Shaking table tests of a two-storey log house

This paper presents the findings of an experimental campaign that was conducted to investigate the seismic behaviour of log houses. A two-storey log house designed by the Portuguese company Rusticasa® was subjected to a series of shaking table tests at LNEC, Lisbon, Portugal. The paper contains the description of the geometry and construction of the house and all the aspects related to the testing procedure, namely the pre-design, the setup, instrumentation and the testing process itself. The shaking table tests were carried out with a scaled spectrum of the Montenegro (1979) earthquake, at increasing levels of PGA, starting from 0.07g, moving on to 0.28g and finally 0.5g. The log house did not suffer any major damage and remained in working condition throughout the entire process. The preliminary analysis of the overall behaviour of the log house is also discussed.

Timber frames as an earthquake resisting system in Portugal

Timber frames are commonly adopted as a structural element in many countries with specific characteristics varying locally, in termsof geometry and materials.Their diffusion in Southern European countries is linked to their good seismic-resistant capacity, but only in the last decade interest has grown for this structural typology, and studies have been performed to better understand their behaviour. In this contribution, a brief state of the art on existing timber frame building typologies is presented, focusing on their seismic-resistant characteristics. Additionally, an overview of possible strengthening solutions, adopted both in practice, and tested experimentally are presented. Their performance when applied to walls and connections is also discussed.

Local seismic cultures: the use of timber frame structures in the south of Portugal

Given the fact that using timber frame structures has proven to improve the seismic behavior of vernacular architecture, as has been reported in past earthquakes in many countries, its preservation as a traditional earthquake resistant practice is important. This paper firstly intends to evaluate whether the use of timber frames as a traditional seismic resistant technique for vernacular architecture in the South of Portugal, traditionally a seismic region, is still active. Secondly, the city of Vila Real de Santo António was selected as a case study because it also followed a Pombaline development contemporary to the reconstruction of Lisbon. The plan included the provision of timber frame partition walls for some of the buildings and, thus, an overview of the type of constructions originally conceived is provided. Finally, the alterations done in the original constructions and the current state of the city center are described and the effect of these changes on the seismic vulnerability of the city is discussed.

Late-medieval construction site management at the Monastery of Jerónimos in Lisbon

Through the analysis of the exceptional accounting documents of 1517 related to the construction of the Monastery of Jerónimos (Lisbon), this paper discusses the main characteristics of a new model of construction site organization. In the later Middle Ages we can find, among others, two main models of constructing site organization. One, older and more widespread, consisted in a centralized and pyramidal management model. The other, apparently more recent, was based in the existence of several autonomous teams working simultaneously, each one responsible for building a specific part or section of the building. This paper describes and discusses this new organizational model as it was adopted and implemented by João de Castilho (1470–1552) for the construction of the Monastery of Jerónimos in 1517, probably for the first time in Portugal, but with some parallels in other places in Europe.

As redes sociais na rádio TSF: o Facebook e o Twiter como veículos de difusão e angariação de informação

Dissertação de mestrado em Ciências da Comunicação (área de especialização em Informação e Jornalismo)