Ivan CISMARU

Wooden floorings (in Romanian language)

Editura Universitatii „Transilvania”, Brasov, 2006
ISBN 973-635-807-0
296 pg.

This book has been conceived out of an older wish of the author to synthesize the data available on floorings used within civil, industrial, agro-zootechnical buildings etc., from the viewpoint of structures, materials employed, fixing systems, mounting techniques, industrial manufacturing methods etc.
This work was necessary due to the spectacular evolution within the last 15-20 years of the construction technique, which implied the development of new flooring structures, with better thermal and sound insulation properties.

The development of construction activities throughout the world determined an increasing raw material consumption destined to flooring manufacturing and thus, “economic floorings” had to be developed, with reduced thickness so as to save wood. The energy saving policy at world scale also imposed the implementation of more efficient sollutions with respect to thermal insulation.
These are the most important reasons which made this book necessary, which can be useful both to students and specialists involved in wood industry, and also to those involved in constructions.

Daniela SOVA

Heat Engineering

Editura Universitatii „Transilvania”, Brasov, 2006
ISBN 973-635-766-X, 978-973-635-766-4,
158 pg.

This e-book is a traditional or macroscopic approach of heat engineering, as a basic science that deals with energy and represents an essential part of the engineering curricula all over the world. The author’s goal is to offer an interesting lecture to students and all who have professional connections with this domain, by introducing them in the world of applied thermodynamics.

The nine chapters of the book cover topics about basic concepts of thermodynamics, ideal gases – laws and properties, the first law of thermodynamics for closed and open systems, the second law of thermodynamics and entropy, exergy and reversible work, as well as the application of the principles of thermodynamics to various areas of engineering as vapor thermodynamics, humid air, combustion of fuels, basic concepts of heat transfer and heat-transfer equipment.

For a clear understanding of the basic principles and for developing the interest in more complex problems, the subject matter is introduced at a level that students can follow without difficulty and which is ordered from simple to more complex concepts.

Marina CIONCA, Ioan MUSCU, Lidia GURAU

Thinking with Your Hands/Designing with Your Hands

Editura Universitatii ”Transilvania”, Brasov, 2006
ISBN 973-635-836-4,
100 pg.

The book which we present has a rather unusual structure: it presents a few preliminary results regarding the design of furniture that includes new materials obtained from wasted forestry resources, as well as the results of an international project regarding furniture design based on the generous concept Designing with your hands/Thinking with your hands, initiated by SIPPO-Zürich, representing The Swiss Promotion Program for emerging markets, in a partnership with the Faculty of Wood Industry. Eleven Romanian students are present with over twenty outstanding original projects, coordinated by the authors from January to November 2006. The book addresses all those who wish to understand the new trends and concepts regarding furniture design, students, designers and/or manufacturers.

The authors wish to address their acknowledgements to the National Council for Scientifc Research in Higher Education (CNCSIS), which by financing the ongoing research project “Eco-Design and Eco-Technology for Furniture and Other Products Made by Modeling, Simulation and Structuring a New Material Obtained from Secondary Natural Resources”, made possible the printing of this book.

Camelia CERBU

Composite materials and aggressive environment. Special applications (in Romanian language)

Editura Universitatii „Transilvania”, Brasov, 2006
ISBN 973-635-861-5, 978-973-635-861-6,
256 pg.

The book deals with the actual and difficult problem of analysing the mechanical structures from the perspective of using composite materials in aggressive environment. It proposes an objective and supplementary criterion of optimisation: the conservation of the mechanical characteristics of strength and rigidity under the long time action of the aggressive environment factors.

The book is divided into seven chapters which present: generalities concerning the mechanics of composites; the experimental investigation method of the effects of same aggressive environment factors (water, natural sea water, water mixed with detergent, thermal cycle) on the physical and mechanical characteristics, in the case of some composite materials randomly reinforced with E-glass fibres; the experimental analysis using the method of electrical strain measuring of the state of strain in the rear plate of the boat hull due to the drag force developed by the boat motor; a numerical simulation of the mechanical behaviour of the rear part of a boat hull, by using FEM, with the purpose of optimising the material.