Understanding Building Material Corrosion & Moisture Damage
Corrosion and Moisture Issues in Building Materials
Localized Corrosion (Pitting)
Pitting: A form of localized corrosion characterized by small cavities on a material’s surface. Pits vary in number, shape, and size. They can significantly contribute to component failures under high stress, and can lead to stress corrosion cracking. Pitting occurs in various alloys and metals, including stainless steels and aluminum alloys.
Stress Corrosion Cracking
Corrosion and Stress Cracking: A failure mode where
Chemical and Biological Evolution: From Molecules to Biodiversity
Chemical Evolution
Refers to the processes that created the molecules that make up living things (biomolecules), and then formed structures called protocells, which exhibited a certain organization and were separated from the environment by membranes:
- Biomolecules were created.
- More and more complex biomolecules were created.
- Protocells were formed.
Biological Evolution
Processes that led protocells to become different types of cells, and resulted in all the different organisms ever to have inhabited
Read MoreBrick Types, Manufacturing, and Mortar Guide
Brick Types, Manufacturing, and Mortar
Brick Classification by Texture
- Rough or Coarse Bricks: These bricks are made from unrefined earth, molded by hand, and fired in simple outdoor furnaces called anthills (piles of bricks covered with burning firewood).
Firing Degrees and Brick Quality
The firing degree determines the brick’s quality:
- Escafilado: Holy brick
- Recocho: Over-fired brick (best quality, deep red color, most used in construction)
- Good Looking: Well-fired brick
- Brown Porter: Under-fired brick
- Fine
Electrical Transformation Centers: Components and Functionality
Electrical Transformation Centers (CT) provide the installation of transformers, reducing high to low tension, complemented by switchgear for precise work. Their function is to distribute electrical energy at different voltages while allowing connection to the line at any point.
CT Classification:
- Feeding: (in a point and in step)
- Property: (company-owned, subscriber/customer-owned)
- Location: (outdoor or indoor)
- Construction: (aerial, underground, conventional, prefabricated compact)
CT Feeding Types:
Read MoreAlhambra: History, Location, and Architectural Marvels
The Alhambra: A Historical Overview
The Alhambra
Chronology
The most important buildings of the Alhambra date from the late thirteenth and fourteenth centuries.
Location
Granada, in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada.
Description
The Alhambra is a cluster of buildings forming a citadel, fortress, and palace. The materials used in its construction are simple, but embellished with polychrome plaster.
Inside, there is a succession of courtyards with pools, fountains, or wells. Some rooms have patios, for both
Read MoreScience, Technology, and the Universe: Key Concepts
Science and Technology
Science: Body of knowledge obtained through observation and reasoning from which general principles and laws are deduced.
Technology: A set of skills used to build objects and machines to adapt to the environment and meet our needs.
Applications of Science
The history of science presents examples of applications of science that are tragically harmful to humans. The technology of warfare, biological warfare, nuclear power, pesticides, drugs, human cloning, etc., have been harmful
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