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Article
Publication date: 5 May 2015

Yuanbo Feng, Zhiyong Huang, Gan Tian and Guofeng Jin

– This paper aims to present a correlation study on general and accelerated corrosion of the welded structure of aluminum alloy 2219 in N2O4.

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to present a correlation study on general and accelerated corrosion of the welded structure of aluminum alloy 2219 in N2O4.

Design/methodology/approach

Corrosion experiments of the Tungsten Inert Gas (TIG)-welded aluminum alloy structure were conducted under both mild and accelerated corrosion conditions by changing the water content in N2O4.

Findings

The experimental results indicated that both general and accelerated corrosion processes of the TIG-welded structure of aluminum alloy 2219 in N2O4 followed the linear equation ΔW = A + Bt, and the corrosion products were unchanged regardless of the water content in the N2O4 solution.

Originality/value

The weight loss comparison method is used to identify the structure of the conventional aluminum welding and aluminum welding structure corrosion dinitrogen tetroxide in nitric acid accelerated corrosion relationship.

Details

Anti-Corrosion Methods and Materials, vol. 62 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0003-5599

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 14 September 2021

Qi Wang

Although the Chinese nation is undergoing rapid modernisation and urbanisation, there remains widespread interest in some traditional familial arrangements and practices…

Abstract

Purpose

Although the Chinese nation is undergoing rapid modernisation and urbanisation, there remains widespread interest in some traditional familial arrangements and practices, particularly in the intergenerational context. This paper discusses the family relations of urban middle-aged citizens in present-day China.

Design/methodology/approach

This study employed the grounded theory method to investigate family relations among middle-aged citizens in urban China based on data obtained via semi-structured interviews with 34 participants. A grounded theory coding strategy was used for data analysis.

Findings

The analysis revealed evidence of a transformation towards downward solidarity, with decreasing intergenerational co-residency; that is, the traditional norm of adult children providing support to their older parents is rapidly losing popularity. However, middle-aged and older citizens continue to support their adult children by helping them purchase real estate and assisting with childcare activities.

Practical implications

The findings suggest the existence of intergenerational inequality. Policymakers should acknowledge this phenomenon and provide the younger generation with enough support to improve the wellbeing of the country's middle-aged and older population.

Originality/value

The transformation towards downward solidarity implies a new intergenerational relationship in contemporary China, in which many young people rely on financial and functional support from their older parents. Meanwhile, traditional norms continue to exist despite greater downward solidarity among the younger generation. In other words, old and new norms simultaneously exist.

Details

International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy, vol. 41 no. 13/14
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0144-333X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 16 March 2021

Guofeng Ma, Shan Jiang and Ding Wang

Although social media has been increasingly applied and valued in the construction industry, there has been little evidence revealing the influence mechanism of social media use…

1063

Abstract

Purpose

Although social media has been increasingly applied and valued in the construction industry, there has been little evidence revealing the influence mechanism of social media use in the construction context. In this way, this paper aims to explore how different purposes of social media use affect project performance from a project manager's perspective.

Design/methodology/approach

Drawing on the mechanism–outcome–performance framework, this paper developed a research model to figure out the mechanism through which work-oriented and socialization-oriented social media use influences construction project performance. The empirical data were collected from a survey of 249 construction project managers, and the structural equation modeling technique was applied to test the proposed model.

Findings

Results indicate that both work-oriented and socialization-oriented social media use promote knowledge acquisition and project social capital, which both further positively impact the project performance. Additionally, the negative moderating role of information overload is identified on the relationship between social media use and knowledge acquisition.

Originality/value

This study fulfills the need for an in-depth investigation of social media use on construction project performance, contributing to the project management and social media literature. Furthermore, this study provides recommendations for project managers to advance social media applications in the construction domain.

Details

Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, vol. 29 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0969-9988

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 12 November 2016

Jongmoo Jay Choi, Michael R. Powers and Xiaotian Tina Zhang

The paper provides an overview of material helpful in placing the subsequent papers in context, as well as a summary of the research contributions made by the individual papers…

Abstract

Purpose

The paper provides an overview of material helpful in placing the subsequent papers in context, as well as a summary of the research contributions made by the individual papers themselves.

Methodology/approach

We begin with a timeline of China’s Economic Reform, including both major events that permitted the opening and expansion of the nation’s economy, and important milestones of the historical movement. We then consider the impact of philosophy and culture (particularly, Confucianism and socialism) on China’s society and government, which leads naturally to certain observations regarding the political-economic model in which state-owned enterprises play a central role. In the final section, we briefly summarize the contents of the remaining papers.

Details

The Political Economy of Chinese Finance
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78560-957-2

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 20 August 2024

Yuyang Liu, Mingzhu Heng, Caiwen Hu, Huiling Zhang, Zixuan Wang and Guofeng Ma

The construction of smart cities holds the potential to drive digital innovation in the construction industry through various means, such as enhancing supply and demand. This…

Abstract

Purpose

The construction of smart cities holds the potential to drive digital innovation in the construction industry through various means, such as enhancing supply and demand. This study echoes the urgent need for the construction industry to overcome development challenges. Hence, it is necessary to study the extent and ways in which smart city policies promote digital innovation in the construction industry.

Design/methodology/approach

This study treats China’s smart city policies as quasi-natural experiments. Using a dataset of Chinese prefecture-level cities from 2007 to 2021 and a difference-in-differences model, the study scrutinizes the impact of smart city policies on digital innovation within the construction industry.

Findings

The study reveals a substantial positive influence of smart city policies on digital innovation in the construction industry. In addition, the study explains these results by analysing supply-side and demand-side mechanisms. Moreover, the effect of smart city pilot policies on promoting digital innovation within the construction industry displays noteworthy heterogeneity across cities at different regional and political levels.

Originality/value

By exploring the impact and mechanisms of smart city policies on digital innovation in the construction industry, this research contributes to a more comprehensive and profound comprehension of the role of policies in facilitating the digital transformation of the construction sector. It is a valuable reference for policymakers and industry practitioners aiming to advance digital development.

Details

Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0969-9988

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 10 September 2021

Guofeng Ma, Shan Jiang and Jianyao Jia

A lack of reliable and effective communication tools poses major barriers impeding the performance of construction projects consisting of diverse participants. Although some…

Abstract

Purpose

A lack of reliable and effective communication tools poses major barriers impeding the performance of construction projects consisting of diverse participants. Although some construction project teams (CPTs) begin to apply social media (SM) as an available approach for project management the entire mechanism of SM adoption in this specific context remains understudied. Therefore, this study aims to adopt a CPT's lens to investigate the critical antecedents and associated effects underlying SM adoption in the construction industry.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on the technology–organization–environment (TOE) theory, a conceptual model was proposed and tested by empirical data collected from 159 CPTs in China. Structural equation modeling technique was employed for data analysis.

Findings

The results demonstrate that all the five extracted TOE-based antecedents including two technological factors (i.e. compatibility and expected cost), one organizational factor (i.e. top management support) and two environmental factors (i.e. project partner collaboration and project fit) are crucial to the adoption of SM in CPTs. Besides, SM acceptance is found to mediate the relationships between organizational and environmental factors and SM use. Moreover, SM use significantly predicts the communication effectiveness of CPTs.

Research limitations/implications

A questionnaire study based on cross-sectional data from China may only unveil the logic of SM adoption in the context of Chinese construction industry within a shorter time interval. It is recommended that future research could develop longitudinal studies among various construction practitioners in different countries to further specify and generalize the current findings.

Originality/value

This paper provides a comprehensive understanding of SM adoption in the construction industry by exploring the preadoption antecedents and postadoption effects from the perspective of project teams. The empirical findings advance the current web-based project management literature and afford new insights for construction practitioners into better managing SM application to reap its full capabilities in projects.

Details

Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, vol. 29 no. 10
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0969-9988

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 14 July 2021

Guofeng Ma, Zhijiang Wu, Ming Wu and Shanshan Shang

The purpose of this study is to extract the real requirements of the owner (or users) for the construction project in the operation and maintenance stage completely and accurately…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to extract the real requirements of the owner (or users) for the construction project in the operation and maintenance stage completely and accurately and carry out the construction based on the requirements, to make the project status and operation and maintenance requirements (RO&M) consistent after delivered.

Design/methodology/approach

This study creatively proposes the operation and maintenance functions deployment (OMFD) under RO&M. In addition, the OPAR (naming is made up of the initials of owners, project, analysis and result) model is constructed to fully identify the requirements of both owners and projects. In this study, three typical construction projects are taken as examples to calculate the correlation strength between project characteristics (PC) and operation and maintenance requirements through the Apriori algorithm, and order parameters are obtained from the cost chain.

Findings

This study found that there are significant differences in the correlation strength between 11 types of RO&M and PC, in which the “cost of types” (TC) correlation of residential housing and factory buildings is the largest, while the largest correlation demand of commercial buildings is “safety of types” (TS) and “system” (S). Simultaneously, through the calculation of order parameters, the most influential factors on project characteristics are obtained.

Practical implications

This study could effectively help the owner (or users) to check whether the delivered project fully satisfy their real requirements and also extract the key technical points to realize RO&M, which can guide the accurate construction of the same type of projects.

Originality/value

This research establishes OPAR model to accurately identify the requirements of the project in the operation and maintenance stage and establishes the association rules between the requirements and the construction scheme, which is helpful for the project to construct under the expected requirements.

Details

Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, vol. 29 no. 8
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0969-9988

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 19 June 2017

Xuehai Guo, Guofeng Pan, Xin Ma, Xiangzhou Li, Ping He, Zhongqiu Hua and Haiqing Li

The purpose of this research is to synthesize Al2O3-ZnO thick films, study the effect of doping and optical excitation on their sensing properties and introduce an attractive…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this research is to synthesize Al2O3-ZnO thick films, study the effect of doping and optical excitation on their sensing properties and introduce an attractive candidate for acetone detection in practice.

Design/methodology/approach

ZnO nanoparticles doped with Al2O3 were prepared by sol-gel method and characterized via X-ray diffraction and field-emission scanning electron microscopy. The sensing properties to acetone were investigated with an irradiation of UV. The sensing mechanism was also discussed with UV-Vis spectroscopy.

Findings

The doping of Al2O3 promoted the sensing response and stability of ZnO nanoparticles. The optimum performance was obtained by 4.96 Wt.% Al2O3-ZnO. The response to acetone (1,000 ppm) was significantly increased to 241.81, even just at an operating temperature of 64°C. It was also demonstrated that optical excitation with UV irradiation greatly enhanced the sensing response and the sensitivity can reach up to 305.14.

Practical implications

The sensor fabricated from 4.96 Wt.% Al2O3-ZnO exhibited excellent acetone-sensing characteristics. It is promising to be applied in low power and miniature acetone gas sensors.

Originality/value

In the present research, the optimum performance was obtained by 4.96 Wt.% Al2O3-ZnO at a low operating temperature of 64°C. The sensing properties were enhanced significantly with optical excitation, and the sensing mechanism was discussed with UV-Vis spectroscopy which has been reported rarely before.

Details

Sensor Review, vol. 37 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0260-2288

Keywords

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