Workmanship Standards Research Articles

Standard of workmanship, crime rate and condition of lift systems influence collective action in low-cost housing

PurposeUnder Malaysian Law, the maintenance and management of common property have traditionally been viewed as insoluble challenges in the self-organisational efforts for high-rise low-cost housing developments. As the population increases, more shared resources become heavily exploited with few willing to contribute towards the sustainability of resources. Many researchers argued a better way would be to convert these shared resources into a private or state-managed entity. Hence, with that assumption, this paper aims to examine how better physical characteristics can result in greater collective action.Design/methodology/approachThis research paper adopted a quantitative method approach to determine how the standard of physical characteristics influenced the quality of collective action in high-rise low-cost housing. The method included a questionnaire survey of 519 parcel holders chosen via stratified purposeful random sampling from four high-rise low-cost housing areas.FindingsThe paper found a positive correlation between the quality of physical characteristics and the collective action gained. The findings highlighted that the standard of workmanship of high-rise low-cost units (including the common properties), the crime rate in the neighbourhood and the condition of lift systems – when improved – were significant positive predictors of collective action.Practical implicationsHousing developers should pay attention to the quality of both low-cost units and related common properties, as this endeavour will assist greatly in future collective action management.Originality/valueThe study was justified in terms of its originality as few research studies adopted the social-ecological system framework that focused on the correlation between the quality of physical characteristics and the collective action of parcel holders.

ASSESSING A CONDITION OF TIMBER DEFECT FOR PERAK TRADITIONAL MALAY’S ARCHITECTURE: AN INITIAL STEP TO CREATING ENTITY RELATIONSHIP (ER) MODEL IN DATABASED MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (DBMS)

The significance value of Traditional Malay’s House is relying on its architecture and strength ability of timber building and reflect the cultural value to the society. The uniqueness of this house is on the use of timber material such as Meranti, Jati and Chengal which prominent as a robust, long lasting and not easy to deteriorate spontaneously. Numerous factor that affects to the timber material and make it deteriorate can possibly cause by external forces, biological agents, temperature and the poor standard of workmanship. An existing information is very crucial in a way to ‘boost up’ locality economy especially in the aspect of heritage tourism. Local authorities as an administrative agency can play an important role as an ‘information provider’ to the ministry in promoting the tourism sector if they have a comprehensive database. The primary issue of tourism data is no comprehensive information about the traditional Malay house at respective administrative area in terms of building performance as well as defect analysis as to ensure a sense of historical place is preserved successfully. The aim of this paper is to develop Databased Management System for Perak Traditional Malay’s House based on defect pattern at eleventh (11) nos. of Perak which focusing on Rumah Limas Bumbung Perak. Based on that analysis, it can be summarized that defect which often attacked a timber building, especially in tropical country especially in Malaysia was mainly caused by moisture problems and biological attack. A continuous exposure to these environmental agents and pests without proper maintenance and care with preventive measures will speedily decayed the buildings materials especially timber. Therefore, this paper is intended to explore a possibility of building condition assessment activity towards a data creation for database management system by exploitation a benefit of geographical information system (GIS).

An artificial neural network analysis of the satisfaction of hospital building maintenance services

Modern hospital buildings are very large, complex, sophisticated, and costly structures. The productivity of the hospital building users is influenced by the building performance. Maintenance services are conducted on the buildings to ensure optimum building performance and users’ satisfaction. However, many instances, have been recorded dissatisfactions among the hospital building users with respect to the performance of the maintenance services. This research investigated the satisfaction of private hospital building users with respect to maintenance services through a survey questionnaire that included ten satisfaction of maintenance services. The data revealed that the users are most satisfied with the standard of workmanship, cleanliness of the maintained area, communication with users during maintenance works, and degree of politeness and kindness of the maintenance workers. Using the nine/ten as the independent variables, an artificial neural network model to predict the satisfaction of users with maintenance services was presented. The model revealed that cleanliness and tidiness of the maintained area and the quality of maintenance works are the main predictors of the total maintenance service delivery of the maintenance organisations.

An assessment of quality of workmanship in civil engineering construction: a decision model to evaluate the workmanship

The construction industry in Sri Lanka is a major contributor to the national gross domestic product and expects a high standard of workmanship by stake holders. The construction project management processes have a significant effect on construction quality. In this context, the study first identified the constraints responsible for poor workmanship in construction. They were categorised as external and internal constraints and classified into subcategories. The level of influence of each constraint on construction workmanship and the extent to which each constraint could be expected at worksites were identified and ranked through a questionnaire survey conducted among professionals. The five most significant constraints were thereafter identified and their correlation with workmanship. An effort to introduce an equation correlating the workmanship and the availability of influencing constraints is taken with the difficulties faced in collecting the data.

Application of Quality Assessment System in Sudanese Construction Industry

Quality management is considered one of the most important obstacles facing the construction industry in Sudan. The application of a quality assessment system contributes to the development of quality in projects as it is possible to measure the quality in projects. This paper aims to introduce one of the quality assessment systems, which is the system followed and applied in the Singapore (CONQUAS). This system assesses quality based on structural, architectural, mechanical and electrical work. The paper also aims to study the factors affecting the application of the quality assessment system in Sudan. The study is carried out in the region of Khartoum. The study is focusing on the construction projects. The study is carried out by questionnaires and other literature review. The respondents are consultants and contractors. The data has been distributed and analyzed by using the Average Index. From the study it was found that CONQUAS standard is assessed the building based on workmanship standards by the assessors from the BCA on site using standard score sheets. The assessment is done throughout the construction process for structural, mechanical and electrical works, and from questionnaire results the main factors affect construction industry in Sudan is lack of standardization in Sudan. The author recommended that more study shall be conducted to identify factors affecting quality in Sudanese construction industry and how to improve the quality.

Evaluation of different computational modelling strategies for the analysis of low strength masonry structures

Masonry is a composite material characterized by a large variability of its constituent materials. The materials used, the quality of the bond and variations in the standard of workmanship significantly affect the mechanical performance of the overall masonry structure. Masonry structures, especially the historical ones, are usually characterized by low strength, due to a variety of reasons, namely low units and/or mortar strength or low bond; this makes more difficult to study these types of structures according to general rules because of different structural schemes. The aim of this paper is to evaluate the suitability of continuous FEM (Finite Element Method) or discrete DEM (Distinct Element Method) approaches to analyse the behaviour of low strength masonry and to contribute to the knowledge and selection of the best approach with a cost and time effective solution. The comparison with experimental results on different low strength masonry validated the approaches and showed that, for low bond strength masonry, DEM approaches performed better compared to low unit strength masonry where the emphasis on joint behaviour in DEM approaches is less effective because the weak component is the unit.

Workmanship standards and their application on ESA projects

PurposeThis paper aims to describe some of the European Space Agency (ESA) workmanship standards which are based on industrial practices. Coordination with National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Centres on workmanship issues is also to be described.Design/methodology/approachThe first ESA (then ESRO) workmanship standard was published in 1972. It applied to the hand soldering of electronic assemblies and became a contractual document, either replacing, or supplementing a vast number of company standards that had existed in European manufacturing companies. Since then some 40 standards related to Materials and Processes have been developed by ESA, the majority of which are to be found in the European Cooperation for Space Standardization (ECSS) series of European standards.FindingsIt is shown that, where appropriate, the standards are backed by a number of ESA‐approved skills training schools which provide training courses that result in the certification of operators, inspectors and instructors.Originality/valueThe workmanship standards are periodically revised in order to take into account newly developed technologies, the results of failure analyses (lessons learnt), laboratory and field test results, as well as some particular requests from industry.

An examination of the factors affecting contractors' competition strategy: a Hong Kong study

The development of the construction industry has led to an increase in the number of criteria imposed by project clients for selecting contractors. For example, clients often request tenderers to satisfy various conditions such as a tight programme, financial strength, management ability, relevant work experiences, technical strength, high workmanship standards, safety requirements and more. This trend has attracted research interest in devising various methods for helping project clients to assess contractors' bids. It appears, however, that there is little existing research on helping contractors to formulate their competition strategy when these multiple criteria are imposed. This paper examines the attributes affecting contractors' competition strategy in competing for public works in Hong Kong. The understanding of the key factors of a competition strategy will contribute to identifying an effective competition strategy. The data used for the analysis were collected from the Hong Kong construction industry. The research findings provide valuable references for investigating effective competition strategies in other construction industries outside the region.

Paving Design: Is Rigid-Fix External Stone Paving the Way to Go?

Abstract Recent investigations into a number of paving failures in Australia have shown that very little is understood about the many aspects intrinsic to rigid-fix (stuck down) paving. This paper examines and documents some of the factors that can determine the success or failure of paving (assuming a high standard of workmanship). Additionally, it has become clear that most engineers who investigate paving failures fail to fully understand the complexities and interplay of the many factors. Such lack of knowledge leads to poor design, poor supervision, and ultimately poor performance. There are basically three types of paving systems—adhesive/mortar fix, sand-bedded, and setts/cobblestones in a soft mortar. All three systems are being used in Australia but there is undoubtedly an overriding rigid-fixing mentality. By fixing stone to a solid concrete base so that it cannot move is probably seen by most engineers and architects as the most straight-forward and most controllable solution. However, on analysis, it is a system that is subject to numerous potential lines of failure. Not only is there the nature of the stone itself such as the mineral composition, strengths, thermal characteristics, and porosity, but also the environment into which it is placed, the types of loading it is subject to, and how it is fixed. Stability of the base (including shrinkage), expansion/construction joints, size, thickness and shape of the pavers, the laying pattern, type of adhesive, thermal conditions at the time of fixing, influence of salts and water, and sealing, all play a significant role in determining the success or otherwise of rigid-fix paving.

Briefing: How to achieve true quality in construction

This paper represents the author's personal view on achieving construction quality. Reference is made to the Sackler Crossing in the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, as a recent example of a structural design that demanded high standards of workmanship. An emphasis is placed on engaging all members of the design and construction teams and making the best use of their combined skills. The importance of effective communication by all available means, including the use of full-scale mock-ups, is highlighted.

Visual In‐process Inspection

Baker Hughes INTEQ, a mid‐size manufacturing operation, has successfully developed and implemented an innovative, visual, in‐process inspection programme that can be used on any of the firm's highly technical products. This method of logical and systematic inspection creates a reliable, cost‐effective product geared towards today's fast‐paced manufacturing market, providing an alternative to expensive automated inspection equipment. This quality system monitors and records the assembly operation while allowing for continuous improvement to an already tight process control. The first step uses the flowchart method to teach assembly/inspection personnel a logical process of 100% inspection to replace random checking of the assembly. The next step introduces self‐inspection by systematically removing conventional inspection operations over a short period; the results are faster output, improved first time acceptance rates (less rework), and a higher quality product. For companies implementing visual in‐process inspection there are a number of factors to consider: temporary vs permanent employees, employee attitude, and workmanship standards. Implementation of this programme has been highly effective, reducing rework costs by approximately $10,000 per month. This paper explains how the visual, in‐process inspection programme was developed and implemented and how it can be used on any highly technical product. The programme is designed around a manufacturing cell (work area) concept that gives ‘power to the employees’ and leaves out the ‘traditional’ quality/manufacturing process.

Evaluation of Lead- Free Solder Joints in Electronic Assemblies

The feasibility of printed circuit board assembly with lead-free solder alloys was investigated. Studies were conducted with two baseline eutectic binary alloys, SnBi and SnAg, and three new lead-free solder formulations: (1) 91.8Sn-4.8Bi-3.4Ag (wt%) developed at Sandia Laboratories, (2) 77.2Sn-20In-2.8Ag developed at Indium Corp. of America, and (3) 96.2Sn-2.5Ag-0.8Cu-0.5Sb provided by AIM Inc. The basic physical properties (melting temperature, wetting, mechanical strength) pertinent to each of the newly developed alloys are described. The feasibility of 0.4 mm pitch assembly was established with each of the lead-free solder alloys investigated, although the processing windows were generally found to be narrower. All solder joints exhibited good fillets, in accordance with the workmanship standards. Wetting of the lead-free solders was significantly improved on immersion tin vs imidazole finished circuit boards. The laminates did not suffer thermal degradation effects, such as warpage, delamination, or severe discoloration (reflow was performed under an inert atmosphere). It is thus concluded that the manufacturability performance of the new solder formulations is adequate for surface mount applications.

Interpretive Study of Published and Recent Research on the Applicability and Limitations of Current Fracture Prediction Models for Girth Welds

This paper describes the results of a program conducted at Battelle for the Welding Supervisory Committee of the Pipeline Research Committee of the American Gas Association investigating the applicability and limitations of current fitness-for-purpose (FFP) analyses for pipeline girth welds. These analyses, which can be used to establish size limits on girth-weld imperfections that exceed conventional workmanship standards, can have a substantial beneficial effect on the cost of pipeline construction.This paper revlews six of those FFP analyses, Appendix A of API 1104, Appendix K of CSA Z184, JWES 2805, and three versions of PD 6493 (the original 1980 version and the revised Level-1 and 2 approaches). Results obtained with the different FFP analyses were compared with each other for a serles of sample scenarios and also with existing experimental data.The paper also discusses some of the key issues that bear on the use of those FFP analyses. Such issues as détérmining the stress or strain at the defect, the need for appropriate material property data (strength and toughness), the nondestructive evaluation of defects, and the appropriateness of the plastic collapse criterion embodled in each analysis method will all be discussed. Résumé Cet article décrit les résultats d’un programme dirigé par Battelle pour le Comité de Supervision en Soudage du Comité de Recherche des Pipelines de l’Association Américaine du Gaz qui étudle l’applicabilité et les limites des analyses actuelles de mise en service (FFP) de cordons de soudure de pipeline. Ces analyses qui permettent d’établir les limites de taille des imperfections excédant les normes conventionnelles de fabrication, peuvent créer un bénéfice substantlel quant au coût de construction des pipelines.Six des analyses FFP sont revisées, Annexe A de API 1104, Annexe K de CSA Z184, JWES 2805, et trois versions du PD 6493 (la version originale 1980 et les révisions niveaux 1 et 2). Les résultats obtenus des diff6rentes analyses FFP ont été compares entre eux pour une serle de scenarios et aussi avec des données expérimentales existantes.L’article traite également des besoins issus de l’utilisation des analyses FFP: la détérmination de la contrainte et la déformation au défaut, la création d’une banque de données approprlée sur les proprlétés des matériaux (contrainte et ténacité), l’évaluation non-destructive des défauts, et le choix approprlé du critère d’effondrement plastique inclus dans chaque analyse.

The Harmfulness of Re‐working Cosmetically Defective Solder Joints

The loss of reliability of a PTH soldered joint caused by unnecessary re‐working after wave soldering is considered. Standardised joints are re‐worked under conditions that closely control the temperature of the soldering iron tip, the time of contact of the tip to the joint, the angle and the contact pressure of the soldering iron, the amount of flux and the amount of extra solder applied. The service life of the joints is assessed using accelerated thermal cycling between ‐20°C and +100°C. In all cases, the service life of these test joints is degraded by re‐working. The effect becomes worse when the temperature and time of re‐work are increased. The degradation of fatigue performance is associated with changes in the solder fillet microstructure. The effects on fatigue performance of changing the fillet size by adding extra solder during re‐work are complex, but explainable in general terms. The results obtained from the controlled laboratory rework tests are corroborated by test assemblies re‐worked to companies' in‐house workmanship standards and by field data.

Workmanship Standards Manual (2nd edition), R. Skipp, Blackwell Scientific Publications, 1989. Number of pages: 120. Price: £29.95

Workmanship Standards Manual (2nd edition), R. Skipp, Blackwell Scientific Publications, 1989. Number of pages: 120. Price: £29.95

The effect on sound insulation of small holes through solid masonry walls

Nominally identical examples of most types of building construction have been found to provide different levels of sound insulation. A possible reason is that different standards of workmanship introduce differences that cannot be seen when the building has been completed. For example, if mortar between bricks or blocks is omitted, holes right through the wall may result. An experiment has been conducted to investigate the effect of small holes through a solid wall when it is plastered or dry-lined. The results showed that the single-figure insulation ratings of the wall were not changed by the presence of holes.

Mosaics and Inscriptions from Magen

T he mosaic pavements in Buildings A, C, and D of the early Christian church complex at Magen were well preserved, except for some sections of the floors in Building D and in Rooms 1 and 3 in Building C. These were badly damaged by later construction. The method of laying the mosaics differed for each of the buildings. The mosaics in Building A were set on a layer of compact and heavy foundation composed of small stones mixed with plaster; immediately above was a thinner bedding of whitish plaster, into which the tesserae were set. The foundation in Building C was of a thin layer of plaster laid directly on a bed of earth. A similar method was employed in Building D, but here it had a thicker layer of plaster foundation mixed with a great number of sherds. All the tesserae were of hard limestone, undoubtedly brought from elsewhere, and featured a rich palette of natural colors, including white, red, yellow, blue, and brown. The sizes of the cubes differed slightly in each of the pavements and sometimes there were even differences in pavements in a single room. The average size varied from 1 cm to 1.5 cm, and was never less than 1 cm. The mosaics at Magen exhibit a good technical standard of workmanship, and at times even reflect superior quality.

The Shipbuilder's Choice: Fitness for Service, or the Medicine Man?

Hundreds of thousands of dollars are spent on needless weld repairs on every major ship built in the United States. This results from the use of irrational weld acceptance standards whose source can be traced to the conviction, developed among shipbuilders and operating agencies during World War II, that all welds must be completely sound. Forty years of research have demonstrated that adherence to traditional workmanship standards costs vast sums and contributes little to real quality. It is possible to develop fitness-for-purpose standards, based on principles of fracture mechanics, which will improve quality and reduce cost at the same time.

Surveying electrical installations in buildings

Any electrical installation which is designed correctly, installed to a good standard of workmanship and maintained regularly should give many years of trouble‐free service. This paper assumes that the first requirement has been met and sets out the inspection and test procedures which are considered necessary to ensure that the two latter requirements are also satisfied. It is, however, concerned only with installations not exceeding low voltage.

"To Set a Standard of Workmanship and Compel Men to Conform to It": John Franklin Jameson as Editor of the American Historical Review

THE QUOTATION FROM JOHN FRANKLIN JAMESON that provided the title for this essay also defines the problem it attempts to resolve. Living when the study of history has been fragmented almost beyond comprehension, we might wonder how any historian at any time could attempt to establish a single by which to measure his own work and that of his colleagues. What was that standard? How did Jameson come to pronounce it? How successful was he, as the first and premier editor of the American Historical Review, in establishing a standard of workmanship in historical writing? The answer to this last question, which invites an exploration of the preceding ones, is that he was not very successful in meeting the goals he set. Partly because of the lingering influence of genteel culture, which vitiated efforts to impose scholarly rigor on historical work, and partly because of social and political developments that exerted countervailing pressure on attempts to create a unitary science of history, Jameson was no more able to rein in the historical profession than he could make the sun stand still. To say this is not to conclude that he was a as a managing editor, for under his stewardship the Review established itself as the leading historical journal in this country and as one of the most acclaimed of its kind in the world. Nor does Jameson's failure diminish his historical significance, for he was one of the most visible proponents, certainly one of the most enduring, of a variant of scientific history that at one point guided the most influential graduate seminars in America. His decline paralleled the demise of a school of history, and, thus, in examining his career, we gain a sense of the dynamics of historical writing, of the way in which the ideal of academic professionalism embodies political beliefs that change as the political and social climate surrounding universities changes.