Ricardo Castedo

Universidad Politécnica de Madrid | UPM · Departamento de Ingeniería Geológica y Minera

This paper presents a detailed comparative study on the effects of blast loads on a reinforced concrete (RC) structure, specifically a building constructed by the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, using the Applied Element Method (AEM) solver integrated with the Viper::Blast Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) solver. The primary goal of this resea...

Within the research project ITSAFE, two full-scale structures were built, one consisting of a single-storey, two-span, 7.00 × 14.00 m2 RC frame with a solid slab and another consisting of a two-storey, 7.00 × 7.00 m2 RC frame with solid slabs. In the two-span frame, one of the central supports was first demolished using a pneumatic hammer, resultin...

The use of digital tools was introduced in the laboratory teaching of different engineering subjects. Before the laboratory sessions, the students must watch interactive videos created with H5P technology and answer the different questions inserted in them. After the face-to-face sessions, the students must process the experimental data by using ap...

A good understanding of historical change rates is a key requirement for effective coastal zone management and reliable predictions of shoreline evolution. Historical shoreline erosion for the coast of Guardamar del Segura (Alicante, Spain) is analyzed based on aerial photographs dating from 1930 to 2022 using the Digital Shoreline Analysis System...

This research evaluates the performance of different protective solutions for reinforced concrete slabs subjected to blast loading. A series of full-scale blast tests were carried out on concrete slabs at scaled distances ranging from 0.20 to 0.83 m/kg1/3. For this purpose, 16 concrete slabs were tested; eight of them were unreinforced as ‘control...

A blast event may result in structural damage, generating high velocity fragments that usually come from masonry walls. To reduce the extent of damage from an explosion, one solution is to improve the strength of the structures. This can be achieved by retrofitting. In the field of safety against blast loading, experimental tests are of great value...

There is growing concern about the possibility of a suicide bomber being immolated when the army forces or the law enforcement agencies discover the place where they prepare their material or simply find themselves inside a building. To study the possible effects that these improvised explosive devices (IEDs) would have on the structures, eight tes...

Masonry walls are one of the most widely used constructive elements in buildings. They offer a cost-effective option and can satisfy many buildings requirements. However, their brittle composition leads them to generate high-speed debris under blast loads. Many casualties arise due to this kind of fragments. Strengthening of masonry walls is of muc...

This work presents the results of the partial substitution of Portland cement (PC) by natural fluorite (NF) and calcined fluorite (CF) in mortars, at 10%, 25% and 40%. To meet these objectives , a sample of fluorite was initially studied by XRD, SEM and Raman Spectroscopy (RS). A chemical quality analysis (CQA) and a chemical pozzolanicity test (CP...

This work deals with the response of eight reinforced concrete (RC) slabs, made at full-scale, some of them with the addition of externally bonded fibre reinforced polymer (FRP). The reinforcements were placed in all cases on the face opposite to the explosive detonation. Three scaled distances have been used from 0.83 m/kg1/3, in one test with no...

The use of woven Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FRP) as strengthening material on full-scale Reinforced Concrete (RC) slabs was studied in this paper. Carbon (CFRP) and E-glass (GFRP) fibers were tested for comparison. The specimens of the trials were subjected to blast loads at scaled distances of 0.83 m/kg1/3, 0.42 m/kg1/3 and 0.21 m/kg1/3, varying bo...

The paper proposes a novel methodology for the stabilization of shallow foundations, with a simplified model combined with 3D electrical resistivity tomography (ERT-3D and consolidation injections. To determine its usefulness, the method has been applied in a case located in Estepona (southern Spain). The chosen tomography model is the dipole–dipol...

The paper proposes a novel methodology for the stabilization of shallow foundations, with a simplified model combined with 3D Electrical resistivity tomography (ERT-3D) and conso- lidation injections. To determine its usefulness, the method has been applied in a case located in Estepona (southern Spain). The chosen tomography model is the dipole-di...

This paper investigates the response of three reinforced concrete slabs subjected to a dynamic (explosive) load at close range, through full-scale testing and its subsequent simulation with numerical models. The first slab was subjected to 1.74 kg of TNT equivalent at one-meter distance and instrumented with pressure and acceleration sensors. In th...

Masonry walls are one of the most common elements used in all kinds of buildings around the world. Due to the brittle composition of these elements, they may represent a hazard when an explosion occurs. This research is conducted to investigate the performance of different protective solutions applied on brick masonry walls subjected to blast loads...

The importance of preserving affected buildings and infrastructures to landslides is a critical problem in some areas. A system that is less invasive than traditional concrete diaphragm walls or piles is proposed in this work. The proposed system consists of the execution of a row of micropiles and anchors with a methodology of calculation based on...

The discretization error is not always calculated, even though it is essential for the studies of computational solid mechanics. However, it is well known that an error committed by the mesh used can be as large as the measured variable, which greatly invalidates the results obtained. The grid convergence index (GCI) method makes possible to determ...

The response of brick masonry walls against blast loads has become an important topic in recent years. The debris from masonry walls or their collapse can become a major hazard when the main structure does not collapse. In this paper, a damage assessment of brick masonry walls subjected to blast loading is presented. For this purpose, three differe...

The flipped classroom technique has been applied to a part (“Strength of Materials”) of a second‐year compulsory course called “Technology of Materials.” Due to the number of students, the course is divided into two groups – one taught with the traditional methodology (98 students), and the other taught with the flipped one (97 students). In the tr...

A significant number of airblast test have been carried out with the purpose to characterise and analyse the properties of improvised explosive device (IED) with non-conventional explosives in terms of knowing the effects on people and/or structures. Small devices with 1.5 kg of explosive, initiated with a detonating cord have been studied. Seven d...

Slope stability is a key topic, not only for engineers but also for politicians, due to the considerable monetary and human losses that landslides can cause every year. In fact, it is estimated that landslides have caused thousands of deaths and economic losses amounting to tens of billions of euros per year around the world. The geological stabili...

A damage assessment methodology, based on the Schmidt hammer rebound value, has been developed and applied to evaluate the integrity of different structural elements after a blast event. All the elements (nine slabs, five beams and four masonry walls) were tested at full-scale with scaled distances that range from 0.2 to 2.92 m/kg1/3. The methodolo...

This work investigates the response of a blast loaded reinforced slab with different constructive characteristics. This topic has been well covered during the last years, but there are a reduce number of them that presents blast test at realistic scale. Seven different slabs were tested: three at a scaled distance of 0.79 m/kg 1/3 , one at 0.41 m/k...

At present, modern jumbos equipped with MWD (Measure While Drilling) provide the position of the blastholes collar and, from the drill length and the azimuth and inclination angles (monitored outside the blasthole), the theoretical end position of the blasthole. Since the trajectory of the hole during the drill is not measured, deviations are not a...

The use of flipped classroom in higher education has increased in recent years, but there are still few quantitative data on student achievement. In this chapter, a flipped classroom methodology has been applied during two consecutive academic years in an engineering degree. During the first year, one group was taught with traditional lecture (used...

The damage from blasting to the remaining rock mass is analyzed with the purpose of developing a drilling index from measure while drilling (MWD) parameters, able to predict high risk of potential over- and under-excavated zones produced by blasting in the contour of a tunnel. A new methodology based on the comparison of scanner profiles of the exc...

A microspheres-sensitized emulsion explosive, to be used in rock blasting tests, is characterized by means of the cylinder test. This test measures the expansion of a copper tube upon detonation of an explosive charge inside. Eight cylinder tests have been made with two different diameters (50 mm and 100 mm) and two different densities (1180 kg/m³...

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the applicability of the LS-DYNA software using a Lagrangian formulation in the jet formation, flight and penetration of improvised explosively formed projectiles (EFPs). Numerical results dealing with different properties of the EFPs have been validated with a significant number of field tests....

The use of flipped-classroom methodology has increased recently in higher education. However, there is a lack of quantitative data on students' performance, especially in engineering courses. A flipped-classroom methodology has been developed in two different engineering degrees with 167 students. In both degrees also a control group with 156 stude...

This paper presents a real case of using a MOOC course into an obligatory subject in a Master level with face-to-face lessons as a supplementary (and optional) material. The case presented is related to a MOOC course developed between April and May of 2018, in Miriada X. The objective is to improve the students' involvement and independence of usin...

The use of flipped‐classroom methodology (FC) has increased recently, however, there is a lack of quantitative data on students’ performance. A FC has been applied into a group (80 students) of an obligatory subject of the 2nd course in an Energetic Engineering Bachelor. A second group has been taught with the traditional methodology (72 students)...

Slope stability is a key topic, not only for engineers but also for politicians, due to the considerable monetary and human losses that landslides can cause every year. In fact, it is estimated that landslides have caused thousands of deaths and economic losses amounting to tens of billions of euros per year around the world. The geological stabili...

This paper investigates fragmentation in an aggregate quarry in the light of the fragmentation-energy fan concept. Six blasts were monitored, located one behind the other in the same quarry area. The rock structure was blocky, the water level and the usage of explosives were variable within and between the blasts; however, the distribution of explo...

The high cost and the difficulty of installing the drill monitoring system commonly known as MWD (Measurement While Drilling), especially in older drills, restrain the use of this technology in numerous small quarries and mines. An in-house MWD system is presented here as a low-cost alternative that allows monitoring the information of any rig whil...

A total of 43 tests were made on a vibration shaker to measure the transfer properties of a blasting seismograph. The main elements of the full monitoring chain are modelled using second order transfer functions. The parameters of these functions are calibrated through nonlinear fits of the measured responses. The form of the overall resulting tran...

Contour profile quality affects tunnel excavation costs, in terms of operational safety, support materials and construction time. In drill and blast tunnelling, under/over-excavation and rock mass damage arising from excavation phase can be evaluated by means of the elaboration of survey data and geophysical testing or coring, before and after the...

The mutual relation between Measurement While Drilling (MWD) parameters in percussive-rotary drilling is investigated in order to limit the number of MWD variables, and to select the more significant ones, that are required for a sound rock mass characterization. Cross-correlation of the MWD signals is used to determine their relations, the analysi...

In order to clarify the requirements for satisfactory coupling on rock, six methods to monitor vibrations with blasting seismographs are investigated in the longitudinal component of the vibratory motion. The methods studied consisted on placing the geophone mount on a granite surface freely (loosely), held with a sandbag, and attached with an anch...

The aim of this work is to assess the performance of different constructive solutions against explosions on the strength of masonry walls. The solutions tested, namely an external metal mesh, a glass fi bre fi lm on the external face of the wall and a basalt fi bre fi lm located on the inner face of the wall, have low to medium cost and are origina...

The coastal erosion along the world's coastlines is a natural process that occurs through the actions of marine and subaerial physico-chemical phenomena, waves, tides, and currents. The development of cliff erosion predictive models is limited due to the complex interactions between environmental processes and material properties over a wide range...

Resumen Dentro de los artefactos explosivos improvisados se encuentran aquellos que generan proyectiles formados por explosión, penetradores de blindajes y sistemas acorazados, como los utilizados por grupos insurgentes contra las fuerzas aliadas en zona de operaciones. El objeto de este estudio es reproducir y entender el comportamiento de dichos...

Field guidelines and recommendations for blasting vibration monitoring on a hard surface, suggest that the geophone mount should be coupled to the ground in a way that depends on the anticipated vibration level. However, the quantitative performance of the coupling method is basically unknown. In order to investigate this, the ground-to-mount coupl...

Una gran parte de los problemas actuales que se resuelven en ingeniería y, en general, en las ciencias, al ser formulados mediante un modelo matemático, incluso, a veces, tratados numéricamente, precisan de la utilización de un sistema computacional para obtener su solución. Hoy en día existe en el mercado un amplio abanico de posibilidades para el...

The Jones-Wilkins-Lee (JWL) equation of state parameters for ANFO and emulsion-type explosives have been obtained from cylinder test expansion measurements. The calculation method comprises a new radial expansion function, with a non-zero initial velocity at the onset of the expansion in order to comply with a positive Gurney energy at unit relativ...

The Jones-Wilkins-Lee (JWL) equation of state parameters for ANFO and emulsion-type explosives have been obtained from cylinder test expansion measurements. The calculation method comprises a new radial expansion function, with a non-zero initial velocity at the onset of the expansion in order to comply with a positive Gurney energy at unit relativ...

A partially failed landslide resembling a cascade and which imparted a step-like topography occurred on 7 July 2007 during the south-west monsoon in Erumakolli tea estate near Meppadi in Wayanad district, Kerala. Five steps (towards north) were identified in the area, with the last step being the most devastating. The landslide ruined two houses an...

A key requirement for effective coastal zone management is good knowledge of historical rates of change and the ability to predict future shoreline evolution, especially for rapidly eroding areas. Historical shoreline recession analysis was used for the prediction of future cliff shoreline positions along a section of 9 km between Bridlington and H...

Dentro de los artefactos explosivos improvisados (IEDs) se encuentran aquellos que generan proyectiles formados por explosión (EFPs), estos proyectiles alcanzan de velocidades superiores a los 1000 m/s después de la explosión lo que les dota una gran capacidad de penetración en los blindajes y sistemas acorazados, por ello son de uso común entre lo...

Dentro de los artefactos explosivos improvisados (IEDs) se encuentran aquellos que generan proyectiles formados por explosión (EFPs), estos proyectiles alcanzan de velocidades superiores a los 1000 m/s después de la explosión lo que les dota una gran capacidad de penetración en los blindajes y sistemas acorazados, por ello son de uso común entre lo...

A mathematical model combining the effects of wave erosion, beach sediment, and bluff slope stability has been developed to study the episodic, cyclical recession of cohesive clay coasts. The model was applied to the southern Great Lakes in North America which, although non-tidal, experience seasonal fluctuations in lake level of about 0.5 m and lo...

The International Conference on Coastal Engineering (ICCE) is a biennial conference held under the auspices of the Coastal Engineering Research Council of the COPRI (Coasts, Oceans, Ports, Rivers Institute) of the American Society of Civil Engineers. The Proceedings of the ICCE are provided here, with papers covering a wide range of topics includin...

The development of cliff erosion predictive models is limited by the complex interactions between environmental processes and material properties over a range of temporal and spatial scales. Current models incorporate a stochastic representation of cliff behavior based on assumptions regarding the magnitude and frequency of events in a probabilisti...

A semi-quantitative heuristic methodology is developed to map a rockfall detachment susceptibility zonation of El Hierro Island (Canary Archipelago). The rationalized procedure, which we called non-weighted bounded indicators, is based on overlapping thematic maps of conditioning factors to mass movement, which are appropriately and individually re...

The recession of coastal cliffs is a widespread phenomenon on the rocky shores that are exposed to the combined incidence of marine and meteorological processes that occur in the shoreline. This phenomenon is revealed violently and occasionally as gravitational movements of the ground and can cause material or human losses. Their prediction is diff...

The recession of coastal cliffs is a widespread phenomenon on the rocky shores that are exposed to the combined incidence of marine and meteorological processes that occur in the shoreline. This phenomenon is revealed violently and occasionally as gravitational movements of the ground and can cause material or human losses. Their prediction is diff...

At the moment the development of predictive cliff-erosion models is limited from a geomorphological perspective due to the complex interactions existing between coupled processes acting over wide scales of time and space. Current models incorporate a probabilistic framework in order to simulate coastal recession events or cliff failure and tend to...

El desarrollo de modelos predictivos de retroceso de acantilados costeros se encuentra limitado desde el punto de vista geomorfo- lógico debido a la complejidad e interacción de los procesos de desarrollo espacio-temporal que tienen lugar en la zona costera. Los códigos de cálculo, existentes en la actualidad, incorporan modelos probabilísticos par...