Alessandro Nocentini

Evaluation of the vehicle/safety barrier/sign support interaction by means of FEM simulations

This paper deals with the evaluation of the interaction between a safety barrier and a variable message sign (VMS) that is placed very close to the carriageways in order to reduce the length of the arm above the carriageways. The two issues addressed are the structural response of the VMS, in order to ensure that the structure will not fail under the impact of a heavy goods vehicle (HGV), and the effects of the secondary impact that occurs when the barrier or the vehicle hits the VMS structure. These issues have been analysed both in terms of overall performance of the barrier and of the resulting effects on the HGV itself. As a result, the minimum distance between the front of the barrier and the VMS support structure that will enable to have a performance fully compatible with the requirements of EN1317-2:2010 has been defined for a specific barrier/VMS system.

Digital Technologies for the Documentation, Analysis, and Dissemination of the Etruscan ‘Stele di Vicchio’

An innovative project of 3D documentation of the Etruscan Stele di Vicchio has been the object of recent research [1]. The three-dimensional reconstruction of the Stele was the subject of a rigorous methodological program that began with digital photogrammetry prior to conservation. A subsequent phase of triangulation-based laser scanning after restoration reproduced, at high definition, the irregular geometry of the surfaces of the Stele, optimizing the analysis of the inscriptions on the degraded surface of the monument. The dimensionally exact models thus offer a more fully realized visualization of the object than those produced by traditional non-digital methods. The digital models can be easily disseminated, providing a basis for further study by experts.

Integrated design of an hydraulic servo-system fed by vehicle regenerative braking

Many industrial vehicles are equipped with hydraulic servo systems devoted to load manipulation and other operations that are mainly performed when the vehicle is stopped. In conventional applications hydraulic servo-system are fed by a pump directly connected to the vehicle internal engine. As a consequence the internal combustion engine cannot be switched off when the vehicle is stopped causing relevant losses and additional costs in terms of pollution, noise, fuel consumption. In this work authors propose a solution in which on board hydraulic servo system are fed using electrical energy stored in accumulators that have been previously recharged using electric regenerative braking. The proposed solution has been applied to the design of a system for a truck devoted to the collection of garbage. In the paper design criteria, simulation results and preliminary experimental data are shown in order to justify feasibility of the proposed system.