Life cycle assessment of masonry wall types using simulation techniques

Download

index.pdf

Date

2012

Author

Üçer, Deniz

Metadata

Show full item record

Item Usage Stats

246
views

182
downloads

This is the report of a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) study on some masonry wall types. As the starting point, literature on masonry materials, techniques and possible end-of-life scenarios were examined that are needed for the formulation of a LCA study. Prevalent masonry types were detected as fired clay brick, AAC block, natural stone, mud brick as well as prevalent end-of-life cases as landfill, reuse and recycling. Additionally, an overview of the literature on Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) was presented in order to detect a framework for the structure of a LCA study. After the collection of all needed information, several possible life cycle scenarios were formulated in a realistic manner for each stated masonry type. Obtained information was applied to a LCA evaluation software product named SimaPro life cycle inventory software (PRé Consultants, 2012). By means of the software product, general scores of environmental impact for all alternatives were obtained. Besides analyzing and comparing the scores, basic reasons behind the results were discussed in terms of similarity and difference. The results reveal that when the requirements shaping the wall are clearly described, the most and the least environmental friendly wall types are detectable. During the study two main scopes, such as commonly used wall thicknesses and thicknesses for thermal insulation were described and several types of walls with life cycle alternatives were labeled as the most or the least harmful to nature. To conclude, although it is not reasonable to point out one type of masonry as the least harmful one for any cases, the conditions of each case detect the most and the least v harmful type of masonry walls. Nevertheless, the relatively low environmental impact of mud brick masonry is striking. Therefore the environmental friendly aspect of mud brick masonry is underlined –one more time- by the results of this study.

Subject Keywords

Brick walls., Building, Brick., Masonry., Walls.

URI

http://etd.lib.metu.edu.tr/upload/12614373/index.pdf
https://hdl.handle.net/11511/21593

Collections

Graduate School of Natural and Applied Sciences, Thesis

Suggestions

OpenMETU
Core

Development of internet based seismic vulnerability assessment tools Türer, Ahmet (2005-06-01) Seismic assessment methods are commonly divided into three phases: a) quick assessment b) detailed analysis and c) advanced methods. The dilemma between the large number of buildings to be assessed and low number of technical personnel and funding to assess buildings makes large cities wait on halt. Internet Earthquake Project (InEP) initiated as a Middle East Technical University BAP project in full conjunction with NATO-SfP977231 project, targets internet users to process the buildings in which they resid...
Effective flexural rigidities for ordinary reinforced concrete columns and beams AVŞAR, ÖZGÜR; BAYHAN, BEYHAN; Yakut, Ahmet (Wiley, 2014-04-25) Current effective flexural rigidities proposed for use in design and analyses of reinforced concrete structures have been examined. The level of accuracy in the estimation of section rigidity plays a very important role in determining realistic values for the structural stiffness and hence the seismic forces imposed. The most significant parameters influencing the effective rigidity, which reflects the effect of cracking as well as the theoretical yielding of reinforced concrete sections, have been determin...
Experimental Study on Seismic Strengthening of Reinforced Concrete Frames by Precast Concrete Panels BARAN, MEHMET; Tankut, Tugrul (2011-03-01) The purpose of this study is to investigate the behavior of reinforced concrete (RC)frames under cyclic loads strengthened by using precast concrete (PC) panels. The idea is to transform the existing hollow brick infills into strong and rigid infills by bonding relatively high-strength PC panels with a thin layer of epoxy mortar By this method, the seismic behavior of the frame is improved. For this purpose-one being reference-a total of 11 one-third scale, one-hay, two-story deficient RC frames were tested...
In situ examination of structural cracks at historic masonry structures by quantitative infrared thermography and ultrasonic testing Tavukçuoğlu, Ayşe; Grinzato, E. (2010-01-01) The key concern of the study was the in situ assessment of cracks in historic masonry structures by quantitative IR thermography (QIRT). To better understand the potentials and/or limits of QIRT for that purpose, the non-destructive in situ survey composed of QIRT and ultrasonic testing was conducted on a sixteenth century monument, suffering from structural cracks that had occurred in recent years. Its aim was to discover the thermal behaviour and ultrasonic characteristics of cracks in relation to depth a...
Fuzzy Structural Equation Model to Assess Construction Site Safety Performance Gunduz, Murat; Birgönül, Mustafa Talat; Ozdemir, Mustafa (American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), 2017-04-01) The main goal of this study is to examine the relationships between determinants of safety performance of construction sites. To achieve this goal, 168 observable variables and 16 latent dimensions that affect safety performance of construction sites were collected through extensive literature reviews, expert opinions, and face-to-face interviews. A questionnaire form was developed and administered to construction professionals as a data-collection tool about the observable variables and latent dimensions. ...

Citation Formats

D. Üçer, “Life cycle assessment of masonry wall types using simulation techniques,” M.Arch. - Master of Architecture, Middle East Technical University, 2012.