Papers

The mechanical property characterization of dam concrete is a challenging task mainly due to the use of large aggregate sizes. The properties of dam concrete are often evaluated from wet-screened concrete tests using standard specimen sizes. A physically-based relationship between dam concrete and wet-screened concrete strength properties is currently unavailable.A prediction methodology is proposed which can be used to obtain the compressive and the splitting tensile strength of dam concrete by taking into account the wet-screened strength results, the effect of the specimen dimensions and the effect of the maximum size of aggregate. The predicted results are compared with test results available in the literature and with test results recently obtained during the construction of the Baixo Sabor dam. It is shown that the proposed prediction tool can be used to obtain accurate estimates of dam concrete strength.

The mechanical property characterization of dam concrete is a challenging task mainly due to the use of large aggregate sizes. The properties of dam concrete are often evaluated from wet-screened concrete tests using standard specimen sizes. A physically based relationship between dam concrete and wet-screened concrete strength properties is currently unavailable. A prediction methodology is proposed that can be used to obtain the compressive and the splitting tensile strength of dam concrete by taking into account the wet-screened strength results, the effect of the specimen dimensions, and the effect of the maximum size of aggregate. The predicted results are compared with test results available in the literature and with test results recently obtained during the construction of the Baixo Sabor dam. It is shown that the proposed prediction tool can be used to obtain accurate estimates of dam concrete strength.

Os métodos de prospeção geofísica, pela sua natureza não invasiva, têm tido uma utilização crescente na investigação do subsolo, especialmente nas áreas da geotecnia, do ambiente e da arqueologia. O artigo que se apresenta aborda um dos métodos mais utilizados: o método da resistividade elétrica. A partir de uma sumária introdução teórica, apresentam-se casos de aplicação a diferentes objetivos de investigação.

O revestimento de fachadas com recurso a ladrilhos cerâmicos aderentes é uma das técnicas de revestimento mais complexas e que é usada desde há muito tempo, sendo uma das mais características de Portugal.Uma das anomalias recorrentes neste tipo de soluções é o destacamento dos ladrilhos que consiste na perda de aderência entre duas ou mais das seguintes camadas: suporte, cimento-cola e ladrilho cerâmico. A termografia de infravermelhos (TIV) é um método de diagnóstico não destrutivo cada vez mais conhecido devido à variedade de áreas onde pode ser aplicado (desde a área militar à saúde, passando pela inspeção de edifícios, entre outras).Neste estudo a TIV é aplicada na deteção de anomalias relacionados com ladrilhos aplicados em células experimentais localizadas no LNEC.

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This paper describes the analysis of the propagation of regular and irregular waves in a flume by using Fluent® model, which is based on the Navier-Stokes (NS) equations and employs the finite volume method and the Volume of Fluid (VoF) technique to deal with two-phase flows (air and water). At the end of the flume, a numerical beach is used to suppress wave reflections. The methodology consists of adding a damping sink term to the momentum equation. In this study, this term is calibrated for three cases of regular incident waves (H = 1 m, T = 5, 7.5, and 12 s) by varying the linear and quadratic damping coefficients of the formulation. In general, while lower values of damping coefficients cause residuals on the free surface elevation due to wave interactions with the outlet boundary, reflection occurs on the numerical beach when higher values are used. A range of optimal damping coefficients are found considering one of them null. In one of these cases, temporal series of free surface elevation are compared with theoretical ones and very good agreement is reached. Afterwards, an irregular wave propagation, characterized by a JONSWAP spectrum, is investigated. Several gauges along the flume are evaluated and good agreement between the spectrum obtained numerically and the ones imposed at beginning of the flume is verified. This study shows the capacity of NS models, such as Fluent®, to simulate adequately regular and irregular wave propagations in a flume with numerical beach to avoid reflections.

REsenha do Livro: LUNA FREIRE, Letícia. Próximo do saber, longe do progresso: histórias de uma vila residencial no campus universitário da lha do Fundão – RJ. Niterói: Editora UFF, 2014. 250 pp

As the cement content is one of the parameters that control alkali–silica reaction (ASR), this study examined its influence on the expansion of glass mortars. The mortars had volumetric ratio of 1:4 (cement: aggregate) and various aggregate compositions, obtained using replacement ratios of natural sand with waste glass, of 0, 20, 50 and 100%. A volumetric ratio 1:4 was chosen because it is a current composition for cementitious coating mortars. In fact, mortar mixes with increased cement content can lead to erroneous conclusions for in situ mixtures with reactive aggregates. It is concluded that it is feasible to produce glass mortars without deleterious ASR expansion depending on the amount of cement used. For normal cement/ aggregate ratios for coating mortars (1:4, in volume), a CEM II/B-L 32.5 N mortar with glass incorporation has a low ASR risk.

Scale-model tests are usually required to evaluate the hydraulic and structural behavior of proposed rubble-mound breakwater designs. In order to speed up and ease the armor layer damage assessment, we developed a technique based on stereo photogrammetry. A key feature of this technique is its ability to compensate for the refraction in the air-water interface, thus producing a survey of the envelope of the armor layer without the need to empty the wave flume or wave basin where the scale model tests are carried out. This article describes this technique and the tests made to establish confidence in it and in the damage evaluation on a breakwater scale model. Results led to an error estimation of only fractions of a centimeter.

This paper describes the development process and initial tests performed with a new energy dissipation damper based on Shape Memory Alloy (SMA) wires. The aim of this study was to develop a new iteration of this type of devices, and eventually develop a methodology to properly design them for any type of application. The underlying concept of our device is the use of a double counteracting system of pre-strained SMA wire sections as the dissipating component. By using pre-strained wires, this design focuses on maximizing energy dissipation, partially relinquishing the re-centering capabilities of the device.The experimental part was performed on a downscaled prototype based on this design methodology. The goal of this study was to validate the basic mechanical concepts. The device was subjected to a considerable number of load cycling tests, in order to better characterize the SMA wire behavior when used in this arrangement and to improve our understanding of their influence on the device's capabilities.