Engineering Applications

Bibliometric Analysis of Academic Studies on BREEAM with VOSviewer Software Program

2024-08-01T09:15:33+00:00

This study aims to provide a bibliometric analysis of the literature on BREEAM (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method) to identify research trends, key issues and scientific impacts in this field. BREEAM is a global standard that promotes sustainable building design and construction practices and assesses the environmental performance of buildings. A comprehensive search of the Web of Science database identified 466 academic publications on BREEAM between 1988 and 2024. The main purpose of this study is to determine bibliometric maps by analysing the metadata of "BREEAM" related researches within the scope of variables such as keywords, journals, publications, authors and collaborations of the field. The data were analysed using VOSviewer analysis software and bibliometric indicators such as key concept analysis, publication type, publication language, most active authors, articles, journals, countries and institutions were examined. The results of the analysis show that the majority of BREEAM-related research is written in English language and these studies focus on key topics such as energy efficiency, sustainability and green building. It was also found that international collaborations play an important role in this field and researchers from various countries have contributed. The findings of the study provide an important basis for understanding the current state of research on BREEAM and future research directions. It also aims to contribute to the development of sustainable construction practices by identifying gaps and potential research areas in this field. As a result, it is emphasised that BREEAM is a critical tool for raising sustainability standards in the building sector and minimising environmental impacts.

Reliability Improvement of Distribution System Network using Network Reconfiguration

2024-08-23T19:44:49+00:00

TThis work focuses on carrying out reliability and network reconfiguration of the NAF base Kaduna 33kV distribution network system. Outage data was collected from the utility company Kaduna Electricity Company, Kaduna Nigeria (KAEDCO) from 2017 to 2020. This data was evaluated using some reliability parameters like SAIDI, SAIFI, CAIDI, AENS, ENS, Reliability, Availability, and Unavailability. The values obtained was analyzed in order to ascertain reliability of network in the case study. Using Fault Tree Analysis (FTA), the events; Transient fault, Ring Main Unit RMU fault, Damage on the J&P fuses, Breaking of cross arm , Thunder lightening , Crossing of two or all three phases, Weather condition, Isolation due to fault, Human activities, Animal encroachment, Wire twist, Wire cut, Jumper cut, Pull out of conductor, broken pole, maintenance due to fault and some fault conditions leading to failure which cause reliability problems on the network was analyzed. From the results of the fault, as achieved as the top failure rate that occurred on the network. In order to minimize the loss on the network, the network was optimized using the Particle Swam Optimization (PSO) algorithm and eventually reconfigured using the information from the PSO algorithm. The network reconfigured, simulated and its performance enhanced for effective power delivery ultimately. All results were presented and discussed. From the network reconfiguration process, with tie switches located at (17-20) and (11-31) of the chosen network, the active power loss experienced by the network was reduced from 63.4004 kW and 20.3689 kW, indicating a percentage reduction of active loss: 63.0791 %, percentage improvement in reliability of 1.7955 % with a reliability of 1.4628 int/cost-yr was also achieved and this was validated using the IEEE standard test 33 bus system

IInvestigation of the effects of different curing conditions and sodium content on the mechanical and durability properties of fly ash based geopolymer mortar with various proportions of silica fume substituted

2024-12-05T06:58:01+00:00

In this study, F class fly ash-based geopolymer mortar samples with 8%, 10%, and 12% NaOH concentrations were created by replacing 1%, 2%, 3%, 4% and 5% silica fume. Geopolymer mortar samples were thermally cured at 65, 75, and 85 ° C for 24, 48, and 72 hours. Geopolymer mortar samples were subjected to tests for workability, compressive strength, flexural strength, resistance to high temperatures, and abrasion. Geopolymer mortar samples were subjected to a high temperature compressive strength test at 200, 400, 600, 800, and 1000 °C. Mechanical and durability tests conducted on the samples of thermally cured geopolymer mortar indicate that a specific amount of silica fume substitution increases the strength. Additionally, it is observed that the addition of silica fume contributes positively to the machinability. At all concentration ratios, the mortar sample containing 4% silica fume and subjected to thermal curing at 85°C for 72 hours had the highest compressive and flexural strength values. The maximum compressive strength values achieved at high temperature were also obtained in the sample with 4% silica fume substitution. After testing the produced mortar samples, it has been concluded that 4% silica fume substitution based on Class F fly ash is the optimal value.

The eefect of changing parameters on soil settlement behavior in single pile foundation systems

2024-11-09T08:04:11+00:00

In cases where the soil properties are unfavorable depending on the building load, piles are added to the foundation system and the impacting structural load is transmitted to the deeper layers, and the load is safely carried by the soil. These foundation systems are called pile foundations. Considering the cost-related economic conditions, the difficulty of construction, correct sizing, and ensuring safety, the importance of the relevant foundation systems increases. For this reason, necessary studies should be carried out and the effect of size should be examined in different ways and methods. in this study, the amount of soil settlement that occurred in soil was examined and graphically analyzed by changing the pile length, soil groundwater level (GWL), and the amount of impacting load over the problem defined in a single pile dimensioned foundation system. Depending on the change in settlement, the effect of size in piled foundation systems was investigated. As a result of the analysis; In the case of increasing the pile length, the amount of settlement decreased, while the amount of settlement increased when the impacting load increased. Amount of settlement It is determined that it will differ depending on the soil profile if it is evaluated based on the change in groundwater level.

Predicting Trip Purposes of Households in Makurdi Using Machine Learning: A Comparative Analysis of Decision Tree, CatBoost, and XGBoost Algorithms

2024-11-13T15:29:01+00:00

This study explores the application of machine learning techniques for predicting trip purposes in Makurdi, Nigeria, utilizing three advanced algorithms: Decision Tree (DT), CatBoost, and XGBoost. The research aims to determine the most effective model for predicting household trip purposes based on demographic, socioeconomic, and travel data. Model performance was assessed using key metrics, including R-squared (R²), Mean Absolute Error (MAE), and Root Mean Squared Error (RMSE), revealing distinct strengths and weaknesses among the models. CatBoost demonstrated the highest R² score of 73%, indicating its efficacy in capturing variance in trip purposes, despite a higher MAE (0.353) and RMSE (0.850), which suggest potential for larger prediction errors. XGBoost, with an R² score of 72% and the lowest RMSE of 0.545, exhibited a balanced performance, providing accurate predictions with minimal error. The Decision Tree model, while acceptable with an R² of 68%, MAE of 0.314, and RMSE of 0.615, ranked lower in predictive accuracy. The findings advocate for the use of XGBoost as the most reliable model for this task. Future research directions include hyperparameter optimization and the investigation of ensemble methods to enhance predictive accuracy

Engineering Pavement Design for Major Campus Road Network within Schist and Quartzite Dominated Rocks of Ondo State, Southwestern Nigeria

2024-12-24T11:10:49+00:00

The overall performance of new pavements depends on the quality of design based on comprehensive soil investigation. Due to recent expansion and opening up of remote places in the main campus of Rufus Giwa Polytechnic, Owo, Southwestern Nigeria, there’s need to design and construct additional low volume roads to link up many newly constructed lecture theatres and administrative buildings, within schistose quartzite and quartzite rocks. The pavement thickness was derived using the AASHTO design method, after thorough traffic count, and estimated single axle load (ESAL) computation (19.97 msa) for 20 years projection. The soil properties in terms of CBR and subgrade modulus were determined using DCPT and empirical correlations. The quartzite environment showed slight competence over the schistose quartzite derived soils, with average penetrative index, CBR, effective modulus of subgrade of 0.7 mm/blow, 48 %, 15.64 ksi, and 0.88 mm/blow, 50 %, 15.57 ksi respectively. The flexible pavement design process generated thickness (wearing, base, and subbase courses) of 375 mm in schistose quartzite, and 366 mm in quartzite environment, for structural number (SN) of 3.18 and 3.16 respectively, while 243 mm was obtained for the rigid pavement. This thickness is sufficient in view of slight variation in the strength of the subgrade across the two geological formations in the area; traffic volume; and geology of the area. Consequently, these design thickness is adequate for area, based on rigidity, durability, longevity and ease of maintenance desired.