BUILDING TECHNOLOGY

Author: TRIAS MANSILLA DANIEL.
Year: 2004.
University: GIRONA.
Place of defense: ESCOLA POLITÉCNICA SUPERIOR.
Place of preparation: ESCOLA POLITÉCNICA SUPERIOR.

Summary: The thesis proposes a methodology for simulation probability of failure of the matrix composites reinforced with carbon fibers. The study proposes a methodology for determining the minimum size of a model so that it can be considered a Elements Volume Representative Statistician. Using the results of this analysis compares the distribution of stresses and deformations in a random model and a model newspaper to conclude that a realistic analysis must consider the distribution no-periódica of fibers. It was also used techniques for digital image processing functions as obtaining statistics that describe the distribution of the fiber in the compound. Finally, we propose a method for the two scales statistical simulation of the fault cross sheeting unidirectional. The simulation results are compared with test results and the results of analysis of the distribution of the fibers in the material.

Author: RUIZ TERAN ANA MARIA.
Year: 2004.
University: CANTABRIA.
Place of defense: E.T.S. ING. CAMINOS, CANALES Y PUERTOS.
Place of preparation: E.T.S. ING. CAMINOS, CANALES Y PUERTOS.

Summary: This research work has been studied bridges with atirantamiento unconventional, namely puentos with atirantamiento lower and bridges with atirantamiento combined upper and lower. The study has focused on the area of bridges with lights averages prestressing concrete panels, the idea of exploring the possibilities of such structural itself, in the range of lights medias-altas, on the 80 meter , as well as the idea of being able to duplicate the light of a board kind of lights 40-50 meters in special circumstances.

Author: FIGUEROA MERIÑO JUAN FRANCISCO.
Year: 2004.
University: CANTABRIA.
Place of defense: E.T.S. DE INGENIEROS DE CAMINOS,C y P..
Place of preparation: ESCUELA TECNICA SUPERIOR DE INGENIEROS DE CAMINOS, CANALES Y PUERTOS.

Summary: The different surface treatments (retardant forged more water jet, sandblast and abujardado) can modify the properties of durability of the outer layer of precast concrete panels. This research raises studying how different treatments and composition of the concrete impact on such properties, according to the results obtained durability, it is concluded that all surface treatments can be applied to the precast concrete panels.

Author: ESTRADA PALACIOS IMMA.
Year: 2004.
University: POLITÉCNICA DE CATALUÑA.
Place of defense: DEPARTAMENTO DE ENGIN. DE LA CONSTRUCCIÓ.
Place of preparation: EDIFICI C1 Campus NORD.

Summary: Although stainless steel has been increasingly used in construction during the last decades due to its excellent aesthetics and ease of maintenance given by its natural corrosion resistance, its employ as structural material is still rather limited to singular structures. This particular situation is given by the existing lack of knowledge concerning the actual behaviour of stainless steel among designers and engineers. Furthermore, since its thought as structural material is relatively new, there are no full developed design rules in the corresponding structural guides and standards to obtain the optimum design when conceiving stainless steel structures. These circumstances make evident the need to explore the structural behaviour of the material and develop new design rules to exploit stainless steel to its full potential in construction. The recognition of this necessity has inspired researchers all around the world to tackle the analysis of stainless steel as structural material. This thesis pretends to make a step forward in this direction. Thus, the aim of this research is to enhance the fundamental understanding of the behaviour of stainless steel as structural material failing in shear to finally develop a new complete shear design method in order to achieve a more efficient design of these stainless steel structural elements. Special attention has been taken to the effects of the material non-linearity, which is the most particular feature of stainless steel in terms of structural behaviour. As a first step to achieve the mentioned general objective, an extensive literature review concerning the shear behaviour of plate girders together with the structural response of stainless steel is conducted in order to detect the key aspects to deal with during the research and to define the general work lines of the investigation. As part of the current research, two experimental programmes involving a total of fifteen tests on stainless steel plate girders were performed. The first campaign was mainly focussed on the evaluation of the general behaviour of slender plate girders with special attention to the influence of the rigidity condition of the end post. On the other hand, the second experimental programme sought the analysis of the effect of the longitudinal stiffening in the whole shear resistant mechanism. A numerical model based on the finite element method has been developed to analyse in detail the results obtained from the experimental campaigns understanding the phenomenological shear behaviour of stainless steel plate girders. Results obtained allow the definition of additional goals of further numerical studies with the main purpose of improving the fundamental understanding of the subject object of the research. Numerical analyses are conducted to evaluate the effects of the material non-linearity of stainless steel and the boundary conditions in the shear buckling resistance of web plates transverse and longitudinally stiffened. Moreover, numerical studies dealing with the ultimate shear capacity are carried out. The effect of the rigidity of the end post, the presence of longitudinal stiffening, and the influence of the material grade have been carefully examined. New design expressions to predict the shear buckling strength and the ultimate shear capacity of plate girders transversely and longitudinally stiffened, specifically developed considering the special features of stainless steel, are proposed as a result of the investigation conducted. Correlation with experimental results makes evident the accuracy and improvement given by the new shear design procedure. Finally, as a natural corollary to the advance of knowledge of this field, some recommendations for future studies on 8 shear be 2ba haviour of stainless steel plate girders are made.

Author: SALMERÓN LISSEN JOSÉ MANUEL.
Year: 2004.
University: SEVILLA.
Place of defense: ESCUELA SUPERIOR DE INGENIEROS INDUSTRIALES.
Place of preparation: ESCUELA SUPERIOR DE INGENERIOS DE SEVILLA.

Summary: 1-USE OF ENERGY AND SUSTAINABILITY The complexity and seriousness of the problems related to environmental degradation have led to a step change in the consideration of energy matters. The first step in this direction was evident at the recommendation of the Agency 21 of the Rio Conference of the UN, which began proceedings at the national level for the adoption of sustainable development strategies. One of the proposals was the wise use of genetic energy resources. Five years later, climate change again be at the heart of international debate because of the "Third Conference of Parties to the Convention United Nations Framework on Climate Change, held in Kyoto in December 1997. As a result, the protocol signed obliging the signatory countries of the same to "reduce their overall emissions of greenhouse gases to the level of not less than 5% from 1990 in the commitment period covering the years 2008 and 2012 . The European Union joined the Kyoto Protocol, thus recognizing the need to address the problem of climate change. In order to assist Member States to achieve this goal, the Commission, in its communication on the energy dimension of climate change "identified a number of areas for action in energy policy, including the granting of an important role in renewable energy sources. way the Union recognized an energy crisis, becoming aware of their reliance on the importancias energy, at year-end 1997 were 50%. Furthermore, the energy consumption in the building sector is experiencing a significant growth in Europe in recent years. is estimated that the consumption of housing and services, compounds mostly buildings, is the 40% of final energy consumption of the Europe of fifteen, and the environmental impact of increased consumption construction sector is also substantial, reaching 11% of greenhouse emissions. case Spanish energy consumption of buildings -suma of consumption of heating, cooling and hot water sanitaria- stood in the year 2000 at 14491 kTep, which represents 16% of the national total, which in a 9.87% corresponds to the residential sector and the rest, a 6.13% comes from the tertiary sector. impact on energy demand was quantified by Steemper, and more recently by Santamouris. Arriving at the following conclusions, the average increase in the demand for energy buildings all EU countries will reach 21% by the year 2020, this increase will be from 41% in the countries of southern Europe while in the northern countries will be 11%. This data shows the importance of energy consumption for cooling. order to cope with the problems exposed so we can meet the commitments arising from the Kyoto Protocol, the European Parliament has adopted, inter alia, an instrumetno needed is Directive 2002 / 91 / EC on the energy efficiency of buildings. In the spirit of the directive underlies the need to tackle three groups of simultaneous action as a matter: A - The gradual tightening of regulations on thermal quality of the new constructions. B - The promotion of new constructions whose energy consumption is considerably lower than is derived from the strict application of regulations. builds These will be officially acknowledged as buildings of high energy efficiency. C-In the field of existing buildings, the directive establishes the need for its energy certification, which leads to the identification, for each building, a list of improvement measures, within the context of technical and economic feasibility, entailing a significant increase in efficiency that building. Regarding the dema 8 nd e 1ff8 nergía cooling of the building, the directive stresses in its consideration 16 that "in recent years there has been an increase in the number of air conditioning systems in piases Europeans south. This leads to significant problems in the peak hours, increasing the cost of electricity and disrupting the energy balance in those countries. Priority should be given to strategies that improve the energy efficiency of buildings during the summer. This should be further development of passive cooling techniques, primarily those that improve indoor environmental conditions and microclimate around buildings. "To conclude that highlight these reasons show that the achievement levels of comfort in summer Achieved media renewable, energy-efficient and economically profitable, is becoming prime need for governments, companies providing electricity and consumers. 2-RATIONAL USE OF ENERGY IN COOLING BUILDINGS energy consumed for cooling buildings is a function of the demand for building and the performance of the systems used to combat it. Consequently, reducing energy consumption can be obtained by acting on any of the following measures independently or both simultaneously:-Reducing demand for cooling. B-Improved performance of the refrigeration plants, sub-systems, distribution systems, terminal units and control elements. Demand reduction cooling can turn tackled through a combination of strategies that can be grouped into three categories. B .1-Decrease in the earnings of both internal and external heat through control elements solar lighting fixtures and high efficiency. B.2-Modulation gains heat using thermal capacity of the building. B.3 - heat dissipation of excess heat to a sink outside, using techniques known as natural cooling. 3-TECHNIQUES OF COOLING NATURAL The natural cooling transfer of heat from the building to a sink at a lower temperature environment such as air, water, the sky or the ground, using systems that require a negligible amount of electricity. These techniques were traditional systems of cooling conditioning largely architectural design in warmer climates before the advent of cheap electricity and systems mechanical compression. passive cooling is called when the process does not require the use of non-renewable energy, moreover cooling is classified as a hybrid when used pumps or fans. Regardless of the previous classification there are many criteria for the subdivision natural cooling techniques in response to the nature of the sink, the phenomenon of heat transfer and mass involved, the period of storage, application type. In this paper, there are two major categories: direct techniques: when the sink heat promotes direct action cooling on the structure of the building and / or on the indoor air. indirect techniques: when the sink cools first a working fluid (usually air or water) which absorbs in a second stage (with or without intermediate storage) the waste heat from the building. 4-USE OF THE TECHNIQUES OF COOLING NATURAL maturity of the natural cooling techniques has been highlighted repeatedly by scientific and technical publications presenting theoretical and applied research results satisfactory later in the development of this thesis we will see how it has evolved since those original publications until today. Nevertheless, both in Spain and the other countries of southern Europe, the use of such techniques is practically nonexistent, the situation is not much better in the United States. Reasons that its use is extremely limited due to a combination of factors, among which will include A-Lack of knowledge about the techniques that can be Used on a scale (types of buildings and climates) wide enough to justify its industrial and commercial development. B-Lack of information to enable designers to know the opportunity to use these techniques as an alternative or complement to the air systems conventional conditioning. C-Lack of simple tools that combine thermal behavior of buildings with cooling techniques, so as to provide a suitable design, sizing and control. This thesis has been to fill gaps above, this sense: A-will be provided information on the techniques that can be used. in a manner that will follow the historical development of these systems, then they will present several examples of application and provide the literature where deepen further in the description of architectural solutions. B-information will be provided on what the design parameters of each of the techniques, as well as their influence on the effectiveness of the same. simplified methods will be developed to enable the designer to know how fast energy savings when installing a technique with some design parameters everyone in a building. C-develop a simulation tool that allows for the detailed calculation of the potential savings that could be expected to implement a technique for cooling. techniques refrigeration estriaremos include solicitation of components from the building structure itself and from him inside it. The first is based on components embedded in the very structure of the building, such as forged by the interior of which circulates cold water. the second is based on components of the building requested from the interior of the same, such as growths that are in contact with air when using a technique direct ventilation night. degree of innovation of the thesis focuses on the development that never earlier work has been addressed characterization techniques for cooling with structural accumulation, according to a common methodology. This methodology has resulted in a number of efficiencies and potential use, as far as covering the knowledge of the honoree, have not been as defined earlier. 5-OBJECTIVES The main objective of this thesis is to create and develop a protocol to assess the opportunity to use the techniques of Natural Cooling for the refurbishment of buildings, as well as a simplified tool for designing and sizing these techniques in the case of a positive result the previous valuation in the eyes of the designer. during the course of the process necessary to achieve this objective difficulties arise due to the following reasons: - The large number of variables and concepts involved in each specific case and the strong interaction between them. B - The fact that the design decisions are taken at different levels, and in most cases, without following a prescribed order. Because of this, it would be a task disproportionate try to optimize a Natural cooling technique in a certain climate and for a building directly determined using a simulation tool, without having previously a quick and simple method of prediseño and evaluation. conceptual approach is generally done in analyzing the behavior of several techniques Natural cooling - NRT onwards so that, where possible: A-isolating the c 8 ausas and 1ff8 phenomena responsible for the behavior of NRT through the formulation of the individual contribution of each of them. B-setting formal relations between the different behavior of individuals to determine whether they can release a reasonable estimate of their overall behavior. whole process caracterizaicón individual and overall has been conducted under a common methodology, which will describe below -- so that when to define the variables related to the potential cooling has been made in a similar way for all the techniques described. This is especially useful from the point of view of the designer, because knowing and understanding the meaning of the definitions, you can apply it to any the technique described. This point is particularly interesting, since this designer will be able to assess not only the impact of a design decision on any of the TNR, but also can compare different techniques for the same building in one town, or only a technical one building for different locations. Ultimately, in order to promote the implementation of the NRT is intended to develop a common design methodology tailored to the decision-making process, and allows comparison of different options a broad context geared not only to architects, but also to industrial, builders and responsible energy policy. 6-RATIONALE The procedure developed admits many variants depending on the particular technique Natural Cooling being considered. however, comment on this point the fundamentals of the study methodology of the natural cooling techniques considered in the scope of this thesis, to provide the reader with an overview of the development of the same. These features are presented below can be found in more detail in the article published by Alvarez Rodriguez and Velázquez. Lastly, and before beginning his description, clarify that these bases are at the root of the methodology followed in the development of this thesis and described in the following paragraph, and as such should be understood . We will say first that the behavior of a technical nature depends to a first approximation of three concepts: Weather, which provides the availability of environmental sink in terms of its level and thermal variability on a daily basis and throughout the year. The building, in terms of its demand for cooling, both in absolute terms and in the seasonal distribution frequencies hourly or daily and finally in terms of the structure of load profile. cooling technique, and their design and efficiency measure the skill using what the weather permits to satisfy what the building needs. characterization of the three previous concepts and their interaction is defined in terms of efficiencies. To make these efficiencies it is necessary to distinguish between two particular cases that may occur, techniques accumulation of power and techniques without accumulating energy, as there are slight variations in the methodology to be followed in both cases. going to describe the general methodology for NRT without accumulation, then briefly introduce the NRT to accumulation of energy and finally describe the differences in the general methodology when it comes to technical accumulation of energy. For systems without an accumulation of energy establishing a two-stage procedure. Assuming for the purposes explanatory, which is considered an indirect system - with a fluid cooling intermediate work , such as a pond, deck-the procedure includes the following steps: STEP 1: THE COOL EDIFICO It first define the interval of the cooling season during which the building cooling demand and the technique has a natural level heat enough to satisfy an aside or all of this demand. The amount of energy that the technique is capable of providing natural during this interval is called Potential Usable and defined in specific terms. Nevertheless, not all of this energy will be used by the building as there will be moments where there will be an excess of power cooling produced by the environmental sink in connection with the demand for cooling in that period has analyzed the building. Consequently, a portion of which is cold can produce can not be used. To correct this imbalance between the required cold and cold provided defines Utilization factor, which measures the percentage of Potential Usable is really used to combat demand. STAGE 2: COOL OF FLUIDO WORKING are defined 2 levels thermal cooling: Temperature sink: it is a variable that qualifies specific climate in which you are applying. effective environmental temperature: it introduces a correction to the previous temperature depending on the physical accessibility and / or heat sink. Natural Cooling Techniques with massive accumulation use elements of the building to store and then release heat, these elements can form massive part of the structure resistant or not. advantage of systems with accumulation is allowing delay in time the effect of cooling technique so that the building's energy demand and supply system more simultaneous. For systems with accumulation of energy must be added to the methodology described previously a concept of efficiency to quantify the heat by building compared with the maximum heat storable, this efficiency is called the efficiency of storage. Veremos deeper defining qualitative and quantitative efficiency of this chapter devoted to the radiant cooling panels, which use the very structure of the building as an element storage engría. procedure developed design provides tools for the rough estimate of all previous definitions and values each case in terms of the same. inspection of what has been achieved compared to what would have been able to obtain a clear guide the decision-making process leading to the optimization of the whole. 7-METHODOLOGY The general methodology involves divided into four different tasks: A Characterization-climate, which includes the selection of representative meteorological stations, capitation and purification Climatic Data generation climatological data relating to derivatives sinks mediomabientales (such as temperature of the sky), identification of climatic zones, and weather data generation synthetic generation integrated securities of the type Grados-día procedures change the basic procedures extrapolation climate and geographically, and so on. B-energy demand, with a determination of loads and peak energy demand, identification of days of design and its load curve, characterization of the charges under different scenarios, temperatures slogan and usage patterns, standardization the load profiles, characterization and standardization in terms of the use of the building and its humor, and so on. C-characterization of the behavior of NRT. C-Link with the building. The last two tasks are to be addressed in this thesis will be described more fully below in the case of NRT based on the solicitation of the building from its own structure and NRT based on the solicitation of the building from inside. with great generality, we can say that for natural cooling techniques based in soliciting the building from its own estructura-paneles broadcasting frío- activities which 8 have desa 110c rrollado are as follows: 1-Development of a reference model, a model with minimal assumptions, very detailed and which utility is checking the validity of subsequent simplifications. 2, - Development of simplified models, which is purely algorithmic simplification, which may affect the development, resolution or both. was derived from additional assumptions about the reference model and used for conducting sensitivity analysis, these give rise to the next stage. 3-Making sensitivity analysis and parametric studies of the design variables. allow These studies identify the relevant variables for each technique and the typical range variation of the same for acceptable behavior. These studies also allow the phenomenological understanding of the behavior of each technique, the positive or negative nature of the various actions and the influence of various operating strategies. finally provide a database to be used subsequent to calibrate and correct simplified models. 4-link with the building. Coupling with the building is obtained either from the simplified models, either from the models detailed code implemented in a detailed simulation of thermal 5. - Make a second series of specific sensitivity analysis in which discusses various combinations of design, sizing and control for each technique and for various types and uses of buildings. The aim of these studies is to generate a database that allows identify the extent to which the building used by the environmental sink to dissipate heat. This measure materializes in identifying efficiencies and utilization factor leading to the next and final stage. 6-Definition of efficiencies, according in the particular case being considered and called Factor use. also with great generality and describing the steps followed in the development of natural cooling techniques based on solicitation of building from the inside -ventilación night can increase : 1-Using several benchmarks for evaluating the energy stored within an enclosure of a building. developed models ranging from the most idealistic - system capacity isolated for the opposite side to which it is asking - until more real-system conductivity equal to that of the enclosure as actual losses for the opposite side. 2-Using the earlier models to assess the return of the energy previously stored. This study makes it possible to identify the influence of the different characteristics heat in the process of unloading energy of the structural component. Their usefulness lies in providing guides designed to bring the discharge of that component to the requirements demanded by the building. 3, Evaluation of the energy stored in an area of a building subject to a number of hours of nocturnal ventilation depending on the speed of air inlet, the inertia of the total closings and the distribution of the total mass between different fences that make up the area. order to perform this task it is necessary to perform numerical simulations using CFD codes. task This leads to the next. 4-Defining storage efficiency by comparing the stored energy evaluated in the previous phase with maximum energy stored in each case. 5-Definition Factor Utilization of an area, that this technique represents the fraction of energy losses due to ventilation, ventilation load, which are used to combat effectively the needs cooling, cooling requirements.

Author: Castillo Talavera Angel.
Year: 2005.
University: POLITÉCNICA DE MADRID.
Place of defense: E. T. S. Ing. Caminos, Canales y Puertos.
Place of preparation: Escuela de Caminos e Instituto Eduardo Torroja.

Summary: Concrete durability has been shown to possess adequate for most uses to which it has gone over its history. The quality of the whole, hormigón-acero, is mainly due to the physical and chemical stability of the phases that form the cement paste and the role of protective layer that exerts concrete development of corrosion of the frame, this being corrosion one of the most common causes of the deteriorating structures made of reinforced concrete. The presence of this condition in the structures is leading to high maintenance and repair costs, arriving in cases of very serious deterioration causing breakdowns in structures. It is the corrosion of the armor the main concern of current technical regulations, develop large amount of research in the last ten years relating to the subject, especially in the study of the causes and mechanisms of deterioration. This work is framed in this context, considering one of the key factors in the development of corrosion of the armor: water in the pores of the concrete. First, it has been established that the critical parameter to identify or relate to corrosion is the water content inside the concrete and not the relative humidity. As a next step has been associated with the external environment, the water content in the interior in order to predict the durability of armor. It has been characterized for the different climates of Spain on the basis of the variation in climatic parameters most influential, such as relative humidity, temperature and precipitation. To characterize the atmosphere have used the abacus psicrométrico and maps iso-comportamiento. Spain has a wide range of climates, which have been classified and characterized in 11 environments with different abacus psicrométrico and accounted maps curves values historical average temperature, relative humidity, absolute humidity and average annual rainfall of Spain. Additionally has conducted a survey of properties that characterize the transport of water in the concrete. The correlation of these data has led to the establishment of algorithms that bind the weather with the amount of water in the concrete and linking water with the values of resistivity and speed corrosion. This has developed a new tool for the estimation of the useful life of reinforced concrete structures with regard to the period of spread of corrosion of armor.

Author: FRAILE DELGADO MIGUEL JOSÉ.
Year: 2005.
University: POLITÉCNICA DE MADRID.
Place of defense: E.T.S.DE ING.DE C.C.Y PUERTOS.
Place of preparation: E.T.S. DE ING. DE C.C. Y PUERTOS.

Summary: In this research, which is presented to choose the degree of Doctor, it is collecting, analyzing and studying the various materials which have been used for building "castles" (*) located in the vast territory that today constitutes the Autonomous Community of Castile and Leon. The temporary period of reference, the maximum lavish building castles in Spain, covers the Middle Ages and Renaissance, first; therefore are excluded from the study fortifications preceding and following periods cited. We know extensive literature concerning the history of the castles in Spain, in general, and Castilla and Leon in particular, but not one that refers to the materials used in its construction, except for some specific case studies and, eventually, and timely, specific studies on some specific strengths. The investigation has been tackled from various fronts: the definition of fields of study (emphasizing the importance of regional geology as a natural strategic location of castles and studied origin of the materials with which they were built), the historical setting (circumstances in which it has forged its construction), the characterization, location, properties and behavior of different stone materials (to establish the classification of strengths in terms of power and lithological collating the use of the stone with their property basically hardness and the ability to eke out the same). Regarding the castles made of materials not stone, was first identified the different types and characteristics and fundamental properties of materials, also identifying the source of the same. Through literature and geological mapping have recognized strengths made with different materials, which proceeded to check through field trips. We have studied it more concretely about 40 defenses taking samples of both its own fortifications, as the possible places of origin of the material, making Petrographic studies of the same. Samples taken from the factories have been respectful. The study of the samples, thin layer and microscopic analysis of carbonates, has allowed the mineralogical characterization, petrográfica and stratigraphic materials studied (Appendices 1 and 2). Likewise have been made on samples of wood, some additional analysis of conifers and dating through Carbon-14 (schedules 3 and 4) to determine the construction period of two unique strengths, and Gormaz Berlanga de Duero. We have estimated the volumes of materials used in the castles monographic subject of attention in this thesis in detail, as well as other fortifications and amurallamientos relevant.

Author: GURUTZEAGA ZUBILLAGA MIKEL.
Year: 2005.
University: POLITÉCNICA DE CATALUÑA.
Place of defense: SALA SEMINARI DEL CIMNE.
Place of preparation: EDIFICI C1 Campus NORD.

Summary: The entry into force of Instruction Structural Concrete (EHD-99) in the Spanish state has resulted in significant changes in the design of parts subjected to shear. In particular, some elements such as two-dimensional slabs, walls and drawers for dikes, piers or subways without armor that could withstand a shear loads design Instruction EH-91 now need a certain amount of armor to resist cutting to same load. Also Instruction EHD seems to be aimed primarily at concrete structural elements type beam extending its application to directly type slab when these elements working unidireccionalmente, a feature which is also in Instruction EH-91 was different. This situation creates an uncertainty as to the behavior and resistance to shear these elements and leads to a complication builder and a potentially costly unnecessary structure. If not been detected breaks for lack of armor for cutting, he wondered whether there would be no additional resistant any mechanism which increases resistance to shear of the slabs over the rafters, even working unidireccionalmente. For this reason, there have been at the Laboratory Structures Technology Department of Engineering Construction of the Polytechnic University of Catalonia two campaigns pilot to study the behavior of shear unidirectional massive slabs of reinforced concrete shear without armor, comparing their resistance per unit width to the rafters with the same amount of armor lengthwise. The terms proposed in the latest regulations for calculating the state limit last shear resistance of beams and slabs, working unidireccionalmente, are primarily based on empirical equations based on tests on reinforced concrete beams. Recently also being implemented formulations derived analytically using models that consider the five known mechanisms for the transfer of shear once Fissured element: cutting head compressed cortante-fricción effect pin, and the effect arc cutting transferred perpendicularly through the rift. In the case of this investigation, it was expected a different behavior of unidirectional slabs in one of the mechanisms that have been considered but also a new mechanism resistant dimensional generated by tilting the cross connecting rods. That would generate as much a possible state of multiaxial compressions in the compressed area, which would provide greater resistance to compression of concrete, as a possible increase in the area of rupture and hence friction. Both effects would produce an increase in resistance to shear the slab respect to the beam. The main aim of the doctoral thesis was to clarify, through testing and non-linear analytical models, the mechanisms of resistance to shear in reinforced concrete slabs unidirectional without armor to shear. Other targets have been raised to study the effect of various design parameters of the slabs, which emphasizes the separation of longitudinal armor, and verify the use of the current Instruction EHD for this type of slabs. The nonlinear analytical models have been made a three-dimensional model of FE through Abaqus and another model based on a calculation of non-linear sections developed by J. Bairán in the same department. Finally, it proposes a change in the expression of resistance to shear of Instruction EHD including a factor for amplifier slabs unidirectional which is a function of the relationship between longitudinal separation of armor and singing useful.

Author: CARREÑO TIBADUIZA MARTHA LILIANA.
Year: 2005.
University: POLITÉCNICA DE CATALUÑA.
Place of defense: AULA 001, EDIFICI D-2.
Place of preparation: EDIFICI D2 205 Campus NORD.

Summary: The objectives of this thesis are: the ex ante seismic risk evaluation for urban centers, the disaster risk management evaluation and the ex post risk evaluation of the damaged buildings after an earthquake. A complete review of the basic concepts and of the most important recent works performed in these fields. These aspects are basic for the development of the new ex ante and ex post seismic risk evaluation approaches which are proposed in this thesis and for the s evaluation of the effectiveness of the disaster risk management. Risk has been defined, for management purposes, as the potential economic, social and environmental consequences of hazardous events that may occur in a specified period of time. In Chapter 3 of this thesis, a multidisciplinary evaluation, that takes into account not only the expected physical damage, the number and type of casualties or economic losses, but also the conditions related to social fragility and lack of resilience, which favour the second order effects when a hazard event strikes an urban centre. The proposed general urban risk evaluation method is multi-hazard and holistic, that is, an integrated and comprehensive approach whose objective is to guide decision-making. This method has been applied to the cities of Bogota, Colombia, and Barcelona, Spain, and it is being applied to Metro Manila, Philippines. Chapter 4 develops a methodology for the disaster risk management evaluation. A disaster risk management index, DRMi, is conceptually supported and formulated, which measures the performance and the effectiveness of the risk management in a territory that can be a country, a subnational region or a city. The proposed DRMi is developed by quantifying four public policies: the risk identification, the risk reduction, the disaster management and the governance and financial protection. With this methodology eleven countries of Latin America and the Caribbean; Colombia at subnational level and Bogota at urban level were evaluated. In chapter 5 a methodology for the ex-post evaluation of the seismic damage is developed, using computational intelligence techniques. It has the objective of assisting non-expert professionals of building construction in evaluating the damage and safety of buildings after strong earthquakes, facilitating decision-making on their habitability and reparability during the emergency response phase. This neuro-fuzzy system has been adopted for its official use by the cities of Bogota and Manizales, in Colombia. The conclusions of this thesis are shown in Chapter 6, where also future lines of investigation are presented. The main conclusions are: - The proposed model for the holistic evaluation of the seismic risk facilitates the integral risk management and the decision making on risk reduction. The analysis of the results allows to establish priorities for the mitigation and actions of prevention and planning aiming to modify the conditions that influence on the risk of the zone. - The proposed disaster risk management index, DRMi, is consistent, methodical and has been developed to measure the risk management performance. This index allows to make the evaluation in a systematic and quantitative way and allows to define operation objectives and to improve the efficiency of the risk management. - A novel system of support to the habitability and damage evaluation of buildings, based on fuzzy logic and artificial neural networks was proposed. This kind of tool is useful due to the type of information that is handled, which is subjective and incomplete. Linguistic qualifications can appropriately be represented by fuzzy sets. An artificial neuronal network was used to calibrate the system starting from the experts judgment. Finally, several annexes are included which include details on methodological and calculation aspects related to the of proposed risk evaluation meth 8 ods.

Author: MORENO GONZALEZ ROSANGEL.
Year: 2005.
University: POLITÉCNICA DE CATALUÑA.
Place of defense: Aula C1002.
Place of preparation: EDIFICI D2 205 Campus NORD.

Summary: The analysis of the structural seismic response has gained a special importance both for the seismic design of buildings as for predicting the damage caused by earthquakes. In this thesis a complete study about the seismic risk assessment of the two main structural typologies of residential buildings of Barcelona, Spain, is presented. These correspond to reinforced concrete buildings with waffle slabs and unreinforced masonry buildings. The main goal of this research is to apply a systematic methodology for the seismic risk assessment, by means of fragility curves, in buildings located in urban zones with moderate seismic hazard. After revising the conceptual aspects involved in the seismic risk assessment and describing the current state of the art, the adopted methodology to evaluate the structural capacity, fragility and expected damage analyses is described. To assess the capacity a structural modelling of the buildings and a non-linear static analysis is required. The fragility or vulnerability is evaluated through the capacity spectrum, by means of a simplified procedure. The damage probability matrixes for a given seismic scenario require knowledge of the maximum structural response, which is obtained by using the capacity spectrum method. The methodology has been applied to three reinforced concrete models representative of low, mid and high rise buildings of the city; this has allowed developing seismic risk scenarios for two earthquakes, which occurrence in Barcelona is reasonably possible. These scenarios take into account the Barcelona seismic zoning. The method has been also applied to characterize the expected seismic behaviour of masonry buildings, modelling three typical buildings of the Eixample District. Two of them present different plane configuration, one more regular than the other. The third is representative of corner buildings, typical of the city's blocks. The better behaviour of the regular buildings compared to corner buildings is confirmed. An aggregate set of buildings, corresponding to a typical line of the district's blocks has been studied. It has been observed that the aggregate behaviour does not improve; instead it inherits the vulnerability of the constituting buildings. A sensitivity analysis of the slight and extensive threshold damage states is carried out; it is observed that little variations in these thresholds significantly influence the expected damage. Consequently, new thresholds for these damage states are proposed based on certain structural characteristics obtained from the non-linear static analysis. The proposed slight damage threshold takes into account the elastic stiffness degradation, while hardening is considered for the extensive damage state. To validate the results obtained with of the employed methodology, a series of non-linear dynamic analysis were carried out in two reinforced concrete buildings. The global results were compatible with the ones of the methodology. In general, the results show a good confidence level. Finally, the conclusions drawn the current thesis are summarized and some recommendations for future works are given.

Author: TOVAR LARRUCEA JOSÉ.
Year: 2005.
University: POLITÉCNICA DE MADRID.
Place of defense: ESCUELA TÉCNICA SUPERIOR DE ARQUITECTURA.
Place of preparation: ARQUITECTURA.

Summary: It is to know why that such networks have had so little spread in our country, based on the study of its operation. It also studied the various uses of the networks, current and possible future, always from the point of view of energy conservation, the use of renewable energy and waste, with reference to the shortcomings of the current regulations on thermal insulation in heat pipes.

Author: DE LA CRUZ MORALES CLAUDIA JENNY.
Year: 2006.
University: POLITÉCNICA DE CATALUÑA.
Place of defense: edifici c-1, aula 002-CAMPUS NORD.
Place of preparation: C2 Àrea Acadèmica NORD.

Summary: Although concrete autocompactable is a material that is being used more and more in recent years, their use is now limited in most cases, high-strength structures for involving high manufacturing costs. With the idea of replacing the two limitations, in addition to searching decreasing execution times, lower demands for skilled labor, noise reduction and improvement in the work environment, develops a methodology that allows the manufacture of concrete autocompactables resistance Medium (HAC-RMs), increasing their productivity and hence their applicability in civil works. Hence, the main objective of this work is the development of concrete autocompactables resistance medium for structural applications. To do so, first and foremost, has been carried out extensive review of the current state of knowledge regarding the characterization and application of concrete autocompactables in construction globally. After establishing design criteria for HAC-RMs resistant feature between 30 and 45 MPa, a study has been made on fresh to ensure the fluidity and cohesion of the concrete designed without the use of agents of viscosity modifiers (AMVs) - or in some cases without the use of additions minerals (other). With proper selection of material components, optimizing the use of the sands, you can get HACs content of cement below the 400 kg/m3, to reduce costs. Also there have been several rounds of experiments on several types of concrete, both for conventional concrete (HC) and HAC-RMs. In one of these campaigns was determined the value of the modulus of elasticity up to 90 days and the evolution of resistance to compression up to 180 days. In order to know the properties of adhesion of this new type of concrete, concrete beams were manufactured conventional and autocompactable, implementing both directions EH-82 and UNE 36-740-98. The results have been compared with Instruction EHD and experimental previous campaigns. About two of the best concrete autocompactables (best performance in fresh and hardened) was conducted determining the retraction to 42 days and the determination of the changing ratio creep up to 90 days. Whose results suggest that EHD Instruction for concretes is applicable to conventional concrete autocompactables equally mechanical strength and similar environmental conditions. To get a more accurate idea of the properties in fresh and hardened the HAC-RM and verify the effectiveness of these concretes, a number of structural applications (beams and batteries) at the almost real; evaluating the compressive strength, tensile indirect , uniformity of the distribution of aggregates and evolution of resistance in witnesses. In experimental work carried out in this investigation demonstrated that HAC-RMs have a promising future in the construction and that in addition to its manufacturing facilities and characterization, their costs are highly compensated by the decrease in delivery dates and improvements the working environment.

Author: LÓPEZ QUIJADA LUIS.
Year: 2006.
University: CANTABRIA.
Place of defense: ESCUELA DE INGENIEROS DE CAMINOS CANALES Y PUERTOS.
Place of preparation: ESCUELA DE INGENIEROS DE CAMINOS CANALES Y PUERTOS.

Summary: This thesis analyzes and develops a screen against falling rocks. The work is based on laboratory tests simulated to reach the design screen. The main contributions of the thesis relates to a comprehensive design methodology from system design to commissioning work.