September 7, 2015, 14:18 Washington, Sep 7 (Prensa Latina) US scientists first described as termite mounds manage to ventilate the colony serve, Today Harvard University reported in a statement.
Termites have developed an efficient ventilation system within the mounds they inhabit their colonies, a challenge that remains unsolved for human builders.
The team of researchers from Harvard University, led by Professor Applied Mathematics, Evolutionary Biology and Physics L. Mahadevan, described in detail how the process occurs.
As a result of measurements of wind speed and direction within the mounds in different places, the study found that these structures act in a similar way to a lung, inhaling and exhaling once a day, as they are heated and cooled.
temperature, carbon dioxide concentration was measured, and found that temperature fluctuations associated with the day and night can be used to drive the ventilation of a not very differently from a lung, Mahadevan said.
The researchers identified the mechanism depends to a large extent, the structure of the mounds, they are built around the large central “fireplaces” coming from the gallery – the underground vault where most of the life of the colony develops. – the top
While the interior has large structural walls, the outside is much thinner, with walls that, although they are windproof, allow the exchange of gases.
In addition to revealing how they operate termite mounds The study may also provide lessons for architects.
Mahadevan said that instead of spending a lot of energy on fans and air conditioning in every room, with the end result that some people spend heat and other cold, maybe you should think of everything as a system.
These new measurements indicate that if architecture is appropriate, ventilation can be produced by using environmental transits, the expert concluded.
mem / New
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