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2.0 Projects
Life-Cycle Costs of Reinforced ConcreteStructuresProfessors Hooton and Thomas are developing and applying models for predicting the service life and life-cycle costs of reinforced concrete structures. Their work further involves development of methods for evaluating the durability of high performance concretes, and evaluation of repair systems for deteriorated reinforced concrete structures.
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The Toronto Water Main Testing Program
Professors Adams, Grabinsky, Karney and Packer (along with colleagues from the National Research Council in Ottawa) are working on a multi-disciplinary project including elements of structures, soils, hydraulics, water quality and health, mathematical modeling, and economics.
Philosophy of Design Loads in Civil Engineering Practice
Incorporating sustainability into all areas of Civil Engineering design is an area of on-going interest within the department. This work is primarily being undertaken by Professors Adams and Karney, along with retired professors Hauer (Transportation) and Voula (Structures).
Returning Mine Tailings Underground with Cemented Paste Backfill
Underground mines can increase productivity while saving money and the environment using a technology called Cemented Paste Backfill (CPF). Instead of discharging mine wastes - called tailings - to a surface site (which always poses some risk to the environment), CPF involves processing tailings into a cemented paste and then returning them underground. There, the cemented paste fills large underground openings created where ore-laden rock has been mined. The CPF eventually hardens and supports the surrounding rock, making continued mining safer and more productive. CPF therefore increases productivity and profitability of the mining operation, while helping to protect the environment. (Grabinsky)
Sustainability of Urban TransportationProfessors Soberman and Miller have recently published a study of the Impacts of Full Cost Pricing on the Sustainability of Urban Transportation, which addressees Canada's Kyoto Commitments (Canadian Journal of Civil Engineering, 1999). |
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Urban Transportation Emissions and Energy Use
Professor Miller's work currently focuses on developing "integrated" models of urban land use and transportation, with an emphasis on understanding the impacts of a broad range of policies on urban transportation emissions and energy use. (The applications of such models potentially include other aspects of urban infrastructure such as water and sewage, groundwater, residential and industrial energy use, etc.) He works with a group that includes civil engineers, geographers and economists located at Toronto, McMaster, Calgary and Laval.
Making Better Use of Cement Kiln DustCement production plants produce vast quantities of cement kiln dust (CKD) which is usually vacuum extracted from the manufacturing process, pelletized and stored in a surface heap. These surface facilities must now be engineered much like a landfill, adding cost to the production of cement. The trick is to turn the CKD waste product into a value-added engineering material. Examples of this already exist, but the existing applications don't consume nearly the volumes of CKD that are produced. Professor Grabinsky has a project that is looking at using CKD as a Soil Stabilizing Agent (SSA) for highway construction. This was already attempted in the Highway 407 Express Toll Route (ETR) around Toronto with some success. Highway and similar Civil projects could potentially significantly reduce the amount of CKD that needs to be stored on surface, while reducing the projects' capital construction costs. |
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Analysis of Repaired or Rehabilitated Structures
The funds expended in North America on retrofitting existing structures, in recent years, have exceeded those spent on the construction of new facilities. This trend is expected to intensify, as our infrastructure continues to age. Currently, our ability to analyze the performance and safety of repaired or rehabilitated structures is not well advanced. Research is required to develop and refine advanced analysis procedures to provide this capability.
From a structural analysis perspective, the consideration of repaired or rehabilitated structures presents a formidable challenge. Extensive reformulation of nonlinear algorithms is required to permit: consideration of changing structural configuration; superposition of previously loaded or damaged elements with previously unstressed elements; proper constitutive modelling of the repair materials; and proper account of residual stresses and strain differentials across repair interfaces. Further, a proper account must be made of the chronology of the loading, damage and repair sequences. In addition to formulating and implementing the revised analysis algorithms, corroboration of the analysis programs against test data is required.
Professor Vecchio is undertaking the theoretical work necessary to fully implement these facilities into a nonlinear finite element analysis program for reinforced concrete structures. Test programs are also being undertaken in which structural models are loaded to some degree of damage, repaired and then further loaded to failure. The test programs are designed to provide the data for corroboration.
Economics of Sustainable InfrastructureProfessor Kennedy’s research program aims to develop an economic framework for analyzing the planning and design of civil infrastructure, which is consistent with the principles of urban sustainability and global sustainable development. In forming a holistic view of the role of infrastructure in society, the work builds upon methods of life cycle analysis and ecological footprinting, and draws upon perspectives of urban economics, macroeconomics, urban planning and business. The research primarily focuses on city infrastructure. |
 Toronto's Financial District: The design of sustainable infrastructure cannot be separated from the economic realities of city life. |
It is hoped that the work might eventually contribute towards a means of designing and pricing civil infrastructure in a manner which lessens environmental problems such as urban sprawl, emission of greenhouse gases, air and water pollution. There is a need to look at the costs and benefits of infrastructure elements beyond the boundaries of its physical location and beyond the finances of the investing party. Once the infrastructure can be understood within the context of the workings of a whole city, this understanding has to be brought back into the civil engineering design.
Low Energy Housing-New Approaches are Bringing the Costs Down
Wouldn't it be great if we could heat and cool our homes for a year with less energy than it takes to drive from Toronto to Montreal and return? Demands for the efficient use of our timber resources, lower CO2 emissions, and better, healthier dwellings is "fuelling" research towards solving many of the problems that have plagued low-energy homes of the past. Through an innovative approach to building envelope design, Professor Pressnail is developing building assemblies that not only improve building performance, but also lessen the environmental impact of our homes. These advanced homes hold the promise of providing efficient and affordable housing for Canada, and the rest of the world.