During the design of the external cladding, it is possible to use different materials and compositions. One of these possibilities is also a ventilated facade, which consists of a supporting ...structure, a thermal insulation, a supporting grid, an air gap for ventilation and a cladding layer. The construction of the supporting grid in the ventilated facade must be mechanically anchored into the supporting structure of the external cladding. This mechanical anchoring causes 3-D point thermal bridges in the external cladding itself. Therefore, the aim of this work is to assess and analyze the influence of these 3-D point thermal bridges on transmission heat losses through the external cladding. A Finite Element Mesh analysis has been used for this analysis. Different types of external cladding compositions were modeled in the simulation program, and the effect on the heat transfer coefficient was determined. In addition to the analysis of the existing anchoring systems, an innovative solution has been suggested that is more economical and easier to implement. The results show that the application of anchors and their number impacts significantly on the thermal properties of the envelope. The difference between the anchoring element with a thermal insulation pad and the patented method is minimal. This is a 1.29% difference. The last variant was a proposal (patent) that the anchoring element is only plastic-coated and thus its thermal engineering properties are improved, which is manifested mainly in heat conduction but also from the radiant point of view, as plasticizing the emissivity changes. Compared to the perimeter cladding without the ap-plication of an anchoring element, the heat loss increases by 29.37%. In addition to the energy savings, there are also financial savings. While the plastic pads costs about EUR 0.3, the plastic coating (patent) represents a price of around EUR 0.03. If we had a building with 10,000 m2 of wall area where 6 pieces of anchors per 1 m2 are applied, the savings would be EUR 16,200. Such savings are already significant. The conclusion of this work is that these point thermal bridges have a significant impact on the overall transmission heat loss coefficient and therefore they have overall heat demand and energy demand.
In Slovakia, participatory budgeting represents one of the relatively new instruments of political participation. It has been used since 2011. Currently it is present on both levels of territorial ...self-government (i.e., local level and regional level). Nevertheless, its implementation into practice is only a gradual one, as the number of local and regional governments using participatory budgeting is limited. Furthermore, both local and regional governments are currently exposed to the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, so a question arises as to how they managed to deal with the situation and how it affected the implementation of approved participatory budgets. The aim of this paper is to identify how the local governments in Slovakia approached the implementation of participatory budgeting in 2020. With regard to the above-mentioned goal, we focus on the following: the implementation of participatory budgeting before 2020, its continuation in 2020 and, if maintained, its adjustment to the "period of social distancing". The findings show that there is a large group of local and regional governments that have decided to either suspend or cancel the implementation of participatory budgeting. Out of those who opted for its implementation, one group did not need to significantly adapt to the distancing restrictions, another group managed to hold potential meetings before the first restrictions came into force. It was only the latter group that faced the most serious challenge. However, active employment of online tools along with the use of the period of released measures proved crucial for the implementation of participatory budgeting.
Železničná doprava je kontinuálny proces, ktorý musí byť koordinovaný na všetkých úrovniach riadenia a je determinovaný technologickými postupmi. Z technologického hľadiska je dôležité správne určiť ...praktickú priepustnosť traťového úseku, nazývanú aj kapacita železničnej infraštruktúry. To znamená, akou vlakovou dopravou možno zaťažiť traťový úsek tak, aby vykazoval dostatočnú stabilitu vlakovej dopravy aj pri prevádzkových nepravidelnostiach. Článok je zameraný na spôsob zvýšenia kapacity traťového úseku Drienovská Nová Ves - Kysak s využitím metódy stanovenia praktickej priepustnej výkonnosti vo výhľadovom grafikone. Podrobné stanovenie časov obsadenia úseku pri súčasnom stave a pri aplikácii jednotlivých návrhov nám poskytuje informácie o ďalších možnostiach modernizácie železničnej infraštruktúry v SR. Článok popisuje a hodnotí výhody a nevýhody jednotlivých návrhov na zvýšenie kapacity skúmaného traťového úseku. V rámci budúcej modernizácie železničnej infraštruktúry tohto traťového úseku je potrebné tieto opatrenia realizovať, nakoľko skúmaný traťový úsek je súčasťou RFC koridoru. Zámerom je nielen zvýšenie kvality železničnej infraštruktúry, ale aj kvality nákladnej a osobnej dopravy.
Building information modeling (BIM) brings several benefits to design and construction companies, especially in higher efficiency and quality of work. Several companies also use common data ...environment (CDE) systems, which speed up communication and collaboration between project participants. These can be used for occupational health and safety (HS) purposes and to increase the level of HS on construction sites. The first part of the article presents the state-of-the-art possibilities and approaches to implementing BIM in automatic or semi-automatic health and safety hazard detection. The following parts analyze the interviews with experts in BIM coordination, project management and health and safety in Slovakia and their answers to a survey, that covers the topic of safety hazard detection in BIM. The analysis shows that BIM is a suitable tool for increasing safety on construction sites, but there are several obstacles to achieving its full potential. The survey brings readers closer to the current state of the topic and the possibilities offered by BIM and CDE software in Slovakia. This paper, through the requirements and opinions of experts in BIM, project management and HS management, points out areas for further research and development of BIM software.
This paper deals with railway lines with low traffic intensity where trains are operated under simplified conditions. Those conditions are stated in a regulation, and there is no interlocking system ...on the line. The whole railway operation is organized according to a regulation in cooperation with the train crew. For the calculation of the throughput, we can use analytic or simulation methods. On those lines there is a big problem with the common working methods because of special circumstances on each line, which are influencing the technological times and reliability of the calculation. The simplified conditions are the transforming of regular interlocking systems on the administrative level. Therefore, it is very complicated to use a common simulation model. Most of the simulation tools are not able to work with it. The motivation of this paper is to prove that modern simulation tools are usable for that specific condition as well. The simulation model was built in SW OpenTrack which is able to modify its functions to figure out each technological action to ensure the correct function of the model. This functionality is described in the paper in general and implemented on a case study.
The aim of each investor is to procure the construction work in an efficient and economical way. This goal can be achieved by managing costs from the beginning of the investment process. It is ...necessary to determine the estimated price of the construction work in all phases of the investment process and not to underestimate the importance of this activity. It is almost a rule that the contractor or investor does not allow sufficient time for the contractor to prepare the construction for good quality, which may lead to insufficient preparation. The consequences of poor construction preparation vary from poorly built construction to litigation over the lost profits of the contractor—and this is the topic we discuss in this paper. The issue of asserting lost profits on the contract by the contractor is the subject of legal disputes between the contractor and the customer of construction work. In such cases, the question becomes the design of a methodology suitable for its calculation. The article deals with the presentation of the existing methods of loss of profit calculation, two of which are applied to the example of litigation from construction practice, with the definition of their results and differences.
As several studies and authors have already proved, the curing of fresh concrete affects the development of its strength and volume changes, which goes hand in hand with the durability and service ...life of concrete structure. Several studies concerning internal curing (IC) have also been published. They were dedicated to identifying the action of IC by Differential Thermal Analysis (DTA), especially for mixes with low w/c ratios. Some studies have presented various approaches for the design of mixes with IC. Some discrepancies between conventional designs and reality have been identified. A significant one is the calculation of water losses. The initial (conventional) approach defined water losses based on Menzel’s equation. However, in reality, it is valid for only the first few hours. As water losses are essential to an appropriate design of IC, we will demonstrate in this paper the effect of IC on the development of changes in the volume and strength of cement-based composites. Both parameters come into mutual interaction during actual construction and affect the internal stresses of the structure/matrix, which may lead to the formation and development of cracks. The general goal is to mitigate cracks and, thus, prolong the concrete’s service life, which may be achieved by controlling the development of changes in volume along with the development of strength, e.g., by IC.
Following the liberalisation of the railway infrastructure, the non-discriminatory approach to each railway undertaking is necessary, including the issue of the train paths provision in terms of the ...railway infrastructure capacity. Expression and provision of the throughput capacity of the railway network by absolute number of train paths appear to be inadequate and inaccurate at first glance. There are many ways of calculating the capacity of rail infrastructure, as well as several ways of expressing it. The paper describes the testing of the railway infrastructure capacity in a computer based simulation model, which provides results for further research in the area of this issue. Two hypotheses oriented towards the research on the linear dependence of capacity on the number of train paths as well as towards the need for capacity estimation for a whole track or for only one block section are tested.
•• Non-traditional case of cyclic damage to rails of considerable length (21,725 m).•• Analysis of the cause of damage and the analysis of the damage removal method.•• The analysis 5725 defects-an ...unconventional rarity in terms of the number of defects.•• Horizontal cracks can branch downwards and cause the rail to break.
Various damage to the railway rail has a significant impact on the operation safety and life of the railway infrastructure. The paper focuses on failure analysis of rare cyclic damage to the surface of a railway rail loaded with normal operation. Straining of the rail at the point of contact with a railway wheel, due to vertical forces, causes permanent deformation of the rail surface. The research is focused on a non-traditional case of cyclic damage to rails on a continuous track section of considerable length (21,725 m), on the analysis of the cause of damage and on the analysis of effectiveness of the damage removal method. The methodology used consists of a visual field study using conventional measurement methods, supported by a non-destructive on-site inspection to identify the severity of deficiencies in railway safety; and to measure the effectiveness of operator maintenance policies that need to be improved to identify and correct infrastructure extensions. In total, the section was analyzed that showed 5725 defects, which is an unconventional rarity in terms of the number of defects and has not been scientifically investigated yet.
The issues that determine the capacity of railway infrastructure are topical in situations that are reaching operating limits. According to the objectives of the European transport policy, it is ...assumed that up to 30% of road freight over 300 km should shift to other modes such as rail or waterborne transport by 2030. The transport system should become more competitive and efficient in the use of resources. This places high demands on the railway infrastructure, which is mainly operated in a mixed transport mode, with both passengers and freight. It is necessary to increase the capacity of these lines as a priority. The intent of this paper is to propose procedures that will simply and accurately determine the quantification of benefits for increasing the throughput performance of the line. For the initial estimates and assessments of investment measures, it is advantageous to use analytical methods to determine the throughput performance. The methodological approach for determining the throughput performance in the anticipated timetable and case study were approximated on the example of the rail freight corridor marked “Amber” that passes through Slovakia. Analytical procedures have been proposed according to the methodology used on the railways of Slovakia, and the quality issues were assessed using a new approach for determining the optimal and critical throughput performance. The mentioned procedures are advantageous for assessing infrastructural measures from the point of view of a railway infrastructure manager.
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