Utilització TIC per a elaborar recursos didàctics per a la comprensió de representacions d’assolellament i il·luminació natural d'edificis

Aquest treball serveix per crear recursos didàctics que serveixin per la comprensió de les representacions d’assolellament i il·luminació natural dels d'edificis, amb el suport de les TIC. Aquetes representacions serviran per prendre decisions sobre les proteccions solars necessàries a incorporar a l’edifici. El material suport podrà fer-se servir en el CFGS Projectes d’edificació, al mòdul 10 Disseny i construcció d’edificis, unitat formativa 1 Definició de projectes d’edificació. Com eines TIC es fa servir els programes informàtics Google SketchUp i el complement SunTolls V2.4, ambdós software lliure i de fàcil aprenentatge i ús. SketchUp consisteix en un programari de dibuix que permet treballar amb objectes virtuals en tres i dos dimensions. El complement SunTolls permet d’una manera fàcil i intuïtiva la representació de l’assolellament i il·luminació natural dels edificis, per a prendre criteris sobre el disseny i desenvolupament d’edificis. Per últim, s’elabora una biblioteca de solucions de protecció solar, en la xarxa de continguts oberta Google Galeria 3D, per a que l’alumne pugui escollir la solució més adient a l’envolvent exterior d’una edificació, depenent de les característiques de l‘entorn (clima, orientació i assolellament)

Convento de Santiago del Azevo (Cáceres)

El Convento de Santiago de Acebo (Cáceres), ubicado inicialmente en Cerro Moncalvo y posteriormente en la conocida Huerta del Fraile, era un convento de frailes que seguían la Regla Franciscana. Encuadrado en sus inicios dentro de la Provincia de Santiago, para pasar posteriormente a la de San Miguel, se sabe que este Convento ya existía por 1517. Su vida se prolongó hasta 1821; convirtiéndose en sus trescientos años de vida en un referente religioso y cultural, tanto para el municipio en el que se encontraba asentado, Acebo, como para la comarca de Sierra de Gata. De su existencia hablan infinidad de documentos que han quedado conservados en los distintos Archivos Provinciales y Nacionales; así como parte de sus objetos artísticos, retablos, esculturas, etc. que se guardan, cual precioso tesoro artístico, en la Parroquia de la misma población. Además, y aunque escasos, todavía se pueden observar restos de las dos antiguas edificaciones, permitiendo hacerse una idea de la grandeza de este prestigioso Convento.The Convent of Santiago de Acebo (Cáceres), located in Cerro Moncalvo initially and later in the Huerta del Fraile known, was a Convent of monks following the Rule of St. Francis. Initially framed within the Province of Santiago, before moving on to the San Miguel, we know that this convent existed by 1517. His life lasted until 1821, becoming his three hundred years of life in a religious and cultural referent for both the municipality in which it was settled, Acebo, to the region of Sierra de Gata. Many speak of their existence of documents that have been preserved in the various Provincial and National Archives, as well as part of their art objects, altarpieces, sculptures, etc. are stored, how precious artistic treasure, in the parish of the same population. Furthermore, although rare, can still see remnants of two old buildings, allowing an idea of the grandeur of this prestigious convent

Use of tire derived aggregate in tunnel cut-and-cover

A case-history is reported in which tire derived aggregate (TDA) was successfully applied to reduce the weight of fill upon a cut-and-cover railway tunnel. Subsequent 3D numerical analyses are used to explore the effect of different assumptions about the constitutive model of the TDA material. Alternative dispositions of TDA around the tunnel section are also examined. Reductions of up to 60% in lining bending moment may be achieved. For the case analyzed the elastic description of the TDA has little influence on tunnel lining loads, although is important for fill settlement estimates.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

DEM simulation of soil-tool interaction under extraterrestrial environmental effects

In contrast to terrestrial environment, the harsh lunar environment conditions include lower gravity acceleration, ultra-high vacuum and high (low) temperature in the daytime (night-time). This paper focuses on the effects of those mentioned features on soil cutting tests, a simplified excavation test, to reduce the risk of lunar excavation missions. Soil behavior and blade performance were analyzed under different environmental conditions. The results show that: (1) the cutting resistance and the energy consumption increase linearly with the gravity. The bending moment has a bigger increasing rate in low gravity fields due to a decreasing moment arm; (2) the cutting resistance, energy consumption and bending moment increase significantly because of the raised soil strength on the lunar environment, especially in low gravity fields. Under the lunar environment, the proportions of cutting resistance, bending moment and energy consumption due to the effect of the van der Waals forces are significant. Thus, they should be taken into consideration when planning excavations on the Moon. Therefore, considering that the maximum frictional force between the excavator and the lunar surface is proportional to the gravity acceleration, the same excavator that works efficiently on the Earth may not be able to work properly on the Moon.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

Effect of mold temperature on the impact behavior and morphology of injection molded foams based on polypropylene polyethylene–octene copolymer blends

Producción CientíficaIn this work, an isotactic polypropylene (PP) and a polyethylene–octene copolymer (POE) have been blended and injection-molded, obtaining solids and foamed samples with a relative density of 0.76. Different mold temperature and injection temperature were used. The Izod impact strength was measured. For solids, higher mold temperature increased the impact resistance, whereas in foams, the opposite trend was observed. In order to understand the reasons of this behavior, the morphology of the elastomeric phase, the crystalline morphology and the cellular structure have been studied. The presence of the elastomer near the skin in the case of high mold temperature can explain the improvement produced with a high mold temperature in solids. For foams, aspects as the elastomer coarsening in the core of the sample or the presence of a thicker solid skin are the critical parameters that justify the improved behavior of the materials produced with a lower mold temperature.Ministerio de Economía, Industria y Competitividad (grant DI-15-07952

Low density polyethylene/silica nanocomposite foams. Relationship between chemical composition, particle dispersion, cellular structure and physical properties

Postprint (author's final draft

Do Seabirds Control Wind Drift during Their Migration across the Strait of Gibraltar? A Study Using Remote Tracking by Radar

This study presents data on the directional flying behaviour of the five most abundant seabird species migrating across the Strait of Gibraltar in relation to the wind, as observed from the north coast, based on radar tracking, and identified to species level by visual observations. A total of 318 seabird trajectories were analysed, illustrating the expected east-west or west-east movements in spring and autumn. We hypothesised that the seabirds that cross the Strait channel during their migrations would behave differently with respect to compensation for wind direction, depending on their flight styles, the migratory period, and the prevailing winds. In this regard, our results showed that flapping birds (Razorbill, Puffin, Northern Gannet, and Balearic shearwater) compensated for wind drift independently of the season and the predominant wind direction. This agrees with the theory that suggests that under moderate winds and whenever visual contact with the coastline is present (as in the case of our study), migrants should compensate for wind drift to avoid being drifted towards the coast, off their main direction of flight. However, Cory's shearwater, an active gliding seabird with long, slender wings, showed an adaptive directional response to wind, allowing it to be drifted in spring when westerly tailwinds were prevalent, but compensated for wind in autumn, when both easterly and westerly winds were similarly frequent. This adaptive flight behaviour allows it to take advantage of the prevailing tailwinds in spring, gaining ground speed and saving energy during its passage through the Strait, while in autumn, more frequent headwind conditions and a more directional migration to the south may favour compensating for wind drift. Our results support the usefulness of bird radar as a remote tool for describing the pattern of animal movements in the marine environment, as well as their behavioural response to atmospheric conditions. These studies are particularly relevant in the current framework of climate change