Neste artigo apresentam-se as principais características da técnica de reforço Continuous Reinforcement Embedded at Ends (CREatE), os procedimentos de aplicação e as vantagens e limitações da sua utilização. Apresentam-se também os resultados dos ensaios realizados para avaliar o desempenho desta técnica no reforço à flexão de vigas de betão armado com secção transversal em T, reforçadas com armaduras pós-instaladas de aço inoxidável, coladas pelo exterior ou inseridas na zona de recobrimento. As vigas reforçadas com a técnica CREatE e ensaiadas à flexão em quatro prontos apresentaram elevados acréscimos de resistência e ductilidade quando comparadas com as vigas reforçadas com as técnicas tradicionais - Externally-Bonded Reinforcement (EBR) e Near Surface Mounted (NSM). As vigas reforçadas com a técnica CREatE foram sujeitas a carregamentos monotónicos ou cíclicos, tendo-se constatado que as roturas prematuras que estão associadas às técnicas tradicionais anteriormente referidas nunca foram observadas nas vigas reforças com esta técnica. Desenvolveu-se um modelo numérico simples, e com boa precisão, para modelar o desempenho das vigas de betão armado, sendo os resultados apresentados e discutidos.

O reforço estrutural com materiais de matriz polimérica reforçada com fibras (FRP) em diferentes tipos de elementos estruturais, e.g. pilares, vigas, lajes ou arcos, tem sido objecto de vários estudos. No entanto, os estudos sobre a avaliação da aderência entre ligações coladas em superfícies curvas são muito limitados, não se conhecendo trabalhos, quer analíticos ou numéricos, que se debrucem ainda sobre o efeito da temperatura neste tipo de ligações coladas. Todavia, os trabalhos disponíveis na literatura indicam, de forma unânime, que o descolamento do FRP da superfície curva exige a interacção entre os modos de fractura I e II. Neste sentido, o presente estudo propõe o desenvolvimento de uma solução analítica simples para simular ligações CFRP/betão com superfícies curvas de raio constante e que assumem ambas, isoladamente ou simulataneamente, as acções: (i) aplicação de uma força ao FRP; e (ii) uma a variação de temperatura. Dependendo dos coeficientes de dilatação térmica linear dos materiais colados e para níveis de temperatura não muito superiores à temperatura de transição vítrea (Tg) do FRP, o efeito da temperatura pode ser, do ponto de vista da resistência da ligação, prejudicial ou benéfico, ou seja, pode diminir ou aumentar a capacidade resistente da ligação. Diferentes critérios de rotura são adoptados e diferentes situações, e.g. raio da curva ou diferentes níveis de temperaturas, são abordadas. A solução analítica pressupõe que a lei de aderência relativamente ao modo II de fractura depende da temperatura e é representada por um exponencial, enquanto que para o modo I se assume uma lei de aderência do tipo linear com rotura frágil e cuja influência da temperatura é feita de acordo com os mesmos pressupostos da lei exponencial.

Desde que o reforço estrutural começou a utilizar materiais de matriz polimérica reforçada com fibras (FRP) que o fenómeno do descolamento prematuro dos compósitos de FRP da superfície colada tem merecido especial atenção de vários autores. O conhecimento do processo de descolamento completo da ligação CFRP/betão ganhou assim, algum destaque nos últimos anos. Na generalidade, as ligações CFRP/betão têm sido analisadas com recurso métodos analíticos e numéricos sendo que, nos primeiros, se tem vindo a adoptar leis de aderência muito simplificadas das observadas experimentalmente. Apesar das simplificações adoptas nas análises analíticas, as expressões obtidas são muito importantes já que têm grande potencial em serem adoptadas pelos códigos ou normas nacionais e/ou interncionais. Por outro lado, e apesar de adoptarem leis de aderência mais refinadas, as análises numéricas permitem apenas a obtenção de expressões empíricas que podem não contemplar a generalidade dos casos estudados. Neste sentido, este trabalho apresenta um conjunto de soluções analíticas com base numa lei de aderência exponencial capaz de representar todas as não-linearidades envolvidas no descolamento da ligação CFRP/betão. Os resultados analíticos são confrontados com ensaios experimentais em que a técnica de colagem EBR foi utilizada. Contudo, o modelo analítico proposto pode ser também utilizado quando a técnica Near Surface Mounted (NSM) é adoptada. Adicionalmente, são apresentadas soluções analíticas para o caso em que o deslocamento relativo entre o CFRP e o betão é restringido por, e.g., um dispositivo de amarração mecânica instalado na extremidade oposta à aplicação de carga.

Ever since Fibre Reinforced Polymers (FRP) began to be used in the repair or strengthening of structural elements, the premature debonding of the FRP composite from the substrate has been an important drawback that have been motive of several studies. The importance of knowing and describing the full-range behaviour of FRP-to-parent material interfaces rigorously is therefore urgent. However, at present, there are no analytical solutions that describe the full-range behaviour of such interfaces that help us to understand the full debonding phenomena of FRP-to-parent material interfaces free of any mechanical anchorage devices. Therefore, the aim of this study is to contribute the advances of that knowledge through an analytical solution by means of an exponential bond-slip model that is known to represent the nonlinearities involved in the debonding process of the FRP composite from the substrate. Analytical solutions for the slips, strains in the FRP composite, bond stress distributions along the bonded interface and stresses in the substrate are presented. A full-range load-slip analysis is also discussed.

The strengthening of reinforced concrete structures with FRP materials has received a considerable increment in recent years due to their durability characteristics, high strength-weight and stiffness-weight ratios of FRP compared to other materials.An experimental program was conducted in order to analyse the behaviour of different structural solutions to strengthen reinforced concrete beams with carbon FRP composites: EBR (Externally-Bonded Reinforcement), NSM (Near Surface Mounted) reinforcement and an innovative technique externally-bonded using continuous reinforcement embedded at ends (CREatE). The RC beams had a 3m span by 0.3m height and were tested until rupture in a 4-point bending test system.The CREatE technique has proved to be the most effective of the three alternatives tested, with the full utilisation of the CFRP and the highest strength, combined with the highest ductility.

Despite the number of applications with Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymers (CFRP) have been grown in civil constructions, the studies available in the literature dedicated to the strengthening of old timber beams are very rare. This paper analyses the bending behaviour of old suspended timber floors flexurally-strengthened with CFRP laminates. A new bonding technique developed by the authors is presented which mainly consists on the embedding of both CFRP ends into the core of the timber beams. Differences between the traditional strengthening, i.e. Externally Bonded Reinforcement (EBR), and the new bonding technique are reported. A timber pavement without any CFRP laminate bonded to its soffit was also considered and the results were used as reference values for comparison with the strengthened specimens. The results revealed that the CFRP laminate used for the flexurally-strengthened of the specimen according to the EBR technique reached only 27.2% of the rupture strain of the CFRP laminate whereas the new bonding technique was capable to prevent the premature debonding of the CFRP from the timber substrate and the rupture of the CFRP laminate was observed. Furthermore, the strain distributions in the CFRP laminates and the bond stresses within the CFRP-to-timber interfaces were affected when the new technique was used. For the sake of better understanding the rupture modes observed, a numerical approach was developed which allowed us to conclude that, until the collapse of the beams, the timber never reached its yielding point and the collapse were mainly due to the poor quality of the timber (e.g. quantity of knot, cracks and irregular geometries) and the low shear capacity of the beams.

Apresentam-se e analisam-se um conjunto de ensaios realizados em vigas de betão armado reforçadas com armaduras pós-instaladas de aço ou de FRP, incluindo os referentes a uma nova técnica (CREatE) desenvolvida na FCT NOVA, tendo-se concluído que a técnica CREatE possibilita aumentos de resistência e ductilidade consideráveis face às técnicas tradicionais.

Six quadrate bones, of which two almost certainly come from the Kem Kem beds (Cenomanian, Upper Cretaceous) of south-eastern Morocco, are determined to be from juvenile and adult individuals of Spinosaurinae based on phylogenetic, geometric morphometric, and phylogenetic morphometric analyses. Their morphology indicates two morphotypes evidencing the presence of two spinosaurine taxa ascribed to Spinosaurus aegyptiacus and? Sigilmassasaurus brevicollis in the Cenomanian of North Africa, casting doubt on the accuracy of some recent skeletal reconstructions which may be based on elements from several distinct species. Morphofunctional analysis of the mandibular articulation of the quadrate has shown that the jaw mechanics was peculiar in Spinosauridae. In mature spinosaurids, the posterior parts of the two mandibular rami displaced laterally when the jaw was depressed due to a lateromedially oriented intercondylar sulcus of the quadrate. Such lateral movement of the mandibular ramus was possible due to a movable mandibular symphysis in spinosaurids, allowing the pharynx to be widened. Similar jaw mechanics also occur in some pterosaurs and living pelecanids which are both adapted to capture and swallow large prey items. Spinosauridae, which were engaged, at least partially, in a piscivorous lifestyle, were able to consume large fish and may have occasionally fed on other prey such as pterosaurs and juvenile dinosaurs.

Six quadrate bones, of which two almost certainly come from the Kem Kem beds (Cenomanian, Upper Cretaceous) of south-eastern Morocco, are determined to be from juvenile and adult individuals of Spinosaurinae based on phylogenetic, geometric morphometric, and phylogenetic morphometric analyses. Their morphology indicates two morphotypes evidencing the presence of two spinosaurine taxa ascribed to Spinosaurus aegyptiacus and? Sigilmassasaurus brevicollis in the Cenomanian of North Africa, casting doubt on the accuracy of some recent skeletal reconstructions which may be based on elements from several distinct species. Morphofunctional analysis of the mandibular articulation of the quadrate has shown that the jaw mechanics was peculiar in Spinosauridae. In mature spinosaurids, the posterior parts of the two mandibular rami displaced laterally when the jaw was depressed due to a lateromedially oriented intercondylar sulcus of the quadrate. Such lateral movement of the mandibular ramus was possible due to a movable mandibular symphysis in spinosaurids, allowing the pharynx to be widened. Similar jaw mechanics also occur in some pterosaurs and living pelecanids which are both adapted to capture and swallow large prey items. Spinosauridae, which were engaged, at least partially, in a piscivorous lifestyle, were able to consume large fish and may have occasionally fed on other prey such as pterosaurs and juvenile dinosaurs.

We present copositivity tests based on new necessary and sufficient conditions which require the solution of linear complementarity problems (LCP). We propose methodologies involving Lemke’s method, an enumerative algorithm and a linear mixed-integer programming formulation to solve the required LCPs. Moreover, we discuss a new necessary condition for (strict) copositivity based on solving a linear program, which can be used as a preprocessing step. The algorithms with these three different variants are thoroughly applied to test matrices from the literature and to max-clique instances with matrices of order up to 496×496. We compare our procedures with three other copositivity tests from the literature as well as with a general global optimization solver. The numerical results are very promising and equally good and in many cases better than the results reported elsewhere.

This study presents an analysis of Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymers (CFRP)-to-parent material interfaces based on 40 single-lap shear tests intended to highlight the strength of the interfaces under fracture mode II. Three different substrates are analyzed: timber;concrete and steel, using the same CFRP laminates and adhesive agent. The Externally Bonded Reinforcement (EBR) technique was used throughout the study. The results show that the CFRP-to-timber interfaces had the highest strength but also showed that these interfaces need a longer bonded length in order to reach maximum strength, i.e., CFRP-to-timber interfaces had the longest effective bond length. The local non-linear bond-slip curve of CFRP-to-concrete can be approximated to exponential curves, whereas the CFRP-to-timber or steel interfaces showed tri-linear and bi-linear bond-slip relations, respectively. Also, the CFRP-to-timber interfaces revealed the highest fracture energy.

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A set of three old suspended timber floors were flexurally-strengthened with Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymers (CFRP) strips in order to investigate the effectiveness of externally bonding FRP to their soffits. The specimens were from an old building and 740 mm-wide bands were transferred to the laboratory in order to be tested in a 4-point bending test. One specimen was tested with no strengthening system and the results obtained were used as reference values for comparison with the specimens those were externally bonded and reinforced (EBR) with CFRP strips. Two similar EBR systems were studied: (i) keeping both ends of the CFRP strips free of any restriction (traditional technique); and (ii) embedding both ends of the CFRP strips into the timber, thus providing a bonding anchorage of the strips (new technique). The installation of the new strengthening system comprises the opening of holes in the timber and the creation of a transition curve between the holes and the timber surface. This transition curve allows a smooth transition of the CFRP laminate between the hole and the timber surface, thus avoiding stress concentrations in this area. After the opening of the holes, the resin is applied inside the hole and on the beam surface, and then the CFRP laminate is mounted. The load-carrying capacity of the specimens, the rupture modes, the strains and bond stress distributions within the CFRP-to-timber interface are presented. A nonlinear numerical simulation of the specimens based on the mid-span cross-sectional equilibrium is also presented. The results showed that the use of the new strengthening system enhances the performance of the specimens when compared with the traditional strengthening system.

A importância do papel do Arquiteto-urbanista na caracterização dos conceitos e no planejamento das Smart Cities é um tema com muito por estudar e desenvolver. Este artigo faz uma aproximação a esta questão através de análise crítica com a seguinte abordagem: 1 - é feita uma descrição mais detalhada do porquê deste trabalho de investigação; 2 – apresenta-se uma contextualização da transição dos cenários; 3 - é levantada a problematização e a identificação de alguns motivos do “desenquadramento” da atuação do arquiteto-urbanista na cena; 4 – são discutidos aspectos e elencadas algumas características para “(re)enquadramento” dentro do cenário ideal, 5 – são analisados alguns casos de estudo; 6 - são tecidas conclusões. Este artigo mostra, portanto, o resultado deste estudo comparativo entre panorama atual e desejado, considerando este último como o cenário conceitual. É inicialmente caracterizada a situação atual através de levantamento da crítica especializada, depois é descrita a situação desejada tendo como base a análise de quatro casos de estudo; sendo dois de Smart Cities construídas a partir do zero e dois de cidade existentes que estão sendo transformadas em Smart Cities. Por fim, são identificados elementos que contribuem, na opinião dos autores, para o reassumir do papel do arquiteto-urbanista. Com este trabalho, foi possível, de uma forma sistematizada, estudar e suscitar ações deficitárias na atuação dos arquitetos-urbanistas, como também descortinar potenciais ações que podem induzir e reverter a transformação do cenário atual. Ficou claro que as necessidades intrínsecas ao novo modelo de cidade exigem ainda mais proposições criativas. O delinear das futuras cenas seria então ideal se os arquitetos-urbanistas retomassem posicionamento crítico propositivo e o utilizassem na solução que imagina novas e condizentes maneiras de habitar o espaço. O prelúdio já delineado convida então, os protagonistas na produção do espaço a alforriar-se da inércia, saindo da condição de espectadores e passando a condição de entendedores antecipados do cenário.

A Developmental Coordination Disorder can be identified when children show motor skills either below the expected levels considered adequate to their physical age or the opportunities provided for their learning. This problem affects four to six percent of school-age children, meaning that, from a very early stage of their life, they have several difficulties to adapt to the daily needs. In order to reduce the impact caused by this disorder, a team of therapists from “ – collected a wide range of exercises that allow the stimulus of several motor areas, including both the Gross and Fine Motor Skills. However, the application of this therapeutics is restricted to regular appointments. Since the motor stimulus, in order to be effective, need continuous application, it was found to be necessary to have a tool that in a practical and affordable way, fulfill this need. Therefore, the proposal presented in this article describes the creation of a systematic collection of such exercises in a friendly user manner for the children to be able to exercise elsewhere.

Despite the fact that FRP composites are a reliable structural material with reasonable durability performance, the environment to which the strengthened structure is exposed can make the strengthening system vulnerable. In this study, the effectiveness of Externally Bonded Reinforcement (EBR) systems when external compressive stresses are applied to glass (G) FRP-to-concrete interfaces in several aggressive environments is analysed. The compressive stress imposed on the GFRP-to-concrete interface intends to simulate, for instance, the effect produced by a mechanical anchorage system applied to the EBR system. The design and the region to set those mechanical anchorage systems are not yet well understood and are mostly applied without really knowing how they will behave. This work shows an exhaustive experimental programme based on several double shear tests subjected to salt fog cycles, dry/wet cycles and two distinct temperature cycles: from -10ºC to +30ºC and +7.5ºC to +47.5ºC. The Mohr-Coulomb failure criterion was found to provide a good representation of the performance of the GFRP-to-concrete interface, and changes of cohesion and internal friction angle of those interfaces during the hours of exposure to the aggressive environments are reported.

This study focuses on the assessment of the degradation processes occurring in three sandstone infills of fossilized Late Jurassic ornithopod tridactyl footprints, found in 2001 in a coastline cliff in Porto das Barcas (Lourinhã, Portugal) and exhibited in a museum display since 2004. These dinosaur footprints present nowadays severe decay phenomena compromising their physical integrity and are leading gradually to their loss of value. The deterioration patterns were recorded, a map of their distribution was prepared and several samples were collected both in the dinosaur footprints and in the coastline cliff. Different analytical procedures were applied such as XRD, FTIR, FESEM and Ion Chromatography. A microclimatic survey was also performed and air temperature and relative humidity was measured during eight months both indoor and also outdoor. The decay patterns observed are a combination intrinsic and extrinsic factors the stone material, namely swelling of clay minerals in the rock matrix (smectite and chlorite-smectite mixed-layer), presence of salts (mainly chlorides), application of past conservation treatments (poly(vinyl) acetate and epoxy resins) and with the museum's indoor thermohygrometric conditions (mainly non-stable hygrometric conditions). This scientific knowledge is therefore essential to the sustainable preservation of this paleontological heritage.