High-tech Construction Research Articles

Impacts of Policy Mix Comprehensiveness on BIM Implementation: Moderating Effects of Environmental State and Response Uncertainty

Due to the great potential but limited use of building information modeling (BIM) as a milestone technology to reshape traditional design and construction practices, governments in many regions of the world have formulated specific sets of complementary policy instruments, namely, policy mixes, to facilitate the development of BIM in the construction industry. Drawing on institutional theory and the organizational sensemaking literature, this study aims to examine how regional institutional policies impact organizational BIM implementation practices and how these impacts are moderated by different sources of uncertainty related to policy making and enforcement from a policy mix comprehensiveness perspective. The effects were empirically tested with a panel data set of 992 high-tech construction firms from 31 provincial jurisdictions in China during 2011–2021. The results provide clear evidence that while regional policy mix comprehensiveness positively impacts the level of BIM implementation at the organizational level, this relationship becomes stronger when firms are experiencing higher levels of environmental state uncertainty derived from regional politician turnover but weaker when firms are experiencing higher levels of response uncertainty derived from organizational top management team (TMT) turnover. As an exploratory effort to empirically assess the impacts of policy environments in the conservative construction industry through integrating the complexity of both regional policy instruments and organizational decision-making processes, this study contributes to a deepened understanding of how construction firms interact with external environments to implement innovative technologies under institutional pressures. The findings reinforce the need to devise policies for innovation diffusion in the construction industry from a more systemic and contingent perspective.

ბოლო ათწლეულის კერძო ვილები ამერიკაში: ნანატრი ალტერნატივა?

Architectural projects of countryside and suburban private houses in the United States, mainly in its central regions today create a long-awaited alternative to the US commercial architecture, which is in a state of crisis due to corporate pressure on it. The projects published in 7 leading American specialized journals during 2011-2020 years were reviewed, many of which, according to the criteria chosen by the authors of the article, became notable for their growingly stimulating trends. The authors of the article did not intend to make a complete classification of the collected materials, although they did offer some typological signs for grouping the studied villas. Almost every private house of the last decade is connected to the forest or mountain, waterfront or other natural environment – the trend that has overcome the early-modernist problem of alienation from the surroundings. At the same time, private villas of the studied decade even act complementary to their environment by staying connected to it yet acting autonomously. Both natural and high-tech construction methods and materials, laconic and understated strategies typical for the current stage are frequently used, as well as we see now examples of satisfying the wishes of unpredictable customers and successful attempts to create a sustainable home with solutions appropriate to various natural climatic conditions. With all of this, the trends of the long-awaited alternative to the commercial architecture of cities seen in American private villas are becoming clearly evident.

Durability of an UHPC containing spent equilibrium catalyst

UHPC is an advanced cementitious material able to meet the current construction industry challenges regarding structural safety and durability. However, new UHPC formulations with limited shrinkage are still being pursued to reduce residual tensile stresses in the UHPFRC layers, for rehabilitation/strengthening applications. This investigation estimates the durability of a non-proprietary UHPC incorporating a by-product originated by the oil refinery industry (ECat), as an internal curing agent. Direct and indirect transport properties measurements as well as the carbonation assessment and evaluation of dimensional resilience to potential deleterious reactions revealed that the new UHPC possesses an excellent durability performance, typical of these materials. These results combined with its self-compacting ability, low autogenous shrinkage and high compressive strength confirm the belief in the role of this new UHPC towards a high-tech construction.

ІНТЕРНАЦІОНАЛІЗАЦІЯ БУДІВЕЛЬНОЇ ГАЛУЗІ УКРАЇНИ: СУЧАСНИЙ СТАН ТА ПЕРСПЕКТИВИ

The article examines the dynamics of internationalization of the construction industry of Ukraine over the past decade. The reasons for the poor representation of domestic companies in the world market are revealed, the priority directions of the European integration policy for the construction market are substantiated. The dynamics of capital investment due to foreign residents and other key indicators of internationalization of the construction industry, such as exports, imports, the amount of foreign direct investment in the construction industry and foreign trade turnover in construction are analyzed. The results of calculations of the author's index of internationalization of the construction industry are presented. It shows that despite steady growth until 2013 and falling after political events in Ukraine, the situation stabilized briefly in 2016, followed by a sharp decline that continues to this day due to a number of global events such as the semiconductor crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic. It is determined that in order to improve the situation in the industry, it is necessary to direct state policy to increase the qualitative and quantitative levels of export potential. Particular attention should be paid to the development of promising global niches in construction, starting with production technology, where you need to focus on sustainable construction, or using software, blockchain technology, the Internet of Things both on and off the construction site, as well as obvious future benefits of investing in drone and robotics technology to do more routine or hazardous work and protect workers from potential risks, and to make full use of high-tech construction technologies and attract foreign investment to re-equip and implement innovative solutions in construction companies. The key factors influencing foreign direct investment and exports in the construction industry are identified, the projection of results as key indicators on which the comprehensive indicator of internationalization of the construction industry depends, allowed to reasonably identify indicators that most affect the index.

Preface

International Scientific Conference “Modelling and Methods of Structural Analysis» originates from 2019 and has attracted promising researchers who are developing new directions in the field of construction science. The Conference “Modelling and Methods of Structural Analysis” (MMSA-2019) is meant to unite researchers, professional experts, professors and academic staff as well as wide range of participants of professional community of the Russian Federation and other countries concerned.In 2019 representatives of 20 countries took part in the Conference (Belarus, Cambodia, China, Czech Republic, Egypt, France, Germany, Israel, Italy, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Poland, Russia, Taiwan, Turkey, Ukraine, United States, Uzbekistan, Viet Nam), and the Conference itself is held for the first time in one working language - English. This allows to expand the scope of international professional interaction, develop the principles of partnership and enhance integration and cooperation in the construction science area. In the Conference, there took part representatives of more than 75 higher educational and research institutions, Russian and foreign:Highly eventful programme of the Conference, the list of well-established organizations-participants and devoted engagement of many colleagues throughout all the stages of Conference preparation instill confidence in practical importance of mutual initiative. The framework of the Conference comprises open and significant discussions regarding the problems of theory and practice of modelling, visualization, and structural analysis based on the advanced scientific and research methods; innovative ideas and approaches to solution of the problems of safety, reliability and efficiency of buildings and structures are to be proposed and discussed; the new possibilities of application and development of cutting-edge computational complexes for solution of scientific and engineering issues of high-tech construction development are to be thoroughly considered.Initialized realization of national projects, such as “Science”, “Education”, “Dwelling and Urban Environment”, practically defines new planning horizons for the total system of applied science and education. It is evident that NRU MGSU and the association of our regional universities-partners should not only assume a highly active position in this aspect but also carry out the main principal mission and undertake overall responsibility for a qualitative step forward in order to enhance scientific staff potential required for construction industry progress.The Conference has become one of the venues for demonstrating scientific achievements of international class by leading scientists and young scholars and would facilitate strengthening of academic cooperation, meanwhile the Conference proceedings would be expressed not only in the form of international scientific publishing but in the form of practical implementation in real projects. The Conference will be held biennially.Andrey Volkov, Andrey Pustovgar

Experimental analysis of hybrid metal matrix composite reinforced with Al2O3 and graphite

Recently the development and use of metal matrix composites. instead of conventional metals, has led to manufacturing cost optimisation to meet various light weight to strength. The MMC has several applications in the field of automotive and aerospace sectors. The paper presents the results of tribological research on Al–Si, Al2O3 and graphite-aluminium metal matrix composite material. It analyses the mechanical properties and compares among themselves with different weight fraction samples. This composite is used as high-tech construction material in many applications, particularly for power to weight applications like pistons, cylinder liners, and bearings. The tribological properties of these materials can be significantly changed by the introduction of graphite, silicon carbide particles. The wear tests were carried out using the pin-on-disc tribometer and analysed by Ducom software. The sliding and wear resistance of the matrix and composite alloy specimens have been subjected to comparative analysis. It was demonstrated that the composite reinforced with graphite is characterised by a lower friction coefficient and lower wear rate was achieved by adding silicon carbide to the matrix composite.

What Lies Ahead?

How will trends in climate change, alternative energy, high-tech construction, autonomous vehicles, smart cities, and public funding affect communities, infrastructure, and the practice of civil engineering in the short and long terms? And how can civil engineers prepare now for a future that is so uncertain? These are the questions that ASCE is helping members answer with its new multifaceted project, Future World Vision: Infrastructure Reimaged.

Modern Russian high-tech construction materials and their application in domestic construction industry (on example of metal-ceramic panels «Hardwall»)

In modern construction field there is a constant need in new high-performance materials, that’s why the manufacturing companies constantly release new high-tech materials on the market. An important factor is the cost of construction materials: if earlier construction firms mostly preferred foreign producers, taking into account the significant growth of the European and American currencies rate they increasingly use the domestic producers products today. In the choice of material construction companies have high requirement on the durability, reliability, ease of installation, products cost-effectiveness. Speaking about exposed panels they also have demands to a high resistance to aggressive climatic conditions. The features of such modern construction materials as metal-ceramic panels "Hardwall" by «Bautrade» are examined in this article; and especially we study their advantages over other analogues of this product on the market. The purpose of our study is to confirm the high technical characteristics of the metal-ceramic panels "Hardwall". During the testing according to GOST 18124-2012 methodic we got some results of tests in which we determine the ultimate bending strength at the universal electromechanical machine «Instorn 3382» made for measuring the tensile strength, bending, peeling. These results provide us with a loss strength percent of the metal-ceramic panels. In addition, we made the frost-resistance tests. After the tests, all samples showed a satisfactory value, specified in GOST 18124-2012. And also a comparison of the ultimate bending strength test results of the samples tested for frost-resistance and samples not tested for frost-resistance was made. Thus, the panels have all the necessary properties: they are resistant to aggressive environmental influences, to impact loads and chemical influences. Also, the panels can resist to high temperature differences. Nowadays metal-ceramic panels "Hardwall" are one of the most sought decoration materials, the safety and quality of which are confirmed by a number of laboratory tests.

THE TRIBOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF Al-Si/GRAPHITE COMPOSITE

The paper presents the results of tribological research on AlSi12CuNiMg/5.7 wt.% Gr aluminium composite material (containing graphite particles in the amount of 5.7% wt.%) and on its matrix. This composite is used as high-tech construction material in the automotive industry, particularly for pistons, cylinder liners, and slide bearings. The tribological properties of these materials can be significantly changed as a result of the introduction of graphite particles. Therefore, wear tests have been carried out using the ball-on-disc tribometer. Microstructure and wear resistance of the matrix and composite alloy have been subjected to comparative analysis. It was demonstrated that the composite reinforced with graphite is characterized by a lower friction coefficient and lower wear in comparison to the matrix.

Use of modern construction machinery in the construction

In the presented article there will be discussed measures which allow to lower expenses for the maintenance of the machinery and which contribute to the increase of energy saving in general. To achieve these goals, it is proposed to apply modern methods of organizing and operation works, to use high-tech construction equipment, and also to form an optimal mechanization complex of building and construction works. The optimization criterion is the cost of work. When determining costs for the operation of construction machinery at the site, we take into account their energy efficiency, compare the options and manage the most efficient fleet of construction equipment. In the course of meeting the task, there were drawn conclusions which demonstrate that an integrated approach to the formation of machinery parks on the construction site allows to use the available resources more rationally, in order to improve the environmental component and improve the quality of construction work.

RELEVANT DIRECTIONS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF COMPETITIVE CONSTRUCTION PRODUCTS ON THE BASIS OF INNOVATION

Objectives. The article substantiates the necessity for competitive innovative high-tech construction products at the present stage of modernisation of the construction industry and reveals some peculiarities of their manufacture. Methods. In the course of the research, a programme-targeted method was applied, underlying the development of a programme for the innovative development of construction production. Results. Relevant directions of innovative development of construction production are systematised. The world's application experience of a technical regulation parametric model for construction industry product manufacturing is generalised. In order to increase the level of innovative activity of construction organisations, a set of practical measures is proposed whose implementation will ensure the output of competitive building products to the market. Conclusion. Increasing the competitiveness of construction products is closely connected with the activation of innovative processes: the introduction of high technology (including resource-saving) into production processes and the expansion of the output of innovative products with the best consumer properties capable of successfully competing on the market with foreign counterparts in the context of import substitution strategies. The modernisation of the construction industry on the basis of introduction of hightech production methods specifies new requirements to the professional competencies of personnel producing competitive building products. To solve the set problems, a tool for improving the management mechanism of the innovative activity of construction organisations was proposed, ensuring the integration of institutional and production conditions for the large-scale development of advanced technologies and production of science-intensive types of construction products.

Collision avoidance, virtual guides and advanced supervisory control teleoperation techniques for high-tech construction: framework design

Abstract One of the biggest challenges to drill deeper tunnels in the future is to design new maintenance tools. Advanced teleoperation and supervisory control techniques were identified in the Telemach project as potential solutions to carry out this work. Due to limitations of the existing systems, a complete framework merging virtual reality tools and real equipment was designed. A wide range of assistances were developed to reduce the impact of secondary tasks during the maintenance process, offer helpful guiding capability and secure the task execution according to the context. The feasibility of the principle was demonstrated on key operations on a scale one mock-up of a Tunnel Boring Machine section. Attention was paid to develop generic tools, meaning that the whole high-tech construction industry could benefit from these new technologies.

Role of ingredients for high strength and high performance concrete - A review

The performance characteristics of high-strength and high-performance concrete are discussed in this review. Recent developments in the field of high-performance concrete marked a giant step forward in high-tech construction materials with enhanced durability, high compressive strength and high modulus of elasticity particularly for industrial applications. There is a growing awareness that specifications requiring high compressive strength make sense only when there are specific strength design advantages. HPC today employs blended cements that include silica fume, fly ash and ground granulated blast-furnace slag. In typical formulations, these cementitious materials can exceed 25% of the total cement by weight. Silica fume contributes to strength and durability; and fly ash and slag cement to better finish, decreased permeability, and increased resistance to chemical attack. The influences of various mineral admixtures such as fly ash, silica fume, micro silica, slag etc. on the performance of high-strength concrete are discussed.

Role of ingredients for high strength and high performance concrete - A review

The performance characteristics of high-strength and high-performance concrete are discussed in this review. Recent developments in the field of high-performance concrete marked a giant step forward in high-tech construction materials with enhanced durability, high compressive strength and high modulus of elasticity particularly for industrial applications. There is a growing awareness that specifications requiring high compressive strength make sense only when there are specific strength design advantages. HPC today employs blended cements that include silica fume, fly ash and ground granulated blast-furnace slag. In typical formulations, these cementitious materials can exceed 25% of the total cement by weight. Silica fume contributes to strength and durability; and fly ash and slag cement to better finish, decreased permeability, and increased resistance to chemical attack. The influences of various mineral admixtures such as fly ash, silica fume, micro silica, slag etc. on the performance of high-strength concrete are discussed.

Developing construction assistant experience management system using people-based maps

Experience management encompasses the processes governing creation, storage, reuse, maintenance, dissemination and evaluation of experience relevant to a particular situation or problem-solving context. In the construction industry, experience can be reapplied and shared among engineers and participants to enhance construction processes and minimize costs and problem-solving time. This study presents a novel people-based maps (PBMs) approach that captures and represents engineer experience and project knowledge. This approach enables users to survey and access engineer and expert experience from similar projects and assess their tacit and explicit experience. This study applies experience management principles to the construction phase of construction projects and develops a construction assistant people-based map experience management (APMEM) system for contractors. The APMEM system is then applied to a Taiwan high-tech construction project to verify the efficacy of the proposed methodology and demonstrate the effectiveness of sharing experience during the construction phase. Experience can be captured and reused to benefit future projects by effectively utilizing PBMs and web technology during the construction phase of a project. Combined experimental results of this study indicate that an APMEM system provides an effective experience management platform for other construction projects by adopting a PBMs approach.

Curtain Wall의 특성 및 설계조건에 관한 연구

Nowadays, it seems we are in the high time of construction design because development of construction technology widen the option of construction exterior closing materials and deepen the high-tech construction method with all various materials. When we see the flow of construction market, the mainstream is the high-rise intelligent building, which makes the best use of the small midtown area efficently. Therefore, Alum curtain wall is becoming the main material of exterior construction, the concept of which is changing from just a simple window frame to an outer wall which has comprehensive function and capability. As we think of the importance of Curtain wall as a comprehensive outer wall, We should do thorough technical examination and verification at the stage of construction design and plan of carrying out construction.

Politics, Science, and the Future of Learning Disabilities

Leading research scientists and those who interpret science for a general readership (e.g., Trefil, 1996) are quick to acknowledge that science and politics are nearly always mixed, often legitimately, but that the relative influence of one on the other is often off kilter. In fact, observing the triumph of politics over science can be a highly frustrating, if not embittering, experience for researchers in the physical sciences as well as those who study social phenomena. Remember the Superconducting Supercollider? The SSC was supposed to be the next step in the quest to discover the ultimate nature of matter, a quest that began 2,000 years ago with the Greeks. In the largest high-tech construction program ever attempted, the SSC was going to occupy a fifty-two-mile circular tunnel under the plains south of Dallas. Unfortunately, Congress cut off funding for the project in 1993, and today the fourteen miles of completed tunnel are slowly filling with water, a monument to America's inability to focus on long-term goals. Now I don't want you to think I'm bitter about this. The fact that in my darkest hours I think one of humanity's noblest dreams was cut off by an alliance of political hacks and a few scientists whose level of bad judgment was exceeded only by the depth of their envy really shouldn't sway your thinking one way or the other. Whatever we think, the SSC is dead, and we have to turn to the question of what is going to happen in the foreseeable future. (Trefil, 1996, p. 47) We concur with the central message of the article by Kavale and Forness (this issue) that politics, perhaps best known as advocacy, has overwhelmed the science of learning disabilities and that many of the consequences have been disappointing to researchers, if not undesirable for children. We agree that advances in the field of learning disabilities will come only through careful, systematic, and persistent empirical research (Hallahan, Kauffman, & Lloyd, 1999). We may quibble about a statement here or there, but overall we find ourselves in substantial agreement that learning disabilities have come to mean something that is defined loosely and treated unsystematically, primarily on the basis of advocacy and expedience. Our best strategy now may be to recognize that the scientific vehicles for studying learning disabilities have been overtaken by politics and to focus our efforts on what to do next, just as Trefil (1996) acknowledged the death of the SSC and then shifted his attention to events in the foreseeable future. As Kavale and Forness are quick to recognize, politics cannot be divorced from learning disabilities; a proper or more desirable balance of science and politics is what might be achievable. However, the admixture that leads to the proper or most desirable balance is not immediately obvious, and we are probably well advised to weigh the advantages and disadvantages of various de-grees of tilt toward the scientific or political side.