Innovative method for the continuous monitoring of concrete viscoelastic properties since early ages: concept and pilot experiments

The experimental evaluation of viscoelastic properties of concrete is traditionally made upon creep tests that consist in the application of sustained loads either in compression or in tension. This kind of testing demands for specially devised rigs and requires careful monitoring of the evolution of strains, whereas assuring proper load constancy. The characterization of creep behaviour at early ages offers additional challenges due to the strong variations in viscoelastic behaviour of concrete during such stages, demanding for several testing ages to be assessed. The present research work aims to assist in reducing efforts for continuous assessment of viscoelastic properties of concrete at early ages, by application of a dynamic testing technique inspired in methodologies used in polymer science: Dynamic Mechanical Analyses. This paper briefly explains the principles of the proposed methodology and exhibits the first results obtained in a pilot application. The results are promising enough to encourage further developments.

Environment, health and safety policy in small construction sites: an analysis of the situation in Brazil

This paper analyzes the safety, environmental and occupational health of workers in the small construction industry in Brazil. In this sector there are still many unsafe practices, which are very common in small work sites. We used a qualitative approach to understand these problems by long interviews with people who work directly in small construction sites, including occupational physicians, civil engineers, safety engineers, safety technicians, general foremen, construction workers, labor unionists and auditors. This paper aims to demonstrate that the "invisibility" of the small sites workers makes them less safe and therefore more prone to accidents, also weakening their health. The results show that small constructions workers are less visible to society and supervision because of their short periods of work. Therefore, they are also uncovered to the rigorous applicability of principles of safety and accident prevention. Thus, it has been seen in this field of work a precarious application of NR - 18, which was specifically made for the construction sites and it needs simplification to meet normative characteristics of small construction sites. In the State of Rio de Janeiro, some laws on small sites were recently created and implemented. This study concludes that the rules to work are not being taken as seriously as the legislation determinates, remaining practically unknown by many professionals, from the plot command, supervisors, engineers, architects and technicians who work on construction sites. This ignorance creates space for the lack of safety and consequently to accidents, leading to by weakness in the workers health. Therefore, the work process needs to be modified, the safety regulation must be disseminated through safer practices, promoting employee health and ensure that the work of small sites can be visible, especially ensuring the construction workers health and safety.

Sistema de apoio à decisão clínica: quality of life system

Dissertação de mestrado integrado em Engenharia e Gestão de Sistemas de Informação

Upgrade of an industrial building: BIM model of the as-built situation and evaluation of modifications

Dissertação de mestrado integrado in Civil Engineering

Introduction [to Digital literacy, technology and social inclusion: making sense of one-to-one computer programmes around the world]

This book was produced in the scope of a research project entitled “Navigating with ‘Magalhães’: Study on the Impact of Digital Media in Schoolchildren”. This study was conducted between May 2010 and May 2013 at the Communication and Society Research Centre, University of Minho, Portugal and it was funded by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (PTDC/CCI-COM/101381/2008). As we shall explain in more detail later in this book, the main objective of that research project was to analyse the impact of the Portuguese government programme named ´e-escolinha´ launched in 2008 within the Technological Plan for Education. This Plan responds to the principles of the Lisbon Strategy signed in 2000 and rereleased in the Spring European Council of 2005.

A review of sustainable approaches in transport infrastructure geotechnics

Transportation geotechnics associated with constructing and maintaining properly functioning transportation infrastructure is a very resource intensive activity. Large amounts of materials and natural resources are required, consuming proportionately large amounts of energy and fuel. Thus, the implementation of the principles of sustainability is important to reduce energy consumption, carbon footprint, greenhouse gas emissions, and to increase material reuse/recycling, for example. This paper focusses on some issues and activities relevant to sustainable earthwork construction aimed at minimising the use of energy and the production of CO2 while improving the in-situ ground to enable its use as a foundation without the consumption of large amounts of primary aggregate as additional foundation layers. The use of recycled materials is discussed, including steel slag and tyre bales, alongside a conceptual framework for evaluating the utility of applications for recycled materials in transportation infrastructure.