The article represents a brief overview of design and construction of Pharos of Alexandria. The author speaks about the establishment of the city by Alexander the Great, its economy and culture. The lighthouse occupied a special position in the city. The tower was constructed in the extreme eastern section of the Pharos island, and it was connected to the coastline by a huge dam. Construction works were completed in 280 B.C.Lighthouse of Alexandria was the highest ancient structure, except for Great Pyramids in Giza. It was a three-storey tower made of marble blocks. The lighthouse served as a fortress and protected the harbor. A detailed description of the functional design of the lighthouse, composition of its facades, peculiarities of its sculptural decorations are available now, and the same about the mechanism of delivery of fuel needed for the flashlight on the tower top. The author also discusses the technical problems of its maintenance and the most probable reasons for its destruction (earthquakes, etc.).Many ancient authors, including Strabo and Suetonius, mentioned this tower in their works. This architectural piece had a lot of second-rate «imitations» in Ancient Greece and Rome.

Graffiti is a specific phenomenon of the modern city originating from social upheavals and economic inequality as a movement of protest. As a practice, graffiti goes down into the ancient times as a means of information-intensive wall paintings and a system of alerts in the criminal environment of the US cities; later it converted into the criminal entertainment for the urban youth. Availability of high-quality paints, felt-tip pens, aerosols has contributed to the rapid development of this kind of street art, and it has a global scale now. In Russia, there is a movement of Martinez (graffiti writers) that emerged in the aftermath of disintegration of the USSR and further painful economic reforms in the country. Graffiti as an art has reached certain aesthetic heights, while as a social phenomenon it personifies both spiritual and moral degradation of the urban community. The author considers potential prospects of its legalization and consolidation with the mainstream art.

In the paper, the co-authors discuss the historical background of the housing problem in Russia and ways of its resolution. Many architects resolved this problem through extensive application of standard projects to residential housing buildings. Samples of initial standard designs recommended for large-scale construction in the country are provided in the paper.Construction of residential housing was one of the most rapidly developing trends in the architecture in the USSR and other countries in the 20th century. Social needs determined the trends for development of housing designs. The needs were met by taking account of basic economic and political conditions specified by the Soviet government. The basic social problem of housing was resolved on the nationwide scale. The challenge of providing housing to almost all households in Soviet Russia was the first experience of this kind in the history of architecture. The above mentioned challenge involved a continuous search for rational housing designs. Slogans of the 20ies read as “A new type of residential housing to the socialist country. The new socialist society needs new forms and types of housing meeting new requirements applied to households”.

The authors have demonstrated that coefficients of deformation and strength of metals can be applied to identify interrelationship between their shear stress and fatigue strength values.δThe authors have found that coefficient of proportionality ƒconnecting tensileвstrength σand hardness HB of magnesium alloys varies between 0.353 – 0.366 withthe average value equaling to 0.359. The coefficient of proportionality connecting shear stress τср and hardness HB varies between 0.246 – 0.267, and its average value equals to 0.254. Ratio S of shear stress to fatigue strength varies within 1.365 – 1.481, and its average value is equal to 1.410. For aluminum alloys, the above values are lower by 43% and 42%, respectively.δFor carbon steels, the coefficient of proportionality ƒ= 0.312 – 0.349, its averageδvalue is equal to 0.333, and for alloy steels, ƒ= 0.289 – 0.351, its average value is equalto 0.325. Coefficients of proportionality connecting the shear stress and hardness of carbon and alloy steels are equal to 0.172 – 0.229 and 0.134 – 0.223, with their average values being equal to 0.202 and 0.183.Therefore, the authors believe that the relation of shear stress values to fatigue strength values of the above non-ferrous and ferrous metals is close to one.

The authors formulate and solve the problem of consolidation and creep of saturated clay subfoundations exposed to localized loads (the two-dimensional problem formulation). The findings have proven that, if the two-dimensional problem is considered, any excessive pore pressure is concentrated immediately under the area exposed to the localized loading, and it penetrates into the depth equal to 1/2 of the strength of the compressed width. Subfoundation subsidence is caused by both shear and 3D deformations of soil. Besides, the ratio of shear-to-3D deformations reaches 10. Therefore, the authors propose to represent the subfoundation subsidence as the sum of shear and 3D deformations.The differential equation of the filter consolidation, if considered as the 2D problem, is solved using the Mathcad software. The software is used to analyze the isolines of excessive pore pressure at any moment following the loading application. New depen- dence representing the ratio of the changing area of the diagram of the average effective tension to the area of the diagram of the average tension in the stabilized condition is proposed by the authors.In the final section of the article, the authors solve the problem of prognostication of the subsidence pattern for the water saturated subfoundation with account for the shear creep of the soil skeleton. The authors employ the visco-elastic Bingham model characterized by time-dependent viscosity ratios. The authors have proven that in this case the subsidence following the shear load will develop as of the moment of application of the external load pro rata the logarithm of time irrespectively of the process of filtration consolidation.

This study consists in numerical modeling of the nonlinear response of soil. The study is a research into the protective performance of both open and in-filled trenches and an examination of the influence produced by (1) the shape of trenches and (2) their position in relation to sources of vibration and structures on the isolation efficiency of barriers. Assessments were based on reduction in horizontal displacements of soil particles on the ground surface exposed to impulse loading. Also, results of numerical researches are analyzed and interpreted to provide recommendations for their implementation and guides for barrier designers. Three points of loading were analyzed and an attenuation curve of soil displacement was drawn; the curve follows the projected trends, as it decays in the horizontal direction on the ground surface. The structure produces substantial effect on the efficiency of open barriers in terms of the surface wave energy.

The co-authors study the problem of large-scale accidents inside main buildings of steam thermal power plants (TPP), their causes and consequences. Within the framework of the research, the co-authors provide statistical data, frequency of major accidents and their most demonstrative examples. The research demonstrates relationship between large-scale accidents and equipment layouts inside main buildings. The model developed by the co-authors may be used to assess the reliability of individual engineering systems (power units), and their interconnection.As a result, the main building is represented as a set of independent engineering systems having similar or different degrees of reliability calculated or defined empirically. Some types of accidents within these systems may cause large-scale accidents, as well as accidents within other systems that maintain no immediate connection to the system already exposed to the accident, but remain in the same building. It is proven that efficient improvement of reliability of any engineering systems depends on the threshold of economic viability. The best solution consists in reduction of the number of engineering systems arranged within one main building.

Continuous technological advancements introduced into geodetic meters produce a significant influence on methods of and instruments for identification of settlements and horizontal displacements of such unique engineering structures as elementary particle accelerators, high-precision directional control equipment, radio telescopes, TV towers, etc. Against the background of intensive development, the microwave technology largely and effectively employs high-precision optical range finders capable of taking linear measurements with an error of 0.1—0.5 mm. Researchers of Yerevan State University of Architecture and Construction (YSUAC) continue the implementation of their geodetic meter project that contemplates mprovement and modernization of high-precision optical range finder DVSD-1200.The author presents distinctive properties of new advancements introduced into optical range finder DVSD-1200. The research into the characteristics of the optical range finder and experiments with different types of reflectors have caused the author to make a conclusion that the receiving optics is to be incorporated into the item that serves as the subject of research.

The authors have proven that sulphur-modified asphalts can be efficiently applied in road building. The authors’ conclusions are based on the analysis of their laboratory research findings.In the article, the authors provide their methodology for design of the sulphur-modified asphalt concrete. The core point of the methodology proposed by the authors consists in the equality of volumes of the oil bitumen in the benchmark composition of the asphalt concrete and in the composite binder containing the bitumen and sulphur modifier.The authors have also analyzed the economic efficiency of modifying the bitumen by the sulphur modifier. The analysis is based on identification of difference between the value of the sulphur modifier that contains the emission neutralization agent instead of the oil bitumen, en expensive component of the asphalt concrete.

In the article, its co-authors assess different options of application of chrysolitecement pipes in hot water supply networks either in combination with or instead of steel pipes. The co-authors have proven expedient application of chrysolite-cement pipes both in the event of trenchless pipe laying, and in cases of other pipe laying methods, especially in rural areas.Permanent loads, including weight and soil pressure (q), own weight of pipes, ownrp.weight of the heat carrier, influence of temperature and humidity of the heat carrier, andinternal pressure were considered in the research into the properties and installation conditions of chrysolite-cement pipes. The research findings have proven that chrysolitecement pipelines demonstrate a 35 – 50 % safety factor in the event of subterranean trenchless pipe laying at the depth of .8+ meters, depending on the pipe diameter, types and consistency of the soil, and traffic intensity of the motor road above the pipeline.Analysis of temperature fields of a chrysolite-cement pipeline demonstrates that chrysolite-cement pipes can be laid using a simplified thermal insulation pattern due to their low heat conductivity, if the pipe wall is sufficiently thick. Boiler ash widely available in rural areas can be used for insulation purposes, or, alternatively, no thermal insulation can be used.Any works associated with the laying of pressurized chrysolite-cement pipelines are to comply with all design-related requirements. The works pre-construction assignments, excavation works, delivery, visual examination and installation of pipeline elements, thermal insulation of pipes, pipeline strength and tightness testing, thermal insulation of ring joints. Any pipes and joints are to be thoroughly examined and tested. Arrangement of hot water supply networks made of chrysolite-cement pipes is efficient in terms of their steel consumption rate, labour resources consumption rate, capex and reduced costs. The bigger the pipe diameter, the higher the efficiency of hot water supply networks made of chrysolite-cement pipes.

Environmental problems arising during construction and restructuring of buildings and structures in urban areas are considered in the article. A brief analysis of the knowhow used in the course of construction and restructuring of new and old construction facilities shows that the construction works that are most hazardous to the environment consist in demolition of buildings or their parts using the explosive method of demolition and stone dressing using high-speed cutting and grinding machines. These types of work generate a lot of construction waste and dust harmful for the environment. Despite any scheduled environmental protection actions, construction wastes pollute each component of the environment to a different extent. Environmental protection is a complex problem of vital importance, and the international community must concentrate its efforts to tackle it as soon as possible.Analysis of unauthorized landfills and methods of urban waste management help local communities to develop and implement methods of environmental protection.New effective know-hows are employed to reduce the impact of soil pollutants and to prevent further pollution of urban ponds in the course of construction works within urban areas. Advanced patented methodologies have been developed at Samara State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering. They include the use of quick-setting substances capable of generating impervious elements. Implementation of these methods will reduce pollution of urban areas, their atmosphere, ground waters and ponds.The authors also describe particular aspects of the impact produced by the mining industry on the environment. Values of river water quality indices have been studied, and new effective actions aimed at protection of ponds from pollution are proposed. The actions prevent access of pollutants to the pond.

The issue of environmental safety of factories engaged in production of building materials has close links with emissions of harmful substances into the environment. Formaldehyde is a component of timber products and thermal insulation materials. In the article, the author analyzes the environment in several Russian regions accommodating the enterprises that consume formaldehyde in the course of their production processes. Moreover, the areas occupied by the enterprises and the safety of their products are also analyzed. In particular, the author analyzes surface flows and the air inside residential houses, soil layers, as well as the indoor air of factories. Methods of research applicable to each component of the environment are described in detail. The findings are pre-sented as tables and charts. The author presents photomicrographs and radiographs of the soil and building materials containing formaldehyde. The author insists on immediate reduction of the use of phenol formaldehyde resins. The findings serve as the basis for three groups of actions focused on reduction of phenol-formaldehyde binders: 1) abandonment of use of binders (for example, some wood-based bio-composites), 2) replacement of toxic components of binders (new polymeric and mineral types of binders), and 3) injection of special additives (including atomic particle size additives) of phenolformaldehyde resins or surface treatment of ready products using special compositions (whereby emissions are reduced using chemi-sorption effects).

In the nearest future, water consumption rate is to be reduced to 160 litres per person per day in Moscow. Water consumption reduction can cause reduction of the water flow velocity, deterioration of organoleptic properties of the water and cause flavours, odours, turbidity and colourity. The solution may consist in the narrowing of the network diameter, especially in those sections that need urgent renovation, including trenchless renovation. It will accelerate the flow velocity and ensure pre-set sanitary and hygienic properties of the water. However, narrower diameters can affect fire water flows that constitute the subject matter of this research.The authors provide the research findings based on the automated hydraulic, technical and economic analysis of loop water supply systems performed through the employment of alternative renovation methods, modeling of a water supply network on the basis of existing diameters and on the basis of diameters reduced by grades 1 and 2. It is proven that water consumption reduction accompanied by the pipeline diameter reduction by one grade doesn’t cause deterioration of any hydraulic properties; rather, itaccelerates the water flow velocity and doesn’t cause any failure to comply with effective water supply norms applicable to fire extinguishing.The authors present their original method of identification of the optimal option for trenchless renovation of pipelines and their analysis of annual energy savings.

The article focuses on identification of (1) the level of damage of structures exposed to fire loads and (2) their “residual” bearing capacity in the aftermath of fires. Silicate brick masonry is selected as the sample cladding structure. The co-authors have developed model parameters for the gas medium in case of a fire developing into a system of adjacent rooms. The model helps assess the pattern of development of factors of fire hazards and determine the temperature effect produced on structures, depending on the gas medium density in the room needed to identify the post-fire technical condition of elements of buildings made of silicate bricks and to assess the feasibility of their further operation.The authors employ mathematical models to obtain simple calculation methods aimed at determination of the extent of structural failure (bricks) and the “residual” bearing capacity of structures to:provide their recommendations to fire departments;determine the true limits of the fire resistance of building structures within the parameters of a ‘real’ fire, calculate the required thickness of flame retardants;make inspection of structures after a fire in order to assess the feasibility of their further operation, if visual inspection of the extent of destruction is impossible;depending on the extent of damage to the masonry, make adequate decisions concerning the structural restoration.

The author analyzes the thermal and filtration behaviour of the earth dam’s crest area in the case of the water level rise in the permafrost conditions. Kolymskaya hydroelectric power station operates in severe climatic conditions with the average air temperature of –11.5 °C. The period of negative average temperatures lasts for 7 months (October through April). The coldest months are December and January (when the average temperature reaches –35.4 … –35.8 °C). The warmest month of the year is July (the average temperature reaches 15.8 °C).Analysis of the thermal and filtration behaviour was performed through the employment of the finite element method in its variational formulation. The Fourier-Kirchhoff differential equation was solved as part of the problem resolution.The results of the analysis comply with the earlier findings. However, the unique nature and importance of the hydro-electric facility confirm the need to perform further research into its thermal and filtration behaviour by developing a three-dimension forecastmodel to take account of several following factors, including the bypass filtration and the presence of reinforced concrete pipes in the dam.

Presently, many coast protection structures built in the 20th century along the coastline of the Black and Azov seas are in the emergency state. The pre-set term of their service life has expired, as they were designed to withhold substantial storm loads occurring every 25 years. These structures were repeatedly exposed to design storm loads. Besides, during severe winters, they were exposed to ice loads. Passive coast protection structures designated for protection of areas accommodating industrial and civil buildings close to the shoreline need urgent restructuring.New design of a passive coast protection structure is presented in this paper in detail. The proposed structure can efficiently resist both the load of sea waves and ice in rare severe winters. Thus, this structural solution can reliably protect areas accommodating industrial and civil buildings close to the shoreline.Currently, artificial islands are used to extract hydrocarbons from sea deposits in the shallow waters of the continental shelf. New passive coast protection structures can be used to protect slopes of artificial islands and earth dams from waves and ice.

Erosion of river beds in cohesive soils having aggregate or conjoint structure is considered in the article. The authors have identified dimensions of soil aggregates in the limit state of stability with account for turbulent pulsations of the bottom pressure, and the figures identified by the coauthors and specified in this article comply with the field data.The co-authors have derived a formula of critical velocity that takes account of correlation between the values of shear and tensile strength of cohesive soils. These values take account of the influence of hydraulic resistance and comply with the field data.The approach proposed by the co-authors may be employed to identify and substantiate conditions of the limit resistance to erosion for cohesive soils having aggregate or conjoint structure. Dependencies derived by the coauthors comply with the findings of experimental researches and the data provided in regulatory documents.

The authors provide a summarized overview of the analytical model of the Gromeka — Beltrami helical flow of nonviscous incompressible fluid in a cylindrical channel. The model is developed on the basis of the method of decomposition for Fourier — Bessel equations. The authors discuss the analytical distribution function for axial, azimuthal and radial fluid velocities and the flow function depending on the length and radius of the cylindrical channel. The analysis of the proposed solution demonstrates that the properties of the flows inside the channel depend on the value of the scalar coefficient. When the value of the coefficient is within the zero-order Bessel function of the first kind, the velocity distribution is characterized by significant reverse currents in the axial zone of the channel. The findings comply with the results of laboratory and field tests. The authors have identified that this type of flow has components of the wave. Similar flows have high angular velocity. The authors assume that these conditions correspond to the emergence of toroidal Taylor — Gertler vortices. Therefore, the analytical model of the Gromeka — Beltrami flow complies with the phenomena observed in the course of experiments and in the natural environment.

Design of Primorskaya Embankment restructuring was developed within the framework of the city’s preparation for 2014 Winter Olympics. Construction of several artificial capes, including the largest artificial cape with an aqua centre, was considered as one of design options. One element of the cape is an artificial gravel beach arranged in the seashore area and protected by barrier spurs. Dimensions of spurs to assure the dynamic stability of the gravel beach were identified using mathematical modeling methods. Modeling of the dynamic behaviour of the gravel beach in the area of the artificial cape was performed using the software co-designed by the author. The software is capable of analyzing wave elements in the event of storms that may recur once in 50 years, and the software is capable of analyzing waves coming from any possible directions in the deep waters, wave refraction and transformation in the near-shore area, diffraction, refraction, and wave breaking in the inner area of the cape, sediment drifting pattern and dynamic behaviour of the beach. The optimum configuration of protective structures designated for the aqua centre is proposed on the basis of the modeling results.

The authors consider the influence of the Reynolds number on the discharge ratio of the broad-crested weir. The authors provide an overview of their experiment in thearticle. They provide the equation that takes account of each factor of influence, including H — pressure over the broad-crested weir, P — weir height above the bottom, v — liquid velocity, ρ — liquid density, μ — dynamic viscosity, g — superficial tension, σ — gravity acceleration, q — per-unit weir flow, B — width of the weir, L — length of the weir. Superficial tension and liquid density values have minor differences for different fluids.A broad-crested weir flow was organized in the rectangular tray (6,000×100×200). The flow had the following dimensions: weir length L = 40 mm, weir height P = 50 mm, weir width B = 100 mm. The findings of the experiment have proven that the increase in the Reynolds number causes the increase in the broad-crested weir flow discharge ratio (at the pre-set relative pressure) and it approaches the constant value at Re ≈ 2000.

The authors have performed an analytical research into one of the most complex types of heterogeneous 3D flows of fluids and gases, that is, a creeping counter vortex flow. The “creeping counter vortex flow” is the flow that is formed as a result of interaction between two or more slow concurrent co-axial circulatory longitudinal flows swirling in the opposite directions.Creeping flows are typical for numerous structural elements of machines, mechanisms, items of equipment and devices, if the flow velocity or cross dimensions of channels are small or, alternatively, if the viscosity of the fluid is high. This model designed by the coauthors, serves as the basis for the hydrodynamic theory of lubrication. If the flow velocity is small and the viscosity of the liquid media is substantial, inertial convective summands can be ignored for Navier — Stokes equations.The coauthors believe that the research into the phenomena of the creeping counter vortex flow as one of the types of heterogeneous 3D flows of fluids and gases has a strong potential in space technologies, and it may be elaborated in further research projects to be developed by the coauthors.

In the article, the coauthors have proven that equivalent roughness k is preferable to Manning-Pavlovsky roughness n due to its capability to describe the friction loss more accurately.Here, the authors make an attempt to analyze relationship between equivalent roughness k and Manning-Pavlovsky roughness n . The authors have proven that in the event of unavailability of exact choice of n, substantial errors in the value of equivalent roughness are possible. Experimental identification of the equivalent roughness value must meet specific requirements, including the flow uniformity within the tested section of the water supply network and the need to identify the equivalent roughness value within the area of square resistance. Besides, the authors have proven that Nikuradse’s and Zegzhda’s formulas are only applicable in specific experimental testing conditions pre-set by the above researchers, and they cannot be used in other cases.

The author analyzes the main provisions of the methodology of slope stability analysis based on spatial sliding surfaces in the form of ellipsoids of rotation. The finite element method is used to split the collapsing rock into elementary particles. The results of the stress-strain state (SSS) analysis of the dam are employed to identify the values of friction forces.Methodological peculiarities of the slope stability analysis are considered. The author proves the importance of high-order finite elements to be employed within the framework of the SSS analysis. The author proposes solutions to the testing tasks and provides recommendations in terms of the choice of variation intervals of shape parameters of ellipsoidal spatial sliding surfaces. The author has identified that the pace of the main semiaxis may be equal to 1 % of the slope height. Studies of shapes of most probable sliding surfaces show that if only dead weight forces are taken into account, their shape tends to become circular and cylindrical. If seismic forces are analyzed, sliding surfaces may have shapes that are close to spherical, or they may even turn disk-shaped.

The authors study velocity profiles of turbulent fluid flows, if their cross sections have different shapes. The research is performed using the Karman constant value equal to0.4 and a local parameter of the variable along the velocity profile. An experimentally obtained value of the Karman constant is treated as an integral parameter describing the inclination angle of the velocity profile being constant within the turbulent flow core. In turn, the local parameter describes the local inclination angle of the velocity profile. The authors demonstrate that the local parameter calculated on the basis of maximal and average flow velocities does not relate to the Karman constant, and therefore, it cannotbe used for its validation. The local coefficient can be considered as a supplementary characteristic of the turbulent flow profile. The local parameter and its distribution over the cross section of the flow can be used to clarify the law of resistance, obtained by using the assumption that the Karman constant value is equal to 0.4. Availability of the value of the local parameter distribution over the cross section of the flow may be used to clarify the alteration pattern of the turbulent structure of the flow. Areas of application of both values are also identified.

The paper deals with a new approach to renovation planning. The approach is based on the two models: one devaluation model and one renovation model.The proposed devaluation model is used to simulate the deterioration process taking place in a single component, a group of components or the whole building. The devaluation behavior is expressed through the employment of normalized values and the calendar time. Each component of the building has its own significance, so the normalized value of the whole building can be presented as a sum of normalized values of its components. The renovation model depends on the devaluation model as well as conditions and parameters applied by the user. For example, the user can attribute a certain value to a certain component and identify the level of renovation (the restored value).Thus, the two models consolidate into an integrated model. The input information is composed of the data about the physical state of the building, materials and mode of maintenance and operation. The output information represents renovation periodicity and renovation costs needed to maintain the building at the pre-set level.