GM+AD

It has to be said that Glasgow has produced (yet again) an astonishingly good firm of architects in the form of GM+AD (Gordon Murray and Alan Dunlop).

GM+AD do not have a specific GM+AD-ness, they are not selling a specific style a la macintosh, or an architectural school or movement.  What actually happens is this:

Data on Living Room Layouts

We did a trial post called “Data on Living Room Armchairs and Sofas” some years ago (along with other “test posts”.  the idea being that if it achieved a certain number of hits then we would generate more articles of that ilk.

We recently have noticed that his post has met the target — so this is the “follow up”.  It is about layouts of living rooms.

Furniture sizes are known, and the access and use areas around them have been documented, the obvious next step is to come up with optimised layouts for furniture in living rooms – sofas, chairs, TV sets, sideboards and occasional tables mainly.  The three dimensions provide a small/ medium/ large variation based in FIRA survey results for production furniture.

The layouts can be useful for planning homes and extensions.

It ought to be apparent what everything is — what is a chair, a sofa, a coffee table etc., just use your imagination! There are four arrangements (and one section) of four sizes — which is sixteen options, although the middle dimensions seem to be the obvious way to go in terms of cost versus space, but space is not always available, so please use these layouts as a guide and use actual furniture-ergonomic data for specific design.

Polanti

On this site you will find a lot of very, very expensive wristwatches.  These are hand-made works of art and can only be owned by the very rich who commission them. Although inexpensive Polanti has been included here, not merely for their design and artistry, but because they have an unusual business model that have made them iconic.

International Standard Football Pitch

The International football pitch is shown in the diagram with dimensional details (click to enlarge).

DIMENSIONS OF THE FOOTBALL FIELD

FA International matches: 100 to

International Standard Dojo

The International Standard Dojo is for martial arts combat such as Karate and Judo. The setting out dimensions are shown in the figure. Click on it to enlarge.

DIMENSIONS OF THE COMBAT AREA

Freestyle fighting is carried out between

Cool Dentistry

Many people are scared of a visit to the dentist, some are scared of the drill, others of the needle, but everyone is scared of the pain.

BioMedDevice Limited have developed a flexible dental mouthpiece (called gumEase) that is stored in a freezer, and which after only a couple of minutes, numbs the mouth for up to 20 minutes at a time.

The manufacturer has produced a rather graphic video depicting a hypodermic-free tooth extraction on YouTube.com:

Hautlence

The HAUTLENCE brand was created in 2004, with the first wristwatches ready for September 2005, and the first collection by 2007.

Approximate Cost: 20 278.00 GBP

The company has set up a watch-maker’s college in

Fourier’s Law

Fourier looked at heat flowing through building  materials, and his experimental results produced ideas such as thermal conductivity, resistance and the thermal transmission co-efficient or u-value.

In a slab of material, if we say that the quantity of heat passing through it in t₁ seconds is q₁ joules, then we can measure q₂ later at the point t₂.  This is simply:

heat flow rate equals the difference in quantities of heat divided by the difference in time

This is expressed in mathematical shorthand like this:

heat flow rate = Δq / Δt

heat flow rate = [ (q₂-q₁) / (t₂-t₁) ]

and joules / seconds equals watts

Experimentally, Fourier found that

• heat flow rate was proportional to the surface area
• heat flow rate was proportional to the time difference
• heat flow rate was proportional to the thickness of the slab

he concluded that it therefore must be the case that

heat flow rate is proportional to the product of the area and temperature difference divided by the thickness.

It is always the case in mathematics that, for example, when

a is in proportion to b

we can say that

a = k . b

where k is the constant of proportion.

Thus, Fourier found the mathematical constant that is now known as thermal conductivity.

q = k . (A . ΔΦ / T)

q = heat flow rate (W)

k = thermal conductivity

A = area (m²)

Φ = temperature difference [C-C]

T= thickness (m)

We can find out the units of thermal conductivity easily enough –

W = k . (m² . [C-C]) / (m)

W = k . m² . C . m^-1

W = k . m. C

k = W . m^-1 C^-1

The next step for Fourier was to figure out Resistance to heat flow…

He concluded that resistance equalled thickness divided by thermal conductivity:

R = T / k

This lets us figure out composite structure resistance, which is handy as plaster is stuck to brick and so forth –

R_TOTAL= (T₁ / k₁) + (T₂ / k₂) etc.

The thermal transmission co-efficient or u-value is the reciprocal of resistance:

u = 1/R

for composite materials.

u_TOTAL = (1 / R₁) + (1 / R₂) … etc

HEAT TRANSFER EQUATIONS:

E = A . ΔΦ . u

E = A . ΔΦ / Total resistance

E = A . ΔΦ  . R_total ^-1

E = thickness . Area . temp diff / Resistance

E = T. A . ΔΦ  . R^-1

E = volume   .  temperature diff  / Resistance

E = V . ΔΦ  . R^-1

E = amount of heat in watts

HEAT TRANSFER DEFINITIONS

CONDUCTIVITY

k = W . m^-1 C^-1

The quantity of heat which is conducted through unit area of a slab of material of unit thickness with unit difference of temperature between the faces in unit time.

CONDUCTANCE

c = W . m^-2 C^-2

The quantity of heat conducted through unit area of a complete structure with unit difference in temperature in unit time.

c = k . thickness^-1

RESISTIVITY
r = m.C. W^-1
(i) reciprocal of conductivity
(ii) resistance to heat transfer through unit thickness of a material of unit surface area an a face to face temperature of 1C in unit time.
(iii) the temperature differential between faces of unit thickness of a slab of material of unit area for the transmission of unit quantity of heat in unit time.

RESISTANCE
R = m².C. W^-1
(i) reciprocal of conductance
(ii) equivalent to the temperature differential between faces of a thickness of slab of material of unit area for the transmission of unit quantity of heat in unit time.

R = thickness / k

TIP
unit thickness = …ivity
overall thickness = ….ance

Air Condition Terms

There are two ways of heating air — directly and via moisture control.

It is the condition of water vapour that is the issue here.  The following are terms which reflect this, and these terms form essential vocabulary to anyone concerned with air conditions.

MOISTURE CONTENT

kg.kg^-1

The amount of water (as a vapour) present per kilogramme of dry air.

VAPOUR PRESSURE
N.m^-2 or Pascal

This is the partial pressure ( see Law of Dalton) exerted by the water vapour in atmospheric air.

The maximum value of Vapour Pressure (for a specific, given, temperature) is called the SATURATION VAPOUR PRESSURE (Pa).

RELATIVE HUMIDITY
%

The per cent ratio, at a specific temperature, of Vapour Pressure to Saturation Vapour Pressure.

100% x	(	Vapour Pressure	)
		———————————————-
		Saturation Vapour Pressure

When the Saturation Vapour Pressure equals the vapour Pressure, Relative Humidity = 100% so the water vapour condenses out — this is called DEW POINT TEMPERATURE.

SATURATION MOISTURE CONTENT

The amount of water vapour contained in atmospheric air at saturation (at DEW POINT).

PERCENTAGE SATURATION

%

The per cent ratio of the moisture content at some specific temperature, to the Saturation Moisture Content…

100% x	(	Moisture Content	)
		———————————————-
		Saturation Moisture Content

SPECIFIC VOLUME
m³ . kg^-1
The volume of atmospheric air which contains 1.kg dry air per kg of combined dry air and associated water vapour

SPECIFIC MASS
kg.m^-1
mass per volume
density
viscosity

SPECIFIC HEAT CAPACITY
kJ . kg^-1 . C^-1
The amount of heat an element will accept.
Experimentally determined and results tabulated.
The quantity of heat required to raise unit mass through unit change in temperature.

VELOCITY PRESSURE
N.m^-2
Pa
Pressure created by velocity of air flow at any point.
Always a POSITIVE value.

STATIC PRESSURE
N.m^-2
Pa
The radial (bursting) pressure at any point.
A positive value = bursting outward
A negative value = suction inward.

TOTAL PRESSURE
N.m^-2
Pa
Static Pressure plus Velocity Pressure.

WORKING PRESSURE
N.m^-2
Pa

This is the sum of the surrounding atmospheric pressure and the static pressure.

Energy and Heat Transfer

Energy is applied in the form of heat, light or sound.

If energy, in the form of heat, is applied to a solid, the molecules become excited enough to “loosen” — particles moving faster in more space — effect is the entering of the liquid phase.  Continued application of heat energy will result in a gas or vapour phase.

It is a fact that at the solid-liquid phase boundary, heat energy seems to be absorbed without a rise in temperature for quite a while.  This occurs again at the liquid-vapour phase boundary.

Energy can be transferred by conduction, convection or radiation.

Heating something which creates a rise on a thermometer is known as “sensible heating” (there is no change of moisture content in air).

Heating something, creating an increase of internal energy — but no temperature rise on the thermometer is called “latent heating“

Enthalpy (h) is the sum of the sensible heat and the latent heat.

Enthalpy is therefore sometimes known as “total heat“.

Latent heat is the amount of heat necessary to change a quantity of water to water vapour without changing either the temperature or pressure of the air.

When water is evaporated and passes into the air, the latent heat of evaporation passes into the air with the vapour.

Latent heat is removed when water vapour is condensed.