Made available in DSpace on 2016-12-08T17:06:41Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 mauren.pdf: 2739945 bytes, checksum: a1b114f34eaacf7bc4070dc8a2c1937b (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012-03-08 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / This research presents a pianistic-technical approach on For Studies for Solo piano from Jose Vieira Brandao (1911-2002): Estudo n.1 (dedicated to Arthur Rubinstein); Estudo n.2 (dedicated to Ernesto Nazareth); Estudo n.3 (Chorinho); Tocata 1 (Estudo n.4). Brandao was a distinguished pianist who also worked as a composer, conductor and musical educator alongside Villa-Lobos in the project Canto Orfeonico, debuting several works from Villa-Lobos as Choros n. 11 in the piano. The Work of Vieira for piano is not ample, yet there are interesting plays to all levels of pianistic development and a particular musical language. The purpose of this work was to perform a research on Four Studies for piano-solo in an interpretative-technical perspective. Regarding the methodology bibliographical research and conducted interviews were employed (BAUER e GASKELL, 2002); musical material analysis, considering aspects such as texture (BERRY, 1987; SIMMS, 1996), form, phraseological elements (SCHOENBERG, 1991), characteristics of the genres referred by the author in the subheadings of the studies under a pianistic-technical perspective (ALMEIDA, 1999; TINHORAO, 1978). Some of these elements are stressed based on the ideas the composer expressed about nationalism, in his Habilitation Thesis (BRANDAO, 1949). The elements highlighted by him are supported by the traditional pianistic repertoire, confirming his knowledge on pianistic repertoire. It is noted that some aspects of the pianistic technique are common among the Studies. These aspects were highlighted, comments and suggestions on the work of the pianist were devised (POVOAS, 1999; FINK, 1992; MARUN, 2010). In Chapter 1, it is presented an overview of the career of Vieira Brandao as a pianist, with whom he worked and studied, the releases of Villa-Lobos work, besides addressing his piano compositions. In Chapter 2 there is an analytic-technical approach of the studies, in which structural and musical features of each study are separately presented. In Chapter 3 melodic and rhythmic aspects are emphasized, some common to the Four Studies, with an interest in the pianistic-technical work. As a result, some aspects were observed showing that Vieira Brandao wrote plays that portray Brazil, confirming the preference of the composer to the nationalist aesthetic in which the elements of several recurring genres of Brazilian music are stylized / Nesta pesquisa e apresentada uma abordagem tecnico-pianistica sobre Quatro Estudos para piano Solo de Jose Vieira Brandao (1911-2002): Estudo n.1 (dedicado a Arthur Rubinstein); Estudo n.2 (dedicado a Ernesto Nazareth); Estudo n.3 (Chorinho); Tocata 1 (Estudo n.4). Brandao foi um eximio pianista que trabalhou tambem como compositor, regente e educador musical ao lado de Villa-Lobos no projeto de Canto Orfeonico e estreando muitas obras de Villa-Lobos ao piano como os Choros n.11. A Obra de Vieira Brandao para piano nao e numerosa, mas encontram-se pecas de grande interesse para todos os niveis de desenvolvimento pianistico e uma linguagem musical particular. A proposta com este trabalho foi realizar uma pesquisa sobre Quatro Estudos para piano solo dentro de uma perspectiva tecnico-interpretativa. Para a metodologia foram adotados levantamento bibliografico e entrevistas (BAUER e GASKELL, 2002); analise do material musical considerando aspectos como a textura (BERRY, 1987; SIMMS, 1996), forma, elementos fraseologicos (SCHOENBERG, 1991), caracteristicas dos generos referidos pelo compositor nos subtitulos dos estudos sob o ponto de vista tecnico-pianistico (ALMEIDA, 1999; TINHORAO, 1978). Alguns desses elementos encontram-se destacados com base nas ideias que o proprio compositor manifestava sobre o nacionalismo, atraves da sua Tese de Livre Docência (BRANDAO, 1949. Os elementos por ele destacados encontram respaldo no repertorio pianistico tradicional, confirmando seu conhecimento sobre o repertorio pianistico. Observa-se que alguns dos aspectos da tecnica pianistica sao comuns entre os Estudos. Estes aspectos foram destacados e sobre eles elaborados comentarios e sugestoes para o trabalho do pianista (POVOAS,1999; FINK,1992; MARUN, 2010). No Capitulo 1 e apresentado um panorama sobre a carreira de Vieira Brandao como pianista, com quem estudou e trabalhou, estreias que fez de obras de Villa- Lobos, alem de abordar suas composicoes para piano. No Capitulo 2 ha uma abordagem tecnicoanalitica dos estudos, onde sao apresentadas caracteristicas estruturais e musicais de cada um dos estudos separadamente. No Capitulo 3 sao destacados aspectos melodicos e ritmicos, alguns comuns aos Quatro Estudos, com um interesse em funcao do trabalho tecnico-pianistico. Como resultados, foram observados alguns aspectos que demonstram que Vieira Brandao escreveu pecas que retratassem o Brasil, confirmando a preferencia do compositor pela estética nacionalista onde os elementos de diversos generos recorrentes da musica brasileira encontram-se estilizados

Lo studio si propone di esaminare la valutazione della prova scientifica periziale a partire da elementi del diritto comparato, proponendo la tesi secondo la quale il magistrato può avere vincoli diversi con il risultato dell'attività periziale a seconda dei requisiti di questo mezzo probatorio scelti tra quelli disponibili e che sono sotto il controllo del giudice, nonché del tema discusso nel processo (standard de valutazione probatorio applicabile). Vengono utilizzati in questo studio i precedenti e la legislazione straniera, sempre con il dovuto contrappunto nella legislazione brasiliana, quando possibile. Il punto di partenza è l'esame del diritto fondamentale a un giusto processo e il conseguente diritto fondamentale alla prova, distinguendolo da altri diritti fondamentali (il contraddittorio e l’ampia difesa), addensandolo e mostrando le diverse implicazioni legate al suo riconoscimento, tra le quali, il diritto a un'adeguata valutazione delle prove. In seguito si affrontano questioni fondamentali legate al tema della prova, come il concetto di verità e la ricostruzione dei fatti nel processo, costruendosi un’eventuale scienza giuridica della prova a partire da presupposti epistemologici, soprattutto dal Foundherentism. Una volta stabilite le premesse giuridiche ed epistemologiche di questo lavoro, si procede all’esame della prova periziale propriamente detta, caratterizzata nell’ambito del sistema di valutazione vincolata della prova, nel tutto diverso dalla prova legale. Si esamina, quindi, il metodo scientifico e la sua difficoltà di demarcazione, puntando sulla necessità di distinzione tra la ‘buona' e la 'cattiva' scienza (scienza spazzatura). Alla fine, viene proposto, a partire da precedenti paradigmatici, dei criteri atti a determinare il ruolo del giudice nella produzione della prova tecnica e nella sua corretta valutazione, attività ad essere mediata dalle massime di esperienza e dai criteri della prova applicabili al caso, senza dimenticare alcuni diritti processuali fondamentali da prendere in considerazione insieme al diritto fondamentale alla prova. / O estudo tem por objetivo o exame do direito à adequada valoração da prova científico-pericial a partir de elementos do direito comparado, propondo a tese de que o magistrado possui diferentes graus de vinculação ao resultado da atividade pericial conforme uma série de requisitos deste meio probatório que estão sob o seu controle, também dependendo do tema debatido no processo (modelo de constatação aplicável). Permeia o estudo a utilização de precedentes e legislação estrangeira, sempre com o devido contraponto na legislação brasileira, quando possível. O ponto de partida é o exame do direito fundamental ao processo justo e do consequente direito fundamental à prova, distinguindo-o de outros direitos fundamentais (contraditório e ampla defesa), a fim de densificá-lo, delineando diversas implicações de seu reconhecimento, dentre elas, o direito à adequada valoração do material probatório. Em seguida são enfrentados temas fundamentais conectados à prova, como o conceito de verdade e a reconstrução dos fatos no processo, construindo-se uma possível ciência jurídico-probatória a partir de pressupostos epistemológicos, especialmente a partir do Funderentismo. Estabelecidas as premissas jurídicas e epistemológicas do trabalho, passa-se à análise da prova pericial propriamente dita, caracterizando-a no âmbito do sistema de valoração probatória vinculada, em nada similar à prova tarifada. Examina-se, então, o método científico e a sua dificuldade demarcatória, apontando-se a necessária distinção entre ciência ‘boa’ e ciência ‘ruim’ (junk Science). Em derradeiro, propõem-se, a partir de precedentes paradigmáticos, os critérios para determinar o papel do julgador na produção da prova técnica e a valoração adequada pelo juízo, mediando essa atividade pelas máximas de experiência e modelos de constação aplicáveis ao caso, sem olvidar alguns direitos fundamentais processuais que devem ser levados em consideração em conjunto com o direito fundamental à prova. / This study aims to examine the admissibility and the assessment of the scientific expert evidence based on elements of comparative law, proposing that the magistrate has different degrees of attachment to the result of the expert activity according to a series of requirements which they can control, also depending on the topic discussed during the legal process (applicable burden of proof). The use of precedents and foreign legislation also permeate this study, always relating them to Brazilian law whenever possible. The starting point is the examination of the fundamental right to due process and its consequent fundamental right to evidence, differentiating it from other fundamental rights (right to contradiction and broad defense), in order to densify it, outlining the several implications of its recognition, the right to due assessment of evidentiary material particularly. After that, fundamental issues connected to evidence are confronted, such as the concept of truth and the reconstruction of facts in the legal process, leading to a possible legal evidentiary science from epistemological assumptions, especially through Foundherentism. Once the legal and epistemological premises of this paper are established, the analysis of expert evidence itself will be studied by characterizing it in the scope of the bound assessment evidence approach, which is not at all similar to the legal proof. The scientific method is then examined as well as its demarcation difficulty, pointing out the necessary distinction between 'good' science and 'bad' science (Junk Science). At last, from paradigmatic precedents, different criteria is proposed to determine the role of the judge in the production of technical evidence and the subsequent appropriate assessment by the court, mediating this activity through legal maxims and the applicable burden of proof, without forgetting some fundamental procedural rights which should be taken into consideration along with the fundamental right to evidence.

[pt] O objetivo deste trabalho é analisar as principais transformações espaciais, no e do eixo de urbanização Rio de Janeiro (RJ) – Juiz de Fora (MG), que se con-figuraram como desenvolvimentos geográficos desiguais entre 1861 e 1980. Nossa questão central, por sua vez, é: Qual a natureza dessas transformações, o que as gera e impulsiona e o que elas geram e impulsionam ao longo do referido eixo? A fim de trabalharmos de modo a integrar espaço e tempo de maneira crítica, utiliza-remos o método materialista histórico e dialético e nos valeremos, principalmente da abordagem dos desenvolvimentos geográficos desiguais do capitalismo, ex-pressão espacial da teoria do desenvolvimento desigual e combinado. O eixo Rio de Janeiro – Juiz de Fora efetivamente se configurou com a inauguração da Estra-da União e Indústria, em 1861, entre esta cidade e Petrópolis (RJ). Os lucros com o comércio do café permitiram uma transferência indireta de capitais que impulsionou a industrialização das três cidades. Essa industrialização se processou em conjunto com a urbanização incipiente do eixo, caracterizada pelo início da dominação da vida agrária pela vida urbana e da imposição de novas lógicas e racionalidades. Em 1928, com a inauguração da Estrada Rio – Petrópolis, deu-se início a um novo momento da periodização adotada neste trabalho, no qual o rodoviarismo suplanta o modal ferroviário e ocorre expressiva concentração industrial no Rio de Janeiro e em Duque de Caxias (RJ) e industrialização periférica de Juiz de Fora e Petrópolis, além de expansão da malha urbana das quatro cidades e consolidação da urbanização do eixo. / [en] This piece of work aims to analyse the main spatial transformations, in and of the axis of urbanisation Rio de Janeiro (RJ, Brazil) – Juiz de Fora (MG, Brazil), which were configured as uneven geographical developments between 1861 and 1980. Our central question, in turn, is: What is the nature of these spatial transformations, what does generate them and what do they generate along the mentioned axis? In order to work in a way to critically bring space and time together; we will use the dialectical and historical materialist method and, mainly, the approach of uneven geographical developments of capitalism, a spatial expression of the theory of uneven and combined development. The axis Rio de Janeiro – Juiz de Fora was effectively set with the opening of União e Indústria Road, in 1861, between this city and Petrópolis (RJ, Brazil). The profits with coffee market allowed an indirect shift of capital that gave boost to the industrialisation of the three cities. This industrialisation happened together with the incipient urbanisation of the axis, characterised by the beginning of the domination of agrarian by urban life and the imposition of new logics and rationalities. In 1928, with the opening of Rio – Petrópolis Road, a new moment of the periodisation here adopted began, in which the cars supersede the trains and in which occurs significant industrial concentration in Rio de Janeiro and Duque de Caxias (RJ, Brazil) and a peripheral industrialisation of Juiz de Fora and Petrópolis, in addition to the expansion of the urban form in these four cities and to the consolidation of the ur-banisation of the axis.

[pt] Este trabalho apresenta um sistema de interrogação de sensores a rede de Bragg em fibras ópticas, baseado em reflectometria no domínio do tempo e filtros fixos a rede de Bragg. Utilizando uma fonte de luz pulsada, a posição espectral do sensor é relacionada à razão da intensidade dos pulsos, tornando a detecção independente de variações de intensidade. São abordados aspectos teóricos e experimentais referentes aos princípios de funcionamento desta técnica. Uma vez que a filtragem é feita com redes de Bragg, apenas um circuito de fotodetecção é utilizado e um número reduzido de acopladores/circuladores ópticos é necessário, o sistema possibilita reduzir consideravelmente o custo para a interrogação de um conjunto de sensores. A utilização de apenas um circuito de fotodetecção apresenta a vantagem de manter as mesmas características para todos os pulsos, minimizando influências externas neste circuito como, por exemplo, variações da temperatura ambiente. Foi montada uma bancada de testes para a interrogação de seis sensores. Comparações entre os resultados experimentais e simulados mostram boa concordância. Extrapolações indicam que seria possível interrogar sensores com uma variação espectral de 2 nanômetros, com incertezas menores que 10 picometros, o que é adequado para sensores de temperatura. Análises de interferência entre dois canais adjacentes mostram pouca influência entre eles e são apresentadas opções para diminuir essa interferência. / [en] This work presents a system for the interrogation of fiber- optic Bragg grating sensors based on time domain reflectometry and Bragg grating fixed filters. Using a pulsed light source, the spectral position of the sensor is related to the ratio of two pulses intensities, making detection independent of intensity variations. Theoretical and experimental aspects regarding the working principles of this technique are discussed. Since filtering is accomplished with Bragg grating so that only one photodetection circuit is used and a reduced number of optic couplers/circulators are needed, the system provides a considerable reduction in the cost of interrogation for a set of sensors. Using only one photodetection circuit also has the advantage of maintaining the same characteristics for all pulses, thus minimizing external influences in this circuit, such as variations in the environment temperature. A test stand was assembled for the interrogation of six sensors. Comparisons between experimental and simulated results show a good agreement. Extrapolations indicate that it would be possible to interrogate sensors with a spectral variation of 2 nanometers, with uncertainties lower than 10 pm, which is adequate for temperature sensors. Cross talk analyses between two adjacent channels show small influence between them, and approaches to reduce this interference are presented.

[pt] Resinas epóxi do éter diglicidílico de bisfenol A (DGEBA) são amplamente usadas como matriz de materiais compósitos. No entanto, o principal monômero utilizado para a sua produção, o Bisfenol A (BPA), apresenta significativos efeitos negativos na saúde humana. Implicações ambientais que limitam o uso BPA fazem necessária a substituição dos monômeros base para a preparação de resinas epóxi por outros mais seguros e ambientalmente sustentáveis. Por outro lado, resinas epóxi preparadas a partir de fontes renováveis constituem uma alternativa ao uso de resinas derivadas do petróleo na produção de materiais compósitos. Assim, óleos naturais derivados de fontes vegetais são considerados uma matéria-prima alternativa para a obtenção de resinas epóxi de base biológica por causa da sua disponibilidade e uma ampla variedade de possibilidades para transformações químicas. Além disso, materiais compósitos fabricados a partir de resinas termo-endurecíveis de origem vegetal e fibras lignocelulósicas como material de reforço, poderiam contribuir com a produção sustentável de materiais de baixo custo e menor densidade que possuam propriedades estruturais funcionais. Neste trabalho propõe-se a preparação de laminados utilizando como matriz resinas epóxi biobaseadas obtidas a partir de óleo de soja epoxidado e cardanol epoxidado (proveniente da casca de castanha de caju) e fibras lignocelulósicas de bucha (Luffa cylindrica) como reforço. Os efeitos estruturais, morfológicos e térmicos de tratamentos superficiais de hornificação, mercerização e acetilação nas fibras foram estudados usando espectroscopia no infravermelho por transformada de Fourier (FTIR), difração de raios X (DRX), microscopia eletrônica de varredura (MEV), microscopia de força atômica (AFM) e análise termogravimétrica (TGA). Compósitos DGEBA/Bucha e Resina natural/Bucha foram fabricados pelo método lay-up manual e suas propriedades mecânicas foram avaliadas por meio de ensaios de flexão em três pontos e da técnica não destrutiva de excitação por impulso (TEI). Esta técnica também foi utilizada para a determinação experimental dos módulos dinâmicos e das propriedades de amortecimento dos compósitos durante o envelhecimento por UV e por absorção de água. O comportamento dinâmico-mecânico dos compósitos foi avaliado por meio da análise dinâmico-mecânica (DMA). Resinas preparadas com 50 por cento de cardanol epoxidado e 50 por cento de resorcinol curadas com diamina de isoforona apresentaram melhores propriedades térmicas e mecânicas, comparados com sistemas com óleo de soja epoxidado, com uma temperatura de transição vítrea média de 74 graus Celsius e módulo de armazenamento de 880,5 MPa, constituindo uma alternativa mais sustentável para a fabricação de materiais compósitos pela substituição do sistema bisfenol A clássico analisado também neste trabalho, com valores Tg igual a 77,5 graus Celsius e E linha igual a 849 MPa. A adição de fibras de bucha em forma de manta permitiu a obtenção de compósitos com modos de fratura controlada. Além disso, foi observada uma melhora na aderência na interfase fibra-resina em compósitos com 30 por cento de fibras de bucha mercerizada. / [en] Diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A (DGEBA) currently represents the most widely used type of epoxy resin in the world in several applications. However, the main monomer used for its production, Bisphenol A (BPA) is considered an endocrine disruptor with estrogenic activity that has significant negative effects on human health. Environmental implications and laws limiting the use of BPA in several countries make it necessary to replace the base monomers for the preparation of epoxy resins with safer and more environmentally sustainable ones. Epoxy resins prepared from renewable sources are an alternative to the use of petroleum resins in the production of composite materials. Thus, natural oils derived from vegetable sources are considered as an alternative raw material for obtaining biologically based epoxy resins because of their availability, their relatively low price and a wide variety of possibilities for chemical transformations. On the other hand, composite materials made from thermosetting resins of vegetable origin and lignocellulosic fibers as reinforcement material could contribute to the sustainable production of low cost and lower density materials that have functional structural properties. This work proposes the preparation of composite materials, using biobased epoxy resins obtained from epoxidized soybean oil and epoxidized cardanol from cashew nuts as well as lignocellulosic (Luffa cylindrica) fibers modified by surface treatments of hornification, mercerization and acetylation. The structural, morphological and thermal effects of surface treatments on the fibers were studied using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). DGEBA/Luffa and Biobased resin/Luffa fiber composites were fabricated by the manual lay-up method and their mechanical properties were evaluated by three-point bending tests and the non-destructive impulse excitation technique (TEI). This technique was also used for the experimental determination of the dynamic modules and the damping properties of the laminates obtained during UV aging and water absorption. The effect of the introduction of the binder fibers and the different treatments performed on the fibers on the dynamic-mechanical behavior of the composites was performed by dynamic-mechanical analysis (DMA). Resins prepared with 50 percent epoxidized cardanol and 50 percent resorcinol cured with isophorone diamine presented better thermal and mechanical properties, compared to systems with epoxidized soybean oil, with an average glass transition temperature of 74 degrees Celsius and a storage modulus of 880, 5 MPa, constituting a sustainable alternative for the manufacture of composite materials by replacing the classic bisphenol A system also analyzed in this work, with values Tg equal to 77.5 degrees Celsius and E line equal to 849 MPa. The addition of luffa fibers allowed the production of composites with controlled fracture modes. In addition, an improvement in the fiber-resin interface adhesion was observed in composites with 30 percent mercerized fibers.

[pt] Esta tese descreve a síntese de um óxido misto de Zn e Zr (ZnxZr1-xOy), mediante uma técnica ainda não reportada e a utilização deste material na síntese de acetona a partir de etanol. O objetivo foi desenhar um catalisador com propriedades óxido-redutoras e capacidade de se autorregenerar após cada ciclo. A zircônia monoclínica (m-ZrO2) é um óxido já usado em catálise devido às suas propriedades ácido-básicas, mas com fracas propriedades óxido-redutoras. Estas últimas poderiam ser promovidas mediante dopagem substitucional deste material. A inserção de pequeníssimas quantidades de Zn na rede da m-ZrO2, mostraram um incremento apreciável na sua redutibilidade. O material obtido foi caracterizado por diversas técnicas e testado na obtenção de acetona a partir de etanol. O resultado indicou que a dopagem permitiu a formação de vacâncias de oxigênio, as quais promoveram a mobilidade do oxigênio até a superfície e, com isso, aumentaram redutibilidade do material. A seletividade da reação de conversão de etanol teve como produto maioritário a acetona. Foi demostrado que a regeneração do catalisador se deve a espécies oxidantes provenientes da dissociação da água presente no médio reacional; esta dissociação ocorreu nas vacâncias superficiais. Assim, demonstrou-se que a técnica desenvolvida no presente estudo, além de simples, resultou efetiva na síntese do óxido misto de Zn e Zr, um catalisador de composição simples, capaz de conduzir os diferentes passos do mecanismo na síntese de acetona. Considera-se que esta é a primeira etapa na sua viabilização comercial. / [en] This thesis describes the synthesis process of a mixed oxide with Zn and Zr (ZnxZr1-xOy), through a not yet published technique, as well as the utilization of this material in the acetone synthesis from ethanol. The mean goal was to design a catalyst with enhanced oxy-reduction properties and capability for selfregeneration after each cycle. Monoclinic zirconia (m-ZrO2) is already used in catalysis due to its acidic-basic properties, although its oxy-reduction properties are negligible. The enhancement of the oxy-reduction properties can be reached by substitutional doping of this material with a lower oxidation state metal. The insertion of very small quantities of Zn in the m-ZrO2 lattice, showed a high increment of its reducibility. The mixed oxides obtained were characterized by several techniques and catalytically tested in the acetone synthesis from ethanol. The results showed that doping allows the formation of oxygen vacancies, which allow oxygen mobility and therefore, the enhancement of reducibility. The reaction selectivity had acetone as majority product. It was shown that water is also produced and that it is dissociated in the oxygen vacancies generating oxidant species. The catalysts regeneration occurs due to those oxidant species. Therefore, it was demonstrated that the technique developed in this study was easy and effective in the synthesis of the mixed oxide with Zn and Zr, a catalyst with simple composition able to conduct every step of the acetone synthesis. This is considered the first step in the commercial feasibility of this material.

The interest in structural health monitoring (SHM) has grown considerably in the past half century, due to an explosive growth in the availability of new sensors, the development of powerful data analysis techniques, and the increasing number of civil infrastructure that are approaching or exceeding their initial design life. In SHM, we acquire observation on the behavior of a structure to understand its condition state, based on which we decide how to manage it properly. However, this optimistic view of SHM is in contrast with what happen in real life: infrastructure operators are typically skeptical about the capacity of monitoring to support decisions, and instead of following the suggestions provided by SHM, they often act based on their experience or common sense. The reason is that at present it is not fully clear how in practice to make decisions based on monitoring observation. To fill this gap between theory and practice, I propose to consider SHM as a logical process of making decision based on observation consisting of two steps: judgment, in which the condition state of structures is inferred based on SHM data, and decision, in which the optimal action is identified based on a rational and economic principle. From this perspective, a monitoring system should provide information that can improe he managers knoledge on he srcral condiion sae enough to allow them to make better decision on the structure management. Therefore, in designing a monitoring system, the design target must be the accuracy in the knowledge of structural state achieved analyzing the observations provided by it. However, when an engineer designs a monitoring system, the approach is often heuristic, with performance evaluation based on experience or common sense rather than on quantitative analysis. For this reason, I propose a performance-based monitoring system design, which is a quantitative method for the calculation of the expected performance of a monitoring solution a pre-posteriori and for checking it effectiveness in the design phase. It is based on the calculation of the monitoring capacity and the monitoring demand the counterparts of structural capacity and demand in the semi-probabilistic structural design, and like in structural design, the solution is satisfactory if the capacity is equal or better than the demand. The choice in whether to invest a limited budget on a monitoring system or in a retrofit is another critical choice for infrastructure managers: a retrofit work can increase the capacity and the safety of a structure, while sensors do not change the capacity, nor reduce the loads. Recently, the SHM-community has acknowledged that the benefit of installing a monitoring system can be properly quantified using the concept of Value of Information (VoI). A typical assumption in the VoI estimation is that a single decision-maker is in charge for decisions on both the investment in SHM for a structure, and its management based on SHM data. However, this process is usually more complex in the real world, with more individuals involved in the decision chain. Therefore, I formalize a rational method for quantifying the conditional value of information when two different actors are involved in the decision chain: the manager, who operate the structure based on monitoring data; and the owner, who chooses whether to install the monitoring system or not, before having access to these data. The results are particularly interested, showing that under appropriate conditions, the owner may be willing to pay to prevent the manager to use the monitoring system. Application to case studies are presented for all the research contribution presented in this doctoral thesis.

Industrial steel storage racks are pre-engineered lightweight structures commonly used to store goods from supermarkets to big warehouses. These systems are framed structures, usually made of cold-formed steel profiles and characterised by non-standard details. Their performance is quite complex and the prediction of their global response is more difficult than for the traditional steel frames. This difficulty is due to the racks’ main features: the use of cold-formed thin-walled steel sections which are sensitive to different buckling modes, the presence of regular perforation patterns on the uprights, the highly non-linear behaviour of joints, the influence of the structural imperfections and the significant frame sensitivity to second order effects. The behaviour of racks becomes even more complex when seismic or accidental events induce significant horizontal forces acting on the structures. The complexity and variability that characterise racks make it difficult to identify general design solutions. Hence, racks design is traditionally carried out by using the “design by testing” approach, which requires the experimental characterisation of the main structural components, of the joints and the sub-assemblies. The complexity of the racks also affects their numerical modelling, which results in complex analyses that must take into account all the aforementioned features. The work presented in this thesis focuses on the study of a typical steel pallet rack, identified as case study. The research aims to contribute to building up a comprehensive knowledge of the response of both the main rack components and of the whole structure. The main rack components were first individually studied. The behaviour of the uprights, of the base-plate joints and of the beam-to-column joints was experimentally investigated. The experimental data were then taken as reference for the calibration of FE models that enabled exploring each component’s performance. These models were then incorporated into the whole rack model. The response of the uprights was first investigated through stub column tests. The non-negligible interaction between axial force and bending moment of the upright response was then experimentally and numerically analysed to define the M-N domains. In addition, the rules provided by different European standards for the design of isolated members subjected to combined axial load and bending moment were considered and critically compared, identifying the main critical issues of the different design approaches. Although the contribution of joints on the rack global response is of paramount importance, to date, the knowledge is quite limited. In particular, the experimental studies of the behaviour of base-plate joints are still rather modest, especially for the cyclic range. Therefore, an experimental campaign on the rack base-plate joints was carried out: three levels of axial load were considered and the response in both the down-aisle and the cross-aisle direction was investigated under monotonic and cyclic loadings. Similarly, the beam-to-column joint was tested both monotonically and cyclically, taking into account its non-symmetric behaviour. Numerical models for both joint types were developed and validated enabling the characterisation of joints in the monotonic and cyclic range. This in-depth knowledge of the response of individual components facilitated the evaluation of the global rack behaviour. As a final stage of the research, full-scale tests of four-level two-bay racks were performed taking advantage of an innovative full-scale testing set-up and, on the basis of the experimental outcomes, the racks’ global behaviour was numerically investigated. Critical standards issues and needs for future research were further identified.

The current state of energy and climate transition presents several challenges that are currently not optimally addressed by planning and design practices. Indeed, cities play a central role in this transition, as they are within the main causes of climate change as well as extremely vulnerable to its effects, such as extreme events. In this context, the disciplines of urban planning and design are a great resource for promoting mitigation and adaptation strategies. However, there is a gap between scientific research on the issues and the actual implementation of the resources, mainly due to the inability of planning tools to address these needs, the difficulty of transforming the existing built environment and the engagement of citizens in these processes. These issues can be translated into four knowledge gaps that can be addressed by the disciplines of planning and design: lack of explicit considerations of resilient pathways, lack of innovative implementation tools, local resistance towards landscape transformations, silo thinking. The goal of the thesis is to identify, develop and evaluate climate-sensitive planning and design strategies, considering the environmental criteria, the urban areas and the people who live in them. The research is practice-oriented and gives directions on how to apply scientific knowledge through practices for a responsive and landscape-inclusive climate-energy transition. Specifically, it aims to combine several challenges and promote holistic procedures balancing adaptation and mitigation strategies as well as to include the concept of landscape in the transition. The proposed methodologies are evidence-based, performance-based and landscape-inclusive, connecting different scales of intervention, disciplinary tools, and practices of planning and design. In other words, the thesis promotes urban regeneration for climate and energy transition through an integrated approach between landscape, city, and buildings. This integrated approach addresses the following dimensions of urban challenges: social, environmental, economic, and health.

Utbredningen av en brand inuti en byggnad kan leda till global eller lokal strukturell kollaps, särskilt i stålramkonstruktioner. Faktum är att stålkonstruktioner är särskilt utsatta för termiska angrepp på grund av ett högt värde av stålkonduktivitet och tvärsnitten med små tjockleken. Som en viktig aspekt av konstruktionen bör brandsäkerhetskrav uppnås antingen enligt föreskrivande regler eller enligt antagande av prestationsbaserad brandteknik. Trots möjligheten att använda enkla metoder som involverar membersanalys kombinerat med nominella brandkurvor, är en mer exakt analys av det termomekaniska beteendet hos en stålkonstruktion ett tilltalande alternativ eftersom det kan leda till mer ekonomiska och effektiva lösningar genom att ta hänsyn till möjliga gynnsamma mekanismer. Denna analys kräver vanligtvis utredning av delar av strukturen eller till och med av hela strukturen. För detta ändamål och för att få en djupare kunskap om strukturelementens beteende vid förhöjd temperatur bör numerisk simulering användas. I denna avhandling utvecklades och användes termomekaniska finita element som är lämpliga för analys av stålkonstruktioner utsätta för brand. Relevanta fallstudier utfördes. Utvecklingen av både ett termomekaniskt skal- och 3D balkelement baserade på en korotationsformulering presenteras. De flesta relevanta strukturfall kan undersökas på ett adekvat sätt genom att antingen använda något av dessa element eller kombinera dem. Korotationsformuleringen är väl lämpad för analyser av strukturer där stora förskjutningar, men små töjningar förekommer, som i fallet med stålkonstruktioner i brand. Elementens huvuddrag beskrivs, liksom deras karakterisering i termomekaniskt sammanhang. I detta avseende övervägdes materialnedbrytningen på grund av temperaturökningen och den termiska expansionen av stål vid härledningen av elementen. Dessutom presenteras en grenväxlingsprocedur för att utföra preliminära instabilitetsanalyser och få viktig inblick i efterknäckningsbeteendet hos stålkonstruktioner som utsätts för brand. Tillämpningen av de utvecklade numeriska verktygen ges i den del av avhandlingen som ägnas åt det publicerade forskningsarbetet. Flera aspekter av knäckningen av stålkonstruktionselement vid förhöjd temperatur diskuteras. I Artikel I tillhandahålls överväganden om påverkan av geometriska imperfektioner på beteendet hos komprimerade stålplattor och kolonner vid förhöjda temperaturer, liksom implikationer och resultat av användningen av grenväxlingsprocedur. I Artikel II valideras det föreslagna 3D-balkelementet genom meningsfulla fallstudier där torsionsdeformationer är signifikanta. De utvecklade balk- och skalelementen används i en undersökning av knäckningsmotstånd hos komprimerade vinkel-, Tee- och korsformade stålprofiler vid förhöjd temperatur som presenteras i Artikel III. En förbättrad knäckningskurva för design presenteras i detta arbete. Som ett exempel på tillämpningen av principerna för brandsäkerhetsteknik presenteras en omfattande analys i Artikel IV. Två relevanta brandscenarier identifieras för den undersökta byggnaden, som modelleras och analyseras i programmet SAFIR. / The ignition and the propagation of a fire inside a building may lead to global or local structural collapse, especially in steel framed structures. Indeed, steel structures are particularly vulnerable to thermal attack because of a high value of steel conductivity and of the small thickness that characterise the cross-sections. As a crucial aspect of design, fire safety requirements should be achieved either following prescriptive rules or adopting performance-based fire engineering. Despite the possibility to employ simple methods that involve member analysis under nominal fire curves, a more accurate analysis of the thermomechanical behaviour of a steel structural system is an appealing alternative, as it may lead to more economical and efficient solutions by taking into account possible favourable mechanisms. This analysis typically requires the investigation of parts of the structure or even of the whole structure. For this purpose, and in order to gain a deeper knowledge about the behaviour of structural members at elevated temperature, numerical simulation should be employed. In this thesis, thermomechanical finite elements, suited for the analyses of steel structures in fire, were developed and exploited in numerical simulation of relevant case studies. The development of a shell and of a 3D beam thermomechanical finite element based on a corotational formulation is presented. Most of the relevant structural cases can be adequately investigated by either using one of these elements or combining them. The corotational formulation is well suited for the analyses of structures in which large displacements, but small strains occur, as in the case of steel structures in fire. The main features of the elements are described, as well as their characterization in the thermomechanical context. In this regard, the material degradation due to the temperature increase and the thermal expansion of steel were considered in the derivation of the elements. In addition, a branch-switching procedure to perform preliminary instability analyses and get important insight into the post-buckling behaviour of steel structures subjected to fire is presented. The application of the developed numerical tools is provided in the part of the thesis devoted to the published research work. Several aspects of the buckling of steel structural elements at elevated temperature are discussed. In paper I, considerations about the influence of geometrical imperfections on the behaviour of compressed steel plates and columns at elevated temperatures are provided, as well as implications and results of the employment of the branch-switching procedure. In Paper II, the proposed 3D beam element is validated for meaningful case studies, in which torsional deformations are significant. The developed beam and shell elements are employed in an investigation of buckling resistance of compressed angular, Tee and cruciform steel profiles at elevated temperature presented in Paper III. An improved buckling curve for design is presented in this work. Furthermore, as an example of the application of Fire Safety Engineering principles, a comprehensive analysis is proposed in Paper IV. Two relevant fire scenarios are identified for the investigated building, which is modelled and analysed in the software SAFIR.