Moisture conditions in external timber cladding: field trials and their design implications

This thesis describes the development of technical guidance on timber facade design. The study involved a state-of-the-art review; an exposure trial of external cladding made from Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis) and the production of construction details and associated information. It was undertaken because timber is an increasingly common cladding material in the UK, being used on low-rise residential buildings and for medium-rise and non-domestic buildings. The risks have, therefore, increased but this is not reflected in published guidance. Sitka spruce was used due to its availability in the UK and its similarity to Norway spruce (P. abies) which is widely used for cladding in Scandinavia. The exposure trial indicated that the moisture content range in timber facades is wider than accepted. The minimum moisture content of around 10% appears to be similar for all types of timber cladding and all species. The maximum appears to vary between species according to their fibre saturation point and is influenced by construction detailing and workmanship. A preliminary model of these interactions is proposed.From a theoretical standpoint, the moisture conditions observed in the trial mean that the (commonly quoted) mean moisture content is all but irrelevant. The mode is a more representative statistic as in most cases the data are skewed towards the fibre saturation point for the species concerned. Most detailing combinations had a moisture content near to the fibre saturation point throughout the winter. Sitka spruce is, therefore, only suitable as external cladding in the UK if preservative treated.Around 40 construction details were produced. They integrate, for the first time, all of the performance requirements applicable to low- and medium-rise timber facades in the UK. The work’s key benefit is that the guidance arising from this study rationalises and improves facade design. Further research is, however, needed to validate the moisture content model and extend it to other timber species

Moisture conditions in external timber cladding : field trials and their design implications

This thesis describes the development of technical guidance on timber facade design. The study involved a state-of-the-art review; an exposure trial of external cladding made from Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis) and the production of construction details and associated information. It was undertaken because timber is an increasingly common cladding material in the UK, being used on low-rise residential buildings and for medium-rise and non-domestic buildings. The risks have, therefore, increased but this is not reflected in published guidance. Sitka spruce was used due to its availability in the UK and its similarity to Norway spruce (P. abies) which is widely used for cladding in Scandinavia. The exposure trial indicated that the moisture content range in timber facades is wider than accepted. The minimum moisture content of around 10% appears to be similar for all types of timber cladding and all species. The maximum appears to vary between species according to their fibre saturation point and is influenced by construction detailing and workmanship. A preliminary model of these interactions is proposed. From a theoretical standpoint, the moisture conditions observed in the trial mean that the (commonly quoted) mean moisture content is all but irrelevant. The mode is a more representative statistic as in most cases the data are skewed towards the fibre saturation point for the species concerned. Most detailing combinations had a moisture content near to the fibre saturation point throughout the winter. Sitka spruce is, therefore, only suitable as external cladding in the UK if preservative treated. Around 40 construction details were produced. They integrate, for the first time, all of the performance requirements applicable to low- and medium-rise timber facades in the UK. The work's key benefit is that the guidance arising from this study rationalises and improves facade design. Further research is, however, needed to validate the moisture content model and extend it to other timber species.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

URBAN CORPORIS X - UNEXPECTED

Starting from the emergency provoked by the Sars-Cov2 that affected the whole world, the book brings the contributions of researchers and artists from all over the world discussing the theme of the \u201cunexpected\u201d, its implication, and inter-action with everyday life. The book presents a series of essays divided into three parts: Living unexpectedly, Missing interactions, and Different sociality. These three categories bring together authors who have had a reading of the unexpected emergency that occurred, pointing out different perspectives upon dynamics and relation caused by this situation, underlining how the isolation period has affected both the domestic and the urban sphere. Moreover, through drawings, photomontages and photographs, several authors gave a visual interpretation of the changed lives, spaces, and routines. All these contributions don\u2019t want to answer to the enormous problems brought by the pandemic. Rather they synthesize an interpretation of the shifting condition that occurred, showing both the great reactive capacity and the fragility of the no longer present reality

The 1982 NASA/ASEE summer faculty fellowship research program

Aht NASA/ASEE Summer Faculty Fellowship Research Program conducted at the Marshall Space Flight Center by the University of Alabama at Huntsville, Ala. during the summer of 1982 is described. Abstracts of the Final Reports submitted by the Fellows detailing the results of their research are also presented

An Intelligent tutoring system for the German language

This thesis report describes the design and implementation of a prototype Intelligent Tutoring System (ITS), intended to assist students of the German language. Very early in the study of a foreign language, the student is faced with the difficulties of sentence construction. Not only are there numerous rules and combination to deal with, but it is difficult to verify attempts when the teacher is unavailable. Individual words can be looked up in a dictionary, but the student must often rely on stumbling across a sentence of similar construction in order to verify a trial sentence. A variety of Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL) tools have been developed. Many have been criticized for not being user friendly, containing material which does not match the course curriculum, being inflexible, or being just plain in correct. The prototype system developed for this thesis experiments with several characteristics - an object-oriented design approach, a masking technique using dynamically built patterns to bridge the gap between hard-coded and full artificial intelligence approaches, and a C++ implementation. It attempts to draw on past failures, as well as past successes. The system described here provides a means for practicing sentence construction, with interactive diagnosis and feedback. A phrase or sentence is presented to the student for translation. The response is then checked for correctness. If the answer is incorrect, the student is given the option of trying again, receiving increasingly more specific hints, or having the system display the response it was expecting

1978-1979 Louisiana Tech University Catalog

The Louisiana Tech University Catalog includes announcements and course descriptions for courses offered at Louisiana Tech University for the academic year of 1978-1979.https://digitalcommons.latech.edu/university-catalogs/1036/thumbnail.jp

A Study of Planned Health and Production in Beef Suckler Herds

The benefits of taking positive action on a herd basis to maintain animal health and efficient production have long been appreciated by the dairy industry. Planned health and production schemes in beef suckler herds have been run successfully in Canada, America and Australia since the late 1970's and their popularity has continued to grow. In the United Kingdom the subject of herd health has recently been fashionable in the dairy and sheep industries however it has had little recognition in the beef industry. There has been a renewed interest in beef suckler cattle and a move from the traditional extensive hill systems to more intensive systems on upland and lowground farms. Due to consumer pressure there are tighter specifications for carcase quality. Therefore more planned systems of production are necessary to maintain profitability and minimise disease. In this study it was hoped that after the implementation of planned health and production schemes on a cross section of beef suckler farms there would be an improvement in herd performance. Records of cow calving details and calf weights by the majority of the farmers allowed the monitoring of herd performance. In the herds studied there was great variation in husbandry practices and in the agricultural background of the farmers so advice was tailored to suit each individual. Certain problems were commonly encountered especially diarrhoea and pneumonia in calves and poor reproductive efficiency of cows. The majority of problems were best overcome by changes in farm management. On all farms there were improvements seen as a result of visits as measured by cow reproductive performance, incidence of calf diseases and calf performance

Solar power satellite. Concept evaluation. Activities report. Volume 2: Detailed report

Comparative data are presented among various design approaches to thermal engine and photovoltaic SPS (Solar Power System) concepts, to provide criteria for selecting the most promising systems for more detailed definition. The major areas of the SPS system to be examined include solar cells, microwave power transmission, transportation, structure, rectenna, energy payback, resources, and environmental issues