Cultural and Natural Heritage (CNH), a legacy bequeathed to present and future generations, casts light on the humanity of past generations. However, the increase and the intensity of natural and climate-change-related hazards threaten the conservation of such heritage. The aim of this research is to develop a multi-criteria prioritization methodology in support of intervention decisions, to enhance the resilience of CNH conservation through sustainable development. The application of two methods, the Integrated Value Model for Sustainability Assessment and the Analytical Hierarchy Process, ensures both the contribution of a wide panel of experts of heritage conservation and equitable indicator assessment measured on different scales. The prioritization methodology has been developed considering the most common hazards and specific disaster-risk scenarios. The three dimensions of sustainable development and both technical and cultural dimensions are also considered in the methodology. All dimensions and their indicators are weighted to produce a Prioritization Index to support decision-making.

The durability of reinforced concrete (RC) structures decreases as external aggressive agents penetrate through the concrete barrier and diffuse towards reinforcements, leading to the corrosion of reinforcements and reduction of the bearing capacity of the structure. This is not only a common issue for offshore and onshore infrastructures exposed to high chloride concentrations, waves, tidal actions and erosion processes; it is also critical for roads and bridges that are affected by environmentally assisted corrosion due to the use of de-icing salts. Thus, there are different solutions to deal with this problem. The In marine environments, the use of stainless steel (SS) reinforcements has shown great performance against corrosion. Nevertheless, there is lack of knowledge on the simultaneous and synergistic effects of load and corrosion performance of SS RC and how this combined effect influence RC service life-time. The study analyses the behavior of stress corrosion effect of SS RC beams by simulating service conditions on scaled specimen. The aim of this work is to evaluate the performance and outcome in terms of service life-time years when using different SS for RC beams with high chloride content within concrete matrix under the simultaneous effects of applied load and corrosion after long-term exposure. AISI 304 austenitic stainless steel, 2304 LDSS and 2001 LDSS lean duplex stainless steels rebars were tested and compared with B500SD carbon steel. The results show less diameter reduction of 2001 LDSS reinforcements offers minor diameter reduction, which postulate it as the most cost effective solution.

Climate-change impacts pose significant threats to the conservation and conviviality of historic urban areas. Despite the rising body of research on climate-related risks, there remains a glaring knowledge void when it comes to a comprehensive conceptualization of hazards in historic urban areas, particularly heat waves. With two case studies, Bilbao in Spain and Naples in Italy, a multi-scale risk assessment methodology for urban heritage in historic areas is proposed in this research work, focusing on both buildings and public spaces. The methodology depicts the interaction between historic areas and heat waves using a multi-scale urban model and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) data. A powerful and scalable instrument for decision-making is therefore proposed that can be used to assess vulnerability, both in urban systems and at heritage locations. The physical, socioeconomic, cultural, and environmental aspects of each urban system are weighed up using the MIVES multicriteria decision-making methodology, to support the prioritization of climate change adaptation initiatives. Our research can be added to the expanding body of work on climate-change-related hazards, in so far as the significance of recognizing and assessing climate threats to heritage are emphasized, in order to strengthen the resilience and the sustainability of both socio-economic and built systems.

It is demonstrated that climate change is leading to intense and frequent extreme events. As a consequence, the impact on cultural heritage has increased, accelerating its deterioration. Climate-related hazards that can affect historic areas are dependent on both the nature of the risk and the specific characteristics of the heritage that is under threat, as well as the inherent vulnerability of the geographical environment and historic area. Conservation interventions at historic sites are generally focused on improving their resilience and minimizing any long-term deterioration of materials and works of art. However, conservation interventions are rarely focused on responding to the threat of sudden damage during emergency management phases. In these scenarios, a quick response is crucial when selecting the most appropriate intervention from the different solutions and the very many factors that they may take into account. The aim of this research is to develop a multi-criteria prioritization methodology that supports the intervention decision. The prioritization methodology entailed the consideration of specific scenarios and hazard types and their characteristics and the application of MIVES methodology together with the analytical hierarchy process (AHP). Technical, socioeconomic, cultural, and environmental aspects were then weighted to produce a prioritization index for decision-making in response to each scenario.

Artikulu honetan hirigune historikoetarako klima–aldaketarekin erlazionatutako arriskuen ebaluaziorako metodologiei buruzko egungo literaturaren berrikuspen sistematiko eta kritikoa egiten da. Horretarako, gaur egungo literaturaren azterketa sakona egin da Web of Science eta Scopus datu-baseetan, klima-aldaketaren eta ondoriozko muturretako gertaeren eraginpean dagoen kultura-ondarearen kalteberatasun eta arrisku ebaluazio metodologiak identifikatu eta ezaugarritzeko. Etorkizunean zuzendu beharreko metodologien ezaugarriak eta ezagutza-hutsune nagusiak identifikatu dira, hirigune historikoetan bero-boladak izateko arriskua ebaluatzeko metodologia holistikorik eza barne. Berrikuspenaren emaitzak aztertu dira, ondoren arriskuak ebaluatzeko etorkizuneko metodologietarako adierazleak identifikatu eta garatzeko. Metodologia horiek, hirigune historikoetako elementuak sistema bakar gisa landuko dituzte, eta bero-bolada luzeek izan dezaketen inpaktu potentziala landuko dute, muturreko gertaera klimatiko horien probabilitate handiagoa kontsideratuz.

Climate change impacts such as extreme events and progressive global warming are threatening the conservation and livability of urban cultural heritage. Understanding climate risks on heritage should be part of policy and planning decision-making processes to increase resilience and sustainability of both social and built environmental systems. However, despite a large body of literature focusing on climate-related hazards, there is a noticeable knowledge gap regarding a holistic conceptualization of the risks in historic urban areas, which is particularly concerning in the case of the impacts of heat waves and heat urban island phenomena on urban heritage. The main goal of this study is to analyze and represent the interaction between urban spaces and heat waves via geographic information systems (GIS) data, considering the vulnerability of historic areas both as urban systems and as heritage areas. To frame a holistic approach, socioeconomic, cultural, governance (services and resources), and physical (gathering tangible characteristics of all infrastructures, elements, and buildings) aspects of the system are taken into account. To this end, key performance indicators addressing relevant vulnerable elements of historic urban areas are identified for the development of a risk assessment methodology. Complementary and as foundation for the risk assessment, a categorization of vulnerability to heat waves is proposed for both buildings and urban spaces. Here, the gathering and processing of data for the development of a GIS-based model in the historic area of Bilbao, Basque Country is presented. This work aims to serve as a basis and reference for future holistic assessments of heatwaves risks in historic urban areas worldwide.

A systematic and critical review of the existing literature on climate-change riskassessment methodologies for historic urban areas is presented, in view of the increasing likelihood of extreme weather events. Key performance indicators are identified for use in future risk assessment methodologies that address both the elements of historic urban areas as a system and the potential impact of prolonged heat waves. To do so, a systematic search of the existing literature on Web of Science and Scopus was conducted, with the aim of identifying and characterizing existing methodologies on vulnerability and risk assessment for cultural heritage exposed to the effects of a changing climate. The main characteristics of the methodologies that need to be addressed in the near future and key knowledge gaps were identified, among them, the lack of holistic heat-wave risk-assessment methodologies for historic urban areas.

This study assesses the impact of a heat wave on the thermal comfort of an unconstructed area: the North Zone of the Island of Zorrotzaurre (Bilbao, Spain). In this study, the impact of urban planning as proposed in the master plan on thermal comfort is modeled using the ENVI-met program. Likewise, the question of whether the urbanistic proposals are designed to create more resilient urban environments is analyzed in the face of increasingly frequent extreme weather events, especially heat waves. The study is centered on the analysis of temperature variables (air temperature and average radiant temperature) as well as wind speed and relative humidity. This was completed with the parameters of thermal comfort, the physiological equivalent temperature (PET) and the Universal Temperature Climate Index (UTCI) for the hours of the maximum and minimum daily temperatures. The results demonstrated the viability of analyzing thermal comfort through simulations with the ENVI-met program in order to analyze the behavior of urban spaces in various climate scenarios.

Reinforced concrete was introduced by patented systems into Spain towards the end of the 19th c. Early patents were effectively foreign trademarks, although Spanish engineers, architects and industrialists soon developed their own RC systems. Local builders would build structures with scarce little regard for calculated design and construction in the first decade of the 20th century. Nevertheless, as further knowledge was required, increasing research led to new RC standards in numerous countries, such as France and Germany. In the second decade of the 20th century, the use of patent systems declined. The teaching of RC started at the Spanish Civil Faculty where systems of scientific calculation were rapidly adopted, although no Spanish RC standard was drafted, unlike the situation in the leading European countries of that time. Hence, the RC structures that proliferated across Spain were mainly based on French or German standards. Spanish industrial activity began to develop in northern areas of the country where the use of new materials was pioneered over the following decades. Nowadays, some of those structures are listed heritage buildings. In this paper, some common features of 15 RC structures built between 1915 and 1936 are discussed, by focusing on their conservation problems. Preliminary structural reports from engineers, architects, municipal councils and, in some cases, the owners of the buildings are compiled with information on the pathologies affecting the buildings and analyses of structural morphologies, and steel and concrete strengths. The results of those studies are analysed, by connecting construction features with structural conditions, in order to gain a deeper understanding of their main characteristics and similarities. The findings will contribute to knowledge of heritage buildings, identifying key strategies for application in future rehabilitation works.

A. Santamaria , Z. Egiluz , E. Briz , H. Garcia , A. Orbe , J.T. San-José , M. Larrauri , I. Marcos University of The Basque Country UPV/EHU (SPAIN)

There is still a considerable gap in the definition of the weldability of Duplex Stainless Steel (DSS). A lack of clarity that is explained by the standard specification of the maximum content of equivalent carbon that defines a “weldable” steel coupled with the fact that the alloying elements of DSS exceed this defined limit of weldability. In this paper, welding quality in an inert environment and in presence of chlorides is analyzed with the aim of defining optimum welding conditions of 2001, 2304, and 2205 DSS. The same procedure is followed for a hybrid weld between DSS 2205 and a low carbon mild steel, S275JR. As main output, this study defined the optimal welding conditions with tungsten inert gas without filler for each type of DSS weld that showed excellent anti-corrosion performance, with the exception of the DSS 2205-S275JR weld where widespread corrosion was observed. Additionally, this study established a relationship between the thermal input during welding and the content of alloying elements in defect-free joints. Furthermore, it demonstrated that an increase in ferrite content did not lead to a worse corrosion resistance, as expected after passivation.

Pipelines are used throughout the world for oil & gas transportation purposes. This method of transport is reasonably safe, yet accidents keep occurring nowadays. It is important, for the safety of the oil & gas pipeline network, to remember the history that has led the industry to the actual development point. This research compiles the most fatal oil and gas pipeline accidents through history. Of the compiled accidents, the 10 most fatal are selected for a brief but precise review of their root causes and the lessons learned from them. The core objective of this paper is to learn from the experience of the documented pipeline failures, with the purpose of building a safer and better future for the oil & gas pipeline transportation network.

Steel rebars of structures exposed to cyclic loadings and marine environments suffer an accelerated deterioration process by corrosion fatigue, causing catastrophic failure before service life ends. Hence, stainless steel rebars have been emerging as a way of mitigating pitting corrosion contribution to fatigue, despite the increased cost. The present study proposes a corrosion fatigue semiempirical model. Different samples of rebars made of carbon steel, 304L austenitic (ASS), 316L ASS, 2205 duplex (DSS), 2304 lean duplex stainless steels (LDSS), and 2001 LDSS have been embedded in concrete and exposed to a tidal marine environment for 6 months. Corrosion rates of each steel rebar have been obtained from direct measurement and, considering rebar standard requirements for fatigue and fracture mechanics, an iterative numerical model has been developed to derive the cycles to failure for each stress range level. The model resulted in a corrosion pushing factor for each material, able to be used as an accelerating coefficient for the Palmgren-Miner linear rule and as a performance indicator. Carbon steel showed the worst performance, while 2001 LDSS performed 1.5 times better with the best cost-performance ratio, and finally 2205 DSS performed 1.5 times better than 2001 LDSS.

The structure of self-compacting concretes containing electric arc-furnace slag, their mechanical behavior, and their durability are all studied in an extensive experimental campaign, to evaluate the suitability of three concrete mixes for use in real construction works. Specimens manufactured with self-compacting electric arc-furnace slag concrete are subjected to wetting-drying and freezing-thawing test procedures, for their study in aggressive environments, especially marine environments. In general, all the test results were quite encouraging. It was once again demonstrated that the use of electric arc-furnace slag in concrete represents an opportunity to reduce both the volume of siderurgical waste generated in our society, and the consumption of fresh raw materials.

A fatigue process due to random loading that is progressively damaging a certain structural detail will vary in the presence of mean stresses. The variations are already considered in crack propagation laws and by applying equivalent 0-mean stress ranges from the Palmgren–Miner linear rule. Nevertheless, if the mean stress is intrinsic, instead of a direct consequence of the random loading, other second-order effects will have to be taken into account. Those effects are cycle quasi-ordering, histogram variations, and apparent mean tension, which are identified and defined in this study and, finally, developed in a case study for demonstrative purposes.

One of the biggest challenges of a teacher is to keep the attention of the students at maximum level during all lesson, moreover in engineering degree. The engineering student body has a technical profile and enjoys more the subjects with direct application in solving problems than theoretical subject. Researchers have analysed student concentration ability and they have concluded that they only are able to maintain the concentration for only about 15 minutes, what about the others 45 or 75 minutes of the lessons? Many methodologies have been developed to keep students motivated throughout the learning process. Peer teaching reverses roles and turns students into teacher, so students become active agents in their own learning process. This teaching methodology not only increase students' motivation and performance, but also other transversal skills such as social. Students from civil engineering take part in peer teaching methodology developed in lectures to improve the effectiveness of lecture and increase the motivation of students. At the end of the course, students filled in a survey to evaluate the methodology. The most of them not only agree that the technique increase motivation and the capacity to assimilate new concepts but also communication skills.

The present work is focused on the study and evaluation of the mechanical properties of the new low-nickel 2001 lean-duplex stainless steel (LDSS), 2205 duplex stainless steel (DSS) and B500SD carbon steel rebars, influenced by aggressive corrosion environment. Test specimens were loaded to 85% of the yield strength while simultaneously exposed to 8 wt% Cl concrete pore solution for 315 days. Subsequently, the specimens were loaded until failure at a high deformation rate of 0.41 mm/s. The analysis of the stress-strain curve showed a reduction of the ultimate tensile strength greater than 35% for the B500SD, while the 2001 LDSS and 2205 DSS show a reduction lower than 20% and 10%, respectively. Analyzing elongation to failure, neither 2001 LDSS nor 2205 DSS show evidence of stress corrosion under the simultaneous action of chlorides and load. The toughness change in the 2205 DSS is negligible, the 2001 LDSS slightly reduces its resilience, and the B500SD severely decreases both properties. The fractography study revealed that 2001 LDSS and 2205 DSS show a dimple pattern with features of ductile fracture by coalescence of microvoids.

One of the biggest challenges of a teacher is to keep the attention of the students at maximum level. At university, lectures have 60-90 minutes, sometimes even 120 minutes. However, it has been stablished that the ability of concentration of the students is about 15 minutes, once this time pass the students attention tends to wane. This means that only the 33%-22% of the lesson is effective, the remainder is a waste of time for both agents, students and teachers. Nevertheless, investigations have concluded that small brake during long lectures recovers students' attention. It is not necessary to stop the lesson, diverting their attention for a few minutes is enough to catch it again. The use of mobile phones can be a suitable way to carry out multiple-choice questions test during the class, this enable the teacher to analyze attention level of the student while the students play. This paper presents an assessment of the use of mobile for a quiz during lectures. With the aim of improving the effectiveness of lecture and increase the motivation of students, at the end of class students had to answer multiple-choice test with questions related to the lecture. At the end of the course students filled a survey to evaluate the methodology. The most of them agree that the technique increase motivation level during lecture.