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Abstract: The article presents the progress and applications of ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC), a revolutionary material in modern construction that offers unparalleled strength, durability, and sustainability. The overview includes the historical development of UHPC, covering its production and design aspects, including composition and design methodology. It describes the mechanical properties and durability of UHPC and highlights recent innovations and research breakthroughs. The potential integration of multifunctional properties such as self-heating, self-sensing, self-luminescence and superhydrophobicity, is explored. In addition, advances in nanotechnology related to UHPC are addressed. Beyond the actual material properties, the article presents an environmental impact assessment and a life-cycle cost analysis, providing an insight into the wider implications of using UHPC. To illustrate the environmental aspects, the determination of CO2 emissions is explained using three numerical examples. Finally, various applications of UHPC are presented, focusing on the construction of buildings and bridges. By synthesizing the above-mentioned aspects, this review paper captures the dynamic landscape of UHPC and serves as a valuable resource for researchers and engineers in the field of construction materials.
Keywords: ultra-high-performance concrete, UHPC, manufacturing, mechanical properties, durability, multifunctionality, environmental impact assessment, life-cycle costs
Published in DKUM: 02.07.2025; Views: 0; Downloads: 0
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Abstract: What defines quality of life? Is it health and the absence of illness? Strong relationships with friends and family? Spirituality and faith? A peaceful, prosperous country with a robust welfare system? Or perhaps the environments we inhabit: well-designed homes, green and blue infrastructure, a circular economy, and unpolluted surroundings? Quality of life is a complex, multifaceted concept that cannot be confined to a single definition. Addressing it holistically calls for a multidisciplinary approach. This summer school focuses on the spatial dimensions of quality of life. Scholars from across Europe and the USA have gathered to explore key themes, including: equality and inclusivity, urban and rural well-being, healthy digital environments, planning liveable environments, sense of place, technolohy and climate action. These themes reflect the changing realities of our world—urban and rural transformations, demographic shifts, digital evolution, and climate change. Each contribution in this collection offers unique insights into how space and place shape our experiences and aspirations for a better life. In a world of constant change, the quality of life is not a static ideal—but a moving target, shaped by where we are, how we live, and what we value. This volume invites you to reflect, rethink, and reimagine the spaces where life unfolds.
Keywords: quality of life, space, well-being, inclusivity, sustainability
Published in DKUM: 12.06.2025; Views: 0; Downloads: 304
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Abstract: A study was conducted on the waste of disposable surgical masks and their problematic impact on the environment. The studies examined have shown the negative effects on the environment that are likely to occur and those that have already occurred. In this article, society's relationship to the potential recycling of disposable surgical masks is considered and projected onto the possibilities of the cradle-to-cradle design approach. The development of a product from recycled surgical masks is driven by two different surveys. The first focuses on wear and disposal habits, and the second on the relationship to recycling. As a result, the flooring was developed with thermally treated recycled surgical masks replacing the filler layer. The goal of the product design was to improve the long-term life cycle analysis of a waste surgical mask.
Keywords: maske, medicinski odpadki, okolje, recikliranje izdelka z dodano vrednostjo, analiza življenjskega cikla, masks, medical waste, recycling added-value product, life-cycle-analysis
Published in DKUM: 26.03.2025; Views: 0; Downloads: 1
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Abstract: Excessive production, indiscriminate consumption, and improper disposal of plastics have led to plastic pollution and its hazardous environmental effects. Various approaches to tackle the challenges of reducing the plastic footprint have been developed and applied, such as the production of alternative materials (design for recycling), the production and use of biodegradable plastic and plastics from power-to-X, and the development of recycling approaches. This study proposes an optimisation strategy based on regression to evaluate and predict plastic use and end-of-life fate in the future based on historical trends. The mathematical model is formulated and correlations based on functions of time are developed and optimised by minimising the sum of squared residuals. The plastic quantities up to the year 2050 are projected based on historical trends analysis, and for improved sustainability, projections are additionally based on intervention analyses. The results show that the global use of plastics is expected to increase from 464 Mt in 2020 up to 884 Mt in 2050, with up to 4725 Mt of plastics accumulated in stock in 2050 (from the year 2000). Compared to other available forecasts, a slightly lower level of plastic use and stock are obtained. The intervention analysis estimates a range of global plastics' consumption between 594 Mt and 1018 Mt in 2050 by taking into account its different increment rates (between −1 % and 2.65 %). In the packaging sector, the implementation of reduction targets (15 % reduction in 2040 compared to 2018) could lead to a 27.3 % decrease in plastic use in 2050 as compared to 2018, while achieving recycling targets (55 % in 2030) would recycle >75 % of plastic packaging in 2050. The partial substitution of fossil-based plastics with bioplastics (polyethylene) will require significant land area, between 0.2 × 106 km2 for obtaining switchgrass and up to around 1.0 × 106 km2 for obtaining forest residue (annual yields of 58.15 t/ha and 3.5 t/ha) in 2050. The intervention analysis shows that proactive policies can mitigate sustainability challenges, however achieving broader sustainability goals also requires reduction of footprints related to energy production and virgin plastic production, the production of bio-based plastics, and the full implementation of recycling initiatives.
Keywords: plastic use, plastic waste, end-of-life fate, forecasting, hostorical trends, regression analysis, least square method, intervention analysis
Published in DKUM: 31.01.2025; Views: 0; Downloads: 5
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Abstract: Abstract In the proposed study, the fatigue analysis of an axisymmetric chiral cellular structure and its modified form, made of stainless steel 316L, is carried out. The main goal of the original structure geometry was to absorb as much mechanical energy as possible with its auxetic behaviour. However, it was found through testing that its response could be improved by modifying the thickness of the struts through the structure. Representative models for the original and modified geometries were generated using a script adapted for this numerical simulation. Three different types of displacement in the shape of sine waves were used to load the structures. A hexagonal mesh was assigned and determined by convergence analysis. An existing material model with the necessary LCF parameters was assigned in the computational analyses. The data from multiple simulations were recorded and presented in graphs that showed how the fatigue life of the structures changed depending on the level of strain. We also analysed stresses and plastic deformations that occur in the structures. The results showed that, despite a better stress distribution, the fatigue life of the optimised structure was shorter in all cases.
Keywords: cellular structures, chiral structures, fatigue, strain-life approach, numerical analysis
Published in DKUM: 10.01.2025; Views: 0; Downloads: 10
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