An important aspect during the planning of commuter trains is how long they will be waiting at the platform. All travelers must be able to board and get off the train in time while the process cannot take too long. The train’s waiting time is called its dwell time, and this is a study of how the dwell time of the commuter trains in Stockholm behaves with a focus on the larger station Stockholm Odenplan and the smaller station Årstaberg. The duration of the dwell time compared to the stations planned dwell time was analyzed with manual measurements on the stations. The dwell time was analyzed both during and after rush hours. Possible reasons for the dwell time’s length were also analyzed and a potential factor that was in focus was the impact of the removal of train conductors. Train conductors in Stockholm’s rail system are responsible for monitoring the boarding and closing the train’s doors after it is finished. They began to dismantle from the trains Mars 2023 due to efficiency reasons. Half of the trains will run with a train conductor until autumn 2023, where they will disappear entirely. The train drivers will afterwards monitor the travelers with cameras instead. The commuter trains in Stockholm have three routes between Bålsta and Nynäshamn, Uppsala/Märsta and Södertälje and Södertälje and Gnesta. Factors considered when planning their timetables are the system’s capacity, how long the train should wait at a station and how long it takes to drive between stations. 94 % of the trains run on time in the system according to the operator MTR. The analyzed stations Stockholm Odenplan and Årstaberg are in Stockholm and have their separate conditions. Stockholm Odenplan is the second to largest station in the system and is in a central part of the city. The station is underground, and the rails are separated from the platform with platform doors. The doors are shown to cause delays for the dwell time as they are slow. Årstaberg has considerably fewer travelers than Stockholm Odenplan and is in the south parts of the city. The station is over the ground and has no platform doors. There are many theories about the causes behind a train’s dwell time based on the behavior of the passengers. They vary from where they are waiting on the platform, how they are queueing during boarding and the behavior during the boarding. The study shows that the dwell time in Årstaberg stays under its planned 42 seconds, but it is six seconds too long from its planned 60 seconds in Stockholm Odenplan. The dwell time increases during rush hour in Årstaberg and decreases outside of it, while Stockholm Odenplan seems to be largely unaffected by rush hours. Trains with train conductors seem to have a lower dwell time than those without them. The boarding has a shorter duration with train conductors, which shows that they are more efficient than the train drivers using cameras to monitor the boarding. However, it does take a little longer for the train to depart after the boarding is finished when they have a train conductor. Factors causing the dwell time are believed to be related to the flow of passengers and the design of the stations. The platform doors are believed to increase the dwell time in Stockholm Odenplan. Meanwhile, the protection from the weather and the location of the entrance in Årstaberg might impact its dwell time. When the number of passengers increases will the boarding take longer. The boarding will also be concentrated on a few doors in Årstaberg depending on the weather or if the trains are short. The dwell time should be analyzed further for a longer period and during more hours of the day. More stations in Stockholm’s rail system should be analyzed too.

GKN Aerospace AB, Sweden (GAS) is one of the leading companies taking up the charge in manufacturing components using Additive Manufacturing(ed) (AM) techniques in the aerospace sector. They are a hub of engineering and they are a supplier of engine and engine components to the world’s leading aero-engine manufacturers, and airframes to civil and military aircraft manufacturers. A phenomenon that is of interest to designers at GAS is the effects of dwell times on high temperature fatigue, especially how this phenomenon affects the fatigue properties of Laser Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF) Inconel 718 (IN718). IN718 is a versatile alloy that can be used at relatively high temperatures and has excellent weldability and is one of the newer materials replacing expensive materials such as Titanium (and its alloys) in the aerospace industry. The aerospace industry has been pushing for an increase in parts manufactured using AM processes because of the advantage the AM process grants to the production process, however a new manufacturing process for an industry needs to be studied and researched from a failure perspective, i.e. the prominent mode of failure for components manufactured using AM and the underlying factors influencing the failure mechanism must be studied. This thesis explores a solution to predict the life of components based on experimental crack propagation tests wherein the test specimens were subjected to the phenomenon mentioned above. A literature survey was conducted researching ways to model this phenomenon and the factors affecting it. The methods found in the literature survey were far too complex to model for the purposes of this thesis, additionally the methods described in the literature were empirical methods describing the phenomenon, rather than a fundamental study of factors causing the phenomenon and ways to model their influence on the life of the component. Hence, a simple method based on the Palmgren-Miner linear damage summation rule which was coded in the form of a FORTRAN code was utilized to compute the life of the components. Software runs predicting life of physical experiments were conducted and inferences about the predictive method were drawn. The limitations of this method were understood and possible solutions were explored, based on which conclusions were drawn regarding the method’s efficacy in predicting the life of the specimens that underwent dwell loading during fatigue cycling. Finally, the method was applied to a case study to understand the effectiveness of the method. / GKN Aerospace AB, Sverige (GAS) är ett av de ledande företagen som tar upp kampen vid tillverkning av komponenter med hjälp av additiv tillverkning (AM) inom flyg- och rymdsektorn. De är ett nav för ingenjörskonst och de är en leverantör av motorer och motorkomponenter till världens ledande tillverkare av flygmotorer, och civila och militära flygplanstillverkare. Ett fenomen som är av intresse för designers på GAS är effekterna av uppehållstider på högtemperaturutmattning, särskilt hur detta fenomen påverkar utmattningen egenskaper hos Laser Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF) Inconel 718 (IN718). IN718 är en mångsidig legering som kan användas vid relativt höga temperaturer och har utmärkt svetsbarhet och är ett av de nyare materialen som ersätter dyra material såsom titan (och dess legeringar) inom flygindustrin. Flygindustrin har drivit på för en ökning av delar som tillverkas med additiva tillverkningsprocesser på grund av den fördel som tillverkningsprocessen ger en ny tillverkningsprocess för en industri behöver dock studeras och forskat ur ett misslyckandeperspektiv, dvs. det framträdande sättet att misslyckas för komponenter som tillverkats med hjälp av additiv tillverkning och de bakomliggande faktorer som mekanismen måste studeras. Denna avhandling utforskar en lösning för att förutsäga livslängden för komponenter baserat på experimentella sprickutbredningstester där provexemplaren utsattes för fenomenet som nämns ovan. En litteraturstudie genomfördes för att undersöka olika sätt att modellera detta fenomenet och de faktorer som påverkar det. Metoderna som framkom i litteraturstudien var alldeles för komplexa för att modellera för denna avhandling, dessutom är metoderna som beskrivits i litteraturen var empiriska metoder som beskriver fenomenet, snarare än en grundläggande studie av de faktorer som orsakar fenomenet och sätt att modellera deras inverkan på komponentens livslängd. Därav en enkel metod baserad på Palmgren-Miners linjära skadesummeringsregel som kodades i form av en FORTRAN-kod användes för att beräkna livslängden för komponenterna. Programvarukörningar som förutspådde livslängden för fysiska experiment genomfördes och slutsatser om den prediktiva metoden drogs. Begränsningarna med denna metod förstods och möjliga lösningar utforskades. Som låg till grund för de slutsatser som drogs om metodens effektivitet när det gäller att förutsäga livslängden för de prover som genomgick uppehållsbelastning underutmattningscykling. Slutligen tillämpades metoden på en fallstudie för att förstå effektiviteten avmetod.

In this paper, an investigation of the impact of menu design and input device for gaze-based menu selection tasks is reported. The study investigates the usability, measured by effectiveness, efficiency, and user satisfaction, for gaze-based interaction in realistic, complex menu selection tasks. The study includes three different menu designs, a linear drop-down menu (L1), a radial dynamic menu (R1), and a semi-radial menu (R2), along with two different input devices, a unimodal input device using dwell-time (DT) and a multimodal input device using a combination of gaze and a manual switch (GMS). In a user study with nine test participants, the impact of menu design, input device, and navigation complexity on task completion time, accuracy rate, cognitive load, and quality of use ratings for menu selection tasks were investigated. The usability results confirmed the expectations of the advantages of radial menu designs, with the radial dynamic menu (R1) being better suited for gaze- based interaction than either the linear drop-down menu (L1) or semi-radial menu (R2). The usability results also confirmed the expectations regarding the input device, namely, the multimodal GMS input device was superior to the unimodal DT input device for gaze-based interaction. / I den här studien rapporteras en undersökning av effekterna av menydesign och inmatningsenhet för blickbaserade menyvalsuppgifter. Studien undersöker användbarheten, mätt av verkningsgrad, effektivitet, och användarnöjdhet, för blickbaserad interaktion i realistiska, komplexa menyvalsuppgifter. Studien innefattar tre olika menydesigner, en linjär rullgardinsmeny (L1), en radiell dynamisk meny (R1) och en halvradiell meny (R2), tillsammans med två olika inmatningsenheter, en unimodal inmatningsenhet som använder dwell-time (DT) och en multimodal inmatningsenhet som använder en kombination av blick och en manuell knapp (GMS). I en användarstudie med nio testdeltagare undersöktes effekterna av menydesign, inmatningsenhet och navigeringskomplexitet på tiden för uppgifts slutförandet, noggrannhet, kognitiv belastning och kvalitet på användningsbetyg för menyvalsuppgifter. Användbarhetsresultaten bekräftade förväntningarna om fördelarna med radiella menydesigner, varvid den radiella dynamiska menyn (R1) passar bättre för blickbaserad interaktion än både den linjära rullgardinsmenyn (L1) eller halvradialmenyn (R2). Användbarhetsresultaten bekräftade också förväntningarna avseende inmatningsenheten, nämligen att multimodal GMS-inmatningsenheten var överlägsen den unimodala DT-inmatningsenheten för blickbaserad interaktion.

Main extrinsic and intrinsic modifiers factors of crack growth rate in AA7050-T7451 were assessed in order to provide tools for aeronautical structures designers. These tools cover most necessary information to project aircraft\'s structures using the studied alloy, under damage tolerance philosophy. The experimental methodology consisted of use CT specimens, on TL and LT rolling direction to test its behavior under different conditions of stress ratio, force waveform, and the environment. The stress ratio values were 0.1 and 0.5, the force waveform used were sine and trapezoidal or Dwell under normal air laboratory conditions and salt fog 3.5%NaCl weight in order to simulate the marine environment. In Dwell tests, results were checked with the electrical potential drop technique (DCPD) in addition to the crack opening displacement (COD) method. Using the Walker coefficients, calculated on the present research, could be projected accurately the crack propagation behavior on Paris region and do fatigue life predictions using da/dN and S-N diagrams for different stress ratio values. The corrosion environment increases both crack growth rate and ΔKth due to oxides formation on the crack path that generates a crack closure effect. Dwell carrying makes decrease the crack growth rate by decreasing the slope of the Paris line on log (da/dN) versus log (ΔK) curve, instead of shifting down the line as occurs on titanium alloys. Rolling direction change from LT to TL increase the FCG rate in both threshold and Paris region, where the rate change use to be small. / Os principais fatores modificadores extrínsecos e intrínsecos da taxa de propagação de trincas na liga AA7050-T7451 foram avaliados para fornecer subsídios para projetistas de estruturas aeronáuticas, com base na filosofía de tolerância ao dano. A metodologia experimental consistiu em ensaiar corpos de prova do tipo compact tension (CT) da liga nas direções de laminação TL e LT, para verificar seu comportamento sob diferentes razões de tensões, forma de onda e condição ambiente. Os valores de razão de tensão estudados foram 0,1 e 0,5, as formas de onda foram senoidal e trapezoidal ou de Dwell, em condições normais de laboratório, ao ar, e névoa salina 3,5% NaCl, em massa, para simular um ambiente marinho. No caso dos ensaios Dwell, os resultados foram conferidos pelo método de queda de potencial eléctrico (QPE), além do método de flexibilidade elástica. Usando os coeficientes de Walker calculados a partir dos resultados obtidos, pôde-se projetar com precisão o comportamento da propagação de trinca na região de Paris e prever a vida em fadiga usando os diagramas da/dN e S-N para diferentes valores da razão de tensões. O ambiente corrosivo aumenta tanto a taxa de propagação de trinca, quanto o valor de ΔKth por causa da formação de óxidos na trajetória da trinca, que geram um efeito de fechamento sobre a mesma. Quanto à forma de onda, verificou-se que o carregamento Dwell diminui a taxa de propagação de trinca, diminuindo a inclinação das curvas log (da/dN) versus log (ΔK) na região de Paris, ao invés de deslocá-la paralelamente como ocorre com ligas de titânio. A mudança da direção de laminação de LT para TL aumenta a taxa de propagação de trinca por fadiga (PTF) tanto na região de threshold, quanto na região de Paris, onde a mudança de taxa é pequena.

Main extrinsic and intrinsic modifiers factors of crack growth rate in AA7050-T7451 were assessed in order to provide tools for aeronautical structures designers. These tools cover most necessary information to project aircraft\'s structures using the studied alloy, under damage tolerance philosophy. The experimental methodology consisted of use CT specimens, on TL and LT rolling direction to test its behavior under different conditions of stress ratio, force waveform, and the environment. The stress ratio values were 0.1 and 0.5, the force waveform used were sine and trapezoidal or Dwell under normal air laboratory conditions and salt fog 3.5%NaCl weight in order to simulate the marine environment. In Dwell tests, results were checked with the electrical potential drop technique (DCPD) in addition to the crack opening displacement (COD) method. Using the Walker coefficients, calculated on the present research, could be projected accurately the crack propagation behavior on Paris region and do fatigue life predictions using da/dN and S-N diagrams for different stress ratio values. The corrosion environment increases both crack growth rate and ΔKth due to oxides formation on the crack path that generates a crack closure effect. Dwell carrying makes decrease the crack growth rate by decreasing the slope of the Paris line on log (da/dN) versus log (ΔK) curve, instead of shifting down the line as occurs on titanium alloys. Rolling direction change from LT to TL increase the FCG rate in both threshold and Paris region, where the rate change use to be small. / Os principais fatores modificadores extrínsecos e intrínsecos da taxa de propagação de trincas na liga AA7050-T7451 foram avaliados para fornecer subsídios para projetistas de estruturas aeronáuticas, com base na filosofía de tolerância ao dano. A metodologia experimental consistiu em ensaiar corpos de prova do tipo compact tension (CT) da liga nas direções de laminação TL e LT, para verificar seu comportamento sob diferentes razões de tensões, forma de onda e condição ambiente. Os valores de razão de tensão estudados foram 0,1 e 0,5, as formas de onda foram senoidal e trapezoidal ou de Dwell, em condições normais de laboratório, ao ar, e névoa salina 3,5% NaCl, em massa, para simular um ambiente marinho. No caso dos ensaios Dwell, os resultados foram conferidos pelo método de queda de potencial eléctrico (QPE), além do método de flexibilidade elástica. Usando os coeficientes de Walker calculados a partir dos resultados obtidos, pôde-se projetar com precisão o comportamento da propagação de trinca na região de Paris e prever a vida em fadiga usando os diagramas da/dN e S-N para diferentes valores da razão de tensões. O ambiente corrosivo aumenta tanto a taxa de propagação de trinca, quanto o valor de ΔKth por causa da formação de óxidos na trajetória da trinca, que geram um efeito de fechamento sobre a mesma. Quanto à forma de onda, verificou-se que o carregamento Dwell diminui a taxa de propagação de trinca, diminuindo a inclinação das curvas log (da/dN) versus log (ΔK) na região de Paris, ao invés de deslocá-la paralelamente como ocorre com ligas de titânio. A mudança da direção de laminação de LT para TL aumenta a taxa de propagação de trinca por fadiga (PTF) tanto na região de threshold, quanto na região de Paris, onde a mudança de taxa é pequena.

Ce travail de recherche s'interroge sur les nouvelles formes de mobilisation sociale qui répondent à l'émergence des réseaux numériques et à la crise environnementale. Nous privilégions deux axes de compréhension épistémologique. Le premier basé sur la question de la technique au-delà de l'instrumentalité et le deuxième sur la notion d'écosophie. Notre réseau d'observation empirique est constitué par les collectifs mobilisés autour de la thématique écologique qui concerne les plus de trois cents rivières canalisées et enterrées dans la ville de São Paulo au Brésil, dorénavant visibles par le biais des dispositifs et des architectures numériques tels que les cartographies, audioguides, plateformes collaboratives, sites web et réseaux sociaux. À partir de l'immersion dans ces réseaux, nous essayons d'élargir notre regard sociologique compréhensif considérant le social non comme le terrain de jeu exclusif des humains, mais comme constitué par différents êtres et modes d'existence, notamment les objets techniques et les éléments et phénomènes naturels. Dans ce sens, nous proposons dans cette recherche la notion de mouvements-réseau afin de donner une forme à ces nouvelles mobilisations et associations caractérisées par l'hybridisme entre le territoire et les espaces urbains, environnementaux et techniques, ainsi que par le désir d'habiter autrement la Terre. / This research reflects on the new forms of social mobilization that emerge in response to the advent of digital networks and the environmental crisis. We value two epistemological axes. The first based on the question of technology beyond the instrumentality and the second on the notion of ecosophy. Our empirical observation network is formed by the groups mobilized around the environmental theme relating to the more than three hundred canalized and buried rivers in the city of São Paulo, Brazil, henceforth visible through digital devices and architectures such as maps, audio guides, collaborative platforms, web sites and social networks. From the immersion in these networks, we try to expand our sociological view considering the social not as the field of exclusive human acting, but as consisting of different beings and modes of existence, including technical objects, natural elements and natural phenomena. In this sense, we propose in this research the concept of movements-network to give form to these new mobilizations and associations characterized by hybridity between the territory and urban, environmental and technical spaces, as well as the desire to dwell the Earth otherwise. / Esta pesquisa se questiona sobre as novas formas de mobilização social que respondem ao surgimento das redes digitais e à crise ambiental. Privilegiamos duas linhas de compreensão epistemológica. A primeira baseada na questão da técnica para além da instrumentalidade e a segunda na noção de ecosofia. Nossa rede de observação empírica é formada pelos coletivos mobilizados em torno da temática ambiental que concerne aos mais de trezentos rios canalizados e enterrados na cidade de São Paulo, Brasil, doravante visíveis por meio de dispositivos e arquiteturas digitais, tais como mapas interativos, audioguias, plataformas colaborativas, sites e redes sociais. A partir da imersão nestas redes, tentamos expandir nossa visão sociológica compreensiva considerando o social não como o terreno de atuação exclusivo dos humanos, mas como composto por diferentes seres e modos de existência, incluindo os objetos técnicos e os elementos e fenômenos naturais. Neste sentido, propomos nesta pesquisa a noção de movimentos-rede a fim de dar uma forma a estas novas mobilizações e associações caracterizadas pelo hibridismo entre o território e os espaços urbano, ambiental e técnico, bem como pelo desejo de habitar a Terra diferentemente.

Les multiples applications liées aux systèmes multi-agents en réseau, tels que les satellites en formation, les oscillateurs couplés, les véhicules aériens sans pilote, entre autres, ont été, sans aucun doute, une motivation majeure dans le développement de cette thèse, qui est consacrée à l’étude du consensus de systèmes dynamiques et à la commande en formation de robots mobiles non holonomes. Dans le contexte du consensus, nous étudions la topologie en anneau avec de liens de communication variant dans le temps. Notamment, la communication peut être perdue pendant de longs intervalles de temps. Nous donnons de conditions suffisantes pour le consensus qui restent simples à vérifier, par exemple, en utilisant le théorème du petite gain. En suite, nous abordons le problème de consensus en supposant que la topologie de communication est variable. Nous établissons que le consensus est atteint à condition qu’il existe toujours un chemin de communication du type « spanning-tree » pendant un temps de séjour minimal. L'analyse s'appuie sur la théorie de stabilité des systèmes variant dans le temps et les systèmes à commutation. Dans le contexte de la commande en formation de véhicules autonomes nous adressons le problème de commande en suivi de trajectoire sur ligne droite en suivant une approche type maître-esclave. Nous montrons que le suivi global peut être obtenu à partir d’un contrôleur qui possède la propriété d’excitation persistante. En gros, le mécanisme de stabilisation dépend de l’excitation du système par une quantité qui est proportionnelle à l’erreur de suivi. Ensuite, la méthode est utilisée pour résoudre le problème de suivi de formation de plusieurs véhicules interconnectés sur la base d’une topologie « spanning-tree ». Nous donnons des conditions de stabilité concernant les modèles cinématique et dynamique, en utilisant la seconde méthode de Lyapunov. / The multiple applications related to networked multi-agent systems such as satellite formation flying, coupled oscillators, air traffic control, unmanned air vehicles, cooperative transport, among others, has been undoubtedly a watershed for the development of this thesis. The study of cooperative control of multi-agent systems is of great interest for his extensive field work and applications. This thesis is devoted to the study of consensus seeking of multi-agents systems and trajectory tracking of nonholonomic mobile robots.In the context of consensus seeking, first we study a ring topology of dynamic agents with time-dependent communication links which may disconnect for long intervals of time. Simple checkable conditions are obtained by using small-gain theorem to guarantee the achievement of consensus. Then, we deal with a network of dynamic agents with time-dependent communication links interconnected over a time-varying topology. We establish that consensus is reached provided that there always exists a « spanning-tree » for a minimal dwell-time by using stability theory of time-varying and switched systems. In the context of trajectory tracking, we investigate a simple leader-follower tracking controller for autonomous vehicles following straight lines. We show that global tracking may be achieved by a controller which has a property of persistency of excitation tailored for nonlinear systems. Roughly speaking the stabilisation mechanism relies on exciting the system by an amount that is proportional to the tracking error. Moreover, the method is used to solve the problem of formation tracking of multiple vehicles interconnected on the basis of a « spanning-tree » topology. We derive stability conditions for the kinematic and dynamic model by using a Lyapunov approach.

Les travaux de cette thèse portent sur l’analyse de stabilité et la synthèse de commande pour les systèmes singulièrement perturbés. Dans une première partie, nous présentons et analysons une classe générale de systèmes linéaires hybrides singulièrement perturbés dans lesquels la nature lente et rapide des variables d’état dépend du mode de fonctionnement. L’analyse de stabilité est fondée sur des résultats classiques de la théorie de Lyapunov pour les systèmes singulièrement perturbés. Une deuxième partie de ce travail présente la conception d’une loi de commande décentralisée qui garantit la synchronisation des systèmes multi-agents singulièrement perturbés avec un coût global garanti. Afin de contourner l’utilisation d’informations centralisées liées à la structure du réseau d’interconnexion, le problème est résolu en reformulant le problème de synchronisation comme un problème de stabilisation d’un système linéaire incertain singulièrement perturbé / This PhD thesis is dedicated to the study of stability and control design for singularly perturbed systems. In the first part, we introduce and analyze a general class of singularly perturbed linear hybrid systems, in which the slow or fast nature of the variables is mode-dependent. Our stability analysis is based on classical results of Lyapunov’s theory for singularly perturbed systems. A second part of this work presents the design of a decentralized control strategy that allows singularly perturbed multi-agent systems to achieve synchronization with global performance guarantees. To avoid the use of centralized information related to the interconnection network structure, the problem is solved by rewriting the synchronization problem in terms of stabilization of a singularly perturbed uncertain linear system

La tesi analizza il significato dell'abitazione nella società contemporanea, dove il processo di individualizzazione e la crescente importanza dell'esperienza quotidiana come spazio in cui i soggetti costruiscono il senso del loro agire, rendono la casa un oggetto di studio privilegiato. La trattazione si apre con un'analisi dell'abitare che prende in considerazione i principali significati legati alla casa, riconducibili essenzialmente alle due sfere semantiche dei termini inglesi house e home, e traccia una breve storia dello spazio domestico italiano dagli anni cinquanta fino ai giorni nostri. Successivamente, l'analisi viene contestualizzata nella cultura italiana contemporanea; innanzitutto, l'attenzione è puntata sulla house, con la descrizione del quadro abitativo attuale da un punto di vista quantitativo e strutturale. Poi, ci si sofferma sulla home, con l'analisi della relazione tra la casa, i bisogni e la cultura nella società contemporanea e, in particolare, viene approfondito il ruolo dell'abitazione come strumento di comunicazione dell'identità. Dopo questo inquadramento generale, il focus si sposta sulle giovani coppie: con riferimento ai risultati della ricerca empirica, vengono descritte le tappe del processo del “metter su casa” e il modo in cui oggi si caratterizza il rapporto tra le giovani coppie e l'abitazione. / The thesis analyses the meaning of the couple house/home in contemporary society. The actual social context is characterized by a process of individualization and by the increasing importance of daily experience as a space where individuals try to build the meaning of their behaviour: these elements make house/home an interesting subject of study. The thesis starts with an analysis of inhabiting and of its main meanings, which are essentially linked to the two semantic areas of house and home, and describes a short history of Italian domestic space from fifties to our days. Then, the analysis focuses on contemporary Italian culture; first, the reasoning points attention towards the house, with the description of the actual dwelling situation from a quantitative and structural point of view. Then, the treatment examines the home, with the analysis of home-needs-culture relation, and, in particular, analyses the home role as an identity communication tool. After the analysis of the general situation, the focus moves to young couples: with reference to the empiric research, the treatment describes the steps of the “step up house” process and the particular relation between young couples and their home.

No description available.