Out-of-plane seismic response of stone masonry walls: experimental and analytical study of real piers

This paper presents the application of an existing simplified displacement-based procedure to the characterization of the nonlinear force-displacement relationship for the out-of-plane behaviour of unreinforced traditional masonry walls. According to this procedure, tri-linear models based on three different energy based criteria were constructed and confronted with three experimental tests on existing stone masonry constructions. Moreover, a brief introduction is presented regarding the main characteristics of the in situ cyclic testing recently carried out using distributed loads, as well as results obtained during the experimental campaigns performed. The comparison between the experimental and the analytical results are presented and discussed

Control mechanisms and perceived organizational support: exploring the relationship between new and traditional forms of control

Purpose: Taking into account the need to make a clearer distinction between traditional and new organizational controls, this paper aims to investigate similarities and differences between those two forms and explore the extent to which new forms of control can be operationalized from a quantitative point of view. Design/methodology/approach: Suggesting that new organizational controls can be understood also in light of quantitative paradigms, we develop and test a scale to measure the existence of these types of controls, examine its construct validity and evaluate its convergent validity. Findings: The theoretical dimensions of new controls have empirical correspondence. Input and behaviour controls are strongly associated with the promotion of values and beliefs in organizations. New controls become responsible for employees’ acceptance of companies’ management, an aspect measured by Perceived-Organizational-Support (POS)

Simulating the Effects of Substrate Pre-Heating on the Final Structure of Steel Parts Built by Laser Powder Deposition

Tool steel parts built by laser powder deposition often present a heterogeneous distribution of properties caused by the complex structural transformations that occur during the deposition process. A model describing these transformations has been developed. It couples finite element heat transfer calculations with transformation kinetic theory to predict the final microstructure and properties of the material and their variation across a laser powder deposited part. Pre-heating is often used to reduce the residual stresses and the risk of thermal distortion and cracking. However, this changes the heat transfer conditions and affects the final microstructure and properties. In this work the proposed model was used to evaluate the effects of substrate preheating on the final hardness distribution. The results show that the final hardness depends considerably on the initial temperature of the substrate.Mechanical Engineerin