Design Mistakes Research Articles

Development and implementation of a method for checking the integrity of the design of an object-oriented system

Creating modern software products is a complex and long process consisting of many parts. To achieve quality, it is necessary to carry out various measures for testing and verifying software at all stages of development. This article discusses the software design stage, which is integral and one of the most important. In most software development life cycle (SDLC) models, this stage is one of the first, so design mistakes will lead to problems in all subsequent stages. Thus, due to the high cost of error, it is very important to check the integrity of the developed design at the design stage. The article examines the problem of finding contradictions in object-oriented design. The authors present a set of contradictions that can arise in such a design and aim to develop methods and algorithms for detecting and searching for these contradictions in order to improve the quality of the design, as well as writing software that will implement these algorithms and methods. The program "diagrams.net" was chosen as a tool for creating object-oriented design, the main useful feature of which is the ability to present the created diagrams in the form of an XML file in the popular drawio format. The authors of the study propose a method for parsing the XML file of the diagram and presenting it as a set of objects, such as dependency arrows, classes, methods, etc. These objects must interact according to the established rules.The violation of these rules is a contradiction of the object-oriented design. As a result of the study, a method of finding contradictions was presented and implemented in the Java programming language.

Reliability-based robust control strategy via LMI approach for TMDs and ATMDs with uncertain parameters

This paper presents an integrated reliability-based H∞ robust control. This method consists of the H∞ control method and the Hasofer-Lind and Rackwitz-Fiessler (HL-RF) strategy. In this respect, the uncertainties in the system should be taken into account by using the random variables, which may arise due to various factors Such as the absence of understanding of the properties of materials, mistakes in design, etc. Also, considering the uncertainties in the system is important because it may cause wide changes in the responses of a system. For this reason, the reliability method must be carefully examined. To reduce the responses of the structure, TMDs and ATMDs are used. The parameters of the dampers (mass, stiffness, damping) are considered with uncertainty. An iterative HL-RF algorithm is used for structure equipped with TMDs to deal with uncertainties. To find the appropriate control force of TAMDs, the combination of the H∞ control strategy based on the linear matrix inequality utilized and the HL-RF method algorithm is expressed. Two types of dampers are vertically distributed on the different floors to increase the reliability of the structure under earthquake excitations. The proposed strategy indicated that the system's responses have been provided greater value by considering the uncertainty that shows the importance of this issue. According to the obtained values, the presented algorithm has performed well. Also, the proper reliability index is acquired by using the HL-RF method.

Multidisciplinary reconnaissance investigation covering structural, geotechnical, and architectural based damage to mid-rise residential buildings following the February 6th, 2023 Kahramanmaraş, Türkiye earthquake doublets (Mw 7.8, Mw 7.6)

Kahramanmaraş and its surroundings were devastated with major earthquake doublets of Mw = 7.8 Pazarcık and Mw = 7.6 Elbistan/Ekinözü on February 6th, 2023. While a wide scatter of reinforced concrete (RC) structures experienced damage, mid-rise residential buildings constitute a large bulk with heavy damage or total collapse. Among many reasons, poor concrete strength and brittle fracture of rebars along with liquefaction-caused soil deformations contributed to building damage. This paper investigates structural, geotechnical, and architectural conditions of mid-rise RC residential buildings with heavy damage. The geotechnical component includes the investigation of liquefaction-caused settlement and subsidence of loose foundation soils. Architectural reconnaissance suggests that commonly encountered design mistakes observed in past earthquakes were repeated. Field investigation concludes that loose saturated silty and sandy soils exhibit liquefaction leading to permanent damage on the mid-rise buildings while tunnel-form code-designed RC buildings with seven-to-ten stories performed well.

Application of Simulation-Based Metrics to Improve the Daylight Performance of a Secondary School, An Approach for Green Building Designers and Architects

Visual comfort affects the quality of classrooms as well as student learning. A practice-oriented approach discovers how the gap between academic research and its application in building design can be addressed. Nevertheless, the physical characteristics design of daylighting systems, including window sizes, shapes, dimensions, and materials, are considered fundamental challenges for their practicability. In this study, the physical characteristics design of daylighting systems, including window sizes, shapes, dimensions, and materials, are considered in a designed sample school, and the daylight metrics were analyzed to achieve more trustworthy and applicable daylighting systems. Grasshopper (Honeybee-Ladybug), as a parametric control method, was applied to simulate the daylighting quality for various educational spaces in a secondary school in Sanandaj City, based on average ‘Daylight Factor’, ‘Daylight Autonomy’, ‘Useful Daylight Illuminance’, and ‘Annual Sunlight Exposure’. These metrics were examined to discover the relationship between window size and positions on visual comfort. The results indicate daylighting assessments are a solid approach to revising the architectural design mistakes at the primary designing phase. Architects and other building designers or energy consumption assessors can apply the design improvement process to present more sufficient and successful architectural details. This is a fundamental step toward the implementation of green buildings.

Observed seismic performance of buildings and bridges during a major earthquake followed by one other major earthquake in the close vicinity of the first one

AbstractIn the recent 2023 major earthquake triggering one other large earthquake in Anatolia, the poor structural performance of buildings and the satisfactory performance of bridges remained relatively consistent compared to past observed earthquake experiences. Despite numerous building collapses, it is worth noting that no bridges collapsed during the event. Several engineering factors for poor building performance have been identified based on field building inspections in the recent and past earthquakes, such as the misuse of building design software without proper engineering judgment, the utilization of poor-quality construction materials, underestimation of earthquake forces, construction on inadequate soil conditions, design mistakes, and incorrect implementation of high ductility reinforcement details. In the aftermath of the earthquake, it was found that only a small percentage of bridges (1%) were closed, and approximately 50% of them were reopened to traffic within 24 h. Remarkably, no bridge collapses including the modern or old bridges were reported in the affected area. The focus of this paper is to identify the differences in the design philosophy between buildings and bridges and to understand the reasons behind the bridges’ resilience during these rare earthquakes. The study involves analyzing past structural performances of buildings and bridges under different earthquake conditions and design requirements. Analytical results from a survived 90-year-old reinforced concrete arch railroad bridge, highlighting its resilience and design characteristics are also presented.

Effect of streamflow measurement error on flood frequency estimation

Significant errors often arise when measuring streamflow during high flows and flood events. Such errors conflated by short records of observations may induce bias in the flood frequency estimates, leading to costly engineering design mistakes. This work illustrates how observational (measurement) errors affect the uncertainty of flood frequency estimation. The study used the Bulletin 17 C (US standard) method to estimate flood frequencies of historical peak flows modified to represent the measurement limitations. To perform the modifications, we explored, via Monte Carlo simulation, four hypothetical scenarios that mimic measurement errors, sample size limitations, and their combination. We used a multiplicative noise from a log-normal distribution to simulate the measurement errors and implemented a bootstrap approach to represent the sampling error. Then, we randomly selected M samples from the total N records of the observed peak flows of four gauging stations in Iowa in central USA. The observed data record ranges between 76 and 119 years for watersheds with drainage areas between 500 and 16,000 km2. According to the results, measurement errors lead to more significant differences than sampling limitations. The scenarios exhibited differences with median magnitudes of up to 50%, with some cases reaching differences up to 100% for return periods above 50 years. The results raise a red flag regarding flood frequency estimation that warrants looking for further research on observational errors.

Methodology for planning short-term urban bike lane networks; an example of downtown Gijón

Recently there has been increasing interest in the construction of bike lanes in cities due to their enormous positive effects; however, in some places society is resistant to these infrastructures and it is difficult to break a dynamic defined as the vicious circle of cycling mobility. In view of this, there is the option of proposing temporary bike lanes to evaluate the social response and, if successful, to make them permanent. This option is called temporary or tactical urbanism and has been widely used in the field of bicycle infrastructure during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. The problem is that there is no quick and low-cost method to determine a comprehensive and well-connected scheme of bike lanes in the whole of a city; therefore, sometimes design mistakes are made and as a consequence temporary infrastructures, far from becoming permanent, disappear. This research study proposes an agile and economical methodology to establish which streets, within those that define the urban grid as a whole, can accommodate a temporary bike lane without altering the motorised traffic grid. The method is based on the use of quantum geographic information system and on a quick and easy data collection. The method was applied to downtown Gijón, Spain.

Rework investigation in residential building projects: Cost, factors and effects

AbstractThis article aims at investigating rework cost, factors and effects in residential building projects in the West Bank – Palestine. Questionnaire survey is used to collect and rank the main factors and effects of rework from consultants' and constructors' point of view. Respondents show that more than 80% of the projects completed with rework cost of value greater than 5% of the total project cost. Overall, respondents' view concludes that the top rework factors include: mistakes in design, unskilled labors, unqualified subcontractors, non-conformance with required specifications, and bid awarding policy. Respondents indicate that the main effects of rework are cost overrun, project time extension, material waste excess and profit reduction. Spearman correlation test concludes a good correlation between contractors and consultants in ranking of rework factors and effects. Data collected from 47 residential projects reveal a high rework impact on cost overrun in construction projects. The results of this study would be helpful for researchers and professionals to guide their efforts to minimize rework in construction projects and to improve projects outcomes in term of cost, time and quality.

Impact of change orders on construction material waste in residential buildings projects

The current study attempts to address the relationship between material waste and change orders in residential building projects implemented in the West Bank in Palestine. The main objectives include: (1) identify the main factors affecting change orders in residential projects, (2) identify the main factors affecting martial waste eon construction sites, (3) address the relationship between change orders and construction material waste, (4) develop prediction model that shows the impact of change orders on material waste. To achieve this, two methods are used: (1) questionnaire survey is conducted to identify the main factors affecting change orders and the major factors of material waste on construction sites. Fourteen (14) factors believed to affect change orders and 15 factors that might affect material waste are investigated in this study. (2) Case study is conducted to address the impact of change orders on material waste. Data collected from 40 residential building projects implemented in the West Bank in Palestine. Regression analysis is used to establish the predictive model that relates the change orders and material waste. Results indicate that the top five factors affecting change orders include: change of project scope by owner, shortage in equipment and materials, change in materials, design mistakes, and change of plans by owner. It also shows that the top five factors affecting material waste are: rework, lack of labors skills, design errors, purchasing materials not complying with specifications, and frequent design changes. The results revealed a strong relationship between number of change orders and construction material waste on site.

Exploring the Environmental Health Implications of Invisible, Unnoticeable, and Overlooked Mistakes in Hospital Design: A Study in Egypt

Hospital Planning and design can have a significant impact on environmental health, and even seemingly minor mistakes or oversights can contribute to negative health outcomes for patients and hospital staff. This paper examines the impact of invisible, unnoticeable, and overlooked mistakes in hospital design on environmental health in Egypt, with a focus on identifying the risks associated with these mistakes and exploring strategies for mitigating negative outcomes. Through a review of the literature, this paper identifies several key environmental factors that can contribute to negative health outcomes in hospitals, including poor air quality, inadequate ventilation, noise pollution, infection, poor materials quality, inadequate lighting and any other factors could harm the hospital occupants. Additionally, this paper examines the impact of these factors on patient outcomes, including length of stay, recovery time, and overall health and well-being. Finally, this paper explores and studies these mistakes which are considered a frequent phenomenon in a large number of hospitals in Egypt to determine these environmental health risks. Overall, this paper highlights the importance of considering even the smallest details in hospital design, and offers recommendations for promoting healthy and safe hospital environments in Egypt.

Architectural design mistakes in masonry buildings:field observations of Elazığ and Kahramanmaraş earthquakes

21. yüzyıl içerisinde Türkiye’yi etkileyen depremler sonucunda birçok bina yıkılmıştır ve/veya kullanılamayacak düzeyde hasar almıştır. Yıkılan/yok olan bina stoku farklı taşıyıcı sistemler ile inşa edilmiştir. Bu sistemlerin başında yığma yapım sistemi gelmektedir. Yığma binaların depreme karşı göstereceği yapısal davranışta mimari tasarım öğeleri önemli bir rol oynar. Bu nedenle yığma binaların tasarımında kullanılan pek çok yönerge/yönetmelik mimari tasarım öğelerini içermektedir. Bu çalışmada depremlerinin etki ettiği yığma binaların deprem performansının, mimari tasarım bağlamında incelenmesi ve yapılan çıkarımlar ile paydaşlara yığma binaların deprem performanslarındaki yetersizliklerin aktarılması, bu yetersizliklerin giderilmesine yönelik önerilerin ortaya koyulması amaçlanmıştır. Bu amaca yönelik gerçekleştirilen çalışma, Türkiye’de yayımlanan deprem yönetmeliklerindeki (örneğin; 1997, 2007 ve 2018) tasarım öğeleri dikkate alınarak, Elâzığ (2020) ve Maraş (2023) depremleri sonrası yapılan saha gözlemlerinde incelenen yığma binalar üzerinden gerçekleştirilmiştir. Yığma binalardaki hasar/göçme mekanizmaları yapıdan yapıya farklılık gösterebilmektedir. Bu bağlamda; seçilen binaların farklı konumlarda inşa edilmiş olması ve değişik derecelerde hasarlara maruz kalmış olmasına önem verilmiştir. Çalışma kapsamında ele alınan binalardaki hasarlar, gözlemsel tespitler ile mimari tasarım özelinde açıklanmıştır. Çalışma sonucunda, mevcut kâgir yığma binaların deprem performansındaki yetersizlikler ortaya koyularak, mevcut ve yeni/yeniden inşa edilecek olan kâgir yığma binaların deprem performansına katkı sağlayacak mimari tasarım önerileri ve mimari tasarım sürecinde dikkate edilmesi gereken hususlar açıklanmıştır.

Hydrodynamic behaviour improvement of check valves through CFD analysis

In this article, the computer assisted design, flow simulation, optimization of production parameters and unique design prototype manufacturing of a check valve with 16 bar pressure, 5 m/s flow rate and 52000 m3/h flow coefficients, which have never been achieved before in the valve sector, were presented to the attention of the readers. Check valves have a critical role that do not allow reverse flow of the fluid passing through them and are generally designed to secure the pipeline. A small mistake in design may cause great damage in the system. For this reason, a new product of which the disc material exposed to 5 m/s fluid velocity, the body subjected to 16 bar pressure and the system with a flow coefficient of 52000 m3/h were designed by the Solidworks, the flow was simulated with CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics), and the mechanical resistance was analysed by FEA (Finite Element Analysis). Fluent, CFD and mechanical modules of ANSYS were used to define the parameters of the design. The manufactures of the products designed in the computer environment have been produced by casting method with a 45% ferritic microstructure and impact resistance twice as high as the standard requirements have been implemented.

Structural damage assessment of reinforced concrete buildings in Adıyaman after Kahramanmaraş (Türkiye) Earthquakes on 6 February 2023

Two destructive earthquakes (Mw: 7.7 and Mw: 7.6) occurred in Kahramanmaraş, Türkiye, on February 6, 2023. The epicenters of these two earthquakes were very close to each other (approximately 90 km apart), and both took place on the same day. The first earthquake occured at 04:17 local time with a magnitude of 7.7 and a depth of 8.6 km, while the second earthquake occurred at 13:24 local time with a magnitude of 7.6 and a depth of 7.0 km. These two earthquakes caused extensive damage, particularly in 11 provinces, with Adıyaman being one of the hardest-hit areas. Most buildings in Adıyaman were severely affected or collapsed as a result of the earthquakes. Reports indicate that over 35,000 buildings collapsed in the aftermath. Furthermore, between February 6, 2023, and May 6, 2023, more than 30,000 aftershocks, ranging in magnitude from 0.2 to 6.6, were recorded. In this study, earthquake damages in reinforced concrete buildings in Adıyaman province were evaluated. The causes of damages in reinforced concrete buildings were evaluated in terms of material quality, design of building and reinforcement details. Field observations are also provided, along with accompanying pictures. The earthquake regulations in Türkiye, established in 1975, 1998, 2007, and 2018, which apply to a significant portion of the country's buildings, are discussed. An evaluation was conducted to assess whether the damaged buildings complied with the earthquake regulations in Türkiye. Field observations revealed that the earthquake regulations, particularly in relation to reinforcement details, were overlooked. In addition, designers should avoid design mistakes such as to make discontinuous of frames, to place most of vertical element strong axis in one direction, insufficient support condition of stairs and adjacent building effects.

Effect on RC buildings of 6 February 2023 Turkey earthquake doublets and new doctrines for seismic design

Two major catastrophic earthquakes, which occurred 9 h apart on the Eastern Anatolian Fault Zone and one of its branches on February 6, 2023 in Turkey, directly affected 11 provinces in the Eastern and South-Eastern Anatolia regions, where 14 million people live. These earthquakes are among the most destructive earthquakes in the history of Turkey, caused approximately 3 times more property damage and loss of life than the 1999 Marmara Earthquake. More than 24,000 aftershocks with magnitudes of up to 6.7 Mw occurred after these earthquakes. In this study, the causes of heavy destruction in some of the provinces and districts most affected by earthquakes (especially Hatay-Antakya, Kahramanmaraş, Gaziantep-Nurdagi, Gaziantep-Islahiye, Adıyaman-Gölbaşı, Malatya) were examined under sub-headings. The reasons for the damages were supported by the striking images obtained during the site investigation in the earthquake zone, and the issues that should be considered based on both seismic codes and implementations were also stated. In addition, in order to better understand the effects of earthquakes on reinforced concrete structures, the ratios of the loads acting on the structures in both earthquakes to the design load predicted by the code valid at the time the structures were built are presented in graphics. The results obtained show that the effects of design and application mistakes are quite high in the heavy destruction caused by earthquakes. But it is understood that the seismic code design criteria and requirements are insufficient in some regions. In addition, the establishment of residential areas in risky areas without taking any precautions has produced dramatic results.

Study of Self Compacting Geopolymer Concrete (SCGC) haunch beams at monotonic loading and loading-unloading scheme

Numerous reinforced concrete structures require strengthening due to mistakes in detail engineering design, incorrect execution during construction, or overloading. One method of structural strengthening is to use haunch beam casted near column. The development of infrastructure in Indonesia leads to an increase in cement use. This phenomenon causes a greenhouse effect due to higher CO2 emissions, so that an effort is performed in order to reduce the use of cement concrete by using geopolymer concrete. This study aims to experimentally analyze the behavior of haunch beams using both Self-Compacting Geopolymer Concrete (SCGC) and conventional Self-Compacting Concrete (SCC) in terms of load and deflection at first crack, yield, and ultimate conditions as well as crack pattern and plastic hinge of the beam. This study utilized four specimens consisting of SCGC and SCC haunch beams with a compressive strength fc’ of 31 MPa. All identical specimens were tested at monotonic loading and loading-unloading conditions. As a result, the haunch beams due to monotonic loading have larger load capacity and deflection compared to the haunch beams due to loading-unloading. The SCGC haunch beam has slightly lower load capacity and smaller deflection compared to the SCC haunch beam. This shows the SCGC performance is relatively similar to that of the SCC. The SCGC can substitute the SCC, especially for structural reinforcements. Due to monotonic loading and loading-unloading state, both the SCGC and the SCC haunch beams were plasticized at the same location at the haunch end. By implementing the haunch beams, plastic hinges move away from the column.

A hierarchical retrieval approach for automatically generating assembly instructions

Assembly instructions are critical for prompt fulfilment of assembly tasks. However, the design of such instructions is time-consuming and requires experience. Retrieve and reuse of previous cases shortens the design time and reduces design mistakes, whereas the traditional retrieval method encounters a bottleneck during encoding because the technical instructions include both structured and unstructured data. In this paper, we propose a hierarchical retrieval approach for automatic generation of assembly instructions based on previously used technical instruction cards. First, a case-based reasoning (CBR) method is employed to encode the assembly process and retrieve the suitable cases. Then, an improved weighted latent Dirichlet allocation text mining technique is applied to explore unstructured text topics and recommend the most optimal case. Finally, we utilize the proposed method to an automotive assembly process using data in 12,034 used instruction cards. The results demonstrate that technical instructions can be generated automatically for a specific topic using the proposed retrieval method. Compared to the traditional CBR method, the proposed hierarchical retrieval approach significantly improves the quality of new assembly instructions and the speed of generation.

Techniques Used for Bond Strengthening of Sub-Standard Splices in Concrete: A Review Study

Bar splicing is considered an essential part of the construction process of reinforced concrete (RC) due to the ease of installation in construction, transportation constraints, and restricted length of reinforcing bars. Splices serve the primary role of joining reinforcement bars in standard RC elements such as columns, walls, beams, slabs, and joints. Bond behavior between the bars and the concrete is one of the fundamental qualities required for appropriate RC structure design and analysis, as it affects serviceability and ultimate limit states. The most common failure found in lap splice locations is debonding, which occurs at the splice region and insufficient lapped length is considered as the primary cause because of design or construction mistakes, design by outmoded code, and natural catastrophes. As a result, strengthening existing substandard splices in RC structures is critical. The purpose of this research is to analyze and summarize experimental strengthening solutions for inadequate splices. The most common methods are confining spirals, confining with internal or external steel stirrups or carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP), concrete jacketing, fiber reinforced polymers (FRP), post-tensioning prestressed RC, external confining with CFRP, near surface mounted (NSM) techniques, ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC), fiber reinforced concrete (FRC) and combinations of two methods. Each method of strengthening is evaluated based on its performance, benefits, drawbacks, application-specific elements, and variables influencing the design and scope of applicability. A comparison of the key methodologies was also carried out. The most recent studies and recommendations for improving inadequate lapped splices are provided.

Using artificial intelligence to find design errors in the engineering drawings

AbstractArtificial intelligence is increasingly becoming important to businesses because many companies have realized the benefits of applying machine learning (ML) and deep learning (DL) in their operations. ML and DL have become attractive technologies for organizations looking to automate repetitive tasks to reduce manual work and free up resources for innovation. Unlike rule‐based automation, typically used for standardized and predictable processes, machine learning, especially deep learning, can handle more complex tasks and learn over time, leading to greater accuracy and efficiency improvements. One of such promising applications is to use AI to reduce manual engineering work. This paper discusses a particular case within McDermott where the research team developed a DL model to do a quality check of complex blueprints. We describe the development and the final product of this case—AI‐based software for the engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) industry that helps to find the design mistakes buried inside very complex engineering drawings called piping and instrumentation diagrams (P&IDs). We also present a cost‐benefit analysis and potential scale‐up of the developed software. Our goal is to share the successful experience of AI‐based product development that can substantially reduce the engineering hours and, therefore, reduce the project's overall costs. The developed solution can also be potentially applied to other EPC companies doing a similar design for complex installations with high safety standards like oil and gas or petrochemical plants because the design errors it captures are common within this industry. It also could motivate practitioners and researchers to create similar products for the various fields within engineering industry.

Influencia de la calidad del diseño en el desperdicio de materiales en proyectos de edificación residencial

Este estudio tiene como objetivo identificar los principales factores que afectan la calidad del diseño, identificar los principales factores que afectan el desperdicio de materiales y abordar la relación entre la calidad del diseño y el desperdicio en los sitios de construcción en proyectos de edificación residencial en Palestina. Para identificar los principales factores de la calidad del diseño y el desperdicio de materiales, se realiza una encuesta. Quince (factores de calidad de diseño y 15 factores de desperdicio de materiales se identifican a partir de la revisión de la literatura y la retroalimentación de expertos locales. Se diseñó un cuestionario para incluir estos factores. La población objetivo incluyó contratistas y consultores que tienen experiencia en proyectos residenciales. Cuarenta y cinco contratistas y 35 consultores clasificaron los factores identificados según su importancia. El estudio revela que los principales factores de la calidad del diseño son: falta de experiencia del personal, tiempo inadecuado para el diseño, demora en los pagos por los servicios de diseño, licitaciones de adjudicación de los propietarios para el diseñador de bajo costo. Incluyen: errores de diseño, cambios tardíos en el diseño, reelaboración, falta de experiencia laboral y compra de materiales que no cumplen con las especificaciones. Datos recopilados de 33 proyectos de construcción, se establece un modelo predictivo que indica una buena relación entre el desperdicio de material y la calidad del diseño.

The Integration of Digital Techniques in Engineering Education: A Case Study to Evaluate Student’s Motivation and Performance

The importance of a paradigm shift in the current traditional teaching strategies is becoming of high importance. Integrating disruptive technologies into undergraduate civil engineering students can improve their performance and motivation levels. Students were assessed on their ability to identify mistakes in a concrete design developed using Autodesk Revit®. The students were divided into three different groups and assessed using three different media: 2 dimensional plans (2D), 3 dimensional models (3D) and virtual reality (VR). The results have shown that 3D and VR students managed to score 54.9% and 62.5% respectively. 2D students scored 20.5%. This shows a substantial difference between VR and 3D relative to the 2D group. From the surveys conducted, it was also perceived that students found 3D and VR methods more motivating than the 2D traditional method. Spearman correlation also indicated a positive and medium to strong correlation between the level of motivation and performance of VR students. The results show that VR is a valid alternative to conventional methods of teaching. This study is part of an ongoing research effort related to utilization of VR in engineering education.