Mega transport infrastructure projects (MTIP) which inherent uncertainty and complexity, are in practice all overall the world. These projects concerning their nature show political sensitivity and involve diverse group of stakeholders with conflicting interests. In such situations, decision-making becomes extremely difficult, as the necessary knowledge base for making adequate decisions is lacking due to both uncertainty and conflict of interests. This study aims to identify the stakeholders and their interests, analysing stakeholders' relationships, assessing stakeholders' influences, and practicing stakeholder engagement (SE) in MTIP. In SE there are diverse approaches like operational, practical, and conceptual which will be reviewed in the literature. A model of framework will be proposed to provide new perspectives for identifying the precise interrelationships between the SEs, facilitate the complex processes and guide senior management in meeting project objectives. The proposed framework will also provide an effective SE approach to accommodate stakeholder analysis in MTIP for the planning, decision making and implementation of the project, so as to establish clear project priorities.
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Through data mining from vehicle construction equipment, the paper presents a unique approach to the early diagnosis of machinery failures. We used an effective K-means clustering algorithm to discover inconsistencies in field data. Data is stored in a warehouse using the Structural Query Language (SQL). The vehicle equipment data is processed using the K-means algorithm. During K-means clustering, we applied the Waikato Environment for Knowledge Analysis (WEKA) application dataset to represent the correct information, which enables risk detection based on the stored warehouse. The K-means clustering performs early defects identification in a dataset of construction equipment supplied by a Libyan organization. The clustering mechanism is based on the Euclidean distance, which is used to calculate the correctness of files in a large dataset. The tests make use of real-world equipment datasheets spanning five years. The results show that the K-means algorithm produces more accurate results than other methods.
Limestone or river aggregates have been traditionally used as aggregates in ready‐mixed concrete from the past to the present. The depletion of these natural aggregates used in ready‐mixed concrete has led the concrete industry to investigate aggregate resources and search for alternative aggregates. In this study, natural rocks defined as basalt type from Karacadağ, located within the borders of Diyarbakır, Şanlıurfa, and Mardin provinces in the Southeastern Anatolia Region of Türkiye, were used as aggregate materials. The mechanical strength of concrete produced with basalt aggregate was examined. In order to determine the physical and mechanical properties of the produced basalt aggregate concretes, unit weight, compressive strength, and splitting tensile strength experiments were carried out on hardened concretes. In addition to the physical and mechanical properties of basalts, their chemical composition properties have been investigated. In the experimental study, crushed basalt aggregates with size fractions 0–5, 5–11.2, and 11.2–22.4 mm were used. The water/cement ratio of the concrete produced in the study was 0.45, and the selected cement contents were determined as 300 kg/m 3 , 350, and 400 kg/m 3 . The fracture parameters of the produced concrete were presented with the two‐parameter fracture model (TPFM). Statistical analyses of this study show that the fracture parameters of cube samples made with basalt aggregate commonly found in the region are acceptable for use in construction sites.
In the Van Earthquake of magnitude Mw=7.2 on October 23, 2011, 48,666 buildings were severely damaged or collapsed, 604 people lost their lives and 1301 people were injured. During this earthquake, not only the buildings designed in accordance with the old earthquake codes but also the ones designed in accordance with the current Turkish Earthquake Code (TEC) were severely damaged. The purpose of this study is to reveal the reasons why the RC buildings designed in accordance with the current TEC as a result of static and dynamic calculations were severely damaged in the recent earthquakes. In this study, first, the buildings that were designed in accordance with the last two earthquake codes and damaged during the Van Earthquake on 23 October 2011 have been examined. Then, another severely damaged building that was designed in accordance with the TEC 2007 has been chosen as a possible model for similar situations. In order to explore the reasons behind the damage, detailed examination has been made both in the damaged structure and in its design calculations. Both situations in the project and implementation of the design have been analyzed by using IdeCAD and Sta4CAD modeling, as well as Sap2000 through which weak structural members have been determined. The findings have been evaluated in terms of design and implementation flaws, in compliance with the TEC 2007, modeling and acceptance error. When analyzed by modeling of its project, the building has not revealed any insufficient columns; however, in its implementation analysis, the damaged members have appeared to be insufficient. It has been determined that the damage was due to improper implementation of the project, incompatible production according to the TEC 2007 and lack of inspection. To mitigate possible fatalities and damages in the future earthquakes, implementations should be fully represented in the model of the projects, structural members in the projects should be built identically to their design, attention should be paid to the anticipated limitations in TEC 2007 during implementation, and stages of project and implementation should be inspected sufficiently.
