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[EN] Temporary shoring structures are used in the construction of reinforced concrete buildings to transmit the loads of newly poured slabs onto the lower floors. The main problems involved in the use of shores/props are: a) the possibility of having higher loads than those initially foreseen, and b) the structural efficiency and cost of the system, which is normally over-sized due to being designed to bear the maximum load of the most demanding building operation. This paper describes a test carried out on a full-scale one-story building to analyze the behaviour of load limiters (LLs) installed on shores under actual construction loading conditions. The theoretical approach and development of this new LL concept were described in previous papers. As these LLs still had not been tested in actual buildings, this paper covers the existing need for a test in the form of a "proof of concept". It also includes computer simulations and recommendations for the use of LLs., The authors would like to express their gratitude to the Spanish Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport for funding received under the FPU Program [FPU13/02466], to the Generalitat Valenciana [GV/2015/063] and also to the Levantina, Ingenieria y Construcción S.L. and Encofrados J. Alsina S.A. business companies for their invaluable cooperation.

Tunnelling beneath piled structures may compromise the stability and serviceability of the structure. The assessment of potential structure damage is a problem being faced by engineers across the globe. This paper presents the outcomes of a series of geotechnical centrifuge experiments designed to simulate the effect of excavating a tunnel beneath piled structures. The stiffness and weight effects of piled structures are examined independently using aluminium plates of varying stiffness (`equivalent beam' approach) and the addition of weights supported by aluminium piles. Greenfield displacement patterns and results from pile loading tests are also provided. The variation of structure displacement profiles with plate stiffness, weight, and tunnel volume loss are used to illustrate the main effects of tunnel-pile interaction and the contribution of the superstructure to the global tunnel-pile-structure interaction. Results indicate that piles have a detrimental role in tunnel-structure interaction problems, whereas the superstructure stiffness and weight can, respectively, reduce and increase structure distortions and settlements. Finally, the potential for structural damage is evaluated by comparing structure and greenfield deflection ratios as well as resulting modification factors. The paper presents a unique set of results and insights which provide valuable guidance to engineers working across the ground and structural engineering disciplines.

[EN] Although bridge fires pose a real threat, the topic is not covered in current design codes. This paper analyses information related to 154 cases of bridge fires, proposes classifying the damage levels suffered by a bridge during a fire, and establishes the main factors involved in bridge fire damage, which include: type of vehicle involved in the fire and its position, vertical clearance of the bridge, and the type of material composing the deck. The analysis shows that wooden bridges are the most vulnerable and that a tanker carrying gasoline under the bridge, or that is on the bridge and causes a serious spill under the bridge, is responsible for most of the fires that result in the collapse or demolition of the bridge., The research presented in this paper is sponsored by the Spanish Ministry of Education (Research Project BIA 2011-27104). The authors also thank Dr. J. Glassman for providing information for the present study and Dr. V. Yepes for his assistance. The authors are also grateful to D. Terrasa Diaz, J. Perez Armino, B. Black, and R. Campbell, who kindly gave permission to use the photos of Fig. 1.

[EN] One of the most critical stages for a structure s safety is its construction process, and this problem is even more acute in buildings with reinforced concrete structures. These structures are usually built by shoring successive floors, so that the most recently poured floor rests on the lower floors by means of shores. It is therefore vitally important to have calculation tools available to estimate the loads to which the shores and slabs will be subjected in each stage of construction. A number of calculation methods have been proposed to date, of which the one proposed by Grundy and Kabaila in 1963 is the best known and most frequently used. This paper analyzes the limitations of Grundy and Kabaila s method by means of a parametric study of finite-element method simulations that identified a large number of situations in which this method presented unsafe results in terms of the estimated loads on slabs. In many situations, therefore, applying this method could gravely affect a building s in-service behavior and durability. The paper s final objectives are to make the reader aware of the limitations of Grundy and Kabaila s method and the need to use the more refined methods that are now available to estimate the loads on shores and slabs in reinforced concrete buildings under construction, The authors would like to express their gratitude to the Spanish Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport for funding received under the FPU Program (FPU13/02466) and to the Generalitat Valenciana (GV/2015/063).

This paper develops a new framework for modeling design earthquake loads for inelastic structures. Limited information on strong ground motions is assumed to be available only at the given site. The design earthquake acceleration is expressed as a Fourier series, with unknown amplitude and phase angle, modulated by an envelope function. The design ground acceleration is estimated by solving an inverse dynamic problem, using nonlinear programming techniques, so that the structure performance is minimized. At the same time, the design earthquake is constrained to the available information on past recorded ground motions. New measures of the structure performance based on energy concepts and damage indexes are introduced in this paper. Specifically, the structural performance is quantified in terms of Park and Ang damage indexes. Damage indexes imply that the structure is damaged by a combination of repeated stress reversals and high-stress excursions. Furthermore, the use of damage indexes provides a measure on the structure damage level, and making a decision on necessary repair possible. The material stress-strain relationship is modeled as either bilinear or elastic-plastic. The formulation is demonstrated by deriving the design earthquake loads for inelastic frame structures at a firm soil site. The damage spectra for the site are also established, to provide upper bounds of damage under possible future earthquakes., Journal of Structural Engineering, 137(3), pp.456-467; 2011

This paper presents wind tunnel measurements of pedestrian wind conditions in passages between various configurations of two long narrow perpendicular buildings in open country exposure. The investigated parameters are passage width, building height and wind direction. The measurements were made along the passage centerline. The aim of the paper is to provide more insight in the pedestrian wind conditions in these basic building configurations, to address some contradictory statements reported in the literature and to provide detailed experimental data for Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) validation. The results show that the wind speed amplification factors in diverging passages are generally larger than in converging passages. It is also shown that the maximum wind speed amplification factors increase monotonically with decreasing passage width, contrary to some general building design guidelines proposed in the past for such building configurations. Significant issues concerning the use of the experimental data for CFD validation are also discussed. Subject headings: Wind tunnel test; Boundary layer flow; Turbulent flow; Buildings; Wind speed; Amplification; Computational Fluid Dynamics.

It has been hypothesized that negative pressures caused by transients within water distribution systems may result in ingress of contaminated groundwater through leaks and hence pose a risk to public health. This paper presents results of contaminant ingress experiments from a novel laboratory facility at The University of Sheffield. An engineered leak surrounded by porous media was subjected to pressure transients resulting from the rapid closure of an upstream valve. It has been shown that a pollutant originating externally was drawn in and transported to the end of the pipe loop. This paper thus presents the first fully representative results proving the occurrence and hence, risk to potable water quality of contaminant ingress.

This paper presents a novel method of data-based probabilistic seismic hazard analysis (PSHA) and ground motion simulation, verified using previously recorded strong-motion data and machine-learning techniques. The procedure consists of three parts: (1) selection of an orthonormal set of basis vectors called eigenquakes to represent characteristic earthquake records; (2) estimation of response spectra for the anticipated level of shaking for a scenario earthquake at a site using Gaussian process regression; and (3) optimal combination of the eigenquakes to generate time series of ground acceleration consistent with the response spectral ordinates obtained in the second part. The paper discusses the benefits of applying such machine-learning methods to strong-motion databases for PSHA and ground motion simulation, particularly in large urban areas where dense instrumentation is available or expected. The effectiveness of the proposed methodology is exhibited using four scenario examples for downtown Los Angeles. Advantages, disadvantages, and future research needs for this machine-learning approach to PSHA are discussed.

The reasons that drive construction companies to innovate, as well as the processes they use, have not yet been fully explored in the construction management literature. This paper describes the hows and whys behind the push for innovation in a construction company. The research method is founded on the validation of a model developed by a case study; this is focused on a medium-sized construction company which implemented and certified an innovation management system, as established by a Spanish standard. The studies conducted by the authors over a five-year period generated a set of 18 propositions reflecting an explanatory model of innovation management. This paper reports on the external validation of this model by means of a set of interviews; the results fully corroborate 15 of these propositions. The strongest drivers of innovation in construction companies are technical problems in construction projects, client requirements, and upper management. Innovation opportunities are identified as a result of examination of the internal processes of the company, the construction projects, and the environment. Identifying, developing, and transferring an innovative solution require the Implementation of technological watch and knowledge management in the organization. Finally, the research concludes that the main benefit of innovation management is an increase in the company s technical capability, whereas the two main barriers to innovation are the prioritization of production processes and the lack of support from the leaders of the company., This research was partially funded by the Universidad Catolica del Maule (project MECESUP-UCM0205), the Spanish Ministry of Infrastructure (project 2004-36), and the Universitat Politecnica de Valencia (contract UPV-20050921). The authors would like to thank Ricardo Lacort, Francisco J. Vea, and Manuel Civera for their collaboration and support, and Jose C. Teixeira for his advice. Likewise, the authors thank the anonymous reviewers for their suggestions and constructive comments.

[EN] This paper presents three new indicators for assessing the energy efficiency of a pressurized water system and the potential energy savings relative to the available technology and economic framework. The first two indicators are the ideal and real efficiencies of the system and reflect the values of the minimum energy required by users the minimum amount of energy to be supplied to the system (because of its ideal behavior) and the actual energy consumed. The third indicator is the energy performance target, and it is estimated by setting an ambitious but achievable level of energy loss attributable to inefficiencies in the system (e.g., pumping stations, leakage, friction loss). The information provided by these three key performance indicators can make a significant contribution towards increasing system efficiency. The real efficiency indicator shows the actual performance of the system; the energy performance target provides a realistic goal on how the system should be performing; and finally, the ideal efficiency provides the maximum and unachievable level of efficiency (limited by the topographic energy linked to the network topography). The applicability and usefulness of these metrics will be demonstrated with an application in a real case study., The authors acknowledge the very valuable contributions made by the reviewers of this paper, because their comments and suggestions have helped to significantly improve the contents. Additionally, we thank the staff of Aguas de Valencia for providing helpful advice and real case studies used to tune the software tool developed based on this paper. And last but not least, the research leading to these results received funding from the European Union Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) under grant agreement number 265122. The translation of this paper was funded by the Universitat Politècnica de València, Spain.

This paper describes the heterogeneous packing (HEP) failure mode of breakwater armor. HEP reduces packing density in the armor layer near and above the mean water level and increases packing density below it. With HEP, armor units may move in the armor layer, although they are not actually extracted from it. Thus, when HEP occurs, armor-layer porosity is not constant, and measurements obtained with conventional methods may underestimate armor damage. In this paper, the Virtual Net method is proposed to calculate armor damage considering both armor-unit extraction and HEP. The Cubipod concrete armor unit is then described as a solution to the effects of HEP on conventional cubic block armor. The hydraulic stability of cube and Cubipod armor units was compared in two-dimensional laboratory experiments. Cube and Cubipod armor layers were tested in two wave flumes under nonbreaking and non-overtopping conditions. The hydraulic stability was higher for double-layer Cubipod armor than for single-layer Cubipod armor, which had a higher hydraulic stability tan conventional double-layer cube armor., The authors are grateful for the financial support of CDTI (CUBIPOD Project), SATO Construction Co. (OHL Group), and Puertos del Estado (Convenio de Diques). The authors also thank Debra Westall for revising the manuscript.

The paper presents a methodology for evaluating the actual response modification factors (q or R) of bridges and applies it to seven concrete bridges typical of the stock found in southern Europe. The usual procedure for analytically estimating the q-factor is through pushover curves derived for the bridge in (at least) its longitudinal and transverse directions. The shape of such curves depends on the seismic energy dissipation mechanism of the bridge; hence, bridges are assigned to two categories, those with inelastically responding piers and those whose deck is supported through bearings on strong, elastically responding piers. For bridges with yielding piers, the final value of the q-factor is found as the product of the overstrength-dependent component (qs) and the ductility-dependent component (qμ), both estimated from the pertinent pushover curve. For bridges with bearings and nonyielding piers of the wall type, an equivalent q-factor is proposed, based on spectral accelerations at failure and at design level. In this paper, pushover curves are also derived for an arbitrary angle of incidence of seismic action using a procedure recently developed by the authors, to investigate the influence of the shape of the pushover curve on the estimation of q-factors. It is found that in all cases the available force reduction factors are higher than those used for design to either Eurocode 8 or AASHTO specifications.

The present paper presents the results of an experimental and numerical investigation of the flow between large roughness elements on a steep sloping impermeable bed during wave action. The setup is designed to resemble a breakwater structure. The work is part of a study where the focus is on the details in the porous core flow and the armour layer flow i.e. the interaction between the two flow domains and the effect on the armour layer stability. In order to isolate the processes involved with the flow in the porous core the investigations are first carried out with a completely impermeable bed and successively repeated with a porous bed. In this paper the focus is on the impermeable bed. Results are obtained experimentally for flow and turbulence between the roughness elements on the sloping bed. Numerical simulations have reproduced the experimental results with good agreements and can hereby add more details to the understanding of the fluid-structure interaction.

The advent of information technology and geographical information systems in water industry allows a detailed description of Water Distribution Network (WDN) topology and its boundary conditions. However, the complexity of network analysis and the mathematical problem size related to the hydraulic simulation considerably increase, especially for large WDN. The present paper introduces a network simplification strategy based on a correction paradigm adopted by Giustolisi and Todini in the Enhanced Global Gradient Algorithm (EGGA). Starting from the original topology of the analyzed WDN, the proposed strategy identifies the serial nodes/sections (i.e. those adjacent to two nodes/pipes only) which are iteratively removed from network topological representation. Therefore, the new network topology contains only those nodes joining three or more pipes or the terminal nodes of branched sections. Such a topological simplification results into a lower dimension of the topological matrices underlying the hydraulic simulation model. This way the WDN analysis can be performed using the EGGA formulation increasing computational efficiency, especially for large-size networks, without forfeiting energy and mass balances of the original hydraulic system. The paper reports the general formulation of EGGA and the strategy is tested on two large-size networks (of 1,461 and 12,513 internal nodes). The results are compared with those obtained using the original WDN topology and the classic Global Gradient Algorithm (GGA). Thus, it has been demonstrated that the EGGA strategy of simplification allows achieving a computational efficiency while correctly representing the hydraulic behavior of the network.

[EN] During a fire, columns on the perimeter of a building will be subject to moments induced by both a thermal gradient and the restraint of axial expansion by adjacent heated beams, which themselves develop axial load. These members thus act as beam-columns because they are then subject to a combination of axial load plus moment caused by a combination of gravity plus thermal loading. This paper presents a two-pronged procedure to predict the behavior of the perimeter column as a beam-column, considering both the individual member response (including thermal gradients) and the global response (including the interactions of adjacent members). All methods discussed in the paper are closed-form (i.e., they require no iteration) and can therefore be solved by using a spreadsheet or simple mathematical algorithm. The framework is sufficiently simple for use in codified structural-fire design and could be included in a reference of performancebased analysis methods for steel structures. Although this paper specifically addresses the performance of columns on the perimeter of buildings, the proposed framework can be a blueprint for the performance-based analysis of other beam-columns, such as floor beams., The research presented in this paper is based on work that is cosponsored by the National Science Foundation (NSF) (under Grant No. CMMI-0652282) and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) (under Grant No. 60NANB7D6121). Dr. Quiel's involvement with this research project began while on appointment as a U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Fellow under the DHS Scholarship and Fellowship Program, which is administered by the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) for DHS through an interagency agreement with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). ORISE is managed by Oak Ridge Associated Universities under DOE Contract No. DE-AC05-00OR22750. Dr. Paya-Zaforteza has been involved with this research project while on appointment as a Postdoctoral Fellow under the Program for Postdoctoral Stays administered by the Spanish Ministry of Education (contract number EX-2008-0669). All opinions, findings, and conclusions expressed in this paper are the authors' and do not necessarily reflect the policies and views of the NSF, NIST, DHS, DOE, ORISE or the Spanish Ministry of Education.

This paper proposes an innovative fully probabilistic Performance-Based Hurricane Engineering (PBHE) approach for risk assessment and design of structural systems located in hurricane-prone regions. The methodology is based on the Total Probability Theorem and disaggregates the risk assessment analysis into independent elementary components, namely hazard analysis, structural characterization, interaction analysis, structural analysis, damage analysis, and loss analysis. The proposed PBHE methodology accounts for the multi-hazard nature of hurricane events by including the separate effects of, and the interaction among, hurricane wind, flood, windborne debris, and rainfall hazard. A review of existing models with the ability to describe the different sources of hazard is performed, and a consistent vector of intensity measures for hurricane hazard analysis is proposed. The PBHE approach illustrated in this paper represents a first step toward a rational methodology for risk assessment and design of structures subjected to multi-hazard scenarios. INTRODUCTION Performance-Based Engineering (PBE) is a general methodology that (1) defines the performance objectives for structural systems during their design life, (2) provides criteria and methods for verifying the achievement of these performance objectives, and (3) offers appropriate methodologies to improve the design of structural systems. In the last two decades, significant research efforts have been devoted to the development of PBE in earthquake engineering (Ellingwood 2001, Porter 2003), and have led, e.g., to the Pacific Earthquake Engineering Research center (PEER) Performance-Based Earthquake Engineering (PBEE) framework (Porter 2003). Several motivations have generated significant interest in the possible development and extension of PBE to other subfields of civil engineering (Augusti and Ciampoli 2008). In particular, Performance-Based Blast Engineering has received considerable attention in the US after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 (Hamburger and Whittaker 2003). Other PBE 1618 Structures Congress 2011 © ASCE 2011

A procedure for efficient three-dimensional nonlinear time-history analysis of steel framed buildings is derived. It incorporates two types of nonlinear beam elements—the plastic hinge type and the elastofiber type—and nonlinear panel zone elements to model yielding and strain-hardening in moment-frames. Floors and roofs of buildings are modeled using 4-node elastic diaphragm elements. The procedure utilizes an iteration strategy applied to an implicit time-integration scheme to solve the nonlinear equations of motion at each time step. Geometric nonlinearity is included. An overview of the procedure and the theories for the panel zone and the plastic hinge elements are presented in this paper. The theory for the elastofiber element along with illustrative examples are presented in a companion paper. The plastic hinge beam element consists of two nodes at which biaxial flexural yielding is permitted, leading to the formation of plastic hinges. Elastic rotational springs are connected across the plastic hinge locations to model strain-hardening. Axial yielding is also permitted. The panel zone element consists of two orthogonal panels forming a cruciform section. Each panel may yield and strain-harden in shear.

In this paper, a finite-element model is developed in which the nonlinear soil behavior is represented by a hyperbolic relation for static load condition and modified hyperbolic relation, which includes both degradation and gap for a cyclic load condition. Although batter piles are subjected to lateral load, the soil resistance is also governed by axial load, which is incorporated by considering the P-Δ moment and geometric stiffness matrix. By adopting the developed numerical model, static and cyclic load analyses are performed adopting an incremental-iterative procedure where the pile is idealized as beam elements and the soil as elastoplastic spring elements. The proposed numerical model is validated with published laboratory and field pile test results under both static and cyclic load conditions. This paper highlights the importance of the degradation factor and its influence on the soil resistance-displacement (p-y) curve, number of cycles of loading, and cyclic load response.

This discussion raises a few comments on the paper by He and Agrawal 2008. The paper develops a useful mathematical model for near-field ground motions affected by directivity focusing and derives closed-form expressions for structural responses. The model accounts for nonstationarity in the ground motion by expressing the ground velocity as a steady-state function modulated by an enveloping function. The study also examines the reduction of the structural deformations using supplemental dampers. The following comments are raised

In this paper, three precast concrete (PC) frames and one cast-in-situ reinforced concrete (RC) frame were cast and tested to investigate the load resisting mechanisms of emulative PC frames with various reinforcing details to resist progressive collapse. In the beams of PC frames, the top reinforcement was continuous without curtailment while the bottom reinforcement had different anchorage strength. Test results indicated that, in the event of middle column removal, similar to RC frame, beam action, compressive arch action (CAA), and tensile catenary action (TCA) could be developed sequentially in PC frames with emulative connections, PC frames with sufficient anchorage length or additional bottom U-shaped bar passing through the middle joint could obtain similar level of CAA capacity as RC frame. However, they may achieve relatively lower TCA capacity due to higher bond strength between the top reinforcement and cast-in-situ topping layer in beams, owing to higher concrete strength in the topping layer, resulting in earlier fracture of the beam top reinforcements. Conversely, PC frames with insufficient anchorage could achieve comparable TCA capacity as RC frame. However, their CAA capacity was less than that of RC frames due to pulling-out failure of bottom reinforcements, preventing further development of strain hardening at beam action and CAA stages. Based on test results and analytical studies, it was found that, similar to RC frame, PC frames with emulative connections could provide sufficient rotational capacity to ensure development of tie-force as required by the design guidelines.

[EN] This paper presents an experimental research work to determine temperature gradients in concrete bridge girders under natural environmental conditions. Three AASHTO Type I-girders having different configurations (with and without wide top flanges) were considered in the experimental program. Temperature was monitored in the bridge girders to determine the vertical and transverse temperature gradients in a predeck placement condition. It was found that uneven heating of optimized bridge girder sections results in large nonlinear temperature gradients. The current AASHTO design standard, which only uses a nonlinear vertical but no transversal temperature gradient, was found inaccurate to predict both shape and magnitude of temperature gradients for the analyzed girders., This research is supported by the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, Ton Duc Thang University, and Southern Plains Transportation Center. The authors are thankful to a number of graduate students for their help during the experimental program.

Hydrated lime has been recognized as an effective additive used to improve asphalt concrete properties in pavement applications. However, further work is still needed to quantify the effect of hydrated lime on asphaltic concrete performance under varied weather, temperature and environmental conditions and in the application of different pavement courses. A research project has been conducted using hydrated lime to modify the asphalt concretes used for the applications of wearing (surface), levelling (binder) and base courses. A previous publication has reported the experimental study on the resistance to Marshall stability and the volumetric properties, the resilient modulus and permanent deformation at three different weather temperatures. This paper reports the second phase experimental study for material durability, which investigated the effect of hydrated lime content on moisture susceptibility when exposed to a freeze-thaw cycle, and the fatigue life. The experimental results show an improvement in the durability of the modified asphalt concrete mixtures. Optimum hydrated lime contents for different course applications are suggested based on the series experimental studies. Finally, the advantage of using the optimum mixtures for a pavement application is demonstrated.

Grout injection is an efficient method to improve the mechanical characteristics of masonry walls, in the presence of voids or cracks. Masonry made up of two exterior leaves with the space between them filled with poor infill with a large amount of voids is common in many existing structures. In other cases, dry stack masonry is used. Grouting of these types of vulnerable masonry with lime-based grouts was proven mechanically efficient. The success of this technique depends on several parameters, such as injection pressure, the general condition of the masonry (materials and mechanical properties), and the rheological properties of the grout. The effect of ternary grouts and hydraulic lime-based grouts on the compressive and shear strength of three-leaf stone masonry has been widely investigated. However, fewer studies have been done on walls with one or two leaves, as done in this paper. The present research aims to investigate the mechanical performance of schist masonry walls before and after injection. Six masonry walls of typical schist stone constructions from the north of Portugal were constructed in accordance with the original construction materials and tested under compressive load. Two different grouts were chosen to inject the wall specimens (one commercially available and another prescribed). The results obtained showed that these strengthening techniques were successful in increasing the compressive strength of the walls and improving their behavior under compressive loads. info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

Surveying in an undergraduate civil engineering curriculum needs a substantial amount of hands-on training to obtain adequate\ud learning outcomes. A lecture-only mode of delivery does not provide the adequate surveying skills needed by an engineering student. In 2009,\ud workshops were introduced for the CVEN2000 Civil Engineering Drawing and Surveying unit at Curtin University, Australia, with the aim of\ud offering students hands-on training in surveying to enhance their learning. This study analyzes data collected from 160 students in 2012 and\ud 2013 using confidence limits, correlations, frequency percentage distribution, and principal component analysis to evaluate if the introduced\ud workshops contributed to the enhancement of (1) the students acquiring industry-based skills and (2) the students’ overall learning of engineering\ud surveying, which is a practical-oriented course. Additionally, qualitative analysis fromCurtin’s official eVALUate and examination results\ud were used to verify the findings of the previously mentioned contributions. The results indicate that workshops contributed to the development\ud of the students’ overall learning skills, with the top agreement of the students being critical thinking skills (93.6%), handling problems\ud (96.6%), and correlating theory (97.9%). Qualitative analysis of the 2013 data indicates that 70% of the students agreed that their overall learning\ud skills were enhanced and that the workshop sessions prior to the assessed fieldwork of setting out the horizontal curves enhanced their communication\ud and teamwork skills. Overall, 97.9% of the students were satisfied with the workshops, and 98.9% of the students said that they\ud would recommend them as an effective learning tool to their friends. The main lesson learned from the data presented in this paper is that students\ud were satisfied with the workshops and recognized/perceived them to contribute to the development of the learning attributes they need to\ud acquire.

This paper provides a solution to the covering of spaces in buildings by substituting masonry vaults comprising voussoirs for traditional horizontal slabs. They are made of precast concrete with cement mortar joints. They are intended for covers with maintenance loads but without live loads and their function is to create a singular vaulted interior space. The vaults must be supported by a vertical auxiliary traditional structure, such as a plane frame of beams and pillars made of reinforced concrete, or by masonry walls. The horizontal reaction forces have to be borne by steel braces or buttresses. The basic geometry is standardized by a span of 6 m, with a rise in the key of 0.80 m and a constant vault thickness of 0.28 m. The curvature of the arch is achieved by the modification of the thickness of the mortar joints; spans of 3–6 m, with different rises of the arch, can be easily obtained. The main aim of this research is the reintroduction of arches and vaults as structural elements in present day architecture, which have the added advantage of not needing the addition of steel; this eliminates the risk of steel corrosion. The use of these techniques can also provide an easy way to construct homes in developing countries that lack adequate resources and tools. The solution aims toward more sustainable construction and is specifically designed for new buildings; however, it can also be used in building rehabilitation cases.

Chloride-induced corrosion is known as the dominant cause of premature damage in reinforced concrete (RC) bridges in the United States. However, the current corrosion management strategies do not suggest an optimum design procedure for RC bridges in corrosive environments considering both reliability and cost. In this paper, a module based on a reliability-based multiobjective design optimization (RB-MODO) technique using a nondominated sorting genetic algorithm is proposed for the optimum design of RC bridge beams considering corrosion. The procedure simultaneously maximizes the reliability of the structure and minimizes the material costs, given a design service life. As an illustration, the developed procedure is used for flexural design of interior T beams of a RC bridge with and without considering corrosion effect subjected to various design constraints and service lives. Three types of materials are used in the design process: normal strength concrete with black steel rebars, normal strength concrete with epoxy-coated rebars, and high-performance concrete with black steel rebars. Lastly, the optimum design strategy is selected among the considered materials based on the Pareto front results obtained from the proposed RB-MODO procedure.

The construction industry has long been urged to innovate, but innovation has been elusive because of the inherent social and organizational complexity of construction. Therefore, developing insight into the practice of innovating is needed to better understand and perform innovation in construction. Focusing on the practice of innovating requires exploring the enabling capability of solutions for practitioners to establish novel ways of doing things for improvement, referred to as ‘innovative capability.’ Building information modeling (BIM) has been promoted as an enabler of innovation in construction design because of its data management capabilities and the opportunities for interdisciplinary work based on them. Nevertheless, previous work presents divergent results exploring what BIM technologies can do for people and what people can actually do in BIM-enabled design practices, which presents confusion about the innovative capability of BIM. This paper aims to establish the basis of this confusion as a necessary step in developing more realistic ways of assessing and exploiting this capability. A conceptual continuum is proposed based on the functionalist/technology-centered and nonfunctionalist/human-centered perspectives on BIM to consider divergent arguments about its innovative capability; this continuum is used to analyze empirical findings from BIM-enabled design practices. The analyses suggest that individuals use BIM but are confused about its innovative capability because they adopt different views of BIM depending on their job and perspective. Given this, innovation is held back by the unexpressed differences between the views of BIM adopted by various practitioners who have to work together. It is argued that recognizing these differences, and working toward their reconciliation, is the way forward in establishing and exploiting the innovative capability of BIM.

This paper presents an analysis of thermal-mechanical snap-through instabilities in structures using a hybrid load-controlled/displacement-controlled algorithm. The derivation uses the finite element method with a combination of modified Newton-Raphson and arc-length methods, aimed at providing a robust and efficient means for modeling the buckling response of structures that exhibit instability in the presence of nonuniform time-varying temperature fields and temperature-dependent material response. Load control is used to model the system’s response up to the point of instability, which is identified using the method of bisections. During the instability, the analysis switches to displacement control to capture the load-shedding behavior. Once a stable point is reached, the algorithm switches back to load control. The novelty lies in the ability of the hybrid algorithm to model instabilities that are caused by material degradation under nonuniform transient temperature fields, which is particularly important in the study of structural response under fire hazards. Numerical analyses are carried out using a two-dimensional (2D) fiber-based corotational beam element. Verifications at room temperature and at elevated temperature demonstrate that the proposed approach exhibits a high level of accuracy. A brief study of toggle frames subjected to various types of heating and loading conditions is presented to illustrate the kinds of behaviors that can be captured with the proposed modeling approach.

In this paper, serviceability limit state reliability analysis of a railway embankment on soft clay is conducted using probabilistic approach. The aim of this study is to evaluate how uncertainties in soil parameters and geometry affect the reliability of the design with respect to maintenance need assessment. The studied clay deposit is located in Perniö, Finland. Due to intensive laboratory testing, the coefficient of variation of geotechnical parameters for each clay layer could be estimated. Two performance functions were defined based on maximum settlement and maximum change in longitudinal gradient given in Finnish guidelines. In the settlement calculation, both primary and secondary consolidation were considered. According to the results, uncertainty in gradient changes is more critical and also more challenging to assess compared to uncertainty in total settlement. All in all, reliability analysis will clearly support the assessment of maintenance need.

© 2016 American Society of Civil Engineers. The compressibility of municipal solid waste (MSW) is of engineering interest as it affects the short-term and long-term performance of landfills, as well as their expansion, closure, and postclosure development. An assessment of the field settlement behavior of MSW can be reliably executed only when the various mechanisms contributing to the settlement are properly taken into account. A comprehensive large-size experimental testing program that involved a total of 143 one-dimensional compression tests from five landfills, in Arizona, California, Michigan, and Texas of the United States as well as Greece was executed to systematically assess the compressibility characteristics of MSW subjected to a compressive load. Emphasis is given to the influence of waste structure, waste composition, unit weight, and confining stress on the compressibility parameters that are used in engineering practice, such as the constrained modulus and compression ratio, as well as long-term compression ratio due to mechanical creep only. The effect of waste composition and unit weight on the compressibility parameters is quantified. It is also found that the type of waste constituent (i.e., paper, plastic, or wood), as well as the waste's anisotropic structure can have an effect on the compressibility characteristics of soil-waste mixtures. The proposed relationships can be used to estimate compressibility parameters of MSW at any degradation state as long as the waste composition and unit weight are known.

This paper presents a new design methodology for equal-width rectangular hollow section (RHS) X-joints failing by sidewall buckling. In the new approach, a slenderness parameter is defined based on the elastic local buckling stress of the sidewall, idealized as an infinitely long plate under patch loading. A Rayleigh-Ritz approximation is thereby used to obtain a closed-form solution. The proposed design equation is verified against experimental results over a wide range of wall slenderness values obtained from the literature and complemented by a brief experimental program carried out by the authors. It is demonstrated that the new design equation yields excellent results against the experimental data. Finally, a reliability analysis is performed within the framework of both the Eurocode and the AISI standards to ensure that the proposed design equation possesses the required level of safety. The newly proposed equation strongly outperforms the current Comité International pour le Développement et l’Etude de la Construction Tubulaire (CIDECT) design rule for sidewall buckling and also further extends the range of applicability to a wall slenderness ratio of up to 50.

Significant literature has been dedicated to research on partnering in construction, and a plethora of underlying theories and industrial practices on partnering application have been reported. The aim is to analyze and summarize the research trend of partnering research from leading construction-related journals. Keywords identified on the subject based on prior experience were constructed into search strings. Articles found utilizing this search string were reviewed according to their relevant subject theme as identified in the narrative coding sections and synthesized into relevant themes. The review shows that research on development and application of partnering is becoming moderately mature as exemplified by a decreasing amount of published papers after 2007, on the other hand, research on trust; feasibility; advantages; inducements of implementation and barriers to implementation is emerging. This critical overview establishes a solid reference platform for researchers to seek further research opportunities in non-mature areas.

Site layout planning is a complicated task in many construction projects because of the diversity of decision variables, conflicting objectives, and the variety of possible solutions. This paper describes a framework that facilitates decision making on site-layout planning problems. The framework consists of three phases: (1) functionality evaluation phase (FEP), which qualitatively evaluates using a new method; (2) cost evaluation phase (CEP), which quantitatively evaluates the goodness of the layouts using simulation; and (3) value evaluation phase (VEP), which selects the most desirable layout from both qualitative and quantitative aspects. This framework also takes advantage of heuristic optimization through genetic algorithm (GA) to search for the most qualified layouts within FEP. The primary contribution of this research is to introduce a novel method for evaluating quality of layouts, which more realistically model the closeness constraints, and consider size and location desirability in the evaluating function. Also, using simulation for estimating project cost improves the effectiveness of the framework in practice because simulation can model construction processes, uncertainties, resources, and dynamic interactions between various parameters. Applicability of the framework is demonstrated through a case study of the layout planning of a tunneling project.

An experimental and numerical study of the flexural buckling behavior of hot-finished high-strength steel (HSS) square and rectangular hollow section (SHS and RHS, respectively) columns is described in this paper. A total of 30 hot-finished S460 and S690 hollow section column specimens have been tested in compression with pin-ended boundary conditions. Finite element (FE) models have been developed to replicate the experiments and employed in a subsequent parametric study considering a range of member geometries. Based on the test and FE results, the applicability of the current column design curves in European, North American, Chinese and Australian structural steel design standards to hot-finished HSS SHS and RHS columns has been verified by means of reliability analyses.

This paper discusses the dynamic behavior of twin-box girder bridges under high-speed railway traffic. On the basis of several representative examples derived from recently built high-speed bridges, this contribution examines the effects of transverse bending in the upper slab of these structures and evaluates the bending moments in resonance conditions. The analysis was carried out according to one of the reference norms for the assessment of dynamic effects in high-speed bridges (Eurocode). The results demonstrate that the predicted dynamic response for shorter-span bridges can be unexpectedly higher than the static effects caused by the design loads as a result of transverse resonances induced by the absence of transverse diaphragms between the box girders and the movement of the sliding supports. Moreover, these strong impact coefficients may occur even when the maximum level of vertical vibrations in the deck is not severe. This research was supported by the State Secretariat for Research of the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (Secretaría de Estado de Investigación, Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación, MICINN) in the framework of Research Project BIA2008-04111.

Railways offer an efficient and economic transport mode in many parts of the developed countries including Australia, China and USA. Ballast layer is designed as a load bearing layer for rail tracks and to be free draining, but when the ballast voids are wholly or partially impeded due to the intrusion of fine particles, the ballast can be considered to be fouled. Fouling causes a reduction in the drainage capacity of ballast, thereby reducing the track resiliency and triggering high maintenance costs. Geosynthetics are commonly used in railway construction for reinforcement and stabilization purposes. When railway ballast becomes fouled the beneficial effect of the geosynthetics could decrease significantly. This paper presents a study of how the interface behavior of geosynthetics-ballast copes with fouling using discrete element modelling (DEM) of large-scale direct shear tests. A series of large-scale direct shear tests for coal fouled ballast were carried out in the laboratory and were then simulated in the DEM. Shear stress-strain and volumetric dilation responses obtained from the DEM simulations were in reasonable agreement with those measured experimentally. The contact force distributions of fresh and fouled ballast were captured and shown that the fouled ballast exhibited higher number of contact forces compared to the fresh ballast assembly. This is due to coal fines accumulated in voids among large particles then partially carry and transmit contact forces across the assembly. Strains developed horizontally across the geogrid were also analyzed in this study.

This paper explores a quantitative model with different maintenance strategies to control railway track geometry degradation in Portugal. The alert limits put forward by the international standards are assessed regarding the planned and unplanned impacts associated with those limits, namely preventive maintenance and renewal costs, corrective maintenance costs, planned infrastructure delays due to changes in the maximum permissible speed, and unplanned infrastructure delays due to temporary speed restrictions. The effects of different choices for the alert limits of the main quality indicators for railway track geometry are assessed, considering a cost penalty due to delays set by the regulatory entity. Finally, a sensitivity analysis is conducted on the effect of this delay cost penalty on the optimized choice of the alert limits for both quality indicators. info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

Dabbour, E., & Easa, S. (2016). Sight-distance requirements for left-turning vehicles at two-way stop-controlled intersections. Journal of transportation engineering, Part A: Systems, 143(1), 04016004., The current highway geometric design guide provides a method for calculating intersection sight distance at two-way stop- controlled intersections by assuming that a departing driver on the minor road that would start from a resting position needs a fixed-time gap for departing the intersection regardless of the design speed or the grade on the major road. However, departing drivers may fail to perceive the speeds of the approaching vehicles on the major road in order to judge the available departure gap and decide whether or not to accept it. In this paper, a novel method is introduced to determine intersection sight distance requirements for two-way stop-controlled intersections based on actual drivers’ behavior and vehicle capabilities. The method incorporates acceleration profiles for vehicles starting from rest, which were developed based on field data collected using global positioning system (GPS) data loggers that recorded the positions (latitudes, longitudes, and altitudes) and the instantaneous speeds of different vehicle types piloted by different drivers at 1 s intervals. Design tables and an application example are presented to help designers select the required intersection sight distance based on the design speed and the grade on the major road

In a medium-to-large earthquake, there are often reports of people being trapped or injured in elevators. This study investigates using an earthquake early warning (EEW) system, which provides seconds to tens of seconds warning before seismic waves arrive at a site, to help people escape from the elevators before a strong shaking arrives. However, such an application remains as a major engineering challenge due to the uncertainty of the EEW information and the short lead time available. A recent study presented an earthquake probability-based automated decision-making (ePAD) framework to address these issues. This paper focuses on studying the influence of two commonly ignored factors, uncertainty of warning and lead time, on the decision of stopping the elevators and opening the doors when an EEW message is received. Application of the ePAD framework requires using the performance-based earthquake engineering methodology for elevator damage prediction, making decision based on a cost-benefit model and reducing computational time with a surrogate model. The authors’ results show that ePAD can provide rational decisions for elevator control based on EEW information under different amounts of lead time and uncertainty level of the warning.

There is often a claim that there is a disconnection between theory and practice, which raises questions on student’s readiness for employment and the extent that higher education responds effectively to the evolving needs of the construction industry. Industrial placements schemes can facilitate student learning from construction practice whereby students can reflect on their learning experience at the university. The interplay between traditional engineering curriculum and the context-based learning is important for securing the right skills and competencies among the graduates. This paper takes outset in the hypothesis that external effectiveness (industry readiness) is better in those modes of education that, at least in part, are based on the world of work itself, and several sources highlight the necessity of strong links between engineering education and industry. Hence, it becomes central for the program to facilitate the industrial placement effectively. How to do so is investigated through a large survey among student that has finalized an internship scheme. The sample size consists of entries. Guidance on how to facilitate internship most effectively pre, per and post scheme is outlined and discussed.

To enhance concern for the social aspects of sustainability and to delineate the criteria to be considered at each stage of the lifecycle of an infrastructure, this paper aims to determine the relevance of a set of criteria that evaluate social sustainability throughout the lifecycle of a public civil infrastructure. This research presents the results of a case study applying the Delphi method to 24 Chilean experts consulted in a series of three rounds. In addition, binomial statistical tests and Kendall’s coefficient were used to show the convergence of the experts. Thus, it was identified that of 36 initial criteria assessed at each stage of the lifecycle, the consideration of 20 is required at the design stage, 29 at the construction stage, 33 during operation, and 27 at demolition. The most relevant criteria, per lifecycle stage, were Stakeholder Participation (design and demolition stages), External Local Population (design stage), Internal Human Resources (construction and demolition stages), Macro-Social Action of Socioenvironmental Activities (construction stage), and Macro-Social Action of Socioeconomic Activities (operation stage)., This research was funded by the European Commission under the Erasmus Mundus Lindo Program (EMA-2-2012-2658) and the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness along with FEDER funding (Project BIA2014-56574-R). The authors are also very grateful to the participants in the Delphi study and to professors Joaquin Catala, Jaime Jimenez, and Jose V. Marti-Albinana for participating in the focus group.

Visual management (VM) is the managerial strategy of consciously integrating visual tools in workspaces with the aim of increasing transparency on construction sites. Several VM tools and approaches that had been originally developed in the manufacturing context were implemented in construction. However, research on the application of VM in construction as a managerial strategy is scarce. This paper aims to investigate and classify the types of visual devices that can be used in construction sites through multiple case studies carried out in nine construction companies actively implementing VM. It also discusses strategies for the implementation of VM in construction. The main contributions of this investigation are: (1) a VM tools taxonomy that can be used to identify VM application opportunities, providing a basis for evaluating the level of VM implementation in construction; and (2) identification of critical factors for the implementation and various features of the VM strategy in construction.

Global monitoring of civil structures is a demanding challenge for engineers. Acoustic emission (AE) is one of the techniques that have the potential to inspect large volumes with transducers placed in strategic locations of the structure. In this paper, the AE technique is used to characterize the structural condition of a concrete bridge. The evaluation of AE activity leads to information about any specific part of the structure that requires attention. Consequently, more detailed examinations can be conducted once the target area is selected. In this case, wave propagation velocity was used as a means to evaluate, in more detail, the condition of the region indicated by the AE analysis.

Gunduz, M., Nielsen, Y., & Ozdemir, M. (2013). Fuzzy assessment model to estimate the probability of delay in Turkish construction projects. Journal of Management in Engineering, 31(4), 04014055., The aim of this paper is to propose a decision support tool for contractors before the bidding stage to quantify the probability of delay in construction projects in Turkey by using the relative importance index (RII) method incorporated into fuzzy logic. For this purpose, 83 delay factors were identified, categorized into 9 major groups through a detailed literature review process as well as interviews with experts from the construction industry. The relative importance of these delay factors and groups was quantified by using the relative importance index method. The ranking of the factors and groups was demonstrated according to their level of effect on delay. A delay assessment model was proposed using the fuzzy set theory by taking into account the delay factors characterized in construction projects. The assessment model was developed using a commercial software product. The proposed methodology was tested in a real case study; and the probability of the delay of the project was evaluated by means of the assessment model after the required inputs were entered into the software. The factors and groups that contribute most to the probability of delays were discussed depending on the case study results. The assessment model results were found to be satisfactory. Finally, some recommendations were made in order to minimize and control delays in construction projects.

In this paper, an analytical model is developed to determine the torsional-flexural buckling load of a channel column braced by unevenly distributed batten plates. Solutions of the critical-buckling loads were derived for three boundary cases using the energy method in which the rotating angle between the adjacent battens was presented in the form of a piecewise cubic Hermite interpolation (PCHI) for unequally spaced battens. The validity of the PCHI method was numerically verified by the classic analytical approach for evenly battened columns and a finite-element analysis for unevenly battened ones, respectively. Parameter studies were then performed to examine the effects of loading eccentricities on the torsional-flexural buckling capacity of both evenly and unevenly battened columns. Design parameters taken into account were the ratios of pure torsional buckling load to pure flexural–buckling load, the number and position of battens, and the ratio of the relative extent of the eccentricity. Numerical results were summarized into a series of relative curves indicating the combination of the buckling load and corresponding moments for various buckling ratios. National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) under grant number (No.) 51175442 and Sichuan International Cooperation Research Project under grant No. 2014HH0022

Nonstructural vertical partitions and cladding can have a significant effect on the vibration serviceability of floor systems. A typical modern office building, consisting of steel–concrete composite floor systems, was created to investigate the potential beneficial effects of integrating nonstructural partitions into structural floor systems to reduce floor vibrations due to walking excitation. Two models of this building are presented: one to represent the completed building with an open-plan layout and another with partitions added in a beneficial pattern to enhance the floor’s vibration performance. The addition of nonstructural partitions successfully reduced floor accelerations due to walking excitation and helped the floor to satisfy the vibration serviceability criterion for office floors. The potential of vertical full-height nonstructural partitions and cladding to transmit vibrations between floors was also investigated. A vibration transmission simulation was conducted on the finite-element (FE) model to quantify vibration transmission between floors through the structural frame and nonstructural vertical partitions and cladding. The results were then compared with experimental results previously recorded on the floors of a real-life Charles Institute Building in Dublin, Ireland, featuring the same type of partitions but with a different structural frame. It was concluded that both the FE model and the real-life building featuring structural elements and full-height partitions have the potential to transmit a significant level of vibrations between two adjacent floors. The results presented in this paper will be of interest to design engineers and researchers in the area of vibration serviceability of floor systems because it highlights the potential of nonstructural elements to reduce the floor vibration response to acceptable levels, as well as their ability to transmit vibrations between floors. Irish Research Council for Science, Engineering and Technology EPSRC

[EN] This paper describes the influence of steel fiber-reinforcement on the design of cost-optimized, prestressed concrete, precast road bridges, with a double U-shaped crosssection and isostatic spans. A memetic algorithm with variable-depth neighborhood search is applied to the economic cost of these structures at different stages of manufacturing, transportation, and construction. The problem involved 41 discrete design variables for the geometry of the beam and the slab, materials in the two elements, active and passive reinforcement, as well as residual flexural tensile strength corresponding to the fibers. The use of fibers decreases the mean weight of the beam by 1.72% and reduces the number of strands an average of 3.59%, but it increases the passive reinforcement by 8.71% on average, respectively. Finally, despite the higher cost of the fibers, their use is economically feasible since the average relative difference in cost is less than 0.19%., This work was funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (Research Project BIA2011-23602) and the Universitat Politècnica de València (Research Project PAID-06-12).

Driven piles are used widely both offshore and onshore. However, accurate axial capacity and load-displacement prediction is difficult at sand-dominated sites, and offshore practice is moving towards cone penetration test (CPT) based design methods developed from instrumented pile research and database studies. However, onshore use of these methods remains limited; there is a paucity of high quality case histories to assess their potential benefits clearly, and application in layered profiles may be uncertain. This paper presents new tests on prestressed concrete (PHC) pipe piles driven in sands for a major new Yangtze River bridge project in China, assessing the performance of the ‘new CPT’ and conventional capacity approaches, considering the influence of weak sublayers on base resistance and noting the marked changes in shaft capacity that apply over time.

Small and medium-sized contractors are characterized by organizational structures that are highly focused on control. As a result, employees concentrate on day-to-day activities with little time or motivation to generate creative ideas. Generally, the technological improvements of these companies arise as a result of problem-solving at the construction site. Nevertheless, the actual status quo is changing. In fact, some Spanish public agencies are already considering innovation as an added value in public procurement; thus, large contractors are starting to systemize their innovative efforts. This means that small and medium-sized enterprises must modify their attitudes towards innovation in order to sustain their competitiveness. The implementation of a system that enhances innovation and acquisition of knowledge may be the solution to overcome this disadvantage. The authors analyzed the implementation of an innovation management system in a Spanish construction firm of medium size for nine years. The system builds on a set of processes aimed to generate innovation projects that allow the contractor to document the innovation, not only for internal purposes related to knowledge management, but also for external ones associated with obtaining better results in public tenders. These processes are: (a) technology watch; (b) creativity; (c) planning and executing innovation projects; (d) technology transfer; and (e) protection of results. The last step is the feedback of the entire process through the assessment of the final outcomes. The implementation of the innovation system is ensured within the organization, through training of personnel, participation of stakeholders and encouragement of the innovation culture., The research reported in this paper was partially funded by the Universidad Catolica del Maule (UCM) [Project Mejoramiento de la Calidad y Equidad de la Educacion Superior (MECESUP)-UCM0205], the Spanish Ministry of Infrastructure (Project 2004-36), and the Universitat Politecnica de Valencia (UPV) (Contract UPV-2008-0629). Francisco Vea, Ricardo Lacort, and Manuel Civera are thanked for their help and support throughout the implementation of the system. Dr. Debra Westall is thanked for revising the text.

Dabbour, E. (2015). Quantifying the effects of using online student response systems in an engineering ethics course. Journal of Professional Issues in Engineering Education and Practice, 142(2), 04015010., Most university students now have access to wireless devices (e.g., smartphones, tablets, or laptops). By using an online student response systems (OSRS), students can use those wireless devices to respond to questions and quizzes posted by the instructor. Those questions may have different styles such as multiple-choice, true/false, and open-ended questions. This paper assesses different effects of implementing OSRS on students’ engagement and performance when taking an engineering ethics course by comparing selected measures of effectiveness of an experimental group of students (where OSRS has been implemented) with those of a control group (where OSRS has not been implemented). It was found that implementing OSRS significantly increased students’ attendance rate and ability to function in a group. However, implementing OSRS in an engineering ethics course was found to have no significant effect on improving students’ per- formance or their level of achieving the course’s learning outcomes or performance indicators. It was also found that students tend to dedicate less time studying for an engineering ethics course than for other typical engineering courses