Search results for "Forensic"
showing 10 items of 1701 documents
Battery storage systems for peak load shaving applications: Part 2: Economic feasibility and sensitivity analysis
2016
This paper is the second of a two-part series, aiming to evaluate the economic feasibility of electrochemical storage systems in peak load shaving applications. The battery energy storage system (BESS) is considered to be added to a private facility, with the aim of reducing the customer electricity bill. The BESS is charged during the night, when the electricity prices are the lowest and discharged during the daily hours, when the prices are the highest, contemporary achieving a leveling of the daily usage pattern. The economical evaluations are carried out considering four different electrochemical technologies: lithium-ion (li-ion), advanced lead-acid, sodium-sulphur (NaS) and flow batte…
Life Saving Potentials in Mass Emergencies
1985
The dangers of mass emergencies are greater today than ever before in the history of man. The reasons are:1) The exponential growth of the world population from 2 billion in 1925 to 4 billion today and to an expected 8 billion in the year 2025. This growing population is badly in need of more and more food and energy to sustain itself.2) The increasingly severe competition world-wide for the available supplies of food and energy will precipitate mass emergencies and even mass disasters. Some of these mass disasters, such as nuclear war, have the potential to destroy entire countries…or even the human race itself.No matter how gloomy the outlook is, however, it is still the task of the medic…
Structural behavior of the old masonry bridge in the Gulf of Castellammare
2016
Abstract Masonry arch bridges represent a very significant part of the heritage of road and railway artworks all over the word and especially in the Mediterranean area, both in terms of: numbers; reduced environmental impact; and static efficiency. In these cases, the cost of maintenance is often limited to the content and channeling of surface water and control of vegetation, which can eventually take root on the joints of the masonry at the shoulders. In masonry bridges, there are no expansion joints or hinges with support equipment or trolleys, as in metal bridges and reinforced concrete ones, or paint, or resin surface protection, all items that affect the cost of maintenance. The perma…
Steel based retrofitting interventions for existing masonry walls: a comparative numerical investigation
2021
Masonry buildings constitute a significant portion of the architectural heritage all over the world, also in regions affected by a high seismic hazard. Since this constructional material is character-ized by lack of tensile strength, as well as small deformation capacity, masonry structures could result hugely damaged if shaken by seismic forces. In order to avoid collapses and reduce struc-tural damage, innovative retrofitting interventions are necessary to improve the seismic behavior of masonry structures. In this context, steel-based techniques could be considered among the most suitable solutions. In fact, by using such a high-performant material, additional strength and ductility may …
Agrigento Cathedral
2015
At present Agrigento Cathedral is affected by extensive damage that seems to be mainly due to partial slumping of the foundation soil. The chapter deals with the state of damage that affects the cathedral and the investigation carried out for the mechanical characterization of the construction, the formulation of an FE model and the assessment of the safety level with respect to the service loads and with respect to exceptional loads like seismic ones. In the chapter the details of the above investigation are discussed, consideration also being given to the monitoring carried out in order to understand whether the phenomenon affecting the cathedral is ongoing. The results of the monitoring …
Fire safety investigation for road tunnel ventilation systems – An overview
2014
Abstract In recent years, research activities about fire events in tunnel have received a significant impulse, especially after several accidents. The Computational Fluid Dynamic (CFD) has a fundamental role about. Researchers have spent resources on various topics involving numerical tools as the performance of a ventilation system, the influence of this on the air flow motion in the tunnel or the methods for fire schematization, fire-induced smoke characterization, turbulence models, etc. One of the main phenomena to consider for the safety when a fire occurs in a tunnel is the possibility of the fire-induced smoke to rise the tunnel (backlayering). A well-designed ventilation system shal…
Integrating thermal and mechanical characteristics of historic masonry categories: Development of a Sicilian database
2021
Detailed construction analysis is essential to the compatible energy improvement of historic buildings. In-situ measurements are crucial for energy diagnosis but their use is limited, especially in vernacular architecture. This paper exposes the development of a hygrothermal and mechanical database for Sicilian historic walls. The proposed method, applied to eleven historic centres, is based on the investigation of those masonry construction features, which recur in local contexts. Preliminary results concern the case study of Petralia Sottana, where a first set of laboratory measurements of stone compressive strength and thermal conductivity was conducted, together with in-situ tests of ma…
The use of wood with an anti-seismic function in the architecture of palermo during the 18th century
2016
The study analyzes the interventions in the historical buildings after the earthquakes that struck Palermo in 1726 and 1751, with a particular attention to the anti-seismic reinforcements. The research, based primarily on archival documents, focuses on a series of interventions in the architectural heritage, in which the use of wood for structural elements, was able to guarantee for an “antiseismic” reconstruction. Although wood was not commonly used as other materials (iron, for instance) in the post-earthquake reconstruction process of Palermo it was certified its use as an anti-seismic system in the reinforcements of the damaged buildings. It is documented, for instance, the insertion of…
Dynamic railroad inspection using the laser-air hybrid ultrasonic technique
2006
Laser-Air Hybrid Ultrasonic Technique (LAHUT) combines laser generation with air-coupled detection of ultrasound. The technique is non-contact and has the characteristic of operating from remote distances. Acoustic wave laser-generation apparatus can be metres away from the interrogated surface while air-coupled detection standoff can be on the order of several centimetres. The technique has the unique capability of interrogating structural materials in their true industrial environment. Dynamic tests are performed on parts with complex geometry, limited accessibility and curved surfaces. Also, dark and rough finish surfaces, which significantly reduce the efficiency of optical detection te…
The Bell-Tower Facade: An Aseismic Device in Sicily Between the 12th and 18th Centuries
2014
Imposing tower facades with belfries in the last order were built in Sicily Italy, from the Middle Ages to the late Baroque period. Until the 16th century, this model, which was inspired by northern European examples, also had a parallelepiped forepart leaning against the facade, working as containment for the pressure imparted by the inner longitudinal arches on the front, and amplified in case of earthquakes. The lacking static efficiency of these early structures is demonstrated by collapses during the strong earthquakes that hit the island in the modern age. Despite numerous cases of destruction, the memory of some prototypes survived in Sicilian constructive memory through the elaborat…