impact strength. Hence this study is intended to look into the potential of oil palm trunk (OPT) fiber in enhancing the engineering properties of foamcrete. There are 2 engineering properties will be focused in this study which are ultrasonic pulse velocity and drying shrinkage. Two densities of foamcrete of 600 kg/m3, 1200 kg/m3 were cast and tested. The ratio of cement, sand and water used in this study was 1:1.5:0.45. OPT fibers were used as additives at 0.15%, 0.30%, 0.45% and 0.60% by volume of the total mix. Test results indicated that the engineering properties of foamcrete reinforced with OPT fiber had amplified thoroughly