Seismic Reliability of Code-Conforming Italian Buildings

ABSTRACT

This paper presents and discusses some research results related to the seismic failure risk of standard, residential and industrial, buildings designed for damage, and life-safety according to the Italian seismic code, which is somewhat similar to Eurocode 8. The five considered structural typologies are as follows: masonry, cast-in-place reinforced concrete, precast reinforced concrete, steel, and base-isolated buildings. The archetype structures have been designed according to standard practice at three sites, representative of the seismic hazard across the country. Seismic risk is defined here as the annual rate of earthquakes able to cause structural failure in terms of usability-preventing damage and global collapse. For each structure, the failure rates have been evaluated in the framework of performance-based earthquake engineering, that is, via integration of site’s probabilistic hazard and structural fragility. The former has been computed consistently with the official hazard model for Italy that is also used to define design actions in the code. The latter has been addressed via nonlinear dynamic analysis of three-dimensional numerical structural models. Results indicate that, generally, design procedures are such that seismic structural reliability tends to decrease with increasing seismic hazard of the building site, despite the homogeneous return period of exceedance of the design seismic ground-motion.     

A Study on the Evolution in Design and Calculation of Iron and Steel Structures over the Mid 19th Century in Western and Central Europe

ABSTRACT

The design of metallic structures in the 19th century is a subject topic of much admiration, as many emblematic structures that are currently withstanding the test of time have become part of our built cultural heritage. Knowledge on the assumptions and design procedures available at that time is of importance to structural engineering nowadays. It allows for the understanding, maintaining and safe extending of the service life of historical metallic structures. The goal of this article is to describe the evolution in the design and calculation of metallic structures during the second half of the 19th century, with focus on Western and Central Europe. Special attention is paid to the similarities and differences between the 19th century design rules and the current structural design standards. Based on a literature survey, the evolution in terms of load definition, calculation methods, material properties, and verifications are described. Different design aspects are illustrated through a case study: The Garabit viaduct in France.     

Aleatory Sovereignty and the Rule of Sensitive Spaces

Addressing life in borders and refugee camps requires understanding the way these spaces are ruled, the kinds of problems rule poses for the people who live there, and the abilities of inhabitants to remake their own lives. Recent literature on such spaces has been influenced by Agamben's notion of sovereignty, which reduces these spaces and their residents to abstractions. We propose an alternate framework focused on what we call aleatory sovereignty, or rule by chance. This allows us to see camps and borders not only as the outcomes of humanitarian projects but also of anxieties about governance and rule; to see their inhabitants not only as abject recipients of aid, but also as individuals who make decisions and choices in complex conditions; and to show that while the outcome of projects within such spaces is often unpredictable, the assumptions that undergird such projects create regular cycles of implementation and failure.     

Materials library collections as tools for interdisciplinary research

ABSTRACT

This paper examines how materials libraries are used as tools for interdisciplinary collaboration in 3 research projects that inhabit a disciplinary triangle between materials research, design and user needs: PhysFeel, which explores how materials collections can be used in psychological therapies; Light.Touch.Matters, a design-led project to develop new smart materials; and Hands of X, which uses materials collections to develop a bespoke prosthetics service. The paper analyses and contrasts these case studies to better understand the affordances and limitations of materials collections when used as research, translational and design tools. We conclude that in collaborations between materials researchers, designers and end users, tensions arise as a result of the primacy that each partner gives to creativity, the development of new knowledge and to solving societal problems. The use of a materials library addresses many of these issues but is not a panacea for all the problems associated with interdisciplinary working.     

The use of geosynthetics for archaeological site reburial

Abstract

Applications of geosynthetic materials in reburial practice include geotextiles for separation, filtration and protection (cushioning); geomembranes and geosynthetic clay liners for infiltration control; geonets and geocomposites for sub-surface drainage; and geocells for erosion control. Mechanically stabilized earth reinforcement using geocells, geogrids and geotextiles can also provide substantial benefits for reburial projects by reducing lateral earth pressure against backfilled structures. Other aspects of modern geotechnology that may be useful for reburial projects include micro-piles and soil nailing for foundation and excavation support and evapotranspirative capping technology to establish the depth of soil cover required to isolate a structure or artefact from moisture and temperature fluctuations. Optimal application of these geotechnologies requires an understanding of the basic engineering principles associated with their implementation, as well as knowledge of the factors influencing archaeological site preservation.     

THE ROLT MEMORIAL LECTURE 2012: INDUSTRIAL HERITAGE AT RISK

Abstract

This article describes the 2011 English Heritage ‘Industrial Heritage at Risk’ project. Having examined the findings of a public attitudes survey on the industrial heritage, it looks at the key risks and conservation solutions facing industrial sites, and the role the lead organisations play in their rescue. The entries on the Heritage at Risk Register are examined and the top ten industrial heritage at risk sites in England identified. A range of outputs are described together with the media coverage that accompanied the launch of the project.

Progress since 2011 is considered including the separation in April 2015 of English Heritage into two organisations — Historic England and the English Heritage Trust. The important role that volunteers and local groups play in the conservation and management of England's industrial heritage is acknowledged throughout, and a possible new role for the Association for Industrial Archaeology suggested as part of Heritage 2020.     

Constructing Water Shortages on a Huge River: The Case of Shanghai

Shanghai is located on the world's third largest river (by volume). Yet it faces the risk of shortages of drinking water. Many decisions and environmental characteristics have contributed to this threat. First, Shanghai has become dependent on water brought into the municipality by rivers. Second, it has become increasingly reliant on water from the Changjiang (Yangzi River), principally in order to control the levels of pollution in the water that enters its treatment plants. Third, for reasons associated with inter‐provincial administrative arrangements, the city's water intakes are located within the municipality, within the estuary zone and subject to tidal intrusions of salt water. Fourth, at high tide and when the Changjiang's discharge is low, salt intrudes far into the estuary, beyond the current water intakes. If sea levels rise, these intrusions will become more pronounced. Fifth, large‐scale central government infrastructure projects (such as dams and the South‐North Transfer) are altering the hydrological characteristics of the river. Such projects raise the probability of salt water intrusions into the water intake zone. The Shanghai and central governments have thus made a series of decisions that, taken together, have led the municipality to rely on a source of drinking water that is increasingly unreliable and subject to the risk of shortages due to salt water intrusions. Why these decisions have been made – independently – is an important problem for those who would understand the provision of water for cities and the practical efficacy of Chinese governance systems.     

The Study of Time: Proceedings of the First and Second Conferences of the International Society for the Study of Time

Abstract

In the past, the nobility of science was taken for granted, and it was universally venerated. Today many scienti!, ts are depressed by the morally doubtful applications of science: the high ideals of science should prevent the application of science to weapons research. In comparing science and religion, the moral dimensions of science are stress, ed and their extension is urged. In this way the world can be saved from war and the dignity and nobility of science can be restored.     

Flexibility and Public Accountability in Public Land Development Projects in Progress

Abstract

Local authorities have moved many entrepreneurial activities outside the direct control of the municipal council. This includes land development activities relating to planning policies which involve both private development and public infrastructure. Many studies have shown that positioning activities outside the control of elected bodies undermines public accountability. Less is known, however, about public accountability in contexts where entrepreneurial activities are still run by the local authority. This issue may be particularly relevant when it comes to projects that are already underway because entrepreneurial activities imply flexibility and the choices made as part of this flexibility also need to be justified. This paper is based on a study of five key projects in a single municipality, Midden-Delfland in the Rotterdam/The Hague metropolitan region in the Netherlands, and analyses how land development projects are organized within a local authority. It shows that while they are structured to allow for flexibility in the process, the level of public accountability is not ideal. The quality of arguments used and the way in which decisions are justified leave room for improvement, which might be promising because they are organized within the local authority.     

GENERATION OF ARTIFICIAL EARTHQUAKE MOTION RECORDS USING WAVELETS AND PRINCIPAL COMPONENT ANALYSIS

In the last century alone two to three million people died in earthquakes; More than 240 000 perish in Tangshan earthquake in China, 20 000 in the Izmit [Ikeya, 2004] 50 000 in India Bhuj earthquake, 100000 in Sumatra and 90000 in Pakistan earthquakes. Earthquake engineering has progressed to the stage where it is now computationally practical and desirable to perform a dynamic analysis of most civil engineering structures. Such an analysis requires the engineer to create an accurate analytical model of the structures as well as prescribe an earthquake input excitation. The design earthquake input excitation for the site under consideration is usually prescribed in the form of response spectra or in the form of an ensemble of artificial earthquake acceleration time histories. There is every need for generating artificial accelerograms since recorded accelerograms are very limited at site. This paper proposes five neural network based models for the generation of artificial earthquake and response spectra using wavelet transforms (WT) and principal component analysis (PCA) where the recorded accelerograms are limited at site of interest. The proposed model is compared with Lee and Han's model. The data for 25 earthquakes are taken for training and 4 for testing. Just like response spectra, this is also a convenient way of obtaining the design solution to a structural dynamics problem and is certainly an important tool.     

The 19th-Century Suspension Footbridges of Harpers of Aberdeen

Abstract

Harpers of Aberdeen, Scotland, developed a light suspension footbridge that had little connection with the 'blacksmith bridges' of the earlier part of the 19th century. Apart from scale, they differed in having a unique tensioning device together with an arched deck. Of perhaps 60 built, only a handful survive. They have not previously been described. These bridges provide a valuable insight into the affordable and adaptable engineering solutions, easily exported to all corners of the empire, which were adopted for small-scale projects during the course of the 19th century.     

SEISMIC RISK ASSESSMENT OF RC STRUCTURES WITH THE “2000 SAC/FEMA” METHOD

The applicability of a new, fully probabilistic approach to seismic design and assessment of reinforced concrete (RC) structures is investigated. Fundamental advantages of the method are mathematical simplicity and comparatively light computational effort. The original formulation, which was developed for steel structures, is first illustrated; ah extension which allows consideration of multiple failure mechanisms, typical of RC structures, is then proposed. The applicability of the method is demonstrated through an example: the seismic risk of a four storey RC building that was not designed for seismic resistance is evaluated. Three failure mechanisms are considered: joint failure, column shear failure and drift failure.     

Knowledge making and corporate environmentalism from the perspective of the egg tray

ABSTRACT

In the 1990s, there was a change in capitalist thinking on environmental issues in many global settings, which materialised in what has been termed corporate environmentalism. Beginning with a history of the moulded fibre egg tray and one of its primary manufacturers, this is a case study of how corporate environmentalism came about and was enacted as a confluence of corporate priorities, environmental concerns, production processes, materials, and the development of new measuring tools. Unlike the many environmental history studies that emphasise the role of NGOs and policy developments, this study begins in the business world. More specifically, it is based in the making of environmental knowledge in the form of life cycle assessments and environmental accounts and in the environmental reframing of materials like moulded pulp and plastic. In this way it is the story of how it became reasonable for a manufacturer of egg trays to choose the slogan, ‘Choose Fibre. Save Nature’.     

The Effects of Time,Restoration and Conservation Approaches on Twelfth-Century Cosmati Pavements

Abstract

This paper compares the current condition and appearance of Cosmati floors in six churches in Rome. Based on the assumption that all of the floors had a similar appearance when constructed, it is possible to see how the floors now reflect the original design and materials, the church environment, management decisions, restoration and conservation approaches. This illustrates the importance of considering all the significant features and possible outcomes of both a series of small interventions and major interventions. Many findings will also be applicable to other floors and mosaics.     

Science,Technology and Constitutional Rights: An Interdisciplinary Forecast for the US Congress

Abstract

In honor of the bicentennial of the United States Constitution, a Congressional agency undertook an interdisciplinary analysis of the implications of new and emerging science-based technologies for constitutionally protected civil rights and liberties. Four areas of scientific research and development were identified as most likely to give rise to significantly new technological capabilities. Some of these could challenge established assumptions about individual responsibility, civil liberties, and the powers of government: information science, molecular biology, materials science, and social science, particularly as they find applications in communications and publishing, criminal justice, medicine, public health, and bioengineering. Constitutional precedents related to freedom of the press, open scientific communications, the rights of those accused or convicted of crime, due process, equal protection of laws, and individual privacy will have to be re-examined. Science is offering individuals new choices and forcing them to make new decisions, even as it brings into question some assumptions about free will and accountability.     

Developments in flood maps for flood risk management in Scotland

ABSTRACT

Sustainable flood risk management in Scotland is underpinned by the Flood Risk Management (Scotland) Act 2009. Effective delivery of actions to reduce the adverse impact of flooding are dependent on a collaborative approach by Responsible Authorities and a common understanding of flood hazard and risk. Over the last few decades, flood hazard maps have established a prominent role as essential tools in supporting effective flood risk management. They have developed as a result of improved national datasets and advances in computer processing. Improvements in modelling confidence and in the spatial representation of hazard and risk-inform confident actions set out in Flood Risk Management Strategies that coordinate actions supporting adaptation to future hazard conditions. The continued development of the accurate spatial representation of flood hazard and risk is an essential component of enhancing resilience in the face of future climate change.     

The National Sample from the 1851 Census of Great Britain an Interim Report on Methods and Progress

Abstract

In the last years, the use of geographical information systems has been common in many historical and geographical studies. Perhaps one of the least known applications is network analysis, a series of functions related to hydrology and mobility. Since 1994, researchers have used network analyses to understand costs and time expenditure in transportation in Roman times, with the aim of modeling commercial routes. Archaeological objects were employed to confirm those commercial distributions whose quantities were related basically to transport costs. The present articles go far beyond and attempt to understand decisions in building a transport network based on time series. It seems that not all Roman decisions in transport infrastructure were due to economic reasons; some parts of Roman roads were built basically for political reasons and affected later developments.     

Contesting the ‘greening’ of hydropower in the Brazilian Amazon

The 21st century has witnessed a resurgence of hydropower projects across the globe, with the energy source an integral part of contemporary sustainable energy transitions. Yet, the environmentalist credentials of hydropower remain contested by anti-dam movements. This paper details the cases of the Belo Monte and São Luiz do Tapajós dams in the Brazilian Amazon to explore how the development, submission and acceptance of an Environmental Impact Assessment provides a key site in the contestation of hydroelectric projects. Whilst the provision of this document – and the wider environmental licensing process – represents a key component in the asserted ‘green-ness’ of hydropower, opposition groups extend the scope of analysis to include indirect and cumulative impacts that remain understudied in official assessments. This paper analyses interviews and questionnaires with and documents provided by national and international civil society organisations to trace this process of challenge and critique. It details how civil society actors forward alternative assessments of the impacts of the projects studied, uncovering and illuminating overlooked and understudied externalities of hydropower in the Brazilian Amazon. An analysis of this process not only demonstrates that the ‘green’ credentials of hydropower remain far from assured but also highlights how anti-dam actors advance new ‘sustainabilities’ to discredit the terrain upon which such credentials are set.     

Opportunities for exploitation of magnetic materials in an energy conscious world

Abstract

It is not generally recognised that in terms of both value and volume, global production of magnetic materials far exceeds that of semiconductors. What is also not realised is that about a twentieth of all energy generated in industrialised societies is wasted as magnetic losses in electromagnetic cores. Such losses could be significantly reduced if full advantage were taken of recent developments in magnetic materials. This paper reviews major discoveries of new hard and soft magnetic materials, improved manufacturing processes, and ways in which more knowledgeable use can be made of materials to capitalise on enhanced magnetic properties. Better choice and application of commercially available materials in devices such as motors, transformers, actuators, and sensors can lead to tremendous energy savings. Development of new and traditional magnetic materials based on better understanding of magnetisation processes will lead to even more substantial energy savings, significantly improved product performance, and new applications which would benefit most sectors of industry.     

Engagement and Management: Developing a Monitoring System for Open-air Rock Art in the UK and Ireland

ABSTRACT

Neolithic and Early Bronze Age rock carvings in the United Kingdom and Ireland represent an internationally unique rock art tradition as it is, to the best of our knowledge, the only wholly abstract global rock art tradition. This heritage resource is, however, under threat from an array of factors, such as increasing population densities and agricultural intensity. In this paper, we report on the Condition Assessment Risk Evaluation (CARE) project that had as one of its primary objectives the co-production of a user-friendly, non-invasive condition assessment risk evaluation Toolkit for gathering and organising information essential for the long-term conservation of open-air rock art. We describe the public involvement CARE process through co-experience participatory focus groups, which evaluated the Toolkit, concluding that we can have confidence in the results obtained from the public. Furthermore, the variables that form part of the Toolkit and related management recommendations are presented.