Salvador Ivorra

• PhD Structural Engineering
• Chair at University of Alicante // University of Bristol

This paper reports a proposal of a neural predictor, which could usefully improve performance in predicting the compressive strength of SCC, when used for innovative housing. The predictor is intended for its ability to provide accurate predictions on structures where verification against high temperatures should be required, thus offering an inter...

Currently, it is admitted that extended structures are subjected to spatially varying earthquake ground motions. It has been recognized that the causes of this variability are time delay at each support of the structure, coherency loss effect caused by the propagation of seismic waves and local site effect. The spatial variation of local characteri...

This paper summarizes the numerical and experimental results obtained from tests on a 2/3 scale U-shaped masonry building constructed in one of the ICITECH laboratories at the Universitat Politècnica de València (Spain). The tests were aimed at evaluating the effectiveness of cement-based reinforcing materials (Textile Reinforced Mortar) applied to...

This study analyzes the thermo-mechanical behavior of a brick vault and the effect of a fire on its dynamic characteristics. Based on the results of an experimental test of a real barrel vault with a net span of 161 cm and a net rise of 46.5 cm, an accurate numerical model to simulate the behavior of the brick-and-mortar structure under thermo-mech...

The damage identification of railway bridges poses a formidable challenge given the large variability in the environmental/operational conditions that such structures are subjected to along their lifespan. Within a research project devoted to the continuous monitoring of a real in-operation bridge, the Mascarat Viaduct in Alicante (Spain), this pap...

This work shows the preliminary results related to the evaluation of the dynamic behavior of a 5x5 m masonry cross vault after undergoing different changes in its structural behavior. It has been built using solid clay bricks and lime and sand mortar. The cross vault has been built in the laboratory specifically for carrying out these tests and eva...

The potential of ultra high performance concrete (UHPC) for strengthening masonry structures is evaluated in this work, both under normal service conditions and after exposure to high temperatures, as a significant gap has been identified on this topic at the present time. The mechanical properties of UHPC exposed up to 800 °C are analyzed by means...

Este trabajo describe los estudios realizados y la intervención llevada a cabo para la restauración de la portada de la fachada de San Pedro Apóstol en la Iglesia parroquial de Agost. Esta portada se realizó a finales del siglo XVIII en piedra calcárea. Tras una primera inspección y levantamiento gráfico de la misma se identificaron las lesiones, s...

A key feature that determines the seismic performance of masonry buildings is the ability of the walls to withstand in-plane cyclic loads. In this context, Textile Reinforced Mortars (TRM) have proven to be a very suitable strengthening solution, although their effectiveness after high temperature exposure is currently practically unexplored. This...

The damage identification of railway bridges poses a formidable challenge given the large variability in the environmental and operational conditions that such structures are subjected to along their lifespan. To address this challenge, this paper proposes a novel damage identification approach exploiting continuously extracted time series of autor...

Vehicular traffic represents the most influential loads on the structural integrity of railway bridges, therefore the design on dynamic criteria. This work explores the use of strain dynamic measurements to characterize the health condition of railway bridges under moving train loads. Specifically, the approach proposed in this work exploits the im...

While rammed earth structures are a sustainable design alternative, they are particularly vulnerable to horizontal forces such as seismic loads. Traditional seismic design techniques follow four main principles. (i) Improving connections and forming closed contours. (ii) Stabilizing structural elements by providing resistance and deformation capaci...

The need to safeguard and often restore the historical-architectural heritage has led over the years to the introduction of different types of structural reinforcements based on the use of fibres made of different materials capable of increasing the tensile strength of a given structural element. Such solutions are certainly valid in the case of se...

The behavior of masonry walls strengthened with Textile Reinforced Mortars (TRM) is a topic that has received considerable attention from researchers in recent years. However, the response of such elements after exposure to high temperature is an issue that remains to be explored extensively. This study analyzes the behavior of TRM-strengthened bri...

As structural damage or even catastrophic collapses are sometimes due to improper design, underestimated design loads or unexpectedly extreme loads, progressive collapse and structural robustness has recently received a great deal of attention, while the number of scientific papers published on the topic has grown considerably. This paper describes...

Due to the present significant need to repair and maintain our buildings and the building repair sector’s minimal experience in special structural elements, we here describe a study on the repair of ceramic violin joist slabs in an actual intervention on a building erected in the 1950s that had been unsuccessfully repaired several times. Due to dam...

El presente trabajo analiza el estado actual de la cubierta de la Basílica de Santa María, Alicante, España. Este edificio data del siglo XIII y está catalogado. Para el análisis de las eflorescencias que se observan se realiza un análisis de la tipología constructiva, así como un análisis visual del estado de las mismas, describiendo las manifesta...

This paper describes the collapse analysis of the historical El Jaume bell, cast in 1429, one of the bells in the Cathedral of Valencia’s Micalet bell tower (Spain). In 1992 the yoke was completely restored and given a new steel axis. The failure occurred when the bells were being rung on Christmas Day 2014, fortunately without any casualties. Afte...

A novel experimental study of the seismic response of a 2 m x 2 m in plan - 0.7 m in height groin vault model, involving 266 tests conducted on the shaking table of EQUALS laboratory, University of Bristol, UK, is reported. The experimental rig consists of blocks formed by a 3D-printed plastic skin to provide stiffness and strength, filled with mor...

Although the confinement of compressed columns with composite materials has been extensively studied during the last decades, scarce research has been conducted in the particular case of reinforcement of stone or masonry elements subjected to high temperatures. This work reports an experimental study on the mechanical behavior of cylindrical stone...

This paper contains a numerical study based on tests carried out at the Universitat Politècnica de València (Spain) on a U-shaped unreinforced and Textile Reinforced Mortar (TRM)-reinforced masonry structure subjected to horizontal loads. The masonry was composed of clay bricks with 10 mm thick mortar joints arranged in an English bond pattern. The...

In this article, the effectiveness of the bioconsolidation technique applied to degraded structural materials is illustrated as a new method of consolidation and conservation of the existing building heritage in a less invasive way. Satisfactory results have been obtained by an experimental campaign carried out through non-destructive diagnostic te...

The spatial variable ground motion can significantly affect the seismic response of large-scale structures. The spatial variable ground motion result from the combination of seismic wave propagation through an inhomogeneous soil medium and the local soil foundation conditions. This gives rise to the loss coherency, wave passage and local site effec...

It is commonly accepted that multi-scale structures are subject to spatially variable seismic motions. This spatial variability of seismic motions is described by different intensities at different locations due to the coherency loss effect, wave passage effect and local site conditions. For multi-scale structures, the estimation of seismic excitat...

Masonry walls exhibit low tensile strength and high material heterogeneity, which makes them especially vulnerable against cyclic loading conditions, such as those typical in earthquakes. This paper presents the experimental results obtained from tests on three masonry walls reinforced with textile reinforced mortar (TRM) materials subjected to in-...

Historical buildings are located in the city center, near squares where celebrations take place. These festivities usually include pyrotechnic events that impose blast loadings on historical buildings. In this paper, a methodology for the analysis of the dynamic response of historical buildings is presented, and applied to the Altamira Palace — a h...

The current experimental study is focused on the mechanical performance of masonry walls under in-plane cyclic shear forces. All specimens were fabricated with a central window, in which the geometry considered the recommendations of the Spanish structural seismic design code. Windows represent a weak area in the masonry structure, in which there a...

Masonry constructions compose the majority of the Architectural Heritage worldwide, thus, their preservation is of great importance. Nevertheless, they usually show a great vulnerability to seismic and dynamic loads. Several reinforcement techniques can be used in order to improve their dynamic behaviour. The Textile Reinforced Mortar (TRM) materia...

The mechanical properties of stone materials can be severely affected by exposure to high temperatures. The effect of fire on stone buildings could cause irreversible damage and make it necessary to retrofit the affected elements. Particularly, the strengthening of columns by confinement with composites has been widely improved during the last deca...

Estimation problems are frequent in several fields such as engineering, economics, and physics, etc. Linear and non-linear regression are powerful techniques based on optimizing an error defined over a dataset. Although they have a strong theoretical background, the need of supposing an analytical expression sometimes makes them impractical. Conseq...

RESUME La communauté scientifique reconnait l'effet de la variabilité spatiale des séismes. En effet, le mouvement du sol est spatialement et temporellement variable. Les causes principales de cette variabilité spatiale du mouvement sismique sont : l'effet d'incohérence, l'effet de passage d'ondes sismiques et particulièrement les conditions géolog...

In Cuba, tons of construction and demolition waste (CDW) are generated during urban construction and reconstruction activities every year. The use of CDW, such as recycled concrete aggregates (RCA) and reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP), in pavement construction is a viable solution to preserve the consumption of natural aggregates (NA), and to minim...

The bond mechanism between steel and concrete can be compromised during a fire and is one of the least investigated phenomena in concrete research. In this work we present a thorough review of the experimental data available on this topic. The results from the tests reported by a number of researchers have been systematically collected in a databas...

Architectural heritage is usually built with masonry structures, which present problems under lateral in-plane loading conditions, such as wind pressure or earthquakes. In order to improve the shear behavior of masonry, the use of a fabric-reinforced cementitious matrix (FRCM) has become an interesting solution because of its synergy of mechanical...

There are many available studies on the reinforcement of columns by confinement with composite materials. However, in the particular case of stone elements, there is a lack of information regarding the performance of this solution under adverse conditions, which may occur during the life service of the structure. In this research, the confinement o...

This database contains experimental results that have been collected on steel-to-concrete bond strength after high temperature exposure. The results are sourced from a state of the art based on the available scientific literature in January 2019. The total number of references is 17, making a total of 466 experiments

In the last decades, there are many reports on the use of composites as reinforcement of structural elements under compression, especially regarding the confinement of concrete structures, but works on stone or masonry columns are limited. Initially, FRP jackets were used because their high structural performance. However, they present some drawbac...

Reinforced concrete slabs are an essential part of high-rise structures and are designed to withstand the loads to which they are subjected. However, concrete slabs may fail due to punching shear, which is one of the greatest risks they face. This type of failure, hard to predict, befalls almost instantaneously and may lead to catastrophic conseque...

The main objective of this work is to evaluate the properties of hot asphalt mixtures that have been manufactured with different recycled concrete aggregate (RCA) percentages (0%, 20%, 40%, 60% and 80% of the fraction 5–13 mm) and asphalt (4%, 4.5% and 5%). Dense asphalt mixtures were made; partially replacing the natural aggregate (NA) fraction be...

The evaluation of the seismic hazard for a given site is to estimate the seismic ground motion at the surface. This is the result of the combination of the action of the seismic source, which generates seismic waves, the propagation of these waves between the source and the site, and site local conditions. The aim of this work is to evaluate the se...

It is widely accepted that extended structures are subject to seismic ground motion that vary in space and time. The spatial and temporal variations of ground motion can significantly affect the seismic response of these structures. The spatial variability of seismic ground motions results from the combination of seismic wave propagation between th...

The longitudinal shear between the web and flanges of T-beams is an Ultimate Limit State contemplated by technical codes. For this reason, the longitudinal shear must be compared with the longitudinal shear resistance of the flange. Longitudinal shear strength can be increased by including steel fibres in the concrete mass. This article shows the e...

The evaluation of the seismic response of extended structures consists to estimate the earthquake ground motion which is variable in space and time. The ground motion observed at the surface results from the combination of the seismic wave propagation between the source and the site, and particularly the local geotechnical site conditions. These fa...

This paper addresses the experimental campaign developed to obtain the main dynamic characteristics of an ancient steel bridge built in 1918 with a total length of 169 m. This five span bridge are built with riveted Pratt trusses, these trusses present different boundary conditions on its supports. The five piles are built with the same configurati...

This work describes a new procedure aimed to semi-automatically identify clusters of active persistent scatterers and preliminarily associate them with different potential types of deformational processes over wide areas. This procedure consists of three main modules: (i) ADAfinder, aimed at the detection of Active Deformation Areas (ADA) using Per...

This document shows the dynamic identification developed on a scaled masonry building (3.11x4.11x2.15 m) at the ICITECH of the Universitat Politècnica de València. Eight seismic accelerometers have been placed to identify bending and torsional modes. The identification analysis was performed on the original structure. The structure was then subject...

Recent years have seen a growing interest toward implementation and testing of structural health monitoring techniques for cultural heritage structures, and many scientific papers report on the application of operational modal strategies as an effective knowledge-based tool for vulnerability reduction of masonry buildings. Focusing on historic maso...

This paper presents the analysis of the dynamic performances of a simple model related to a squat masonry tower situated in the Swabian Castle of Trani (Italy). The main objective of this paper is to introduce a novel strategy based on a simple model validated by experimental data for defining the influence of the excitation frequency on the struct...

The present study shows a cheap and simple methodology to evaluate the dynamic behavior of a reinforced concrete bell tower built in 1974 made of concrete structural elements and brick masonry walls. The bell swinging vibrations on the tower are evident and they can be visually observed even without the use of any equipment. In this case a possible...

One of the critical structural failures in buildings is the phenomenon of punching shear in the slab-column connection. In this paper, a nonlinear numerical model for studying this phenomenon in reinforced concrete slabs is presented. The model is based on FEM and developed in ABAQUS. The ultimate goal is to prepare a simulation tool to study exist...

This paper presents the dynamic experimental campaign carried out on a stocky masonry clock tower situated in the Swabian Castle of Trani (Italy). The main objective of this paper is, after estimating the main frequencies and vibration modes of the considered structure, defining the transmission of vibrations along the height of the tower by varyin...

Road markings play an important role in road safety because they provide significant information to drivers about the road. For that reason, they must be replaced when they are not correctly perceived by road users. To analyse which are the main factors that affect road marking perception over time, a test section was designed in a two-lane rural h...

Road markings play an important role in road safety because they provide significant information to drivers about the road. For that reason, they must be replaced when they are not correctly perceived by road users. To analyse which are the main factors that affect road marking perception over time, a test section was designed in a two-lane rural h...

The aim of the paper is to perform a preliminary assessment of the dynamic behavior of the bell tower of Basilica Church “S.S. Medici”, one of the most important church in the town of Bitonto, Bari, Italy. The tower is 55 m tall and it is made in reinforced concrete. It is totally disconnected from the main structure of the Church. The structural b...

Road markings play an important role in road safety because they provide significant information to drivers about the road. For that reason, they must be replaced when they are not correctly perceived by road users. To analyse which are the main factors that affect road marking perception over time, a test section was designed in a two-lane rural h...

One of the key phenomena in flat slab structures is their punching shear behaviour. The real importance of punching shear consists of a sudden brittle fracture, which can trigger catastrophic consequences for humans. This paper presents a nonlinear numerical model based on finite elements in order to study the punching shear phenomenon of reinforce...

This document presents a systematic analysis of the damage causes of industrial masonry chimneys, i.e. cracking patterns, materials’ degradation and structural displacements. The methodology includes an adequate geometric evaluation with identification of each observed lesion, their situation and their environmental conditions. The industrial proce...

Steel rebars corrosion is one of the most important problems of reinforced concrete (RC) structures. The mechanical performance loss of RC elements because of steel corrosion can be aggravated under horizontal loads (e.g. wind pressure or seismic actions). This paper presents a methodology for the study of the seismic behavior of a residential typo...

The current version of the European standard for concrete structures gives tabulated data for the evolution of the mechanical properties of normal strength concrete subjected to elevated temperatures. However, the standard acknowledges the lack of sufficient data for the case of high strength concrete with limestone aggregate and there are no provi...

The development of information and communication technologies (ICT) and robotics is currently demonstrating its potential impact on different fields of application. With regard to cultural heritage, and architectural and engineering heritage in particular, these new technologies are changing the possibilities for structural capacity assessment and...

Many European heritage and modern buildings have a very high seismic vulnerability due to their masonry-based structural system. Although these structures have a low capacity to resist tension or shear stresses, even nowadays some new buildings are using these materials as structural system in many seismic areas. The main objective of this paper is...

The new cable-stayed bridge built for the North-South axis road of Bari in order to overpass the railway of RFI and Ferrotramviaria s.p.a. has been recently built and opened to the traffic. The bridge is 626 m long and the central cable-stayed bays have a total length of 225 m. They are supported by cables connected to a central upside down Y-shape...

The fountain in the center of the Plaza de los Luceros is one of the most important monuments of the city of Alicante (Spain). This modernist structure was built by the local artist Daniel Bañuls in 1930, and is composed of a central body and four horse sculptures. It has been re-paired several times in the early years of XXI century, even the monu...

This document analyses the resistant behaviour to diagonal compression and direct compression of brick masonry specimens, reinforced with textile reinforced mortars (TRM) and without them. The numerical models have been calibrated with experimental results in order to have a suitable technique to reinforce masonry historic constructions where extra...

The sanctuary of Santa Maria di Loreto (Mola di Bari, Italy) was built in in the sixteen century and it is constituted by a church with a simple hut façade characterized by a fine calcareous rose window and on its left side a high bell tower with heavy bells. In the present study, a non-destructive dynamic identification of the modal characteristic...

This paper presents a structural analysis of a masonry chimney, which is being catalogued as local interest heritage, according Eurocode 8. The chimney, located in Alicante (Spain), is severely damaged, and it shows several longitudinal cracks, and mortar loss between bricks. In order to guarantee the structural safety under seismic forces, the chi...

The present paper describes the application of an evolutionary algorithm to the optimum design of the reinforcement of timber beams using FRP laminates and sheets. The objective function is the material cost of the strengthening and is subjected to ten constraints derived from the ultimate limit states for flexural and shear behaviour as well as th...

Resumen La versión actual del Eurocódigo 2 aporta datos tabulados para la evolución de las propiedades mecánicas de hormigones de resistencia convencional. Pero en el caso de hormigones de alta resistencia de áridos calizos se reconoce la falta de datos suficientes. Este trabajo presenta los resultados experimentales obtenidos en un hormigón conven...

The development of biocomposites has valorized some natural products related to natural processes or crop industries. In this regard, Posidonia oceanica is a marine phanerogam typical of Mediterranean coasts, in which due to tourism industry a lot of resources are destined to remove and treat Posidonia residues left on beaches. In this work an alte...

Reflexion in a Journal about the possible effects of an Earthquake similar to the Italia in August of 2016 in the Alicante city and it province.

In the present chapter the theoretical basis of different methods developed for the calibration of FEMs are discussed. In general, Model Updating techniques are based on the use of appropriate functions that iteratively update selected physical properties (characteristics of the materials, stiffness of a link, etc.). In this way the correlation bet...

This paper presents a structural analysis of a masonry chimney built in the 1950’s, which is currently being catalogued as local interest heritage. Several authors have studied the dynamic properties in masonry buildings [1-2]. These papers analyze the behavior of different chimneys using the finite element method with a linear analysis, taking int...

This paper describes the conceptual design, the structural analysis and the results of a viewpoint pedestrian bridge, situated in Daya Vieja (Alicante-Spain). This structure is designed to protect a land-mark palm-tree from wind loads. This six – trunk palm tree was declared monument by the Valencian government in 2012. The structure that now prote...

The present paper outlines the application of a genetic algorithm for the structural constrained optimization problem of the reinforcement of timber beams using composite materials. The genetic algorithm uses an objective function with adaptive penalization as well as an adaptive mutation scheme. The aim is to minimize the material cost of strength...

RESUMEN En este trabajo se han estudiado los efectos de la exposición de una calcarenita a altas temperaturas. Los parámetros estudiados han sido: porosidades abierta y total, módulos elásticos estáticos y dinámicos y resistencia a compresión uniaxial. Probetas del material de 52 mm de diámetro y 125 mm de altura, se han sometido a temperaturas de...

El presente trabajo trata del análisis del estado actual, por un lado las características geométricas, daños estructurales y las patologías existentes, y como segundo punto se realizó la caracterización de los materiales empleados en la construcción de la chimenea industrial situada en la antigua fábrica de Cerámica La Paz, de los años 50, ubicada...