Low-grade RC beams strengthened with TRM composite based on basalt, carbon and steel textiles: Experimental and analytical study

IDI-20101594 IDI-20101592 MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033/ FEDER, UE [PID2021–124203OB-I00 and RTI2018–097079-B-C31] IT1619–22This study develops an easy-to-conduct numerical calculation method to assess the effect of Textile Reinforced Mortar when used as externally bonded flexural strengthening technique in low-grade reinforced concrete beams from ancient structures (aged between 60 and 100 years old). Using materials main mechanical characteristics and the beams dimensions as inputs, the model defines the behaviour of the strengthened elements. This paper includes the experimental characterization of the whole strengthening solution, from the constituent materials and the composite in pure tensile to scaled beams strengthened in flexure. In total three different materials – basalt, carbon and steel cords – are used as Textile Reinforced Mortar inner reinforcement. Tests are carried out on sixteen low-grade reinforced concrete beams that reproduce low-quality concretes with a compression strength below 17 MPa and, in general, poor mechanical properties, as those present in old and decayed structures. This experimental campaign includes the study of two other particular features of the adopted retrofitting technique: the strengthening ratio and the use of an anchorage system. The obtained experimental findings are assessed and satisfactorily compared with the developed numerical approach, leading us to conclude that Textile Reinforced Mortar is an effective solution for retrofitting structures made of low-grade reinforced concretes in terms of increasing their deformation and load-bearing capacity under flexural loads (the maximum bending moment has increased between 30% and 200%). Besides, the failure mechanism due to undesired premature detachment was effectively countered using U-shaped anchors, failing the strengthened beams due to the composite tensile failure.publishersversionpublishe

Global study of the behaviour of textile reinforced mortar under tensile stress

The authors would like to thanks the Fundación Iñaki Goenaga for its scholarship programme and the financial support of the regional Diputación Foral de Bizkaia (Birgaitek, DFB-7/12/TK/2009/10).publishersversionpublishe

Evaluation of the theoretical, technical and economic potential of industrial waste heat recovery in the Basque Country

Industrial waste heat recovery shows significant potential for increasing energy efficiency in industry. However, to design strategies that exploit this potential, it is necessary to have data about the quantity and characteristics of industrial waste heat flows. This information is not always readily available and many companies do not even have a systematic record of these energy flows. Hence, bottom-up methodologies to estimate that recovery potential by means of key transfer figures are useful tools within this field. In the present article, four different methods are applied to determine the industrial waste heat recovery potential in the Autonomous Community of the Basque Country (northern Spain), an energy-intensive industrial region with large energy dependency from the outside. Besides, the analysis of the economic viability of the industrial waste heat recovery is essential, because it determines the final adoption of energy efficiency measures. For that aim, the authors develop an easy-to-apply bottom-up methodology to carry out an assessment for the economic potential of the estimated industrial waste heat at different temperature levels. This method is applied to 129 companies, whose potentials are characterized and discussed. The obtained results show that, for waste heat streams above 400 ?C, more than 90% of the studied companies present payback periods below five years. For those industries with waste heat temperatures below 200 ?C, the ratio decreases to around 40%, still a noticeable value. The estimations show a significant opportunity to implement solutions to recover this wasted energy, especially in the iron and steel sector and the petrochemical industry. The development of public policies that encourage these measurements would be also beneficial.The authors would like to acknowledge the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (MICINN) for funding through the SweetTES research project (RTI 2018099557BC22)

Mortar-based systems for externally bonded strengthening of masonry

Mortar-based composite materials appear particularly promising for use as externally bonded reinforcement (EBR) systems for masonry structures. Nevertheless, their mechanical performance, which may significantly differ from that of Fibre Reinforced Polymers, is still far from being fully investigated. Furthermore, standardized and reliable testing procedures have not been defined yet. The present paper provides an insight on experimental-related issues arising from campaigns on mortar-based EBRs carried out by laboratories in Italy, Portugal and Spain. The performance of three reinforcement systems made out of steel, carbon and basalt textiles embedded in inorganic matrices has been investigated by means of uniaxial tensile coupon testing and bond tests on brick and stone substrates. The experimental results contribute to the existing knowledge regarding the structural behaviour of mortar-based EBRs against tension and shear bond stress, and to the development of reliable test procedures aiming at their homogenization/standardization

Reward-system effect (BAS rating), left hemispheric “unbalance” (alpha band oscillations) and decisional impairments in drug addiction

The current research explored the impact of cortical frontal asymmetry (left-lateralization effect) and Behavioral Activation System (BAS) on Substance Use Disorder (SUD) in decisional processes using the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT). Forty SUD participants and forty-two controls (CG) were tested using the IGT. Behavioral responses (gain/loss options), BIS/BAS scores and lateralized alpha band modulation (LTA) were considered. The SUD group increased the tendency to opt in favor of the immediate reward (loss strategy) more than the long-term option (win strategy) compared to the CG. Secondly, higher reward-subscale scores were observed in SUD. Thirdly, SUD showed an increase in left-hemisphere activation in response to losing (with immediate reward) choices in comparison with the CG. An imbalanced left hemispheric effect related to higher BAS trait could explain this “reward bias,” because these components were found to explain (through the regression analysis) the main behavioral deficit

Información accesible y de calidad para una elección informada en la residencia de Medicina Preventiva y Salud Pública

Resumen: Introducción: La elección de especialidad y unidad docente (UD) es un momento importante en la trayectoria profesional médica. La Asociación de Residentes de Medicina Preventiva y Salud Pública detectó necesidades de información de los aspirantes no cubiertas por las UD. Por este motivo se evaluó la accesibilidad y la calidad de las páginas web de las UD. Métodos: La accesibilidad se consideró como el orden de aparición de la página de cada UD entre los resultados de las búsquedas realizadas en Google. La calidad se midió mediante un cuestionario ad hoc realizado a partir del análisis de las consultas a la Asociación de Residentes de Medicina Preventiva y Salud Pública de los aspirantes, cuya puntuación varía de 0, mínima calidad, a 100, máxima calidad. Resultados: De las 24 UD 13 presentan página web accesible. La mediana de calidad es 30,5 puntos y solamente una UD tiene una puntuación superior a 50 puntos. Conclusiones: Las necesidades de los opositores están parcialmente cubiertas. Es necesario aumentar la accesibilidad y mejorar la calidad de la información de las webs de las UD. Abstract: Introduction: Choosing a specialty and a teaching unit (TU) is an important time in a medical career. The Association of Preventive Medicine and Public Health Residents has detected the information needs of candidates that are not met by TUs. The aim of this article is to evaluate the accessibility and quality of TU websites. Methods: Accessibility was measured by the order of appearance of the TU website in the results of a Google search. Quality was measured by an ad hoc questionnaire based on the analysis of queries made by candidates to Association of Preventive Medicine and Public Health Residents. The scores in this questionnaire ranged from 0, minimum quality, to 100, maximum quality. Results: Of the 24 TUs evaluated, only 13 had websites. The median of the quality questionnaire was 30.5 points, and only one TU had a score higher than 50 points. Conclusion: The needs of candidates are partly met, but it is necessary to improve the accessibility and the quality of the information in TU websites. Palabras clave: Internado y residencia, Medicina preventiva, Educación en salud pública profesional, Mejoramiento de la calidad, Información, Internet, Keywords: Internship and residency, Preventive medicine, Public health professional Education, Quality improvement, Information, Interne