Editorial

Citation

Haupt, T.C. (2012), "Editorial", Journal of Engineering, Design and Technology, Vol. 10 No. 1. https://doi.org/10.1108/jedt.2012.34310aaa.001

Editorial

Article Type: Editorial From: Journal of Engineering, Design and Technology, Volume 10, Issue 1

The first issue of this volume of the Journal of Engineering, Design and Technology marks ten years since the journal was launched and features papers on traditional and design-build procurement methods, power-trowelling productivity of concrete floors, managing multiple project environments, GTA welded metal matrix composites, laser welded super austenitic stainless steel, hollow helical springs and buckling analysis of thin rectangular plates.

In the first paper Godwin Idoro evaluates the levels of use of project documents and their influence on the outcome of construction projects procured traditionally and using design-build methods. He found no significant difference in the levels of overall project planning during various project stages between the two methods. There were, however, significant differences in the level of use of project plans and the outcomes of projects. He argues that these differences were responsible for the shorter delivery times and lower costs when using the traditional procurement method and the higher quality standards when using the design-build method.

Abdulaziz Jarkas investigated the effects and relative influence of various factors on power-trowelling productivity of concrete surface floors. In his paper he discusses the importance of economies of scale given the significant influence of all the factors considered. He also found no support for the positive impact of using subcontractors to improve the trowelling operation.

Theo Haupt and Ferdinand Fester discuss issues affecting the development, empowerment and sustainability of women-owned contractors in South Africa. They argue that despite government-designed and driven initiatives the glass ceiling will remain until research-based and targeted interventions are introduced that are longitudinal and focused rather than quick-fixes. They propose involving a limited number of women-owned businesses in a program of development accompanied by regular evaluations of progress toward stated goals.

Ismah Noor Hashim and Nicholas Chileshe in their paper discuss major challenges facing the Australian construction sector when managing multiple project environments (MPE). They found that out of 22 challenges, the four challenges of “commitment and responsibility,” “leading projects,” “planning,” and “conflict and communication” were the most important. They argue that these findings provide project management practitioners with a better understanding of the challenges that need to be overcome to perform effectively.

In their paper on corrosion analysis of GTA welded metal matrix composites (MMC), Palaniswamy Venugopal and Natarajan Murugan observed maximum pitting resistance in MMCs containing 10 per cent SiC treated at cryogenic temperature. They found that corrosion resistance of welded composites treated at elevated temperature was higher than those treated at cryogenic temperature.

In the penultimate paper, Paulraj Sathiya, M.Y. Abdul Jaleel and B. Shanmugarajan discuss laser welded super austenitic stainless steel in their paper. They found that the specimen failed in a ductile manner under the action of tensile loading. They observed mixed mode fractures in the form of ductile and cleavage fractures. Further, the hardness of the Helium shielded laser joints in the weld metal joints was highest.

Sandeep Singh, Kamlesh Kulkarni, Ramesh Pandey and Harpreet Singh in the final paper discuss elastic buckling behavior of simply supported and clamped thin rectangular isotropic plates. They found that the buckling strength of square plates is highly influenced by partial edge compression when compared with plates subjected to uniform edge compression.

My special thanks to each of the contributing authors and reviewers for their contribution to the papers in this landmark issue as well as issues during the past ten years.

Theo C. Haupt