- Infrastructure Engineering - Research Publications
Infrastructure Engineering - Research Publications
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ItemA Scenario Analysis Approach to Distributed Energy System OptimisationChristopher, PB ; Aye, L ; Ngo, T ; Mendis, P ; Piantadosi, J ; Anderssen, RS ; Boland, J (MODELLING & SIMULATION SOC AUSTRALIA & NEW ZEALAND INC, 2013)
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ItemNo Preview AvailableWorking fluid selection for a facade integrated solar cooling systemWu, D ; Aye, L ; Ngo, TD (Australian Solar Energy Society, 2014-05-08)
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ItemNo Preview AvailableWater-Energy-GHG emissions accounting for urban water supply: A case study on an urban redevelopment in MelbourneArora, M ; Aye, L ; Malano, HM ; Ngo, TD (E.W. Publications, 2013-07-01)This paper presents a conceptual accounting framework to quantify the life cycle energy use and GHG emissions of alternative urban water supply strategies. The framework enables the comparative analysis of alternative strategies to design a fit-for-purpose water supply system that takes into account water supply, energy use and GHG emissions and has been tested on the Fisherman’s Bend development site in Melbourne Metropolitan region and results are presented. This study does not include the environmental and social benefits incurred from deploying multiple water sources, which must be considered before making strategic decision about implementation of alternative sources of water supply.
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ItemSustainable Prefabricated Modular BuildingsGunawardena, D ; Mendis, P ; Ngo, D ; Aye, L ; Alfano, J ; Dissanayake, R (ICSB, 2014)Economy, speed of construction and improved environmental performance are critical variables that challenge the modern construction industry to strike a balance between. Employing innovative prefabricated modular structures is one key strategy used to achieve these goals. Therefore, there is an increasing demand for detailed scientific research that deals with the potential environmental benefits of prefabrication, particularly in areas of embodied energy savings resulting from waste reduction and improved efficiency of material usage. This paper gives a brief overview of prefabricated modular structures and aims to highlight the sustainability characteristics of this technology compared to conventional construction methods. A case study was carried out on an eight-storey, residential building. It was found that a steel-structured prefabricated system resulted in a significantly reduced material consumption of up to 78% by mass compared to conventional concrete construction. However, the prefabricated steel building resulted in an increase in embodied energy compared to the concrete building mainly due to the inherent characteristics of steel manufacturing processes. This form of construction has the potential to contribute significantly towards improved environmental sustainability in the construction industry while providing fast outputs with value for the investments.
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ItemFinancial analysis of solar cooling systems in AustraliaWu, D ; Aye, L ; Mendis, PA ; Ngo, TD (The University of Melbourne, 2013)
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ItemTime-efficient post-disaster housing reconstruction with prefabricated modular structuresGunawardena, T ; Tuan, N ; Mendis, P ; Aye, L ; Crawford, RH (Open House International Association, 2014-09-01)With many natural disasters such as earthquakes, cyclones, bushfires and tsunamis destroying human habitats around the world, post-disaster housing reconstruction has become a critical topic. The current practice of post-disaster recon- struction consists of various approaches that carry affected homeowners from temporary shelters to permanent hous- ing. While temporary shelters may be provided within a matter of days as immediate disaster relief, permanent hous- ing can take years to complete. However, time is critical, as affected communities will need to restore their livelihoods as soon as possible. Prefabricated modular construction has the potential to drastically improve the time taken to pro- vide permanent housing. Due to this time-efficiency, which is an inherent characteristic of modular construction, it can be a desirable strategy for post-disaster housing reconstruction. This paper discusses how prefabricated modular struc- tures can provide a more time-efficient solution by analysing several present-day examples taken from published post- disaster housing reconstruction processes that have been carried out in different parts of the world. It also evaluates how other features of modular construction, such as ease of decommissioning and reusability, can add value to post- disaster reconstruction processes and organisations that contribute to the planning, design and construction stages of the reconstruction process. The suitability of modular construction will also be discussed in the context of the guidelines and best practice guides for post-disaster housing reconstruction published by international organisations. Through this analysis and discussion, it is concluded that prefabricated modular structures are a highly desirable time-efficient solu- tion to post-disaster housing reconstruction.
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ItemStrain Rates in Pre-stressed Concrete Sleepers and Effects on Cracking LoadsTaherinezhad, J ; Sofi, M ; Mendis, P ; Ngo, T (RMIT, 2014)Pre-stressed concrete sleepers (PCSs) play an essential role in railway track response, performance and safety. Depending on track condition and train speed, PCSs are subjected to high magnitude dynamic loads. These loads can generate cracks, which influence the stiffness, load bearing capability and durability of sleepers. The cracking of PCSs has been reported to be a major problem on a worldwide scale and imposes a costly replacement. This paper presents an investigation on the effects of calculating strain rates on the strength of PCS. By using available measurements, the strain rates are calculated at the rail seat and midspan, locations with a high concentration of stress. The cracking loads are calculated based on the dynamic increase factor (DIF) of concrete and comparison is made with commonly occurring dynamic loads. Results show that the maximum strain rates at both rail seat and midspan are about 0.08 and 0.016 1/s, respectively. The increase of cracking wheel load due to the strain rate effects is about 5 to 26 percent Further, the results are shown to be able to demonstrate the level of concrete damage in the form of cracks due to dynamic loads with very short return periods.