Papers by Keyword: Rehabilitation

Abstract: The unique water systems of the Baroque monasteries are shown and rehabilitation of historic structures are analysed. In historical buildings, it is desirable within the investigation to identify, properly understand and restore the frequently faulty or damaged original ventilation or drainage systems, which ingeniously took advantage of many-year experience of traditional building. The understanding of the original or older solution, its technical parameters and performance is the first step towards restoration and reliability of the buildings.

Abstract: For the rehabilitation and renovation of sewerage and gutter networks, different methods and technologies have been introduced over the last half-century. The trenchless technologies are showing the greatest development. They are promoted for reasons of environmental friendliness, they do not restrict the space in the place of renovation and the implementation is fast. The paper focuses on specific material starting points for the use of trenchless methods. Trenchless methods do not generate waste from original pipelines. New pipes are installed in the existing pipeline, or a new pipeline pushes the old profile into the surrounding area. However, the new pipeline is not accessible for the traditional methodology of result control and product performance verification. Particularly for Cured-in-Place-Pipe (CIPP) methods, it is difficult to determine representative quantities for key features such as the thickness of the sanitary insets (sleeves) after curing, and it follows from practice that the measurements should be performed with a special spike gauge. CIPP products achieve all the final properties through the installation process in the existing pipeline. Simulation on semi-operative polygons is increasingly being used for research and verification of suitable representatives. Authors of the article began to address this issue in research, in collaboration with the company WOMBAT, s.r.o. when investigating the higher resistance of CIPP lining.

Abstract: Physical rehabilitation is required to support functional therapy in patients with restricted function in their body caused by cerebral, spinal, or muscular disorders. We sought to investigate the feasibility of medical and healthcare applications of the Kinect v2 motion capture devices and a head mount display in response to practical medical needs, including: (1) a Timed Up and Go test, and a walking rehabilitation support system; and (2) rehabilitation assistance using virtual reality feedback. The prototype systems demonstrate that the ICT-based rehabilitation equipment offers the objective and effective assessment of physical deficits in patients with conditions such as stroke or Parkinson's disease.

Abstract: In recent years, accident caused by girth weld defects is relatively common. The failure mode of girth weld is mostly fracture. It is an effective way to avoid the failure accident of girth weld to find the hidden trouble of girth weld and repair it in time before the failure. The type B steel sleeve is an effective method to repair the girth weld defects. However, quite few works have been carried out on the reliability verification and engineering practice of repairing the X80 pipeline girth welds. Therefore, it is necessary to carry out full-size physical test for engineering and obtain the influence law of welding operation on main pipeline performance, with the aim of reliability of repair quality and service after repair. In the present work, the reliability study of repairing with type B steel sleeve on X80 pipe girth weld defects was verified. The results show that the bearing capacity of the type B sleeve can effectively guarantee the safe operation of the pipeline in the case of leakage from the girth weld. But there are obvious influence on the material properties of the outer surface of the main pipe due to the welding heat. Effects from longitudinal weld seam is smaller than effects from fillet weld. Grain roughening occurred in heat affected zone of fillet weld which results in that the hardness of the main pipe under the fillet weld increased and the yield strength was reduced by 5.5%. Surface cracking occurs during bending test. There is a certain service risk and it should be used under more frequent monitoring than usual.

Abstract: The submitted article deals with a relatively new phenomenon, which is monitoring and solution to minimization of microorganisms ́ occurrence on the surface of the External Thermal Insulation Composite Systems (ETICS). The importance of the solution has been becoming more important both from the point of view of health risk for inhabitants and accelerated degradation of particular layers of the ETICS due to the presence of these microorganisms. The article submits conceptual methodological solution to the reduction of count of microorganisms on the ETICS surface from diagnosis, setting out criteria for the necessity of determination of macrobiotic biodeteriogens to subsequent rehabilitation design.

Abstract: The paper deals with a structural survey of the historic drainage and ventilation system discovered recently in the Prague Castle area. Based on in-situ inspection the remedial works in the context of historic importance of the area are presented. The experimental testing is used for the assessment of the efficiency of remedial technologies, but also for a deeper investigation of moisture transport phenomena in heterogeneous materials. The data collected for the investigated aspects should allow foresight of the behavior of existing structures providing damage prediction models and help in the design of remedial measures.

Abstract: The paper is concerned with the technical aspects of the appraisal and retrofitting process of fire damaged reinforced concrete structures. The assessment of fire damaged structures is carried out along lines similar to those of the appraisal of existing structures. In practice, constructions are most often assessed by destructive tests in-situ and on core bore specimens. In addition to destructive tests, damaged structures are also assessed by non-destructive ones. The present paper shows the use of non-destructive methods of measurement using the acoustic-emission and impact-echo methods. Acoustic emission provides valuable data on the structural integrity of a material. This method has a significant potential to be used for in-situ monitoring and evaluation of the current state of structures. An impact-echo method is based on impact-generated stress waves that propagate through concrete and are reflected by internal flaws and external surfaces. Impact-echo can be used to determine the location and extent of flaws such as crack delamination, voids, honeycombing and deboning in plain, reinforced, and post-tensioned concrete structures. The paper presents a possible rehabilitation plan based on the potential results obtained by these non-destructive methods.

Abstract: In this paper experimental investigations concerning the prototype validation of an exoskeleton for human gait rehabilitation are presented. The proposed exoskeleton is intended for human legs motion assistance, being a low cost solution. The exoskeleton provides motion assistance for human hip and knee joint. The experimental gait analysis of the exoskeleton and assisted human subject is performed with goniometers sensors. These sensors are attached to the exoskeleton hip and knee joints and measure the angle variation. The results obtained for the exoskeleton motion are compared with those obtained in case of a healthy human subject. Angular variation corresponding to a step, as a comparison for human and exoskeleton joints is performed. The conclusion is that the designed exoskeleton is proper for human gait motion assistance, because the joints motion is comparable with the human subject.

Abstract: The article introduces a shake table test program that was conducted to investigate the response of a two-storey rocking braced frame for which self-centring capacity is provided solely by the gravity loads supported by the frame. The test specimen is a 0.5 scaled model of a prototype rocking frame that was studied for the retrofit of a seismically deficient steel structure. The main objectives of the test program were to study the effects of column uplift and impact on shear forces and moments in the beams connected to the columns. Higher mode effects on brace forces were also of interest. Three different energy dissipation mechanisms located at the rocking interface were examined for drift control: friction, ring spring dampers, and vertical steel bars yielding in tension and buckling in compression. By changing the seismic weight of the test specimen, tests could be conducted for structures located in two different seismic regions of Canada to study the effect of the signature of the ground motions. Increases in beam forces due to column uplift and impact, as predicted by previous numerical simulations, were confirmed by the tests. High axial loads induced by the second vibration mode were also measured in the second storey braces.

Abstract: Municipalities in Canada have noted that 59% of their water systems need repair, and the condition of 43% of those systems is apparently intolerable. Hence, large volumes of rehabilitation projects are necessary to improve the performance of Canadian water systems. A reliability (R) and criticality index (CI) are crucial for prioritizing rehabilitation activities and distribute budgets efficiently. “R”is a function of failure rate, while“CI”is a function of economic, operational, social, and environmental factors. The research presented in this paper aimed to develop a performance index (PI) that considered the combination of “R” and “CI” for water networks. Sound techniques were utilized to generate the PImathematical model, such as reliability theory, simple multi-attribute rating technique (SMART), and Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP). Data on water networks were collected from the city of Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Four sub-networks were selected from the entire network to represent four types of land uses; undeveloped, residential, park, and commercial/industrial. The results showed that the PI value was 0.72, 0.93, 0.87, and 0.76 for these types of land uses, respectively. The developed models and tools are assumed to be beneficial for municipal engineers and managers as well as academics.