Browsing by Author "Kyakula, Michael"

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An assessment of the impact of construction activities on the environment in Uganda: a case Study of Iganga Municipality
(Journal of Construction Engineering and Project Management., 2012-11-15) Muhwezi, Lawrence; Kiberu, Faisal; Kyakula, Michael; Batambuze, Alex O.
Construction while being an economic activity that provides facilities and infrastructure, it is beneficial to man in some aspects and detrimental in others. There have been environmental concerns related to construction activities globally which mainly focus on atmospheric emissions, depletion of natural resources and energy issues. This study was carried out to assess the impacts of construction activities on the environment in Iganga Municipality and to propose measures for their mitigation. The methodology included: review of relevant literature, observations of the general environmental effects of construction activities, focus groups and a survey conducted among construction industry role players to determine their perceptions and opinions regarding environmental impact of construction activities. The collected data was presented in tabular form and analysed by description of responses to questions. The study revealed that forests were the most greatly degraded due to high demand of timber for construction followed by wetlands degradation. The findings of this study will be useful to architects, designers and builders in order to carefully design buildings and other infrastructure that are environmentally friendly and sustainable. Construction materials and their mode of acquisition are harmful threats to the environment. There is need to reduce the consumption of these materials through recycling and reusing wastes to reduce on waste generation, use of virgin materials and the subsequent waste of energy used in new material production.
A comparative analysis of existing models and a new pushover analysis model of reinforced concrete sections
(Engineering Structures, 2023-01) Kimeze, Henry; Kyakula, Michael
Pushover analysis is mainly carried out using the concentrated plasticity model whereby when a point reaches yield, a hinge is placed at that point. The other is the yielded block spread plasticity model, whereby when a point reaches yield, an elastic sub-element of the beam is replaced by a yielded sub-element having a reduced cross-section and second moment of area. Both of these models ignore cracking. This study aims at giving an insight into the effects of considering cracking during modelling on the accuracy of estimating deformations in reinforced concrete (RC) structures during pushover analysis by proposing a spread cracking and yielding block model. The proposed model introduces a cracked sub-element to account for the gradual spread of cracking in the beam. A single-storey RC frame is used because it doesn’t pose the challenge of lateral load distribution. A comparison between the proposed model and the existing models shows an increment in the accuracy of the rotational, displacement, moment and lateral load capacities of 63.64%, 56.86%, 64.33% and 55.56% respectively. Experimental results show that all theoretical models underestimate the ultimate floor displacements and lateral load capacities. The proposed model, however, has better accuracy on both fronts than both existing theoretical models.
Impact of addition of banana fibres at varying fibre length and content on mechanical and microstructural properties of concrete
(Hindawi: Advances in Civil Engineering, 2021-10-08) Mugume, Rodgers B.; Karubanga, Adolph; Kyakula, Michael
'is experimental study aimed at investigating the impact of addition of banana fibres on the mechanical (compression, splitting tension, and flexure) and microstructural (microscopic morphology and Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy) properties of concrete. Concrete mixes comprising of banana fibres of varying fibre lengths (40, 50, and 60 mm) and fibre contents (0.1, 0.2, 1.0, 1.5, and 2.5%) were assessed. Addition of banana fibres to concrete was observed to significantly impact on compressive strength only at lower fibre contents of up to 0.25% for all fibre lengths. Fibre length had no significant impact on compressive strength at lower fibre contents of up to 0.25%, but shorter fibres were observed to perform better than longer ones at higher dosages more than 0.25%. Increase in fibre content positively impacted on tensile strength of concrete at relatively lower fibre dosages of up to 1%. Similarly, fibre length impacted on tensile strength of concrete at lower fibre contents of up to 1% and, longer fibres were observed to be more effective than shorter ones. Addition of banana fibres generally did not greatly contribute to flexural strength of concrete but had a marginal impact only when shorter fibres were used at lower fibre dosages. Also, microstructure of concrete was improved through better bonding between the fibres and the matrix and reduction in porosity of the matrix, which resulted in improved mechanical properties of the composite. Banana fibres further contributed to changes in phases of the composite structure of Banana fibre-reinforced concrete (BFRC) through a reduction in its interplanar spacing and lattice structure. For optimal purposes, addition of banana fibres should be limited to a maximum of 1% fibre content preferably using shorter fibre lengths. Further research to improve flexural strength of BFRC to meet minimum technical requirements is required before it can be considered for structural applications
Occupational safety training and practices in selected vocational training institutions and workplaces in Kampala, Uganda
(Taylor&Francis: International Journal of Occupational Safety and Ergonomics, 2015-12-23) Denis, Kintu; Kyakula, Michael; Kikomeko, Joseph
Several industrial accidents, some of them fatal, have been reported in Uganda. Causes could include training gaps in vocational training institutions (VTIs) and workplaces. This study investigated how occupational safety training in VTIs and workplaces is implemented. The study was carried out in five selected VTIs and workplaces in Kampala. Data were collected from instructors, workshop technicians, students, workshop managers, production supervisors, machine operators and new technicians in the workplaces. A total of 35 respondents participated in the study. The results revealed that all curricula in VTIs include a component of safety but little is practiced in VTI workshops; in workplaces no specific training content was followed and there were no regular consultations between VTIs and industry on safety skills requirements, resulting in a mismatch in safety skills training. The major constraints to safety training include inadequate funds to purchase safety equipment and inadequate literature on safety.