Field study of seasonal thermal comfort and adaptive behavior for occupants in residential buildings of Xi’an,China

The study aims to investigate the thermal comfort requirements in residential buildings and to establish an adaptive thermal comfort model in the cold zone of China.A year-long field study was conducted in residential buildings in Xi’an,China.A total of 2069 valid questionnaires,along with indoor environmental parameters were obtained.The results indicated occupants’thermal comfort requirements varied with seasons.The neutral temperatures were 17.9,26.1(highest),25.2,and 17.4℃(lowest),and preferred temperatures were 23.2,25.6(highest),24.8,and 22.4℃(lowest),respectively for spring,summer,autumn,and winter.The neutral temperature and preferred temperature in autumn are close to the neutral temperature in summer,while the neutral temperature and preferred temperature in spring are close to that in winter.Besides,the 80%and 90%acceptable temperature ranges,adaptive thermal comfort models,and thermal comfort zones for each season were established.Human’s adaptability is related to his/her thermal experience of the current season and the previous season.Therefore,compared with the traditional year-round adaptive thermal comfort model,seasonal models can better reflect seasonal variations of human adaptation.This study provides fundamental knowledge of the thermal comfort demand for people in this region.

Hydration Characteristics and Microstructure of Alkali-Activated Slag Concrete: A Review

Alkali-activated slag concrete (AASC) is a new green building material. The amount of CO_(2) produced by AASC is 1/5th of that produced by ordinary Portland cement concrete (OPCC). In addition, AASC promotes the reuse of slag and other wastes and saves resources. Furthermore, the scope of use of slag has been expanded. The progress of the research on the hydration characteristics, microstructure, interfacial transition zone, and pore structure of AASC based on the relevant literatures was analyzed and summarized in this study. The influences of the slag composition, the type and dosage of the alkali activator, and the curing conditions on the hydration characteristics and the microstructure of the AASC were discussed. Relatively few research results on the microstructure of AASC are available, and the relevant conclusions are not completely consistent. Moreover, there are many constraints on the development of AASC (e.g., complex composition of raw materials of slag, large shrinkage deformation, and low fluidity). Therefore, further research is required.

Effects of Different Calcining Temperatures on the Properties of Ceramsite Prepared by High-carbon Gasification Slag

The structure and characteristics of high-performance lightweight aggregates produced by high-carbon gasification slag were investigated by X-ray diffraction,scanning electron microscopy,thermogravimetry/differential thermogravimetr,differential scanning calorimetry-Fourier transform infrared,and mercury intrusion porosimetry,respectively.The experimental results show that the ceramsite undergoes two weightless stages in the calcining process.With the increase in the calcining temperature,a large number of pores are formed inside the ceramsite,its structure becomes denser,but the calcining temperature band of the ceramsite becomes narrow.The crystalline phase of the ceramsite changes at different calcining temperatures and the mineral phase changes from the earlieralbite,quartz,oligoclase,hematite,etc,to a silica-aluminum-rich glass phase.The 1130℃ is a more suitable calcining temperature,and the cylinder compressive strength of ceramics is 11.59 MPa,the packing density,apparent density,porosity,and water absorption are 939.11 kg/m^(3),1643.75 kg/m^(3),28.11%,and 10.35%,respectively,which can meet the standards for high-strength lightweight aggregates.

Study on dynamic response of high speed train window glass under tunnel aerodynamic effects

Purpose-This paper aims to analyze the bearing characteristics of the high speed train window glass under aerodynamic load effects.Design/methodology/approach-In order to obtain the dynamic strain response of passenger compartment window glass during high-speed train crossing the tunnel,taking the passenger compartment window glass of the CRH3 high speed train onWuhan-Guangzhou High Speed Railway as the research object,this study tests the strain dynamic response and maximum principal stress of the high speed train passing through the tunnel entrance and exit,the tunnel and tunnel groups as well as trains meeting in the tunnel at an average speed of 300 km$h-1.Findings-The results show that while crossing the tunnel,the passenger compartment window glass of high speed train is subjected to the alternating action of positive and negative air pressures,which shows the typical mechanic characteristics of the alternating fatigue stress of positive-negative transient strain.The maximum principal stress of passenger compartment window glass for high speed train caused by tunnel aerodynamic effects does not exceed 5 MPa,and the maximum value occurs at the corresponding time of crossing the tunnel groups.The high speed train window glass bears medium and low strain rates under the action of tunnel aerodynamic effects,while the maximum strain rate occurs at the meeting moment when the window glass meets the train head approaching from the opposite side in the tunnel.The shear modulus of laminated glass PVB film that makes up high speed train window glass is sensitive to the temperature and action time.The dynamically equivalent thickness and stiffness of the laminated glass and the dynamic bearing capacity of the window glass decrease with the increase of the action time under tunnel aerodynamic pressure.Thus,the influence of the loading action time and fatigue under tunnel aerodynamic effects on the glass strength should be considered in the design for the bearing performance of high speed train window glass.Originality/value-The research results provide data support for the analysis of mechanical characteristics,damage mechanism,strength design and structural optimization of high speed train glass.

Unveiling the Carbonation Behavior and Microstructural Changes of Magnesium Slag at 0℃

Magnesium slag(MS)is an industrial byproduct with high CO_(2)sequestration potential.This study investigates the carbonation behavior and microstructural changes of MS during wet carbonation at 0℃.XRD,TG,FTIR,SEM,and BET techniques were used to characterize the phase composition,microstructure,and porosity of MS samples carbonated for different durations.The results showed that the main carbonation products were calcite,vaterite,and highly polymerized silica gel,with particle sizes around 1μm.The low-temperature environment retarded the carbonation reaction rate and affected the morphology and crystallization of calcium carbonate.After 480 min of carbonation,the specific surface area and porosity of MS increased substantially by 740%and 144.6%,respectively,indicating improved reactivity.The microstructure of carbonated MS became denser with calcite particles surrounded by silica gel.This study demonstrates that wet carbonation of MS at 0℃significantly enhances its properties,creating an ultrafine supplementary cementitious material with considerable CO_(2)sequestration capacity.

CFD simulation of pumping ventilation in a three-story isolated building with internal partitioning:Effects of partition widths,heights and locations

Pumping ventilation(PV),a special single-sided ventilation(SSV),has been certified as an effective strategy to improve the air exchange rate of SSV.However,most studies targeted on the single space,and few studies have been focused on the effect of internal partitioning on PV.This paper aims to evaluate the ventilation performance of PV influenced by different configurations of internal partitioning.Computational fluid dynamics(CFD)simulation was used to predict the flow fields and ventilation rates.The width(w/H),height(h/H)and location(d/H)are the three main internal partition parameters considered in this study.The simulation results showed that the total,mean and fluctuating ventilation rates all decrease with wider internal partitions.The normalized total ventilation rate decreases by 7.6%when w/H is increased from 50%to 75%.However,the reduction rate is only 0.23%between w/H=0 and 25%,and only 0.61%between w/H=25%and 50%.The ventilation rate is hardly reduced by increasing the partition width when w/H<50%,whereas greatly reduced by wider partition for w/H>50%.Increasing the partition height will reduce the mean ventilation rate but promote the fluctuating and total ventilation rate in some cases.An increase of total ventilation rate by 1.4%is observed from h/H=50%to 75%.The ventilation rate is larger when the internal partition is attached to the leeward or windward wall.The total,mean and fluctuating ventilation rates for d/H=50%are relatively higher than d/H=0 by 1.5%,3.1%and 0.8%,respectively.Hence the internal partition should be mounted attached to the windward wall so as to obtain the greatest pumping ventilation rate.The periodicity of pumping flow oscillation and pumping frequency are independent of the partition configurations.The peak power of pumping flow is the lowest for the widest internal partition and is negatively affected by the partition height,but it generally has a positive correlation with the distance between the partition and leeward wall.Present research will help to understand pumping ventilation mechanism in real buildings with internal partitioning and provide theoretical basis for developing unsteady natural ventilation technology in low-carbon buildings.

Study on carbon emission calculation method and carbon reduction indexes of urban building stock

Carbon emissions associated with buildings are a major source of urban emissions. To put forward the methods and strategies to curb carbon emissions from urban building stock, it is not only necessary to establish a carbon emission calculation method for fine statistical analysis, but also to evaluate carbon emissions of urban planning schemes with applicable indexes. Currently,researches mainly focus on carbon emissions of individual buildings. When expanded to urban building stock, the calculation faces the lack of basic data, inadequate spatial analysis and unspecific carbon reduction indexes. Therefore, this study proposes a bottom-up calculation method for urban building stock, conducts spatial analysis based on carbon balance of urban grids, reveals the coupling mechanism between urban carbon reduction indexes and grid carbon emissions, and systematically establishes a carbon-reduction-oriented urban planning method that comprises calculation, analysis and evaluation, which is applied to Xi'an,China. This study provides a theoretical reference for cities to formulate carbon reduction targets and implement planning strategies by evaluating and predicting carbon emissions from urban building stock.

Integrating BIM and machine learning to predict carbon emissions under foundation materialization stage:Case study of China’s 35 public buildings

For the significant energy consumption and environmental impact,it is crucial to identify the carbon emission characteristics of building foundations construction during the design phase.This study would like to establish a process-based carbon evaluating model,by adopting Building Information Modeling(BIM),and calculated the materialization-stage carbon emissions of building foundations without basement space in China,and identifying factors influencing the emissions through correlation analysis.These five factors include the building function type,building structure type,foundation area,foundation treatment method,and foundation depth.Additionally,this study develops several machine learning-based predictive models,including Decision Tree,Random Forest,XGBoost,and Neural Network.Among these models,XGBoost demonstrates a relatively higher degree of accuracy and minimal errors,can achieve the RMSE of 206.62 and R2 of 0.88 based on testing group feedback.The study reveals a substantial variability carbon emissions per building’s floor area of foundations,ranging from 100 to 2000 kgCO_(2)e/m^(2),demonstrating the potential for optimizing carbon emissions during the design phase of buildings.Besides,materials contribute significantly to total carbon emissions,accounting for 78%e97%,suggesting a significant opportunity for using BIM technology in the design phase to optimize carbon reduction efforts.

Experimental investigation on indoor daylight environment of building with Cadmium Telluride photovoltaic window

Photovoltaic(PV)windows have received more and more attention in recent years since their active energy-saving advantages.Considering the surface covered with solar cell modules,the indoor daylight environment of PV windows is obviously different with clear glass windows.However,despite many scholars have studied the indoor daylight environment of PV windows,there few investigations study it from the perspective of human subjective visual perception.In this paper,the indoor daylight environment and human visual comfort of building with Cadmium Telluride Photovoltaic(CdTe-PV)window were investigated.Firstly,the parameters of indoor daylight environment and subjective questionnaires in rooms with CdTe-PV window and clear glass window were analyzed respectively.On the basis of this,combined with indoor working surface illuminance and results of subjective questionnaires,the daylight illuminance threshold of human visual comfort was investigated by the method of Mean Bias Degree(MBD).Finally,an evaluation model for indoor daylight environment of buildings with CdTe-PV window was developed by Fuzzy Comprehensive Evaluation Method.The results showed that the working surface illuminance of CdTe-PV window was lower than that of clear glass room,the CCT of different windows room had a minor gap and the CdTe-PV window room was closer to the recommended range that was 3300-5000K.As for CRI,both the CdTe-PV window room and the clear glass room could meet the visual comfort requirements of office staff.Furthermore,it was found that the requirement of human visual comfort was met when indoor working surface illuminance varies between 500-2200lx in the room with CdTe-PV window.At last,according to the comprehensive evaluation model proposed in this paper,it was found that the indoor daylight environment of buildings with CdTe-PV window was excellent in the present experiment.

The Influence of Atmospheric Pressure on Air Content and Pore Structure of Air-entrained Concrete

To study the effect of atmospheric pressure on the properties of fresh and hardened airentrained concrete, three kinds of air entraining agents were used for preparing air-entrained concrete in the plateaus(Lhasa, 61 kPa) and the plains(Beijing, 101 kPa). Air content, slump, compressive strength and pore structure of the three air-entrained concretes were tested in these two places. It is found that the air content of concrete under low atmospheric pressure(LAP) is 4%-36% lower than that of concrete under normal atmospheric pressure(NAP), which explaines the decrease of slump for air-entrained concrete under LAP. Pore number of hardened concrete under LAP is reduced by 48%-69%. While, the proportion of big pores(pore diameter >1 200 μm) and air void spacing factor are increased by 1.5%-7.3% and 51%-92%, respectively. The deterioration of pore structure results in a 3%-9% reduction in the compressive strength of concrete. From the results we have obtained, it can be concluded that the increase of critical nucleation energy of air bubbles and the decrease of volumetric compressibility coefficient of air in the concrete are responsible for the variation of air content and pore structure of concrete under LAP.

Effect of SAP on Properties of High Performance Concrete under Marine Wetting and Drying Cycles

The internal curing effect of superabsorbent polymer(SAP) on the properties of high performance concrete(HPC) under marine wetting and drying cycles(WD cycles) was investigated. Compressive strength, hydration and chloride migration were experimentally investigated and the results were evaluated by compasison with those under fresh water curing(FW). Water absorption and porosity were also evaluated only under WD cycles. The results showed the important influence of wetting and drying cycles on the properties of SAP modified HPC properties. Carefully designed, SAP minimized the long-term compressive strength of HPC under marine WD cycles. The hydration rate was faster in the initial curing, but became lower as compared with that cured in FW. In addition, SAP improved the long-term water absorption resistance and chloride migration resistance of HPC under marine WD cycles. The examination of the porosity showed a lower increase of the volume of capillary pores in SAP modified HPC under long term WD cycles compared with that without SAP. Therefore, internal curing by SAP could improve the durability properties of HPC under marine WD cycles.

Individualized Pixel Synthesis and Characterization of Combinatorial Materials Chips

Conventionally, an experimentally determined phase diagram requires studies of phase formation at a range of temperatures for each composition, which takes years of effort from multiple research groups. Combinatorial materials chip technology, featuring high-throughput synthesis and characterization, is able to determine the phase diagram of an entire composition spread of a binary or ternary system at a single temperature on one materials library, which, though significantly increasing efficiency, still requires many libraries processed at a series of temperatures in order to complete a phase diagram. In this paper, we propose a "one-chip method" to construct a complete phase diagram by individually synthesizing each pixel step by step with a progressive pulse of energy to heat at different temperatures while monitoring the phase evolution on the pixel in situ in real time. Repeating this process pixel by pixel throughout the whole chip allows the entire binary or ternary phase diagram to be mapped on one chip in a single experiment. The feasibility of this methodology is demonstrated in a study of a Ge-Sb-Te ternary alloy system, on which the amorphouscrystalline phase boundary is determined.

Effect of PCEs with Different Functional Groups on the Performance of Cement Paste

The adsorption behaviors and dispersing properties of polycarboxylate superplasticizer(PCE) with different functional groups were systematically analyzed to reveal the theory and methods of modifying PCE molecular structures and regulating PCE performances. By substituting carboxylic groups with sulfonic groups, ester groups or acylamino groups, respectively, modified PCEs with different functional groups were synthesized. Results show that introducing low amount of ester groups or sulfonic groups into the PCE molecules has no negative effects on the fluidity of cement paste, while introducing acylamino groups into PCE molecules significantly weakens the fluidity of cement paste. At low amount(when the molar ratio of sodium methallyl sulfonate to TPEG is lower than 0.4), the rapid adsorption of sulfonic groups onto the cement particles contributes to the high dispersing performance of the sulfonic group modified PCEs. When the substitution ratio of acrylic acid by sulfonic acid is higher than 0.4, the viscosity and the yield stress of cement paste increases sharply. Redundant sulfonic groups lead to the excessive charge density of the PCE, which contributes to the inhomogeneous adsorption on the cement grains and hence results in the decline of the dispersing performance. Substitution of carboxylic group by acylamino group or ester group slightly changes the viscosity as well as the yield stress of cement paste. Introducing sulfonic group into PCE molecule improves the adsorption behavior of PCEs, while introducing ester group or acylamino group into PCE depresses the adsorption properties.

Country-level meteorological parameters for building energy efficiency in China

Accurate basic data are necessary to support performance-based design for achieving carbon peak and carbon neutral targets in the building sector.Meteorological parameters are the prerequisites of building thermal engineering design,heating ventilation and air conditioning design,and energy consumption simulations.Focusing on the key issues such as low spatial coverage and the lack of daily or higher time resolution data,daily and hourly models of the surface meteorological data and solar radiation were established and evaluated.Surface meteorological data and solar radiation data were generated for 1019 cities and towns in China from 1988 to 2017.The data were carefully compared,and the accuracy was proved to be high.All the meteorological parameters can be assessed in the building sector via a sharing platform.Then,country-level meteorological parameters were developed for energy-efficient building assessment in China,based on actual meteorological data in the present study.This set of meteorological parameters may facilitate engineering applications as well as allowing the updating and expansion of relevant building energy efficiency standards.The study was supported by the National Science and Technology Major Project of China during the 13th Five-Year Plan Period,named Fundamental parameters on building energy efficiency in China,comprising of 15 top-ranking universities and institutions in China.

Rate of pozzolanic reaction of two kinds of activated coal gangue

Two kinds of activated ways are used to prepare activated coal gangue fine powder, one is calcining coal gangue at 800℃ （gangue A）, and the other is calcining coal gangue with a certain calcite at 800℃ （gangue B）. The experiment shows that strengths of blended cement mortar with coal gangue B are higher than that of blended cement with coal gangue A. Hydration of cements with the two kinds of activated coal gangue is investigated through a differential thermal analysis. The weight loss due to Ca（OH）2 decomposition of hydration products by differential thermal analysis/thermo gravimetric （DTA/TG） can be used to quantify the pozzolanic reaction. A new method based on the composition of hydration cement is proposed to determine the degree of pozzolanic reaction. The results obtained suggest that the degree of pozzolanic reaction of gangue B is faster than that of gangue A.

Microstructure of β-Dicalcium Silicate after Accelerated Carbonation

The present work presents the microstructure of β-Ca_2SiO_4(β-C_2S) after accelerated carbonation. The synthesis procedure of β-C_2S was examined first, and the crystalline and amorphous structure, the distribution and the pore structure of β-C_2S carbonation products were also determined by X-ray diffraction(XRD) quantitative analysis, simultaneous thermal analyzer(TG/DTA), Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy(FT-IR), high resolution ^(29)Si magic angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance(^(29)Si NMR), N_2-sorption techniques, and scanning electron microscopy(SEM), respectively. Test results indicate that carbonation products are dramatically formed in the initial 2 h. The main carbonation products are crystalline calcite and amorphous three-dimensional network silica gels, which contain nanometer-sized pores. The calcite, silica gels and un-carbonated β-C_2S are distributed hierarchically.

Evolution and Characterization of Damage of Concrete under Freeze-thaw Cycles

To study the internal damage of concrete under freeze-thaw cycles, concrete strains were measured using embedded strain gauges. Residual strain and coefficients of freezing expansion （CFE） derived from strain-temperature curves were used to quantify the damage degree. The experimental results show that irreversible residual strain increases with the number of freeze-thaw cycles. After 50 cycles, residual strains of C20 and C35 concretes are 320με and 100με in water, and 120με and 60 με in saline solution, respectively. In lower temperature range （- 10 ℃ to - 25 ℃） CFE of C20 and C35 concretes decrease by 9.82 × 10-6/K and 8.44×10-6/K in water, and 9.38×10-6/K and 5.47×10-6/K in saline solution, respectively. Both residual strains and CFEs indicate that during the first 50 freeze-thaw cycles, the internal damage of concrete in saline solution is less than that of concrete in water. Thus residual strain and CFE can be used to measure the frost damage of concrete.

Effects of Organosilane-modified PCE on the Fluidity and Hydration Properties of Cement-Fly Ash Composite Binder

Effects of organosilane-modified PCE (OS-PCE) on the fluidity and the hydration properties of cement-fly ash (FA) composite binder were systematically analyzed.The experimental results show that OS-PCE possesses respectively 36.98% and 36.67% higher saturated adsorption amount on cement and FA,in comparison with ordinary PCE,and can contribute to higher fluidity of cement-FA composite binder.The addition of OS-PCE retards hydration process of cement-FA composite binder proportionally with the dosage of OS-PCE,but promotes the hydration kinetics of the composite binder.The reactivity enhancement is attributed to the well-dispersed FA by OS-PCE,which provides more nucleation sites for the reaction of heterogeneous C-S-H and enhances the contact with water to react with CH forming pozzolanic C-S-H.Well-distributed hydration products are exhibited in the hardened binder added with OS-PCE,with a large number of hydrated gels uniformly fill in the pores and gaps,which improves the compaction of the hardened structure.

Isothermal Adsorption Characteristics and Kinetics of Cr Ions onto Ettringite

The isothermal absorption properties and kinetic model of Cr(VI) and Cr(III) onto ettringite were investigated using the batch adsorption method. IR analysis was used to study the difference and mechanism of the adsorption of chromium ions with different valence states. The results show that the adsorption of Cr(III) onto ettringite at 20 ℃ agrees with Langmuir’s isothermal model. The ion binding stability was significantly greater than that of Cr(VI). While the adsorption of Cr(VI) onto ettringite agrees with Freundlich’s isothermal model, the D-R model fits the adsorption isotherms of two types of valence Cr(R2>0.994). It can be concluded that the adsorption of Cr(III) onto ettringite is mainly by chemical adsorption and that the adsorption of Cr(VI) onto ettringite is mainly by physical adsorption. Dynamic model fitting and model parameter analyses show that the adsorption of Cr(III) onto ettringite agrees with the pseudo second order kinetics model given by Lagergren. The formation of chemical bonds is the main factor causing the fast adsorption. Cr(VI) adsorption is mainly dominated by liquid film diffusion, and the adsorption rate is much slower than that of Cr(III) adsorption.

Influence of Alkalis Doping on the Hydration Reactivities of Tricalcium Silicate

Influences of alkali oxides doping on the crystal structure, defects and hydration behavior of tricalcium silicate C_3S were investigated by X-ray powder diffraction with the Rietveld method, inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy, thermoluminescence and isothermal calorimetry. All the samples were stabilized as T1 form C_3S. Changes in the crystal structure of C_3S could mainly be monitored by changes in lattice parameters, which were closely correlated with the incorporation concentration and substitution types of alkalis. Although alkalis were incorporated at trace level in C_3S, the thermoluminescence and hydration behavior of C_3S were significantly influenced. Initial hydration activity was dramatically increased and highly related to the intensity of the irradiation-induced thermoluminescence peaks at low temperatures due to their direct correlation with defects. The oxygen vacancy sites resulting from the substitution of alkalis for Ca could readily account for the acceleration of the initial hydration of C_3S.