Fractal Modeling of Pore Structure and Ionic Diffusivity for Cement Paste

Pore structure in cement based composites is of paramount importance to ionic diffusivity. In this paper, pore structure in cement paste is modeled by means of the recently proposed solid mass fractal model. Moreover, an enhanced Maxwell homogenization method that incorporates the solid mass fractal model is proposed to determine the associated ionic diffusivity. Experiments are performed to validate the modeling, that is, mercury intrusion porosimetry and rapid chloride migration. Results indicate that modeling agrees well with those obtained from experiments

How Much Can VR Improve Spatial Experience? - A Case Study with a Commercial Building Project

With the development of Industry 4.0 and the impact of the COVID-19 epidemic, the global construction industry has undergone a rapid digital transformation, pushing the development of building information modeling (BIM), virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR) and mixed reality (MR) technologies towards greater maturity. However, from the perspective of building developers and end users, does VR technology have any benefit for complex building projects? What are users' acceptance and evaluation on VR emerging technology? After constructing a VR simulation navigation system for an actual commercial building project, this study investigated and compared the differences between using the VR system and the traditional navigation system in the four dimensions of the technology acceptance model. The results showed that the subjects generally believed that the VR system has significant benefits in terms of usefulness, users’ attitude, and users’ intention, however, there is still room for improvement in the perceived ease of use. Moreover, feedback from developers supported the benefits of the VR technology validated the system effectiveness. Hence, VR and BIM technologies are recommended to be effectively integrated, in order to enhance the integrity of industrial applications and establish a new design communication and collaboration model for the architecture, engineering, construction, and facility management industry

How Much Can VR Improve Spatial Experience? - A Case Study with a Commercial Building Project

With the development of Industry 4.0 and the impact of the COVID-19 epidemic, the global construction industry has undergone a rapid digital transformation, pushing the development of building information modeling (BIM), virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR) and mixed reality (MR) technologies towards greater maturity. However, from the perspective of building developers and end users, does VR technology have any benefit for complex building projects? What are users' acceptance and evaluation on VR emerging technology? After constructing a VR simulation navigation system for an actual commercial building project, this study investigated and compared the differences between using the VR system and the traditional navigation system in the four dimensions of the technology acceptance model. The results showed that the subjects generally believed that the VR system has significant benefits in terms of usefulness, users’ attitude, and users’ intention, however, there is still room for improvement in the perceived ease of use. Moreover, feedback from developers supported the benefits of the VR technology validated the system effectiveness. Hence, VR and BIM technologies are recommended to be effectively integrated, in order to enhance the integrity of industrial applications and establish a new design communication and collaboration model for the architecture, engineering, construction, and facility management industry

Site application of alkali-activated slag concrete in a Chinese building

Kai Yang and Muhammed Basheer of the University of Leeds, Changhui Yang of Chongqing University, China, Jingjie Zhang and ©ɐȁ§Ɗȁ of Chongqing Construction Science Research Institute, China and Yun Bai of University College London report on the first cast-in-situ structural application of alkali-activated slag concrete in a building in China. Attention was given to quality control of raw materials and concrete, construction procedure and assessment of both the consistence and strength. This project has demonstrated that the quality and cost involved could be controlled with a detailed working plan. It has also been found that the alkali-activated slag concrete has the potential to be used in cold-weather construction, as the ambient temperature during the construction of the demonstration building was quite low, sometimes below 5°C

Behavior Analysis of User Interaction on Online Short Video Platform

Online short video platform (OSVP) can disseminate information in an intuitive and three-dimensional (3D) way, and achieve commercial value in a mobile, socialized, life-oriented manner. To fully understand the information dissemination mode of short videos, it is of practical significance to explore user behaviors and their interactive relationship. Therefore, this paper carries out a behavior analysis on user interaction on OSVP. Firstly, an OSVP user interaction model was established based on three aspects: activity, attention, and interactivity. Next, user preference for short videos was examined through cluster analysis and evaluation. Finally, the authors summarized the behavior features of OSVP user interaction and investigated user interaction to decide which videos should be pushed to users. The average utility and average cost of user interaction behavior were compared, indicators of degree centrality were summarized, and the validity of the proposed algorithm was verified by experimental results