Oregon Petrarch Open Book

Our goal for the "Oregon Petrarch Open Book," or "OPOB," is to enhance a scholarly database-driven website around Francis Petrarch's fourteenth-century poetry collection, the Canzoniere. Using open source software we intend to build a more flexible and comprehensive structure for our current digital assets and strengthen the groundwork for international collaboration among scholars and institutions around this central work of world literature. In the current iteration of OPOB, a scholar is able to read a poem in the original, examine a Renaissance commentary, compare a series of different translations, analyze contemporary rewritings, and finally, explore multimedia assets associated with the poem. For the tenure of this grant we plan to enhance the functionality of existing software, such as the Compare Tool, by providing multiple moveable containers of selectable content, text, images, audio or video

Laboratorio sistemi giuridici e globalizzazione

Note metodologiche introduttive per i laureandi in Giustizia costituzionale comparata che prendono parte alle attività del Laboratorio sistemi giuridici e globalizzazion

Investigation on the effect of supplementary cementitious materials on the critical chloride threshold of steel in concrete

open3noThe critical chloride threshold is a key parameter in the service life design of reinforced concrete structures exposed to chloride-bearing environments. This paper investigates the role of concrete composition, and particularly the effect of supplementary cementing materials, on the chloride threshold. To simulate real exposure conditions, ponding tests were carried out on reinforced concrete specimens with bars in free corrosion conditions and corrosion initiation was detected through corrosion potential and corrosion rate measurements. After two and a half years, the ponding was followed by an ageing period and the initiation of corrosion was further detected with anodic potentiostatic polarisation tests. Results of the tests showed several limitations of the approach based on chloride penetration and monitoring of free corrosion parameters to investigate the chloride threshold. In spite of this, a possible role of natural pozzolan and coal fly ash additions in leading to higher values of the chloride threshold and ground limestone in promoting lower values of the chloride threshold could be observed.Lollini, Federica; Redaelli, Elena; Bertolini, LucaLollini, Federica; Redaelli, Elena; Bertolini, Luc

A study on the cement-based decorative materials in the San Fedele Church in Milan

Cement-based materials have been used since the 19th century for different decorative purposes, and a high levels of expertise has often reached in reproducing or restoring even quite elaborated stoneworks. An important example is the application of cement-based decorative materials on the façades of the San Fedele church in Milan. The church, built in the 16th century and characterized by the presence of pinkish-yellowish Angera stone on the façades, was subjected, especially in the 20th century, to several restoration works. Damaged decorative elements of the façades as well as portions of its structural elements were replaced or covered in the last century by â\u80\u9cstone imitating renderâ\u80\u9d, made with cementitious materials which imitate the original Angera stone. In this study, several samples of cement-based decorative materials, collected from different elements of the external façades of the Church, were characterized by several analytic techniques (thermogravimetric analysis, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and IR analysis), in order to investigate both their microstructure and composition, how the chromatic aspect of the cementitious materials were obtained and their conservation state and to provide useful information for the possible reproduction of materials with comparable appearance to be used in a further restoration project. Results showed that the cement-based materials and decorations were obtained by the application of different layers of renders; in particular, the colour and texture of finishing layer were achieved by blending the binder with fine dolomite particles, probably obtained by grinding the Angera stone. This technique not only allowed an amazing reproduction of the original stone, but also resulted in a durable protection, since the cement-based decorative materials did not show any significant degradation phenomena in the polluted environment of the centre of Milan

Cathodic protection with localised galvanic anodes in slender carbonated concrete elements

A combined experimental and numerical investigation was carried out with the aim of determining whether few localised galvanic anodes per unit length could protect the reinforcement of slender carbonated concrete elements, exposed to atmospheric conditions, which could not be repaired with traditional methods. Initially, the cathodic behaviour of steel under galvanostatic polarisation was determined on small-size specimens obtained from a real element. A correlation of potential versus applied current was obtained. The current distribution in slender elements was then determined through finite elements simulations, considering various scenarios of carbonation and humidity. Results showed that, in spite of the high electrical resistivity of carbonated concrete, anodes with spacing of 0.45 m are enough to protect corroding reinforcement in most exposure conditions, even in thin parts of element. Estimated anode durations were of the order of several years or even decades; however, it was shown that also reinforcement in dry (carbonated or alkaline) concrete, which does not need to be protected, contributes to anode consumption. Although other aspects play a role on the performance of a cathodic protection system (such as the effectiveness of anode-encasing material and of electrical connection to reinforcement), the results obtained are supportive of a repair strategy based on the use of localised galvanic anodes and can be generalised to slender elements exposed to atmospheric conditions suffering carbonation induced corrosion

Effects of nanosilica on compressive strength and durability properties of concrete with different water to binder ratios

The effects of the addition of different nanosilica dosages (0.5%, 1%, and 1.5% with respect to cement) on compressive strength and durability properties of concrete with water/binder ratios 0.65, 0.55, and 0.5 were investigated. Water sorptivity, apparent chloride diffusion coefficient, electrical resistivity, and carbonation coefficient of concrete were measured. The results showed that compressive strength significantly improved in case of water/binder = 0.65, while for water/binder = 0.5 no change was found. Increasing nanosilica content, the water sorptivity decreased only for water/binder = 0.55. The addition of 0.5% nanosilica decreased the apparent chloride diffusion coefficient for water/binder = 0.65 and 0.55; however, higher nanosilica dosages did not decrease it with respect to reference value. The resistivity was elevated by 0.5% nanosilica for all water/binder ratios and by 1.5% nanosilica only for water/binder = 0.5. The carbonation coefficient was not notably affected by increasing nanosilica dosages and even adverse effect was observed for water/binder = 0.65. Further information of microstructure was also provided through characterization techniques such as X-ray diffraction, thermal gravimetric analysis, mercury intrusion porosimetry, and scanning electron microscopy. The effectiveness of a certain nanosilica dosage addition into lower strength mixes was more noticeable, while, for the higher strength mix, the effectiveness was less