1,721,063 research outputs found
Reverse Engineering Techniques for Virtual Reconstruction of Defective Skulls: an Overview of Existing Approaches
No full textThe surgical process adopted to repair cranial defects using an implant, typically called Cranioplasty, has seen an abrupt increase in recent years due to the introduction of Reverse Engineering (RE) and Additive Manufacturing (AM) techniques. By adopting these techniques, CT/MRI data can be used to reconstruct, in a pre-operative stage, the 3D anatomy of the defective skull in order to design a patient-specific digital model of the prosthesis. The so-designed cranial plate can be then fabricated via AM, in a suitable metal alloy, and implanted. This allows for a perfect fit of the implant during the actual surgery, reducing the risks for the patient and increasing the efficacy of the treatment. This paper reviews existing approaches for the virtual reconstruction of defective skulls, and a basic classification, proposing four different classes of strategies (Mirroring, Surface Interpolation, Template-Based and Slice-based techniques) is provided. The findings of the study suggest that the reconstruction of skull defects is still an open problem, due to the complexities imposed by surface that needs to be retrieved (i.e. the human anatomy). All the presented approaches share weaknesses and limits, which are discussed in the article. Finally, possible directions to improve the existing techniques are briefly presented
The Main Phases of an Early Medieval Church: Virtual Reconstructions for Cultural Heritage Promotion
No full textn recent years there has been growing interest in the use of information technology in scientific fields related to the humanities and cultural heritage, both for research purposes and for the promotion of artifacts and monuments, such as ancient edifices of archeological interest. In fact, such buildings usually have complicated stratigraphies, especially when used continuously for long periods of time. Therefore, understanding their evolution, both in terms of appearance and structure, can become challenging for experts and even impossible for the general public. Such drawbacks can be overcome by taking advantage of virtual reconstructions: these make it possible to analyze in depth not only the geometry of the current configuration, but also to study and verify reconstructive hypotheses of damaged or lost artifacts, or parts of them. As an added value, virtual models allow both local and remote fruition of the monument they reproduce and regardless of the fact that it may be physically inaccessible for some reason. This paper focuses on the methodology followed to obtain adequate virtual reconstructions of the configurations that the church of Santa Sofia in Benevento, a small town in southern Italy, has assumed from the time of its foundation to the present day. The research has necessarily blended approaches and methods from the humanities and mathematical engineering and the reconstruction of lost or deeply modified parts required the study of different sources, with the integration of geometric and architectural data with archeological and archival findings. The resulting 3D models are an example of virtual heritage in which both spatial and temporal data cannot be separated to understand the evolution of the building under analysis
Integrated survey procedures: a methodological approach for documentation and representation applied to Emilia-Romagna theatres
No full textAfter the earthquake that struck the Emilia-Romagna Region in 2012, the need to activate efficient procedures for heritage conservation emerged. This paper presents a procedure for the integrated documentation of cultural heritage, starting from the current evaluation procedures, standards and tools for surveying seismic damage, namely the Form A (churches) and Form B (palaces) forms used by MiBAC (Ministry for Cultural Heritage). By adopting current tools, several information and details related to the historical, geo-morphological, stratified and structural data are lost. Starting from ongoing PhD research coordinated by the DIAPReM Centre of the University of Ferrara in collaboration with the Agenzia per la Ricostruzione dell'Emilia-Romagna-Sisma 2012, this contribution aims to deepen integrated survey procedures and management of digital tools. This contribution presents the overall methodological approach and a possible application on the Teatro Borgatti in Cento, Ferrara. Therefore, analysing the current scenario and State of the Art, a preliminary assessment of multilevel interpretation of damaged heritage will be illustrated as well as a possible management of seismic risk developing an interoperable and integrated BIM platform
Towards a Cultural Ecosystem: Museum Narration Meets Conservation Issues
No full textThis contribution starts from the most recent theories in the field of
communication sciences regarding narrative ecosystems and hypothesizes their
application in the cultural and museum field, creating a sort of “cultural ecosystem”
through the use of ICT. In particular, this study starts analysing an initiative
designed by the National Gallery of London entitled “Jan van Huysum Visits”:
during 2021, the painting “Flowers in a Terracotta Vase” travelled to six different
regions in the UK and it was exhibited in unusual locations, to bring the less
accustomed public closer to visiting museums, also designing recreational activities
related to the artwork, and collaboration with local institutions. Although
virtuous from the point of view of creating truly extended experiences around the
museum collections, these projects risk not keeping in the right mind the theme
of conservation of the artworks, which can be compromised by continuous movements
or exhibitions in places that are not suitable from the microclimatic point
of view. This study presents some applications to propose a practical solution,
replicable and able of combining the conservation needs of works of art with the
new narrative and ecosystemic perspectives that we hope for museum use. This
goal can be achieved using digital technologies, which allow the reproduction of
the physicality of artworks and different insights into diverse content. Referring to
new information architecture and documentation systems, we can develop a new
concept of sustainable digital heritage also creating some ad hoc digital platforms
for the narration of all aspects of conservation
Maintenance Procedure on WCLL Ancillary System–Virtual Reality Application
No full textTechnologies such as Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality (AR-VR) are changing the way to design the models. These technologies prove useful across all design phases, yet their greatest application lies in supporting the entire life cycle of a system. They shine during maintenance operations and training sessions, effectively teaching operators intricate procedures. The Virtual Reality is a useful technology in the nuclear fusion field, where the immersive visualization scenarios can be applied in to simulate maintenance operation to be conducted in radioactive environment. This study was applied on the ITER Water-Cooled-Lead-Lithium Test-Blanket-Module (WCLL-TBM) ancillary systems. The performances of the virtual reality have been tested simulating an entire maintenance operation, focusing on three main parameters: i) time, crucial aspect in nuclear field where is important to reduce the exposition to the radioactive material; ii) obstacles identification, to avoid interference with other objects during maintenance operation; iii) ergonomic standard, to consider all ergonomic parameters like the mass of the object and the verify of a correct position of an operator in each single operation. A maintenance simulation has been developed through use of a Virtual Reality tool (HTC-VIVE pro-2)
RFLP Approach to DTT Divertor Fixation System Design Using the 3DExperience Platform
No full textThe Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) systems lead the development of a product or a system from the early concept design until the end of the life allowing the knowledge management step by step. Among these systems, the 3DExperience platform adopts a Model Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) approach and allows to implement each phase of the design in a single co-simulation environment. This platform has been chosen for the development of the Divertor Tokamak Test (DTT) facility. The DTT tokamak, under construction at ENEA site in Frascati, has the main aim to contribute to the development of a reliable solution for power exhaust in a reactor, one of the major issues in the roadmap towards the realization of a nuclear fusion power plant. The divertor is one of the most challenging systems whose requirements coming from different physics and interfaces shall be balanced. The fixation system is the interface between the vacuum vessel and the divertor cassette body whose concept design has been carried out in a PLM system. This paper deals specifically with the application of the Requirement, Functional, Logical, Physical (RFLP) approach to the DTT divertor fixation system from the requirement elicitation and definition until the preliminary physical design, implementing each phase in the 3DExperience platform
Monitoring and Evaluation of Pietra Serena Decay Adopting NDT Techniques: Application on Building Stones in Situ
No full textDiagnostic investigations are fundamental procedures for the conservation and safeguarding of buildings belonging to the historical-artistic Heritage. In last five years, some corbels placed below balconies and eaves fell in Florentine area. Among the many episodes that have occurred it is important remember the visitor died in Santa Croce Basilica in October 2017, for dropping the ceiling off a stone corbel. To avoid damaging the Cultural Heritage and to protect people safety the Department of Earth Science - University of Florence has developed a new diagnostic approach, adopting fast, inexpensive and reliable techniques [1]. The diagnostic project includes the ultrasonic and Schmidt hammer tests, non-destructive techniques (NDTs) used to investigate the state of conservation of the stone used as an architectural component in the façades. This approach focuses on measurements carried out on Florentine Pietra Serena sandstone corbels of balconies belonging to historical buildings in Florence (Italy) and it is supported by laboratory studies as minero-petrographic analysis. Pietra Serena is a Florentine sandstone used in historical buildings in the Renaissance period and also in XIX century mainly for the balcony’s construction. The aim of this paper is the extension of a study protocol already started on previous artefacts, to investigate the corbels of new Florentine case studies: Pucci-Sansedoni Palace, Rimbotti Palace, Salone delle Feste Palace, Badia Fiesolana monastery and an historical building. The ultrasonic and rebound measurements collected, were inserted in reference database, to fast perceive the Pietra Serena decay, for distinguishing the weak points and unsteady elements, allowing the best intervention to make the stone elements safe and to ensure people safety
A Structured Methodology for New Product Development Combining QFD and MCDM: Case Study on Router Bits
Full text linkAn integrated approach to product development methods is necessary to connect and rationalize in a single framework the different design phases. Moreover, it allows to map and facilitate the decision-making process, especially when many stakeholders are involved. This paper presents a methodology for the design
and development of a new product or component that integrates Quality Function Deployment (QFD) and Multi Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) methods, from the definition of the user requirements to the generation and simulation of the concept models. The evaluation of the results is carried out at different stages of the process with a customer-driven approach. Initially QFD, combined with the Analytic Hierarchic Process (AHP), is applied to define the product requirements from the customer needs. Thereby, the focus of the subsequent development is identified. The concept generation phase is therefore implemented throughout a series of brainstorming sessions. A first selection among the generated solutions is conducted using a summarizing function, according to the level of requirement satisfaction. Several refinements of the chosen concepts are then derived from manufacturability considerations and Finite Element Analyses. Finally, according to the Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) a ranking of the developed products is obtained following the performance specifications. The presented methodology was applied to the development of a new router bit with insert knives, allowing to report the decision-making reasoning and to consider the user needs throughout the product design
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