Active learning and autonomous learning: an educational experience

The obtained experience in the active and the autonomous learning tasks execution in the teaching of the subject: Reinforced Concrete Structures and Devices Construction, of the career of Technical Architecture by the Universidad Politécnica de Cataluña (Politechnical University of Catalonia, UPC), is presented. This article gives continuity to the work performed in the scene of educational improvement developed in Barcelona, and framed inside the European Higher Education Area [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]. It intends, therefore, to contribute with the current descriptive tendency in the learning condition applied in this subject.Peer Reviewe

Management and taking advantage of residues in construction. New educational contents inside the european space of higher education

A current tendency in construction is to have a cycle of life the most possible closed; acting in an optimal form with economy, and in a reasonable form with the environment. Using, in starting point, a first generation material which, after a transformation process, generates an input that once it exhausted its useful life, outcomes the creation of a waste material. If this waste material, after another transformation process, produces a different material (second generation material), and it is inserted again inside another input, the cycle of life of materials will be more efficient and harmonious with the environment. New trend in the study of the optimal cycle of life of materials, new specifications and environmental requests and the current economic impositions in the construction sector; cause the need to reuse, to design for beyond the common useful life and to apply new second generation materials inside the construction segment [1 ] This work presents the content of the subject Management and Taking Advantage of Residues in Construction (GARC, acronym in Spanish), given in the Construction Master of the Upper Technical School of Building (EPSEB, acronym in Spanish) [2, 3] of the University Technical of Catalonia (UPC, acronym in Spanish) [4] The subject is designed to satisfy the necessity to acquire the construction new professional profile, which has to assume competences such as: ecological-social commitment, environmental interest, intuition to research, sustainable inventiveness, etc. [5, 6, 7 ]Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Adaptación de las asignaturas de construcción del departamento de construcciones arquitectónicas i al nuevo concepto de los créditos europeos de educación superior y del campus virtual atenea

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Creep of concrete with substitution of normal aggregate by recycled concrete aggregate

This study presents the experimental results on properties of concrete with replacement of natural aggregate by recycled concrete aggregate (RCA). Experimental data on the creep behavior of concrete mixtures (basic and drying creep) was obtained. The replacement factor of natural aggregate by RCA were 0%, 15%, 30%, 60% and 100%, and the test conditions were 50% RH and 20°C. The results of these trials were used to provide a comparison with results of tests on the reference concrete, for ages up to 270 days. The creep coefficient data (instantaneous, basic and drying) presented, along with the maximum strain and the specific creep data. The results reveal considerable increase in creep when is increase replacement of natural aggregate with recycled concrete aggregate. The drying creep, especially shower more significant increase when compared to the reference concrete. KeyPeer Reviewe

Relationship between gas adsorption and the shrinkage and creep of recycled aggregate concrete

This is a preprint of an article published in Gómez-Soberón,José M.V. Relationship between gas adsorption and the shrinkage and creep of recycled aggregate concrete. "Cement, concrete and aggregates". 2003,25(2), p. 42-48.In this work, it is described an experimental analysis of specimens of recycled concrete (RC) with replacement of natural aggregate with recycled aggregate originating from concrete (RCA). An experimental analysis to obtain the shrinkage and creep properties (basic and by drying) of RC was carried out. The replacement fraction of natural aggregate with RCA were 0%, 15%, 30%, 60% and 100% and the test conditions were 50% RH and 20 °C. The results of these trials were compared with mercury intrusion porosimetry tests (MIP) and gas adsorption (nitrogen), at 90 days. In the results, an increase in the shrinkage and creep properties of the RC with respect to conventional concrete was observed, while porosity values increased. However, the deformation evolution in the time is similar to conventional concrete

Shrinkage of concrete with replacement of aggregate with recycled concrete aggregate

In this paper we present the experimental analysis of samples of concrete where portion of the natural aggregate were replaced with recycled aggregate originating from concrete (RCA). Experimental analysis to obtain the shrinkage properties (basic and dried) of the concrete containing recycled concrete aggregate (CRCA) was performed. The percentages of replacement of natural aggregate with RCA were 0%, 15%, 30%, 60% and 100% with test conditions of 50% RH and 20°C. The results of these trials are compared with reference concrete tests, at an age of 270 days. The results demonstrated an increase in the shrinkage of the CRCA that is proportional to the amount of RCA used as a replacement for the natural aggregate. When compared to the reference concrete, the drying shrinkage showing significant changes; however, their evolution over time is similar to standard concrete.Peer Reviewe

Adaptación de las asignaturas de construcción del departamento de construcciones arquitectónicas II al nuevo concepto de los créditos europeos de educación superior y del campus virtual Atenea

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Adaptación de las asignaturas de construcción del departamento de construcciones arquitectónicas II al nuevo concepto de los créditos europeos de educación superior y del campus virtual Atenea

La finalidad del presente trabajo es la adaptación a los nuevos criterios estándares (EEES) de valoración, de trabajo por parte del alumno y de guía por parte del profesor, de las asignaturas de Construcción del Departamento de Construcciones Arquitectónicas II (EPSEB); además, se prevé la incrustación de todos este trabajo en el Campus Virtual de ATENEA. Como otros objetivos colaterales de este trabajo se pueden destacar: el favorecer aun más el proceso de integración de la docencia, el facilitar la práctica dentro y fuera de las aulas, favorecer y mejora el rendimiento educativo de los propios alumnos, y por último, el aumentar la atención hacia los estudiantes por parte del cuerpo de profesores en general

Design and elastic behaviour influence of recycled RC buildings subjected to earthquakes

Experimental testing has been used, in different researches, to define reduction factors of physical and mechanical properties in recycled concrete, depending on the quantity of recycled material used to produce new concrete. These reduction factors were applied to design different five-storey buildings having recycled aggregates percentages in the RC of 0%, 15%, 30%, 60% and 100%. These structures, subjected to seismic load from an accelerogram database, were analysed elastically and designed according to the Mexico City Seismic Code. Models with different amount of recycled aggregates were compared with models with conventional concrete to evaluate the dimensional variation of columns and girders, the required longitudinal reinforcing steel, the maximum displacements and the moments and shear forces in elements. Results show that using recycled aggregates in percentages from 15% to 100%, produces increases, compared with conventional concrete buildings, in the structural elements dimensions (in percentages from 5% to 45%), reinforcing steel (20% to 60%), and the general response of the structure, in percentages of up to 14%.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Influence of the subestructure irregularity in highway bridge seismic behaviour

Most of preliminary evaluation methods to accomplish the seismic vulnerability of bridges consider as an evaluation parameter the substructure irregularity. This parameter is estimated by means of the difference in the length of piers or through the pier typology, but both evaluated by a subjective form. In this paper the evaluation of the influence of substructure irregularity is presented. First, a simple and regular bridge, with three piers of equal length and four spans, is considered as an original structure. Starting from this system, different irregular models were elaborated reducing or incrementing the length of the central or one of the external piers, in percentages of 25%, 50% and 75%. As a seismic action, a database of more than 50 earthquakes, registered in the Mexican Pacific Coast, the most seismic hazardous zone of México, were considered. The selected registers have magnitudes greater than six and important peak ground accelerations. By means of elastic analyses, the variation between regular and irregular maximum responses in displacements and internal forces are determined. Of the obtained responses, statistical values as mean and standard deviation are evaluated. With these values, percentages of difference in the response of irregular bridges were estimated; these percentages could be included as fragility weights of the irregularity degree in more rigorous preliminary methods to evaluate the seismic vulnerability of bridges.Postprint (published version