PurposeThis paper aims at studying the level of implementation of ISO 9001 in Jordanian consulting engineering firms and to what extent does the implementation effectiveness affect the success of the construction projects. Moreover, the paper seeks to identify the Critical Success Factors (CSFs) that directly influence the ISO 9001 effectiveness in Jordanian consulting engineering firms.Design/methodology/approachA questionnaire was constructed and distributed to a sample of 125 employees from six ISO 9001-consulting firms. After collecting the data, exploratory factor analysis was utilized to validate the latent constructs (CSFs, ISO 9001 Effectiveness, and Firm Performance).FindingsThe findings suggest that firms experience a high level of ISO 9001 effectiveness. Moreover, among the five identified CSFs; employee attributes, external environmental pressure and quality system attribute had a significant impact on the ISO 9001 effectiveness, while internal motivation and firm attributes were insignificant.Originality/valueThe significance of this study lies in exploring such topic in the developing countries, since most of current studies were focused on developed contexts such as the USA and UK. Therefore, this research acts as a response to calls in the current literature regarding considering different industries and contexts.
An accurate estimate of FRP-concrete bond is essential for a successful FRP repair. The present work aims at developing a semi-empirical model employing a large database (about 500 data points) collected from various literature works. In the beginning, an iterative regression process was followed to establish the trend behaviour (of each key parameter versus bond strength) and decide on insignificant ones. Then, the different equations were merged and manipulated into a simplified model with three regression constants. These were determined based on two-third of the database points using the statistical software SPSS. The key parameters involved in the final simplified model included concrete properties (compressive strength and maximum aggregate size) and mechanical and geometric characteristics of the FRP composites (axial stiffness and bond's width and length). The proposed model showed a high fit of the regression database at 0.88 coefficient of determination (R2) with a very limited number of outliers. Moreover, the accuracy of prediction by our model of the validation database far exceeds that of all well-known semi-empirical and empirical models. The sensitivity of the present model to the changes in the key parameters confirms the trend behaviours reported in the various experimental works and models.
Nowadays, single-layer braced domes are widely used by architects and engineers. The strength, economy, and fast installation were the main reasons for spreading this system around the world. The architectural design constraints of a dome impose structural challenges for the design engineer, especially when the span is large, with a small aspect-ratio or heavy design loads. Therefore, the structural engineer looks for different methods to strengthen the single-layer braced dome. This paper studied three different methods for improving the structural performance of the single-layer braced dome, including the grid-density, the member geometry (size), and the bracing systems with double-layer. A total of 96 finite element models were analyzed and designed using SAP2000 commercial software. Four main types of braced domes were studied, including Schwedler, Ribbed, Geodesic, and Kiewit-6. Two different types of joint connections were modeled (i.e., rigidly-connected and pin-connected). In addition, all models were pin-supported at the bottom ring and subjected to static gravity load only.The results indicated that the joint rigidity had a significant impact on the linear buckling load and a minor effect on the maximum displacement and internal forces. Furthermore, it was found that the increase in grid-density, enlarging member size, or using bracing systems significantly improved the structural performance, but at the expense of increasing the of a single-layer brace dome 's weight.
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