Polytechnic University of Turin

About: Polytechnic University of Turin is a education organization based out in Turin, Piemonte, Italy. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Finite element method & Computer science. The organization has 11553 authors who have published 41395 publications receiving 789320 citations. The organization is also known as: POLITO & Politecnico di Torino.

Starch-Based Layer by Layer Assembly: Efficient and Sustainable Approach to Cotton Fire Protection.

Abstract: Starch has been employed via layer by layer assembly for building an efficient and sustainable biobased coatings capable of protecting cotton from fire. In order to obtain a better understanding of the coating to substrate relationship, the coating efficiency has been tested on cotton fabrics having different densities (i.e., 100, 200, and 400 g/m2). The adopted deposition conditions allow for the buildup of a homogeneous coating even at a low number of deposition steps. The physical and chemical mechanisms are described and related to the achieved results. The coating can greatly enhance the char forming ability of cellulose, nearly doubling the amount of thermally stable organic residue produced by cotton at high temperatures, as assessed by thermogravimetric analyses. After only 2 bilayers deposited, this biobased system is capable of self-extinguishing a flame during flammability tests with less than 5% in weight deposited on cotton. This high efficiency is kept even when the coating is deposited on c...

Grid integration aspects of large solar PV installations: LVRT capability and reactive power/voltage support requirements

Abstract: The current work focuses on two specific issues concerning grid-connected solar PV units, i.e. the fault ride-through capability, also called low voltage ride-through capability, and the voltage support function through reactive power injection during faults. With the first one the PV unit can actually provide some limited grid support, whereas with a defined reactive power characteristic it can give a complete dynamic grid support. These two requirements, already known for wind power generation but new for the PV, have been recently introduced in the German technical guidelines for connection to the MV grid. Scope of the paper is to implement these requirements in a large solar PV plant, modeled in DIgSILENT PowerFactory, in order to understand its operation, and to evaluate its behavior and impact on the grid, in terms of stability and voltage support during grid fault.

Nanostructured Wood Hybrids for Fire-Retardancy Prepared by Clay Impregnation into the Cell Wall

Abstract: Eco-friendly materials need “green” fire-retardancy treatments, which offer opportunity for new wood nanotechnologies. Balsa wood (Ochroma pyramidale) was delignified to form a hierarchically structured and nanoporous scaffold mainly composed of cellulose nanofibrils. This nanocellulosic wood scaffold was impregnated with colloidal montmorillonite clay to form a nanostructured wood hybrid with high flame-retardancy. The nanoporous scaffold was characterized by scanning electron microscopy and gas adsorption. Flame-retardancy was evaluated by cone calorimetry, whereas thermal and thermo-oxidative stabilities were assessed by thermogravimetry. The location of well-distributed clay nanoplatelets inside the cell walls was confirmed by energy-dispersive X-ray analysis. This unique nanostructure dramatically increased the thermal stability because of thermal insulation, oxygen depletion, and catalytic charring effects. A coherent organic/inorganic charred residue was formed during combustion, leading to a stron...

Coexistence mechanisms for interference mitigation between IEEE 802.11 WLANs and Bluetooth

Abstract: Different wireless systems sharing the same frequency band and operating in the same environment are likely to interfere with each other and experience a severe decrease in throughput. We consider IEEE 802.11 WLANs and Bluetooth-based WPANs, which operate in the 2.4 GHz ISM bands. We propose two coexistence mechanisms based on traffic scheduling techniques, which mitigate interference between the two technologies. The proposed algorithms can be applied either when 802.11 and Bluetooth are able to exchange information as well as when they operate independently of one another. Results show that through the proposed coexistence mechanisms the interference between 802.11 and Bluetooth can be reduced and the throughput of the two systems is significantly improved at the expense of a small additional delay in the transfer of data traffic.