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ZEMCH International Research 2020

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A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 May 2021) | Viewed by 44030

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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Jun-Tae Kim

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Guest Editor

Department of Architectural Engineering, Kongju National University, Cheonan 31080, Korea
Interests: photovoltaic/thermal (PV/T); building-integrated PV/T (BIPVT); zero energy buildings; vaccuum insulation panel (VIP)
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Masa Noguchi

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Guest Editor

Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning, The University of Melbourne, 757 Swanston Street, Melbourne, VIC 3010, Australia
Interests: ZEMCH Network; zero energy mass customized housing design engineering; environmental experience design analysis; mass personalization; machine learning; value analysis; vertical subdivision plug-in housing system
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Prof. Dr. Haşim Altan

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Guest Editor

College of Architecture and Design, Prince Mohammad bin Fahd University, Dhahran 34754, Saudi Arabia
Interests: building performance and simulation; indoor environmental quality; passive design; sustainable architecture; architectural engineering; urban regeneration; building information modelling; healthy buildings
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The 7th edition of the Zero Energy Mass Custom Home (ZEMCH) International Conference (http://www.zemch2019seoul.org/) was held in Seoul, Republic of Korea from 26th–28th November 2019.

ZEMCH is the acronym of “Zero Energy Mass Custom Home” and this research network was established with the aim of encouraging the active participation of academic researchers, , policy makers, and industry stakeholders, tackling issues arising in the delivery of socially, economically, environmentally and humanly sustainable built environments in developed and developing countries. Essentially, homes need to be designed and operated in such a way that helps to secure or improve physical and mental health and wellbeing of the occupants with diverse socio-economic backgrounds and cultural differences. Moreover, housing is also a complex system of energy and environment. Subsequently, energy use in buildings tends to generate negative impacts on environmental consequences and, thus, it cannot be undermined. Gradually, house-builders and housing manufacturers are becoming more aware of, and responsive to, the necessity for delivering zero energy/emission mass custom homes (i.e., ZEMCH) that contribute to alleviating the negative environmental impacts of climate change, while accommodating individual needs and demands of housing.

This Special Issue is titled “ZEMCH International Research 2020”, reflecting the outcomes of the ZEMCH International Conference 2019, and aims to address innovative developments, state-of-the-art technologies and ideas in areas related to design, production and marketing issuessurrounding the ZEMCH delivery and operation around the globe.

Selected authors from the ZEMCH 2019 conference are invited to submit their adapted papers to this Special Issue. Moreover, we also encourage researchers who were unable to participate in the 2019 conference to submit their research outcomes to this edition, which will be fully peer-reviewed, with the view to further selection and publication.

Prof. Dr. Jun-Tae Kim
Prof. Dr. Masa Noguchi
Prof. Dr. Haşim Altan
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

Energy Efficiency in Buildings
Environmental Sustainability Policy and Economy
Building Performance Evaluation/Simulation
Sustainable Urban Regeneration
Prefabrication and IT
Low/Zero Energy Affordable Housing and Construction
User Behaviour and BIM
Environmental Experience Design
Design Data Analytics
Renewable Energy and Technology
Mass Customisation and Personalisation
Sustainable Housing Development
Inclusive Design for Ageing and Diversity
Humanitarian Design and Engineering

Published Papers (14 papers)

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Research

18 pages, 11552 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Sustainability at an Urban Level: A Case Study of a Neighborhood in Dubai, UAE

by Sundus Shareef and Haşim Altan

Sustainability 2021, 13(8), 4355; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su13084355 - 14 Apr 2021

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 5178

Abstract

The United Arab Emirates is witnessing enormous growth and the sustainability attitude has become one of the most important priorities in this development. This paper aims to optimize the environmental sustainability of the Emirate of Dubai communities by adopting an existing community as a case study. The investigation of the case study is looking at sustainability levels that consists of two major factors in neighborhood sustainable design, such as livability and thermal performance. The strategy of enhancing and optimizing the communities’ sustainability starts with an approach to the applicable modifications and solutions to the existed community master planning, where the modifications cover the two main urban design variables; (a) building design, and (b) open and landscape areas. The effect of the adopted scenarios is analyzed to find the improvement in environmental and thermal performance. The study has adopted two computer software packages, namely CityCAD and Integrated Environmental Solutions—Virtual Environment (IES-VE), to undertake the assessments. Furthermore, factors of urban sustainability are evaluated using the United States Green Building Council (USGBC)’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) neighborhood assessment tool. The results have shown that the environmental sustainability levels can be increased after the adoption of certain suggested scenarios, in order to mitigate the likely weakness indicated in the livability aspects, covering land-use diversity, accessibility, transportation system, green and landscape areas, and energy efficiency, and the case study community can be turned toward “Sustainable Community” by implementing recommended actions and modifications. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue ZEMCH International Research 2020)

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28 pages, 7533 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Conceptual Parametric Relationship for Occupants’ Domestic Environmental Experience

by Sajal Chowdhury, Masa Noguchi and Hemanta Doloi

Sustainability 2021, 13(5), 2982; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su13052982 - 09 Mar 2021

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 4192

Abstract

Today’s architectural design approaches do not adequately address the relationship between users’ spatial, environmental and psychological experiences. Domestic environmental experience generally indicates users’ cognitive perceptions and physical responses within dwelling spaces. Therefore, without a clear perception of occupants’ experiences, it is difficult to identify proper architectural solutions for a domestic environment. To understand notions of these domestic experiences, the current study explores the theoretical relationship between spatial and environmental design factors within domestic settings which led to the concept of “Environmental Experience Design (EXD)”. Extensive data exploration was conducted using a combination of thirty keywords through different databases (e.g., Scopus, ScienceDirect, PubMed, Google Scholar, Mendeley and Research Gate) to categorise the relevant literature regarding thematic study areas such as human perception and phenomenology, environmental design and psychology, residential environment and design, health-wellbeing and user experiences. This study has identified theoretical associations between spatial and environmental design factors of different domestic spaces that can stimulate occupants’ satisfaction and comfort by reviewing eighty-seven studies from the literature. However, occupants’ contextual situations significantly impact domestic spaces, where spatial and environmental design attributes may be connected to diverse sociocultural factors. The scope of explanation about user context is limited, to some extent, in environmental design theories. Thus, combining occupants’ contexts with spatial and environmental design factors will be a future research direction used to explore the notion of “Domestic Environmental Experience Design” Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue ZEMCH International Research 2020)

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23 pages, 5491 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Building Envelope Thermal Defects in Existing and Under-Construction Housing in the UAE; Infrared Thermography Diagnosis and Qualitative Impacts Analysis

by Kheira Anissa Tabet Aoul, Rahma Hagi, Rahma Abdelghani, Monaya Syam and Boshra Akhozheya

Sustainability 2021, 13(4), 2230; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su13042230 - 19 Feb 2021

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 4177

Abstract

The built environment accounts for the highest share of energy use and carbon emissions, particularly in emerging economies, caused by population growth and fast urbanization. This phenomenon is further exacerbated under extreme climatic conditions such as those of the United Arab Emirates, the context of this study, where the highest energy share is consumed in buildings, mostly used in the residential sector for cooling purposes. Despite efforts to curb energy consumption through building energy efficiency measures in new construction, substantial existing building stock and construction quality are left out. Construction defects, particularly in the building envelope, are recognized to affect its thermal integrity. This paper aims, first, to detect through thermography field investigation audit construction defects bearing thermal impacts in existing and under-construction residential buildings. Then, through a qualitative analysis, we identify the resulting energy, cost, and health impacts of the identified defects. Results indicate that lack or discontinuity of insulation, thermal bridging through building elements, blockwork defects, and design change discrepancies are the recurrent building and construction defects. The qualitative review analysis indicates substantial energy loss due to lack of insulation, thermal bridging with cost and health implications, while beneficial mitigation measures include consideration of building envelope retrofitting, skilled workmanship, and the call for quality management procedures during construction. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue ZEMCH International Research 2020)

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13 pages, 273 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Factors Influencing Fertility Intentions of Newlyweds in South Korea: Focus on Demographics, Socioeconomics, Housing Situation, Residential Satisfaction, and Housing Expectation

by Seran Jeon, Myounghoon Lee and Seiyong Kim

Sustainability 2021, 13(3), 1534; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su13031534 - 01 Feb 2021

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 3619

Abstract

Since 2001, South Korea has experienced sustained lowest-low fertility. This phenomenon has persisted despite the implementation of several social policies aimed at increasing fertility rates. The purpose of this study was to quantitatively analyze the demographics, socioeconomics, housing situation, residential environment, and housing expectation of newlyweds in terms of their fertility intentions in South Korea (within 5 years of marriage) in order to help the development of more effective housing policies. We extracted the factors on the basis of fertility theories and previous related studies and identified differential characteristics of the impact on fertility intentions for the first and for additional child(ren). The results show that fertility intention was higher in non-metropolitan and rental households. There was also a significant relationship between the anticipated period of a home purchase and fertility intention. In particular, for one-child families, the second child fertility intention was significantly affected. In conclusion, we quantitatively confirmed various factors that significantly impact the fertility plans of newlyweds. We suggest that the government implements housing policies on the basis of economic stability, the number of children, and the residential environment of newlywed couples. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue ZEMCH International Research 2020)

10 pages, 1502 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Experimental Performance of an Advanced Air-Type Photovoltaic/Thermal (PVT) Collector with Direct Expansion Air Handling Unit (AHU)

by Jin-Hee Kim, Sang-Myung Kim and Jun-Tae Kim

Sustainability 2021, 13(2), 888; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su13020888 - 17 Jan 2021

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2243

Abstract

In addition to electrical energy generation, photovoltaic/thermal (PVT) systems utilize heat from building-integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) modules for domestic hot water and space heating. In other words, a PVT system can improve the electricity efficiency of BIPVs while using the waste heat of BIPVs as a source of thermal energy for the building. By generating thermal and electrical energies simultaneously, PVT systems can improve the utilization of solar energy while enhancing the energy performance of buildings. To optimize the performance of an air-type PVT collector, it is necessary for the system to extract more heat from the PV module. Consequently, this approach decreases PV temperature to improve PV electrical energy generation. The thermal and electrical performance of an air-type PVT collector depends on its design, which affects airflow and heat transfer. Moreover, the performances of the PVT collector can differ according to the coupled facility in the building. In this study, the thermal and electrical performances of an advanced air-type PVT collector with a direct expansion air handling unit (AHU) were analyzed experimentally. For this purpose, six prototypes of an advanced air-type PVT collector were developed. Furthermore, a direct expansion AHU with a heat recovery exchanger (HRX) was designed and built. The advanced PVT collectors with a total capacity of 740 Wp were installed in an experimental house and were coupled to the direct expansion AHU system with a maximum airflow of 700 CMH. The performance of PVT collectors was analyzed and compared with the BIPV system. Results showed that building-integrated photovoltaic/thermal (BIPVT) collectors produced 30 W more power than the BIPV system. When operating the AHU system, the temperature of the BIPVT collector was generally lower than the BIPV. The maximum difference in temperature between BIPVT and BIPV was about 22 °C. During winter season, the BIPVT collector supplied preheated air to the AHU. The supplied air temperature from the BIPVT collector reached 32 °C, which was 15 °C higher than outdoor air temperature. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue ZEMCH International Research 2020)

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9 pages, 2865 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Analysis on Operation Modes of Residential BESS with Balcony-PV for Apartment Houses in Korea

by Jiyoung Eum and Yongki Kim

Sustainability 2021, 13(1), 311; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su13010311 - 31 Dec 2020

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2585

Abstract

The integration of battery energy storage systems (BESS) with renewable energy is a potential solution to address the disadvantages of renewable energy systems, which is irregular and intermittent power. In particular, residential BESS is advancing in numerous countries. The residential BESS connected to the photovoltaic system (PV) can store the PV power in the battery through charging, and supply the PV power, which was stored in the battery, to the load through discharging when there is no PV power. Therefore, the utilization of residential BESS with PV reduces the daily electric power consumption and the electricity bills that households have to charge. However, it is understood that there is no case of installing and using residential BESS in Korea yet. Most residential houses in Korea are apartment houses, and thus residential BESS can be used with balcony PV. This paper presents operation modes of residential BESS with balcony PV for apartment houses. The BESS capacity was estimated by considering the balcony PV capacity, which can be installed in households, and power consumption. The applicability of the residential BESS was analyzed through performance and economics evaluation under current and various conditions. The operation modes of BESS were divided into four types according to PV power supply priority and battery charging source, and a test took place in a demonstration house. The risk of fully discharging the battery has been discovered when PV power is first charged to the battery or when only PV power is charged with the battery. As a result, preferential charging of the battery with PV power and then with PV and grid power was found to be the most optimal operation mode. In addition, additional functions were proposed for residential BESS in apartment households. The results will contribute to effective application of residential BESS with balcony PV in the near future. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue ZEMCH International Research 2020)

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14 pages, 32933 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Dynamic Energy Performance Gap Analysis of a University Building: Case Studies at UAE University Campus, UAE

by Young Ki Kim, Lindita Bande, Kheira Anissa Tabet Aoul and Hasim Altan

Sustainability 2021, 13(1), 120; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su13010120 - 24 Dec 2020

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2472

Abstract

As a result of an increasing demand for energy-efficient buildings with a better experience of user comfort, the built environment sector needs to consider the prediction of building energy performance, which during the design phase, is achieved when a building is handed over and used. There is, however, significant evidence that shows that buildings do not perform as anticipated. This discrepancy is commonly described as the ‘energy performance gap’. Building energy audit and post occupancy evaluation (POE) are among the most efficient processes to identify and reduce the energy performance gap and improve indoor environmental quality by observing, monitoring, and the documentation of in-use buildings’ operating performance. In this study, a case study of UAE university buildings’ energy audit, POE, and dynamic simulation were carried out to first, identify factors of the dynamic energy performance gap, and then to identify the utility of the strategy for reducing the gap. Furthermore, the building energy audit data and POE were applied in order to validate and calibrate a dynamic simulation model. This research demonstrated that the case study building’s systems were not operating as designed and almost a quarter of the cooling energy was wasted due to the fault of the building facility management of the mechanical systems. The more research findings were discussed in the paper. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue ZEMCH International Research 2020)

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13 pages, 3239 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Optical Sensing Approach to the Recognition of Different Types of Particulate Matters for Sustainable Indoor Environment Management

by Hosang Ahn, Jae Sik Kang, Gyeong-Seok Choi and Hyun-Jung Choi

Sustainability 2020, 12(24), 10568; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su122410568 - 17 Dec 2020

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1490

Abstract

The indoor environment is a crucial part of the built environment where our daily time is mostly spent. It is governed not only by indoor activities, but also affected by interconnected activities such as door opening, walking and routine tasks throughout the inside and outside of buildings and houses. Pollutant control is one of the major concerns for maintaining a sustainable indoor environment, and finding the source of pollutants is a relatively hard part of that task. Pollutants are emitted from various sources, transformed by sunlight, react with vapor in ozone and are transported into cities and from country to country. Due to these reasons, there has been high demand to monitor the transportation of particulate matters and improve air quality. The monitoring of pollutants and identification of their type and concentration enables us to track and control their generation and consequently discover reliable suitable mitigation measures to control air quality at regulated levels by contaminant source removal. However, the monitoring of pollutants, especially particulate matter generation and its transportation, is still not fully operated in atmospheric air due to its open nature and meteorological factors. Even though indoor air is relatively easier to monitor and control than outdoor air in the aspect of specific volume and contaminant source, meteorological parameters still need to be considered because indoor air is not fully separated from outdoor air flow and contaminants’ transportation. In this study, an optical approach using a spectral sensor was attempted to reveal the feasibility of wavelength and chromaticity values of reflected light from specific particles. From the analysis of reflected light of various particulate matters according to different liquid additives, parameter studies were performed to investigate which experimental conditions can contribute to the enhanced selective sensing of particulate matter. Five different particulate matters such as household dust, soil, talc powder, gypsum powder and yellow pine tree pollen were utilized. White samples were selectively identified by the peak at 720 nm for talc and 433 nm and 690 nm in wavelength for gypsum under chemical additives. Other grey household dust and yellowish soil and pine tree pollen revealed a distinct chromaticity x, y coordinates shift in vector within the maximum range from (0.22, 0.19) to (0.55, 0.48). Applicable approaches to assist current particle matter sensors and improve the selective sensing were suggested. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue ZEMCH International Research 2020)

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11 pages, 1793 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Analysis of the Calculation Method for the Thermal Transmittance of Double Windows Considering the Thermal Properties of the Air Cavity

by Minjung Bae, Youngjun Lee, Gyeongseok Choi, Sunsook Kim and Jaesik Kang

Sustainability 2020, 12(24), 10439; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su122410439 - 14 Dec 2020

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1529

Abstract

The calculation method for the thermal transmittance (U-value) of double windows as specified by the Korean government (ISO 15099) is often inappropriate. To develop a more suitable calculation method, the thermal properties of the air cavity between the internal and external windows should be considered. Herein, seven cases of double windows were set up. The air cavities were designed in accordance with international standards and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and used for the calculation of the U-values of the double windows according to ISO 15099 and 10077. All the calculated U-values were compared with experimentally obtained values. In accordance with the ISO 10077-1 method, the thermal resistance of the air cavity calculated using CFD could produce double window U-values that are similar to the experimentally obtained values. In most cases, the difference between the theoretical and experimental U-values was 5% and less than 0.14 W·m⁻²·K⁻¹, implying that the U-values calculated using CFD and the ISO 10077-1 method are approximately equal to the experimentally obtained U-values. Korean regulations do not include ISO 10077-1 for double-window assessment. However, these criteria can provide a solution in improving the accuracy of the calculation of the overall thermal transmittance of double windows. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue ZEMCH International Research 2020)

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17 pages, 3539 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Performance Evaluation of Photovoltaic/Thermal (PV/T) System Using Different Design Configurations

by M. Imtiaz Hussain and Jun-Tae Kim

Sustainability 2020, 12(22), 9520; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su12229520 - 16 Nov 2020

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 2871

Abstract

This study summarizes the performance of a photovoltaic/thermal (PV/T) system integrated with a glass-to-PV backsheet (PVF film-based backsheet) and glass-to-glass photovoltaic (PV) cells protections. A dual-fluid heat exchanger is used to cool the PV cells in which water and air are operated simultaneously. The proposed PV/T design brings about a higher electric output while producing sufficient thermal energy. A detailed numerical study was performed by calculating real-time heat transfer coefficients. Energy balance equations across the dual-fluid PV/T system were solved using an ordinary differential equation (ODE) solver in MATLAB software. The hourly and annual energy and exergy variations for both configurations were evaluated for Cheonan City, Korea. In the case of a PV/T system with a glass-to-glass configuration, a larger heat exchange area causes the extraction of extra solar heat from the PV cells and thus improving the overall efficiency of the energy transfer. Results depict that the annual electrical and total thermal efficiencies with a glass-to-glass configuration were found to be 14.31% and 52.22%, respectively, and with a glass-to-PV backsheet configuration, the aforementioned values reduced to 13.92% and 48.25%, respectively. It is also observed that, with the application of a dual-fluid heat exchanger, the temperature gradient across the PV panel is surprisingly reduced. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue ZEMCH International Research 2020)

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19 pages, 2973 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Mass Customization for Social Housing in Evolving Neighborhoods in Brazil

by Luisa Felix Dalla Vecchia and Branko Kolarevic

Sustainability 2020, 12(21), 9027; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su12219027 - 30 Oct 2020

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2609

Abstract

Mass customization is being adopted in many housing contexts worldwide to provide families with dwellings that suit their individual needs at costs similar to mass-produced items. However, in many social housing contexts, there are barriers that can hinder the adoption of mass customization, despite the benefits it could bring to residents. This is the case in the Brazilian social housing context considering house units for families of the lowest income range. This paper explores the possibilities and limitations of applying mass customization in this context to improve the living conditions in these neighborhoods as they evolve over time. This study analyzes the ecology of the system of provision of social housing for the lowest income range, pre-occupancy, and post-occupancy in the neighborhood’s development over time. This study argues that it would be more feasible and bring more and longer-lasting benefits to the stakeholders involved if mass customization were applied post-occupancy. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue ZEMCH International Research 2020)

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26 pages, 1934 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Customer Integration Framework for the Development of Mass Customised Housing Projects

by Cynthia dos Santos Hentschke, Carlos Torres Formoso and Marcia Elisa Echeveste

Sustainability 2020, 12(21), 8901; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su12218901 - 27 Oct 2020

Cited by 12 | Viewed by 2923

Abstract

Mass customisation is a business strategy that aims to deliver a variety of products that fulfil customer requirements and, at the same time, keep price and delivery time within acceptable limits. It has been adopted in different sectors to increase value generation, including house building. A major challenge in mass customisation is customer integration, i.e., how to improve value generation by understanding and considering requirements from different customers, and defining their involvement in product development. Most studies on this topic tend to be technology-focused, often being limited to methods and digital tools to generate and display product alternatives. The aim of this paper is to propose a framework of decision categories for customer integration and for devising the scope of customisation to support the definition of mass customisation (MC) strategies. Design science research was the methodological approach adopted in this investigation. It was based on a literature review about mass customisation practices and also on an empirical study developed in a residential building company from Brazil. The main contribution of this paper is a framework for customer integration, which contains a set of decision categories related to the definition of the scope of customisation and customer integration, and a list of practices that are applicable to house building. A secondary contribution of this investigation is a set of constructs that have been used to describe the decision categories and their relationships. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue ZEMCH International Research 2020)

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10 pages, 2510 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Confinement Effect of Reinforced Concrete Columns with Rectangular and Octagon-Shaped Spirals

by Hyeong-Gook Kim, Chan-Yu Jeong, Dong-Hwan Kim and Kil-Hee Kim

Sustainability 2020, 12(19), 7981; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su12197981 - 26 Sep 2020

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2863

Abstract

Conventional spiral-type transverse reinforcement is effective at increasing the ductility and the maximum strength of reinforced concrete (RC) columns because it confines the inner concrete and the longitudinal reinforcement. However, when arranging crossties in a RC column with spirals, problems such as mutual interference with longitudinal reinforcement, overcrowding of reinforcement, and deterioration of constructability occur. Furthermore, the loosening of 90 and 130-degree standard hooks due to the lateral expansion of concrete causes buckling of the longitudinal reinforcement. This paper describes the ability of a newly developed spiral-type transverse reinforcement with various yield strengths to confine RC columns subjected to cyclic lateral load and constant axial load. The ductility capacity, energy dissipation, and effective stiffness of RC columns confined by the developed spiral-type transverse reinforcement were compared with those of RC columns confined by typical rectangular reinforcement. The experimental results showed that RC column specimens with the developed spiral-type transverse reinforcement have better performances in terms of ductility capacity and energy dissipation, even though the amount of reinforcement used for the specimens decreased by about 27% compared with the specimen with typical rectangular reinforcement. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue ZEMCH International Research 2020)

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13 pages, 2798 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effect of Triangular Baffle Arrangement on Heat Transfer Enhancement of Air-Type PVT Collector

by Ji-Suk Yu, Jin-Hee Kim and Jun-Tae Kim

Sustainability 2020, 12(18), 7469; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su12187469 - 10 Sep 2020

Cited by 14 | Viewed by 2965

Abstract

A Photovoltaic Thermal (PVT) Collector is a device that produces electricity and simultaneously uses a heat source transmitted to back side of the Photovoltaic (PV). The PVT collector is categorized into liquid-type and air-type according to the heating medium. As an advantage, air-type PVT system is easy to manage and can be directly used for heating purposes. The performance of air-type PVT collector is determined by various factors, such as the height of air gap and air flow path (by baffles) in the collector. Baffles are installed in the PVT collector to improve the thermal performance of the collector by generating turbulence. However, the air flow that affects the performance of the PVT collector can vary depending on the number and placement of the baffles. Thus, the flow design using baffles in the collector is important. In this study, the performance of an air-type PVT collector due to the arrangement of triangular baffles and air gap height at the back of the PV module is analyzed through a simulation program. For this purpose, Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) analysis was performed with an NX program to compare and analyze the optimum conditions to improve the performance of the collector. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue ZEMCH International Research 2020)

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