3月，春节过后，随着建设施工陆续启动，建材产品需求开始缓慢复苏，水泥和平板玻璃产销量均有所回升。价格方面，由于需求尚未全面复苏，整体水平仍偏低，水泥价格下跌，玻璃价格低位震荡。出口方面，出口形势转好，水泥和平板玻璃出口量均有所上升。 预计4月，建设施工将全面启动，建材行业将进入旺季，需求将明显增强，水泥和平板玻璃产销量将继续回升，价格有望得到反弹。

2012年以来，在市委、市政府的正确领导下，我市立足于建筑产业化“千亿产业”目标，敢为人先、主动作为，加大招商引资力度，加快试点项目进程，先后引进了一批龙头企业，陆续开工建设了一批示范项目，全市建筑产业化工作取得了令人瞩目的成就，受到国家住房和城乡建设部和省住建厅的肯定，在行业内引起广泛关注。在去年lo月份住房和城乡建设部主办的第十二届“中国国际住宅产业博览会”上，合肥市人民政府应邀在大会上作经验交流，合肥市建筑产业化工作“起步快、做法实、效果好、后劲足”的特色，受到了广泛关注和好评。

2014年1～5月，我国经济回升的基础仍不够稳固，微刺激政策相继出台。供求方面，全国固定资产投资增速继续趋缓，房地产投资进入调整阶段，对建筑业需求影响较大，建筑业总产值继续回落，新签合同价款同比大幅下滑；投资方面，整体增速呈现回暖势头，好于去年同期；成本方面，建筑材料工业生产者价格指数环比下降0.23个百分点，回暖形势艰难。未来经济下降压力依然存在，房地产市场低迷对总需求的抑制作用还将加强，上半年中国经济将继续回落。现有政策还不足以抵消经济自身下滑的压力。微刺激政策有加码迹象，基础建设投资有望保持较快增长，建议投资者重点关注交通基础设施、水利工程等。

2014年1季度，我国宏观经济仍然面临下行压力。建筑业景气指数持续走低，企业家信心不足。需求方面，由于全国固定资产投资增速继续回落，建筑业总产值增速下滑，建筑业需求偏弱。投资方面，建筑业固定资产投资增速出现回落，未能延续回升势头。成本方面，建筑材料工业生产者价格指数环比微降，但仍位于100以上，成本压力不减。在新城镇化建设的推动下，建筑业将保持平稳增长态势。西部大开发，铁路融资体制改革、棚户区改造、大规模保障房建设也将为建筑业需求带来强力支撑。此外，利好政策频出，绿色建筑、智能建筑发展将加速。

AEC software facilitates rapid and error-free construction, including of large and complex industrial plants, multi-industry international exposition centers, and submarines in the Construction industry. It improves the efficiency of construction and engineering processes by providing 3D as well as 2D simulation models to end-users. Thus, the effective use of AEC software helps improve the output of the Construction industry.

This research investigates the behavior of a geosynthetic reinforced sandy soil foundation using laboratory model footing tests. The model footings were steel plates with dimensions of 152 mm × 152 mm. The parameters investigated in this study included top layer spacing, number of reinforcement layers, vertical spacing between layers, tensile modulus and type of reinforcement, and embedment depth. The test results showed that the inclusion of reinforcement can appreciably improve the soil's bearing capacity. Higher tensile modulus geosynthetics performed better than others; and that sand reinforced by the composite of geogrid and geotextile performed better than those reinforced by geogrid or geotextile alone. The test results also showed that the reinforcement configuration/layout has a very significant effect on the bearing capacity of reinforced foundation. The results of the model footing tests were compared with the analytical solution developed by the authors in a previous study. The analytical solution gave a good predication of the experimental results of footing on geosynthetic reinforced sand.

One serious problem reinforced concrete bridge decks face throughout the United States is the development of several cracks. Concrete bridge decks of all ages and sizes, some even constructed within the last several years, show different levels of cracking. Regardless of the type of superstructure, the number and length of spans, and the type of concrete used, cracks inevitably develop in every reinforced concrete bridge deck. There is a need to study the extent of cracking developed in concrete bridge decks so that the causes of cracking can be identified and counter measures established to minimize cracking in future bridge deck constructions. Cracks are critical on bridge decks because cracks provide access to harmful, corrosive chemicals that deteriorate the reinforcing steel, which is embedded within the concrete. Once chloride and other deteriorating agents penetrate concrete and make contact with the reinforcing steel, the deteriorating agents will corrode the steel, cause spalling, and eventually cause a loss of cross sectional area for the reinforcing steel. Such deterioration can affect the shear and moment capacity of reinforced concrete bridge decks. Also, the bridge deck cracks allow water and deicing salts to leak down through the bridge deck and damage the substructure and affect the aesthetics of the bridge.

This thesis is part of a larger project that will demonstrate the feasibility of powering a commercially sized 7.5-ton cooling system. Excess cooling will be stored thermally using ice. This system has the potential to be used in military bases to reduce energy costs and fossil fuel consumption. A scaled down version would be suitable for data centers and forward operating bases where the transport of fuel can be costly and dangerous. The system will be built and operated at the Turbopropulsion Laboratory (TPL) of Naval Postgraduate School. This thesis concentrates on the choice and location of wind turbines used to power the cooling system. A simulation of Building 216, which is the planned site of the cooling system, was performed. A wind flow analysis found that optimum placement of the wind turbines is at the front of the south end of the building. The method for placing the wind turbines is outlined and applicable to other structures. Vertical Axis Wind Turbines (VAWTS) were found to be the most suitable for site location. A transient analysis of the VAWTS was necessary to accurately simulate their performance. This supported the selection of a three-bladed helical VAWT design. Further simulations of wind turbine separation showed some beneficial effects of close spacing.

Spiralnails are hollow steel pipes extruded and twisted to form a square helical shape. They are driven rather than drilled, and thus they do not require cement grout to develop a bond with the soil, and provide immediate internal stability improvement to a soil mass. Because effective and economical designs require an improved understanding of individual and group spiralnail behavior, a 6-m (20-ft) tall, top-down vertical excavation was constructed using spiralnails in a well-characterized, engineered fill. The spiralnail reinforcement design used existing soil nail design methods to achieve an acceptable factor of safety using nail lengths and spacing comparable to those common for a conventional grouted nail design. The objective of the project was to measure the performance of the spiralnail reinforced soil mass in order to evaluate the applicability of existing soil nail design methods to spiralnail design. The paper describes the design, construction, soil characterization and properties, instrumentation, and presents the measured load-displacement behavior of the spiralnails and observed deformation of the reinforced soil mass. A preliminary analysis of load-displacement data is presented, and calculated spiralnail equivalent bond stress values are provided. Based on the measured deformations and using an empirical correlation, the spiralnail-reinforced soil mass performance is compared to a grouted nail-reinforced soil mass.

Based on the reversed cyclic loading test of three 1∶4 high-strength concrete flat columns,the computer program ABAQUS was used to simulate behaviors of the specimens.Concrete in the column was modeled using the damage plasticity material model,and a uniaxial steel model with combined isotropic and kinematic hardening properties was used to simulate the behavior of the reinforcement.The establishment of the finite element model,definition of the material parameters and the influence of diagonal reinforcement were discussed at length.The results show that the concrete damage plasticity model can be well used for hysteretic analysis of reinforced concrete members if the relevant parameters are reasonably defined.Diagonal reinforcements can not significantly improve ductility of the specimens,but can improve their shear capacities.This paper can provide reference for the performance simulation of reinforced concrete members under cyclic loading.