Search results for "Structural engineering"
showing 10 items of 1998 documents
Uncertainty in urban stormwater quality modelling: The effect of acceptability threshold in the GLUE methodology
2007
Uncertainty analysis in integrated urban drainage modelling is of growing importance in the field of water quality. However, only few studies deal with uncertainty quantification in urban drainage modelling; furthermore, the few existing studies mainly focus on quantitative sewer flow modelling rather than uncertainty in water quality aspects. In this context, the generalised likelihood uncertainty estimation (GLUE) methodology was applied for the evaluation of the uncertainty of an integrated urban drainage model and some of its subjective hypotheses have been explored. More specifically, the influence of the subjective choice of the acceptability threshold has been detected in order to ga…
Spatial response spectra and site amplification effects
2002
A simplified analysis of local site amplification effects on the seismic response of multi-support structures is presented. The site effects are modeled by considering reflections and transmission of vertically propagating shear waves from bedrock to the surface through a soil layer. A random vibration-based response spectrum of a simple oscillator on two supports, one of which is founded on rock outcrop and the other on soil layer, is formulated in order to study the influence of non-uniform excitations on multi-support structures. Joint inertial and pseudo-static effects in the overall response are studied in detail. The resulting response spectra are formulated as displacement and force …
Fragmentation during Rock Falls: Two Italian Case Studies of Hard and Soft Rocks
2008
In recent years, rock fall phenomena in Italy have received considerable attention for risk mitigation through in situ observations and experimental data. This paper reports the study conducted at Camaldoli Hill, in the urban area of Naples, and at Monte Pellegrino, Palermo, Italy. The rocks involved are volcanic Neapolitan yellow tuff (NYT) in the former area and dolomitic limestone in the latter. Both rocks, even though with different strength characteristics, have shown a significant tendency towards rock fragmentation during run out. This behavior was first investigated by comparing the volumes of removable blocks on the cliff faces (V 0) and fallen blocks on the slopes (V f). It was as…
Ventilative cooling application in Mediterranean buildings: impacts on grid interaction and load match
2016
The concept of load matching refers to the simultaneous occurrence of loads and generation in buildings: it can be increased and optimised with modifications on both the energy demand and generation, but its pre-requisite is to guarantee passive energy efficiency. In the Mediterranean areas, a major challenge in new buildings is the increasing overheating even during mildly hot seasons. Ventilative cooling can be a potential solution to such issues and have an impact on load match in buildings and their grid interaction. The study analyses the potential of ventilative cooling to improve the load match in three different case studies in Italy. Ventilative cooling proved viable in moderately …
Influence of radiation defects on tritium release parameters from Li2O
1998
Abstract The study of the influence of radiation defects on tritium release behavior from polycrystalline Li2O was performed by simultaneous measurements of the luminescence emission and tritium release. It was found that the radiation defects in Li2O introduced by electron irradiation cause the retention of tritium. It is thought that the tritium recovery is affected by the formation of a Li–T bond, which is tolerant of high temperatures. The retardation of tritium decreases with increasing absorbed dose in the dose range from 50 to 140 MGy. The aggregation of radiation defects at high irradiation doses is considered to be responsible for the decrease of the interaction of tritium with rad…
Sustainability in the restoration and management of the historic architecture in Palermo
2015
This research investigates the energy and environmental sustainability in the restoration and conservation of historic buildings. It focuses on the architectural heritage of Palermo, which can be a significant case study for the Mediterranean area. Its objective is to analyse the current energy performance of this historic architecture and its potential for energy improvement. Therefore, it aims at proposing a methodology to combine the enhancement of energy and environmental performances of the historic architecture of Palermo with the need of its material and aesthetic conservation, in the frame of the current regulations.
Rebuilt the space using stone or brick vaulted systems: catching the contemporary challenge of construction tradition
2019
In the recovery and restoration sites, as well as in the versatile word of university research about construction history, its not infrequent to study stereotomy for the re-proposal of stony or tiled vaulted systems, sometimes complex for their constitutive geometry, equipment, preliminary/subsidiary carpentry works. It represents a didactic study-key also in Engineering and Architecture Schools, through laboratories that teach to future designers a know-how that can be easily spent in their professional repercussions.
Innovative, Translucent and Multi-functional Components for the Building Envelope: technological and performance optimization
2017
The paper describes the actions aimed at the technology and performance optimization of an innovative, multi-functional building component made of precast and pre-stressed glass blocks useful for the construction of sustainable building envelopes able to reduce the energy consumption and to produce clean energy from the sun. The design optimization of different sub-components and the choice of the right materials for guaranteeing their good response in terms of mechanical resistance, thermal and acoustic insulation, light transmission, electricity production, integration with other components, dimensional coordination, are particularly described.
Architecture in iron in the city of XIX century Roof structures of theatres and covered markets in Palermo
2016
In post-unification Palermo, components manufactured abroad were usually used for complementary iron structures (greenhouses and skylights, projecting roofs, staircases…), whereas, for more demanding works, more weight was given to the contribution of producers with experience gained in the field of metal construction. Analysis is here carried out on the works of greatest importance, from the roofs of the two major theatres to the roofing of food market structures; the finest technicians were employed and a critical debate was triggered in the city with regard to formal, static and building aspects.
Strategies, Technologies and Novel Components for the Architectural Integration of Photovoltaics
2015
La ricerca riguarda l'integrazione architettonica del fotovoltaico (FV) per il retrofit energetico del patrimonio edilizio esistente e la costruzione di edifici a energia zero (ZEB). L'obiettivo è lo studio e la successiva definizione di strategie, tecnologie e componenti innovativi per l'involucro edilizio che integrino il fotovoltaico, con particolare attenzione verso le tecnologie fotovoltaiche di nuova generazione. Il lavoro si concentra anche sull'ottimizzazione energetica e sull'analisi delle prestazioni di un componente innovativo per il BIPV (Building Integrated Photovoltaics, letteralmente fotovoltaico integrato negli edifici) utile alla costruzione di involucri edilizi sostenibili…