Design of cardboard prefabricated temporary dwellings through economic and hygrothermal assessment-according to nZEB requirements in warm-temperate climates

Uno degli obiettivi più importanti applicati dalla rifusione dell'EPBD è che entro la fine del 2020, tutti i nuovi edifici devono essere edifici a energia quasi zero. Nell'attuale regolamento, alcune categorie di tipi di edifici sono escluse da questa procedura di valutazione, inclusi edifici temporanei con un periodo di utilizzo inferiore a due anni. Sebbene ultimamente siano state sviluppate costruzioni prefabbricate, raramente sono stati condotti studi sulle prestazioni energetiche. Tuttavia, una fase cruciale delle abitazioni post disastro è il periodo di alloggio nelle case temporanee che può durare tre anni o più. Pertanto, richiede un'attenzione più seria alla loro efficienza energetica. Questa ricerca affronta le suddette preoccupazioni. In questo studio, viene presa in considerazione la progettazione economica ed efficiente dal punto di vista energetico delle case temporanee di emergenza adatte al contesto italiano, con particolare attenzione alle regioni con clima temperato caldo. Essendo un materiale innovativo, riciclato al 100% e a basso impatto ambientale, è stato utilizzato il cartone a nido d'ape per isolamenti delle pareti; sono state condotte indagini sperimentali e analitiche per determinarne le caratteristiche termiche e ambientali. È stata progettata una tipologia di edificio con caratteristiche di flessibilità ed espandibilità da prendere come edificio di riferimento. Le buste per pareti, tetto e pavimento sono state progettate, valutate in merito al trasferimento di calore e umidità e modificate per essere compatibili con i più recenti requisiti di prestazione energetica. Simulazioni di energia per l'intero edificio sono state condotte in tre zone climatiche italiane calde (B, C e D) per studiare l'effetto delle condizioni climatiche sul loro fabbisogno di energia termica. Effettuando uno studio parametrico sulla trasmittanza termica dell'inviluppo opaco nelle gamme di normative richieste, è stato analizzato che dal punto di vista dell'efficienza energetica in termini di costi, in climi più miti varianti di inviluppo con minore resistenza termica e in climi più caldi con quelli più alti anziché i limiti richiesti potrebbe trovarsi nel corridoio ottimale in termini di costi. Inoltre, sono stati valutati diversi orizzonti temporali e si suggerisce che, considerando i costi di capitale e di sostituzione più influenti, il periodo di vita più appropriato per l'edificio prefabbricato debba essere scelto per la "seconda vita" dopo il periodo di occupazione. I dettagli delle gamme di soluzioni ottimali trovate sono presentati in questo studio.One of the most important targets enforced by EPBD recast is that by end of 2020, all new buildings have to be nearly zero energy buildings. In the current regulation, some building type categories are excluded from this assessment procedure, including temporary buildings with usage period less than two years. Although prefabricated construction has been developed lately, energy performance studies have rarely been carried out for them. However, one crucial stage in post-disaster housing is the accommodation period in temporary homes which may last three years or more. Therefore, it necessitates more serious attention to their energy efficiency. This research addresses the aforesaid concerns. In this study, the cost-effective and energy efficient design of emergency temporary homes suitable for Italian context with a focus on regions with warm temperate climate is considered. As an innovative, 100% recycled, and low environmental impact material, honeycomb cardboard was taken for wall insulations; experimental and analytical investigations were carried out to determine its thermal and environmental characteristics. A building typology was designed with flexibility and expandability features to be taken as reference building. Its wall, roof, and floor envelopes were designed, assessed regarding heat and moisture transfer, and modified to be compatible with the latest energy performance requirements. Whole building energy simulations were carried out in three warm Italian climate zones (B, C, and D) to investigate effect of climate conditions on their thermal energy needs. Performing a parametric study on the opaque envelope thermal transmittance in the required ranges of regulations, it was analyzed that from cost-effectiveness energy efficiency viewpoint, in milder climates envelope variants with less thermal resistance and in warmer climates with higher ones rather than the required limits could be located in the cost-optimal corridor. In addition, various time horizons were assessed and it is suggested that by considering the most influential capital and replacement costs, the most appropriate life time for the prefabricated building must be chosen for the “second life” after occupancy period. Details of the optimum solution ranges found are presented in this study

Engineering for a changing world: 60th Ilmenau Scientific Colloquium, Technische Universität Ilmenau, September 04-08, 2023 : programme

In 2023, the Ilmenau Scientific Colloquium is once more organised by the Department of Mechanical Engineering. The title of this year’s conference “Engineering for a Changing World” refers to limited natural resources of our planet, to massive changes in cooperation between continents, countries, institutions and people – enabled by the increased implementation of information technology as the probably most dominant driver in many fields. The Colloquium, supplemented by workshops, is characterised but not limited to the following topics: – Precision engineering and measurement technology Nanofabrication – Industry 4.0 and digitalisation in mechanical engineering – Mechatronics, biomechatronics and mechanism technology – Systems engineering – Productive teaming - Human-machine collaboration in the production environment The topics are oriented on key strategic aspects of research and teaching in Mechanical Engineering at our university

Hacking Antarctica

Hacking Antarctica is an investigation focused on rendering aesthetic responses to Antarctica beyond normative representations of the sublime and the imperceptible. It is based on fieldwork in polar and subpolar areas over the last 9 years. At its core, the research uses Immanuel Kant’s Critique of Judgement as a way of understanding what is meant by the sublime and from that develops a practice that examines what a Kantian lack of access to nature implies. This key Kantian concept is explained and devised into art works and then tested through concepts such as translation, transduction, infection and representation, using hacking methodologies informed by bricolage (L ´ evi-Strauss 1968), and diffraction (Barad 2007). The research expands on the taxonomies of the polar to reconsider the Antarctic as a border and periphery, bringing a conjunction of hacking methods and site-specific art that enables a performative causality with which to study the production of site. In other words, a performative approach as Barad and other feminist writers recognize, is questioning the traditional causality of ends and means and observer and observed and rather focuses on processes within discursive practices. Causality is reworked as a local externalization of the intra-acting relations of matter. Within the overall system of research for Antarctica, technical methods used included; Free Libre Open Source software and hardware techniques, black and white and infrared photography, ultraviolet light sensing, sound recordings, hydrophone recordings, very low frequency recordings, AM radio sensing, error in photography (light leakage, displaced focus), in text (cut-up compositions), in video (glitch) and error in bodies as infections; bio-sensing agents (including yeast and lactobacillus), point-array analysis, translation of images to raw data, and from raw data to sound, land art performances, spatialization of sound, stereo panning, quadraphonic sound, interactive embroidery, radio broadcast and installations. Specific outputs include: Antarctica 1961-1986 (2017), an interactive embroidered map of Antarctica showing sites of mineral sources and mineral pollution. The map was installed as an interactive instrument that allowed visitors to participate in the live shaping of the spatialization of sounds recorded in Antarctica. A digital Theremin sensor attached to the map was interfaced with Pure Data software running on a GNU-Linux Debian station. All software was made visible as well as the papers documenting the traces of the plutonium found there. The research through an experimental set of hacking practices supported the hypothesis that Antarctica can be represented outside the sublime through the polar-site produced by hashes of proxies and the diffraction produced when superposing modes of knowing. The interruption of the spectacle to respond to Antarctica is the result

Career self-efficacy disparities in underrepresented biomedical scientist trainees

The present study examines racial, ethnic, and gender disparities in career self-efficacy amongst 6077 US citizens and US naturalized graduate and postdoctoral trainees. Respondents from biomedical fields completed surveys administered by the National Institutes of Health Broadening Experiences in Scientific Training (NIH BEST) programs across 17 US institutional sites. Graduate and postdoctoral demographic and survey response data were examined to evaluate the impact of intersectional identities on trainee career self-efficacy. The study hypothesized that race, ethnicity and gender, and the relations between these identities, would impact trainee career self-efficacy. The analysis demonstrated that racial and ethnic group, gender, specific career interests (academic principal investigator vs. other careers), and seniority (junior vs. senior trainee level) were, to various degrees, all associated with trainee career self-efficacy and the effects were consistent across graduate and postdoctoral respondents. Implications for differing levels of self-efficacy are discussed, including factors and events during training that may contribute to (or undermine) career self-efficacy. The importance of mentorship for building research and career self-efficacy of trainees is discussed, especially with respect to those identifying as women and belonging to racial/ethnic populations underrepresented in biomedical sciences. The results underscore the need for change in the biomedical academic research community in order to retain a diverse biomedical workforce

(Un)exhausted Cartographies. Re-living the visuality, aesthetics and politics in contemporary mapping theories and practices

This thesis is concerned with examining the life and deadliness of the map trope in contemporary Human Geography and the various ways maps and mapping have been re-theorized over the past twenty five years. Arguing that there is presently a feeling of exhaustion and disinterest amongst many human geographers in the use of maps given a shift to postmodern and poststructural approaches that decentre maps and mistrust their supposed objectivity, their representational qualities, and use by institutions to justify certain political actions, it tries to relive the attention in the ubiquity and flourishing of contemporary mapping practices by promoting a re-worked post-representational perspective. Mixing ideas from Cultural Geography, Cartography and Visual Culture Studies, it explores the creation and work of maps through ethnographic fieldwork and a case study of artist engagements with maps and mapping migrant deaths in the Mediterranean. It does so by distinguishing between a figural, operational and forensic cartography which suggest the idea to multiply forms of mapping, not simply revive 'dead' cartography, moving from geographers' discussions of mapping to interdisciplinary experimentation

Aeronautical Engineering: A Continuing Bibliography with Indexes

This report lists reports, articles and other documents recently announced in the NASA STI Database. The coverage includes documents on the engineering and theoretical aspects of design, construction, evaluation, testing, operation, and performance of aircraft (including aircraft engines) and associated components, equipment, and systems. It also includes research and development in aerodynamics, aeronautics, and ground support equipment for aeronautical vehicles. Each entry in the publication consists of a standard bibliographic citation accompanied, in most cases, by an abstract

On the Evolution of the Heavenly Spheres: An Enactive Approach to Cosmography

The ability to view the world from multiple perspectives is essential for tackling complex, interconnected challenges. Yet conventional academic structures are designed to produce knowledge through ever-increasing specialization and compartmentalization. This fragmentation is often reinforced by tacit dualistic assumptions that prioritize linear thinking and abstract ways of knowing. Though the need for integrated approaches has been widely acknowledged, effective techniques for transcending disciplinary boundaries remain elusive. This thesis describes a practical strategy that uses immersive visualizations to cultivate transdisciplinary perspectives. It develops an enactive approach to cosmography, contending that processes of visualizing and interpreting the cosmos iteratively shape ‘views’ of the ‘world.’ The archetypal trope of the heavenly sphere is examined to demonstrate the significance of its interpretations in this history of ideas. Action research and mixed methods are employed to elucidate the theoretical considerations, cultural relevance, and practical consequences of this approach. The study begins with an investigation into the recurring appearance of the heavenly sphere across time, in which its embodied origins, metaphorical influence, and material embodiments are considered. Particular attention is given to how cosmographic tools and techniques have facilitated imaginary ‘flights’ through the heavens, from the ecstatic bird’s eye view of the shaman to the ‘Archimedean point’ of modern science. It then examines how these cosmographic practices have shaped cosmological beliefs and paradigmatic assumptions. Next, the practical utility of this approach is demonstrated through the development of cosmographic hermeneutics, a technique using visual heuristics to interpret cosmic models from transdisciplinary world views. Finally, the performative practice of cosmotroping is described, in which cosmographic hermeneutics are applied to re-imagine the ancient dream of the transcendent ‘cosmic journey’ within immersive vision theaters. This study concludes that the re-emergence of the heavenly sphere within the contemporary Digital Universe Atlas provides a leverage point for illuminating the complexity of knowledge production processes. It is claimed that this research has produced a practical strategy for demonstrating that the ultimate Archimedean point is the ability to recognize the limits of our own knowledge, a crucial first step in cultivating much-needed multi-perspectival and paradoxical spherical thinking

X-ray computed microtomography applications for complex geometries and multiphase flow

In all fields, fundamental and applied research seek to produce experimental measurements without causing interferences to the process being observed. This capability is of paramount importance, since small perturbations of the phenomenon can alter it to the point of producing biased or even incorrect results. Xray techniques, based on synchrotron or laboratory X-ray sources, have attracted the attention of the research and industrial R&D community thanks to their characteristic of having little to no detectable influence on the subject under study. Moreover, if declined as tomography, this technique can provide localized full volume information at the micrometre scale, from which arbitrary shaped geometries and material densities can be deduced. During this thesis an X-ray microtomography instrument, based on a laboratory X-ray source, has been exploited to gain three main objectives. The first one is the analysis of how a liquid drop, of water or glycol, adapts its shape to reach an equilibrium state when gently deposed on a flat or patterned surface. So far this has been done using 2D techniques but introducing the knowledge of the third dimension and being able to see the drop shape even in not optically accessible locations, opens new possibilities to better understand the physics that regulate it. The second one is the reconstruction of the internal geometries of automotive diesel injectors with high resolution to detect and highlight differences between nominal and real geometries, key information to produce more realistic CFD simulations of the flow inside production grade injectors geometries. A scaled -up model made of PEEK was also studied, producing successive tomographies, to detect small geometrical changes induced by part usage, giving an in-depth view of the locations more prone to be damaged by cavitation flow. The third one is the study of a multiphase flow inside the same scaled-up model injection channel with flowing conditions exhibiting cavitation. The geometry of the non-axisymmetric model mimics the flow pattern of a real diesel injection channel and automotive grade diesel was consequently selected as fluid. Understanding the dependence of cavitation development on flow characteristics in a three-dimensional way, through the determination of the localized void fraction of the multiphase flow, can lead to improvements in the knowledge of such a phenomenon that can guide the design of future fuel injection equipment

Digital découpage: reading and prototyping the material poetics and queer ephemera of the Edwin Morgan scrapbooks, 1931-1966

My thesis takes as its object of study sixteen scrapbooks compiled between 1931 and 1966 by Scots Makar Edwin Morgan (1920-2010), which are currently housed in the University of Glasgow Library Special Collections. I focus on reading the Morgan scrapbooks through two paradigms. Firstly, I approach the scrapbooks as materiallyspecific texts that demand close readings not only of their content, but of their forms and format. Specifically, I read the material practices and poetics of Morgan’s scrapbooking through queer theories of ephemera and temporalities, even in cases where the contents of the scrapbooks are not themselves overtly queer, and argue that these queer poetics extend as an influence throughout Morgan’s broader literary corpus. I also argue that the scrapbooks speak through “language[s] of juxtaposition” (Garvey, Writing with Scissors 131) that can be productively unfolded through close readings informed by Bruno Latour’s sociological theories. Secondly, I approach the Morgan scrapbooks as a test case to demonstrate the value of using digital humanities and visualization methods to engage ephemeral archival items in ‘research through design’ processes. My thesis interprets the Morgan scrapbooks through the creation of custom-built databases and prototypical interfaces that make discoverable the scrapbooks’ rich metadata, while also arguing that Morgan’s scrapbooks are particularly open to such digital interventions due to their reliance on intermediation and their documentation of technological innovations. The three visual prototypes resulting from my project are not intended to reproduce faithfully or replace the scrapbooks, but rather to experiment with how the media specificities of the digital can be put into conversation with Morgan’s materially-complex and technologically-aware scrapbooks. The prototypes also enable explorations of the productive points of contact that exist between scrapbooks, databases, and prototypes as forms of information management and tools of interpretation. Collectively, these two approaches demonstrate the value of, and need for, close readings and innovative digital remediations for scrapbooked (hi)stories like Morgan’s, as well as for many other ephemeral and marginalized material archives