Papers

This paper aims to assess and improve the seismic performance of an existing masonry building withflexible floors, representative of a Portuguese building typology

The energy dissipation capacity of the NiTi alloy was evaluated as part of a series of shake table tests. A superelastic damper was developed to take advantage of the hysteretic energy dissipation associated with this type of shape memory alloy. Each device was tested at different intensity levels. A vertical steel cantilever with 600 kg mass on top was subjected to a series of ground motions with different spectral characteristics. The dampers were placed as part of a tie system, restraining the horizontal movement of the top mass. The devices showed stable hysteretic behavior allowing for energy dissipation.

Ground vibration is the most important environmental effect of blasting, and tools for its understanding and control are a prime necessity for the excavation of tunnels and caverns in hard ground. This paper contributes to an improved understanding of the way waves travel in the ground, particularly when there are excavations in the path of propagation, while also enhancing existing numerical models to better simulate that behaviour and thus provide better means to address underground vibration impacts. To this purpose, twenty low intensity blast between neighbour tunnels of an underground complex were performed, followed by a numerical study of the test. The test and simulation showed that, contrary to what is implied in semi-empirical attenuation laws, factors like the propagation path or local amplification can be more important than instant explosive weight and distance to blast.

One of the possible strategies to protect concrete from aggressive agents consists of applying impregnation products on its smface. This type of strategy is relatively often used in both new and existing structures. However, there are still several aspects conceming impregnation products whose understanding is still rather limited, inc1uding the influence of the concrete substrate on their performance. This paper presents an experimental study on the influence of the roughness and the moisture content of concrete substrates in the pelfOlmance of impregnation product~ used for superficial protection. For that purpose, two impregnations products based on epoxy resins were applied on concrete specimens with two different water/cement ratios (0.40 and 0.70). The concrete specimens were prepared according to different procedures, which created (i) three different smface roughnesses (no preparation, use of a 160 bar water jet and use of needle scalers) and (ii) three different moisture contents (3, 4.5 and 6 %). The perfOlmance of the protection systems was evaluated by means of the following tests suggested in EN 1504-2 standard: (i) product penetration depth; (ii) water absorption by immersion; (iii) abrasion resistance; (iv) impact resistance; and (v) bond strength. With the exception of the resistance to impact, the use of epoxy resins considerably improved the performance of the two types of concrete. Both surface roughness and moisture content proved to have a significant effect on the performance of the epoxy impregnations. However, such influence was different depending on the property at stake and the type of impregnation product.

Silicate-based impregnations are often used to protect concrete against aggressive external actions. However, the understanding of several aspects concerning this type of impregnations is still rather Iimited, incIuding the influence of the concrete substrate on their performance. This paper presents reslllts of an experimental study about O) the efficacy of silicate-based impregnations to protect concrete elements, and (ii) the inflllence of the concrete substrate's characteristics on the performance of such superficial protection. Concrete specimens with two different water/cement ratios (0.40 and 0.70) were produced and, prior to the application of the impregnation, were prepared following different procedllres that created O) three different surface roughnesses (no surface preparation, 160 bar water jet and needle scalers) and (ii) three different moisture contents (3.0%, 4.5% and 6.0%). The performance ofunprotected and protected concrete specimens was assessed by means of the following procedures, indicated in EN 1504-2 standard: O) product penetration depth; (ii) water absorption by immersion; (iii) abrasion resistance; Ov) impact resistance; and (v) bond strength. Results obtained show that the silicate-based impregnation was effective in improving the resistance to water penetration and abrasion resistance, but did not improve the resistance to impacto The surface roughness and the moisture content at the instant of the application of the surface protection proved to influence the performance of the impregnation product, however such influence was dependent on the property at stake.

In this study synthetic fine and coarse zeolite pellets were chosen in the development of air lime–metakaolin mortars for repairing ancient masonry to be used in conservation and restoration of cultural heritage. Synthetic zeolite was used due to their particular water adsorption properties and act as an artificial pozzolan promoting the development of hydraulic phases. Physical, chemical, mineralogical and microstructural tests were accomplished to characterize the materials used in mortars’ preparation. Flexural, compressive strength and dynamic modulus of elasticity tests were performed in mortars at 28, 90 and 180 days of curing. Incorporation of both fine and coarse zeolite pellets caused improvement of mechanical strength of mortars. The highest flexural strength value ( 0.5 MPa) was achieved in both mortars with fine zeolites pellets at 90 days and 20 and 30 wt.% metakaolin, and coarse zeolite pellets at 180 days and 30 wt.% metakaolin as lime replacement. 1.0 MPa was the highest compressive strength value obtained at 180 days for mortars with both fine zeolite pellets and coarse zeolite pellets, with 20 and 30 wt.% of metakaolin, respectively. Elasticity modulus ranged from 2.3 GPa to 3.9 GPa confirming the high deformation capability of these mortars. Zeolite pellets type A is a promise synthetic material that could be successfully used in air lime– metakaolin render mortars for applications in the conservation and restoration of cultural heritage.

The structural safety and behaviour oftraditional timber structures depends significantly on the performance of their connections. The behaviour of a traditional mortise and tenon timber joint isaddressed using physical testing of full-scale specimens.New chestnut wood and old chestnut woodobtained from structural elements belonging to ancient buildings is used. In addition, the performance of different semi and non-destructive techniques for assessing global strength is also evaluated. For thispurpose, ultrasonic testing, micro-drilling and surface penetration are considered, and the possibility of their application is discussed based on the application ofsimple linear regression models. Finally, nonlinear finite element analysis is used to better understand the behaviour observed in the full-scale experiments, in terms of failure mode and ultimate load. The resultsshow that the ultrasonic pulse velocity through the joint provides a reasonable estimate for the effectivenessof the assembly between the rafter and brace and novel linear regressions are proposed. The failure mechanism and load

The evaluation of nano-particles based products to protect granite surfaces from water income is presented in this paper. Wettability, water absorption, drying behaviour and water vapour transfer were considered as the most relevant parameters for this evaluation. The effect of the application methods on the final performance was also tested. The results allow to consider that nanostructured products may present some advantages when compared with conventional water repellent products, namely on some common relevant harmful effects, such as colour changes, water vapour or liquid transfer during drying, but their effectiveness as barriers against water absorption in longer contact time may not be equally satisfactory

tThis paper presents the development of a three dimensional computational model, based on the DiscreteElement Method (DEM), which was used to investigate the effect of the angle of skew on the load carryingcapacity of twenty-eight different in geometry single span stone masonry arches. Each stone of the archwas represented as a distinct block. Mortar joints were modelled as zero thickness interfaces which canopen and close depending on the magnitude and direction of the stresses applied to them. The variablesinvestigated were the arch span, the span: rise ratio and the skew angle. At each arch, a full width verticalline load was applied incrementally to the extrados at quarter span until collapse. At each load increment,the crack development and vertical deflection profile was recorded. The results compared with similar

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