Infrastructure Engineering - Research Publications
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ItemDesign and Development of Weatherproof Seals for Prefabricated Construction: A Methodological Approach(MDPI, 2018-09)Satisfactory weatherproofing of buildings is vital to maximise their design life and performance which requires the careful design of external sealing technologies. Systems commonly available have served well in conventional construction however with many prefabricated systems emerging in the building industry new and novel means of weatherproofing between panels and modules need to be developed purpose specific to this application. This paper presents a holistic and fundamental methodological approach to Design and Development of waterproof seals and has been applied specific for prefabricated panelised and modular systems. Two purpose specific weatherproof seals are finally presented. Flow charts of the overview of the suggested methodological approach and the processes within which include DfMA that have been incorporated into understanding and developing seals for this practical application. These strategies have enabled a resourceful and holistic set of processes that can be adapted and used for similar forms of product research in new and developing areas of construction such as prefabrication. The design and development process is thoroughly investigated and has resulted in an exploration of the technical challenges and potential solutions which take into consideration factors from installation limitations to building tolerances.
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ItemStructural behaviour of prefabricated stressed-skin engineered timber composite flooring systems(Elsevier, 2019-12-01)The primary focus of this study is understanding the behaviour and structural performance of prefabricated composite timber floor cassette systems with Oriented strand board (OSB) stressed-skins. These do not have a dedicated top flange, instead their plywood webs are integrally bonded to the OSB flooring skin through a chemical connection. Subsequently, local buckling of the stressed-skin was found to occur as the first failure mode. Specimens with 150 mm and 300 mm nail spacings were investigated for its effects on performance due to the criticality of the integrated web to floor skin connection in these systems. A total of 20 stressed-skin specimens were tested in three-point bending with recordings of the applied force, displacement, slip and failure modes. It was found that local buckling of the skin is prone to occur prior to reaching the designed SLS limit. A detailed Finite Element Analysis (FEA) which takes into consideration the full behaviour of the materials and the glue and nail connections along with failure modes has been validated and used to provide insight to potential design solutions. Key parameters investigated include the adhesive properties, the ratio of clear effective outstand width of the flange to the thickness of the stressed-skin (beff,o/t), ratio of the clear depth of the web to the thickness of the web (dp/tw), ratio of the clear span to the total depth of the composite beam (Lc/D) and finally the spacing of the nails. This has resulted in a broad level understanding of the effects of these design parameters to the behaviour of stressed-skin engineered timber flooring cassettes.
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ItemManufacturing, Modeling, Implementation and Evaluation of a Weatherproof Seal for Prefabricated Construction(MDPI, 2018-09)Prefabricated forms of construction have led to the rapid onsite assembly of buildings however there are still on-site tasks and processes which can be reevaluated and redone specifically in keeping with the principles of prefabrication instead being adapted to fit its purpose. One such process is that of waterproofing between prefabricated panels and modules which come from the factory fully complete façade and all. Conventional means of waterproofing can be used however it results in more work done on site, potential delays and generally requires access from the external face of the building. This paper presents the Modelling, Implementation and Evaluation of purpose developed weatherproof seals specific for Prefabricated Construction. An overview is provided of the entire development process and specific focus is given to the modeling using finite element analysis (FEA) computer simulations, manufacturing and testing which then resulted in the implementation in a prefabricated panelised building which is used as a case study and the means of further evaluation. These strategies have enabled an efficient and robust prefabricated waterproofing solution specific for this form of construction to be understood and implemented. The resulting case study has successfully verified the time and cost savings when compared to conventional techniques whilst still providing a durable and effective weatherproof seal for prefabricated panelised and modular systems.
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ItemNo Preview AvailableModeling, Implementation and Evaluation of Weatherproof Seals for Prefabricated Construction(MDPI AG, 2018)Prefabricated forms of construction have led to the rapid onsite assembly of buildings however there are still on-site tasks and processes which can be reevaluated and redone specifically in keeping with the principles of prefabrication instead being adapted to fit its purpose. One such process is that of waterproofing between prefabricated panels and modules which come from the factory fully complete façade and all. Conventional means of waterproofing can be used however it results in more work done on site, potential delays and generally requires access from the external face of the building. This paper presents the Modelling, Implementation and Evaluation of purpose developed weatherproof seals specific for Prefabricated Construction. An overview is provided of the entire development process and specific focus is given to the modeling using FEA computer simulations, manufacturing and testing which then resulted in the implementation in a prefabricated panelised building which is used as a case study and the means of further evaluation. These strategies have enabled an efficient and robust prefabricated waterproofing solution specific for this form of construction to be understood and implemented. The resulting case study has successfully verified the time and cost savings when compared to conventional techniques whilst still providing a durable and effective weatherproof seal for prefabricated panelised and modular systems.