Abstract

This article discusses the measurement and simulation of a first generation prototype of Virtual Natural Lighting Solutions (VNLS), which are systems that can artificially provide natural lighting as well as a realistic outside view, with properties comparable to those of real windows and skylights. Examples of employing Radiance as a simulation tool to predict the lighting performance of such solutions are shown, for a particular case study of a VNLS prototype displaying variations of a simplified view of overcast, clear, and partly cloudy skies. Measurement and simulation were conducted to evaluate the illuminance distribution on workplane level. The key point of this study is to show that simulations can be used to compare an actual VNLS prototype with a hypothetical real window under the same sky scenes, which was physically not possible, since the test room was not located at the building׳s façade. It is found that the investigated prototype yields a less rapidly drop illuminance distribution and a larger average illuminance than the corresponding real window, under the overcast (52 lx compared to 28 lx) and partly cloudy (102 lx compared to 80 lx) sky scenes. Under the clear sky scene, the real window yields a larger average illuminance (97 lx) compared to the prototype (71 lx), due to the influence of direct sunlight.

Abstract

As part of the THERMALTUNNEL R&D, partially funded by Centro para el Desarrollo Tecnológico e Industrial (CDTI), a Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation agency, PRO GEO has developed a soil penetration prototype that measures soil temperature and the thermal properties of the ground (thermal conductivity and specific heat) at different depths. The prototype is the size of a conventional CPT and contains an internal heat source with local thermocouples. A data acquisition system measures the temperature both in the prototype itself and in the surrounding ground through a penetration needle protruding from the main body of the prototype. The thermal parameters are determined by analyzing the measured heating and cooling temperature curves using the finite element codes CODE_BRIGHT (Olivella et al., 1993) and G-PFEM (Monforte, 2018). In this later numerical code, a thermal analysis module has been incorporated within the framework of the project. The operation of the prototype has been satisfactory in laboratory tests through a calibration chamber setup with granular soil under different controlled conditions of water saturation and porosity to assess the impact of those variables on the obtained values of soil thermal conductivity and specific heat. The back-analyzed parameters from the calibration chamber results have been compared with point tests (thermal conductivity and specific heat tests). The project has been developed with the cooperation of CIMNE – International Centre for Numerical Methods in Engineering.

Abstract

The ADICORK project is associated with an agreement between the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Sustainable Development of the Junta de Andalucía and the INNANOMAT research group of the University of Cádiz. It is oriented to the development of industrial applications with polymer-based composite materials based on cork, which allow the manufacture of innovative value-added products, using the technology of Large Format Additive Manufacturing. This technology makes it possible to manufacture high-volume industrial products, compared to the usual additive manufacturing technologies.

Some of the polymer bases studied to develop the composite materials presented in this communication, within the framework of the indicated project, are ABS, PET-G, PLA and ASA. The incorporation of cork in the form of a microparticulate powder, properly processed, has made it possible to achieve improvements in certain properties of the composite materials and, in some cases, after carrying out a screening, in the particle size. Among the properties that have been improved, the mechanical and thermal ones stand out. With the methodology developed, it has been possible to obtain recyclable and more sustainable composite materials than the starting polymeric material.

This type of technology has made it possible to obtain attractive and differentiated products of complex geometries, based on and inspired by the territorial and natural origin of cork and its collection, which by other types of manufacturing processes could be impossible or very expensive to create. The sectors in which these developments make sense are varied and in this communication we will focus on the presentation of prototypes developed with the composite materials developed for the furniture, lighting and habitat sectors.