Esther Puertas

University of Granada | UGR · Department of Structural Mechanics and Hydraulic Engineering

Rammed earth construction, an ancient and sustainable building technique, faces significant preservation challenges, particularly in historical contexts. This study aims to enhance the preventive preservation of rammed earth historical heritage through a comprehensive methodology combining continuous monitoring, architectural inspections, and data...

Traditional teaching of structural analysis is focused on the acquisition of theoretical knowledge and the resolution of simple case studies, with time constraints that prevent students from facing complex structural problems at a professional level. This situation, together with the difficulty of the subject itself, generates disinterest and rejec...

Sustainable development and the preservation of the natural environment are two concepts that are becoming increasingly important in the construction sector, leading to a growing interest in the development of ecofriendly building solutions. In this regard, the use of waste polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles as a construction material is an i...

The presence of defects in the form of cracks is frequent in rammed earth historic buildings located in seismic zones. The influence of these cracks, however, has not been directly taken into account in the numerical models for this kind of structures existing to date in the literature. In this light, this study presents an analysis of a FEM model...

In response to escalating global environmental challenges, developed countries have embarked on an ecological transition across a range of sectors. Among these, the construction industry plays a key role due to its extensive use of raw materials and energy resources. In particular, research into sustainable construction materials, here named eco-ma...

The growing awareness on the importance of the preservation of Cultural heritage (CH) buildings has driven the more frequent implementation of Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) systems. Such systems rely on the implementation of long-term monitoring systems, in such a way that inspection and rehabilitation actions can be scheduled according to the...

This work presents the results of a Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) campaign conducted from January until March 2022 in a 13th centuy rammed earth tower, the Muhammad Tower, in the Alhambra fortress (Granada, Spain). The investigation was framed within a research project aimed at assessing the structural damage experienced by the tower after a s...

Abstract: Free-Free Resonant Column and Spectral Analysis of Surface Waves are two nondestructive testing techniques which are becoming increasingly relevant in construction engineering, as they offer the possibility of assessing the mechanical properties of the building materials without damaging the sample. In the present study, these two testing...

Rammed earth has a longstanding tradition as a construction method and has recently gained renewed interest as an eco-friendly building technique. To employ it effectively in contemporary constructions, proper characterization of its mechanical properties and the development of predictive models become essential. Rammed earth structures usually wor...

This work presents the development of a model-based online damage identification system for a 13th century rammed earth (RE) tower in the Alhambra, the Muhammad Tower. The system is fed with continuous data from an ambient vibration-based monitoring system and a meteorological station. Ambient vibrations are continuously processed through Operation...

Earth construction techniques, such as rammed earth, are present worldwide due to the availability of the material and its mechanical performance. Today they are also attracting attention as an environmentally friendly way of building, although additivation is usually needed. Lime stabilization is an interesting option with long tradition, well-kno...

Rammed earth is a traditional construction technique that is attracting the interest of the building sector due to its limited cost and very low environmental impact. The use of rammed earth in modern construction, however, often requires an improvement of its properties in order to reach the performance levels fixed by the diverse national and int...

Numerical analysis techniques are becoming an essential tool over the last few decades in the field of maintenance and preservation of architectural heritage. This study presents the development of a numerical model of the Tower of Comares, in the fortress of the Alhambra (Granada, Spain). A thorough research on the historical documentation was car...

Nondestructive testing techniques have attracted growing interest in the last few years due to their ability to assess material properties without damaging the specimens. The free-free resonance method is a nondestructive testing technique based on the analysis of the natural frequencies of a sample. This study presents and discusses the applicabil...

[PUBLISHED VERSION: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/379776185_Experimental_Evaluation_of_Waste_PET_Bottles_as_a_Sustainable_Building_Material]. Sustainable development and the preservation of the natural environment are two concepts that are becoming increasingly important in the construction sector, leading to a growing interest in the de...

Spectral Analysis of Surface Waves (SASW) is an in-situ non-destructive testing technique which allows to evaluate historic masonry buildings by characterising the mechanical properties of the materials without damaging the structure. This paper presents the theoretical bases of this technique and describes its application on an existing masonry st...

The increasing resource consumption, waste generation, and carbon footprint in the construction sector has drawn the attention of builders and researchers to alternative sustainable construction techniques and materials, such as rammed earth (RE). The mechanical behavior of RE is often enhanced through the use of diverse additives; although cement...

Rammed earth is the construction system of many heritage structures and buildings in different regions of the planet, some of which are seismically active areas. For this reason, these historic buildings can sustain structural damage or have already been subjected to stresses that have led to high levels of cracking in the rammed earth walls. There...

Sustainable development is becoming increasingly important in the construction sector. Therefore, building techniques that reduce environmental impacts by minimizing industrial processes and using locally available materials, such as earth, are receiving a new impetus. This paper presents a review of the state-of-the-art of research on characteriza...

The increasing resource consumption, waste generation, and carbon footprint in the construction sector has drawn the attention of builders and researchers to alternative sustainable construction techniques and materials, such as rammed earth (RE). The mechanical behavior of RE is often enhanced through the use of diverse additives; although cement...

There exists a large number of masonry historical buildings with a high heritage value whose preservation has to be ensured. For this purpose, it is important to establish a methodology to assess their structural reliability in the case of extraordinary load events. Particularly, the materials and construction techniques employed in this kind of bu...

Fundamental Solutions (FS) are useful for numerical methods, specifically in applications such as the Boundary Element Method (BEM) or the Method of Fundamental Solutions (MFS). Obtaining analytically the FS for a given problem is frequently unfeasible since it entails the solution of a complex system of differential equations. In this paper, a nov...

We are providing results of non-destructive techniques based on surface wave propagation and Rayleigh waves methodology in stratigraphic materials such as conventional rammed earth used in architectonic heritage and RAMMED EARTH dwellings typical of our history and cultural past. The resonance frequency technique has been developed with total succe...

Fundamental Solutions (FS) are useful for numerical methods, specifically in applications such as the Boundary Element Method (BEM) or the Method of Fundamental Solutions (MFS). Obtaining analytically the FS for a given problem is frequently unfeasible since it entails the solution of a complex system of differential equations. In this paper, a nov...

A challenge faced when modeling crack-like contours by the Boundary Element Method, is to obtain an accurate approximation of integrals which have singular and/or hypersingular kernels. In this paper, we apply a procedure based on regularization of the kernels to compute singular and hypersingular integrals for time harmonic wave problems in two an...

A estereotomia da abóbada que constitui o pórtico inferior do pátio do palácio de Carlos V em Granada forma um sistema estrutural auto-estável, porém durante a fase de construção o conjunto seria instável sem o uso de meios auxiliares. As técnicas de pesquisa histórica baseadas em inspeções visuais e a consulta de fontes documentais conjugadas com...

This paper introduces a methodology to measure material properties in heritage masonry structures using Non-destructive Methods (NDT). This study aims to analyze the feasibility and effectiveness of Spectral Analysis of Surface Waves Method (SASW) to in-situ determination of the material properties of historical buildings. SASW technique involves m...

This paper presents the design of an experimental setup with a reduced number of sensors for the structural health monitoring of the historical bridge of Posadas (Córdoba, Spain), designed by the eminent engineer Eduardo Torroja in 1957. The motivation of this study stems from the need for safeguarding this piece of cultural heritage. In particular...

This work presents an example in which 3D analysis carried out by finite elements methods becomes essential to understand the surface processes occurred in an urbanized rock massif (Cerro del Candado, Malaga). The studied area is a small hill of elliptical shaped plan (700x400m) located to the East of Malaga Town. As a main peculiarity of this hill...

This paper presents an analytical solution for the steady-state response of a homogeneous three-dimensional half-space subject to a time-harmonic point load. This expresion is of great importance in the formulation of three-dimensional elastodynamic problems in a half-space by means of boundary element methods which can be employed as a Fundamental...

This paper presents an analytical solution for the steady-state response of a homogeneous three-dimensional half-space subject to a time-harmonic point load. These expressions are of a great importance in the formulation of three-dimensional elastodynamic problems in a half-space by means of boundary element methods where is employed as a Fundament...

El Método de los Elementos de Contorno 2.5D se emplea para el estudio de propagación de ondas en medios en los que la geometría analizada puede considerarse bidimensional al ser invariante en una dimensión, pero las cargas no lo son. La Solución Fundamental empleada es la solución analítica correspondiente a la respuesta en un semiespacio homogéneo...

The use of computing codes allowing finite elements analysis is a very useful tool in detecting variations of the tensional state of rock massifs. Most of the codes used for ground modelling only allow 2D analysis. However, in the case of complex slope instabilities, it is necessary to consider the variation of resistant properties in a 3D model. T...

This paper presents an analytical solution for the steady-state response of a homogeneous three-dimensional half-space subject to a time-harmonic point load. This expression is of a great importance in the formulation of three-dimensional elastodynamic problems in a half-space by means of boundary element methods where can be employed as a Fundamen...