The present study has been taken up to emphasize the role of the hybridization process for optimizing a given reinforced concrete (RC) frame. Although various primary techniques have been hybrid in the past with varying degree of success, the effect of hybridization of enhanced versions of standard optimization techniques has found little attention. The focus of the current study is to see if it is possible to maintain and carry the positive effects of enhanced versions of two different techniques while using their hybrid algorithms. For this purpose, enhanced versions of standard particle swarm optimization (PSO) and a standard gravitational search algorithm (GSA), were considered for optimizing an RC frame. The enhanced version of PSO involves its democratization by considering all good and bad experiences of the particles, whereas the enhanced version of the GSA is made self-adaptive by considering a specific range for certain parameters, like the gravitational constant and a set of agents with the best fitness values. The optimization process, being iterative in nature, has been coded in C++. The analysis and design procedure is based on the specifications of Indian codes. Two distinct advantages of enhanced versions of standard PSO and GSA, namely, better capability to escape from local optima and a faster convergence rate, have been tested for the hybrid algorithm. The entire formulation for optimal cost design of a frame includes the cost of beams and columns. The variables of each element of structural frame have been considered as continuous and rounded off appropriately to consider practical limitations. An example has also been considered to emphasize the validity of this optimum design procedure.

The aim of this study is to find the cost design of RC tension with varying conditions using the Artificial Neural Network. Design constraints were used to cover all reliable design parameters, such as limiting cross sectional dimensions and; their reinforcement ratio and even the beahviour of optimally designed sections. The design of the RC tension members were made using Indian and European standard specifications which were discussed. The designed tension members according to both codes satisfy the strength and serviceability criteria. While no literature is available on the optimal design of RC tension members, the cross-sectional dimensions of the tension membersfor different grades of concrete and steel, and area of formwork are considered as the variables in the present optimum design model. A design example is explained and the results are presented. It is concluded that the proposed optimum design model yields rational, reliable, and practical designs.

U-turn lanes eliminate left turns at intersections and allow the manoeuvre to be made via median crossovers beyond the intersection. However, there are many situations where road infrastructures are characterized by the reduced width of the median. It is clear that, in such situations, we must adopt design criteria that take into account limitations imposed by the width of the cross-section of the road. This is the reason why it is necessary to adopt design solutions which expect a complete reorganization of the road section affected by the insertion of U-turns. In this paper, we intend to propose original guidelines for U-turn lane design, suitable to guarantee both the necessity to offer a high level of functionality of the road sections to be implemented by U-turns, and the principles of safety in order to reduce unsafe conditions during inversion manoeuvres as much as possible.

The article presents the ideas of flexible design in the construction sector. Flexibility in the construction sector was discussed and defined between typical and flexible approaches to design. The idea applied during the economic effectiveness analysis of construction projects was introduced. The issue of flexibility was discussed based on the example of construction of a sports facility - The National Stadium in Warsaw. An effectiveness analysis was applied for variant solutions.

This paper addresses the tensile and flexural strength of HPC (high performance concrete). The aim of the paper is to analyse the efficiency of models proposed in different codes. In particular, three design procedures from: the ACI 318 [1], Eurocode 2 [2] and the Model Code 2010 [3] are considered. The associations between design tensile strength of concrete obtained from these three codes and compressive strength are compared with experimental results of tensile strength and flexural strength by statistical tools. Experimental results of tensile strength were obtained in the splitting test. Based on this comparison, conclusions are drawn according to the fit between the design methods and the test data. The comparison shows that tensile strength and flexural strength of HPC depend on more influential factors and not only compressive strength.

The cyclic modular approach is proposed for mechatronic object design. The approach is based on a new conceptual model of the object and a new algorithm of its design. The model consists of invariant and changeable parts. The parts have a hierarchical structure. The proposed algorithm allows for creating the object from the basis principle to the construction step by step. It makes it possible to design an adequate object in all forms of its representations: structure, schematic diagram, mathematical model and construction. Each of these forms has an invariant part, i.e. the structure of the functioning process of the object. Application of the proposed approach reduces the time needed for the object design.

On the shift toward tender sensitivity – the role of relations, emotions, and empathy in design.

Structural design analyses of industrial dye mixing machines, concerning mixing impeller geometries, mixing performances, and power requirements aren't generally of scientific quality. Our aim is to propose a practical method for minimizing execution time, using parametric design. In this study, Visual Basic API codes are developed in order to model the impellers in SolidWorks software, and then flow analyses are conducted. Thus, velocity values and moment/torque values required for mixing operation are determined. This study is carried out for different shaft rotational speeds and different impeller diameters. Flow trajectories are obtained. After that, frequency analyses are conducted and natural frequency values are obtained. In the scope of this study, two different impeller types are investigated.

This study aims to design a novel air cleaning facility which conforms to the current situation in China, and moreover can satisfy our demand on air purification under the condition of poor air quality, as well as discuss the development means of a prototype product. Air conditions in the operating room of a hospital were measured as the research subject of this study. First, a suitable turbulence model and boundary conditions were selected and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software was used to simulate indoor air distribution. The analysis and comparison of the simulation results suggested that increasing the area of air supply outlets and the number of return air inlets would not only increase the area of unidirectional flow region in main flow region, but also avoid an indoor vortex and turbulivity of the operating area. Based on the summary of heat and humidity management methods, the system operation mode and relevant parameter technologies as well as the characteristics of the thermal-humidity load of the operating room were analyzed and compiled. According to the load value and parameters of indoor design obtained after our calculations, the airflow distribution of purifying the air-conditioning system in a clean operating room was designed and checked. The research results suggested that the application of a secondary return air system in the summer could reduce energy consumption and be consistent with the concept of primary humidity control. This study analyzed the feasibility and energy conservation properties of cleaning air-conditioning technology in operating rooms, proposed some solutions to the problem, and performed a feasible simulation, which provides a reference for practical engineering.

The paper analyses the influence of seasonal temperature variations on fatigue strength of flexible and semi-rigid pavement structures chosen for KR4 traffic flow category. The durability of pavement determined assuming a yearly equivalent temperature of 10˚C and assuming season-dependent equivalent temperatures was compared. Durability of pavement was determined with the use of Asphalt Institute Method and French Method. Finite Element Method was applied in order to obtain the strain and stress states by the means of ANSYS Mechanical software. Obtained results indicate a considerable drop in pavement durability if seasonal temperature variations are considered (up to 64% for flexible pavements and up to 80% for semi-rigid pavements). Durability obtained by the French Method presents lower dependence on the analysed aspect.

Designer drugs cause irreversible changes in the brain and put those who take them at an increased risk of developing Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. They can also affect one’s genetic material, says Prof. Krystyna Gołembiowska from the PAS Institute of Pharmacology.

This article will focus on an analytical framework as a research tool in design disciplines. Key problem for an analytical framework in landscape architecture is how to deal with the dynamics of landscape form, design and use in the design process.

We start with a short overview will be given of analytical frameworks. In the second part some generic principles of analytical frameworks will be applied in three case studies of 19th century public parks. The third part will focus on how results of such an analysis can be used for the future and how results of peopleenvironment studies can be part of that.

One of the conclusions is, that people-environment studies can play a role before, during and after the design process. In most cases results of people-environment studies cannot be applied directly but rather as part of an iterative process of research and design.

The text attempts to show the forgotten beauty in architecture. It seems, that the “drawn” architecture can reveal more than the real — built one. The avant-garde of the early 20th century killed in art the need to strive for beauty. Novelty and contemporarily advertising form of architecture are becoming the most important. However, the problem of beauty seems to be still interesting in art. Architecture is slowly departing from the functionalist way of creating, yet it cannot return to the beauty, that once was so important. It is the drawn one, carrying the message of unreality, that makes it possible to return to the forgotten approach to creation. Architects’ drawings can bring back a visionary and idealistic message.

This paper is dedicated to Voivodship Park of Culture and Recreation in Chorzów (Silesia Park) – one of the biggest of its kind in Poland and in Europe (ca. 600 ha of total area). Construction of the Park had begun in 1954 according to the design under the direction of prof. Władysław Niemirski. After many years it became an example of successful land remediation and re-naturalization of anthropogenic landscape. The whole facility though formally created in socrealism style, actually represents classical modernism’s features inspired probably by American parks with a rich recreation program.

The paper proposes a procedure which enables to determine selected geometric and operating parameters for twin-fluid liquid-to-air atomisers with internal mixing. The presented approach assumes that in order to ensure proper operation of an atomiser it is necessary to design its structure and flow parameters in such a way so that the flow inside the mixing chamber has a dispersive character. In order to calculate a required exhaust cross-section for the analysed atomiser, conditions within the exhaust plane: pressure, density and outflow velocity were estimated. In order to determine diameter and number of orifices supplying the liquid to the mixing chamber of the investigated atomiser type, a multi-parameter analysis based on numerical fluid mechanics was performed. The final part of the paper presents selected results obtained from experimental stand measurements made on an atomiser designed according to the presented procedure.

Water is a strategic material. Recycling is an important component of balancing its use. Deep-bed filtration is an inexpensive purification method and seems to be very effective in spreading water recovery. Good filter designs, such as the fibrous filter, have high separation efficiency, low resistance for the up-flowing fluid and high retention capacity. However, one of the substantial problems of this process is the biofouling of the filter. Biofouling causes clogging and greatly reduces the life of the filter. Therefore, the melt-blown technique was used for the formation of novel antibacterial fibrous filters. Such filters are made of polypropylene composites with zinc oxide and silver nanoparticles on the fiber surface. These components act as inhibitors of bacterial growth in the filter and were tested in laboratory and full scale experiments. Antibacterial/bacteriostatic tests were performed on Petri dishes with E. coli and B. subtilis. Full scale experiments were performed on natural river water, which contained abiotic particles and mutualistic bacteria. The filter performance at industrial scale conditions was measured using a particle counter, a flow cytometer and a confocal microscope. The results of the experiments indicate a significant improvement of the composite filter performance compared to the regular fibrous filter. The differences were mostly due to a reduction in the biofouling effect.

A suitable use of software packages for optimization problems can give the possibility to formulate design problems of robotic mechanical systems by taking into account the several aspects and behaviours for optimum solutions both in design and operation. However, an important issue that can be even critical to obtain practical solutions can be recognized in a proper identification and formulation of criteria for optimability purposes and numerical convergence feasibility. In this paper, we have reported experiences that have been developed at LARM in Cassino by referring to the abovementioned issues of determining a design procedure for manipulators both of serial and parallel architectures. The optimality criteria are focused on the well-recognized main aspects of workspace, singularity, and stiffness. Computational aspects are discussed to ensure numerical convergence to solutions that can be also of practical applications. In particular, optimality criteria and computational aspects have been elaborated by taking into account the peculiarity and constraint of each other. The general concepts and formulations are illustrated by referring to specific numerical examples with satisfactory results.

In a reality of global competition, companies have to minimize production costs and increase productivity in order to boost com-petitiveness. Facility layout design is one of the most important and frequently used efficiency improvement methods for reducing operational costs in a significant manner. Facility layout design deals with optimum location of facilities (workstation, machine, etc.) on the shop floor and optimum material flow between these objects. In this article, the objectives and procedure of layout design along with the calculation method for layout optimization are all introduced. The study is practice-oriented because the described case study shows how the layout of an assembly plant can be modified to form an ideal re-layout. The research is novel and innovative because the facility layout design and 4 lean methods (takt-time design, line balance, cellular design and one-piece flow) are all combined in order to improve efficiency more significantly, reduce costs and improve more key performance indicators. From the case study it can be concluded that the layout redesign and lean methods resulted in significant reduction of the following seven indicators: amount of total workflow, material handling cost, total travel distance of goods, space used for assembly, number of workers, labor cost of workers and the number of Kanban stops.

The box wing system is an unconventional way to connect the lifting surfaces that the designers willingly to use in prototypes of new aircrafts. The article present a way to quickly optimize the wing structure of box wing airplane that can be useful during conceptual design. At the beginning, there is presented theory and methods used to code optimization program. Structure analysis is based on FEM beam model, which is sufficient in conceptual design. Optimization is performed using hybrid method, connection of simple iteration and gradient descent methods. Finally, the program is validated by case study.

The aim of this paper is to present an in-pipe modular robotic system that can navigate inaccessible industrial pipes in order to check their condition, locate leakages, and clean the ventilation systems. The aspects concerning the development of a lightweight and energy efficient modular robotic system are presented. The paper starts with a short introduction about modular inspection systems in the first chapter, followed by design aspects and finalizing with the test of the developed robotic system.