Journal of the Ghana Institution of Engineering (JGhIE)

Effect of sulphonated naphthalene formaldehyde superplasticizer on the mechanical and durability properties of concrete produced using locally sourced fine aggregate from Ghana

Mark Bediako — 2024-03-08

The use of superplasticizers is very uncommon in many developing countries. However, its inclusion in concrete enhances concrete's mechanical and durability properties. There is a yawning gap in the literature on the performance of Sulphonated Naphthalene Formaldehyde (SNF) superplasticizers in concrete, especially in the sub-Saharan construction industry where the quality of aggregates used in production is questionable. This study produced two batches of concrete produced with locally sourced pit sand, with characteristic strength of 30 MPa. One batch was without the SNF superplasticizer to serve as a control, whereas the other batch was made with the incorporation of the superplasticizer. The fresh properties of slump and air content and the hardened properties of compressive and flexural strength, elastic, and dynamic moduli were investigated. Further, durability indicators comprising sorption, water absorption, sorptivity, chloride penetration, electrical surface resistivity, and acid attack were investigated. The results of the study demonstrated that the incorporation of SNF superplasticizers in concrete resulted in improved workability and a reduction in ion mobility within the concrete. This was attributed to a decrease in the presence of interconnected pores, leading to notable enhancements in mechanical properties such as increased strength, as well as improvements in both elastic and dynamic moduli. Moreover, concrete containing SNF superplasticizer protects the concrete much better from acid attack than those without SNF superplasticizer. The study recommends the use of SNF superplasticizers in concrete for improved workability, reduced ion movement via fewer interconnected pores, and enhanced mechanical properties, potentially boosting overall durability.

Maintaining production levels in underground mining operations during pandemics -a case study

Festus Kunkyin-Saadaari — 2024-03-28

The outbreak of pandemics has dire consequences on businesses, industries and economies. The resulting ill-health and natural panic of the workforce tend to impact production levels, yet serious businesses such as mining ventures, must strive to make profit. To achieve objectives, businesses must put in measures to remain afloat. In this study, measures implemented by Chirano Gold Mines Limited (CGML) during Covid-19 were examined. Secondary production data spanning from 2019 to 2021 was used to appraise the performance of the mine in maintaining production levels in underground operations during the surge of the pandemic by using field visits and the administration of questionnaires. The data analysis showed that in 2020, 98.23 % and 72.72 % of the target for production and development, respectively, were met; also, 72.95 % and 92.61 % of the blasting target and ore tonnes mined were achieved respectively. Among the three years, 2020 had the highest ore production tonnage, with June recording the least value and October recording the highest value. The study found that education, effective communication of Covid-19 protocols, and the use of working shift manoeuvres were key in achieving the targets.

The collapsible nature of reworked residual granites in the Stellenbosch Municipality, South Africa

Samuel Yaw Asante — 2024-02-28

In South Africa, residual granite is associated with the collapse phenomenon, a geotechnical hazard that was first identified in the 1950s. Residual granite is a product of chemical weathering (in-situ decomposition) or physical weathering of the parent rock (granite) whilst reworked residual granites is defined as residual granite reworked in-situ by termites. Residual granite usually consists of bulky-sized quartz particles, with silts, and bridged by colloidal matter. Extreme leaching of the colloidal matter creates a structure like a honeycomb. It, however, leaves voids within the structure, which affects the mechanical behaviour of the soil. The soil collapses upon wetting under additional loading. Construction on soils with a collapsible fabric has led to many documented problems. This paper, therefore, reports on the examination of mineral composition and particle shape examination and its effect on behavioural changes of potentially collapsible soil. The soil used for this study includes reworked residual granite obtained from the Stellenbosch area in the Western Cape of South Africa. A multi-element analysis and morphological studies were performed on mounts using the ZEISS EVO MA15 scanning electron microscope at the Centre for Analytical Facility at Stellenbosch University. Shape analysis confirmed that the severity of collapse increased with increasing angularity. In addition, the type and amount of clay present at particle contacts influenced the swell and collapse behaviour of reworked residual granite.

Modelling and optimization of luffa oil transesterification via acid activated waste marble catalyst

Kenechi Nwosu-Obieogu — 2024-03-30

This study assessed the performance of response surface methodology (RSM) and artificial neural network (ANN) in modelling the transesterification of luffa oil using acid activated waste marble catalyst. The waste marble was activated with 0.5 molar sulphuric acid at 600 ^oC for 4 hours and was characterized by SEM, FT-IR, XRD, XRF, and BET; the characterization proved that the catalyst was successfully activated. The experiments were conducted at a catalyst dosage (1-5 wt. %), temperature (40-80 ^oC), methanol-oil ratio (4:1-12:1), time (1-3 hours), and agitation speed of (100- 500 rpm) with output as biodiesel yield. ANN was assessed using three back-propagation (BP) procedures, each comprising five neurons (input layer), one (output layer) and ten (hidden layer). The Levenberg Marquardt technique offered the most accurate prediction for luffa oil transesterification. The models were developed based on experimental and algorithm simulations and designs. The models' performance was assessed using the R²and MSE. Regarding R² and MSE, the ANN model (R²=9.9921E-1, MSE=0.06311) has a superior predictive capacity in forecasting the process than the RSM (R²=0.9885, MSE=0.86). At a catalyst concentration (3wt %), time (2 hours), temperature (60 ^oC), agitation speed (100 rpm) and methanol-oil ratio (12:1), the experimental (92.57 %), RSM predicted (94.0487 %) and ANN predicted (91.1768 %) biodiesel yield showed an agreement between the experimental and predicted values. The findings via physicochemical analysis, FT-IR, and GC-MS confirm that the biodiesel was within ASTM specifications.

A review of two decades of research on sustainable regional and trans-border infrastructure

Samuel Dorhetso — 2024-02-28

In spite of the budding interest of researchers, policymakers and practitioners, there are still differing and disjointed conceptualizations of sustainable regional and trans-border infrastructure (SRTBI) as its meadow is still emerging. In an effort to fill this research gap, the resolution of this study was to review and synthesize SRTBI research and to provide directions for future research. The author reviewed peer-reviewed theoretical and empirical journal articles published during the last two decades – from 2003 to 2023. Scopus database was the source of the journal articles collected to conduct this study. Selected keywords from a rigorous review of literature were pooled with Boolean operators and searched. Subsequently, a scrupulous screening procedure with an inclusion and exclusion criteria was adopted to select the relevant articles for the study. The selected journal articles on SRTBI were subsequently synthesized for further acumens. The field of SRTBI is bitty and has advanced in the passage of the last two decades in diverse ways. This study identified core publication vents and papers, key theoretical and methodological approaches and key variables of interest that exist in the SRTBI literature. The findings also suggested a few research themes for future studies. The study can significantly impact academia and organisational research literature, and it can extend conceptual perspectives of implications of resolutions made to adopt a SRTBI. Adding to its theoretical value, the study has significant implications for policy and practise, as it would expand viewpoints on decisions to adopt SRTBI. The study was based on documents retrieved from Scopus and any limitations of the database may have implications for the findings. This inquiry filled a need to review the current state of the SRTBI literature and spelt out research issues that may be addressed by researchers in future.

Determination of health and nutritional benefits of jackfruits (artocarpus heterophyllus)

Benjamin Afotey — 2024-02-28

Jackfruit is one of the tropical fruits uncommonly consumed in Ghana. In this study, the nutritional and health benefits of the jackfruit pulp, together with its bark and leaves, were assessed. The methodology was centered on determining the macro- and micronutrient composition and some potential health benefits of the jackfruit pulps, barks, and leaves. The proximate analytical methods of the Association of Official Analytical Chemists (AOAC 2000) were used to quantify the macronutrients. The micronutrient contents were determined using spectrophotometric and non-spectrophotometric methods. The total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoids content (TFC), and the β-carotene contents were determined using spectrophotometry as a means of measuring the health benefits of the samples. The crude protein, carbohydrates, and fiber content of the pulp were 1.05±0.06, 17.40±0.36 and 0.46±0.15 g/100 g of fresh fruit sample, respectively. The K, Ca, and P contents of the jackfruit pulps were 422.36±9.60, 69.91±1.66 and 61.17±0.01 mg/100 g of fresh fruit sample, respectively. The TPC, TFC, and β-carotenes content of the pulps were 65.9302±0.0163 mg GAE/100 g, 5.7620±0.0291 mg QE/100 g, and 2.43±0.06 mg/100 g, respectively. The results showed that jackfruit is rich in nutrients including minerals, phytochemicals and in relatively higher amount compared with other fruits.

Establishing blast exclusive zone at Huni Pit - a case study

Bright Akuinor — 2024-03-31

During the early stage of open pit mining in the Huni Pit of Damang Gold Mine, the pit was shallow. The established distances to the public road on the west was 756 m and 646 m to the East and North respectively. The blast exclusion zone established was 959.80 m and 500 m radius expansion from the 960 m Reduced Level (RL) from the crest line of the pit to the north and east respectively for extra safety precautionary measure with nine (9) blast guard positions. A review of the blast exclusion zone was done on the 912 m RL with empirical models. From the computations, the maximum horizontal distance the flyrock could reach is 220 m and 277.45 m for blast hole diameters of 115 mm and 127 mm with the same stemming length of 2.0 m. These projected maximum horizontal distances are far less than the distances to the public road. Hence, the blast exclusion zone has been reduced to 500 m as recommended by Minerals Commission of Ghana. The revised blast exclusion zone has removed the inconvenience associated with travelling from Damang via Akyempim to Twifo Praso, Takoradi, Cape Coast and Accra during blasting times.

Experimental studies on fillet weldment joints by artisans in Ghana’s Western Region

Emmanuel Acquah — 2024-02-28

Constant progress, demand in the manufacturing of mechanisms parts, and the ability to join parts together is another critical aspect of manufacturing for assemblers. Joining methods plays a significant role and welding must be constantly improved, experimented with, and upgraded due to its increasing use in all aspects of manufacturing. The quality of a weld joint is highly dependent on the process parameter. Welds are examined to ensure that they meet specifications through various experimental processes ranging from computational networks, evolutionary algorithms, non-destructive testing (NDT) and destructive testing (DE) to ascertain the quality of joints. The main objective of the study was to ascertain the quality of welded joints through non-destructive evaluation (NDE). To achieve this goal, an experimental method of four (4) NDE methods were employed to evaluate the quality of weldment joints on a mild steel material joined using manual metal arc welding (MMAW) process in selected fabrication shops in Takoradi-Kokompe, Ghana. Steel specimens were prepared and taken to the artisans to be created into corner joints using the fillet method. The specimens were tested using non-destructive testing techniques. The results on the welded joints were evaluated using the AWS D1.1 code of acceptance for structural steels. The results revealed that all welded joints from fabricators failed to meet the AWS D1.1:2000 acceptance criteria and, thus, had to be rejected. The results implies that through the artisans have worked for many years in the welding trade, their lack of competence and skills in the selection of right input welding parameters contributed to the results. The results implies that, the finished artefacts may look fine but internal structures may contribute to future failure of the fabricated artefacts.

Breaking ground in Ghana: LiDAR for site monitoring and its implications on project delivery

Bernard Makafui Agbelengor — 2024-02-28

Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) has in contemporary times become a popular technology in the developed world, being utilized in city planning and infrastructure development. Documentation on the knowledge of its usage in Ghana is scanty. A major challenge that hinders the effective and timely delivery of infrastructural projects in Ghana is the delay in validating certificates for payment as a result of the use of traditional methods of measurement. This paper analysed the use of LiDAR in Aboragyei dumpsite in comparison with the existing traditional method of measurement, which is both time-consuming and prone to measurement inaccuracies. The objective was to evaluate the level of accuracy in measurement between the two methods. This paper used quasi-experimental designs on LiDAR technology to capture 3D models and extract vertical and horizontal measurements from them within a short period. The findings from the comparative assessment indicated that LiDAR technology speeds up infrastructure projects by enhancing not only procedure productivity but also cross-team communication. The cloud point models generated by LiDAR mapping do not deform when confronted with angular or complex geometry, unlike theodolite. This study makes a strong case for the utilization of LiDAR as a method for measuring vertical and horizontal angles by illuminating the target with laser light and measuring each reflection with a sensor. LiDAR system if adapted for site monitoring in Ghana will help avoid distortions in measuring horizontal and vertical angles and save time. However, a major constraint using it in Ghana was the unstable weather patterns.