Tao Xu, Wei Shen, Xiaoshan Lin and Yi Min Xie
Irregularly shaped architectural designs with surfaces curved in multiple directions, known as free-form designs, have gained significant public interest in recent decades…
Abstract
Purpose
Irregularly shaped architectural designs with surfaces curved in multiple directions, known as free-form designs, have gained significant public interest in recent decades. However, it is challenging to convert complex designs into real structures. This paper aims to realize free-form construction by developing a novel workflow in which additively manufactured thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) molds are used.
Design/methodology/approach
The workflow is developed through mechanical tests on additively manufactured TPU specimens, determination of TPU mold design criteria and exploration of mold preparation methods. Two concrete elements with free-form geometries are fabricated using the proposed workflow.
Findings
TPU is a thermoplastic elastomer that is strong and inexpensive, making it an ideal mold material for casting complex concrete structures. An innovative workflow is developed in which TPU molds are used, appropriate release agents are selected for different concrete casting conditions and a mold subdivision method is proposed to facilitate the demolding process. Furthermore, the integrity of TPU molds can be maintained by following the proposed workflow, enabling repetitive use of molds. The fabrication of the two free-form structures shows that complex concrete members with high dimensional accuracy and excellent surface quality can be manufactured using the proposed method.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first systematic study on using additively manufactured TPU molds for concrete casting of complex structures. The new techniques developed in this research can be applied to large-scale architectural, engineering and construction projects.
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Wei Li, Xiaoshan Lin and Yi Min Xie
Optimised concrete components are often of complex geometries, which are difficult and costly to cast using traditional formworks. This paper aims to propose an innovative…
Abstract
Purpose
Optimised concrete components are often of complex geometries, which are difficult and costly to cast using traditional formworks. This paper aims to propose an innovative formwork system for optimised concrete casting, which is eco-friendly, recyclable and economical.
Design/methodology/approach
In the proposed formwork system, ice is used as mould pattern to create desired geometry for concrete member, then sand mould is fabricated based on the ice pattern. A mix design and a mixing procedure for the proposed sand mould are developed, and compression tests are also performed to ensure sufficient strength of the sand mould. Furthermore, surface preparation of the sand mould is investigated for easy demoulding and for achieving good concrete surface quality. Additionally, recyclability of the proposed sand mould is tested.
Findings
The proposed mix design and mixing procedure can provide sufficient strength for sand mould in concrete casting. The finished components exhibit smooth surfaces and match designed geometries, and the proposed sand mould can be fully recycled with satisfactory strength.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study that combines ice pattern and sand mould to create recyclable formwork system for concrete casting. The new techniques developed in this research has great potential to be applied in the fabrication of large-scale concrete structures with complex geometries.
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This paper aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies.
Design/methodology/approach
This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context.
Findings
The positive impact of training can be enhanced if learners set appropriate goals at the outset. By opting to pursue a mastery goal, learners are likely to engage more with the deep learning strategies that are associated with a broader range of desirable outcomes for both learners and their organization.
Originality/value
The briefing saves busy executives and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to-digest format.
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Keywords
This paper aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies.
Design/methodology/approach
This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context.
Findings
Emphasis on achievement goal orientation can enable firms to realize key earning outcomes from workplace training. Desired outcomes become considerably likelier when learners set a mastery-approach goal as opposed to other goal types at the outset of training.
Originality/value
The briefing saves busy executives, strategists and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to-digest format.
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M. Vishal and K.S. Satyanarayanan
This study delineates the effect of cover thickness on reinforced concrete (RC) columns and beams under an elevated fire scenario. Columns and beams are important load-carrying…
Abstract
Purpose
This study delineates the effect of cover thickness on reinforced concrete (RC) columns and beams under an elevated fire scenario. Columns and beams are important load-carrying structural members of buildings. Under all circumstances, the columns and beams were set to be free from damage to avoid structural failure. Under the high-temperature scenario, the RC element may fail because of the material deterioration that occurs owing to the thermal effect. This study attempts to determine the optimum cover thickness for beams and columns under extreme loads and fire conditions.
Design/methodology/approach
Cover thicknesses of 30, 40, 45, 50, 60 and 70 mm for the columns and 10, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 50, 60 and 70 mm for the beams were adopted in this study. Both steady-state and transient-state conditions under thermomechanical analysis were performed using the finite element method to determine the heat transfer through the RC section and to determine the effect of thermal stresses.
Findings
The results show that the RC elements have a greater influence on the additional cover thickness at extreme temperatures and higher load ratios than at the service stages. The safe limits of the structural members were obtained under the combined effects of elevated temperatures and structural loads. The results also indicate that the compression members have a better thermal performance than the flexural members.
Research limitations/implications
Numerical investigations concerning the high-temperature behavior of structural elements are useful. The lack of an experimental setup encourages researchers to perform numerical investigations. In this study, the finite element models were validated with existing finite element models and experimental results.
Practical implications
The obtained safe limit for the structural members could help to understand their resistance to fire in a real-time scenario. From the safe limit, a suitable design can be preferred while designing the structural members. This could probably save the structure from collapse.
Originality/value
There is a lack of both numerical and experimental research works. In numerical modeling, the research works found in the literature had difficulties in developing a numerical model that satisfactorily represents the structural members under fire, not being able to adequately understand their behavior at high temperatures. None of them considered the influence of the cover thickness under extreme fire and loading conditions. In this paper, this influence was evaluated and discussed.
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Lian Duan, Hongbo Song, Xiaoshan Huang, Weihan Lin, Yan Jiang, Xingheng Wang and Yihua Wu
The study examined the impact of feedback types through a learning management system (LMS) on employees’ training performance. The purpose of this study is to establish effective…
Abstract
Purpose
The study examined the impact of feedback types through a learning management system (LMS) on employees’ training performance. The purpose of this study is to establish effective feedback on advanced technologies for promoting corporate training.
Design/methodology/approach
A total of 148 trainees were recruited from a multinational medical company. Employees were randomly assigned to receive feedback from shallow to more constructive details on their learning performance with LMS. Data sources included are employees’ goal setting (GS) performance evaluated by the experts and their posttest scores obtained from the LMS. A series of statistical analyses were performed to investigate the impact of feedback intervention on employees’ GS and their impacts on corporate training results.
Findings
GS has a significant impact on learning outcomes. Employees who set greater specific goals attained higher scores. Furthermore, feedback with more formative evaluation and constructive developmental advice resulted in the most significant positive influence on the relationship between participants’ GS and learning outcomes.
Practical implications
Organizations can benefit from delivering appropriate feedback using LMS to enhance employees’ GS and learning efficacy in corporate training.
Originality/value
This study is one of the first to examine the moderating effect of feedback provided by LMS on GS and online learning performance in corporate training. This study contributes to GS theory for practical application and proposes a viable method for remote learning. The current study’s findings can be used to provide educational psychological insights for training and learning in industrial contexts.
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Yan Jiang, Weihan Lin, Xiaoshan Huang, Lian Duan, Yihua Wu, Panpan Jiang and Xingheng Wang
The purpose of this study is to propose and examine an integrated learning model for improving training effectiveness in workplace learning. Specifically, this study investigated…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to propose and examine an integrated learning model for improving training effectiveness in workplace learning. Specifically, this study investigated the effect of achievement goal-setting intervention across three groups of new employees from a multinational medical company. During a three-day remote training program, the role of each achievement goal orientation (AGO) in goal setting intervention and their relations with trainees’ applied learning strategies were examined. This study proposed and validated an integrated training model for improving remote workplace learning effectiveness.
Design/methodology/approach
This study was based on two data sources, the pre- and posttests scores; time on task (deep learning: completing reflective practice) and time on content learning (surface learning: watching tutorials) retrieved from an adaptive learning platform. A total number of 133 participants were recruited in this study, and they were randomly assigned to three interventional groups. The intervention was grounded from the AGO theory and goal setting theory. A series of statistical analysis were conducted to examine the effect of each type of achievement goal setting as a prompt for new employees’ learning behavior and performance.
Findings
Results indicated that setting mastery goal at the beginning of the training program leads to productive learning outcomes. Compared with the groups being required to set performance goal (final rank) or not to set any goal for the training purpose, trainees’ who were assigned to set a mastery goal (final performance score) performed statistically significantly higher than the other groups. Additionally, learners who set mastery goal spent higher proportion of time on deep learning than learners from the other groups. The results proved mastery goal setting as an effective prompt for boosting workplace learning effectiveness.
Practical implications
Organizations and institutions can take setting mastery approach goals as a prompt at the beginning of the training to increase learning effectiveness. In this way, trainees are promoted to apply more deep learning strategies and achieve better learning outcomes while setting mastery goal for their training purpose.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study was the first to combine the intervention of goal setting and types of AGOs into workplace learning. This study adds to previous research on goal setting theory and AGO theory for the practical application and proposes an effective model for learners’ adaptive remote learning. Findings of this study can be used to provide educational psychological insights for training and learning in both industrial and academic settings.
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Xinlei Zhang, Hechao Wu, Xiaoshan Huang, Qin Wu and Yihua Wu
Online learning becomes a trendy format for workplace training, particularly during the pandemic. This study aims to examine the effects of a technology-assisted self-adaptive…
Abstract
Purpose
Online learning becomes a trendy format for workplace training, particularly during the pandemic. This study aims to examine the effects of a technology-assisted self-adaptive training camp on employees’ learning process and acquired knowledge, and the relationship between employees’ knowledge gained and organisational growth.
Design/methodology/approach
The participants were 213 pharmaceutical representatives from a global pharmaceutical business in the Asia-Pacific branch who enrolled in a 21-day professional training camp. Their knowledge gained was calculated by pre-tests and post-test scores captured from an online training system. The company’s profits gained by employees were indicated by individuals’ quarter-over-quarter growth rates. Specifically, the authors applied a series of quantitative analyses to examine the relationship between employees’ knowledge gained, learning quality and organizational growth brought by individuals.
Findings
During the online training session, employees obtained increased professional knowledge significantly. The quality of employees’ learning process was a significant predictor of their learning outcomes. In addition, a positive correlation was found between the knowledge obtained by employees and the company’s quarterly growth rates. A followed-up regression analysis indicated that the greater knowledge improvement an individual achieved, the higher quarter-to-quarter growth rate brought by the individual to the organization.
Originality/value
The study provides educational insights for organisations to effectively train employees’ professional competency through online learning. The investigation on the 21-day camp shows that employees received higher-quality training, resulting in increased revenues and greater workplace flexibility. The findings have implications for supporting the integration of educational technology into workplace training to boost the competency development of employees.
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Wei Wang, Junping Shi, Xiaoshan Cao and Yifeng Hu
The partition of unity of the standard meshless Galerkin method is used as basis in expressing the discontinuity of the contact surface displacement, particularly by adding…
Abstract
Purpose
The partition of unity of the standard meshless Galerkin method is used as basis in expressing the discontinuity of the contact surface displacement, particularly by adding discontinuous terms into the displacement mode, and constructing the discontinuous meshless displacement field function. In this study the contact surface equation is aimed to derive from the improved Coulomb friction contact model.
Design/methodology/approach
In this paper based on the basic idea of meshless method, an improved moving least squares approximation function (expansion method based on out of unit division) is applied to the analysis of two-dimensional contact problems.
Findings
On the basis of this equation after discrete processing, it is combined with the discrete form of the virtual work equation with added contact conditions, and eventually transformed into a standard linear complementary problem. Moreover, it is solved by using the Lemke algorithm, and a corresponding example is provided in this research.
Originality/value
The proposed method can effectively control the mutual embedding of the contact surface, and the stress distribution that is the same as the actual situation can be obtained on the contact surface.
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Xiaoshan Huang, Alejandra Ruiz-Segura, Chengyi Tan, Tingting Wang, Robin Sharma and Susanne P. Lajoie
Social presence (SP), which refers to individuals’ perception of others being engaged as “real people” in the same situation, is a crucial component in technology-rich learning…
Abstract
Purpose
Social presence (SP), which refers to individuals’ perception of others being engaged as “real people” in the same situation, is a crucial component in technology-rich learning environments (TREs). This study aims to identify major learning design, antecedents and outcomes of SP within TREs, and identify common findings from the past two decades.
Design/methodology/approach
Following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses review principles and a qualitative analysis of selected articles, a final review of 72 studies that met inclusion criteria was obtained. Key information, including education level, discipline, sample size, study type and measurements, was extracted and studies were further analyzed and synthesized based on design features and learning modes.
Findings
The study identifies five crucial factors for instructional design to foster SP in TREs: technology affordances, multimedia features, social factors, instructional principles, learner characteristics and learning management systems. The authors compare two learning modes across three dimensions and identify popular technologies used in studies related to SP over the past two decades. Practical recommendations are provided for educators and educational technology developers to enhance SP within technology-rich learning environments.
Originality/value
This research contributes to the discourse on online learning and computer-supported communication, particularly in the post-COVID-19 era. By examining factors influencing SP and providing implications for instruction and educational technology development, this study offers evidence-based support to educators for engaging learners and fostering authentic learning experiences through adaptive selection of educational technologies.