Thin Tiles Research Articles

Nonlinear Finite-Element Analysis for Structural Investigation and Preservation of Reinforced Hybrid Thin Tile–Concrete Domes of the Historic School of Ballet Classrooms in Havana, Cuba

The striking tiled domes of the Ballet School of the Instituto Superior de Arte (ISA) in Havana are internationally acclaimed Cuban architectural icons. However, due to their deceptive tiled appearance and their only recently rediscovered hybrid tile–concrete constructive system, the domes have eluded the structural study and characterization which increasingly is demanded not only because of their unique morphology and monumental status, but also because of their visible damage. This work defined a suitable numerical analysis method for diagnosing these hybrid structures by applying both linear elastic and nonlinear, using the concrete damaged plasticity constitutive model, numerical analyses. A site investigation campaign provided materials and geometric data that informed the model creation and damage documentation that validated the analyses results. A new synthesis of architectural and technical sources covering the development and spread of the hybrid structural system allowed the ISA domes to be placed, for the first time, in their proper structural context and, consequently, for their conception and design to be understood more fully. The analyses, construction records, and site tests indicated a rebar placement error as the primary structural damage cause, and the contextual analysis informed a discussion of its possible sources, both technical and managerial. Because the investigation indicated significant risk of irreversible damage or failure without timely intervention, preliminary intervention explorations were conducted and, based on the holistic understanding of the structures, the technically, architecturally, and culturally optimal solution was identified. The study concluded that the homogeneous solids model, coupled with the concrete damaged plasticity mechanical model, yields realistic and insightful results illuminating the structural behavior, efficiency, condition or status, and collapse mode of the domes, providing necessary insight for the preservation planning for the Ballet School domes, which also will inform the study and understanding of other structures of similar composition and significance.

Experimental setup and numerical evaluation of the compression test on thin tiles for masonry timbrel vaults

Compressive tests on clay tiles used in historical masonry timbrel vaults are hindered by the relatively small thickness of the specimens, resulting in buckling or confinement problems depending on the loading direction. This paper presents an experimental campaign and a numerical validation of a novel testing setup for estimating the compressive strength of thin clay tiles used in timbrel vaults. The experimental campaign focuses on two different types corresponding to historical and modern handmade tiles. Experimental and numerical results show that the proposed test setup can be used for the estimation of the compressive strength of thin clay tiles.

Prototipos cerámicos – diseño, computación y fabricación digital

Las investigaciones de la Universidad de Harvard en sistemas de material cerámico han introducido una gama de aplicaciones novedosas que combinan tecnologías de fabricación digital y robótica con diseños imaginativos y métodos de ingeniería. Los prototipos muestran las nuevas prestaciones de la cerámica y la integración de este material en la cultura de la construcción actual. Los trabajos van desde sistemas de control de luz natural a aplicaciones estructurales y un sistema de colocación de tejas robóticas. Se hace hincapié en la integración de nuevas tecnologías con métodos de fabricación probados y reales. El documento describe dos estudios distintos: uno sobre la impresión 3D de cerámica y el otro sobre el uso estructural de baldosas delgadas de gran formato.

When more is better – Comparative LCA of wall systems with stone

Stone is one of the oldest construction materials to have withstood the test of time, as evidenced by the numerous heritage stone buildings and monuments. Its use throughout the centuries has changed from massive stone blocks for walls to thin tiles that are part of the cladding system of the façade of buildings. The objective of this paper is to compare the most commonly used wall systems with stone in an attempt to determine the best use for this material from an environmental point of view. A Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of three different wall systems has been carried out using data collected from two quarries and processing facilities in Switzerland. The analysis has shown that the use of a thin cladding in the façade is not necessarily the most sustainable solution and that the type of stone product to be used in a structure largely depends on the local availability of the material.

A Cell Method Stress Analysis in Thin Floor Tiles Subjected to Temperature Variation

One of the hottest trends in floor tile marketplace is the emergence of thin tiles. Made of porcelain, they start at thicknesses of about 2.5 mm for walls up to about 6 mm thick for floors, while, until recently, floor tiles have been 8 to 12 mm thick and tiles less than 7.5 mm were not intended for floors. Manufacturers benefit a range of advantages from tiles engineered to be thinner, including installation over existing floor or wall coverings, eliminating the need for ripping out existing finishing materials in renovation projects, saving time and money in labor costs. Thin tiles are strong and lightweight, reduce material consumption - which benefits the environment - and take fewer resources to manufacture and ship. They can also be easily cut with a wet saw, and in some cases with a glass cutter. There are three categories of products being marketed as thin tiles. In the first category, tiles are formed using the traditional dust pressing methodology. In the second and third category, tiles are formed using a lamina process, reinforced with fiberglass or polymeric backing materials in the last case. Regardless of category, thin tiles have a much lower breaking strength than regular ceramic tiles. They also are less able to resist impact loading when unsupported. To date, there are no consensus standards for thin tiles. Efforts to develop ISO standards for thin tile and installation standards are afoot and recommendations for sustainability must come exclusively from the tile manufacturer. The aim of the present paper is contributing to the definition of thin tile specifications, by modeling the failure mechanism given by underfloor heating as a contact problem (2) in a composite structure 0. The effects of two different installation procedures are estimated by means of the Cell Method and compared with performances of a radiant floor heating with regular ceramic tiles.

Development of SiPM-based scintillator tile detectors for a multi-layer fast neutron tracker

We are developing thin tile scintillator detectors with silicon photomultiplier (SiPM) readout for use in a multi-layer fast-neutron tracker. The tracker is based on interleaved Timepix and plastic scintillator layers. The thin 15 × 15 × 2 mm plastic scintillators require suitable optical readout in order to detect and measure the energy lost by energetic protons that have been recoiled by fast neutrons. Our first prototype used dual SiPMs, coupled to opposite edges of the scintillator tile using light-guides. An alternative readout geometry was designed in an effort to increase the fraction of scintillation light detected by the SiPMs. The new prototype uses a larger SiPM array to cover the entire top face of the tile. This paper details the comparative performance of the two prototype designs. A deuterium-tritium (DT) fast-neutron source was used to compare the relative light collection efficiency of the two designs. A collimated UV light source was scanned across the detector face to map the uniformity. The new prototype was found to have 9.5 times better light collection efficiency over the original design. Both prototypes exhibit spatial non-uniformity in their response. Methods of correcting this non-uniformity are discussed.

Research on the High Strength Glass Ceramics/Mullite Ceramics Composites

In order to improve the bending strength of mullite ceramic thin tiles, SiO2-ZnO-Na2O-Y2O3 glass was prepared on the surface of the tiles. The influences of the thermal properties and thermal expansion coefficient of the glass and the sintering temperature on the structure and the property of the composites were investigated by differential thermal analysis (DTA), X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), Raman and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The bending strength of the composites was measured with an universal testing machine. Results show that the crystallization temperature of the SiO2-ZnO-Na2O-Y2O3 glass is higher than that of SiO2-ZnO-Na2O glass. The corresponding crystallites show more complex structure for the SiO2-ZnO-Na2O-Y2O3 glass. The thermal expansion coefficients of both glasses are lower than the mullite ceramic tiles. The bending strength of the composites after sintering at 1150°C was obviously improved by 10.7% to 106.2 MPa, compared with the mullite ceramic tiles.

Direct visualization of the vortex distributions in a superconducting film with a Penrose array of magnetic pinning centers: Symmetry induced giant vortex state

Using scanning Hall probe microscopy a direct visualization of the flux distribution in a Pb film covering a fivefold Penrose array of Co dots is obtained. We demonstrate that stable vortex configurations can be found for fields H ∼ 0.8 H 1, H 1 and 1.6 H 1, where H 1 corresponds to one flux quantum per pinning site. The vortex pattern at 0.8 H 1 corresponds to one vacancy in one of the vertices of the thin tiles whereas at 1.6 H 1 the vortex structure can be associated with one interstitial vortex inside each thick tile. Strikingly, for H = 1.6 H 1 interstitial and pinned vortices arrange themselves in ring-like structures (“vortex corrals”) which favor the formation of a giant vortex state at their center.

Symmetry-Induced Giant Vortex State in a Superconducting Pb Film with a Fivefold Penrose Array of Magnetic Pinning Centers

A direct visualization of the flux distribution in a Pb film covering a fivefold Penrose array of Co dots is obtained by mapping the local field distribution with a scanning Hall probe microscope. We demonstrate that stable vortex configurations can be found for fields H approximately 0.8H_{1}, H_{1}, and 1.6H_{1}, where H_{1} corresponds to one flux quantum per pinning site. The vortex pattern at 0.8H_{1} corresponds to one vacancy in one of the vertices of the thin tiles, whereas at 1.6H_{1} the vortex structure can be associated with one interstitial vortex inside each thick tile. Strikingly, for H = 1.6H_{1}, interstitial and pinned vortices arrange themselves in ringlike structures ("vortex corrals") which favor the formation of a giant vortex state at their center.

QUATERNARY BASALTS FROM ROMANIA - CHARACTERISTICS AND NON-CONVENTIONAL USES

This paper presents an advanced stage of research work regarding the exploitation of natural volcanic rocks (basalt, andésites, tuffs) that are not to be polished but that can be cut into thin tiles and be cover with different inorganic and organic films. The basalt, andésite and tuff samples from some quarries proved to have very good cutting parameters, linear thermal expansions with a temperature between 5.67 and 8.85 x106C"1 for basalts and andésites and between 0.05 and 3.82 x106 C"1 for tuffs. The classic ceramic coating process used glaze with grinding fineness. The resulting surfaces are glossy, uniformly covered from a decorative aspect and by a variety of colour, suitable for various external and internal applications. The non-conventional coating by oxy-gas flame thermal spraying process on basalt frits with a grinding fineness between 100 and 70 μπι, resulted in rough, dark coloured surfaces, suitable for floors with high compressive strengths.

Evaluation of The Thermal Performance of Multi-Element Doped Graphite under Steady-State High Heat Flux

Multi-element doped graphite, GBST1308 has been developed as a plasma facing material (PFM) for high heat flux components of the HT-7U device. The thermal performance of the material under steady-state (SS) high heat flux was evaluated under actively cooling conditions, the specimens were mechanically joined to copper heat sink with supercarbon sheet as a compliant layer between the interfaces. The experiments have been performed in a facility of ACT (actively cooling test stand) with a 100 kW electron gun in order to test the suitability and the loading limit of such materials. The surface temperature and bulk temperature distribution of the specimens were investigated. The experimental results are very encouraging that when heat flux is not more than 6 MW/m2, the surface temperature of GBST1308 is less than 1000 °C, which is the lowest, compared with IG-430U and even with CX-2002U (CFC); The primary results indicate that the mechanically-joined material system by such as a proper design as thin tile, super compliant layer, GBST as a PFM and copper-alloy heat sink, can be used as divertor plates for HT-7U in the first phase.

Constructing Penrose-like tilings from a single prototile and the implications for quasicrystals

We present two sets of rules for constructing quasiperiodic tilings that suggest a simpler structural model of quasicrystals and a more plausible explanation of why quasicrystals form. First, we show that quasiperiodic tilings can be constructed from a single prototile with matching rules which constrain the way that neighbors can overlap. Second, we show that maximizing the density of a certain cluster of fat and thin tiles can force a Penrose tiling without imposing the usual Penrose matching rules.

Examination of material performance of W exposed to high heat load: Postmortem analysis of W exposed to TEXTOR plasma and E-beam test stand

We have examined the behavior of high Z limiters exposed to TEXTOR edge plasma and found that under certain conditions high Z materials are compatible with plasmas. In high density Ohmic plasmas the accumulation of a high Z impurity in the plasma center with significant radiation is observed, whereas an auxiliary heating like NBI and ICRH enhances the impurity exhaust with saw tooth activity. For a practical use of high Z plasma facing materials, extremely high heat load from the plasma becomes a serious concern. In the present work we have conducted the high heat load tests of tungsten (W) using two different heat sources, one is the W limiter exposed to TEXTOR plasma and the other is various W samples heat loaded with an intense E-beam using the JEBIS facility in Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute (JAERI). From the test results we have to conclude that W, if applied in the form of the bulk material, should be used above the ductile brittle transition temperature (DBTT) but below about 1500°C to avoid the recrystallization. Maximum heat load tolerable without surface melting is about 20 MW/m 2 for several seconds. The monocrystalline used at high temperatures shows very good performance, though the production of the monocrystalline with a desired shape is not easy. Considering its brittle nature, hard machining and heavy mass, bulk W cannot be a structure material but be used as a thin tile or deposited film on some structure materials. Unfortunately, however, the thermal expansion coefficient of W is so small that brazing of W to a heat sink material like Cu which has a much larger thermal expansion coefficient would easily result in cracking due to the large thermal stress. Thus the development of tungsten plasma facing component (PFC) needs much effort in future.

Improvement of the film transformer characteristics

Previously, we have proposed a thin film transformer. The operating principle of this transformer is based on the skin effect. Thereby, its weight and size are extremely small but its operating frequency having high efficiency is limited only to high frequency region. In order to remove this fault, we employ the thin ferrite tiles which have been sandwiched between the film conductors. As a result, we succeeded in widening the operating frequency range about 100 times compared with those of original one.

Clay Product-Faced Precast Concrete Panels

This paper presents the design and construction considerations for designers and plant personnel necessary for using brick, ceramic tile and architectural terra cotta faced precast concrete panels. The topics covered are clay product properties and selection, design considerations, production and construction aspects, cleaning and shipping of the panels. Also covered are the applications of thin brick, ceramic tile and full brick to precast concrete panels after the panels are cast. It is emphasized that teamwork is an essential ingredient in the successful execution of a project.

Applying Tate's model for the interaction of long rod projectiles with ceramic targets

The penetration of ceramic tiles by long rod penetrators is discussed in terms of the modified hydrodynamic theory of A. Tate which was developed for thick metallic targets. The resistance of the tile to penetration is determined with the threshold velocity for the penetration of a very large ceramic block. According to Tate's theory, the threshold impact velocity for a given projectile (with a well defined strength) depends only on the tile's resistance to penetration. We show here that using three different projectiles (copper, steel and tungsten) resulted in the same value for this parameter for thick alumina tiles. This fact strongly enhances the idea of applying Tate's theory to ceramics. A different set of experiments, with relatively thin tiles bonded to thick steel plates, was performed determining penetration depths of the long rods into the steel backing. These were compared with predictions based on Tate's model using the values for the penetration resistance, which were determined by thick tile experiments. The good agreement can be considered as a further confirmation of our main thesis. Resistance of penetration parameters ( R t) were determined for other ceramics (silicon carbide, titanium diboride, etc.) by measuring the penetration depths of the long rod projectile into the thick backing and using Tate's model with R t as a parameter.

Residual stresses in bonded armor tiles for in-vessel fusion components

The residual stresses in a bonded tile/substrate structure were analyzed using both analytical and finite element methods. Beam theory and 2-D elasticity solutions were compared and the latter was found to be more accurate, due to inadequate boundary conditions used in beam theories. Agreement between variational elasticity and finite element solutions was favorable, but the increased flexibility of finite element codes makes them superior when non-linear problems are considered. The response of the calculated stress states to changes in various model dimensions and material parameters was studied parametrically. In general, dimensional changes were found to be significant only for short, thin tiles.

Rubber Recycling—Upgrading of Scrap Rubber Powder by Vulcanization. II

Abstract Vulcanizates from scrap tires have interesting mechanical properties that widen the range of their uses. These properties and dynamic characteristics (compression modulus, damping coefficient) undergo great changes as sulfur percentage is varied. This fact is particularly important in regard to the design of damping devices for the vibration absorption of industrial machines. The size of the machine as well as the vibration frequency must be taken into account to optimize the transmissibility factor of the damped system. The favorable results obtained for our materials in the damping of impact noises and their small compressibility foreshadow an efficient application in resilient coverings in buildings. Rubber slabs when stuck directly on the floor can be covered with a thin coating consisting, for instance, of thin tiles. The resilient covering can also be stuck on the floor and covered with lean mortar, a traditional way of laying tile.

The Roussillon Vault: The Apotheosis of a "Folk" Construction

Research Article| October 01 1968 The Roussillon Vault: The Apotheosis of a "Folk" Construction Turpin C. Bannister Turpin C. Bannister Search for other works by this author on: This Site PubMed Google Scholar Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians (1968) 27 (3): 163–175. https://doi.org/10.2307/988500 Views Icon Views Article contents Figures & tables Video Audio Supplementary Data Peer Review Share Icon Share Twitter LinkedIn Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Cite Icon Cite Search Site Citation Turpin C. Bannister; The Roussillon Vault: The Apotheosis of a "Folk" Construction. Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians 1 October 1968; 27 (3): 163–175. doi: https://doi.org/10.2307/988500 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Reference Manager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu nav search search input Search input auto suggest search filter All ContentJournal of the Society of Architectural Historians Search This content is only available via PDF. Copyright 1968 The Society of Architectural Historians Article PDF first page preview Close Modal You do not currently have access to this content.