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The article offers tips on how to write an award-winning paper about engineering. According to the article, a prerequisite to writing a good paper is an in-depth understanding of the subject. This understanding should be beyond words and deep into concepts. To do this, one must have first-hand experience on the research that you are conducting.

This paper reports on a controlled experiment carried out to investigate the differences between novices and experts during the review of papers for engineering journals. A total of 17 young faculty members with PhD degrees were given instruction on the peer review process, and then had to review a short paper, for which the actual reviews were available. The quality of the reviews was assessed using criteria developed by editors of medical journals. The evidence obtained from this study helps to identify the critical areas in which reviewers fail to perform a good review, and then to develop strategies to overcome such limitations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reports that the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) and the Structural Engineering Institute (SEI) are looking for nominations for the 2006 ASCE and SEI Awards. Objective of the ASCE and SEI Honors and Awards Programs; ASCE awards based on meritorious papers; SEI awards.

The traditional approach to formulating building codes often is slow and labor-intensive, and may struggle to keep pace with the rapid evolution of technology and domain findings. Overcoming such challenges necessitates a methodology that streamlines the modernization of codal provisions. This paper proposes a machine learning (ML) approach to append a variety of codal provisions, including those of empirical, statistical, and theoretical natures. In this approach, a codal provision (i.e., equation) is analyzed to trace its properties (e.g., engineering intuition and causal logic). Then a ML model is tailored to preserve the same properties and satisfy a collection of similarity and performance measures until declared equivalent to the provision at hand. The resulting ML model harnesses the predictive capabilities of ML while arriving at predictions similar to the codal provision used to train the ML model, and hence it becomes possible to use in lieu of the codal expression. This approach was examined successfully for seven structural engineering phenomena contained within various building codes, including those in North America and Australia. The findings suggest that the proposed approach could lay the groundwork for implementing ML in the development of future building codes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A list of research papers and reports about engineering is presented. They include "Irregular Breaking Wave Transmission Over Submerged Porous Breakwater," "Scattering and Trapping of Wave Energy by a Submerged Truncated Paraboloidal Shoal" and "Effect of Upward Seepage on Scour and Flow Downstream of an Apron due to Submerged Jets."

In the era of automation and artificial intelligence, some problems in the petroleum industry can be efficiently solved by machine-learning models based on big data. Previous researchers have addressed truly precise methods to evaluate reserves from accessible well-test data, although enormous time, effort, and cost were required. However, due to the lack of sufficient conventional material balance (CMB) test data for a large number of wells in the Su Dong (SD) gas field, only 12 wells (0.99%) were generally suitable for previous methods. We substituted the fully built-up reservoir pressures used in CMB with those converted from shut-in casing-pressure data. Suffering from data noise caused by pressure fluctuation, only 22.91% of the plots were linear. The nonlinear plots were enhanced into linear plots by denoising and smoothening according to engineering knowledge. Machine-learning models were developed to perform the enhancement automatically, which constructed an adaptive and feasible workflow. The model improved the percentage of applicable wells to 68.16% (824 out of 1,209) and achieved considerable precision for reserve evaluation. The proposed method is much more suitable than CMB in gas fields featuring unstable production status and provides feasible reserve evaluation. This paper presents an exemplary demonstration of the combination of petroleum engineering and machine learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A list of articles related to energy engineering is presented, including "Dispersion Modeling of Leachates From Thermal Power," by G. Singh and colleagues, "Evaluation of Membrane Processes for Reducing Total Dissolved Solid Diagnosed to the Truckee River," by E. R. Mortensen and colleagues, and "In-Place Stabilization of Pond Ash Deposits by Hydrated Lime Columns," by S. K. Chand and C. Subbarao.

Presents a list of recommended articles on cold region engineering published in 2003. "Goodbye, Hazen; Hello, Kozeny-Carman," by W.D. Carrier III, published in the "Journal of Geotechnology and Geoenvironmental Engineering"; "Thermal Post-buckling of Uniform Columns on Elastic Foundation--An Intuitive Solution," by G.V. Rao and K.K. Raju, published in the "Journal of Engineering Mechanism"; "Soil Water Content Monitoring Using Electromagnetic Induction," by R.C. Reddy and B.R. Scanlon, published in the "Journal of Geotechnology and Geoenvironmental Engineering."

This paper addresses one of the costs of new bridges, i.e., the cost of doing the preliminary engineering (PE). This particular aspect of cost has largely been neglected because of the difficulty in obtaining appropriate data. Typically, PE costs are determined as a percentage of construction costs, disregarding other project-specific parameters. Bridge projects let by the North Carolina (NC) DOT between 2001 and 2009 were reviewed. From an analysis of these 461 projects, the writers developed statistical models linking variation in PE costs with distinctive project parameters. The primary contribution this paper makes to the body of knowledge is the finding that PE cost estimates for bridge projects are commonly and significantly underestimated. The writers found that bridge projects exhibited a mean PE cost ratio of 28%. This result is significantly greater than the percentage used in practice. An investigation of data sources related to bridge projects, a description of regression techniques applied to predict the PE cost of such projects, and an assessment of the predictive performance of models are addressed in this paper. New knowledge contributions include identification of key factors affecting the PE costs of bridges, illustration of how those key factors enabled us to predict PE costs of future projects, and discussion of the data collection problems that hindered model development. The writers' PE cost analyses and predictive modeling effort relate to infrastructure funding issues. All of the parties involved in infrastructure construction, from legislators to contractors, must understand costs and have confidence in the cost estimates developed to ensure efficient and effective funding of infrastructure projects. This paper on bridge PE costs addresses one component of infrastructure funding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Addresses the security concerns in conducting electronic transactions in architecture/engineering/construction (A/E/C) projects by developing a framework for conducting secure and legally binding electronic transactions. Review of security in existing Web-based project management systems; Solution to the problem of securing electronic information after a transaction has been committed; Source of information in large scale A/E/C projects.

Presents a list of research papers on cold regions engineering.

Introduces the August 2005 issue of the "Journal of Structural Engineering". Special theme section of the papers that deal with various research aspects related to a structure's response to blast and impact loads; Article on whether seismic design provisions can improve the resistance of buildings to blast loads and progressive collapse; Integration scheme that makes use of higher-order polynomial approximations.

Presents an introduction to various articles published in the January 2005 issue of the "Journal of Structural Engineering."

As inelastic design for wind is embraced by the engineering community, there is an increasing demand for computational tools that enable the investigation of the nonlinear behavior of wind-excited structures and subsequent development of performance criteria. To address this need, a probabilistic collapse assessment framework for steel structures is proposed in this paper. The framework is based on the integration of a high-fidelity fiber-based nonlinear structural modeling environment with a wind-tunnel-informed stochastic wind load model to perform nonlinear time history analysis. General uncertainty is propagated using a stratified sampling scheme enabling the efficient estimation of reliabilities associated with rare events. The adopted models for simulating high-fidelity nonlinear structural behavior were found, in general, to be adequate for capturing phenomena, including progressive yielding, buckling, and low-cycle fatigue, that are essential for wind induced collapse analysis. In particular, the adopted fatigue model was found to be capable of predicting damage and potential fiber/section fracture associated with non–fully reversing stress-strain cycles that are characteristic of wind loading. Through illustration on a 45-story archetype steel building, critical discussions on the types of observed collapse mechanisms, the difference between along-wind and across-wind nonlinear behavior, reliabilities associated with first yield, and collapse are presented. A probabilistic description of the residual and peak story drifts is also provided through development of fragility functions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper suggests the methodology to follow when conducting discrete-event simulation (DES) studies in construction engineering and management research. Emphasis is made on the steps that, due to the uniqueness of the construction environment, are particularly important yet are not discussed extensively in the general DES literature. Guidelines are provided to determine what aspects of a DES study demand a rigorous application of the theory depending on the purpose of the study. The paper concludes with the importance of properly understanding the probabilistic concepts upon which DES relies and on coupling this understanding with engineering judgment as a key for successful use of DES in construction research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The construction industry is a major player in the nation's economy. The complex nature of the construction industry, coupled with the challenges of global competitiveness and changing regulatory requirements, has created the need for providing higher levels of education, experience, and training for construction professionals. An essential and integral component of the required education and training must be the research training of undergraduate civil and construction students, encouraging them to pursue advanced education and research careers in this area. With this in mind, the writer developed a Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) summer program at Western Michigan University that focuses on construction engineering and management issues and problems. This construction-oriented undergraduate research training program is the first REU site in the United States to be funded by the National Science Foundation. This paper will describe the structure of the REU program, the types of activities undertaken by the REU participants, and the results of the program evaluation and assessment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Geopolymers have been long recognized as the next-generation building material due to environmental reasons. However, geopolymers are inherently brittle and usually require high-temperature curing. This paper was intended to develop a ductile engineered geopolymer composite (EGC) under ambient curing conditions. Two types of metakaolin powder with different particle sizes were applied as the solid precursor. The tensile, compressive, and flexural behaviors of EGC with different mix designs were investigated. It was concluded that the combinational application of coarse and fine metakaolin is conducive to the tensile and compressive behaviors of EGC materials. As the alkali concentrations increased from 6 to 14 mol/L , the tensile and compressive strength of EGC increased, whereas the tensile ductility of EGC decreased gradually. Also, the SiO2/Na2O molar ratio had negligible influence on the tensile behavior of EGC, whereas the compressive strength decreased with the increase of SiO2/Na2O molar ratios. A numerical model to predict the flexural behavior of EGC was also proposed, and the accuracy was verified with experimental results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A commentary on the article "Method of Solution of Nonuniform Flow with the Presence of Rectangular Side Weir," by Maurizio Venutelli is presented. The authors claim that the recommended technique integrates the variations along the side weir of the particular energy because of the bottom and friction slope. They consider the acceptability of the hypothesis of constant specific energy along the side weir. They offer experimental verification of simple numerical solution.

This article discusses the paper entitled "Head-Discharge Equation for Sharp-Crested Polynomial Weir," by Raouf E. Baddour. It extends an appreciation to Baddour for presenting an equation for polynomial weir design. It proposes a more convenient way to present equation 7 which could be achieved using the Gamma function. It illustrates a equations for a simpler solution to equation 7. It also presents an exact solution to proportional weir as illustrated in equation 3 of the paper. In addition a modified exact solution of a proportional weir is presented based on equation 15 of the paper.

Although there have been several studies about using recycled aggregates to construct recycled aggregate base (RAB) layers, there is a lack of information about the effects of gradation of recycled concrete aggregate (RCA) materials on the performance of such layers. There is also limited information available regarding the use of RCA and recycled asphalt pavement (RAP) materials together in RAB layers. In this study, three test cells were constructed with RAB layers using two different RCA materials with different gradations and a blend of RCA and RAP materials, and another cell was constructed with a natural aggregate base layer. Physical characteristics of the base layer aggregates were determined, and resilient modulus (MR) tests were performed. A series of falling weight deflectometer (FWD) tests were performed in the field, and changes in air and soil temperatures over time were monitored. This paper contains detailed information about the evaluation of the engineering properties of recycled aggregates and the preliminary performance of the constructed RAB layers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the results from a prediction event, organized by the University of Western Australia (UWA) and the National Geotechnical Centrifuge Facility (NGCF), and performed as part of the International Symposium on Frontiers in Offshore Geotechnics to assess uncertainty in predicting the monotonic and cyclic lateral response of conductors. Geotechnical professionals from around the world were invited to predict the response of a model conductor (a flexible pile) subjected to a series of loading sequences in a centrifuge. A normally consolidated fine-grained soil was used in the tests, which was characterized by soil elements and in-flight T-bar penetrometer testing. While some participants provided accurate predictions, the mean response was an overestimate of the monotonic and cyclic load at the pile head, which was significant for large and very small displacements. An analysis of the submissions is presented to quantify the variability of the predictions received, assess the consequences of each design, and relay the uncertainty associated with engineering judgment in design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers announcements related to engineering in the United States. The terms progressive and disproportionate collapse of buildings are discussed. The 2005 Outstanding Paper "Membrane and Flashing Defects in Low-Slope Roofing: Causes and Effects on Performance," by David M. Bailey and Dane Bradford, which was selected by the American Society of Civil Engineers, is published in this journal. The author called for nominations for the 2006 Outstanding Paper Award.

Focuses on the American Society of Civil Engineers and Systems Engineering and Integration awards. Objective of the awards; Categories of the awards.

Reports that the 'Journal of Surveying Engineering,' will move to a larger format in 2003. Need for more manuscripts to maintain the larger format; Call for papers on practical issues and new technologies; View that there needs to be a balance of papers on theory and practice.

Seasonal cycles of moisture and suction variation in shallow clay masses create repeating episodes of soil shrinkage and swelling that can adversely affect a wide variety of structures including pavements, shallow foundations, piers, and slopes. Design of such structures requires a means of adequately characterizing the depth of this moisture active zone and the magnitude of suction variations within the zone. This paper describes an analytical framework for characterizing suction variations in the moisture active zone and for estimating the soil mass moisture diffusion coefficient, one of the critical parameters governing the rate of moisture penetration in the soil. The paper presents extensions to an existing analysis for sinusoidal variations in surface suction to general nonsinusoidal conditions. It also presents a review of moisture diffusion coefficient data obtained from field measurements and shows that these data exceed laboratory measurements on intact soil specimens by up to two orders of magnitude. A conceptual model of moisture diffusion in a fractured soil mass provides an explanation of the differences between the field and laboratory values of the moisture diffusion coefficient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper introduces the concept of microscopic simulation system scalability for the purpose of reducing the computational requirements of microsimulation modeling of large-scale traffic networks. This exploratory stage of research investigates scalability of both lane-changing and car-following behavior. The main objective of the proposed methodology is to create a reduced-scale network (microcosm) that retains most of the significant characteristics of the full-scale network (prototype). To achieve this objective a systematic downsampling procedure has been applied to a case study of a one-lane homogeneous freeway corridor in order to create a geometrically, kinematically, and behaviorally equivalent microcosm environment. This paper examines the scalability of lane-changing behavior, assuming a shifted negative exponential headway distribution, and investigates the scalability of car-following behavior under various operating conditions and downsampling ratios. The paper focuses on the tradeoff between performance and scalability of microscopic simulation systems. For each of the 48 cases considered, optimal behavioral parameters were determined based on two optimization methods: (1) Microscopic based on minimization of trajectory errors in both environments and (2) macroscopic derived from minimization of density errors in both environments throughout the simulation period. The results show that both optimization solutions were consistent in determining the optimal behavioral parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the findings from a study of the breakdown of project success criteria. An exploration of the evolution of studies on the success of engineering projects over decades was the basis for a project success definition proposal. Using a comprehensive literature review of success criteria for engineering projects, a list of 133 different success criteria was identified. Those criteria were analyzed to develop an integrated framework of project success criteria, describing its hierarchical decomposition. Such a breakdown structure could serve as a starting point when setting project success criteria for a specific project, because the importance of criteria will be context dependent. Practitioners or stakeholders could discuss and tailor it based on specific features of engineering projects or specific needs and interests. Generally, criteria have evolved from simple work-related factors to focusing more on the complex benefits of the projects. Such an evolving success definition has implications for further studies of project success and might contribute toward a long-term vision in which all projects will be delivered successfully. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Funicular geometries, which follow the idealized shapes of hanging chains under a given loading, are recognized as materially efficient structural solutions because they exhibit no bending under design loading, usually self-weight. However, there are circumstances in which nonstructural conditions make a funicular geometry difficult or impossible. This paper presents a new design philosophy, based on graphic statics, that shows how bending moments in a nonfunicular two-dimensional curved geometry can be eliminated by adding forces through an external posttensioning system. An interactive parametric tool is introduced for finding the layout of a posttensioning tendon for any structural geometry. The effectiveness of this approach is shown with several new design proposals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One key issue in the simulation of bare electrodynamic tethers (EDTs) is the accurate and fast computation of the collected current, an ambient dependent operation necessary to determine the Lorentz force for each time step. This paper introduces a novel semianalytical solution that allows researchers to compute the current distribution along the tether efficient and effectively under orbital-motion-limited (OML) and beyond OML conditions, i.e., if tether radius is greater than a certain ambient dependent threshold. The method reduces the original boundary value problem to a couple of nonlinear equations. If certain dimensionless variables are used, the beyond OML effect just makes the tether characteristic length L* larger and it is decoupled from the current determination problem. Avalidation of the results and a comparison of the performance in terms of the time consumed is provided, with respect to a previous ad hoc solution and a conventional shooting method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drilling is a material removal process that introduces the plastic deformation and stresses around the hole. When large amounts of drilling stresses are added up, there will be deformation in the aerostructural assembly. This paper presents an aerostructural assembly deformation predicting method considering drilling-induced stresses around the riveting hole. Drilling-induced stresses are simulated with additional temperature fields. The assembly of the two riveted plates are considered to illustrate effects of drilling-induced stresses coupling and validate the proposed model. The simulation and experimental results show that one hole's drilling-induced stresses have negligible impact on the riveting deformation, while a lot of holes' drilling-induced stresses must be considered in assembling. When a lot of drillinginduced stresses are added up, there will be significant deformation in the aircraft's structure. The deformation predicting method outlined in this paper will enhance the understanding of the compliant components deformation resulting from the drilling stresses and help systematically improve the precision control efficiency in the civil aircraft industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Link-to-column connections in steel eccentrically braced frames must be capable of sustaining large cyclic forces and inelastic rotations. United States code provisions require that satisfactory performance of link-to-column connections be verified by testing under a prescribed loading protocol. However, there are few link-to-column connection details that have satisfied these testing criteria. This paper describes a pilot investigation of two promising link-to-column connection details, as follows: (1) the fillet welded connection, which uses fillet welds or a combination of fillet and groove welds between the link and the column flange; and (2) the supplemental web doubler connection, which reinforces the connection region using a pair of doubler plates in the first link web panel next to the column, parallel to but offset from the link web. These two details showed excellent performance in a series of eight tests. This paper describes these link-tocolumn connection details, summarizes the results of cyclic loading tests, and discusses design issues and approaches for these connections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A key underlying challenge in today's model-driven approach to engineering is how progress and level of effort are being measured and reported. Recent definitions such as level of development enable project teams to track completeness of information in building information modeling (BIM)-driven processes; yet, there are no established processes or metrics to reliably measure progress or track productivity of a model-driven engineering process as a function of the maturity of the model and/or the data that supports the engineering process. To address this gap in knowledge, this paper presents a discrete set of model maturity index (MMI) definitions to measure progress in engineering work, per modeling discipline. Using these MMI definitions, a model maturity risk index (Model MRI) toolkit was created to track maturity of an engineering process at the granularity of work breakdown structure locations. The MMI toolkit also reports risk in achieving certain MMI levels per modeling discipline. To benchmark maturity of the modeling work per project milestone or model review session and to establish workflows for tracking progress, an addendum to the modeling execution plan (ModelXP) is presented. New productivity and project controls metrics for tracking modeling work are also introduced. The developed definitions, toolkit, and addendum to ModelXP were validated through exhaustive surveys and charrette tests with project stakeholders involved in capital projects. The role of the MMI definitions and Model MRI toolkit in providing project controls insight and proactive management opportunities in real-world projects is discussed in detail. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents information on research papers published in January 2004 issue of "Journal of Construction Engineering and Management." The different papers published in the journal are related to different topics, such as, cost and schedule, project planning and design, robotics and automation, organizational issues, contracting, labor and personnel issues, quantitative methods and case studies. The article gives information on different topics related to construction engineering.

Systems of second-order linear ordinary differential equations (ODEs) to arbitrary input functions appear in many fields of physics and engineering. Numerical methods for solving these kinds of problems have been mainly performed in the time and frequency domains. In contrast, this paper develops an efficient, seminumerical pole-residue method implemented in the Laplace domain. In this article, a key concept and development is on how to compute the poles and residues of the output from those of the input and system transfer functions. Once the poles and residues of the output are known, the corresponding time history of the output is readily obtained. Even though the correctness of the new method has been verified by using a step-by-step time-domain solution, the accuracy of the new method in theory is higher than that of any time-domain approach, partially because the output obtained from the new method is a continuous function of time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper introduces a new system that utilizes the advantages of boundary element analysis in structural engineering applications. A standardized building information model (BIM) for automated structural analysis and design of reinforced concrete plates based on the boundary element method (BEM) is proposed. Based on the model view definition approach, BIM standards are presented for the preprocessing and postprocessing of BEM analysis. Furthermore, standards are proposed for automated structural design of structural slab and beam elements based on the BEM analysis results. For each of the BIM components, standards are provided for the object structure, data flow, and graphical user interface (GUI). The extensibility of the software and applicability for a wide range of research and practical applications are considered in all the proposed standards. The system created can act as the basis for structural analysis and design of building floor and foundation problems. Object-oriented programming is used to implement the standards in a prototype. The prototype was verified by application to the solution of practical structural engineering problems. The performance of the proposed system is evaluated in terms of the modeling and the processing time required to analyze typical structural engineering applications using the prototype. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The redundancy of a structure refers to the extent of degradation the structure can suffer without losing some specified elements of its functionality. However, because future structural degradation is unknown during design and analysis, it is evident that structural redundancy is related to robustness against uncertainty. This paper proposes a quantitative and widely applicable concept of strong redundancy and shows its relation to the info-gap robustness of the structure. In particular, one of this paper's propositions establishes general conditions in which the strong redundancy is equivalent to the robustness. This paper also defines a concept of weak redundancy and presents propositions that relate it to the strong redundancy and the robustness. Results are illustrated with several heuristic and engineering examples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

What information can or cannot be exchanged between different systems? Since the dawn of the computer-aided design and engineering era, interoperability has been an issue. The exchangeable set of information between different systems has been loosely defined as the intersection of information. Yet, as information flow has directionality, a general definition of 'intersection' is inadequate to define an exchangeable set of information. This paper proposes a new directive set operation, semantic intersection, and discusses which information can or cannot be exchanged between different systems using the concept of semantic intersection. This opens up the possibility of predetermining or calculating the exchangeable set of information between two or more systems or the possibility of automated generation of a standard product model between different systems. This paper focuses on data exchange between systems, but the proposed theory is also applicable to data exchange between human beings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Construction simulation is the science of developing and experimenting with computer-based representations of construction systems to understand their underlying behavior. This branch of operations research applications in construction management has experienced significant academic growth over the past two decades. In this paper, the author summarizes his views on this topic as per his Peurifoy address, given in October 2008. The paper provides an overview of advancements in construction simulation theory as reported in literature. It then summarizes the key factors that contribute to successful deployment of simulation in the construction industry, and the key attributes of problems that make them more amenable for simulation modeling as opposed to other tools. The paper then provides an overview of long-term simulation initiatives leading to the next generation of computer modeling systems for construction, where simulation plays an integral role in a futuristic vision of automated project planning and control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a new navigation guidance law for a pursuer to intercept a moving target with a prescribed impact direction in space. The proposed guidance law makes the pursuer follow a relatively circular trajectory with respect to the target. The performance of the proposed law does not depend on initial arrangement geometry and the magnitude of acceleration command is essentially bounded even at impact time. Numerical simulations confirmed technical soundness of mathematical developments and good performance of our new law even for maneuvering targets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Control of reference mark stability is essential for monitoring of deformations of engineering structures or displacements of points in geodetic networks. Some robust estimates, which are based on median application, can be used for such purposes. For example, some R-estimates can be applied to determine displacements of geodetic points thus to identify unstable reference marks. However, such simplest approach can sometimes fail. Thus, a more complex strategy for monitoring of geodetic point stability is elaborated and presented in this paper. The concept presented here concerns leveling networks and applies some R-estimate and also other median-based estimates, i.e., the median distance to the median and the average distance to the median. The method proposed in this paper is illustrated with some practical examples and is compared with the traditional method for geodetic point stability monitoring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Architecture, engineering, and construction industry participants often find it pragmatic to implement a project-specific dispute resolution ladder (DRL) as a managerial tool to assist in the prompt resolution of claims and change orders (CCOs) that might arise during the project construction phase. This project-specific DRL consists of a single or multiple alternative dispute resolution (ADR) techniques that require capital expenditures to cover the expenses incurred by the owner’s/contractor’s employees and third-party neutrals. If a project-specific DRL is properly chosen, then the capital expenditures are outweighed by the expected benefits from the DRL implementation; namely, prompt resolution of the CCOs without incurring excessive cost overruns on an already financially stressed project budget, as well as avoiding the escalation of the claims to a dispute that requires long protracted litigation for final settlement. Typically, the decision as to which ADR techniques to include in the project-specific DRL is undertaken during the project planning phase prior to the actual occurrence of the CCOs. In this case, the project owner decide to invest in a DRL in exchange for the expected savings in the project. This decision regarding the project-specific DRL is usually done based on the experience of the project parties with the ADR techniques. However, such a decision needs to be guided by a financial tool that allows the project owner to evaluate alternative DRLs and choose the most economically feasible alternative based on the project and ADR characteristics. In this paper, a financial model is developed to evaluate DRL implementations in construction projects by drawing analogies from real option theory with exogenous competitive entry. More specifically, the occurrence of a given CCO will result in a reduction in the value of expected savings in the project due to DRL implementation. This is similar to the reduction in the gross value of a capital investment project in a commercial property due to competitive entry by another similar commercial property developer in the market. At the same time, the CCO resolution due to an effective DRL implementation will allow project owner to recover part of the losses in the expected savings in the project due to the DRL implementation. The model presented in this paper takes into account the characteristics of the various ADR techniques included in the project-specific DRL, and the characteristics of the CCOs occurring during the construction phase of the project. A case study of a real construction project is used to illustrate the practical implementation of the model. The results indicate that for this case project and from a financial point of view, the investment in the chosen project-specific DRL was not worthwhile because of the high uncertainty in the project, and the low effectiveness of the selected DRL. These conditions did not provide the owner with the anticipated advantage of the DRL implementation in reducing the value of the CCOs occurring in the project. At the same time the cost of the DRL implementation exceeded the actual savings attained in the project. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study focuses on developing a unified approach to define information specificities for key performance indicators (KPIs). Borrowing from the time-system theory, the paper defines different types of KPI and identifies that a KPI has two dimensions—knowledge specificity and time specificity. Different approaches are presented to analyze knowledge and time sensitivities. This paper addresses a key question related to enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems applications in the engineering construction industry: what are the areas of business processes within the engineering construction industry where ERP cannot be used to collect KPIs related to business processes? The writers review empirical and specialized processes within the construction industry to identify business processes not covered by existing ERP systems. A survey focused on qualitative aspects of ERP systems implementation in engineering construction firms was conducted among ERP-enablers in the construction industry and provided a basis for the presented case study. Data collected are from major engineering and construction firms in the United States and therefore the results are relevant for researchers and industry practitioners concerned with application of enterprise management systems in the respective firms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a comparative analysis of three different infrastructure assessment tools currently used by the U.S. Army’s combat engineer small units (squad, platoon, company). The infrastructure assessment tools included one pen and paper checklist and two software-based tools based on specialized handheld hardware for data collection in combat conditions. Evaluation was conducted using macroergonomic and applied cognitive task analysis methods with soldiers of varying levels of infrastructure assessment expertise. Each assessment method was evaluated based on performance (time, errors, and accuracy) and usability (ergonomic and cognitive challenges). We found that soldiers documented more accurate data using handheld digital devices instead of pen-and-paper assessment forms, but there was little difference in time between the methods. Contrary to initial expectation, we also found that most soldiers prefer a slightly more difficult to use handheld assessment device with customized checklists rather than an easier to use, less restrictive device. Critiques developed by this research can be used to improve engineering and construction organizations as well as add to our design guidelines for portable infrastructure assessment tools and methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents results of transdisciplinary research on the development of a bioinspired computational framework for engineering design. This framework is intended to support design by addressing three critical design objectives, including novelty, optimality, and robustness. It provides several computational models and methods, which are inspired by fundamental processes occurring in nature, and discusses their potential for enhancing design. They include models and methods for evolutionary, developmental, and coevolutionary design. Their use is illustrated with examples from the area of steel structural design ranging from a simple cantilever beam design problem to a much more complex problem of designing wind bracings in tall buildings. The paper also shows how several methods and models can be integrated and form a coherent bioinspired computational framework for engineering design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems offer many benefits to the engineering–construction industry. Many construction firms recognize the benefits of ERP system implementation; however, they still hesitate to adopt these systems due to high cost, uncertainties, and risks. This study identifies and analyzes critical factors that need to be considered to ensure successful ERP system implementation in the construction industry. First, this paper identifies the factors associated with the success and failure of ERP systems, and provides indicators to evaluate the success of such systems. Then, the paper develops an information system success model to analyze the relationships between factors and success indicators. Finally, the paper provides recommendations for successful ERP systems based on the analysis. The derived success factors should help senior managers in construction firms make better decisions and improve their business value by implementing the most effective EPR systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the architecture/engineering/construction (AEC) industry, a large number of data models (e.g., data exchange standards and task-specific data models) have been created and utilized to represent and exchange data in software packages. To meet the ever-expanding requirements for modeling real world information, the data models need to be updated frequently. Accordingly, those who need to implement these data models in their AEC-related software which often requires that they possess civil engineering domain knowledge, have to change their existing implementations for compliance with these models to account for the latest update. Before adopting changes of such data models, those developers working at AEC-related software companies must precisely identify which parts of the data models have been modified in a new release. Given the growing scale and complexity of today’s data models involved in the AEC domain, identification of differences in two versions of a data model is a time-consuming and error-prone process, when performed manually. A semiautomated approach that identifies the differences in two versions of a data model could enable a rapid update of existing implementations of the model in AEC-related software. Due to the likelihood of having some commonality between the two versions of a model, it is possible to automatically identify version differences accurately. In this paper, we present an approach for detecting the differences between two releases of the same data model accurately and efficiently. This approach incorporates taxonomy for describing possible differences between two versions of a data model and provides a way to classify these differences. A prototype is implemented and used to validate the approach with the recent releases of some real world data models. The approach developed in this paper can help AEC-related software developers adopt and implement data models in their software systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a rigorous derivation of a previously known formula for simulation of one-dimensional, univariate, nonstationary stochastic processes integrating Priestly’s evolutionary spectral representation theory. Applying this formula, sample functions can be generated with great computational efficiency. The simulated stochastic process is asymptotically Gaussian as the number of terms tends to infinity. This paper shows that (1) these sample functions accurately reflect the prescribed probabilistic characteristics of the stochastic process when the number of terms in the cosine series is large, i.e., the ensemble averaged evolutionary power spectral density function (PSDF) or autocorrelation function approaches the corresponding target function as the sample size increases, and (2) the simulation formula, under certain conditions, can be reduced to that for nonstationary white noise process or Shinozuka’s spectral representation of stationary process. In addition to derivation of simulation formula, three methods are developed in this paper to estimate the evolutionary PSDF of a given time-history data by means of the short-time Fourier transform (STFT), the wavelet transform (WT), and the Hilbert-Huang transform (HHT). A comparison of the PSDF of the well-known El Centro earthquake record estimated by these methods shows that the STFT and the WT give similar results, whereas the HHT gives more concentrated energy at certain frequencies. Effectiveness of the proposed simulation formula for nonstationary sample functions is demonstrated by simulating time histories from the estimated evolutionary PSDFs. Mean acceleration spectrum obtained by averaging the spectra of generated time histories are then presented and compared with the target spectrum to demonstrate the usefulness of this method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An efficient numerical approach using the Green’s function solutions of transient heat conduction for predictions of thermal response inside a concrete-filled rectangular hollow section subjected to fire is proposed in this paper. Thermal properties of construction materials are assumed to be isotropic and homogeneous. The Green’s function approach adopts different series expansions for small and large time solutions, therefore the desirable convergence properties can be achieved at any range of time by using the time partitioning strategy. A useful analytical relation in terms of step Green’s functions is derived in this paper to incorporate the multidimensional effect, in particular, for Neumann (prescribed flux) boundary conditions. A modified lumped capacitance method, together with an “orthogonal flux” concept, are employed to deal with spatially varying heat flux at the steel–concrete interface, where Duhamel’s theorem is applied in piecewise manner along the interface to incorporate the fire boundary conditions. No spatial discretization is required in the numerical algorithms based on the Green’s function approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Improving and supporting the process of design knowledge reuse in engineering design can increase productivity, improve the quality of designs, and lead to greater corporate competitive advantage. Whereas internal knowledge reuse from one’s personal experiences is very effective, external knowledge reuse from an external digital or paper archive often fails. Based on a formalization of the internal reuse process from ethnographic studies, a prototype system, CoMem (corporate memory) is presented, which supports the reuse process, particularly the steps of finding and understanding. This paper presents a usability testing framework and methodology for the evaluation of reuse systems such as CoMem. The two pertinent variables are (1) the type of finding task; and (2) the size of the repository. Preliminary results from the evaluation of CoMem are presented as an example of the application of this framework for studying and assessing corporate memory design reuse systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]