Nano-Inclusions Applied in Cement-Matrix Composites: A Review.

Research on cement-based materials is trying to exploit the synergies that nanomaterials can provide. This paper describes the findings reported in the last decade on the improvement of these materials regarding, on the one hand, their mechanical performance and, on the other hand, the new properties they provide. These features are mainly based on the electrical and chemical characteristics of nanomaterials, thus allowing cement-based elements to acquire "smart" functions.

Admixtures in Cement-Matrix Composites for Mechanical Reinforcement, Sustainability, and Smart Features.

For more than a century, several inclusions have been mixed with Portland cement-nowadays the most-consumed construction material worldwide-to improve both the strength and durability required for construction. The present paper describes the different families of inclusions that can be combined with cement matrix and reviews the achievements reported to date regarding mechanical performance, as well as two other innovative functionalities of growing importance: reducing the high carbon footprint of Portland cement, and obtaining new smart features. Nanomaterials stand out in the production of such advanced features, allowing the construction of smart or multi-functional structures by means of thermal- and strain-sensing, and photocatalytic properties.

Indoor Multi-Sensor Acquisition System for Projects on Energy Renovation of Buildings.

Energy rehabilitation actions in buildings have become a great economic opportunity for the construction sector. They also constitute a strategic goal in the European Union (EU), given the energy dependence and the compromises with climate change of its member states. About 75% of existing buildings in the EU were built when energy efficiency codes had not been developed.

A refrigerated web camera for photogrammetric video measurement inside biomass boilers and combustion analysis.

This paper describes a prototype instrumentation system for photogrammetric measuring of bed and ash layers, as well as for flying particle detection and pursuit using a single device (CCD) web camera. The system was designed to obtain images of the combustion process in the interior of a domestic boiler. It includes a cooling system, needed because of the high temperatures in the combustion chamber of the boiler.

Geometric stability and lens decentering in compact digital cameras.

A study on the geometric stability and decentering present in sensor-lens systems of six identical compact digital cameras has been conducted. With regard to geometrical stability, the variation of internal geometry parameters (principal distance, principal point position and distortion parameters) was considered. With regard to lens decentering, the amount of radial and tangential displacement resulting from decentering distortion was related with the precision of the camera and with the offset of the principal point from the geometric center of the sensor.

Error analysis of terrestrial laser scanning data by means of spherical statistics and 3D graphs.

This paper presents a complete analysis of the positional errors of terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) data based on spherical statistics and 3D graphs. Spherical statistics are preferred because of the 3D vectorial nature of the spatial error. Error vectors have three metric elements (one module and two angles) that were analyzed by spherical statistics.

Waveform Analysis of UWB GPR Antennas.

Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) systems fall into the category of ultra-wideband (UWB) devices. Most GPR equipment covers a frequency range between an octave and a decade by using short-time pulses. Each signal recorded by a GPR gathers a temporal log of attenuated and distorted versions of these pulses (due to the effect of the propagation medium) plus possible electromagnetic interferences and noise.

Analysis of the Emitted Wavelet of High-Resolution Bowtie GPR Antennas.

Most Ground Penetrating Radars (GPR) cover a wide frequency range by emitting very short time wavelets. In this work, we study in detail the wavelet emitted by two bowtie GPR antennas with nominal frequencies of 800 MHz and 1 GHz. Knowledge of this emitted wavelet allows us to extract as much information as possible from recorded signals, using advanced processing techniques and computer simulations.

Metric Potential of a 3D Measurement System Based on Digital Compact Cameras.

This paper presents an optical measuring system based on low cost, high resolution digital cameras. Once the cameras are synchronised, the portable and adjustable system can be used to observe living beings, bodies in motion, or deformations of very different sizes. Each of the cameras has been modelled individually and studied with regard to the photogrammetric potential of the system.

Application of close range photogrammetry to deck measurement in recreational ships.

In this article, we present results that demonstrate the utility of close range photogrammetry in the measurement of decks in recreational craft as an alternate measurement system to the one based on direct acquisition of coordinates. The areas of deck covered with teakwood for aesthetic or security reasons were measured. Both methods were compared in terms of precision of measurements, time consumption, equipment cost, and ease of manipulation and equipment transportation.