• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.56 no.4
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• pp.605-623
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• 2015

A formulation of the boundary element method (BEM) based on Kirchhoff's hypothesis to analyse stiffened plates composed by beams and slabs with different materials is proposed. The stiffened plate is modelled by a zoned plate, where different values of thickness, Poisson ration and Young's modulus can be defined for each sub-region. The proposed integral representations can be used to analyze the coupled stretching-bending problem, where the membrane effects are taken into account, or to analyze the bending and stretching problems separately. To solve the domain integrals of the integral representation of in-plane displacements, the beams and slabs domains are discretized into cells where the displacements have to be approximated. As the beams cells nodes are adopted coincident to the elements nodes, new independent values arise only in the slabs domain. Some numerical examples are presented and compared to a wellknown finite element code to show the accuracy of the proposed model.

• International Journal of Highway Engineering
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• v.8 no.2 s.28
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• pp.37-47
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• 2006

The structural response and performance of a flexible pavement can be improved through the use of geogrids as base course reinforcement. Current ongoing research at the University of illinois has focused on the development of a geogrid base reinforcement mechanistic model for the analysis of reinforced pavements. This model is based on the finite element methodology and considers not only the nonlinear stress-dependent pavement foundation but also the isotropic and anisotropic behavior of base/subbase aggregates for predicting pavement critical responses. An axisymmetric finite element model was developed to employ a three-noded axisymmetric membrane element for modeling geogrid reinforcement. The soil/aggregate-geogrid interface was modeled by the three-noded membrane element and the neighboring six-noded no thickness interface elements. To validate the developed mechanistic model, the commercial finite element program $ABAQUS^{TM}$ was used to generate pavement responses as analysis results for simple cases with similar linear elastic material input properties. More sophisticated cases were then analyzed using the mechanistic model considering the nonlinear and anisotropic modulus property inputs in the base/subbase granular layers. This paper will describe the details of the developed mechanistic model and the effectiveness of geogrid reinforcement when used in different quality unbound aggregate base/subbase layers.

• Proceedings of the Computational Structural Engineering Institute Conference
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• 2003.10a
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• pp.3-17
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• 2003

This paper deals with the problems and their possible solutions in the development of finite element for analysis of shell. Based on these solution schemes, a series of flat shell elements are established which show no signs of membrane locking and other defects even though the coarse meshes are used. In the element formulation, non-conforming displacement modes are extensively used for improvement of element behaviors. A number of numerical tests are performed to prove the validity of the solutions to the problems involved in establishing a series of high performance flat shell elements. The test results reveal among others that the high accuracy and fast convergence characteristics of the elements are obtainable by the use of various non-conforming modes and that the ‘Direct Modification Method’ is a very useful tool for non-conforming elements to pass the patch tests. Furthermore, hierarchical and higher order non-conforming modes are proved to be very efficient not only to make an element insensitive to the mesh distortion but also to remove the membrane locking. Some numerical examples are solved to demonstrate the validity and applicability of the presented elements to practical engineering shell problems.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.111-116
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• 1987

In this study, basilar membrane motions and neural tuning responses are analysed with I-dimensional equations for cochlear fluid mechanics and an active cochlear model. The results are as follows. (1) The differences between basilar membrane motions in an active cochlear model and in an passive cochlear model are explained. (2) The basilar membrane motion curves and the neur'at tuning curves which are in accordance with physiological measurements ave obtained. (3) It is proved that the active mechanism makes cochlear highly frequency sensitive.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.14 no.5
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• pp.595-610
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• 2002

This paper presents an efficiency of various non-conforming (NC) modes in development of a series of new finite elements with the special emphasis on 4-node quadrilateral elements. The NC modes have been used as a key scheme to improve the behaviors of various types of new finite elements, i.e., Mindlin plate bending elements, membrane elements with drilling degrees of freedom, flat shell elements. The NC modes are classified into three groups according to the 'correction constants' of 'Direct Modification Method'. The first group is 'basic NC modes', which have been widely used by a number of researchers in the finite element communities. The basic NC modes are effective to improve the behaviors of regular shaped elements. The second group is 'hierarchical NC modes' which improve the behaviors of distorted elements effectively. The last group is 'higher order NC modes' which improve the behaviors of plate-bending elements. When the basic NC modes are combined with hierarchical or higher order NC modes, the elements become insensitive to mesh distortions. When the membrane component of a flat shell has 'hierarchical NC modes', the membrane locking can be suppressed. A number of numerical tests are carried out to show the positive effect of aforementioned various NC modes incorporated into various types of finite elements.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.31 no.6
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• pp.469-484
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• 2023

The response mechanism of simply supported two-way reinforced concrete (RC) slabs under fire was numerically studied from the view of stress redistribution using the finite element software ABAQUS. Results show that: (1) Simply supported two-way RC slabs undergo intense stress redistribution, and their responses show four stages, namely elastic, elastic-plastic, plastic and tensile membrane stages. There is no cracking in the fire area of the slabs until the tensile membrane stage. (2) The inverted arch effect and tensile membrane effect improve the fire resistance of the two-way slabs. When the deflection is L/20, the slab is in an inverted arch effect state, and the slab still has a good deflection reserve. The deformation rate of the slab in the tensile membrane stage is smaller than that in the elastic-plastic and plastic stages. (3) Fire resistance of square slabs is better than that of rectangular slabs. Besides, increasing the reinforcement ratio or slab thickness improves the fire resistance of the slabs. However, an increase of cover thickness has little effect on the fire resistance of two-way slabs. (4) Compared with one-way slabs, the time for two-way slabs to enter the plastic and tensile cracking stage is postponed, and the deformation rate in the plastic and tensile cracking stage is also slowed down. (5) The simply supported two-way RC slabs can satisfy with the requirements of a class I fire resistance rating of 90 min without additional fire protection.

• Journal of Sensor Science and Technology
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.173-178
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• 2024

Development of pressure sensors for harsh environments with high pressure, humidity, and temperature is essential for many applications in the aerospace, marine, and automobile industries. However, existing materials such as polymers, adhesives, and semiconductors are not suitable for these conditions and require materials that are less sensitive to the external environment. This study proposed a pressure sensor that could withstand harsh environments and had high durability and precision. The sensor comprised a piezoresistor pattern and an insulating film directly formed on a stainless-steel membrane. To achieve the highest sensitivity, a pattern design method was proposed that considered the stress distribution in a circular membrane using finite element analysis. The manufacturing process involved depositing and etching a dielectric insulating film and metal piezoresistive material, resulting in a device with high linearity and slight hysteresis in the range of a maximum of 40 atm. The simplicity and effectiveness of this sensor render it a promising candidate for various applications in extreme environments.

• Journal of Advanced Research in Ocean Engineering
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• v.3 no.3
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• pp.112-124
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• 2017

As an LNG carrier preserves and transports liquefied natural gas under minus $163^{\circ}C$, the cargo tank has to have sufficient hull strength against not only the wave loads but also against loads caused by loading and unloading and thermal expansion to keep the LNG safely. The main insulation types for a CCS are No.96 and Mark III from GTT for the membrane LNG carrier. Particularly, the invar membrane plate in No.96 is very thin and its connections could experience high local stresses owing to such dynamic loads. Therefore, it should be verified whether those connections have sufficient fatigue lives for the purpose of operation and maintenance. This research aims at performing fatigue analysis with 0.1 fatigue damage criteria for 40 years of design life to support new membrane CCS development using proper S-N curves and the associated finite element modeling technique for each connection and then propose a reasonable design methodology.

• Journal of KSNVE
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• v.7 no.4
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• pp.579-588
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• 1997

When a membrane couples with compressive fluid, waves on the membrane follow a typical dispersion relations. One of characteristics of this relations is that evanscent waves occur below cutoff frequency. We have attempt to use this spatially decaying characteristics as a low frequency sound absorber. Theoretical development has required to solve membrane-fluid coupled linear differential. The solution has been successfully obtained by using eigenfunctions. To assure the obtained solution, experiment was also performed. The comparison was quite satisfactory. We conclude, based on these theoretical as well as experimental evidences, that it is very likely possible to use a membrane as a low frquency sound control element.

• Proceedings of the Computational Structural Engineering Institute Conference
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• 1999.04a
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• pp.268-275
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• 1999

The purpose of this study is to propose the method of determining the initial pneumatic membrane structures surface and stresses and displacements. Tension structure such as pneumatic membrane structures is stabilized by their initial prestress and air pressure. The process to find initial structural overall shape of tension structures produced by initial prestress called shape finding. One of the most important factor for the design of membrane structures is to search initial smooth surface, because unlike steel or concrete building elements which resist loads in bending, all tension structure forces are carried within the surface by membrane stress. The result for initial surface of pneumatic membrane element and maximum displacement in large deformation in analysis is compared with well-known nonlinear numerical method such as Newton-raphson method and dynamic relaxation method