Infrastructure Engineering - Research Publications
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ItemNo Preview AvailableMonte Carlo and Subset Simulations-Based Reliability Analysis of Composite Frames Using OpenSees(Springer Nature Switzerland, 2023-01-01)
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ItemNo Preview AvailableNumerical Study of a Novel Self-lock Connection for Modular Tall Buildings(Springer Nature Singapore, 2023-01-01)
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ItemNo Preview AvailableADVANCED ANALYSIS OF STEEL‐CONCRETE COMPOSITE BUILDINGS(Wiley, 2023-02)Abstract This paper presents a nonlinear simulation method for composite framing systems constituted from concrete‐filled steel tubular columns (CFST) and composite beam systems. A force‐based fibre beam‐column element in OpenSees was adopted. This element was capable of accurately capturing the local buckling of steel and the confining effect of concrete using the modified stress‐strain relationships of the steel and concrete fibres. A source code for the connection element was also developed in OpenSees to capture the semi‐rigid behaviour of the beam‐to‐column connections of the composite buildings. Through the verification with numerous experiments, the model has shown its capability of accurately simulating composite frames with simplicity and less computational cost. An extensive parametric study was conducted to examine the effect of the bracing systems and the rigidity of the connections on the behaviour and instability of the whole composite buildings.
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ItemNo Preview AvailableInnovative composite structural systems for modular tall buildings(https://www.compositeconstructionix.com/, 2021)Modular or offsite construction is believed to shape the future of the construction industry as it possesses significant benefits over traditional onsite construction methods. However, most of its application are limited to steel or concrete buildings. Although steel-concrete composite structural system has many merits over the steel and concrete systems, its application in modular buildings is very limited. This paper explores recent developments of composite systems for modular high-rise buildings. They include modular units for resisting vertical gravity loads and lateral structural systems for resisting horizontal forces from wind and earthquake loadings and progressive collapse due to accidental loads such as fire, explosions and impact. Various inter-module joining methods developed in the literature will also be reviewed. Finally, a case study of the most efficient connection is presented to explore its applicability to high-rise modular buildings.
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ItemWhole-life baseline carbon assessment of residential building stock – A Victorian case study(Australian Life Cycle Assessment Society (ALCAS), 2023-07-19)Assessing residential building decarbonisation opportunities requires a whole-life approach, given the increasing share of embodied carbon as housing becomes more energy efficient. Since most of the projected housing stock would consist of existing buildings, emissions from renovation should also be included in determining both embodied and operational carbon in the residential building sector. A bottom-up typology framework was developed to estimate carbon emissions for existing and new housing up to 2050, scalable from local government area (LGA) to state-level jurisdiction which allows for granularity in testing scenarios for the future. Housing typologies were developed for existing, new, and renovation housing stock based on census data. Operating carbon was obtained using building energy simulation while embodied carbon data was accounted from localised life cycle construction datasets. The state of Victoria along with its corresponding LGAs was used as a case study for said framework. Heating load comprised most of the operating energy demand for most typologies while external walls and floors contributed significant embodied carbon for new residential buildings, particularly for detached houses. For Victoria, detached houses built prior to 1991 contributed most of the operational carbon, however with high construction rates set for most LGAs, new housing may contribute more GHG emissions in 2050. Brick veneer housing yielded more embodied carbon from the external wall compared to timber homes while concrete slabs used in floors also incurred a large amount of embodied carbon for the residential building stock. Renovating existing housing has the potential to reduce operating energy demand while emitting less embodied carbon, thus policies on this should be considered in developing decarbonisation pathways. Using the bottom-up typology whole-life carbon framework offers granularity in analysing individual-level carbon impact which can be expanded to LGA and state level.
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ItemNo Preview AvailableA ROADMAP TO A SHARED VISION FOR PLATFORMS: THE MOTIVATIONS AND ROLES OF STAKEHOLDERS IN THE TRANSFORMATION FROM PROJECTS TO PLATFORMS(Budapest University of Technology and Economics, 2023)In recent years, 'platform' has emerged as a buzzword for business. Despite widespread usage, there remains ambiguity in its meaning. Strategically, platforms capitalize on the advantages of commonality and have been successfully applied across multiple industries to deliver mass-customized products, increasing customer choice while maintaining efficient and effective production methods. It is known that the early involvement of stakeholders enables the platform logic, however that requires redefining their roles and motivations in the platform ecosystem. This paper aims to envisage redefined roles for each stakeholder in the construction value chain to create a shared vision roadmap by understanding their motivations for moving towards a platform ecosystem and how their engagement model will be changed. Four enterprises in Australia, that represent key stakeholders of the construction value chain, were selected for knowledge elicitation through individual discussions. The perspective pitches for the primary stakeholders comprise developers, general and specialized contractors, designers and engineers, while the rest of the value chain is grouped under associated stakeholders. In an attempt to define the new roles for the different stakeholders of the platform ecosystem, there emerged a shared vision that might enable a shift towards the platform approach. The intent for moving value-adding products and services upstream, expanding contribution to the value chain, continuous improvement through data-driven insights, seamless collaboration in a partnering environment and early prototyping were shared across stakeholder groups. A changed nature of engagement was observed where the general contractor ceased to be the single point of engagement with the associated supply chain actors; this role was most likely to be taken up by the developer or the platform consultant. For a longer study, the value chain actors in terms of financiers (upstream) and asset managers (downstream) are required to be included in the value chain and their motivations and roles explored.
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ItemNo Preview AvailableBalancing Private Investment and Community Expectations in Privately Financed Infrastructure Projects: A Novel Approach for Evaluating Long-Term Value(Diamond Congress Ltd., 2023)Balancing private investment and community expectations is crucial in privately financed infrastructure projects, such as schools, housing, and hospitals. Evaluating the value of Private Finance Initiative (PFI) requires governments to accurately assess costs, risks, and benefits through their Public Sector Comparator (PSC). The Public Sector Comparator (PSC) focuses on the economic benefits and tangible value offered by bidders, such as whole-of-life financing costs, capital costs, operation, maintenance costs, and risk allocation as proposed by the government. Non-monetized benefits, which are important in social infrastructure delivery, are typically evaluated subjectively by comparing the specific solutions proposed by bidders. Assessing uncertainties in government requirements and materialized risks when comparing a bid to the Public Sector Comparator (PSC) using discounted cost techniques at a specific point in time is challenging. This paper proposes a new approach for evaluating investments that takes into account both monetary and non-monetary benefits over a project’s life cycle, based on the risks and benefits seen in recent social PFI projects. Engineering reliability analysis is preferred to emphasize the performance reliability of investment decisions. The proposed reliability-based approach considers not only cost uncertainty and non-monetary benefits based on project observations, but also allows for time-based decision-making by being used at multiple points in time, to be incorporated into the original investment decision. An Australian school project was used to demonstrate that the proposed approach allows for predicting long-term value by using a performance reliability index to measure the robustness of the original investment assumptions such as demand projections and future sustainability outcomes.
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ItemNo Preview AvailableExploring the role of Industry 4.0 in the Building Industry: A case study of emerging Business Models in the Australian construction ecosystem(Diamond Congress Ltd., 2023)As the building industry is a significant contributor to Australia's economy, understanding the impact of Industry 4.0 on this sector is crucial for its continued growth and competitiveness. This creates a need to explore the interdependencies between the implementation of an industrial and digitally enabled building industry and business model and value chain innovation to shape a digitally mediated platform ecosystem configuration. As the building industry faces challenges in adopting manufacturing techniques and technologies, the paper examines significant yet understudied implications of Industry 4.0 along industrial value chains. This study aims to understand how the building industry in Australia can adapt to the shift towards industrialised-digitalisation by exploring the opportunities for innovation in business models and value chains. The research approach will draw on a literature review, and a series of workshops in four Australian cities to understand perspectives determining business model innovation. Examining integration, servitization, and expertization the paper illuminates the impact of digital connectivity, information exchange, and design value on the industry. The paper's framework focuses on assessing dynamic capabilities (sensing, seizing, and reconfiguring) and the ecosystem lifecycle (birth, expansion, leadership, self-renewal) to comprehend business model innovation in the Australian construction ecosystem. It also uncovers how diverse stakeholders, including developers, contractors, consultants, supply chain actors, and digital platform owners, create value and progress through these phases. Identifying prospects in offsite manufacturing, standardization, technological advances, and value chain integration allows developers, clients, and contractors to enhance efficiency and results. Consultants can utilize their design value and project management know-how to promote cooperation among stakeholders. Additionally, digital platform proprietors can access multi-sided marketplaces for direct communication and efficient procedures. Ultimately, implementing these insights assists industry participants in adapting to changing market dynamics, encouraging innovation, and bolstering the competitiveness of the Australian construction industry.
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ItemA simplified sustainable circular economy evaluation for end-of-life photovoltaic(Australian Life Cycle Assessment Society (ALCAS), 2023-07-19)Sustainability and circular economy in the photovoltaic (PV) industry has been gaining increasing traction. Yet, it is still in its infancy. Sustainability is not synonymous to circularity. The correlations between the two paradigms vary case-by-case. PV panel waste has become one of the fastest growing electronic waste. The potential economic and environmental benefits through recycling and other recircularity initatives have been confirmed. However, there is still an urgency to delineate End-of-Life (EoL) PV management practice that is both sustainable and circular. Private PV stakeholders play a prominent role in achieving best practice. However, the exhaustive nature of life cycle impact studies and their data gathering may deter PV producers and recyclers to consider sustainability and circularity performance in their decision-making. This work aims to propose a framework to evaluate sustainability and circular economy performance of discarded PV processing in an integrated manner for private sector users. Sustainability will be assessed through life cycle assessment for environmental impacts, life cycle cost for economic impacts, and industry stakeholder survey to compensate for the lack of social impacts data. Circularity will be evaluated using selected sets of existing product-level circularity indicators. The two paradigms will be reconciled through a joint analysis via multi-criteria decision making.
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ItemNo Preview AvailableExperimental evaluation of PCM embedded radiant chilled ceiling for efficient space cooling(Department of the Built Environment, 2023)Because of climate change, together with rapid urbanisation and continuous population growth, the global demand for space cooling is increasing dramatically. Under a business-as-usual trajectory, there will be a more than threefold rise in the number of in-use air conditioners worldwide by 2050. A radical shift to innovative space cooling technologies is therefore essential, ones that can sustainably meet the growing requirements. Phase change material embedded radiant chilled ceiling, called PCM-RCC, offers an emerging alternative for more sustainable space cooling provision. This system provides a range of benefits to endusers, in terms of efficiency and indoor environmental quality, together with demand-side flexibility. PCM-RCC, however, is still under development, and further research is needed to realise its full capabilities. The present work experimentally analyses the thermal-energy performance of a PCM-RCC system using a full-scale test cabin equipped with PCM ceiling panels. Here, the transient thermal behaviour of the panels besides the cooling energy delivered in charging-discharging cycles are examined. Additionally, the indoor thermal comfort and peak energy demand reduction enabled by the present PCM-RCC are discussed. Based on the results, typically 4–5 hours of chilled water circulation overnight could sufficiently be able to fully recharge the panels in the morning. Over 80% of the occupancy time was found within Class B thermal comfort defined in ISO 7730. About 70% of the system’s daily electricity usage time was during off-peak hours. The significance of implementing optimal predictive operating schedules was also highlighted to fully utilise PCM-RCC’s potentials.