Diagnosis of degradation state of the historic building facade through qualitative and quantitative indicators: case study of the Former School of Agronomy Eliseu Maciel

PurposeIn Brazil, the city of Pelotas experienced an economic apex between the end of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth century, reflecting in the construction of several buildings. The aim of this article is to evaluate the state of degradation of the facades of the Old School of Agronomy Eliseu Maciel, using qualitative and quantitative indicators.Design/methodology/approachThe study was divided into visual and photographic survey, damage map and subsequent application of the Degradation Measurement Method (MMD) and the Element Performance Index (Ip). Taking into consideration the evaluation of the building: through historical research and survey of damages. Finally, the building was framed at a level of degradation.FindingsBy calculating the average damage between the methods – damage map, MMD and Ip – a more faithful representation of the damage was obtained, since the values become balanced. The results show the potential of the use of the methods in the analysis of pathological manifestations in facades.Originality/valueThe originality of this article refers to the use of methods for evaluation of historical buildings. The authors believe that the methods described applied jointly provide the results about the state of degradation through nondestructive and low-cost analyses. The methods of surveying damage to Brazilian heritage are a little researched area. This work will hopefully be engaged by academics and professionals to help establish and promote broad government interest and investments.

Fluid Degradation Measurement Based on a Dual Coil Frequency Response Analysis

Electrical industry uses oils for cooling and insulation of several machines, such as power transformers. In addition, it uses water for cooling some synchronous generators. To avoid malfunctions in these assets, fluid quality should be preserved. To contribute to this aim, a sensor that detects changes in fluid composition is presented. The designed sensor is like a single-phase transformer whose magnetic core is the fluid whose properties will be measured. The response of this device to a frequency sweep is recorded. Through a comparison between any measurement and a reference one corresponding to a healthy state, pollutants presence, such as water in oil or salt in water, can be measured. The performance of the sensor was analyzed through simulation. In addition, a prototype was built and tested measuring water concentration in oil and salt content in water. The correlation between pollutant concentration measured with the sensor and known pollutant concentrations is good.

DEVELOPMENT OF A LAND DEGRADATION ASSESSMENT MODEL BASED ON FIELD INDICATORS ASSESSMENT AND PREDICTION METHODS IN WAI SARI, SUB-WATERSHED KAIRATU DISTRICT, WESTERN SERAM REGENCY, MALUKU PROVINCE, INDONESIA

The study was conducted in Wai Sari sub-watershed, Western Seram Regency Maluku to develop an accurate land degradation assessment model for tropical small islands. The Stocking’s field land degradation measurement and RUSLE methods were applied to estimate soil loss by erosion and the results of both methods were statistically tested in order to obtain a correction factor. Field indicators and prediction data were measured on 95 slope units derived from the topographic map. The rates of soil loss were calculated according to both methods, and the results were used to classify the degree of land degradation. The results show that the degree of land degradation based on the field assessment ranges from none-slight (4.04 - 17.565 t/ha/yr) to very high (235.44 - 404.00 t/ha/yr), while the RUSLE method ranges from none-slight (0.04-4.59 t/ha/yr) to very high 203.90 - 518.13 t/ha/yr. However, the RUSLE method shows much higher in average soil loss (133.4 t/ha/yr) than the field assessment (33.9 t/ha/yr). The best regression equation of logD/RP = - 0.594 + 1.0 logK + 1.0 logLS + 1.0 logC or D = 0.2547xRxKxLSx CxP was found to be a more suitable land degradation assessment model for a small-scale catchment area in the tropical small islands.

DEVELOPMENT OF A LAND DEGRADATION ASSESSMENT MODEL BASED ON FIELD INDICATORS ASSESSMENT AND PREDICTION METHODS IN WAI SARI, SUB-WATERSHED KAIRATU DISTRICT, WESTERN SERAM REGENCY, MALUKU PROVINCE, INDONESIA

The study was conducted in Wai Sari sub-watershed, Western Seram Regency Maluku to develop an accurate land degradation assessment model for tropical small islands. The Stocking’s field land degradation measurement and RUSLE methods were applied to estimate soil loss by erosion and the results of both methods were statistically tested in order to obtain a correction factor. Field indicators and prediction data were measured on 95 slope units derived from the topographic map. The rates of soil loss were calculated according to both methods, and the results were used to classify the degree of land degradation. The results show that the degree of land degradation based on the field assessment ranges from none-slight (4.04 - 17.565 t/ha/yr) to very high (235.44 - 404.00 t/ha/yr), while the RUSLE method ranges from none-slight (0.04-4.59 t/ha/yr) to very high 203.90 - 518.13 t/ha/yr. However, the RUSLE method shows much higher in average soil loss (133.4 t/ha/yr) than the field assessment (33.9 t/ha/yr). The best regression equation of logD/RP = - 0.594 + 1.0 logK + 1.0 logLS + 1.0 logC or D = 0.2547xRxKxLSx CxP was found to be a more suitable land degradation assessment model for a small-scale catchment area in the tropical small islands.