Observed earthquake damage, laboratory tests, and loss analyses have shown gypsum partition walls to be susceptible to earthquake damage under small story drift ratios, which can result in large losses under design earthquake ground motions. To mitigate this risk, a new friction/sliding connection is proposed that can minimize or prevent damage to partition walls for story drift ratios of 1% or more. The proposed friction/sliding connection isolates the partition wall from the structure while providing sufficient resistance to support out-of-plane forces on the wall induced by inertial effects. Test results of three prototype connections and two full-scale wall partition specimens, with and without the friction connection detail, are summarized to demonstrate the improved performance that can be achieved with the proposed friction/sliding connection. Whereas the test of the conventional wall specimen began experiencing damage at 0.1 to 0.3% story drift ratio, the wall specimen with the connection could undergo drifts up to about 1.5% without any damage.
Eco-bricks, polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles filled with mixed inorganic waste, have become a low cost construction material and a valid recycling method to reduce waste disposal in regions where industrial recycling is not yet available. Because Eco-bricks are filled with mixed recovered materials, potential recycling of its constituents is difficult at the end of its life. This study proposes considering Eco-bricks filled with a single inorganic waste material to work as a time capsule, with potential for recovering the filling material when other ways of waste valorization are available within those communities that currently have no better recycling options. This paper develops an experimental characterization of density, filler content (by volume), thermal shrinkage, elastic modulus and deformation recovery capacity using four different filler materials: 1) PET; 2) paper & cardboard; 3) tetrapack; and 4) metal. Overall, Eco-brick's density, thermal shrinkage and elastic modulus are dependent on the filler content. Density and elastic modulus of the proposed Eco-bricks are similar to values of medium-high density expanded polystyrene (EPS) used in nonstructural construction, reason why we suggest that these Eco-bricks might be a sustainable alternative to EPS or other nonstructural construction materials.Key words: Eco-bricks; inorganic solid waste valorization; physical characterization; elastic modulus; nonstructural materials.
ResumenLos Eco-ladrillos, botellas de politereftalato de etileno (PET, por sus siglas en inglés) rellenas con residuos inorgánicos, se han convertido en un material de construcción de bajo costo y un método válido de reciclaje para reducir la disposición de basura en regiones donde el reciclaje industrial no está aún disponible. Debido a que los Eco-ladrillos son rellenados con materiales reciclados combinados, se reduce el potencial de reciclaje de sus constituyentes al finalizar su vida útil. Este estudio propone crear Eco-ladrillos rellenados con un solo tipo de deshecho inorgánico para funcionar como cápsulas del tiempo con potencial de recuperar el material de relleno cuando otras formas de valorización de deshechos estén disponibles entre las comunidades que actualmente no tienen mejores opciones de reciclaje. El presente trabajo consiste en una caracterización experimental de densidad, volumen de llenado, contracción térmica, módulo elástico y capacidad de recuperación de su deformación, considerando cuatro materiales de relleno diferentes: a) PET; b) papel & cartón; c) tetrapack; y 4) metal. En general, la densidad, contracción térmica y módulo de elasticidad de los Eco-ladrillos depende del volumen de llenado. La densidad y módulo de elasticidad de los Eco-ladrillos propuestos son similares a los valores de poliestireno expandido (EPS, por sus siglas en inglés) de densidades medias-altas usados en construcción no estructural, razón por lo cual sugerimos que estos Eco-ladrillos pueden ser una alternativa sustentable al EPS u otros materiales de construcción n...
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