Wang, J., Densley Tingley, D.O. orcid.org/0000-0002-2477-7629, Mayfield, M. et al. (1 more author) (2018) Life cycle impact comparison of different concrete floor slabs considering uncertainty and sensitivity analysis. Journal of Cleaner Production, 189. pp. 374-385. ISSN 0959-6526
Abstract
The traditional construction industry is characterized as a labor-intensive, wasteful, and inefficient sector. Currently, prefabrication has become a common practice in residential development and has reduced energy consumption and waste generation compared to traditional on-site practices. This study investigates the differences in life cycle environmental impacts among three different floor systems (precast slab, composite slab (semi-precast slab) and cast-in-situ slab) based on two functional units (delivering the same carrying capacity and maintaining consistent floor depth) using both LCA midpoint and endpoint methods using the software tool SimaPro. This study sets a calculation boundary for the construction process: raw material production, slab production, transportation, construction activities on-site, demolition and recycling of buildings at the end-of-life stage. Moreover, uncertainty and sensitivity analysis are carried out to help decision-makers identify major environmental impact factors and develop eco-friendly plans to facilitate housing industrialization. The results indicate that (1) the environmental impact of precast slab outperforms those of cast-in-situ and composite floors regardless of different design functional units and evaluation methods. (2) While under different functional units, the environmental performance of composite and cast-in-situ floors varies considerably. (3) From the perspective of life cycle stages, the transportation sector and its supply chain make up a significant portion of the final environmental impact and are responsible for 45.2%, 50.1% and 53.6% of the total impact for the precast, composite and cast-in-situ slabs, respectively. Slab production of precast slab (it is raw material production of cast-in-situ and composite slabs) is the second largest contributor to the environmental impact.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2018 Elsevier. This is an author produced version of a paper subsequently published in Journal of Cleaner Production. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher's self-archiving policy. Article available under the terms of the CC-BY-NC-ND licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). |
Keywords: | LCA; Precast slab; Cast-in-situ slab; Composite slab; Uncertainty analysis; Sensitivity analysis |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Sheffield |
Academic Units: | The University of Sheffield > Faculty of Engineering (Sheffield) > Department of Civil and Structural Engineering (Sheffield) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Sheffield |
Date Deposited: | 08 May 2018 14:49 |
Last Modified: | 11 Apr 2019 00:43 |
Published Version: | https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2018.04.094 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Elsevier |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.1016/j.jclepro.2018.04.094 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:130483 |