Construction Related Fields Research Articles

Divergent effects of visual interfaces on teleoperation for challenging jobsite environments

In challenging work environments, teleoperation has been adopted for executing tasks over long distances, ensuring worker safety off-site. The physical distance from jobsites typically poses challenges to teleoperators, limiting their cognition and perception of sites. Particularly, these human-machine interface challenges vary depending on the work environment conditions. This paper analyzes the impact of different visual interfaces on teleoperators and their work performance in challenging jobsite environments, using interactive workplace modeling and simulation to execute teleoperation tasks. Based on experiments with 33 subjects in construction-related fields with industrial experience, the study observed data overload problems and distraction with effects varying by work environment. Additionally, the analysis includes how their eye gaze patterns could demonstrate these effects. The findings contribute valuable insights into human factors crucial for designing user-centered teleoperation interfaces in construction, forming the basis for an intuitive and informative interface design in task-specific settings.

Mechanical Properties and Microscopic Mechanism of a Multi-Cementitious System Comprising Cement, Fly Ash, and Steel Slag Powder.

The objective of this study was to reduce the stockpile of steel slag, which is a solid waste generated in the steelmaking process, and promote the resource utilization of steel slag powder (SSP) in construction projects. Experimental research was conducted on SSP and fly ash (FA) as supplementary cementitious materials. Composite cement paste samples were prepared to investigate the effects of the water-to-binder ratio and cement-substitution rate on the macroscopic mechanical properties, including the setting time, fluidity, flexural strength, and compressive strength of the prepared paste. The mineral composition in the raw materials was measured using X-ray diffraction (XRD), and a micro-morphological and structural analysis of the hydrated cementitious material samples was performed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM); the SEM and Image Pro Plus (IPP) image analysis techniques were combined for a quantitative analysis of the microstructure. The results showed that the addition of FA and SSP delayed the hydration of cement, thereby improving the flowability of the composite paste. Under the same curing age and cement substitution rate, the sample strength decreased with increasing water-to-binder ratio. Under the same water-to-binder ratio and curing age, the variations in the flexural and compressive strengths of the SSP group samples were inconsistent in the early and later stages, and the sample group with 20% SSP exhibited optimal mechanical strength in the later stage. The microscopic results showed that the needle-like AFt crystals in the hydrated pores decreased in number with the increase in the SSP content. The hydration products of the FA-SSP admixture, such as C-S-H gel and RO phase, acted as pore fillers in alkaline environments. When the water-to-binder ratio was 0.4 and the FA-to-SSP ratio was 1:1 to replace 40% cement, the performance of the hardened cement paste was the best among all the test groups containing both FA and SSP. This study provides a theoretical basis for the practical application of SSP and FA as cementitious materials in construction-related fields.

개방형BIM기반 BF인증 평가 룰 연동 모듈 개발

With the development of BIM technology, one of the smart construction technologies, the government and public institutions are applying the goal of increasing productivity and maximizing work efficiency in the form of supporting existing work in construction related fields. In particular, the need for BIM appeared for an inefficient human resource-oriented administrative processing system that works based on 2D drawings, and research on it is ongoing. In this study, in order to build an openBIM-based BF certification evaluation system, a module that performs essential functions for system implementation was created by utilizing the evaluation items of Barrier Free certification among the currently implemented design certification system. Through a module that can utilize objects used in evaluation items and related data, the results were derived through data access methods and rules. Through this, it is expected that the module will be used in the development of similar design certification system to broaden the scope of application of the openBIM-based evaluation system and increase the possibility of using the module according to the diversity of evaluation items.

A rapid detection method for the surface defects of mosaic ceramic tiles

Due to its unique artistic value, mosaic ceramics are widely used in construction-related fields. To meet the artist's demand for high-quality mosaic ceramic to create artistic works, it is necessary to meet the needs for efficient screening of mosaic ceramic tiles. Different from the ordinary large-target ceramics, mosaic ceramics exhibit characteristics of small tile sizes, a variety of colors, large demand for quantities, and easy reflection on the surface. Common manual detection methods show problems of low efficiency or accuracy, easy to fatigue, and many others. To solve these problems, this paper proposes a new detection method to identify surface defects of mosaic ceramic tiles and designs a detection system platform to achieve rapid detection. The experiment proves that the detection system has a detection rate of 93.99% for small defects on the surface of mosaic ceramic tiles, and the detection time of a single mosaic ceramic tile is less than 0.06 s. The detection method can quickly and accurately screen out high-quality, defect-free mosaic ceramic tiles, which can effectively improve the quality and artistic value of mosaic ceramic art creation.

Applying decision tree algorithm to explore occupational injuries in the Turkish construction industry

Occupational injuries and fatalities are one of the most significant issues in the construction industry. Variables, such as workers’ behavior, age, worksite condition, and type of activity, play key roles in the occurrence of construction accidents. In recent years, data mining techniques have been successfully used not only in health, economy, and social sciences but also in construction-related fields. In this study, C5.0 decision tree algorithm was used to analyze the accident data obtained from the Social Security Institution of Turkey. A classification tree model was created to discover the associations between the attributes. The results show the relationship between the injury status of workers and the attributes, and the accuracy rate of the model was 70.26%. Meanwhile, according to findings, unsafe conditions, type of accident, and activity type were the most important attributes in the model. Furthermore, the predictor importance of the attributes was compared, and several outcomes were discovered; for instance, the workers’ educational background has greater predictive power than age. On the other hand, the branches of the decision tree pointed out several attribute sequences due to their high rated serious/fatal injury rates. The results of this study can be used in the prevention and mitigation strategies for construction accidents.

An Algorithm for Construction Project Cost Forecast Based on Particle Swarm Optimization-Guided BP Neural Network

Construction project cost prediction is an important function in construction-related fields; it can provide an important basis for project feasibility study and design scheme comparison and selection, and its accuracy will directly affect the investment decision of the project. The successful realization of construction cost prediction can bring great convenience to the control and management of construction cost. The purpose of this paper is to study a fast, accurate, convenient, deducible, and rational construction project cost prediction method, to provide a basis for the cost management of the whole life cycle of the project. Therefore, this paper uses particle swarm optimization algorithm to improve BP neural network and proposes a novel construction project cost prediction algorithm based on particle swarm optimization-guided BP neural network. Aiming at the defects of BP neural network updating weights and thresholds with the gradient descent method, this paper uses the advantages of particle swarm optimization in the field of parameter optimization to optimize BP neural network with PSO algorithm. The structure of BP neural network weights and the threshold of each neuron in the coding, through intelligent search for each particle, find the most suitable weights and thresholds, so that the BP neural network has faster convergence speed, better generalization ability, and higher prediction precision. Simulation results also show that the proposed algorithm is competitive enough.

Research on automatic mosaic ceramic tiling method based on color matching

Mosaic ceramics are widely used in construction-related fields, but with the development of society, architects are no longer satisfied with their utilitarian value and have begun to pay more attention to their artistic value. For example, mosaic ceramics with unique artistic effects are frequently used for paving. This article proposes a comprehensive color difference method based on the probability density of gray values to control the paving system and produce paved mosaic patterns with different artistic effects. Experiments show that our method can easily lay out mosaic ceramic work with a certain aesthetic value based on artistic images. Our method may provide an effective technical reference for the use of mosaic ceramics for entertainment, in the home, and as an aspect of architecture, to enrich people's aesthetic requirements.

Integration of Safety Knowledge into Three-Dimensional Model Design and Construction Plan from the Perspective of Project Executors in Petrochemical Industry

In petrochemical industry, the execution of construction involves three main issues, namely, design planning, construction, and job safety. Three-dimensional (3D) models are increasingly applied to design and construction. However, the improper concept of 3D design has bred potential unsatisfactory behaviors and the lack of vigilance among workers. Besides, many employees are not fully aware of the safety in 3D design and construction planning. Therefore, our goal is to improve the safety and health of construction workers through design practices in the upstream of the construction phase, and verify the applicability of the combination of 3D models and safety knowledge. Specifically, a questionnaire survey was carried out among 124 employees in the construction-related fields of the petrochemical industry. The collected data were processed, and statically analyzed on SPSS. The results show that safety knowledge was acceptable in 3D model design from the perspective of project executors, and the integration of safety knowledge into the design helps to improve the safety environment of the construction site.

Mapping out research focus for robotics and automation research in construction-related studies

PurposeThe adoption of robotics and automation (R&A) within the construction industry has been adjudged as slow, despite the possibility of it reducing the high risk posed on health and safety of humans by the activities of the industry. The call for research and development in this area of technology to improve its adoption in the delivery of construction projects is evident in past studies. Thus, this paper aims to conduct a review of R&A in construction-related fields with a view to revealing the area of focus of past studies.Design/methodology/approachA bibliometric approach was adopted for this study, and data used were gathered from the Scopus database. Keywords such as “robotics”, “automation” and “construction” were used to extract papers from the database. VOSviewer was used to prepare a co-authorship and co-occurrence map based on the bibliographic data gathered.FindingsThe findings revealed that focus is placed on construction automation, industrial robots and application, robots’ systems and designs, robotics in earthworks, and robots’ control and information system. Furthermore, currently, research focus in this area is tending towards a more digitalised application of R&A especially in the areas of 3D manufacturing.Research limitations/implicationsThe findings of this study are limited due to the use of a single database.Practical implicationsDespite its limitations, the findings open a knowledge gap that can be explored in developing countries particularly in Africa to improve construction delivery in the continent through R&A.Originality/valueThe study adopted the bibliometric approach in mapping out research focus in R&A – an aspect of digital technology that has not been given considerable attention in recent bibliometric and scientometric studies.

HBIM (heritage Building Information Modell) of the Wang Stave Church in Karpacz – Case Study

ABSTRACT In recent years, Building Information Model (BIM) has become a leading topic for construction-related fields. This technology may be viewed as a process, a type of database, a software or even a 3D model, but in fact, it integrates all these roles and many more. Heritage (Historic) Building Information Model (HBIM) is a standard for heritage objects. It not only allows for the storing of spatial information and metadata but also provides the means of documenting changes that such structures undergo. The scope of application varies from simple documentation repository, through conservation planning tools, to construction and renovation simulation instruments. In this paper, we focus on the example of the so-called Wang Temple in Karpacz, Poland. This object was chosen due to its unique history. This project was done in cooperation with BIMPoint Company (Kraków). It was aimed at showing how effective HBIM can be in accurate spatial documentation of small-scale heritage sites.

Potential asbestos exposure among patients with primary lung cancer in Japan.

Objective: To investigate the extent of asbestos exposure among patients with primary lung cancer in Japan. Methods: A retrospective estimation of potential asbestos-exposed individuals, as determined by the presence of pleural plaques identified on chest computed tomography (CT), was conducted on 885 pathologically confirmed primary lung cancer patients (mean age 71.3 years, 641 males). All patients were diagnosed at 29 hospitals across Japan between 2006 and 2007. Since these hospitals belong to the Japan Federation of Democratic Medical Institutions (MIN-IREN), an organization of medical institutions for workers, the study subjects may contain a higher proportion of workers than the general population. Results: Pleural plaques were identified in 12.8% of subjects (15.8% in males and 4.9% in females), consisting exclusively of cases older than 50 years. They were found most frequently on the chest wall pleura (96.5%), followed by the diaphragm (23.9%) and mediastinum (9.7%). Calcifications were seen in 47 cases (41.6%). The highest prevalence of pleural plaques was seen among workers from construction-related fields (37.7%). No distinct lung cancer histology was observed in patients with pleural plaques. Coexistence of pleural plaques and small irregular opacities was observed in 2.5% of subjects. Conclusion: In a Japanese population representing more workers than general Japanese, 12.8% of patients with primary lung cancer may have experienced asbestos exposure at some time in the past. Special medical attention should be paid to individuals with a history of employment in construction-related occupations, as workers in this sector showed the highest prevalence of pleural plaques.

중학교 기술 가정.교과서의 의복구성 분야 내용 분석

The purpose of this study was to analyse the structure and contents of clothing construction field in the middle-school textbook of technology and home economics with curriculum revised in 2007. 10 kinds of textbooks certified by Ministry of Education, Science and Technology in 2010 were selected and home economics field in them was the subject of this study with the external characteristics such as textbook system, instruction area and contents included. This study was content analysis-oriented and descriptive with data calculated by frequency and percentage. The findings are as follows. In `Reality of Home-Life`, food life area showed highest as 34.4% followed by clothing life(28.7%) and dwelling life(28.7%). The portion of present teachers in writing staffs was highest while there was no textbook where professors of each field were included in writing staffs. The contents of costume society, clothes material, clothes management from section `Choice and Management of Clothes` in the chapter `Family Life` and clothing construction from the section `Making and Modifying Clothes` of the chapter `Reality of Home-Life` were analysed in this study. Clothing construction-related fields were suggested separately by method of measurement, construction theory, drafting theory, drafting an original form, fabric trimming, utilization of the original form, length measure, cloth cutting, hand stitching, how to use a sewing machine, basting and correction, needlework process, completion, and evaluation. The contents of the unit `Making Shorts` were about clothing construction theory, human body measurement, drafting an original form, process of making shorts and activity/research/experience. The contents of the unit `Wearing Clothes after Fixing` in clothing construction-related field were about how to fix and recycling.