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smart & connected construction
automation & robotics
2D/3D data understanding
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Energy-efficient and net zero energy buildings are quickly gaining importance and popularity among contemporary building practices. Typically, several renewable energy harvesting systems are combined to reach the objective of net zero energy consumption, posing the unique challenge of properly sizing each energy system. Because no standard design procedure exists, installed energy systems often are inappropriately sized. In this project, we propose a holistic design procedure to determine and optimize the corresponding size of renewable energy systems in a typical residential house in order to meet the total energy demand. To evaluate this procedure, a case study was implemented for a Zero Net Energy Test House (ZNETH) at the University of Nebraska that employs three energy source systems: geothermal, photovoltaic panel (PV) and wind turbine. While the results of the case study indicate that, based on present costs of renewable energy sources, energy systems are more expensive to operate in a zero energy house than in homes using grid power, the proposed size optimization method for the renewable energy sources was found to be sound.

Journals:

  • Zheng, K., Cho, Y., Zhuang, Z., and Li, H. (2013). "Optimization of the Hybrid Energy Harvest Systems Sizing for Net Zero Site Energy Houses." ASCE Journal of Architectural Engineering, Volume 19, Issue 3, September 2013, DOI: 10.1061/(ASCE)AE.1943-5568.0000109 [Full text]

  • Neal, J., N., Schwer, A., Tiller, D., Cory, B., Barry, N., Berryman, C., Shen, Z., Shi, J., Cho, Y., Stansbury,J., Li , H., Lau,E., Zhang,T., and Alahmad, M. (2012). “Analysis of Components in a Zero Net Energy Test House (ZNETH) in Omaha Nebraska.” The International Journal of the Constructed Environment, Volume 2, Issue 1, Pages 37-50, [Link] [Full text]

  • Hemsath, T., Goedert, J., Schwer, A., and Cho, Y. (2011). "Zero Net Energy Test House," Journal of Green Building, Volume 6, Issue 2, Spring 2011, Pages 36-48, DOI: 10.3992/jgb.6.2.36 [Full text]

Proceedings:

  • Kabassi, K., Cho, Y. (2011). “BLCC Analysis derived from BIM and energy data of Zero Net Energy Test Home.” ASCE, International Conference on Sustainable Design and Construction in Kansas City, MO, DOI: 10.1061/41204(426)37 [Full text]

  • Zheng, K., Zhuang, Z., Bode, T., Cho, Y., and Li H. (2011). “Optimization of the Hybrid Energy Harvest Systems Sizing for Zero or Zero Net Energy Houses.” ASCE, International Conference on Sustainable Design and Construction in Kansas City, MO, DOI: 10.1061/41204(426)35 [Full text]

  • Cho, Y., Morcous, G., and Kabassi, K. (2010). “BIM-driven Economic Analysis for Zero Net Energy Test Home.” 27th International Conference-Applications of IT in the AEC industry, Cairo, Egypt, 16-18 Nov. [Full text]

  • Cho, Y., Alaskar, S., and Bode, T. (2010). “BIM-Integrated Sustainable Material and Renewable Energy Simulation.” ASCE, Construction Research Congress (CRC) 2010 conference in Banff, Alberta, Canada, pp.288-297, DOI: 10.1061/41109(373)29 [Full text]

  • Cho, Y., Bode, T., and Alaskal, S. (2009). “BIM-DRIVEN ENERGY ANALYSIS FOR ZERO NET ENERGY TEST HOME (ZNETH).” 3rd International Conference on Construction Engineering and Management and 6th International Conference on Construction Project Management, Jeju, Korea, May 27-30, pp. S4-3. [Link] [Full text]

Debris and foreign materials left in a crack (resulting from sawing, routing, or pavement use) contaminate the sealing or filling material and reduce cohesion. Deicing chemical left in cracks during winter present an especially critical problem for early failure of sealed cracks. To avoid these contamination-related failures, cracks must be cleaned prior to being treated. This project developed a low-cost and effective mechanical tool to prepare random cracks and joints for sealing. The system incorporates two traditional crack cleaning methods in one device: (1) wire brushing and (2) air blasting. The device uses a pneumatically driven rotary wire brush to clean cracks of mid to large size debris and vegetation. Directly behind the rotary brush, variable direction air blasting nozzles on the device are used to further expel fine grained particulate like concrete dust, fine sand, and—most importantly—winter deicing chemicals from the walls and surfaces of the pavement cracks. The prototype was evaluated in the laboratory for mechanical durability, brush effectiveness, air blast effectiveness, ergonomics, and equipment adaptability. Following necessary improvements, the prototype was further tested in the field at two highway crack sealing sites in collaboration with the Nebraska Department of Roads. The and device was also successfully demonstrated to the City of Omaha street maintenance group in Nebraska.




Here is the operation manual and product brochure of our advanced crack cleaning device, please contact Dr. Cho for Commercialization or Start-up Business if you are interested in.

Posters:
  • Cho, Y., Xu, Q., and Wang, C. (2013). “Advanced Cleaning Device to Remove Debris and Chemicals for Crack/Joint Sealing.” The Transportation Research Board (TRB) 92nd Annual Meeting, January 13-17, Washington, D.C. [Link]
  • Cho, Y., Bode, T., Wiek, D., and Wang, C. (2012). “Cleaning Device to Remove Debris and Chemicals for Crack/Joint Sealing.”The Transportation Research Board (TRB) 91st Annual Meeting, January 22-26, Washington, D.C. [Link]
  • Cho, Y., Wiek, D., and Wang, C. (2012). “Cleaning Device to Remove Debris and Chemicals for Crack/Joint Sealing.” 66th Iowa County Engineers Conference, December 4-6, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa. [Page 1] [Page 2]
Patent:
  • 2012, a non-provisional patent: pending, “Advanced Cleaning Device to Remove Debris and Deicing Chemicals for Crack/Joint Sealing for Pavement”
This project will improve and evaluate the conceptual design of a pavement crack cleaning device developed in a previous IDEA project (NCHRP-148) to make it more practical and functional by adding advanced functions such as routing, hot air blowing, and vacuuming. Work in Stage 1 will focus on retrofitting the prototype, developed in the previous DEA project, with additional functions including routing, hot air blowing, and vacuuming. In addition to soliciting feedback from industry, a comprehensive literature review will be conducted to uncover any past findings for the newly added functions that could facilitate equipment development. Three-dimensional CAD models of the most promising designs will be developed and initial prototypes fabricated. The prototypes will be evaluated in the laboratory for mechanical durability, safety, hot air blast effectiveness, vacuuming effectiveness, ergonomics, and equipment adaptability. Following necessary improvements, the device will be tested in the field in collaboration with the Nebraska Department of Roads and the City of Omaha, Nebraska. Work in Stage 2 will involve additional testing and evaluation and refinement of the device. In addition, a business plan for the commercialization of the device will be developed. Visits to companies that manufacture similar equipments (such as, Crafco, Billy Goat, and Asphalt Sealcoating Direct, among others) will be made to demonstrate the IDEA device for commercialization possibilities. The final report will provide all relevant data, guidelines and specifications for the new cracks/joints cleaning device and plans for its commercialization.




Here is the operation manual and product brochure of our advanced crack cleaning device, please contact Dr. Cho for Commercialization or Start-up Business if you are interested in.

Posters:
  • Cho, Y., Xu, Q., and Wang, C. (2013). “Advanced Cleaning Device to Remove Debris and Chemicals for Crack/Joint Sealing.” The Transportation Research Board (TRB) 92nd Annual Meeting, January 13-17, Washington, D.C. [Link]
  • Cho, Y., Bode, T., Wiek, D., and Wang, C. (2012). “Cleaning Device to Remove Debris and Chemicals for Crack/Joint Sealing.”The Transportation Research Board (TRB) 91st Annual Meeting, January 22-26, Washington, D.C. [Link]
  • Cho, Y., Wiek, D., and Wang, C. (2012). “Cleaning Device to Remove Debris and Chemicals for Crack/Joint Sealing.” 66th Iowa County Engineers Conference, December 4-6, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa. [Page 1] [Page 2]
Patent:
  • 2012, a non-provisional patent: pending, “Advanced Cleaning Device to Remove Debris and Deicing Chemicals for Crack/Joint Sealing for Pavement”
Debris and foreign materials left in a crack (resulting from sawing, routing, or pavement use) contaminate the sealing or filling material and reduce cohesion. Deicing chemical left in cracks during winter present an especially critical problem for early failure of sealed cracks. To avoid these contamination-related failures, cracks must be cleaned prior to being treated. This project developed a low-cost and effective mechanical tool to prepare random cracks and joints for sealing. The system incorporates two traditional crack cleaning methods in one device: (1) wire brushing and (2) air blasting. The device uses a pneumatically driven rotary wire brush to clean cracks of mid to large size debris and vegetation. Directly behind the rotary brush, variable direction air blasting nozzles on the device are used to further expel fine grained particulate like concrete dust, fine sand, and—most importantly—winter deicing chemicals from the walls and surfaces of the pavement cracks. The prototype was evaluated in the laboratory for mechanical durability, brush effectiveness, air blast effectiveness, ergonomics, and equipment adaptability. Following necessary improvements, the prototype was further tested in the field at two highway crack sealing sites in collaboration with the Nebraska Department of Roads. The and device was also successfully demonstrated to the City of Omaha street maintenance group in Nebraska. A pavement repair equipment company, Crafco, Inc., has expressed interest in further development of the device and in its commercialization. The NTIS number is PB2011-114172. The contractor's final report is available.


Here is the operation manual and product brochure of our advanced crack cleaning device, please contact Dr. Cho for Commercialization or Start-up Business if you are interested in.

Posters:
  • Cho, Y., Wiek, D., and Wang, C. (2012). “Cleaning Device to Remove Debris and Chemicals for Crack/Joint Sealing.” 66th Iowa County Engineers Conference, December 4-6, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa. [Page 1] [Page 2]
Patent:
  • 2012, a non-provisional patent: pending, “Advanced Cleaning Device to Remove Debris and Deicing Chemicals for Crack/Joint Sealing for Pavement”
To accomplish the objective of assessing soil compaction, a comparison study of usability and performance was conducted between a nuclear gauge (Troxler 3440) and two non-nuclear gauge alternatives, including the Electrical Density Gauge (EDG) and the Light Weight Deflectometer (LWD). The EDG was tested for in-place moisture and density. The LWD, a stiffness-strength based criterion for evaluating QA and QC of a material, was also tested. The nuclear gauge was utilized to measure the in-situ dry density and moisture content. Finally, the previously mentioned measurements were all compared to a standard, the field dry unit weight measurement, as a baseline. It was determined by taking a sample representative of each measurement area either with a Shelby tube or other method for lab testing.

Journals:
  • Cho, Y., Kabassi, K., Wang, C. (2012). " Framework of Non-Nuclear Methods Evaluationfor Soil QC and QA in Highway Pavement Construction." Journal of Construction Engineering and Project Management, Volume 2, No.2, June 2012, Pages 45-52, DOI: 10.6106/JCEPM.2012.2.2.045 [Full text]
This study investigated new technologies used for QC and QA by comparing the Pavement Quality Indicator (PQI) model 301 with a nuclear gauge and core sample measurements for Hot Mix Asphalt(HMA). To achieve this objective, the accuracy of the non-nuclear gauge was statistically assessed by comparisons of readings achieved with field coring and the nuclear gauge. From extensive data analyses, innovative calibration and error modeling procedures were developed and a framework was created for incorporation into existing specifications to improve the data accuracy of the non-nuclear gauge. Compared with precise density provided by HMA core samples, nuclear gauge readings had a higher correlation with the core 393 samples, compared to the PQI. The PQI, however, showed more consistent results than the nuclear gauge, as a consequence of a smaller standard deviation. Also, the average difference between the nuclear gauge and the PQI was not significant when the entire data pool was considered.


Journals:
  • Cho,Y., Wang, C., and Zhuang, Z. (2013)."Framework of Empirical Process for Improving Non-nuclear Gauge Performance in HMA Pavement Construction." ASCE Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, Volume 139, Issue 6, June 2013, Pages 601-610, DOI: 10.1061/(ASCE)CO.1943-7862.0000638 [Full text]
Proceedings:
  • Kabassi, K., Im, H., Bode, T., Zhuang, Z., and Cho, Y. (2011). “Non-Nuclear Method for HMA density measurements.” Associated Schools of Construction (ASC) 47th Annual International Conference in Omaha, NE. [Link] [Full text]
This research tested an extensive number of removal methods on both concrete and asphalt pavements, especially including dry-ice blasting and environmentally friendly chemical method. The methods were selected based on a nation-wide survey and literature review. In addition, an innovative removal inspection method was developed using image processing technology to accurately measure the visual damage to the pavement. Among the tested removal methods, the new chemical method was identified as most effective in terms of cost and performance quality. This study of pavement-marking removal and inspection can help state transportation agencies significantly improve the current temporary marking removal practices and inspection protocols.


Journals:
  • Cho, Y., Kabassi, K., Pyeon, J., Choi, K., Wang, C., and Norton, T. (2013). "Effectiveness Study for Temporary Pavement Markings Removal Methods in Roadway Construction Zones." ASCE Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, Volume 139, Issue 3, March 2013, Pages 257-266, DOI: 10.1061/(ASCE)CO.1943-7862.0000608 [Full text]
This research was conducted to assess the effects of temperature segregation in hot-mix asphalt (HMA) paving construction on pavement distress in the early stages of its life cycle. Several paving projects across Nebraska were visited in which sensory devices were used to test how density, moisture content within the asphalt, material surface temperature, internal temperature, wind speed, haul time, and equipment type, contribute to temperature differential. Areas of high temperature differential were identified using an infrared thermal camera. A nonnuclear density device was also used to record how lower temperature asphalt density correlates with a more consistent hot area. The location was marked digitally with a handheld global positioning system (GPS) to locate points of interest for future site revisits to verify research findings. The research findings indicate that among the investigated variables, truck types and density are highly correlated with temperature differential. Additionally, analysis of data from revisits after one or two freeze-thaw seasons shows that higher temperature differential is significantly correlated with premature distress (PD) of paved HMA roads while they are still in new condition. This finding suggests that higher temperature segregation created from paving construction in the zone of freeze-thaw cycles promotes visible surface distress in the very early stage of the pavement life cycle.




Journals:
  • Cho, Y., Bode, T., Song, J., and Jeong, J.(2012). “Thermography-Driven Distress Prediction from Hot Mix Asphalt Road Paving Construction.” ASCE Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, Volume 138, Issue 2, February 2012, Pages 206-214, DOI: 10.1061/(ASCE)CO.1943-7862.0000395 [Full text]
Proceedings:
  • Bode, T. and Cho, Y.(2010). “Framework for Web-based Highway Construction Geospatial Data Management.” ASCE, Construction Research Congress (CRC) 2010 conference in Banff, Alberta, Canada, pp.288-297. DOI: 10.1061/41109(373)61 [Full text]

  • Cho, Y., Bode, T., and Kim, Y.R.(2009). “Advanced Quality Control Methods for Road Paving Construction by Utilizing Sensory Devices.” ASCE, 2009 Construction Research Congress (CRC) conference in Seattle WA, April 4-7. pp. 516-525, DOI: 10.1061/41020(339)53 [Full text]

In summer 2014, RICAL group made total three visits to two different summer STEM camps (Y.E.L.L. Academy and STEM Chicks). Y.E.L.L. Academy stands for Youth Engaged in Learning and Leading and STEM Chicks was a camp for only girls interested in STEM. Y.E.L.L. Academy was a camp located at Spelman College in Atlanta, GA and STEM Chicks was a camp that was located at Peachtree Ridge High School in Suwanee, GA. At the presentations a brief overview was given about what Civil Engineering is and the different branches. Next, three demonstration videos (one about laser scanning, another about virtual reality, and a reaction video to virtual reality) were showcased to the students. After the videos we spoke briefly about the benefits of Virtual Reality and Laser Scanning in Civil Engineering and then we let the kids play in the kid friendly virtual environment (the roller coaster). While they were listening to us speak about each device we had the laser scanner scanning the kids at the same time. Once they played with the virtual reality we pulled up the scan of the actual classroom on our software so they could see first hand how the emerging technologies in the civil engineering field works.






To remain competitive, the construction industry in the U.S. requires a highly-trained and diverse workforce. The Virtual Interactive Construction Education project uses cyber-infrastructure tools to transform traditional subject-based lectures into project-based, interactive simulations in order to improve the quality and efficiency of undergraduate education. The learning modules place students in the full context of running a construction project in a computer-generated simulation environment. The project uses the simulation module along with assessment tools to determine the effectiveness of the module for student learning and engagement.



Journals:
  • Cho, Y., Subramaniam, M., Guo, H., and Xiao, L. (2011). A framework for Virtual Interactive Construction Education (VICE)," Journal of Automation in Construction, Volume 20, Issue 1, January 2011, Pages 76-87, DOI: 10.1016/j.autcon.2010.07.002 [Full text]
Proceedings:
  • Goedert, J., Cho, Y., Subramaniam, M., and Ling, X.(2009). “Virtual Interactive Construction Education (VICE) using BIM tools.” 3rd International Conference on Construction Engineering and Management and 6th International Conference on Construction Project Management, Jeju, Korea, May 27-30, pp. S14-6. [Link] [Full text]