CORDIS

The objective of the WIND-CHIME project was the development of a sustainable and cost effective retrofit technology, which would allow for non intrusive rehabilitation of historical monuments in the Mediterranean area.

Firstly, different alloys were characterised using metallurgical and thermal processes in order to avoid any inconsistencies between the materials and their target applications. Secondly, case studies for the evaluation of the proposals were identified and the material properties were exploited for the preparation of suitable devices. Moreover, the theoretical background of the macroscopic description of stress induced phase transition front propagation was presented along with the impact induced propagation in a bar and an adiabatic bar.

Tension and torsion tests at different temperature levels were performed, in order to characterise a commercially viable copper (Cu) based alloy and investigate its potential to serve as vibration protection material in civil structures. In addition, an innovative base isolator device was modelled and tested, both numerically and experimentally. Seismic dampers, constructed by alternative materials, were also analysed. A parameter study was undertaken to investigate the possibility of using numerical simulations to determine the parameter values that would identify the optimal damper performance.

Furthermore, a wall simulating masonry-made historical monuments was constructed and subjected to shaking table tests. Retrofitting the selected structures using dampers for the dissipation of seismic energy was proposed and the superelastic and shape memory effect properties of the alloy (SMA) bars and wires were exploited for this purpose. In addition, a network database of monuments prone to smart retrofitting was prepared.

The innovative methodologies that were developed during the course of WIND-CHIME were disseminated through a series of presentations in international conferences and events. In addition, the produced knowledge was accessible via the project website.