Masonry dams : analysis of the historical profiles of Sazilly, Delocre and Rankine

The significant advances in masonry dam design that took place in the second half of the 19th century are analyzed and discussed within the context of the historical development of dam construction. Particular reference is made to the gravity dam profiles proposed by Sazilly, Delocre and Rankine, who pioneered the application of engineering concepts to dam design, basing the dam profile on the allowable stresses for the conditions of empty and full reservoir. These historical profiles are analyzed taking into consideration the present safety assessment procedures, by means of a numerical application developed for this purpose, based on limit analysis equilibrium methods, which considers the sliding failure mechanisms, the most critical for these structures. The study underlines the key role of uplift pressures, which was only addressed by Lévy after the accident of Bouzey dam, and provides a critical understanding of the original design concepts, which is essential for the rehabilitation of these historical structures.This work has been funded by FCT (Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology) through the PhD grant SFRH/BD/43585/2008, for which the first author is grateful

Sistema de produção da arquitetura na cidade colonial brasileira: mestres de ofício, "riscos" e "traças"

This paper analyzes the role of master-builders in the practice of architecture in Brazil's colonial towns and cities,with its focus on the method of contracting by stages, and the role of sketches and outlines when designing, erecting and valuing buildings, and for rendering accounts. The notion of a single author is critically examined and the paper points to multiple actors and signatures, analyzes the knowledge required --of practical geometry in particular-- and discusses the dialectical relationship between theory and practice, as well as the tenuous boundaries between erudition and custom