Journal of Construction Engineering and Management

Pipe cooling is now widely adopted to control the temperature of concrete dams. There is no suitable method to compute the effect of simultaneous cooling of the embedded pipe and the lift surface of concrete. In this paper, the finite element method is used for calculation. This is a complicated three‐dimensional problem. The key to the question is the determining of the temperature of the cooling water. Three methods are given in this paper for analyzing the interaction between the cooling water and the concrete. The formulas required in computation are derived and a computer program for common use has been compiled. Some problems encountered in engineering practice are investigated. A practical computing method and relevant charts are presented for the convenience of engineers.

Research conducted on public construction contracting practices in Japan and the United States is discussed. A comparison is made of contracting practices in Japan and the United States by examining how a major Japanese construction company functioned on two representative public contracts in Japan and on two public contracts in the United States. The paper makes recommendation for changes in procedures by American contractors seeking to do business in Japan and for Japanese contractors seeking to perform work in the United States. These changes may be necessary before contractor organizations from both countries can take full advantage of each other's construction market potential.

The peculiar characteristics of the products and the technological constraints of construction significantly differentiate it from manufacturing; this suggests that the process of innovation and the factors governing this process will differ. Based on an investigation of several product innovations in construction, this paper describes the characteristics of four key actors that play important roles in the innovation process in construction and the relationships among them. These actors are owner's demands, problems, designer's bank of technology, and contractor's process technology. This effort is the first step toward deciphering the mechanism of product innovation in construction, which has been neglected by researchers despite its immense importance to technological advancement in this vital industry. The paper also develops practical applications to assist industry professionals attempting to increase the rate of product innovation and implications to structure future research.

Construction lay‐down yards are riddled with inefficiencies due to lack of organization and control. Loss, theft, misplacement, and misidentification of material and equipment are common among many construction projects. This paper introduces the automated lay‐down yard control (ALYC) system that gives managers the ability to achieve control over their project's inventories. The ALYC system combines bar code, computer‐aided design (CAD), and recently developed positioning technology to provide a complete inventory‐identification and tracking system. The positioning system used in ALYC is called the automated position and control (APAC) system. The APAC system utilizes radio waves to obtain X, Y, and Z coordinates of both moving and stationary objects. This positioning system enables the ALYC inventory‐control system to track and accurately locate inventories in an open environment. The ALYC inventory‐control system will contribute to reducing the cost of construction projects through the effective management of materials and equipment.

Estimates of materials, time, and costs provide information to some construction decisions in a similar way that financial accounting information provides to others. Financial statements are required to comply with generally accepted accounting principles, described in accounting literature, to ensure information is accurate and useful to decisions. This paper suggests general estimating principles that similarly guide good estimating practice. An estimate must be an accurate reflection of reality. An estimate should show only the level of detail that is relevant to decisions. Completeness requires that it include all items yet add nothing extra. Documentation must be in a form that can be understood, checked, verified, and corrected. Attention must be given to the distinction between direct and indirect costs and between variable and fixed costs. Contingency covers possible or unforeseen occurrences, both the expected value of possible identified events and the expectation that events will occur that cannot be identified in advance.

Contract managers are expected to evaluate requests for contract extensions due to abnormal weather. However, they may not have a definition of normal weather impact for comparison. The implicit assumption in a contractor's time‐extension request is that normal weather disruptions are included in the original schedule. While subjective estimates can be prepared for weather impact, analytical approaches have been limited. The development of an analytical technique for evaluating impact will provide a basis for comparing planned and actual weather impact. A conceptual model for evaluating precipitation impact is presented. The method utilizes a Markov process for prediction of rainfall events, combined with an impact evaluation utilizing basic fuzzy‐set operations. The treatment of information for the impact analysis stresses the individual treatment of activities. An example of a calculation is provided to demonstrate the technique. The proposed method provides an opportunity to evaluate normal weather impact to schedules, for planning purposes. If the normal weather impact can be defined, the difficulties of evaluating time‐extension requests can be reduced.

Project‐labor agreements are often used in the construction industry to provide labor peace on construction sites as well as more flexible work‐rule restrictions within each craft designation working on the project sites. Project agreements are usually negotiated on an individual‐project basis for large‐scale, long‐duration construction projects with heavy ongoing manpower demands. Project agreements have proliferated in use in part due to the fragmented and multifaceted bargaining taking place in the local unions' jurisdictions. Project agreements have been designed to overcome the inefficient nature of local labor agreements and consequently improve the competitiveness of unionized construction for large‐scale projects. Project agreements have been actively opposed by local union and nonunion contractor groups. Local contractor groups have challenged the legality of project agreements on the grounds of: (1) Alleged violations of the federal antitrust laws; and/or (2) alleged violations of the federal labor laws. This paper provides useful research information on project agreements and highlights important legal considerations in the negotiation of project agreements.

The business environment for small‐ to mid‐sized contractors is highly competitive. Success is obtained by those contractors who consistently earn the 2–3% net profit that the marketplace allows. To ensure success in today's business climate, contractors must hire and keep good people, emphasize quality and client relations, maintain credit lines, insurance, and bonding requirements, and have computer systems that provide instant access to the information necessary to operate the business. This paper is a case study describing how one construction company successfully integrated microcomputers and commercially produced software packages to peform many business tasks. A project cost control system is developed using spreadsheet programs that are integrated with the contractor's historical record of labor productivity information. Also described are scheduling, word processing, and accounting for the small contractor using microcomputers.

Driving forces in the construction industry indicate that the ability to innovate is quickly becoming a competitive necessity. Changes in owners' demands and more complex facilities require new approaches in both design and construction. Investigations of other industries reveal organizational characteristics of innovative firms, but construction's institutional framework, products, and technology differ significantly from manufacturing. Based on investigations of successful examples, this paper describes elements of organizational structure and culture that appear to foster construction innovation. These common elements include supportive policies and priorities, flexibility in unit size and grouping, intra‐ and interorganizational coordination, and staffing to satisfy specific requirements for key positions. This paper describes each of these elements and gives examples from a study of innovations. The descriptions of these elements include recommendations for managers seeking to organize for increased innovation, and the conclusions include research insights and needs.

Bridging has been the key element in the development of road systems. The scope and range of solutions has depended on the effective exploitation of the most economical materials available. The growth of span and load‐carrying capacity is reflected in the moves leading to the use of concrete. The design and construction of concrete bridges has altered rapidly during recent decades. This has been brought about by better analytical methods, better planning, and increased mechanization in the construction of the works. However, these steps have also brought in their wake new problems for the engineer, contractor, and supervisor. This paper shows the different approaches on a number of factors. The first part shows the design of bridges in classes for span and type with reference to the pertinent factor for that design. The second part looks at the contractor's approach to construction and illustrates the need for flexibility in the construction method in order to meet contract deadlines. The third part considers the role of the supervising engieer, who achieves a balance between the designer's intentions and the contractor's proposals.