Del Río Campos, José Manuel

The Passive House (PH) concept is considered an e cient strategy to reduce energy consumption in the building sector, where most of the energy is used for heating and cooling applications. For this reason, energy e ciency measures are increasingly implemented in the residential sector, which is the main responsible for such a consumption. The need for professionals dealing with energy issues, and particularly for architects during the early stages of their architectural design, is crucial when considering energy e cient buildings. Therefore, architects involved in the design and construction stages have key roles in the process of enhancing energy e ciency in buildings. This research work explores the energy e ciency and optimized architectural design for residential buildings located in di erent climate zones in Spain, with an emphasis on Building Performance Simulation (BPS) as the key tool for architects and other professionals. According to a parametric analysis performed using Design Builder, the following optimal configurations are found for typical residential building projects: North-to-South orientation in all the five climate zones, a maximum shape factor of 0.48, external walls complying with the maximum U-value prescribed by Spanish Building Technical Code (0.35 Wm􀀀2K􀀀1) and a Window-to-Wall Ratio of no more than 20%. In terms of solar reflectance, it is found that the use of light colors is better in hotter climate zones A4, B4, and C4, whereas the best option is using darker colors in the colder climate zones D3 and E1. These measures help reaching the energy demand thresholds set by the Passivhaus Standard in all climate zones except for those located in climates C4, D3 and E1, for which further passive design measures are needed.

This article discusses the influence of the dimensions of the damping rings used for interrupting a dynamic tension experiment on the results of a modified split Hopkinson tension bar. The damping rings enclosed in an external fixture which modifies the classical split Hopkinson tension bar play a significant role in buffering the dynamic tension experiments before the specimen reaches its failure strength. Finite element simulations of high-strain-rate tension experiments are accomplished on Aluminium 7017-T73 alloy specimens when varying the thickness or the cross-sectional area of the damping rings. Finite element analyses described herein are applied to simulate the effects of the variation of the damping rings’ dimensions to provide a reference for improvement of a modified split Hopkinson tension bar experimental apparatus and guidance for future studies in which optimum dimensions for the damping rings can be studied. In view of this research, it can be concluded that the thickness of the damping rings is a factor that can resolutely influence the interrupted dynamic tension experiment results, while their cross-sectional area can be excluded as a factor influencing the results of the modified split Hopkinson tension bar experiments.

This article discusses the influence of the thickness of the damping rings used for interrupting a dynamic tension experiments on the results of a modified split Hopkinson tension bar (SHTB). In this paper a device enclosed in an external fixture used for interrupting a dynamic tension experiment in a SHTB is studied. The novelty of this manuscript with respect to previous studies lies in the fact that the dynamic tension experiment in a SHTB is interrupted in order to study the mechanical behavior of the material at high strain rates. The role played by such device is to interrupt the experiment at different levels of plastic deformation, particularly when the specimen is about to reach its failure strength. Finite-element (FE) simulations of high-strain-rate tension experiments are accomplished on a particle-reinforced metal matrix composite specimen (namely SiCreinforced ZC71 magnesium alloy) when varying the thickness of the damping rings. Interrupting the test before the specimen breaks offers the possibility of being able to study in a more detailed way the deformation process of such material at high strain rates. Therefore, this work focuses on the study of the behaviour of materials undergoing high strain rates, developing a tool which allows materials to withstand different levels of strain rates in a controlled manner and providing guidance for future studies. In view of this research, it can be concluded that the thickness of the damping rings is a factor that can resolutely influence the interrupted dynamic tension experiment results avoiding the specimen’s failure by optimally buffering the experiment using 0.8mm thick lead damping rings.

Progress in composite materials is leading to new research lines in this field, creating analytical models to study their mechanical behaviour, improving manufacturing procedures or trying to improve the problems that appear at the matrix-particle interface. The material to be studied consists of a nickel alloy-based metal matrix reinforced with Silicon Nitride particles (Si3N4). According to the manufacturer's data, the particle fraction is 12% of the total volume of the material. The data used are the results of a microscopic analysis carried out on a series of specimens to establish the following concepts: mean size, size distribution and generic dimensions of the particles; distribution, orientation and orientation trends of the particles in the matrix; existence or not of clusters and probability of breakage, among others. The main objective of the research, to determine the influence of the geometry of the reinforcement particles on the mechanical behaviour of a composite material. It is concluded that the slenderness of the reinforcement particles influences the material properties by making these particles break more easily. In addition, the stress–strain graphs also show that their slenderness influences the stress and strain field, the elongated shape means that the reinforcement is located closer to the point of load application and, consequently, is subject to higher stresses due to the smaller amount of matrix it possesses.

In this research work, energy simulation was used as a forecasting tool in architectural design. It includes the study of a multi-family residential building in five di erent climate zones of Spain, i.e., A4 (very hot climate zones), B4 (hot climate zones), C4 (moderate climate zones), D3 (cold climate zones), and E1 (very cold climate zones). The authors accomplished a sensitivity analysis in order to identify the influence of passive strategies (i.e., with regard to solar reflectance) and renewable energy (i.e., with regard to aerothermal energy) on indoor temperatures and energy demands. The increment in indoor temperatures depends on the neighboring buildings so that e ect of urban contexts as a source of protection against sunlight is also considered. The increment in the albedo (i.e., the solar reflectance) of the façade during the winter period produces little di erences in indoor operative temperatures. On the contrary, during the summer period, it produces large temperature di erences. Therefore, it is shown that colors significantly reduce temperatures from 1.24 to 3.04 C, which means considerable annual energy savings. This research demonstrates that solar reflectance can reduce the air indoor operative temperature down to 4.16 C during the month of May in the coldest climate zones. As a result of the simulations, it is noted that the coldest climate zones are influenced to a greater extent by the inclusion of their urban contexts in the simulations. However, the heating demand, without considering it, becomes lower. Therefore, ignoring the urban context produces important errors in the heating analysis (12.2% in the coldest climate zones) and also in the cooling analysis (39% in the hottest climate zones). Finally, the use of renewable energy in the configuration of a model with a high urban canyon (Hc), as well as with an east–west building orientation and a low albedo produces a di erence of around 76% in the cooling costs within the hottest climate zones and around 73% in the heating costs within the coldest climate zones. The results of this study can be applied as a guideline in early architectural design.

This paper examines the actual knowledge regarding Building Performance Simulation Tools (BPSTs) of recent graduate architects in Spain. BPSTs quantify aspects of building performance that are relevant to design, construction, and operation. Recent graduate architects are those who have been awarded a first degree from a university or college and face their first professional experience. This article aims to identify the deficiencies within the current curricula of Spanish universities relating to BPSTs. The authors have surveyed 171 recent graduate architects, and the analysis of the data reveals the deficiencies in university education. Regarding the collected results, the Spanish university syllabi must undergo necessary modifications to encourage the use of simulation as a part of university training courses. The incorporation of energy simulation in such training courses can provide recent graduate architects with tools that would assist them during the design stage. The use of these tools is key in the development of innovative pedagogy-based teaching materials for the courses. In this sense, the present work aims to delve into the usage deficiencies associated with BPSTs and propose ways in which to bridge the gap between higher education and first professional experiences.