Historically, the success of automation has relied on two factors. The first is an understanding of the assembly process, first discovered and performed by hand, then captured, studied, and expressed in a technology. The second factor is the standardization of component properties. The standardization of component properties creates a marketplace in which many vendors can create components comp...

The seismic assessment of existing masonry buildings is based on the prediction of their nonlinear response under lateral loading. This requires a reliable estimation of the force and displacement demand. For this purpose, modelling strategies using structural component elements are widely applied both in research and in engineering practice, since they can provide a satisfactory description of...

Asphaltic concrete for pavement construction in India are produced by using crushed stone, gravels etc. as aggregate. In north-Eastern region of India, there is a scarcity of stone aggregate. Therefore the road engineers are always in search of an optional material as aggregate which can replace the regularly used material. The purpose of this work was to evaluate the utilization of substandard...

Submitted: Jun 21, 2013; Accepted: Jul 19, 2013; Published: Jul 25, 2013 Abstract: The article considers the possibility of using acoustic methods for non-destructive testing of strength and composition of building structures. Screening of multiple structures or structures with large geometrical dimensions (long tunnels, large area roofs, etc.) at first stage of testing the directly defined aco...

This paper builds on previous research by the authors which determined the global state-of-the-art of constructing tall buildings by surveying the most active specialist tall building professionals around the globe. That research identified the effect of wind on tower cranes as a highly ranked, common critical issue in tall building construction. The research reported here presents a design for...

How will consumption patterns change when consumers move from brick-and-mortar to Internet markets? If consumers purchase more niche products online than at brick-andmortar stores, does this have something to do with the channel or is this solely due to selection effects: the types of consumers who decide to use the Internet channel or the types of products that consumers select to purchase onl...

Bricks manufactured from dried sludge collected from an industrial wastewater treatment plant were investigated. Results of tests indicated that the sludge proportion and the firing temperature were the two key factors determining the brick quality. Increasing the sludge content results in a decrease of brick shrinkage, water absorption, and compressive strength. Results also showed that the br...

Attracted by the numerous benefits of E-commerce, many traditional brick-and-mortar firms have embraced the Internet to supplement their business operations and have adopted the “click-and-brick” approach. Despite these changes, insufficient empirical research has been conducted on the impact of different firm types on financial performance. Based on the resource-based view, this study presents...

Difficulties for adaptation of wild rodents' colonies in the laboratory may hamper experimental studies. We describe the use of a hollow brick inside cages, to provide shelter and reduce stress of the animals. It facilitates the cleaning of cages, since the animals stay inside the brick while they are transferred to a new cage. This method was applied in a trial for adaptation of Oryzomys nigri...

A common decay scenario in old and new buildings was simulated: the effects on masonry structures of salt efflorescence or subefflorescence produced by the rise of saline solution. Eight different types of masonry wall each made up of a combination of different construction materials (brick, calcarenite and four types of mortar were combined as follows: pure lime mortar, mortar + air entraining...