Investigating the Barriers to Applying the Internet-of-Things-Based Technologies to Construction Site Safety Management

The utilization of Internet-of-Things (IoT)-based technologies in the construction industry has recently grabbed the attention of numerous researchers and practitioners. Despite the improvements made to automate this industry using IoT-based technologies, there are several barriers to the further utilization of these leading-edge technologies. A review of the literature revealed that it lacks research focusing on the obstacles to the application of these technologies in Construction Site Safety Management (CSSM). Accordingly, the aim of this research was to identify and analyze the barriers impeding the use of such technologies in the CSSM context. To this end, initially, the extant literature was reviewed extensively and nine experts were interviewed, which led to the identification of 18 barriers. Then, the fuzzy Delphi method (FDM) was used to calculate the importance weights of the identified barriers and prioritize them through the lenses of competent experts in Hong Kong. Following this, the findings were validated using semi-structured interviews. The findings showed that the barriers related to “productivity reduction due to wearable sensors”, “the need for technical training”, and “the need for continuous monitoring” were the most significant, while “limitations on hardware and software and lack of standardization in efforts,” “the need for proper light for smooth functionality”, and “safety hazards” were the least important barriers. The obtained findings not only give new insight to academics, but also provide practical guidelines for the stakeholders at the forefront by enabling them to focus on the key barriers to the implementation of IoT-based technologies in CSSM.

Performance Evaluation of Solar-Blind Gas-Filled Sensors to Detect Electrical Discharges for Low-Pressure Aircraft Applications

Unpressurized aircraft circuits facilitate the initiation of electrical discharges in wiring systems, with consequent damage to related insulation materials and safety hazards, that can and have already caused severe incidents and accidents. Specific sensors and solutions must be developed to detect these types of faults at a very incipient stage, before further damage occurs. Electrical discharges in air generate the corona effect, which is characterized by emissions of bluish light, which are found in the ultraviolet (UV) and visible spectra. However, due to sunlight interference, the corona effect is very difficult to detect at the very initial stage, so the use of solar-blind sensors can be a possible solution. This work analyzes the feasibility of using inexpensive non-invasive solar-blind sensors in a range of pressures compatible with aircraft environments to detect the electrical discharges at a very incipient stage. Their behavior and sensitivity compared with other alternatives, i.e., an antenna sensor and a CMOS imaging sensor, is also assessed. Experimental results presented in this paper show that the analyzed solar-blind sensors can be applied for the on-line detection of electrical discharges in unpressurized aircraft environments at the very initial stage, thus facilitating and enabling the application of predictive maintenance strategies. They also offer the possibility to be combined with existing electrical protections to expand their capabilities and improve their sensitivity to detect very early discharges, thus allowing the timely identification of their occurrence.

Design and Structural Simulations of a Custom Li-Po Accumulator for Low Range, Lightweight, Single-Seater, Open Cockpit, and Open-Wheeled Racecar

Electric, hybrid, and fuel cell vehicles are the future of the automobile industry, and power source design is one of the most crucial steps in designing these vehicles. This paper aims to design and structurally simulate a custom accumulator—which powers an electric vehicle, for a lightweight, single-seater formula-style racecar. The work is dependent on the model-based design and CAD model approach. Mathematical modeling on SCILAB is used to model equations to get the characteristics of the accumulator, such as the energy, capacity, current, voltage, state of charge, and discharge rates. The output of this model gives the configuration of the battery pack as several cells in series and parallel to adequately power the tractive system. An accumulator container is designed to safeguard the cells from external impacts and vibrational loads, which otherwise can lead to safety hazards. Following this, the Finite Element Analysis (FEA) performed on the accumulator resulted in maximum peak deformation of 0.56 mm, ensuring the safety check against various external loads. Further, the finer stability of the battery pack was virtually validated after performing the vibrational analysis, resulting in a deformation of 3.5493 mm at a 1760.8 Hz frequency.

Functionalization of Smart Recycled Asphalt Mixtures: A Sustainability Scientific and Pedagogical Approach

The sustainable development of our societies demands strong efforts on scientific and technological research while informing and educating students and the general population. Air pollution and road safety hazards constitute two main public health problems that are insufficiently addressed pedagogically. With this work, we aim to contribute to tackeling the problem by presenting the results of scientific research on the development of photocatalytic, superhydrophobic, and self-cleaning recycled asphalt mixtures to achieve an eco-social friendly and smart material able to mitigate socioenvironmental impacts. The functionalization of asphalt is implemented by spraying particles’ solutions over a conventional AC 10, then evaluated by dye degradation and wettability. Firstly, different particles’ solutions (with nano-TiO2 and/or micro-PTFE under water, ethyl alcohol, and dimethyl ketone) were sprayed to select the best solution (BS), which was composed of TiO2-PTFE (4 g/L each) in ethyl alcohol. Two successive spraying coatings (diluted epoxy resin and BS) were performed over conventional and recycled AC 10 (with reclaimed asphalt pavement and steel slags). Their efficiency decreases with the highest resin amounts. The best results were obtained with 0.25 g resin and BS. For the lowest resin amount, all mixtures achieved superhydrophobicity and performed similarly regarding wettability.

Study of Parameters Affecting the Aging of Transformer Oil

An electricity board acquires several transformers from a manufacturer in a belief that their advertised lifetime of the transformer thus purchased is true. However, they don’t take in the case of negligence in maintenance of transformer, which is a strenuous job. The advertised thirty-year lifetime is reduced to a mere two-year lifetime, mainly because of the degradation of the insulation medium (Transformer oil), thus increasing losses in the transformer and decreasing its efficiency. The degradation of transformer oil leads to safety hazards like transformer bursting, consequently forcing the electricity board to replace the transformer, thus incurring huge amount of costs. This is the most relatable problem faced by the electricity board in every state. This research work aims at listing out various properties of transformer oil and ascertaining major impurities in a transformer oil by testing it using various techniques. The proposed work deals with long term observation and analysis of transformer oil to determine its degradation rate. Breakdown voltage, Moisture content, Resistivity, Acidity, Furan Analysis and Dissolved Gas Analysis were done using Mushroom electrodes, Karl Fischer Titration test, Tan delta test, Potassium Hydroxide Titration, High performance liquid chromatography, and dissolved gas analyzer respectively. The results reveal that, deviation of Breakdown Voltage, Moisture content, and 2-Furaldehyde (1197ppb) from the permissible limits can indicate the aging of the transformer.

Occupational Health and Safety Hazards in Agriculture

Within the agricultural sector, it becomes essential worldwide to analyze the magnitude of OHS problems. However, there is a lack of study in Odisha (India) to assess the prevailing situations. Hence, an attempt was made in this study to explore the issues related to OHS among the farmers of Odisha in India. There is a dual main contribution in this study. At first the occupational health and safety issues of farmers of Odisha in India were analyzed based on the literature review and the data collected by personal interaction and questionnaires. In the second part, the step-wise weight assessment ratio analysis (SWARA) method was used to rank the different farming processes, as well as different risks involved in various farming activities.