Almost a year and a half between these two images:

And a lot of hard work, study, trial & error (and last but not least, so many beers at the "Taberna  Irlandesa").  Carlos Rodríguez-Casado (#FORMULA WINDY - UO) has achieved a milestone by getting our Smoke Wind Tunnel blowing.
A powerful device for teaching and research on aeroelastic instabilities in bridges, buildings, solar trackers, etc. made in University of Oviedo, in collaboration with IDR-UPM and Princeton University (#ESOLIA #SOLTRACK project).
Stay hungry, stay foolish!

ESOLIA & SOLTRACK Team attended the 2024 edition of GENERA in Madrid last week. We presented the DEMO-TRACK, the first portable device ever for teaching&learning&research on the aeroelastic instabilities of single axis solar trackers, particularly 1DOF flutter. General public and companies turned out to be really interested in the matter and the solution we proposed. We also held many meetings with constructors. Really grateful and proud of every one on board. We would like to acknowledge to this event´s sponsors: "Excmo. Ayuntamiento de Mieres" and Polytechnic School of Mieres and to our awesome host IMEnergy Power Plants, S.L. Looking forward to  meeting you all again!

Do not miss anything and learn how to deal with torsional instability (galloping or flutter of single-axis solar trackers) and go for understanding the "Stability Diagram of the Tracker" ("Diagrama de Estabilidad del Tracker").

CPP, one of the pioneer aerodynamic laboratories in the study of solar tracker galloping, says that not all the wind tunnels are the same... and it is true.
Well, not all Stability Diagrams for the aeroelastic design of structures are the same either... or are they? Well, if you copy it, then it will match point for point... we usually call it plagiarism (we all should fight this stronger, seriously, I´ve noticed some cases - other disciplines - last month!).
Let me explain crystal clear, by telling a tale.
This is the original image, obtained two years ago by Dep. of Energy - Uniovi and given to a (hypothetical) company we used to work with. It was named "Diagrama de Estabilidad del Tracker" by the Authors (and it was depicted and properly published after months of huge work and dedication):

And guess what? That figure never reached its intended destination, a third-party (hypothetical, again) company. Now, this is the image that the (hypothetical) company presented in a live webinar (hypothetically speaking) some time ago, pretending it was their own...

And this is the "magic". The less detailed is the image you (well, they, hypothetically) pretend to present, the easier is to "fake" it. A simple geometrical retouching and cutting... and "voilà!", trick comes to the surface.

But beyond some unfortunate anecdotes on the sidelines, the science of civil aerodynamics unites many great engineers all over the globe since decades, each of them trying to do their bit to explain and master the terrible phenomenon of the one degree of freedom flutter. Blessed are the people of good will (the majority, btw)!!!
We publish this poster as a tribute to all those who precede and accompany us in this exciting endeavor.
By the way, we welcome all the "fake free" contributions that you want to share and include in!

Aeroelasticity is like a kind of black hole ... the darkest source of infinite curiosity across Universe.
"Lies are like flies, they fly everywhere and pose where the sweet smell of curiosity is strongest" (Pio Rossi). And those who unscrupulously plagiarize are "vagrants of knowledge."
We continue studying and learning every day… thanks to a lot of people and colleagues who share their achievements and time, even during these hazardous times.
And, paraphrasing the discovers of Cygnus X-1… , “it might be galloping”.
Happy 2020 Easter to everyone!

Our Group (GIFD, Department of Energy, University of Oviedo) is developing a new method to calculate the structure of the Photovoltaic Solar Trackers against the effect of wind. Due to the lack of knowledge (there is only a little scientific knowledge because this is a very new and recent issue) we found in the national and international standard and codes, a few of laboratories and wind tunnels all over the world are trying to find out what is the aeroelastic mechanism which causes such a disaster called torsional galloping or 1DOF flutter.
We leave herein below one of our 2D CFD approaches, showing a real case of a single axis solar tracker placed at 30º of initial tilt angle panel and oscillating at 1,2 Hz and moderate amplitudes, under wind speed of 20 m/s.

I'm going to start to point out the work of my pupils. I think this is the reason of the work at University, I mean, the students. So, today I would like to mention the excellent TFG carried out by Pablo Canseco and Edgar Imaz.
The have been worked in the development of a new movable scaffolding system and the study of the reconstruction of the port of Cudillero, Asturias, Spain, after the heavy storms in 2013 and 2014.
Congratulations for your results.

I do not believe in QUALITY. I do not believe in surveys. I do not.
At least when this things are going together and are used by ignorants with the aim of pretending knowing.
So let me share this paper with you and you will see. Yo will become truly non believer like me. Or much better than that, you will only believe in real things, important things, reasonable things.

An Evaluation of Course Evaluations (click).
Philip B. Stark, Department of Statistics, University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, CA 94720, United States
[email protected]
Richard Freishtat, Center for Teaching and Learning, University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, CA 94720, United States
[email protected]
26 September 2014.

This is like a motto, something that you must keep in mind when you find in your way someone who never should have got power over others.

The first edition of this Competition took place last year at University of Oviedo (E.P.M. and E.P.I.G.). It was a nice experience, 50 students ran for the prize and we all learned a lot, I hope so.
Sponsored by:
Tableros y Puentes, S.A.
FCC.
Ogensa.
AST Ingeniería.
Coprosa.
ACHE, Asociación Científico-Técnica del Hormigón Estructural.
Colegio Oficial de Ingenieros de Caminos, Canales y Puertos, Demarcación de Asturias
RJB Design Studio.
Escuela Politécnica de Mieres, Universidad de Oviedo.

"Conferencias Aula Abierta:
De maceta a rascacielos. El hormigón armado, la invención de un material. November 07, 2014, 12 p.m."
Mercedes López García. Profesora titular de Estética de la Ingeniería de la Universidad Politécnica de Madrid.

A really interesting conference.
link

Some investigations have led experts to assess that G. Eiffel designed a steel truss bridge in Asturias: the "Parana" Viaduct in the railway from Lena to Pajares.

The story ended in 1954, when someone decided that the bridge was no longer available for the new convoyes...

More information:
http://elblogdeacebedo.blogspot.com.es/2014/08/el-problema-del-puente-arroyo-parana.html

Dr. Rosignoli has 32 years of experience in bridge design and construction in the US and abroad. He has worked with bridge contractors, designers, and owners in over 20 countries and four continents, serving as designer, reviewer, or technical leader for cable-stayed bridges, incrementally launched bridges, balanced-cantilever bridges, and light rail and high-speed railway bridges. An international authority on mechanized bridge construction and the incremental launching of bridges, he is the author of three books on bridge launching and mechanized bridge construction and more than 90 papers on bridge design and construction technology and holds more than 30 patents on bridge construction methods. He is also author of Chapter 6 of ASBI Construction Practices Handbook and of Chapter 6.37.40 of UNESCO Encyclopedia of Life Support Systems, he has founded and is chairing IABSE WG-6 Bridge Construction Equipment. He is member of ASBI Technical Advisory Committee, ASCE member, and IABSE fellow. He has published two "must-read" during the last year:

If you want to know what these four letters mean, please read "Los ingenieros de caminos" by Fernando Sáenz Ridruejo (ed. Colegio de Ingenieros de Caminos, Canales y Puertos, 1993).
Nowadays it is rather improbably that you will get the real concept, at least in some High School institutions. Nobody knows and nobody will explain to you.
Well, let me drop some thoughts. You will be able to teach something if you have learnt it, if you have done it. Our students don't need actors, politicians, governors, bureaucrats... but teachers: a teacher is side by side with pupils; and he is side by side with reality too.
Nowadays those want us to be called Civil Engineers. The more those say the word "quality" (regarding to teaching and learning) the less you can expect from them.
Students must not be blamed because of neither the educative collapse of the Engineering nor the fall of the Institution so called University... long time ago.
I'm afraid we will keep writing about this... unfortunately.

A really incredible tipe-lapse of an outstanding bridge. Please notice the flexibility of the structure during the construction.
By Carlos Fernández Casado, S.L.

link: http://seguimientodeobras.com/nuestros-trabajos/nuevo-puente-sobre-la-bahia-de-cadiz/

I know it does not sound like quite academic or professional stuff… I know it, and I don´t care about it.
I would like to dedicate the first to my Mom, since she is the only family member who is not an engineer… in this web that deals with engineering issues.
However, she is our main supporter.