Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Chaimae Mourou, Montserrat Zamorano, Diego P. Ruiz, Maria Martin-Morales
Summary: This study comprehensively reviews the evolution of cool surfaces research from a materials perspective and analyzes the potential of five different types of materials in mitigating the urban heat island phenomenon. The results show an increasing interest in cool roof applications and suggest the future focus should be on developing economically and environmentally friendly materials based on waste glass recycling.
APPLIED SCIENCES-BASEL
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Chaimae Mourou, Maria Martin-Morales, Montserrat Zamorano, Diego P. Ruiz
Summary: This paper investigates the potential use of waste glass as a raw material for building material coatings by evaluating their light reflectance. The results show that the composition of waste glass significantly affects the light spectral reflectance and whiteness, with burning time and glass thickness being the most influential factors.
APPLIED SCIENCES-BASEL
(2022)
Article
Construction & Building Technology
Antonio J. Aguilar, Maria L. de la Hoz-torres, Nelson Costa, Pedro Arezes, Maria D. Martinez-Aires, Diego P. Ruiz
Summary: The COVID-19 pandemic has emphasized the importance of ensuring good indoor air quality. This study conducted a measurement campaign to assess ventilation rates and strategies in educational buildings in Portugal and Spain. The results showed that selecting appropriate ventilation strategies can provide sufficient air renewal and reduce the risk of infection.
JOURNAL OF BUILDING ENGINEERING
(2022)
Article
Construction & Building Technology
Maria L. de la Hoz-Torres, Antonio J. Aguilar, Nelson Costa, Pedro Arezes, Diego P. Ruiz, Maria Dolores Martinez-Aires
Summary: This study investigated the impact of post-epidemic protocols on indoor environmental conditions in higher education buildings of Portuguese and Spanish universities. Despite effective air renewal protocols and low CO2 concentrations, students were dissatisfied with the current indoor environmental conditions. Significant differences were found in preferences between Portuguese and Spanish students.
Article
Acoustics
Antonio J. Torija, Zhengguang Li, Paruchuri Chaitanya
Summary: This paper investigates the relationship between sound quality and first order physical parameters in rotor systems to aid design. It includes a listening experiment and a psychoacoustic annoyance model to evaluate and quantify the annoyance induced by rotor noise.
JOURNAL OF THE ACOUSTICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Antonio J. Torija, Rory K. Nicholls
Summary: This paper presents a comprehensive investigation into the perception of drone noise, examining the effectiveness of various metrics and identifying key psychoacoustic factors that contribute to perceived annoyance, loudness, and pitch. The results can inform decision-making and optimization of drone operating conditions to mitigate community noise.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Maria L. De la Hoz-Torres, Antonio J. Aguilar, Diego P. Ruiz, Ma Dolores Martinez-Aires
Summary: The construction and transport sectors in the European Union have the highest proportions of workers exposed to vibrations. Heavy equipment vehicle (HEV) drivers, who often operate on uneven surfaces, are exposed to whole body vibrations (WBV) daily. This study aims to assess WBV exposure using ISO 2631-1:1997 and ISO 2631-5:2018 methods and compare health risk assessments among drivers with different anthropometric characteristics. Short-term assessment results indicate that VDV is the most restrictive method, with exposure levels exceeding the action limit value. Long-term assessment shows that the driver with the highest body mass index has the highest risk of adverse health effects.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH
(2022)
Article
Construction & Building Technology
Antonio J. Aguilar, Maria L. de la Hoz-Torres, Lamberto Oltra-Nieto, Diego P. Ruiz, M. Dolores Martinez-Aires
Summary: The COVID-19 pandemic has emphasized the importance of air quality in buildings. This study evaluates the impact of protocols on the indoor environmental conditions of educational buildings in Southern Spain, showing that effective ventilation has been ensured but other variables such as temperature, relative humidity, and noise have also been affected. Students are most satisfied with indoor lighting but least satisfied with the indoor thermal environment. The findings suggest the need to revise and redesign current pandemic protocols to minimize their impact on student satisfaction and perceived learning performance.
BUILDING RESEARCH AND INFORMATION
(2022)
Article
Acoustics
Maria L. de la Hoz-Torres, Antonio J. Aguilar, M. Dolores Martinez-Aires, Diego P. Ruiz
Summary: This study analyzes the potential benefits of using BIM-based models for acquiring theoretical and procedural knowledge about building acoustics. The participants' satisfaction and experiences with BIM models were measured through a questionnaire. The results indicate a high level of satisfaction and the potential of BIM models for knowledge acquisition in building acoustics.
JOURNAL OF THE ACOUSTICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Antonio J. Aguilar, Maria L. de la Hoz-Torres, Diego P. Ruiz, Ma Dolores Martinez-Aires
Summary: Managing indoor environmental quality (IEQ) in educational buildings is a challenge. This study proposes a framework for assessing indoor environmental conditions and virus transmission risk during teaching activities by integrating occupants' feedback.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Aerospace
Daniel C. Amargianitakis, Rodney H. Self, Athanasios P. Synodinos, Anderson R. Proenca, Antonio J. Torija Martinez
Summary: This paper extends the simplified airport noise model RANE by adding capability of including fully nonisotropic noise sources. The extended tool, RANE v2, is developed as a part of acoustic assessment of novel aircraft to produce ground contours around airports and helipads. The model uses three-dimensional noise emission surfaces and the directivity function can be either analytical or numerical. Results show that exposure contour coordinates can be estimated and the model allows for fast exploration of the design space and parametric studies.
Article
Construction & Building Technology
Maria L. de la Hoz-torres, Antonio J. Aguilar, Nelson Costa, Pedro Arezes, Diego P. Ruiz, Ma Dolores Martinez-Aires
Summary: Providing suitable indoor thermal conditions is crucial for students' performance and well-being in educational buildings. A field survey was conducted to analyze and evaluate the clothing insulation of university students. A predictive clothing insulation model was developed using an artificial neural network algorithm, considering various factors such as indoor and outdoor temperatures, radiant temperature, gender, and season. The model showed good performance compared to the ASHRAE-55 Standard.
Article
Engineering, Aerospace
Carlos Ramos-Romero, Nathan Green, Antonio J. Torija, Cesar Asensio
Summary: This paper presents a measurement and analysis framework for the acoustic characterization of sUAS. Important findings include the robustness of the framework, the dominant noise sources of different sUAS, and the maximum radiation direction of sUAS noise.
AEROSPACE SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Acoustics
Tim Walton, Duarte S. Elias, Antonio J. Torija
Summary: Electric scooters have the potential to transform urban transportation with increased personal mobility and reduced congestion. However, safety concerns, particularly the low noise levels, have hindered public acceptance. This study investigates the development of an e-scooter Acoustic Vehicle Alerting System (AVAS) by examining auditory detection rates in relation to alert sound level, environmental noise level, and distance. The findings contribute to understanding e-scooter safety measures and establishing minimum sound levels for AVAS.
Article
Construction & Building Technology
Antonio J. Aguilar, Maria L. de la Hoz-Torres, Ma Dolores Martinez-Aires, Diego P. Ruiz
Summary: This study proposes and develops a BIM-based framework for the analysis, evaluation, and optimization of indoor reverberation time (RT), aiming to assist designers in making decisions during the initial design phase in the field of acoustic conditioning of buildings.