Search results for " glass"

COMPRESSIVE BEHAVIOR OF LAMINATED GLASS COLUMNS

2014

This paper examines the behavior in compression of glass columns having tee (T) transverse cross-sections. The work highlights the issues recurring in the design of glass columns in rapid diffusion in the transparent architecture such as: - flexural and torsional buckling; - long-term effects and effects related to the temperature; - glued connections between single panels. In the work expressions are given for the calculation of the loadcarrying capacity of columns. The cases of full connection and absence of connection between the panels are analyzed and discussed. The comparison between the analytical and the experimental results highlights that in the case of glass columns with T cross-…

Compressive behaviour of laminated glass columns with T cross-sections

2014

Innovative Photovoltaic Translucent Components for the Building Envelope

2014

International directives that regulates buildings energy efficiency and environmental sustainability establish strict parameters for the construction of a new generation of “Zero Energy Buildings” indicating transmittance limits for building envelope components and encouraging the use of renewable sources. In this sense, the PV sector aims at the definition of novel efficient solutions for the integration in the building envelope, standing out for their multifunctional features. After an overview on the main PV technologies and building integrated applications, focusing on semi-transparent envelope solutions, the paper shows the results of a research that is being carried out at the Departm…

Integrazione di celle solari di terza generazione nel vetromattone per la realizzazione di involucri edilizi traslucidi fotovoltaici

2013

L’integrazione di celle solari di terza generazione - Dye-sensitised Solar Cells (DSSC) - nel vetromattone consente di ottenere un prodotto edilizio in grado di generare energia pulita, personalizzabile in termini di colore, livelli di trasparenza e fi niture, adatto alla realizzazione di componenti edilizi fotovoltaici, traslucidi e multifunzionali, facilmente integrabili nelle chiusure degli edifi ci per la costruzione di involucri edilizi energeticamente effi cienti ed attivi anche in contesti climatici avversi, quali possono essere quelli del Mediterraneo e delle aree subtropicali. L’articolo illustra 4 differenti ipotesi di integrazione delle DSSC nel vetromattone fornendo, per ciascun…

MASS-PRODUCED ELEMENT IN STRUCTURAL GLASS: “ARTIFICIAL VINEYARD”

2014

The aim is to design an architectural element flexible and easily adaptable to different urban situations using a material such as glass that, for the last years, is being employed as a structural element. The mass-production is rarely applied to glass construction systems that instead are usually designed case by case. The paper reports the results of a research carried out by the Dipartmento di Architettura and Dipartimento DICAM (Dipartimento di Ingegneria Civile, Ambientale, Aerospaziale, dei Materiali), of the University of Palermo, within the project "VESTRA" (POFESR 2007/2013 - Action Line 4.1.1.1), that aims to the experimentation of mass-produced elements in structural glass. The p…

Integration of Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells with Glassblock

2012

The paper will show the first results of a research (included in a larger work about the Improvement of glassblocks performance in order to use them for the construction of sustainable translucent building envelops even in Mediterranean and Tropical Areas) aimed to the integration of glassblock with the DSC technology. Glassblock is a high-performance type of glass in the field of sustainable architectural claddings: the process of deposition of the cells on the single glassblock, their best position and the performance of this new kind of glassblock, DSC integrated, will be discussed in the paper in terms of transmittance, light transmission and aesthetical effects, together with the probl…

Experimental evaluation of the reliability of the adhesive joint in a 3rd-generation-solar-cell-integrated glass block

2017

Glass block is a building product that has been widely used since the mid-1800s for the construction of natural light capturing technical elements and, in the last decades, of translucent building envelopes. In a framework of increased quality requirements in terms of energy saving and environmental sustainability, innovations have been introduced to its standard configuration, including the integration of 3rd generation solar cells within the glass block, in order to improve its performance and make it capable of producing clean energy. Indeed, one of the two constituting glass shells has been integrated with a pre-assembled photovoltaic module and then bonded to a plastic “thermal belt” a…

Implementation of a fast and low cost IR-NDT technique by means of a Square Pulse modulated Lock-In Thermography

2012

This work describes the development of an IR-NDT procedure based on a lock-in signal treatment in the frequency domain to obtain phase-contrast defect signatures. Heat stimulation is obtained by periodically shattering a common low-power halogen lamp. The delivered heat is then modulated as a train of square waves with multi-frequency harmonic content. The proposed lock-in algorithm is able to selectively retrieve phase and amplitude information at various frequencies of the acquired temperature, acting also as a narrow band filter to improve defect-signature to noise ratio. The procedure is implemented and evaluated by means of low cost IR equipment to investigate artificially defected thi…

Automatic photoelastic methods for the analysis of Membrane residual stresses in glass

2014

Vanadium dioxide and gold nanocomposite films for glazing applications

2009

Vanadium dioxide is a material with great potential as an intelligent glazing material. The technology is based on a metal to semiconductor transition (MST) where there is an associated structural change from the higher temperature rutile structure to the lower temperature monoclinic structure. This structural transition results in significant changes in optical properties and electrical conductivity. Hybrid aerosol assisted and atmospheric pressure chemical vapour deposition methodology has been utilised, to produce thin films of gold nano-particle vanadium dioxide nanocomposites. Good surface coverage is observed comparable to that of APCVD processes and a variety of different film thickn…