INCORPORATING NATURAL HAZARD RESISTANCE INTO THE LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT FRAMEWORK

Hazard resistant building materials are not adequately represented by current LCA approaches, which do not account for environmental benefits of the avoided losses (e.g. avoided waste, avoided materials for repairs) promised by hazard resistant materials. The goal of this study was to encourage a more complete understanding of materials\u27 environmental impacts by developing a framework to include hazard related damages in LCA. Catastrophe modeling is a well-developed tool used by the insurance industry to assess the probability of hazard and quantify related impacts. These models were studied to identify required input data as well as the format of output results. The input and results from the catastrophe models were then compared with the required input and results for prominent software tools used in ISO 14040 compliant LCAs. Through this comparison, an approach was identified for incorporating the catastrophe modeling results into LCAs for building materials. A hazard related damage inclusive LCA, H-LCA, was developed to combine data sets from catastrophe models and LCA. Two LCAs were performed in each of three case studies, one for the home with the hazard resistant material, and one for the traditionally constructed home. The results were compared to determine the differences in environmental impacts between the model with the hazard resistant feature and the standard model. Using catastrophe modeling data on the homes, average annual economic losses were calculated, and using an EIO-LCA tool, converted to impact assessment results. These hazard related impact assessment results were combined with the LCA data to create a more accurate representation of the environmental impacts of hazard resistant building materials. A description of each step of the method is presented along with the results of three case studies. In two of the three case studies, the environmental benefits of the avoided losses outweigh the additional environmental impacts of manufacturing/installation. In the third case, the hazard resistant product was more energy efficient than its standard counterpart, and the environmental benefits of the avoided losses combined with its energy efficient properties outweigh the additional environmental impacts of manufacturing/installation. Sensitivity analyses were performed to determine the effects of varying service life of the home and to determine the effects of environmentally discounting the data. It was noted that as the service life of the home increased, the environmental net benefit of the hazard resistant product increased in comparison with the total environmental impacts of the home. Also, as the discount rate increases, the net benefit of the hazard resistant product decreases in comparison with the total environmental impacts of the home. The H-LCA framework advances understanding of the environmental impacts of hazard resistant building materials. Using the framework in LCA will facilitate more accurate comparisons between hazard resistant materials and their traditional counterparts

Effects of forward velocity on turbulent jet mixing noise

Flight simulation experiments were conducted in an anechoic free jet facility over a broad range of model and free jet velocities. The resulting scaling laws were in close agreement with scaling laws derived from theoretical and semiempirical considerations. Additionally, measurements of the flow structure of jets were made in a wind tunnel by using a laser velocimeter. These tests were conducted to describe the effects of velocity ratio and jet exit Mach number on the development of a jet in a coflowing stream. These turbulence measurements and a simplified Lighthill radiation model were used in predicting the variation in radiated noise at 90 deg to the jet axis with velocity ratio. Finally, the influence of forward motion on flow-acoustic interactions was examined through a reinterpretation of the 'static' numerical solutions to the Lilley equation

Visual Guide to Corn Growth Stages

This is a visual guide for determining corn growth stage

Sound propagation in and radiation from acoustically lined flow ducts: A comparison of experiment and theory

The results of an experimental and theoretical study of many of the fundamental details of sound propagation in hard wall and soft wall annular flow ducts are reported. The theory of sound propagation along such ducts and the theory for determining the complex radiation impedance of higher order modes of an annulus are outlined, and methods for generating acoustic duct modes are developed. The results of a detailed measurement program on propagation in rigid wall annular ducts with and without airflow through the duct are presented. Techniques are described for measuring cut-on frequencies, modal phase speed, and radial and annular mode shapes. The effects of flow velocity on cut-on frequencies and phase speed are measured. Comparisons are made with theoretical predictions for all of the effects studies. The two microphone method of impedance is used to measure the effects of flow on acoustic liners. A numerical study of sound propagation in annular ducts with one or both walls acoustically lined is presented

Studies of the acoustic transmission characteristics of coaxial nozzles with inverted velocity profiles, volume 1

The efficiency of internal noise radiation through coannular exhaust nozzle with an inverted velocity profile was studied. A preliminary investigation was first undertaken to: (1) define the test parameters which influence the internal noise radiation; (2) develop a test methodology which could realistically be used to examine the effects of the test parameters; (3) and to validate this methodology. The result was the choice of an acoustic impulse as the internal noise source in the in the jet nozzles. Noise transmission characteristics of a nozzle system were then investigated. In particular, the effects of fan nozzle convergence angle, core extention length to annulus height ratio, and flow Mach number and temperatures were studied. The results are presented as normalized directivity plots

Meeting Engineering Program Objectives through Service Learning Opportunities in Developing Countries

The civil engineering profession, in an adaptive reaction to emerging roles for civil engineers, is recognizing the need for new engineers to possess a more robust skill set than just the typical design background. This paper describes the efforts of Clemson Engineers for Developing Countries (CEDC) to fulfill the more nontraditional and often unaddressed “learning outcomes” noted by ASCE’s Civil Engineering Body of Knowledge for the 21st Century as important prerequisites for licensure. The learning outcomes are addressed through ongoing international service learning projects in Cange, Haiti. The paper focuses on the following four outcomes and their fulfillment methods: leadership, globalization, teamwork, and communications. The student led organization has allowed students to set up their own fundraising mechanisms, to seek out members to join design review boards, and to develop their own project objectives. This level of student autonomy is noted as key to ensuring that students achieve competency in these four areas

Studies of the acoustic transmission characteristics of coaxial nozzles with inverted velocity profiles: Comprehensive data report

The efficiency of internal noise radiation through a coannular exhaust nozzle with an inverted velocity profile was studied. A preliminary investigation was first undertaken (1) to define the test parameters which influence the internal noise radiation; (2) to develop a test methodology which could realistically be used to examine the effects of the test parameters; and (3) to validate this methodology. The result was the choice of an acoustic impulse as the internal noise source in the jet nozzles. Noise transmission characteristics of a coannular nozzle system were then investigated. In particular, the effects of fan convergence angle, core extension length to annulus height ratio and flow Mach numbers and temperatures were studied. Relevant spectral data only is presented in the form of normalized nozzle transfer function versus nondimensional frequency