Objects of Storytelling and Digital Memory (MEMO)

Memories can be formed around contact with physical objects that populate our everyday lives, we make sense of the physical world by the memories we create. We can create levels of understanding in relation to objects by organising significant memories into stories that hold meaning. The story of an object can involve the story of the personal relationship people have with it, the object can be a trigger on more than one level. In this project the physical, acts as a bridge to the virtual to provoke memory and sometimes instigate new memory formation in relation to an object. The artefacts of collective digital memory are accessed and rearranged through interaction with objects, the performance of this interaction gives space in which memories and stories about the objects and virtual artefacts can form. Physical manifestations of meta-data are used to create an unconventional interface to a database of existing memories. This paper seeks to frame the project theoretically and describe the resulting piece of work

The Design of a semi-prefabricated LVL-concrete composite floor

This paper describes the design of a novel semi-prefabricated LVL-concrete composite floor that has been developed in New Zealand. In this solution, the floor units made from LVL joists and plywood are prefabricated in the factory and transported to the building site. The units are then lifted onto the supports and connected to the main frames of the building and to the adjacent units. Finally, a concrete topping is poured on top of the units in order to form a continuous slab connecting all the units. Rectangular notches cut from the LVL joists and reinforced with coach screws provide the composite action between the concrete slab and the LVL joists. This system proved to be an effective modular solution that ensures rapid construction. A design procedure based on the use of the effective flexural stiffness method, also known as the “gamma method” is proposed for the design of the composite floor at ultimate and serviceability limit states, in the short and long term. By comparison with the experimental results, it is shown that the proposed method leads to conservative design. A step-by-step design worked example of this novel semi-prefabricated composite floor concludes the paper

Riflessioni sul pensiero, sulle osservazioni e sulle prospettive riguardanti il rapporto fra analogico e digitale emergenti dalla ricerca del prof. Franco Fileni

La scomparsa del prof. Fileni ha lasciato un vuoto che non sarà facile colmare. Non è intenzione dell'autore trasformare queste righe in un semplice ricordo della persona e dello studioso che è stato, non lo avrebbe gradito; è invece desidero condividere alcune riflessioni scaturite nei loro dialoghi utilizzandoli per aggiungere altri punti di vista e suggestioni affinché si creino le condizioni di interesse scientifico (ma con passione) per poter continuare la sua opera e il suo impegno. A prescindere dalle materie oggetto dei loro studi gli incontri sono stati spesso occasione per osservare, da due prospettive profondamente diverse, alcuni fenomeni dell’ecosistema composto da tecnologie, comunicazione e media che normalmente sfuggivano ad analisi e valutazioni a causa degli ambiti entro i quali si muovevano le loro rispettive esperienze. In svariati casi si è constatato quanto fosse persistente un fil rouge, un sentiero ideale, in grado di unificare il periodo storico, la cultura emergente, la tecnologia e l’estetica grazie alla pervasività dei sistemi di comunicazione digitale e all’ubiquitous da questi generato

La centralità del protocollo informatico nella dematerializzazione dei flussi documentali nelle amministrazioni comunali di piccole dimensioni

Nonostante siano trascorsi oltre due abbondanti lustri dalla pubblicazione del D. P. R. 445/2000 nel quale si trovano le direttive per una consistente trasformazione delle PA attraverso l’adozione dei flussi documentali basati su tecnologie digitali e conseguente dematerializzazione, si osservano ancora importanti isole di divide. L’aumento degli adempimenti succedutisi nel corso degli ultimi dieci anni ha appesantito i carichi di lavoro degli uffici generando, di conseguenza, un incremento del patrimonio documentale cartaceo. L’applicazione integrale del protocollo informatico, con relativa polarizzazione delle attività verso un sistema basato sulla “pratica elettronica”, permette di ridurre i tempi grigi presenti in ogni procedimento amministrativo. A beneficiare maggiormente di questa integrazione fra metodo e tecnologia è soprattutto l’efficienza, mentre permane stabile l’efficacia in virtù della presenza di legislazioni e regolamenti nei quali sono definiti tutti gli output necessari

Derivation of buckling design curves via FE modelling for in-plane compressed timber log-walls in accordance with the Eurocode 5

In \u2018Blockhaus\u2019 systems the structural capacity derives from surface interactions and friction mechanisms between multiple timber logs stacked horizontally one upon each other. Unlike masonry or concrete walls, timber log-walls are characterized by the absence of a full structural interaction between the basic components, hence resulting in \u2018assembled\u2019 rather than \u2018fully monolithic\u2019 structural systems characterized by high flexibility of timber and usually high slenderness ratios. The current Eurocode 5 for timber structures, however, does not provide formulations for the prediction of the critical load of log-haus walls under in-plane compressive loads. In this work, based on past experimental tests and detailed Finite-Element (FE) models, extended numerical investigations are performed on timber log-walls. A wide number of configurations (more than 900) characterized by different geometrical properties, timber log cross-sections, number and position of door and window openings, presence of in-plane rigid (RF) or fully flexible (FF) inter-storey floors, as well as initial curvatures and/or load eccentricities, are analyzed under monotonic in-plane compressive load. Careful consideration is also given to the influence of additional out-of-plane pressures (e.g., wind pressures) combined with the in-plane compressive load. In accordance with the buckling design approach proposed by the Eurocode 5 for timber columns, non-dimensional buckling curves are then proposed for timber log-walls under in-plane compression. These curves are based on an accurate calibration of the k c buckling coefficient and the related imperfection factors on the results of the numerical parametric study. The developed simple and conservative approach for the design of log-walls can be proposed for implementation in the new generation of the Eurocode 5

Numerical analysis of timber-to-timber joints and composite beams with inclined self-tapping screws

In this paper, a Finite-Element (FE) numerical investigation on timber-to-timber joints and composite beams with inclined self-tapping screws (STSs) is presented. Based on past experimental data and numerical literature efforts, full 3D solid FE models of selected geometrical and mechanical configurations of technical interest are implemented in ABAQUS software package and analysed under static loading conditions. The typical push-out samples include GL24h timber members with several types (WT-T-8.2, 190\u202fmm and 220\u202fmm their length), layouts (2\u202f+\u202f2, 4\u202f+\u202f4, 2\u202f+\u202f2 X-shaped) and inclination of screws (up to \ub145\ub0). For the full-scale beam samples in bending (8\u202fm their span), composite systems consisting of GL24h timber beam, wooden plank, spruce floorboards and STSs are investigated. There, the STS joints take the form of two-rows or X-shaped connections, respectively (45\ub0 or 90\ub0 their inclination), including four screw types and different spacing. In both the push-out and full-scale cases, simple modelling approaches are taken from the ABAQUS library and adapted to the timber-to-timber structural system under investigation, so as to explore their structural performance in the elastic and post-damage phases, up to failure. A key role in the typical FE models is assigned to input material properties and mechanical contacts, including damage constitutive laws so as to reproduce possible local failure phenomena in the timber or steel components, as well as cohesive damage interactions for the joints. The presented FE models are calibrated in accordance with past research studies, and validated \u2013 for the examined structural typology \u2013 against experimental results available in literature. Comparative calculations are hence presented, based on the collected numerical, experimental and analytical estimations for the selected samples. As shown, the examined modelling approach can reasonably capture the expected performance of timber-to-timber joints and composite systems

energy performance of a fuel cell hybrid system for rail vehicle propulsion

Abstract This paper focuses on the energy analysis of a rail vehicle in a real drive-cycle. The system includes a fuel cell, serving as the main engine, an energy storage system, composed of battery and supercapacitor, two DC/DC converters, both necessary for the connection with the electric motor, a regenerative brake, able to recover energy in deceleration, and a control system. This hybrid system is obtained through a deep study of the available solutions which include the use of one or more energy sources to the selected drive cycle. Afterwards, the system sizing was made in order to achieve the expected performance with the most appropriate power levels, without oversizing or undersizing the powertrain. The components were selected on the market after appropriate calculations according to the task that each energy source performs. After the identification of the components of the entire system, it is possible to perform an energy analysis. The fuel cell power is kept as constant as possible and it supplies the total energy demand; the battery provides the power variations at low frequencies while the supercapacitor provides those at high frequencies. The parameters analysed are: the current, the voltage and the power supplied from each energy source, the efficiency and the consumption of hydrogen for the fuel cell, the state of charge and the equivalent hydrogen consumption for the energy storage system

Electrical and thermal analysis of an intermediate temperature IIR‐SOFC system fed by biogas

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(INTER/48-2-1) Proposal of a Eurocode-based method for the buckling design of timber log-walls

Blockhaus structural systems are commonly obtained by assembling multiple timber logs, which are stacked horizontally on top of one another. Although based on simple resisting mechanisms, the structural behaviour of Blockhaus systems is rather complex to predict, and few design recommendations are available in current standards for timber structures. This paper focuses on the assessment of the buckling behaviour of a typical vertically compressed timber log wall