Higher Institute on Territorial Systems for Innovation
PORTO Publications Open Repository TOrinoNot a member yet
91193 research outputs found
Sort by
Seamless configuration of virtual network functions in data center provider networks
No full textNetwork function virtualization has enabled data center providers to offer new service provisioning models. Through the use of data center management software (cloud managers), providers allow their tenants to customize their virtual network infrastructure, enabling them to create a network topology that includes network functions (e.g., routers, firewalls), either chosen among the natively supported catalog or provided by third-parties. In order to deploy a ready-to-go service, providers have also to take care of pushing functional configurations into each network function (e.g., IP addresses for routers and policy rules in firewalls). This paper proposes an architecture that extends current cloud management software to enable the configuration of network functions. We propose a model-based approach that exploits the use of additional software components, i.e. translators and gateways, which are network function-agnostic, i.e. they are vendor-neutral and not specific for a particular type of network function, and do not require any change in the network functions. A prototype of this solution has been also implemented and tested, in order to validate our approach and evaluate its effectiveness in the configuration phase
Variability Impact of Many Design Parameters: The Case of a Realistic Electronic Link
No full textIn this paper, we adopt the so-called sparse polynomial chaos metamodel for the uncertainty quantification in the framework of high-dimensional problems. This metamodel is used to model a realistic electronic bus structure with a large number of uncertain input parameters such as those related to microstrip line geometries. It aims at estimating quantities of interest, such as statistical moments, probability density functions, and provides sensitivity analysis of a response. It drastically reduces the model computational cost with regard to brute force Monte Carlo (MC) simulation. The method presents a good performance and is validated in comparison with MC simulation
Experimental assessment of the Refined Zigzag Theory for the static bending analysis of sandwich beams
No full textIn the present work, for the first time, the accuracy of the Refined Zigzag Theory in reproducing the static bending response of sandwich beams is experimentally assessed. The theory is briefly reviewed and an analytical solution of the equilibrium equations is presented for the boundary and loading conditions under investigation (four-point bending). The experimental campaign is described, including the material characterization and the bending tests. The experimentally measured deflections and axial strains are compared with those provided by Refined Zigzag Theory and by the Timoshenko Beam Theory with an ad hoc shear correction factor. The Refined Zigzag Theory is shown to be more accurate than the Timoshenko Beam Theory, in particular for beams with higher face-to-core thickness and stiffness ratios and with a reduced slenderness
Scalability in Systemic Design Approach for Rural Development
No full textRural Development is a fundamental point in the action plans by the United Nations: the Sustainable Development Goal 2 of the Post-2015 Development Agenda attests the importance of increasing investment and international cooperation to end hunger and achieve food security. The relevance of this topic makes Scalability and Replicability essential to the successful of the projects that deal with Rural Development. This research is facing the Rural Development through the Systemic Design approach, and its outcomes are models that enable the possibility to replicate projects and processes . The concept of Scalability helps to define the boundaries and the limits of the project in order to grow up the benefits for the territory as much as possible, but without exploiting it. The Replicability, defined as the property of an activity, process or test result that allows it to be duplicated at another location or time, it helps to consider the key-elements of a project that can have the same role in other contexts. This paper wants to investigate how should Replicability and Scalability become with the application of Systemic Design Approach on a specific context
Optimal operation of large district heating networks through fast fluid-dynamic simulation
No full textOptimization of the operating conditions of district heating networks is usually performed limiting the analysis to the primary energy related with heat production. An additional aspect that should be considered is the role played by the pumping system. Pumping may contribute to about 10% of the total primary energy consumption, especially in large networks or when small temperature levels are applied. Furthermore, the increasing share of waste heat or renewable energy sources from distributed producers requires a flexible and efficient pumping system. A further aspect which pumping strategy should face is system operation when malfunctions in the plants, pumps or pipes occur. Optimization of the pumping system requires the use of detailed simulation tools, which may need significant computational resources, especially in the case of large networks. A reduced model, based on Proper Orthogonal Decomposition combined with Radial basis functions (POD-RBF model) is proposed in this paper. This approach allows maintaining high level of accuracy despite reductions of more than 80% in the computational time. This make the approach effective tool for control strategy operations. An application to a large district heating network shows that reductions of about 20% in the pumping request and effective management of failures are possible
The Use of Hemp in Building Components for the Development of a Modular House in a Rural Area of Cauca - Colombia
No full textNowadays, people are looking for sustainable materials for construction industries due to many social, economic and environmental problems related to usage of non-renewable materials. The Colombian government and the main guerrilla group (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia—FARC) has kept the development of rural areas as one of the principal task in their agenda. This work has been carried out to explore and analyze the different ways in which industrial hemp can be used in rural construction. The main focus is to develop a modular house prototype in the rural area of Toribío Cauca, by using industrial hemp as the main material. This will be used as a strategy for sustainable development of rural communities in the post-conflict period in Colombia
Compaction and freeze-thaw degradation assessment of recycled aggregates from unseparated construction and demolition waste
No full textAlthough previous studies attested to the feasibility of using recycled aggregates from unseparated construction and demolition waste (UCDW aggregates) in unbound layers of road pavements, the degradation caused by compaction and freezing action under simulative conditions has not been investigated yet. To investigate the effects of these two sources of degradation on resilient modulus (RM), three UCDW aggregates were collected from different plants in the Turin area and compared with a natural (NAT) aggregate. Partially-saturated specimens of UCDW aggregates at the optimal moisture content (wopt) and at wopt±2% were prepared at the gyratory shear compactor with 30 and 100 gyrations, and by subjecting specimens to 0, 4 and 8 two-day freeze-thaw cycles from −18 °C to +20 °C. Brittle and weak components of UCDW aggregates (crushed concrete, bricks) generate fine particles in the first part of the compaction process (in the first 30 gyrations). Freeze-thaw action led to a clear increase in the resilient modulus of UCDW specimens compacted at wopt and wopt+2%. A similar trend in RM was observed in the case of NAT aggregate in similar moisture conditions, while both UCDW and NAT exhibited a slight decrease for some samples prepared at wopt−2%. Under more severe but non-simulative testing conditions such as those currently used to select conventional granular materials, UCDW aggregate exhibits lower performances than NAT aggregate. Conversely, when evaluated in more simulative test conditions, the behaviour of UCDW aggregate is comparable to that of NAT one
L'idea di sostenibilità in architettura. Natura, tecnologia, democratizzazione. Auto-definizioni architettoniche
No full textLa ricerca muove da una constatazione apparentemente oggettiva: il forte impatto dell'idea di sostenibilità sulla disciplina architettonica e urbana. I testi pubblicati negli ultimi anni, ma anche l'istituzione di nuovi corsi di laurea e la nascita di diverse riviste sull'argomento a partire dagli anni ottanta rappresentano una prova chiara dell'interesse rivolto al tema della sostenibilità. Ma quali sono i significati, le questioni e i valori impliciti nel termine? E, soprattutto, le sue reali implicazioni sulla cultura del progetto? L'obiettivo della ricerca è quello di indagare l'idea di sostenibilità come paradigma culturale - e quindi le relazioni tra filosofie politiche e filosofie progettuali da essa innestate - per provare a verificarne la consistenza progettuale. L'esito è la storia di un'idea che negli ultimi quarant'anni il nostro ambito disciplinare ha certamente abusato, spesso svuotandola dei suoi contenuti. In questo senso, i saggi prodotti dalla ricerca e le relative mappe dei valori, così come le mappe bibliografiche e la piccola antologia dalle quali essi si sviluppano, costituiscono un primo tentativo di colmare quel silenzio della teoria molte volte denunciato ma mai affrontato. Una prima analisi sistematica e organica delle filosofie progettuali definitesi attorno al tema della sostenibilit
Dynamic thermal-hydraulic modelling of the EU DEMO HCPB breeding blanket cooling loops
No full textA global, system-level thermal-hydraulic model of the EU DEMO tokamak fusion reactor is currently under development and implementation in a suitable software at Politecnico di Torino, including the relevant heat transfer and fluid dynamics phenomena, which affect the performance of the different cooling circuits and components and their integration in a consistent design. The model is based on an object-oriented approach using the Modelica language, which easily allows to preserve the high modularity required at this stage of the design. The first module of the global model will simulate the blanket cooling system and will be able to investigate different coolant options and different cooling schemes, to be adapted to the different blanket systems currently under development in the Breeding Blanket (BB) project. The paper presents the Helium-Cooled Pebble Bed (HCPB) module of the EU DEMO blanket cooling loops system model. The model is used to compare different schemes for the cooling of the different components of the HCPB BB, and to suggest improvements aimed at optimizing the pumping power required by the cooling system. The model is then used to analyse a pulsed scenario, characteristic of the EU DEMO operation
A 3-dimensional micro- and nanoparticle transport and filtration model (MNM3D) applied to the migration of carbon-based nanomaterials in porous media
No full textEngineered nanoparticles (NPs) in the environment can act both as contaminants, when they are unintentionally released, and as remediation agents when injected on purpose at contaminated sites. In this work two carbon-based NPs are considered, namely CARBO-IRON®, a new material developed for contaminated site remediation, and single layer graphene oxide (SLGO), a potential contaminant of the next future. Understanding and modeling the transport and deposition of such NPs in aquifer systems is a key aspect in both cases, and numerical models capable to simulate NP transport in groundwater in complex 3D scenarios are necessary. To this aim, this work proposes a modeling approach based on modified advection-dispersion-deposition equations accounting for the coupled influence of flow velocity and ionic strength on particle transport. A new modeling tool (MNM3D - Micro and Nanoparticle transport Model in 3D geometries) is presented for the simulation of NPs injection and transport in 3D scenarios. MNM3D is the result of the integration of the numerical code MNMs (Micro and Nanoparticle transport, filtration and clogging Model - Suite) in the well-known transport model RT3D (Clement et al., 1998). The injection in field-like conditions of CARBO-IRON® (20 g/l) amended by CMC (4 g/l) in a 2D vertical tank (0.7 × 1.0 × 0.12 m) was simulated using MNM3D, and compared to experimental results under the same conditions. Column transport tests of SLGO at a concentration (10 mg/l) representative of a possible spill of SLGO-containing waste water were performed at different values of ionic strength (0.1 to 35 mM), evidencing a strong dependence of SLGO transport on IS, and a reversible blocking deposition. The experimental data were fitted using the numerical code MNMs and the ionic strength-dependent transport was up-scaled for a full scale 3D simulation of SLGO release and long-term transport in a heterogeneous aquifer. MNM3D showed to potentially represent a valid tool for the prediction of the long-term behavior of engineered nanoparticles released in the environment (e.g. from landfills), and the preliminary design of in situ aquifer remediation through injection of suspensions of reactive NPs