Mining the physical infrastructure: Opportunities, barriers and interventions in promoting structural components reuse

Construction is the most resource intensive sector in the world. It consumes more than half of the total global resources; it is responsible for more than a third of the total global energy use and associated emissions; and generates the greatest and most voluminous waste stream globally. Reuse is considered to be a material and carbon saving practice highly recommended in the construction sector as it can address both waste and carbon emission regulatory targets. This practice offers the possibility to conserve resources through the reclamation of structural components and the carbon embedded in them, as well as opportunities for the development of new business models and the creation of environmental, economic, technical and social value. This paper focuses on the identification and analysis of existing interventions that can promote the reuse of construction components, and outlines the barriers and opportunities arising from this practice as depicted from the global literature. The main conclusions that derive from this study are that the combination of incentives that promote recycling and reuse with the provision of specialised education, skills and training would transform the way construction sector currently operates and create opportunities for new business development. Moreover, a typology system developed based on the properties and lifetime of construction components, is required in order to provide transparency and guidance in the way construction components are used and reused, to make them readily available to designers and contractors. Smart technologies carry the potential to aid the development and uptake of this system by enabling efficient tracking, storage and archiving, while providing information relevant to the environmental and economic savings that can be regained, enabling also better decision-making during construction and deconstruction works. However, further research is required in order to investigate the opportunities and constraints of the use of these technologies

Smart technologies: Enablers of construction components reuse?

Purpose: The exploitation of smart technologies such as, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) and Building Information Modelling (BIM) for tracking and archiving the properties of structural components, is an innovative disruption in the construction sector. It could stimulate reuse of construction components, rather than their wastage addressing a serious pressing problem. Methods: This study explores the potential of smart technologies to facilitate construction components reuse, and develops a guidance list for promoting their redistribution back to the supply chain. A preliminary assessment of the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of the RFID technology is presented in order to depict its current and future potential in promoting construction components’ sustainable lifecycle management, and in capturing and creating value. Results: For both RFID and BIM technologies to operate successfully, the right amount and flow of information at each stage of the design-construction-deconstruction-reuse-disposal process is a prerequisite. Although a number of limitations related to the technical operability and recycling of RFID tags currently withhold its roll-out, technological innovation may provide solutions for the future, enabling it to become mainstream. Conclusions: the use of RFID in the construction sector can create the right conditions for the development of new business models based on the reuse and lifecycle management of components, unlocking multiple technical, environmental, economic, and social benefits. With technological innovation enhancing the capabilities of RFID, and with policy interventions controlling and managing its uptake at all stages of the supply chain, its use as a construction components reuse enabler might soon become realised

3D printing of cement composites

The aims of this study were to investigate the feasibility of generating 3D structures directly in rapid-hardening Portland cement (RHPC) using 3D Printing (3DP) technology. 3DP is a Additive Layer Manufacturing (ALM) process that generates parts directly from CAD in a layer-wise manner. 3D structures were successfully printed using a polyvinylalcohol: RHPC ratio of 3:97 w/w, with print resolutions of better than 1mm. The test components demonstrated the manufacture of features, including off-axis holes, overhangs / undercuts etc that would not be manufacturable using simple mould tools. Samples hardened by 1 day post-build immersion in water at RT offered Modulus of Rupture (MOR) values of up to 0.8±0.1MPa, and, after 26 days immersion in water at RT, offered MOR values of 2.2±0.2MPa, similar to bassanite-based materials more typically used in 3DP (1-3 MPa). Post-curing by water immersion restructured the structure, removing the layering typical of ALM processes, and infilling porosity

High temperature fiber optic microphone having a pressure-sensing reflective membrane under tensile stress

A fiber optic microphone is provided for measuring fluctuating pressures. An optical fiber probe having at least one transmitting fiber for transmitting light to a pressure-sensing membrane and at least one receiving fiber for receiving light reflected from a stretched membrane is provided. The pressure-sensing membrane may be stretched for high frequency response. Further, a reflecting surface of the pressure-sensing membrane may have dimensions which substantially correspond to dimensions of a cross section of the optical fiber probe. Further, the fiber optic microphone can be made of materials for use in high temperature environments, for example greater than 1000 F. A fiber optic probe is also provided with a backplate for damping membrane motion. The backplate further provides a means for on-line calibration of the microphone

Microwave intermodulation distortion of MgB2 thin films

The two tone intermodulation arising in MgB2 thin films deposited in-situ by planar magnetron sputtering on sapphire substrates is studied. Samples are characterised using an open-ended dielectric puck resonator operating at 8.8 GHz. The experimental results show that the third order products increase with the two-tone input power with a slope ranging between 1.5 and 2.3. The behaviour can be understood introducing a mechanism of vortex penetration in grain boundaries as the most plausible source of non linearities in these films. This assumption is confirmed by the analysis of the field dependence of the surface resistance, that show a linear behaviour at all temperatures under test.Comment: 13 pages, 3 figures; to be published in Appl. Phys. Let

Broaching Badges for Learning

Learning related to Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL) is often delivered on demand using a variety of short, non-accredited methods, for example workshops, videos, online courses, self study. This is a pragmatic approach given that the rapid pace of change in TEL means that it is almost impossible for qualifications to stay relevant in terms of content, level or delivery method (House of Lords Digital Skills Committee (2014)). However each piece of learning stands independently and it can be difficult to later remember, let alone demonstrate meaningfully for PDR, CPD or to prospective employers. A potential solution that is gaining traction as a means of evidencing non-accredited learning is the use of Badges. These can be attached to a piece of learning and are aimed at transcending a single learning context to become transferable, lifelong assets. The Open University has identified badging as a key trend in accrediting informal learning. Collecting groups of badges have the potential to lead to coherent ‘qualifications’. Using badges, however presents issues about quality and portability though initiatives such as Mozilla’s Open Badge scheme are beginning to address these challenges through the embedding metadata into badges that gives information about content, level, issuing authority etc.. The aim of this project was to investigate the use of Digital Badges for staff development related to TEL.TFA