Analysis of Energy Efficiency in Construction Solutions at the Facade-slab Connection

Façade-slab connection is the main thermal bridge of buildings. In this work, different options are analyzed according to the location of the thermal insulation. Heat loss is measured for each option. According to thermal analysis performed we conclude that cover the building¿s façade completely without interruption at the slab¿s front is essential to avoid thermal bridges. The new option that interrupts the cantilever to put insulation on the entire façade is just effective to isolate the entire cantilever and is an easier constructive solution. This insulation continuity is needed to prevent ceiling condensation, since the energy saving is not important compared to windows thermal loss.Vercher Sanchis, JM.; Lerma Elvira, C.; Vidal Martinez, M.; Gil Benso, E. (2013). Analysis of Energy Efficiency in Construction Solutions at the Facade-slab Connection. Advanced Materials Research. 787:731-735. doi:10.4028/www.scientific.net/AMR.787.731S731735787He, J., Hoyano, A., Asawa, T. A numerical simulation tool for predicting the impact of outdoor thermal environment on building energy performance. Applied Energy 86 (2009) 1596–1605. DOI: 10. 1016/j. apenergy. 2008. 12. 034.Füllsack-Köditz, R. Bauphysikalische Kennwerte für Balkonplattenanschlüsse. Bauphysik 34 (2012), Heft 3, pp.121-129. DOI: 10. 1002/bapi. 201200015.Sami A. Al-Sanea, M.F. Zedan. Effect of thermal bridges on transmission loads and thermal resistance of building walls under dynamic conditions. Applied Energy 98 (2012) 584–593. DOI: 10. 1016/j. apenergy. 2012. 04. 038.ZT Ai, CM Mak, JL Niu, ZR Li. Effect of balconies on thermal comfort in wind-induced, naturally ventilated low-rise buildings. Building Serv. Eng. Res. Technol. 32, 3 (2011) p.277–292. DOI: 10. 1177/0143624410396431.Lerma, C., Mas, Á., Gil, E., Vercher, J., Peñalver, MJ. Identification of construction material pathologies in historical buildings using infrared thermography. Materiales de Construcción (2013) pp.24-34. DOI: 10. 3989/mc. 2013. 06612

Study of the Mechanical Behavior against Horizontal Forces of Self-supporting Facades

[EN] The brick facades are one of the most used facades in the current architecture. This typology is used during centuries, but still relevant today. The conventional way to build a brick facade is supporting the outer sheet on the slabs of the building. In buildings with these conventional facades have appeared stability, insulation and sealing problems. The self-supporting facade appears to solve these problems easily. This type of facade can solve more easily thermal bridges in buildings, which is an optimization of energy consumption. To resist horizontal forces facades need anchors between the two sheets or between the outer sheet and the structure. The current standards in Spain do not define the arrangement of the anchorages between the exterior sheet and the inner sheet of the enclosure. This paper studies the influence of the inner sheet in self-supporting facades. The transmission of horizontal forces between the two sheets of the facade is analyzed in detail, in order to check whether the inner sheet assists in the stability of the outer sheet. Different models of facade have been simulated to compare their results using the finite element method.Cubel Arjona, FJ.; Roldan, J.; Vercher Sanchis, JM.; Gil Benso, E. (2014). Study of the Mechanical Behavior against Horizontal Forces of Self-supporting Facades. Advanced Materials Research. 1041:27-30. doi:10.4028/www.scientific.net/AMR.1041.2727301041A. Mas, F. Cubel, Cerramientos de obra de fábrica, SPUPV, Valencia, (2005).R. Da Silva Vicente, J.A. R Mendes da Silva, Defects of non-loadbering masonry due to partial basal supports, Construction and Building Materials, 21 (2007) 1977-(1990).C. Del Río, Sistema Structura para fachadas de ladrillo cara vista. Conarquitectura, 25 (2008) 81-91.Eurocode No 6, Common Unified Rules for Masonry Structures, Report EUR 9888 EN. (1992).Commission Générale de Normalisation du Bâtiment, Documents Techniques Unifiés. DTU 20, Maçonnerie (1990).K. Zhu, E. Zhu, W. Yang, Finite element Analysis of Reinforced Brick Wall with Opening Hole. Advanced Material Research (2011) 243-249.K. Dilrukshi, E. Dias, R. Rajapakse, Numerical modelling of cracks in masonry walls due to thermal movements in overlying slab", Engineering Structures 32 (2010).F. Cubel, J. Vercher, A. Mas, E. Gil, Design and construction recommendations for brick enclosures with continuous air chamber, Construction & Building Materials 36 (2012) 151-164

Methodology for Thermal Behaviour Assessment of Homogeneous Façades in Heritage Buildings

[EN] It is fundamental to study the thermal behaviour in all architectural constructions throughout their useful life, in order to detect early deterioration ensuring durability, in addition to achieving and maintaining the interior comfort with the minimum energy consumption possible. This research has developed a methodology to assess the thermal behaviour of facades in heritage buildings. This paper presents methodology validation and verification (V & V) through a laboratory experiment. Guidelines and conclusions are extracted with the employment of three techniques in this experiment (thermal sensors, thermal imaging camera, and 3D thermal simulation in finite element software). A small portion of a homogeneous facade has been reproduced with indoor and outdoor thermal conditions. A closed chamber was constructed with wood panels and thermal insulation, leaving only one face exposed to the outside conditions, with a heat source inside the chamber that induces a temperature gradient in the wall. With this methodology, it is possible to better understand the thermal behaviour of the facade and to detect possible damage with the calibration and comparison of the results obtained by the experimental and theoretical techniques. This methodology can be extrapolated to the analysis of the thermal behaviour of facades in heritage buildings, usually made up of homogeneous material.Gil Benso, E.; Lerma Elvira, C.; Vercher Sanchis, JM.; Mas Tomas, MDLA. (2017). Methodology for Thermal Behaviour Assessment of Homogeneous Façades in Heritage Buildings. Journal of Sensors. 1-13. doi:10.1155/2017/3280691S11

Structural Flexural Bending Assessment of Prestressed Concrete Joist with Corrosion

[EN] The number of situations where it is necessary to intervene in existing structures is increasing. In Spain, rehabilitation and maintenance of buildings accounts for 30% of the activity of the construction sector and it is growing. This paper evaluates the residual safety of T prestressed joists with severe corrosion at the lower reinforcement. The reliability is assessed with the application of the ACI-318 load test. It is demonstrated that there is sufficient safety in cases of corroded prestressed joists. At any rate, it¿s recommended to make a light repair under the damaged joists.Vercher Sanchis, JM.; Gil Benso, E.; Mas Tomas, MDLA.; Lerma Elvira, C. (2013). Structural Flexural Bending Assessment of Prestressed Concrete Joist with Corrosion. Advanced Materials Research. 790-793. doi:10.4028/www.scientific.net/AMR.671-674.790S790793Concrete Spanish Group (GEHO): Survey pathology of concrete structures, edited by GEHO Bulletin Vol 10, Madrid (1992).A.F. Barbosa and G.O. Ribeiro: Analysis of reinforced concrete structures using Ansys nonlinear concrete model. Computational Mechanics Vol. 1 n. 8 (1998), pp.1-7.P. Fanning: Nonlinear models of reinforced and post-tensioned concrete beams. Electronic Journal of Structural Engineering Vol. 2 (2001), pp.111-119.D. Coronelli and P. Gambarova: Structural assessment of corroded reinforced concrete beams: modeling guidelines. Journal of Structural Engineering Vol. 130 n. 8 (2004), pp.1214-1224.J. Vercher: Safety residual forged in severe corrosion. PhD. Department of Architectural Constructions. Polytechnic University of Valencia (2013).T. Tavio and A. Tata: Predicting nonlinear behavior and stress-strain relationship of rectangular confined reinforced concrete columns with Ansys. Civil Engineering Dimension Vol. 11 (2009).American Concrete Institute (ACI): Building Code Requeriments for Structural Concrete (ACI 318-08) and Commentary. Strength Evaluation of Existing Structures. Michigan, USA (2008).Prevalesa SL: Technical specifications - as EHE-08 - the slab of prestressed beams DITECO T12 model. Valencia, Spain (2008).Ministry of Housing: Technical Building Code (CTE), edited by Gazette, Madrid (2006)

Contribution of green roofs to energy savings in building renovations

[EN] Reversing the consequences of climate change and achieving more resilient societies involves reducing CO2 emissions and energy consumption, especially in sectors as important as construction. Green roofs, due to their particularities, imply a series of benefits, among which energy saving stands out. This implies a reduction in the consumption of resources and in CO2 emissions, more evident in the case of the refurbishment of buildings. A comparison is proposed between the energy savings obtained by renovating only the roof and renovating the entire thermal envelope. This is done with three roof construction systems (including two green roofs) and in 6 Spanish cities that represent different climatic zones. The novelties provided by this research are based on the comparison of both renovation cases to obtain the influence of the roof with respect to the thermal improvement of the envelope. The energy savings obtained by renovating the roof are very similar in all cities, but after renovating the entire envelope, the savings increase as the climate gets colder.Determining themost influential variables in these savings, as well as the influence of the roof, allows choosing the most appropriate construction techniques to optimize the energy renovation of existing buildings.Fundingforopenaccesscharge:CRUE-UniversitatPolitècnicadeValència.Garcia-Borràs, J.; Lerma Elvira, C.; Mas Tomas, MDLA.; Vercher Sanchis, J.; Gil Benso, E. (2022). Contribution of green roofs to energy savings in building renovations. Energy for Sustainable Development. 71:212-221. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.esd.2022.09.0202122217

Flexural Strengthening of Damaged T-Joists with Severe Corrosion Using CFRP Sheets

[EN] This paper evaluates the residual safety of isolated T-joists with severe corrosion for the two extreme cases of boundary conditions, simply supported and fixed-ended, in order to help in making decisions about the magnitude of the necessary intervention. When the T-joist is part of a complete slab, the boundary conditions will be in an intermediate situation between these two extreme cases, so that it is possible to assess the safety with respect to its degree of embedding. The research is conducted for the cases of healthy T-joist, T-joist with complete corrosion of the lower reinforcement, and repaired T-joists with a variable number of CFRP sheets. This work is based on the ACI 318 load test to maintain a structure in use and proposes a Load Factor (LF), which estimates the safety reserve. The simply supported T-joists specimens with severe corrosion do not meet the Load Factor or ACI 318 criteria, even with a large number of CFRP sheets. On the other hand, fixed-ended cases can be kept in use despite corrosion by applying light CFRP strengthening, and with four sheets the initial safety is restored.Vercher Sanchis, JM.; Gil Benso, E.; Mas Tomas, MDLA.; Lerma Elvira, C.; Torner Feltrer, MEM. (2017). Flexural Strengthening of Damaged T-Joists with Severe Corrosion Using CFRP Sheets. Advances in Materials Science and Engineering. 2017:1-9. doi:10.1155/2017/6030357S19201

Basalt FRP rods assessment as an alternative reinforcement for reinforced concrete

[EN] The consequences of global warming are becoming increasingly disastrous. Nowadays, our society has the responsibility of reducing the energy consumed in the building sector. In order to reduce this 40% of emissions, applying sustainable development criteria is fundamental throughout the life of materials in construction. More specifically, the use of steel corrugated bars or rods as reinforcement is the most widely used product in concrete reinforcement, and it is therefore important to reduce its climate impact. Basalt Fibre Reinforced Polymers (FRP) is a promising alternative to replace these steel reinforcements due to its high strength, low weight and high durability capabilities.This work compares different rebars in sustainable terms in an initial phase. Four different materials are studied: steel, stainless steel, glass FRP and basalt FRP. To check and verify the different geometrical and mechanical properties, four rods of each material are tested in the laboratory. Finally, an analysis and comparison of various sustainability aspects is carried out. The aim of this research is to find out which reinforcing bar is the most sustainable and whether the basalt FRP rod is as optimal as it promises to be.Vercher Sanchis, JM.; Vidal, T.; Torres, J.; Lerma Elvira, C.; G. Borràs, J.; Gil Benso, E.; Mas Tomas, MDLA. (2023). Basalt FRP rods assessment as an alternative reinforcement for reinforced concrete. Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. 240-248. https://doi.org/10.4995/VIBRArch2022.2022.1529524024

Evaluación del índice de seguridad real en las construcciones

Póster presentado en la sesión dedicada a Ámbitos, Innovación y Calidad, en las IV Jornadas Internacionales sobre Investigación en Arquitectura y Urbanismo.Este trabajo tiene como intención evaluar el índice de seguridad real calculando la carga última de una construcción y compararla con la que nos proporcionan los métodos de cálculo clásicos. Para este análisis se modeliza en el programa de elementos finitos Ansys la estructura en tres dimensiones y sus secciones como sólidos. Se contempla el comportamiento real de los materiales, teniendo en cuenta la no linealidad, fisuración, aplastamiento, plastificación, fluencia y endurecimiento por tensión de las armaduras. Empleamos nuestro método para poder analizar el índice de seguridad restante cuando existe una patología, como cuando desaparece el armado inferior de una vigueta. El modelo lo hemos contrastado con resultados de ensayos experimentales de elementos sencillos, como una viga armada en T a flexión, y un fragmento de pilar a compresión. En estos momentos estamos realizando el modelo de sólidos de una estructura compleja: viguetas, capa de compresión, vigas y pilares.Gil Benso, E.; Vercher Sanchis, JM.; Mas Tomas, MDLA. (2012). Evaluación del índice de seguridad real en las construcciones. http://hdl.handle.net/10251/1495

Cellusim: Un simulador 3D en entorno videojuego para la docencia del laboratorio de cultivos celulares

[EN] Cell cultures allow the maintenance of living cells outside the body. This technique is fundamental to study the biological, biochemical and physiological properties of cells and can be used as an experimental model in vitro in the field of biomedical research. The teaching in the laboratory of this technique presents numerous difficulties at a practical, logistical and economic level. On the other hand, the learning of cell culture protocols is an important part of the student's training in Cell Biology. Based on the routine practices carried out within a cell culture laboratory, we have developed the virtual 3D simulator of a cell culture laboratory "Cellusim". In "Cellusim" you can perform basic tasks of the cell culture of an established cell line of your own (Mel-RC08, Gil-Benso et al., 2012). To make Cellusim more attractive and intuitive to students, it has been developed in the Unity graphic environment, commonly used for the development of video games. The system includes the simulator in Unity, a mysql server with users, passwords and logs and a web of help and explanatory videos. In the simulator the student can virtually execute the essential tasks that are performed in a cell culture laboratory, such as thawing cells, seeding the cells, preparing and changing culture media and making cell subcultures. Cellusim is a training tool that allows users to discover the basics of cell culture techniques in a simple and fast way and without the economic costs or time consumption derived from doing the same work in a real laboratory. In order to evaluate the students' learning, Cellusim can be executed in training mode and in evaluation mode, allowing the student to perform all the processes as many times as necessary to become familiar with the protocols and when be able to execute them in evaluation mode. In evaluation mode, Cellusim records student errors in order to score the acquired training. In this communication we present the Cellusim project and the results of the first experiences with volunteer students of Master's Degrees in the School of Medicine.[ES] Los cultivos celulares permiten el mantenimiento de células vivas fuera del organismo. Esta técnica es fundamental para estudiar las propiedades biológicas, bioquímicas y fisiológicas de las células y puede ser utilizada como modelo experimental in vitro en el ámbito de la investigación biomédica. La enseñanza en el laboratorio de esta técnica presenta numerosas dificultades a nivel práctico, logístico y económico. Por otra parte, el aprendizaje de los protocolos del cultivo celular resultan una parte importante de la formación del alumno de Biología Celular. Basándonos en las prácticas rutinarias llevadas a cabo dentro de un laboratorio de cultivos celulares, hemos desarrollado el simulador virtual 3D de un laboratorio de cultivos celulares “Cellusim”. En “Cellusim” se pueden realizar tareas básicas del cultivo celular de una línea celular establecida propia (Mel‐RC08, Gil‐Benso y cols., 2012). Para hacer Cellusim más atractivo e intuitivo a los alumnos, ha sido desarrollado en el entorno gráfico Unity, utilizado habitualmente para el desarrollo de videojuegos. El sistema incluye el simulador en Unity, un servidor mysql con usuarios, contraseñas y registros y una web de ayuda y videos explicativos. En el simulador el alumno puede ejecutar de modo virtual las tareas esenciales que se realizan en un laboratorio de cultivos celulares, tales como la descongelación de células, el sembrado de las células, la preparación y el cambio de medios de cultivo y el subcultivo celular o técnica de doblaje. Cellusim es una herramienta formativa que permite a los usuarios descubrir los fundamentos de las técnicas básicas de cultivo celular de una manera sencilla, rápida y sin los costes económicos ni el consumo de tiempo derivados de realizar el mismo trabajo en un laboratorio real. Para poder evaluar el aprendizaje de los alumnos, Cellusim puede ser ejecutado en modo entrenamiento y en modo evaluación, permitiendo que el alumno realice todos los procesos las veces que sea necesario para familiarizarse con los protocolos y que cuando esté en condiciones pueda ejecutarlas en modo evaluación. En modo evaluación, Cellusim registra los errores del alumno para poder puntuar la formación adquirida. En esta comunicación presentamos el proyecto Cellusim y los resultados de las primeras experiencias con alumnos voluntarios de Master de la Facultad de Medicina.Monleón, D.; Megías, J.; San Miguel, T.; Borrás, C.; Gil Benso, R.; López Ginés, C. (2018). Cellusim: Un simulador 3D en entorno videojuego para la docencia del laboratorio de cultivos celulares. En IN-RED 2018. IV Congreso Nacional de Innovación Educativa y Docencia en Red. Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. 176-183. https://doi.org/10.4995/INRED2018.2018.8714OCS17618