{"title":"Professionals’ Perceptions on Construction Progress Measurement Methods Used in Ghana","authors":"J. Danku, K. Agyekum, F. Asare","doi":"10.4236/wjet.2020.82012","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4236/wjet.2020.82012","url":null,"abstract":"Progress measurement is cardinal for effective project delivery. It assesses the physical amount of completed work within budgeted cost and manpower performance at a specified stage of the project. Effective progress measurement facilitates progress monitoring, an inevitability for identifying early warning signs and confirmation of structured work proceeding. Different progress measuring methods are available and used for construction projects. They range from the traditional to the contemporary ones like three-dimensional and four-dimensional models. This paper examines current progress measurement methods used in the Ghanaian construction industry. Eight commonly employed methods were identified from the literature and rated by sixty-two construction professionals, practicing with tier one construction firms and construction consultancy services. Relative Important Index ranking and Mann-Whitney U test statistics were used to rank and check the consistency of survey responses. Cost Ratio ranked the highest, followed by Supervisor’s Opinion and Units Completed. The fourth-ranked method was Time Ratio, then Incremental Milestone before Start-Finish. Weighted/Equivalent Units was at the penultimate with Earned Value Analysis ranked the lowest. The study will not only underscore the relevance of the current project progress measurement practices and provoke prolific debates on their merits, but will also serve as a precursor for critical evaluation of the methods with the view to identifying barriers militating against realistic progress assessment of construction works.","PeriodicalId":344331,"journal":{"name":"World Journal of Engineering and Technology","volume":"9 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-03-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"133819870","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Comparative Appraisal of Response Surface Methodology and Artificial Neural Network Method for Stabilized Turbulent Confined Jet Diffusion Flames Using Bluff-Body Burners","authors":"T. Gendy, S. A. Ghoneim, A. S. Zakhary","doi":"10.4236/wjet.2020.81011","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4236/wjet.2020.81011","url":null,"abstract":"The present study was conducted to present the comparative modeling, predictive and generalization abilities of response surface methodology (RSM) and artificial neural network (ANN) for the thermal structure of stabilized confined jet diffusion flames in the presence of different geometries of bluff-body burners. Two stabilizer disc burners tapered at 30° and 60° and another frustum cone of 60°/30° inclination angle were employed all having the same diameter of 80 (mm) acting as flame holders. The measured radial mean temperature profiles of the developed stabilized flames at different normalized axial distances (x/dj) were considered as the model example of the physical process. The RSM and ANN methods analyze the effect of the two operating parameters namely (r), the radial distance from the center line of the flame, and (x/dj) on the measured temperature of the flames, to find the predicted maximum temperature and the corresponding process variables. A three-layered Feed Forward Neural Network in conjugation with the hyperbolic tangent sigmoid (tansig) as transfer function and the optimized topology of 2:10:1 (input neurons: hidden neurons: output neurons) was developed. Also the ANN method has been employed to illustrate such effects in the three and two dimensions and shows the location of the predicted maximum temperature. The results indicated the superiority of ANN in the prediction capability as the ranges of R2 and F Ratio are 0.868 - 0.947 and 231.7 - 864.1 for RSM method compared to 0.964 - 0.987 and 2878.8 7580.7 for ANN method beside lower values for error analysis terms.","PeriodicalId":344331,"journal":{"name":"World Journal of Engineering and Technology","volume":"4 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-02-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"125750138","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Vouchleang Hong, Genguang Zhang, Xinqiang Wang, Anbin Li
{"title":"Experimental Investigation on the Shape and Depth of Local Scour Hole Downstream of the Release Structure","authors":"Vouchleang Hong, Genguang Zhang, Xinqiang Wang, Anbin Li","doi":"10.4236/wjet.2020.81010","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4236/wjet.2020.81010","url":null,"abstract":"Local scour downstream of the release structure is a critical problem to the safe and stable operation of water resources and hydropower engineering. In order to investigate the shape and depth of the scour hole under the equilibrium state of erosion and deposition downstream of an apron, a group of 16 experiments from the hydraulic similarity model test of Dangka Hydropower Station was conducted with the non-cohesive sediment of different median particle sizes under different flow rates in this study. The control variable method was to study the influence of the flow rate and sediment size on the shape of the scour hole to define the number of experiment times of each test group. The results showed that the plane shape of the scour hole was irregular ellipse or semi-ellipse. The depth and size of the scour hole increased with the increase of the flow rate, and decreased with the increase of the sediment size; the downstream longitudinal slope ratio of the scour hole increased with the increase of the sediment size. The coefficients of the upstream and downstream slope ratio of the local scour hole were 1/2 to 1/6 and about 1/10, respectively.","PeriodicalId":344331,"journal":{"name":"World Journal of Engineering and Technology","volume":"18 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-02-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"121291580","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Study on the Conservation Mode and Renewal Strategy of Ancient City of Anyang","authors":"Zhenzhen Wang, Y. Lou, Benxiao Zhang","doi":"10.4236/wjet.2020.81009","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4236/wjet.2020.81009","url":null,"abstract":"Anyang City, Henan Province, is one of the eight ancient capitals in China. After the change of history and the alternation of times, there are many kinds of ancient buildings and traditional houses in the ancient city. Combined with the current development of the ancient city, through the combination of actual research and questionnaire survey, clarify the current development problems, according to the principle of combining protection and renewal, put forward the feasibility of solving problems from the management concept and technology, and clarify the development direction of the ancient city.","PeriodicalId":344331,"journal":{"name":"World Journal of Engineering and Technology","volume":"10 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-02-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"114956998","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Black Powder in Sales Gas Pipelines: Sources and Technical Recommendations","authors":"Faisal Al Wahedi, M. Saleh, Z. Dadach","doi":"10.4236/wjet.2020.81007","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4236/wjet.2020.81007","url":null,"abstract":"One of the most severe problems affecting the efficient operations of gas pipelines is corrosion caused by black powder. According to the literature, the primary source for the existence of black powder is condensed water. In this case study, the temperature (40°C) of the sales gas is much higher than its dew point (9.24°C). The water is therefore in vapor phase. It is then proposed to remove water vapor from the gas at the entrance of the plant using an adsorption process. The recommended technology is the Layered Bed Temperature-Swing Adsorption (LBTSA) with micro-channels with molecular sieve zeolite 4A and activated alumina as adsorbents. In the case of presence of aerosols that could condense water, it is suggested to utilize a RED (Rare Earth Drum) magnetic separator in order to remove black powder from the gaseous feed.","PeriodicalId":344331,"journal":{"name":"World Journal of Engineering and Technology","volume":"265 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-02-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"116823642","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Optimization Analysis of Correction Tape Box Compounding Cavity Runner Balance Based on Moldflow","authors":"Hong-bing Wang, Chunhua Sun","doi":"10.4236/wjet.2020.81005","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4236/wjet.2020.81005","url":null,"abstract":"Aiming at the problem of runner unbalance in the compounding cavity of the upper and lower cover of the correction tape box, the plastic injection analysis software Moldflow was used to optimize runner balance. First, the 3D modeling software Proe was used to establish the geometric model of the upper and lower cover of the correction tape box, and introduced into the plastic injection analysis software Moldflow. Secondly, the upper and the lower cover of the correction tape box were meshed and the initial gating system was designed in Moldflow. Filling analysis of the initial scheme of the correction tape box combined cavity showed that the runner of the melt was not balanced in the mold cavity. Finally, the runner balance optimization analysis of the cavities was carried out. Through optimization, the time unbalance rate of the melt in the mold cavity decreased from 28.6% to 0.7%, the pressure unbalance rate decreased from 42.0% to 4.2%, and the pressure distribution in the cavity was more uniform in the whole injection process.","PeriodicalId":344331,"journal":{"name":"World Journal of Engineering and Technology","volume":"490 2 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-01-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"116820165","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Gender Discrimination in Building Construction Industry in Nigeria: Threat to Achieving Goal-5 of Vision 2030","authors":"S. K. Jwasshaka, Nor Fadila Mohd Amin","doi":"10.4236/wjet.2020.81004","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4236/wjet.2020.81004","url":null,"abstract":"This manuscript is mainly to investigate gender discrimination in building construction industry in Nigeria. The manuscript aimed at establishing the level of women participation in building construction industry in developed nations and developing nations in order to proffer solutions for its improvement in Nigeria. It was found that the percentage of women participation in building construction work is higher among developed countries than in developing countries. In developing countries Nigeria inclusive, higher percentages of women were found to be engaged as helpers or labourers and in other unskilled jobs. It was also revealed that some of the factors affecting women participation in building construction work in Nigerian include: lack of self-confidence to compete with their male counterparts, effect of stereotyping of the profession as masculine jobs, religious believes, norms, and customs and so on.","PeriodicalId":344331,"journal":{"name":"World Journal of Engineering and Technology","volume":"20 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-01-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"123313737","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The “Static” and “Dynamic” Design Verification Stages of the Lean Development Process: Automotive Industry","authors":"F. Paker","doi":"10.4236/WJET.2020.81008","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4236/WJET.2020.81008","url":null,"abstract":"he design verification steps that take place in today’s automotive industry, which constitute the values of each successive or simultaneous phase in the new product development process, create a complex structure with the inclusion of each new technology and discipline. Therefore, step by step, each design verification phase definition in the flow contains important phase transition measurements or approval tolerances that ensure the simplicity and continuity of vehicle development processes. In addition, classification of design verification stages within the framework of this study or evaluation in two classes (static and dynamic) is a new approach, but it is a synthesis with the analysis of the new product development process. The vehicle’s basic structure, which constitutes the ergonomic and functional requirements of the vehicle in a static environment, takes into account the dynamic environment variables with crash or accident tests. Increasing new technology adaptations in the automotive industry have changed the new product development process that performs this function structurally and created the concept of design verification under consecutive or simultaneous process simplicity. From the autonomous driving to the use of alternative energy, possible accident scenarios and design verification phase transitions in the integration of parts and systems of the newly developed vehicle create a new structure that models and directs the lean product development process especially in the automotive industry in the coming days. In the lean product development process that takes place in the automotive industry, the design verification transition steps or the approval-control analysis of the development stages, which form a new and effective approach, are re-modeling the entire flow. Therefore, successful execution of design verification steps used in the control of new interdisciplinary product development phase transitions provides value creation. Within the scope of this study, the effectiveness of the static and dynamic design verification steps, which are carried out in 5 global automotive companies included in the research, which constitute the stage transitions of the new product development process, has been measured. Apart from the design verification transition stages, the process variables that differ among the automotive companies involved in the research are excluded from the scope of this study. In other words, in field researches in the automotive industry, new vehicle design steps or basic engineering steps in the new product development process steps, while creating independent fixed variables, interdisciplinary collaborations, static and dynamic design verification transition stages they perform, or their sequence in the basic flow, is accepted as a dependent variable. Therefore, in the study, the positive effect of the automotive companies that included the static and dynamic design verification phase transition approvals in th","PeriodicalId":344331,"journal":{"name":"World Journal of Engineering and Technology","volume":"30 1 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-12-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"129914090","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Development of a Microcontroller Based DC Motor Speed Control System","authors":"O. Adejumo, W. A. Azeez","doi":"10.4236/wjet.2019.74046","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4236/wjet.2019.74046","url":null,"abstract":"This work reports the development of a microcontroller based control system to change the speed of a DC motor. Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) technique was used to control the amount of power delivered to the load (the DC motor) without dissipating any wasted power. The components and assembly of this microcontroller circuit are highlighted in this paper, and the constructed circuit tested. This device was used to control the speed of a rotating fan attached to a DC motor. The DC motor speed variations were read from a Tachometer connected to this motor and the results obtained show good agreement with our expectations. DC Motor speed microcontroller devices find applications in many areas of life, and its applications in small scale industrial settings will no doubt enhance the quest for development in a developing nation like ours.","PeriodicalId":344331,"journal":{"name":"World Journal of Engineering and Technology","volume":"38-40 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-11-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"123641793","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Performance Analysis of Composite Magnetic Circuit Permanent Magnet Wind Generator","authors":"Gensheng Li, Zongxiao Yang, Li Ximei","doi":"10.4236/wjet.2019.74b003","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4236/wjet.2019.74b003","url":null,"abstract":"In order to reduce the starting wind speed of the wind wheel and improve the efficiency of the wind wheel, this paper proposes a new type of composite magnetic circuit permanent magnet generator, which changes the relationship between the magnetic induction intensity and the air gap by changing the structure of the main magnetic circuit. The structure greatly improves the air gap sensitivity of the generator, which makes the structural design of the permanent magnet generator easier to implement. Finally, the effectiveness and feasibility of the method are verified by simulation.","PeriodicalId":344331,"journal":{"name":"World Journal of Engineering and Technology","volume":"35 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-11-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"121104015","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}