Prefabricated Construction using Digitally Integrated Industrial Manufacturing

The paper describes research being carried out in relation to prefabricated high density affordablehousing under a grant from the Partnership for the Advancement of Technology in Housing(PATH) and the National Science Foundation (NSF) in the USA. The objective is to demonstratehow a new paradigm for the conceptualization and construction of buildings can be conceivedof as an entirely factory based process that creates advantages for construction through industrialsystems technology transfer. Our approach is intended to transform design methodologythrough demonstrating how alternative construction concepts, using entirely pre-manufacturedvolumetric units, can be adopted. This involves digital modeling that facilitates parametric variationsfor creating customized prefabricated products from design conceptualization through tofinal product delivery. The paper discusses key areas under investigation in relation to a manufacturingparadigm used in the automotive industry that integrates virtual prototyping and industrialmanufacturing systems. Our research explores a type of monocoque volumetric unit prefabricatedin steel, which will be pre-finished as part of a modular factory-built approach usingindustrialized methodologies that will facilitate customized manufacture of a high quality energyefficient product for affordable housing.The paper addresses the automotive industry methods of manufacture that have served increasedautomobile performance and economics through mass production for over a century. In starkcontrast, the building industry and in particular the housing industry is still a century behind. It issuggested that a move away from tradition will require an industry wide initiative, just like HenryFord led the way with mass production. By embracing the increasing sophistication and capabilitythat digital technology offers, it is shown how digital tools are implemented towards masscustomization in house design using virtual modeling in the context of a prefabricated manufacturingapproach. This includes industrialized modular sub-assembly design, where the informationon parts, assemblies and modules can be transferred to digital and robotic technology, asseen in the automotive industry, as well as achieving enhanced production efficiency through a‘supply chain' process, which is condensed. The paper discusses how these models for manufacturecan be transferred into the housing market in order to revolutionize the cost and qualitybase of construction. Our research objective is to disseminate knowledge on this process, andshowing how through integrated transfer of automotive technologies we can implement an industrializedfabrication process for mass housing, not previously known in the building industry

Prefabricated Construction using Digitally Integrated Industrial Manufacturing

The paper describes research being carried out in relation to prefabricated high density affordable housing under a grant from the Partnership for the Advancement of Technology in Housing (PATH) and the National Science Foundation (NSF) in the USA. The objective is to demonstrate how a new paradigm for the conceptualization and construction of buildings can be conceived of as an entirely factory based process that creates advantages for construction through industrial systems technology transfer. Our approach is intended to transform design methodology through demonstrating how alternative construction concepts, using entirely pre-manufactured volumetric units, can be adopted. This involves digital modeling that facilitates parametric variations for creating customized prefabricated products from design conceptualization through to final product delivery. The paper discusses key areas under investigation in relation to a manufacturing paradigm used in the automotive industry that integrates virtual prototyping and industrial manufacturing systems. Our research explores a type of monocoque volumetric unit prefabricated in steel, which will be pre-finished as part of a modular factory-built approach using industrialized methodologies that will facilitate customized manufacture of a high quality energy efficient product for affordable housing. The paper addresses the automotive industry methods of manufacture that have served increased automobile performance and economics through mass production for over a century. In stark contrast, the building industry and in particular the housing industry is still a century behind. It is suggested that a move away from tradition will require an industry wide initiative, just like Henry Ford led the way with mass production. By embracing the increasing sophistication and capability that digital technology offers, it is shown how digital tools are implemented towards mass customization in house design using virtual modeling in the context of a prefabricated manufacturing approach. This includes industrialized modular sub-assembly design, where the information on parts, assemblies and modules can be transferred to digital and robotic technology, as seen in the automotive industry, as well as achieving enhanced production efficiency through a ‘supply chain' process, which is condensed. The paper discusses how these models for manufacture can be transferred into the housing market in order to revolutionize the cost and quality base of construction. Our research objective is to disseminate knowledge on this process, and showing how through integrated transfer of automotive technologies we can implement an industrialized fabrication process for mass housing, not previously known in the building industry. A key focus of our evolving research and development is to enable mass customization or delayed differentiation through virtual prototyping that becomes the central organizing element for design. This transfers through to the supply and implementation of housing using industrialized production line manufacture of a product. The expected outcomes of this research and the conclusions drawn in this paper will demonstrate the means by which to achieve more accessibility to affordable housing for society at large and how through successful design integration and an industrial basis for manufacture will provide an adaptable set of affordable housing typologies for diverse demographic needs

Transparent Façade Panel Typologies Based on Recyclable Polymer Materials

Buildings are large consumers of energy. In the United States of America; they constitute over 33% of the total annual energy consumption, produce 35% of the total carbon dioxide emissions and attribute 40% of landfill wastes. The building industry is also a large consumer of non-renewable materials and this trend has escalated dramatically over the past century. It is essential that we find ways to save on energy consumption through the use of solar energy, improved thermal insulation, and alternative efficient glazed façade systems. In this paper, we demonstrate how alternative typologies of transparent and translucent load-bearing façade systems based on biocomposite and recyclable materials, are structurally and thermally efficient at the same time they contribute towards reduced pollutant emissions and non-renewable material uses.Composite insulated panel systems are used extensively in the engineering and building industry, owing to their structural and thermal efficiency. However, these systems are generally opaque and offer little flexibility in building applications. As an alternative, we demonstrate how building products comprised of hybrid material typologie scan be made to perform efficiently as load-bearing façade systems that substitute for current glazing systems with adequate thermal and structural performance, which also possess good light transmission characteristics and integral shading capability. The materials are configured to work as composite panel systems made from a combination of biocomposite and recyclable polymer materials. These materials are environmentally sustainable, because they either originate from naturally grown renewable resources or are recyclable. Our research program includes the design and development of prototype panel systems; the evaluation of structural and thermal performance, together with their role in reducing energy consumption and pollution emission through life cycle analysis. The paper describes relevant applications and related current research activities, being carried out by the authors, under an EPA/NSF funded grant project, titled People, Prosperity and Planet, in relation to prototypical composite panel systems. Our current area of investigation relates totypologies that use thermoplastic polymers (as skin material) and biocomposites (as a core material). Our evaluations have demonstrated viable applications and improved performance compared to conventional single and double glazing systems in buildings. The paper also discusses the fundamentals of the research investigations and predicts good energy efficiency, making the product a sustainable alternative when used in building applications. The paper highlights areas of ongoing research and applications for hybrid composite façade systems, which will make the approach a viable option for the building industry, in the future

Performance analysis of an energy efficient building prototype by using TRNSYS

Buildings section accouts for a large part of the total primary energy consumption. This paper reports a simulative study on an energy efficient building prototype named MIDMOD by using TRNSYS program. The prototype is a new genre of affordable medium density building concepts that are more adaptable, durable, and energy efficient as whole-life housing typologies than those currently available.The building envelope thermal insulation and air tightness are enhanced to reduce heat loss. Several technologies of indoor HVAC system are integrated, such as the hydronic radiant heating/cooling system (HRH/C), ventilation heat recovery (VHR), and heat pump water heater (HPWH), for better energy conservation and thermal comfort performance. A complex fenestration system (CFS) with fixed grid shading is employed to reduce solar heat gain in summer and increase solar heat gain in winter. The building performance is rated based on the Energy Cost Budget (ECB) Method of ASHRAE. The result shows that the prototype can achieve better energy performance with affordable price and enough thermal comfort level

Experimental results for nulling the effective thermal expansion coefficient of fused silica fibres under a static stress

We have experimentally demonstrated that the effective thermal expansion coefficient of a fused silica fibre can be nulled by placing the fibre under a particular level of stress. Our technique involves heating the fibre and measuring how the fibre length changes with temperature as the stress on the fibre was systematically varied. This nulling of the effective thermal expansion coefficient should allow for the complete elimination of thermoelastic noise and is essential for allowing second generation gravitational wave detectors to reach their target sensitivity. To our knowledge this is the first time that the cancelation of the thermal expansion coefficient with stress has been experimentally observed

A novel, high-welfare methodology for evaluating poultry red mite interventions in vivo

Optimisation and use of a device for the on-hen in vivo feeding of all hematophagous stages of Dermanyssus gallinae is described. The sealed mesh device contains the mites and is applied to the skin of the hen’s thigh where mites can feed on the bird through a mesh which has apertures large enough to allow the mites’ mouth-parts to access to the bird but small enough to contain the mites. By optimising the depth and width of the mesh aperture size we have produced a device which will lead to both reduction and refinement in the use of animals in research, allowing the pre-screening of new vaccines and systemic acaricides/insecticides which have been developed for the control of these blood-feeding parasites before progressing to large field trials. For optimal use,the device should be constructed from 105μm aperture width, 63 μm depth, polyester mesh and the mites (irrespective of life stage) should be conditioned with no access to food for 3 weeks at 4 °C for optimal feeding and post-feeding survival

Advanced technologies for future ground-based, laser-interferometric gravitational wave detectors

We present a review of modern optical techniques being used and developed for the field of gravitational wave detection. We describe the current state-of-the-art of gravitational waves detector technologies with regard to optical layouts, suspensions and test masses. We discuss the dominant sources and noise in each of these subsystems and the developments that will help mitigate them for future generations of detectors. We very briefly summarise some of the novel astrophysics that will be possible with these upgraded detectors

Citizen Science for Earth Observation (Citzens4EO): Understanding Current Use in the UK

The role of Earth observation (EO) data in addressing societal problems from environmental through to humanitarian should not be understated. Recent innovation in EO means provision of analysis ready data and data cubes, which allows for rapid use of EO data. This in combination with processing technologies such as Google Earth Engine and open source algorithms/software for EO data integration and analyses has afforded an explosion of information to answer research questions and/or inform policy making. However, there is still a need for both training and validation data within EO projects – often this can be challenging to obtain. It has been suggested that citizen science can help here to provide these data, yet there is some perceived hesitancy in using citizen science within EO projects. This paper reports on the Citizen Science 4 EO (Citizens4EO) project that aimed to obtain an in-depth understanding of researchers’ and practitioners’ experiences with citizen science data in EO within the UK. Through a mixed methods approach (online and in-depth surveys and a spotlight case study) it was found that although the benefits of using citizen science data in EO projects were many (and highlighted in the spotlighted “Slavery from Space” case study), there were a number of common concerns around using citizen science. These were around the mechanics of deploying citizen science and the unreliability of a potentially misinformed or undertrained citizen base. As such, comparing the results of this study with those of a similar survey undertaken in 2016, it is apparent that progress towards optimising citizen science use in EO has been incremental but positive with evidence of the realisation of the benefits of citizen science for EO (Citizens4EO). As such, we conclude by offering priority action areas to support further use of citizen science by the EO community within the UK, which ultimately should be adopted further afield

Pevonedistat (MLN4924), a First‐in‐Class NEDD8‐activating enzyme inhibitor, in patients with acute myeloid leukaemia and myelodysplastic syndromes: a phase 1 study

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/111220/1/bjh13323.pd