Effect of the Chemical and Mechanical Recycling of PET on the Thermal and Mechanical Response of Mortars and Premixed Screeds.

In this paper, recycled polyethylene terephthalate (PET) was used to produce eco-innovative engineering materials with optimized performance, minimizing the environmental impact deriving from plastic consumption activity and limiting the continuous consumption of raw materials. The recycled PET obtained from waste bottles, commonly used to improve the ductility of concrete, has been used with a different weight percentage as plastic aggregate in the replacement of sand in cement mortars and as fibers added to premixed screeds. In detail, the effect of PET treatment (chemical or mechanical) on the thermal performance was evaluated.

Study of the Behavior of Structural Materials Treated with Bioconsolidant.

In this article, the effectiveness of the bioconsolidation technique applied to degraded structural materials is illustrated as a new method of consolidation and conservation of the existing building heritage in a less invasive way. Satisfactory results have been obtained by an experimental campaign carried out through non-destructive diagnostic tests, static destructive mechanical tests, and microstructural analyses on a series of natural stone material specimens and artificial stone materials before and after the use of bioconsolidants. The consolidated specimens have been tested after three to four weeks after the application of the M3P nutritional solution on each specimen.

Structural Operativity Evaluation of Strategic Buildings Through Finite Element (FE) Models Validated by Operational Modal Analysis (OMA).

In this paper, a non-destructive technique based on the monitoring of the environmental vibrations of two strategic buildings by positioning accelerometers in well-defined points was used for fixing their dynamic behavior. The accelerometers measurements were elaborated through Operational Modal Analysis (OMA) techniques, in order to identify natural frequencies, damping coefficients, and modal shapes of the structure. Once these parameters have been determined, a numerical model calibrated on the identified frequencies and verified on the corresponding mode shapes was created for each building.