Browsing by Subject "IPD"

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The impact of delivery methods on the profitibility of commercial construction
(2011-12) Herndon, Michael Brett; Nichols, Steven Parks, 1950-; McCann, Robert B.
According to September 2011 information from the U.S. Census Bureau, the construction industry in the United States is valued at nearly eight hundred billion dollars annually. A 2004 collaborative study by Construction Industry Institute and Lean Construction Institute suggests that as much as fifty seven percent of time, effort, and material investment in construction projects do not add value to the final product. When compared with twenty six percent wastes in the manufacturing industry, it becomes obvious that the construction industry has a problem. Construction projects that come in over budget and behind schedule have become the rule rather than the exception, leading to contentious business relationships and costly litigation. This study will strive to identify and analyze the primary sources of these problems. Research and industry experience point to a lack of communication and cooperation among the various entities required to complete a construction project as the leading causes of waste in the industry. Further analysis suggests that traditional forms of construction contracts encourage adversarial and non-cooperative behavior between parties. Additionally, poor communication between various contributors opens the door for additional wasted cost. Fortunately, the development of tools such as Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) and Building Information Modeling (BIM) present new options to construction professionals that are proving to help address some of the challenges the industry faces today. IPD as a project delivery method creates a culture of collaboration and teamwork, where a culture of risk avoidance and conflict once stood, while BIM provides a platform for better communication among parties. When used together, these tools can reduce or eliminate many of the major sources of waste within the industry. This thesis will provide descriptions, analysis, and case studies that demonstrate the use of these tools and the potential they have to make a positive impact on the construction industry.
The interaction of solid-density nano-scale clusters with high-intensity XUV laser pulses
(2017-08) Bruce, Sandra Allison; Ditmire, Todd; Keto, John W.; Bengtson, Roger; Becker, Michael; Hegelich, Bjorn
Studies of the interaction between high intensity, high frequency pulsed lasers and nano-scale material have a broad range of potential applications, from ultrafast biomolecular imaging to fundamental questions of the time scales associated with molecular electronic processes. ̀̀Table-top'' XUV lasers utilizing HHG to produce a broad range of photon energies are a promising new source of this ultrafast high frequency radiation. Here, we present data generated by the irradiation of nano-scale cluster targets, composed of both solids and van der Waals-bound gases, by high-intensity XUV pulses generated using the new HHG beamline of the UT THOR laser system. On-target intensities are 1 x 10¹³ W/cm², and photon energies range from 26.4 eV to 32.6 eV. These interactions consistently produce anomalously high charge states in the loosely-bound dense gas clusters; charge states of Xe⁸⁺, Kr⁶⁺, Ar⁵⁺, Ne³⁺, and N²⁺ were observed. The yield ratios of these charge states, as well as the ion and electron kinetic energies collected during these interactions, help to shed light on the processes of formation and dissociation of these dense plasmas.