Ventilated Stone Veneer: Mechanical Behaviour, Calculation Methodologies, Major Pathologies and Existing Tests

The increase of building pathologies related to the use of stone materials and the use of ventilated stone veneers, requires the reformulation of design concepts in building façades and also the reformulation of the architectural project. The aim of this paper is to identify, analyze and evaluate synthetically building pathologies in stone ventilated façades in order to obtain the main technical conditions to be considered in the architectural design, by interpreting its mechanical behavior and capabilities to prevent such pathologies and to ensure the proper features during the building lifetime. The methodology is based on both laboratory stone tests and in situ tests about construction systems, by analyzing physical and mechanical behavior of the outer layer in relation to other building requirements. The results imply the need of proper sizing, specific quality control and practical application of calculation methods, to control high concentration pressures in ventilated façades by reaching appropriate project solutions. In conclusion, the research about different pathologies of stone ventilated façades, the study of their mechanical behavior, their anchorage and their connection with their constructive aspects, will help to improve the construction quality of the stone ventilated façade in buildings and to enhance the use of natural stone in modern architecture.

Partial collapse of a ventilated stone façade: Diagnosis and analysis of the anchorage system

The mechanical behaviour of transventilated façades performed by natural stone is necessarily based on the correct execution of both anchoring elements on the stone cladding as in the ones corresponding to the enclosure support, either with brick masonry walls or reinforced concrete walls. In the case studied in the present work, the origin of the damages suffered on the façade of a building located in Alcoy has been analyzed, where the detachment of part of the outer enclosure occurred. This enclosure is a transventilated façade formed by Bateig Blue stone tiles. To this end, “in situ” tests of the anchoring systems employed have been performed, as well as laboratory tests of mechanical characterization of the material and of different types of anchor, comparing these results with those obtained in both the simplified analytical models of continuum mechanics as developed by the Finite Element Method (FEM).

Mujeres, salud y profesiones sanitarias: revisión historiográfica y estudio de casos en la sanidad española contemporánea

La reconstrucción histórica de las prácticas de salud de las mujeres, tomando el caso español como campo de pruebas y modelo de análisis, constituye una de las líneas directrices de éste trabajo. Sobre la base de una importante cantidad de estudios empíricos, ajenos y propios, centrados muy en especial en el área de la enfermería, se puede delinear una imagen de conjunto sobre el trabajo sanitario de las mujeres, en el espacio geográfico y temporal objeto de nuestro estudio y contestar así a una serie de cuestiones en las que lo experto, la experiencia, la autoridad y los procesos de legitimación profesional están omnipresentes. La segunda de las vertientes abordadas es la de las mujeres como pacientes y usuarias de prácticas de salud. Las llamadas “patologías de mujeres” como la clorosis o la neurastenia y el significado histórico del protagonismo de las mujeres en las campañas y programas de educación sanitaria son otros tantos ejemplos que permiten desvelar discursos cargados de elementos ideológicos tradicionales pese a su aparente barniz de modernidad. Como principales conclusiones, hay que destacar la importancia que alcanzaron los discursos androcéntricos en temas concernientes a salud y mujer de forma global, o los más específicos como el del culto a la fecundidad para justificar unas tareas sociales diferentes y complementarias a las del hombre, además de señalar la conveniencia de explorar nuevos caminos a recorrer, tanto desde el punto de vista temático como en lo relativo a los recursos heurísticos.