Search results for "Civil Engineering"
showing 10 items of 1216 documents
A fractional-order model for aging materials: An application to concrete
2018
Abstract In this paper, the hereditariness of aging materials is modeled within the framework of fractional calculus of variable order. A relevant application is made for the long-term behavior of concrete, for which the creep function is evaluated with the aid of Model B3. The corresponding relaxation function is derived through the Volterra iterated kernels and a comparison with the numerically-obtained relaxation function of Model B3 is also reported. The proposed fractional hereditary aging model (FHAM) for concretes leads to a relaxation function that fully agrees with the well-established Model B3. Furthermore, the FHAM takes full advantage of the formalism of fractional-order calculu…
Compressive response of substandard steel-jacketed RC columns strengthened under sustained service loads: From the local to the global behavior
2018
Abstract This paper presents an experimental investigation on substandard partially steel jacketed RC columns strengthened under sustained loads and loaded until failure. The aim of the study is to compare the compressive response of preloaded columns with respect to the tests without preload to obtain a more realistic prediction of load-carrying capacity of structural columns after retrofitting under serviceability loads. The influence of the preload level, the delayed contribution of the confining device during the loading process and the time dependent effects are highlighted for the tested specimens. Based on the experimental observations, an analysis-oriented model is proposed for the …
Stress-Strain Law for Confined Concrete with Hardening or Softening Behavior
2013
This paper provides a new general stress-strain law for concrete confined by steel, fiber reinforced polymer (FRP), or fiber reinforced cementitious matrix (FRCM), obtained by a suitable modification of the well-known Sargin’s curve for steel confined concrete. The proposed law is able to reproduce stress-strain curve of any shape, having both hardening or softening behavior, by using a single closed-form simple algebraic expression with constant coefficients. The coefficients are defined on the basis of the stress and the tangent modulus of the confined concrete in three characteristic points of the curve, thus being related to physical meaningful parameters. It will be shown that if the v…
Comparative life-cycle assessment of conventional (double lane) and non-conventional (turbo and flower) roundabout intersections
2016
Abstract This research studied and compared different construction techniques for the road subgrade, embankment and pavement of different types of roundabout intersections in order to assess their environmental sustainability. A Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) was carried out on double lane, turbo- and flower roundabouts. We considered virgin materials and reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) for the pavement construction. Also the environmental effects due to in situ lime stabilization of fine-grained soils were assessed in order to reduce the use of virgin material in road subgrades. The use of reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) can lead to a significant reduction in pollutant emissions and energy …
Photovoltaic electricity scenario analysis in urban contests: an Italian case study
2012
Abstract This paper shows a methodology for the assessment of the photovoltaic potential in urban areas using Google Earth™ tool that provides either satellite images of the roofs of buildings or their number of floors by means of the Street View function. The applicability of the methodology has been tested on a selected urban area of the city of Palermo in the South of Italy. After classifying roofs according to the shape, orientation and pitch of buildings with different morphologies, the share of energy generated by the installable PV systems was evaluated with regard to the number of floors. Moreover the coverage of the electricity demand was investigated on the basis of the consumptio…
Smart city and public lighting
2015
The smart city is increasingly becoming a concept of reference for what concerns the planning and the spatial development of cities. The concept of smart city cannot be easily standardized. It is based on a multi-service and multi-sectorial planning regarding various urban functions (energy, mobility, waste, etc.) and places them under a common denominator: the use of advanced technologies for minimizing resources consumption and simultaneously increase the quality of life of the citizens. This paper aims to give an overview on the concept of smart city and outline what, at present, are the main intervention areas considered at European level. Then the paper focuses on the public lighting t…
An Adaptive Metamodel-Based Optimization Approach for Vehicle Suspension System Design
2014
Published version of an article in the journal: Mathematical Problems in Engineering. Also available from the publisher at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2014/965157 The performance index of a suspension system is a function of the maximum and minimum values over the parameter interval. Thus metamodel-based techniques can be used for designing suspension system hardpoints locations. In this study, an adaptive metamodel-based optimization approach is used to find the proper locations of the hardpoints, with the objectives considering the kinematic performance of the suspension. The adaptive optimization method helps to find the optimum locations of the hardpoints efficiently as it may be unachie…
Investigation on a Bio-Composite Material as Acoustic Absorber and Thermal Insulation
2020
In order to limit the anthropic emissions of CO2, research is currently investigating new materials for the building sector. The main purpose is the reduction in the embodied energy consumption, especially in the residential sector, and consequently the limitation of the direct and indirect utilization of fossil fuels, for the indoor heating, cooling, and ventilation services. Indeed, the residential sector is affected by a high energy demand, thus the choice of improved materials is fundamental to improve the sustainability. All phases: construction, building life, and dismantling are impacting in terms of resource and energy consumption, both associated with the emissions of pollutants in…
Controlling Thermal Flows through Natural Materials in Building Construction Sector
2019
Nowadays, the attention about the building sustainability is increasingly emerging, because of the major responsibility of the building field on the environmental degradation: both in terms of energy consumption from non-renewable sources and the raw materials impoverishment. In addition, the level of comfort required by users is growing and the thermal insulation of buildings becomes the key element for the reduction of energy consumption and CO2 emissions, both in the case of new construction and of the existing ones. The heat load of a building depends on the presence of insulating material which defines the performance of the building envelope. The main purpose of this work is both to i…
Modeling of Melt Flow and Heat Transfer in Stationary Gas Tungsten Arc Welding with Vertical and Tilted Torches
2021
A 3D numerical simulation was conducted to study the transient development of temperature distribution in stationary gas tungsten arc welding with filler wire. Heat transfer to the filler wire and the workpiece was investigated with vertical (90°) and titled (70°) torches. Heat flux, current flux, and gas drag force were calculated from the steady-state simulation of the arc. The temperature in the filler wire was determined at three different time intervals: 0.12 s, 0.24 s, and 0.36 s. The filler wire was assumed not to deform during this short time, and was therefore simulated as solid. The temperature in the workpiece was calculated at the same intervals using heat flux, current flux, ga…