0000000000162200
AUTHOR
Giuseppe Rodono
Acoustic characterization of the ancient theatre at Syracuse
The ancient theatre at Syracuse, the largest open air theatre in Sicily, experienced many structural changes along its history. Today its very renowned drama festival attracts visitors from all the world that fill the entire cavea: customized seats accomodation and a prominent stage play an important role in the theatre acoustics. Because no data were available in literature on its acoustical perfomance a measurement session was carried out by our team in the framework of a wide research project on ancient theatres acoustics in the modern use. From data recorded "room criteria" parameters have been evaluated together with spectral analysis in order to gain a deeper information on the acoust…
Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) of Wave Energy Converter (WEC)
The Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is an environmental management instrument implemented worldwide. In the last years the development of Wave Energy Converter (WEC) influenced environmental research to quantify impacts on marine life. In this paper we present a case study of EIA: a real application and study of device installed in Tirren Sea (near Castellammare — Sicily).
Non-dimensional groups for air solar collectors
Abstract The radiant heat captured by a passive air solar collector during a day divides itself into three fractions, of which one is transmitted by conduction to the backside, one is collected by the convective air flow, and the last one is lost through glazing. Some calculations of heat transfer taking place in a collector in 24-h periodic regime have been done with different combinations of the values of the relevant thermo-physical variables. Calculation results were the fractions of energy transmitted to the internal room through the wall by conduction and with the air flow by convection, and lost through the glazing. The results give rise to a correlation among non-dimensional variabl…
Heat transfer calculation in a free convection air solar collector
This paper deals with the free convective air flow developing in a vertical channel with a rectangular cross-section heated on one side. The channel geometric and physical properties are such as to simulate an air solar collector suitable for building heating. A calculation method that can be applied to the transient combined heat transfer by conduction through the wall and by convection from the wall to the air stream is presented. The conduction across the wall is computed with a one-dimensional, time-dependent finite difference scheme, with convective boundary conditions at both wall surfaces. For the free convective flow along the channel, the air flow rate and the mean convective coeff…
People comfort and artwork saving in museums: comparing indoor requisites
In museums, environmental indoor conditions should, contemporaneously, preserve the exhibited works of art and ensure the comfort conditions for people. Unfortunately, human and artworks requirements are characterised by different values of the physical indoor parameters that, occasionally, could become conflicting. In the paper, these problems are addressed by means of a literature analysis, with a specific attention to thermal comfort conditions of people. The possibility of finding common ranges of values for both requisites is finally discussed. Some recent technical recommendations on the matter have also been considered for indicating some HVAC equipment and appliances to be adopted i…
Moisture absorption, thermal conductivity and noise mitigation of clay based plasters: The influence of mineralogical and textural characteristics
Abstract Three pre-mixed clay based plasters successfully employed in green building practices in several European countries (Spain, France, Germany, and United Kingdom), mainly used for interior wall coating and finishing, were tested in this paper. Their compositional and textural characteristics as well as plastic behaviour were investigated through a multi-analytical approach in a previous paper. A natural earth (Terra Rossa red soil sampled in north-western Sicily), theoretically appropriate for the production of earthen plaster, was also subjected to the same analytical routine and compared with the three commercially available products. Humidity control capacity by the determination …
An experimental investigation on natural convection of air in a vertical channel
Abstract The free convection of air in a vertical channel is studied experimentally in a laboratory model of height H = 2.6 m and rectangular cross-section b × s , with b = 1.2 m and the channel width s variable. One of the channel walls is heated with a uniform heat flux. Tests are made with different values of channel gap and heating power ( s = 7.5, 12.5, 17 cm; q c = 48–317 W m −2 ). On the basis of the results two empirical formulae are found, giving Nu and Re as functions of Ra and the geometrical parameter s/H ; Nu = 0.9282 Ra 0.2035 (s/H) 0.8972 ; Re = 0.5014 Ra 0.3148 (s/H) 0.418 . The mathematical form of these relationships reproduces other previously published formulae, valid fo…
New Acoustic Test Chambers at the University of Palermo
Acoustic test chambers at the University of Palermo have been completed after a design optimization of existent building structures. A unique building houses five reverberation chambers, differently coupled each other in order to achieve a large flexibility on testing procedures, and offices for the staff. Main measurements offered to national and international standards include determination of sound power, sound insulation and sound absorption. Reverberation chambers present peculiar geometries in order to achieve the desidered sound fields. Chambers structure and layout within the whole building, housing all the acoustic facilities, has been designed in order to achieve strong sound insu…
Prediction of hydraulic and acoustic properties of open-graded mixes
The use of open-graded mixes increases significantly the hydraulic permeability of pavement and contributes to reduce the noise impact in comparison to traditional pavement. Such characteristics are very appealing and would greatly increase driver's safety. However, during service life, the pores tend to be clogged by many factors among them secondary traffic compaction and filling of voids by fine materials are relevant, especially on heavy routes. In this case the noise reduction and drainage capabilities will gradually disappear, causing serious problems for road safety and maintenance. In this paper we propose a simulation approach in order to predict the drainage and acoustic behavior …