Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) that result from poor ergonomic design are one of the occupational disorders of greatest concern in the industrial sector. A key advantage in the primary design phase is to focus on a method of assessment that detects and evaluates the potential risks experienced by the operative when faced with these types of physical injuries. The method of assessment will improve the process design identifying potential ergonomic improvements from various design alternatives or activities undertaken as part of the cycle of continuous improvement throughout the differing phases of the product life cycle. This paper presents a novel postural assessment method (NERPA) fit for product-process design, which was developed with the help of a digital human model together with a 3D CAD tool, which is widely used in the aeronautic and automotive industries. The power of 3D visualization and the possibility of studying the actual assembly sequence in a virtual environment can allow the functional performance of the parts to be addressed. Such tools can also provide us with an ergonomic workstation design, together with a competitive advantage in the assembly process. The method developed was used in the design of six production lines, studying 240 manual assembly operations and improving 21 of them. This study demonstrated the proposed method’s usefulness and found statistically significant differences in the evaluations of the proposed method and the widely used Rapid Upper Limb Assessment (RULA) method.

The methodology and technology associated with building information modeling (BIM) provide architects, engineers, and historians with concepts and tools that support the development of heritage projects. However, this specific form of BIM orientated towards buildings of patrimonial value—known as historic building information modeling (HBIM)—requires a distinct and additional view, accounting for aspects which are normally not attended to on projects involving new buildings. In an HBIM context, the parametric modeling process, the basis of any BIM procedure, involves the study of shapes, patterns, or standards for the establishment of particular collections of parametric objects, as well as the record of the available technology used to capture digital geometric data. In addition, all the information collected and generated through an HBIM process must be adequately managed, maintained, and archived. In the present study, we intend to list the most recent features of HBIM, based on a bibliographic review, encompassing distinct building situations (preservation, restoration, rehabilitation, and structural assessment); different technical equipment (drones, scanners, and photogrammetry); as well as diverse forms of geometric characterization (patterns, geometric rules, or curve generation) and ways of archiving data (stratigraphy, old drawings folders, or as-built models). With the aim of identifying, as an overview, we have presented the principal modeling strategies, technologic devices, and archive procedures, as a contribution to systematizing and organizing the dispersed practical and theorical studies related with HBIM.

Building Information Modelling (BIM) is a methodology focused on the centralization and sharing of project information among all experts involved. The use of BIM platforms allows professionals to improve coordination, collaboration, and integration along with the development of all disciplines and tasks required in a complete building project. Currently, the construction industry has witnessed a growing adoption of BIM, mainly caused by the constant technologic achievements, contributing to the improvement of the integration capability of the available software. However, concerning structural design, BIM implementation still presents some difficulties, especially in the interoperability of BIM-based systems. In the present study, a structural design case was considered, using Revit as the modeling software and Robot as the structural system. A bidirectional exchange of information between the two systems was required and the interoperability capacity was evaluated. In the process, the main identified remarks concern the fundamental aspects of information sharing, collaboration, integration, and interoperability. Despite the limitations found, essentially related to the software interoperability, the BIM approach presents significant advantages in a structural project, supported by 3D visualization, model overlapping, easy accessibility to the model database, streamlined coordination, and enhanced collaboration.

Building Information Modelling (BIM) is a methodology supported on technological evolution achievements, and consists of a set of processes and tools that allows the creation of a digital three-dimensional model. The model centralizes information, in an organized database, facilitating the data access and the exchange between the collaborators and enterprises along all life cycle of a building. The study is focused on the application of BIM within the framework of a structural design, identifying the benefits and limitations verified in the process and indicating strategies allowing to improve the quality of the project and construction. A structural BIM model of a study case was created; using BIM based platforms, followed by its transfer to the calculation software, where the structural analysis and design were carried out. After, using the structural BIM model complemented with the reinforcements, several applications and tasks were performed, namely, the coordination and collaboration procedures, detection of conflicts analyses, production of dynamic drawings, budget estimation and environmental impact simulation of the structural framework concerning the CO₂ emission. In the structural domain, the interoperability is the main problem that must be understood and the present study contributes to clarify the recurrent limitations. The research also presents the capacity of BIM methodology of using the database of the BIM model to achieve several types of tasks that normally are associated to the structural design. The study demonstrates the significant improvement in the quality of the structural design and the wide applicability of the BIM model, when compared with the current traditional sequential and fragmented process.

The growing interest within the construction industry in the preservation, rehabilitation, and conversion of heritage-value buildings has led to the implementation of Historic Building Information Modelling (HBIM) across all sectors. The rigorously accurate representation of old construction solutions for roofs, floors, and walls, and of the decorative details and finishes, commonly used in historic buildings of patrimonial value, requires specific geometric modelling processes in order to generate relevant libraries of parametric objects. This study addresses the generation of parametric families of representative architectural geometry in the context of the conversion of a building of patrimonial value. A collection of historical information and a detailed inspection in situ, recorded by means of digital images and sketches with annotative dimensions of the architectural forms, were first carried out to support the accurate representation of the building. Several families of objects were generated, namely, guillotine windows, glazed doors, ornamental stonework, staircases, and handrails, thus creating a reference library for use in further similar building projects. The study improves the potential of the BIM process for its application to buildings with distinctive architecture in the context of the preservation or conversion of heritage buildings.

This paper presents a study of hole quality and energy consumption in the process of drilling a thermoplastic polymeric material, polyether-ether-ketone, reinforced with 30% glass fibers (PEEK-GF30). PEEK-GF30’s capacity to be machined has focused on turning operations. Studies of drilling involving thermoplastic polymeric materials have considered materials with other types of matrices, or reinforcement. In this study, quantities such as maximum and mean surface roughness, delamination, maximum thrust force, maximum momentum, and energy required during the process were determined for three types of drill bits, and the most influential factors for each variable were identified using an ANOVA multifactor analysis. The highest quality and lowest energy consumption were achieved for a drill bit rotation speed of 7000 rpm and a feed rate of 400 mm/min with a tungsten carbide (WC) drill bit coated with titanium aluminum nitride (TiAlN). Although a WC drill bit with a diamond point reduces delamination, the roughness increases, thus, the choice of the drill bit type depends on the roughness allowed. A WC drill bit coated with TiAlN produces a good surface finish that can eliminate subsequent operations and requires less energy; thus, this type of drill bit is the most attractive of the types evaluated.