Life Cycle Design Research Articles

Inventory scaling, life cycle impact assessment and design optimization of distributed energy plants

Distributed energy plants can be relevant to mitigate global energy consumption and carbon emissions. The energy and environmental advantages of these systems can be achieved through an optimal design by considering their life cycle energy consumption and environmental impacts. However, the high technical complexity and the scarcity of life cycle inventory data about distributed energy plants makes their design optimization very challenging. This paper proposes a design optimization methodology for distributed energy plants by accounting for life cycle impacts. The plant comprises renewable energy systems, fossil fuel energy systems and energy storage technologies. The life cycle inventory data are scaled at different sizes by using scaling laws which are obtained by gathering data of commercially available systems of various sizes and from different manufacturers. In this manner, impact scaling curves for the quantification of energy and environmental impacts like fossil cumulative energy demand, global warming potential and abiotic resource depletion are obtained. The validity of the proposed methodology is demonstrated by considering the campus of the University of Parma (Italy) as a case study. A distributed energy plant is optimally designed by using a mixed-integer genetic algorithm to minimize life cycle fossil cumulative energy demand. Moreover, an economic assessment of the optimal configurations is also performed. Compared to a conventional plant, the configuration with combined heat and power systems allows a primary energy saving of about 15% and a reduction of total costs of about 12%, while the configuration with reversible heat pumps is the most expensive.

Towards a Framework for Promoting Communication during Project Definition

Project definition refers to the first three stages of a project life cycle, namely planning, programming, and preliminary design during which client needs are identified and translated into design solutions. An ill-defined hospital project definition may lead to hospital-acquired infections or patient mortality. The traditional management practices have been proved to be inadequate since architects usually do not communicate with users, and thus do not have detailed knowledge about how services are performed in the building. There is the need for more knowledge about the subject to improve and thus promote client value generation. This study first reviews factors that impact the communication between architects and clients during project definition based on the literature. The study then offers a framework based on these factors to help managers assess and improve communication between professionals and clients. The validity of the framework will then be empirically validated and revised based on findings of a longitudinal mega-hospital case study. The main objective of the current investigation is to improve the project definition practices of complex projects, and the assumption is that an effective communication provides more value to end users, as well as better project performance in terms of environmental and social sustainability.

BIM Geological Structure Computer Modelling and Software Simulation in Building Foundation Model Testing

In view of the difficult calculation and complex construction procedures in the large-area complex foundation treatment plan, based on actual engineering projects, the BIM application plan of foundation treatment in the whole life cycle of design and construction is studied. The article first visualizes the drilling data of geological survey in three dimensions. Then, on this basis, we use the Kriging algorithm to interpolate and fit the three-dimensional geological layer data with the borehole data as the sample data. The results of the experiment show that the three-dimensional model of geological bodies constructed by BIM technology can directly express the distribution of geological layers. This method realizes the information exchange between the BIM model and the numerical simulation software, and improves the accuracy of the calculation results.

Recent developments of stainless steels in structural applications

AbstractThe paper reviews the recent trends in the use of stainless steels for practical structural applications. It provides a context for the underpinning engineering research work taking place globally in many universities and research institutes on structural stainless steels, which has enabled the development of economic and comprehensive design standards. An already extensive body of work on the structural use of stainless steel has facilitated the growing use of stainless steels for large structures, usually in corrosive environments where durability, combined with long service life, are important and maintenance closures are very costly.Work has concentrated on duplex grades of stainless steel. Their high strength (30% higher than carbon steel S355) leads to specific applications in weight sensitive structures and this has resulted in a growing range of duplex grades from materials producers. The rationale for use of stainless steel often considers the wider project requirements, including design life and life cycle costing, future maintenance requirements, sustainability and aesthetical demands. The structural use of stainless steel in several case studies of bridges and other large structures from across the world will be discussed. The opportunities for further academic research activities from the perspective of the stainless steel industry will be highlighted.

Design Optimization and Life Cycle Cost Assessment of GRC Shading Screens for Office Buildings in Cairo

Design Optimization and Life Cycle Cost Assessment of GRC Shading Screens for Office Buildings in Cairo

Establishment and Application of Hospital BIM Based on Point Cloud and Image Fusion for Infectious Disease (Novel Corona Virus Pneumonia)

Since neither a single high-precision 3D coordinate laser point cloud nor a oblique image of high-precision spectral information can make the computer understand the data as human, in order to accurately and completely understand the object in the real world, in this paper, the fusion of the point cloud and the oblique image is studied for the understanding and application of the real object buildings by establishing a BIM model. Firstly, point cloud data and image data are acquired by different data acquisition methods. Laser point cloud and oblique image are fused by installation parameters so that geometric elements are consistent and benchmark is unified. Processing level is not limited to element level only, so as to ensure the integrity of information, and the fused mutual information remains consistent in scale, texture and direction. Secondly, under the condition of space-time synchronization, the relationship between point cloud and image in geometric space is established, and the alternating "energy transfer" is used for shape prediction and visual filling by matching under texture mapping constraints to enhance the semantic information of the 3D scene. Finally, a 3D building information model is established. Using the experimental results to track the whole life cycle (design, construction, operation) in real time saves the cost of building rework, reduces the building cycle, and improves the building accuracy. Especially based on BIM during Novel Coronavirus Pneumonia: analyze hospital space resource management and elastic function; construct medical unit model of infectious disease hospital; simulate and optimize medical process in infectious disease hospital; rapidly construct prefabricated infectious disease emergency hospital; simulate hospital infection path and dynamics; the auxiliary design and construction of infectious disease treatment in existing hospitals; The monitoring analysis and automatic control of hospital infection safety operation.

EXPLORING THE ROLE OF TRANSACTIVE MEMORY SYSTEMS IN TEAM DECISION-MAKING DURING IDEATION PHASE

AbstractTeam collaboration is a critical necessity of the modern-day engineering design profession. This is no surprise given that teams typically possess more task-relevant skills and knowledge than individuals (Levine & Choi, 2004). Advancements in digital media provide new opportunities for collaboration across the design lifecycle. However, early stages of the design process still pose challenges to digitally mediated design collaboration due to greater representational abstraction and the presence of multiple modalities for design ideation. Usually, design teams spend a substantial amount of time generating a broad set of ideas that can lead them to a wide range of design solutions during the ideation phase. However, sooner or later, teams should narrow down their vision for a final solution. What factors influence team members to eliminate or select an idea? Our study is an attempt to demonstrate some examples of this challenge. By drawing on research in team cognition, particularly the concept of transactive memory system (TMS) we studied a design teams' communication and media use during the ideation phase. The goal was to see if media type and communication modes can predict a team's decisions on selecting and eliminating ideas.

Design of a Web-Based Digital Learning Resource Center to assist online learning with mathematics content in primary schools

Implementation of online learning policy has become an alternative solution. In another way, also raises various problems faced by teachers, students, and also parents who accompany their children to study online from home. Especially in learning with Mathematics content which already has a negative stigma. This development process aimed to assist teachers in providing digital learning resources in the learning process by providing a digital learning resource center that can be used by teachers, students, and parents. The main focus of this study is 1) the design of the digital LRC website. 2) Development of a digital LRC website that can be used by teachers in presenting the learning process. 3) provide helpful guidance for teachers in digital learning development by utilizing digital LRCs. The development of the Website-Based Digital LRC is realized through a seven-step Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) design model. This paper will only focus on Systems Analysis and Requirements and also describing the DLRC system design that will be developed. The design resulted from this study is a Website-Based Digital LRC that can be utilized by both teacher and student. Optimization of this Digital LRC has the potential to reduce the time and effort of a teacher in their preparation for learning.

Improving Children's Cultural Heritage Experience Using Game-based Learning at a Living Museum

This empirical study was conducted to design, develop, and evaluate children's experiences with a game-based mobile guide (GBMG) application at Sarawak Cultural Village (SCV). The Interaction Design lifecycle model was used for the systematic development of the GBMG application. A total of 45 children took part in this study who were divided into two groups: a paper-based pamphlet and GBMG application group. The Museum Experience Scale were used to evaluate the overall experience with the GBMG application in this study. Results showed that the children in the mobile-based groups have a higher mean for the four dimensions of MES, although the difference is only significant for the emotional connection dimension. This study shows that the game-based mobile guide application did not significantly improve children's museum experience at SCV except for their emotional connection. Additional findings from the Heuristic Evaluation with six Human-Computer Interaction experts offered a deeper understanding of why the GBMG did not improve the children's visitor experience at SCV. The outcome of this study contributes to the research field of game-based mobile applications to enhance children's experiences at living museums with several issues raised for further research.

Simulation of cyclic voltammetry in structural supercapacitors with pseudocapacitance behavior

Cyclic voltammetry is an important technique to characterize the electrochemical performance and reaction kinetics in electrical and electrochemical energy storage devices under various conditions. In this study, a physics-based model is developed to simulate cyclic voltammetry measurements of reduced graphene oxide with aramid nanofiber (rGO-ANF) composite structural supercapacitors through multiphysics computational modeling and compared against experimental results. The presence of asymmetric forward and reverse sweeps in the cyclic voltammetry curves suggests pseudo-capacitance behavior associated with the oxygen-functionalized group. A multistep kinetics modeling approach is used to evaluate various kinetic processes that can occur at different potential values employing both Butler-Volmer and Tafel equations. Parametric studies were also performed to investigate the effects of scan rate, equilibrium potential, exchange current density, and transfer coefficient on cyclic voltammetry curves. The results demonstrate that nonzero equilibrium potential is more accurate for rGO-ANF supercapacitors and a low exchange current density of 10−6 A m−2 shows better agreement with the experimental measurements. The multistep modeling of cyclic voltammetry accompanied with experimental cyclic voltammetry curves provides a more accurate and comprehensive analysis of the kinetics and thermodynamics of structural supercapacitors and enables better design and control of device performance and life cycle.

The PDEM-based time-varying dynamic reliability analysis method for a concrete dam subjected to earthquake

A time-varying dynamic reliability analysis method based on the generalized probability density evolution method (GPDEM) is proposed for a concrete gravity dam under seismic loading. Characterized by considering both randomness and time-variability, the method could be applied to predict the time-varying seismic performance of concrete dams from the perspective of probability. Two probability density evolution equations (PDEEs) are established in the method: the extreme value distribution-based PDEE.1 considering the randomness of material parameters under seismic loading and the PDEE.2 considering the deterioration of material properties during the service life. To solve the PDEE.2, a novel initial condition is derived from the PDEE.1 for the first time. The numerical implementation is illustrated by a concrete gravity dam. The results show that the abundant and continuous probability evolution information of the time-varying seismic performance could be captured. Then, the continuous time-varying reliabilities are obtained through the specified thresholds. The accuracy and effectiveness of the newly proposed method are compared with those of the MCS. Finally, the proposed method is verified to be efficient and be suitable for complex nonlinear structures under seismic loading, which could provide a potential tool for the life-cycle seismic design.

SISTEM INFORMASI PENDAFTARAN ONLINE SISWA BERBASIS WEB PADA SEKOLAH MENENGAH KEJURUAN (SMK) PELAYARAN JAKARTA RAYA

Online New Student Admission (PPDB) as a method or method that aims to register online for new prospective cadets at SMK Pelayaran Jakarta Raya. With the development of Information Technology (IT) today, information about schools to prospective cadets without being geographically restricted must be conveyed through the website so that the public can easily access all school information. Admission of new cadets at the beginning of a new academic year, in which in practice the admission of new cadets is still done manually so that it cannot be done efficiently. With the existence of a web-based computerized information system, it is hoped that it can help prospective cadets in registering and getting accurate information so they can find out the effectiveness of this system. This writer applies the waterfall design to the building sketch of the information system for new student admissions, the waterfall method is a method that describes the design of the System Development Life Cycle (SDLC), where the preparation begins with analysis, design, coding, and testing. Data collection techniques by conducting field observations, interviews, and literature studies. This new student admission information system was built using the PHP programming language using the MySQL database as the database server. The result of this writing is a web-based student admission information system that has effectiveness in providing convenience to parents of new cadets to receive all information regarding new student admissions and carry out the online registration process.

Sustainability life cycle design of bridges in aggressive environments considering social impacts

The authors acknowledge the financial support of the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, along with FEDER funding (Project: BIA2017-85098-R).

Behaviors and Trends toward Routine Maintenance and Major Repairs of Afridev Handpumps in Rural Malawi

Service provision for Afridev handpumps through community management in Malawi is a notable challenge. Essential preventative maintenance is often neglected, and repairs are undertaken on a reactive basis. The costs of major repairs are not recognized at community level and are typically neglected across the lifecycle of infrastructure or left to external stakeholders. The aim of this study was to investigate preventative maintenance and capital maintenance expenditure over the 15-year design lifecycle of 21,997 Afridev handpumps in Malawi, and how costs change based on different local tariff collection scenarios. A total of four tariff collection scenarios were investigated, for assets both subject and not subject to rehabilitation. The findings highlight poor initial capacity building into appropriate cost recovery and maintenance approaches. Major repair costs increase over the pump lifecycle when service consists of the replacement of low-cost, fast-wearing parts. Rehabilitation/major repair costs increase as a result but tend to be focused on simple longer-life components, such as pump rods. In both cases, a reliance on external support was highlighted, as larger costs are primarily covered by donors and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs). Proactive tariff scenarios may provide a greater capability of replacement throughout the lifecycle of major items when compared to reactive tariff scenarios. It is recommended that policy and practitioners should focus on capacity building of sustainable maintenance models that consider the full lifecycle costs of assets.

An improved stochastic life-cycle cost analysis model for examining the impact of environmental policy instruments on construction equipment replacement

Both contractors and governments are eager for a model that can assist them to examine the impact of environmental policy instruments (EPIs) on construction equipment replacement from a stochastic perspective. Therefore, this study introduces an improved stochastic life cycle cost (LCC) analysis model and designs eight scenarios in which different EPIs are considered for such examination. The limitation of the traditional LCC analysis model has been examined. The effectiveness of the improved LCC analysis model is demonstrated with its application in a 2002 Sterling LT9500 dump truck in the US market. The results show that: (1) The traditional LCC analysis model is not robust due to failing to consider costs incurred by EPIs and a lack of stochastic perspective. (2) Mandatory administration policy instruments (EPIA) can promote earlier replacement of construction equipment, but EPIA can put a heavy financial burden on contractors. (3) When economic incentive policy instruments such as grants or subsidies programs (EPIBGS) and tax credits programs (EPIBT) are not lucrative enough, it is very hard to involve contractors in these programs, which will hardly motivate them to replace their construction equipment earlier. (4) A combination of EPIA, EPIBGS and EPIBT can work better, which can motive contractors to earlier replace existing equipment, and reduce the financial burden of contractors to some extent.

Semi-Markov modeling for assessing reliability of road construction machines in the process of their operation

The article provides a theoretical description of the processes of changing the technical state of road-building machines to assess their reliability at the stage of operation based on semi-Markov models. Reliability is the most important property of machines and characterizes their ability to perform their functions during normal operation. Reliability covers all stages of the life cycle of equipment-its design, manufacture, and operation. The operation stage is the longest in time and the costliest to ensure reliability. This explains the relevance of developing a mathematical model of operational reliability of road-building machines. During the operation of technical objects, their technical condition changes under the influence of objective and subjective factors. As a result, quantitative indicators that characterize the technical condition of machines vary widely and are random in nature. Road-building machines may be in one of the following technical states during operation: perfect, imperfect, upstate, down state. At the same time, a perfect machine is always upstate, and an imperfect one can be either upstate or down state. The transition from one technical state to another is random and can be considered instantaneous with a sufficient degree of accuracy. The probability of any technical state in the future depends only on the state of the process in the present and does not depend on when and how the process was in this state. This makes it possible to use the theory of semi-Markov processes when formalizing the process and developing a mathematical model. Based on semi-Markov modeling, the article shows the sequence of constructing a graph of states and transitions from one state to another for a road construction machine during operation; matrices of transitions and probabilities of transitions from one state to another; systems of differential equations for determining the limiting probabilities of finding a machine in a particular technical state during operation. The developed method of semi-Markov modeling allows estimating the operational reliability of equipment with the reliability allowed by probability theory.

A digital-twin visualized architecture for Flexible Manufacturing System

The new generation of industrial 4.0 intelligent manufacturing system consists of Human-Cyber-Physical System (HCPS), integrating human with cyber and physical systems. In manufacturing, a digital-twin visualization architecture is to solve the human-machine interaction problem that concerns digital-twin modeling on the Cyber-Physical (C-P) side and on the Human-Cyber side. Although there are many related research and applications, there lacks attention in terms of full life cycle functional services and lightweight architecture. This paper presents a general architecture of digital-twin visualization for flexible manufacturing systems (FMS). How the digital-twin C-P modeling of multi-source heterogeneous information can be described is investigated and how the 3D visualized human-machine interaction with digital-twin scenario information is explored in the proposed architecture. Besides, the visualization method of high-value information, relating to the life cycle planning, design, debugging and service stages, is studied and discussed thoroughly. Also, a digital-twin modeling concept of "Geometric information (G)-Historical samples (H)-Object attribute (O)-Snapshot collection (S)-Topology constraint (T)" (GHOST) is proposed, and methods for developing virtual digital-twin scenes architecture are presented. Based on the proposed modeling concept of GHOST for digital-twin, prototypes have been developed for the general platform of digital-twin RESTful services and the cross-platform general visual mock-up software. Experimental results show that this method is effective in the FMS lifecycle in various aspects.

Designing Shift Handoff Software: Clinical Learners and Design Students Collaborate Using the "Design Thinking" Process.

Handoffs in patient care responsibilities between practitioners are common in the hospital setting. Because inadequate communication can lead to patient harm, professional organizations have published recommendations and practical guides to support standardized workflow. However, currently available electronic medical record (EMR) tools rarely provide the requisite functionality to support work and often suffer from major usability flaws. Our internal medicine residency program sponsored a quality improvement initiative to improve the design of handoff tools. To support this initiative, our medical informatics program collaborated with a school of architecture and design to identify requirements and ideate interface prototypes. In this article, we describe how we used Design Thinking principles and methods to inform our product design lifecycle, create novel designs, and teach inter-professional students health systems science concepts.

REWAS 2022: Developing Tomorrow’s Technical Cycles

REWAS, a sustainability driven conference within The Minerals, Metals & Materials Society (TMS), has a long history of bringing together academia and industry to exchange and reflect on the latest technology developments in the process optimization and waste management fields. The first edition of REWAS (REcycling and WASte symposium) took place in 1999. The scope of the conference has since then broadened to include environmental sustainability, resource management and manufacturing efficiency, liaising these developments to the metallurgical industry in a broader societal and systemic context. The 2022 edition of REWAS which will be hosted at the TMS 2022 Annual Meeting & Exhibition in Anaheim, California, provides a resolute outlook towards Developing Tomorrow’s Technical Cycles. Within the metals and materials industry, technical cycles refer to the ensemble of strategies and processes applied to the development of sustainable product loops with the intent to eliminate waste and instead rethink, reuse and upcycle products. The success of technical cycles requires strengthening our circular approach for product life cycle design by providing guidelines and implementation examples to the developers, designers, policy makers and business managers. REWAS promotes such strategies within a priority sector identified for Circular Economy enablement: raw materials supply and management. REWAS 2022 consists of six symposia, and abstract submissions are expected in summer 2021. Topics include recycling and sustainability within the aluminum industry, specifically on casting technologies, recovery of metals from complex products and systems, decarbonization of the metallurgical and manufacturing industry, sustainable production and development perspectives, as well as automatization and digitalization for advanced manufacturing. REWAS 2022 will also include an honorary symposium for Dr. Diran Apelian, whose contributions in metals processing, aluminum and battery recycling, sustainability, education in materials science and more have shaped the path for sustainable materials processing.

Multi-generational exposure to fipronil, 2,4-D, and their mixtures in Chironomus sancticaroli: Biochemical, individual, and population endpoints

Conventional farming delivers a range of pesticides to aquatic ecosystems leading to implications for the indigenous species. Due to the multiple applications and persistence of molecules, organisms may be exposed for a prolonged period over multiple generations. The present study outlines a full life-cycle design over three generations of Chironomus sancticaroli exposed to the insecticide fipronil, the herbicide 2,4-D, and their mixtures. The experiment started with newly hatched larvae from the parental generation and lasted with the emerged adults from the second generation. Five nominal concentrations of fipronil and 2,4-D were tested, as well as six combinations of both pesticides. As additional responses, the total carbohydrates and the lipid classes were evaluated in the parental generation. The first and second generations were more susceptible to the tested compounds compared with the parental ones. Survival of larvae and pupae was decreased by both pesticides and their mixtures along with the generations. Only fipronil impaired the survival of emerged adults. Both pesticides (isolated and in the mixture) altered the emergence and the fraction of males and females. Moreover, the number of eggs produced, and their hatchability decreased. Only one combination of the pesticides increased the content of carbohydrates. Fipronil, 2,4-D, and its mixture altered the profile of the lipid classes. All mixture treatments and the three highest concentrations of fipronil extinguished the population of C. sancticaroli at the end of the first generation. In the remaining treatments with the insecticide, the population did not survive the second generation. Only three concentrations of 2,4-D and the control persisted until the end of the experiment. The results indicate that a prolonged exposition to these pesticides may disrupt the natural populations of exposed organisms with consequences to ecosystems' functioning, considering the importance of chironomids to aquatic and terrestrial environments.