Intelligent precast construction systems : project, realization, maintenance technology for the optimization of the environment and economic sustainability

RESUMEN: Esta tesis doctoral propone una tecnología de intervención racionalizada basada en un sistema de paneles prefabricados innovadores orientados a la optimización de las prestaciones tanto energéticas como estructurales de edificios existentes con entramado resistente de hormigón armado. La metodología consiste en revestir el edificio con módulos prefabricados de altas prestaciones térmicas, referidos a la fachada mediante elementos metálicos directamente instalados sobre esta. La optimización de su desempeño estructural, a base de crear un comportamiento tipo caja, se materializa por el vertido in situ de un hormigón aligerado en la cavidad resultante entre la nueva fachada (paneles prefabricados) y la del edificio existente. Además, la nueva tecnología permite integrar, desde la fase de instalación del sistema, sensores para monitorizar el rendimiento del edificio durante su ciclo de vida. Con este nuevo sistema se pretende reducir el tiempo de materialización de la intervención, los costes de mantenimiento y prevenir posibles daños irreversibles al edificio.ABSTRACT: This doctoral thesis proposes an innovative building renovation system of novel precast concrete (PC) modules devoted to the optimization of the energy and structural performance of the existing RC buildings. It consists in covering the façade with the PC modules with high thermal performance, by means steel elements directly installed on the building. The structural strengthening is assured by a cast-on-site light-weight concrete in the resulting cavity between the novel and the exinting wall. Moreover, the system project considers the possibility to insert into the stratigraphy, performance monitoring devises for the diagnosis and building automation already during the construction phases and inspect them anytime in case of maintenance. The aim is decreasing time and costs of maintenance, monitoring the building performance, and preventing the damages in case of bad functioning or structural uncertainty

Construction Solutions and Materials to Optimize the Energy Performances of EPS-RC Precast Bearing Walls

The design and employment of envelope components showing high thermal performances for new buildings and deep renovations must take into account the overall impact of the production process in terms of environmental sustainability. To this end, precast construction solutions and secondary raw materials provide added value to the energy quality of building products. With regard to the abovementioned issues, the paper is focused on the performance optimization of expanded polystyrene-reinforced concrete (EPS-RC) precast bearing walls, already developed and patented within a previous research project entitled “HPWalls. High Performance Wall Systems”, and herein improved according to two complementary requirements: on the one hand, the addition of recycled EPS particles to the concrete mixtures and, thus, the assessment by lab tests of the correlation between the thermal and mechanical properties for several mix-design specimens; on the other hand, a study using analytical simulations of the most suitable joint solutions among modular panels in order to prevent thermal bridges. The achieved results validate the proposed optimization strategies and provide reliable data for market applications in the building sector

Beam induced deposition of 3D electrodes to improve coupling to cells

The fabrication of three-dimensional platinum nanoprotrusions by ion beam induced deposition (IBID) is here proposed to study their interaction with cultured rat primary neurons. The broad versatility of IBID allows to test the effects on cells network morphology of different protrusions shapes, from straight pillars to nail-headed or sphere-headed vertical structures. A preferential adhesion of cells on fabricated Pt nanostructures is clearly shown by fluorescence and scanning electron microscopy, with dense and suspended neuritic networks observed on arrays of large-headed pillars. This technique could be exploited to improve cells/electrodes adhesion and to increase the detected extracellular electric signal

Precision measurement of the structure of the CMS inner tracking system using nuclear interactions

The structure of the CMS inner tracking system has been studied using nuclear interactions of hadrons striking its material. Data from proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV recorded in 2015 at the LHC are used to reconstruct millions of secondary vertices from these nuclear interactions. Precise positions of the beam pipe and the inner tracking system elements, such as the pixel detector support tube, and barrel pixel detector inner shield and support rails, are determined using these vertices. These measurements are important for detector simulations, detector upgrades, and to identify any changes in the positions of inactive elements

Precision measurement of the structure of the CMS inner tracking system using nuclear interactions

The structure of the CMS inner tracking system has been studied using nuclear interactions of hadrons striking its material. Data from proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV recorded in 2015 at the LHC are used to reconstruct millions of secondary vertices from these nuclear interactions. Precise positions of the beam pipe and the inner tracking system elements, such as the pixel detector support tube, and barrel pixel detector inner shield and support rails, are determined using these vertices. These measurements are important for detector simulations, detector upgrades, and to identify any changes in the positions of inactive elements

Strategies and performance of the CMS silicon tracker alignment during LHC Run 2

The strategies for and the performance of the CMS silicon tracking system alignment during the 2015–2018 data-taking period of the LHC are described. The alignment procedures during and after data taking are explained. Alignment scenarios are also derived for use in the simulation of the detector response. Systematic effects, related to intrinsic symmetries of the alignment task or to external constraints, are discussed and illustrated for different scenarios