Architecture

The effect of limestone powder, silica fume and fibre content on flexural behaviour of cement composite reinforced by waste Kraft pulp
The need for sustainable, environmental friendly, energy efficient construction materials could justify the interest on fibre cement board produced from recycled waste cardboard. Waste cardboard has a low production cost and could show an appropriate compatibility with hydrated cement particles. ...


On the use of recycled tire rubber to develop low E-modulus ECC for durable concrete repairs
The durability of concrete repairs is often limited due to restrained drying shrinkage. In this study, recycled tire rubber is used to develop deliberately low elastic modulus and highly ductile ECC repair material so as to alleviate repair failure induced by restrained drying shrinkage. Emphasis...
UK–China Science Bridge – Sustainable solutions for the built environment
The remit of the UK–China Science Bridge is to accelerate deployment of research knowledge in sustainable solutions for the built environment developed at Queen’s University Belfast, to high-ranking partner universities and research institutions in China. To achieve this, proof of concept stu...
Development of arching action in longitudinally-restrained reinforced concrete beams
Membrane action of reinforced concrete (RC) beams is one of the primary mechanisms that enhances progressive collapse resistance of frames and influences the robustness of a structure under an unforeseen overload event. Compressive membrane action increases both the capacity and stiffness of long...
Blind modal identification of output-only structures in time-domain based on complexity pursuit
Output-only modal identification is needed when only structural responses are available. As a powerful unsupervised learning algorithm, blind source separation (BSS) technique is able to recover the hidden sources and the unknown mixing process using only the observed mixtures. This paper propose...
SOFIE project – 3D shaking table test on a seven-storey full-scale cross-laminated building
Multi-storey buildings made of cross-laminated timber panels (X-lam) are becoming a stronger and economically valid alternative in Europe compared with traditional masonry or concrete buildings. During the design process of these multi-storey buildings, also their earthquake behaviour has to be a...


Coupled Outdoor and Indoor Airflow Prediction for Buildings Using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD)
The objective of this study is to investigate the accuracy of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) for simultaneously predicting the outdoor and indoor airflows of single-cell and multi-storey buildings. Empirical models and two existing wind tunnel experimental data are used for validation. This s...
Analysis of Damage in Laminated Architectural Glazing Subjected to Wind Loading and Windborne Debris Impact
Wind loading and windborne debris (missile) impact are the two primary mechanisms that result in window glazing damage during hurricanes. Wind-borne debris is categorized into two types: small hard missiles; such as roof gravel; and large soft missiles representing lumber from wood-framed buildin...
Critical success factors for community-based post-disaster housing reconstruction projects in the pre-construction stage in Indonesia
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the critical success factors (CSFs) of community-based post-disaster housing reconstruction projects (CPHRP) during the pre-construction stage. - An extensive literature review and interviews were undertaken to establish selected factors contributing to...
Comparison of concrete creep in tension and in compression: Influence of concrete age at loading and drying conditions
The relation between basic and drying creep in tension compared to basic and drying creep in compression was investigated. The results obtained can be summarized as follows. Basic creep in compression is significantly more important than basic creep in tension. This difference increases with decr...
Alkali Silica Reaction (ASR) as a root cause of distress in a concrete made from Alkali Carbonate Reaction (ACR) potentially susceptible aggregates
The mechanism of Alkali Carbonate Reaction (ACR) in concrete made from fine-grained, argillaceous dolomitic limestone coarse aggregates remains controversial. ACR distress is described as an increase in volume caused by the crystallization of brucite during the dedolomitization process. However, ...


Effects of corrosion on linear and nonlinear elastic properties of reinforced concrete
Cracks induced by rebar corrosion are among the most important causes of performance deterioration in reinforced concrete elements. Even though several methods have been developed to detect the amount and location of corrosion-induced cracks, the sensitivity to small closed cracks located well be...
Development of low-pH cementitious materials based on CAC for HLW repositories: Long-term hydration and resistance against groundwater aggression
One of the most accepted engineering construction concepts of underground repositories for high level waste considers the use of low pH cementitious materials. This research is focused on the development of those based on Calcium Aluminate Cements (CAC) with high mineral admixture contents that s...
A Thermal Simulation Tool for Building and Its Interoperability through the Building Information Modeling (BIM) Platform
This paper describes potential challenges and opportunities for using thermal simulation tools to optimize building performance. After reviewing current trends in thermal simulation, it outlines major criteria for the evaluation of building thermal simulation tools based on specifications and cap...
An experimental comparison of strengthening solutions for dowel-type wood connections
This paper presents an experimental investigation of the development of adhesively bonded reinforcing techniques for dowel-type wood connections. One of the proposed techniques is based on the application of carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) laminates (glued with epoxy adhesives) in the area...