• Wind and Structures
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.1-23
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• 1999

Wind effects are critical considerations in the design of topside structures, overall structural systems, or both, depending on the water depth and type of offshore platform. The reliable design of these facilities for oil fields in regions of hostile environment can only be assured through better understanding of the environmental load effects and enhanced response prediction capabilities. This paper summarizes the analysis and performance of offshore platforms under extreme wind loads, including the quantification of wind load effects with focus on wind field characteristics, steady and unsteady loads, gust loading factors, application of wind tunnel tests, and the provisions of the American Petroleum Institute Recommended Practice 2A - Working Stress Design (API RP 2A-WSD) for the construction of offshore structures under the action of wind. A survey of the performance of platforms and satellite structures is provided, and failure mechanisms concerning different damage scenarios during Hurricane Andrew are examined. Guidelines and provisions for improving analysis and design of structures are addressed.

• Advances in nano research
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.51-64
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• 2016

This paper investigates the effects of thermal load and shear force on the buckling of nanobeams. Higher-order shear deformation beam theories are implemented and their predictions of the critical buckling load and post-buckled configurations are compared to those of Euler-Bernoulli and Timoshenko beam theories. The nonlocal Eringen elasticity model is adopted to account a size-dependence at the nano-scale. Analytical closed form solutions for critical buckling loads and post-buckling configurations are derived for proposed beam theories. This would be helpful for those who work in the mechanical analysis of nanobeams especially experimentalists working in the field. Results show that thermal load has a more significant impact on the buckling behavior of simply-supported beams (S-S) than it has on clamped-clamped (C-C) beams. However, the nonlocal effect has more impact on C-C beams that it does on S-S beams. Moreover, it was found that the predictions obtained from Timoshenko beam theory are identical to those obtained using all higher-order shear deformation theories, suggesting that Timoshenko beam theory is sufficient to analyze buckling in nanobeams.

• Wind and Structures
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• v.14 no.6
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• pp.499-515
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• 2011

Low-frequency building vibration is known to induce symptoms of motion sickness in some occupants. This paper examines how the adoption of a theory of motion sickness, in conjunction with a dose-response model might inform the real-world problem of managing and designing standards for tall building motion sway. Building designers require an understanding of human responses to low-dosage motion that is not adequately considered by research into motion sickness. The traditional framework of Sensory Conflict Theory is contrasted with Postural Instability Theory. The most severe responses to motion (i.e., vomiting) are not experienced by occupants of wind-excited buildings. It is predicted that typical response sets to low-dosage motion (sleepiness and fatigue), which has not previously been measured in occupants of tall-buildings, are experienced by building occupants. These low-dose symptoms may either be masked from observation by the activity of occupants or misattributed to the demands of a typical working day. An investigation of the real-world relationship between building motion and the observation of low-dose motion sickness symptoms and a degradation of workplace performance would quantify these effects and reveal whether a greater focus on designing for occupant comfort is needed.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.9 no.6
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• pp.489-504
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• 2012

For the safety of prestressed structures such as cable-stayed bridges and prestressed concrete bridges, it is very important to ensure the prestress force of cable or tendon. The loss of prestress force could significantly reduce load carrying capacity of the structure and even result in structural collapse. The objective of this study is to present a smart PZT-interface for wireless impedance-based prestress-loss monitoring in tendon-anchorage connection. Firstly, a smart PZT-interface is newly designed for sensitively monitoring of electro-mechanical impedance changes in tendon-anchorage subsystem. To analyze the effect of prestress force, an analytical model of tendon-anchorage is described regarding to the relationship between prestress force and structural parameters of the anchorage contact region. Based on the analytical model, an impedance-based method for monitoring of prestress-loss is conducted using the impedance-sensitive PZT-interface. Secondly, wireless impedance sensor node working on Imote2 platforms, which is interacted with the smart PZT-interface, is outlined. Finally, experiment on a lab-scale tendon-anchorage of a prestressed concrete girder is conducted to evaluate the performance of the smart PZT-interface along with the wireless impedance sensor node on prestress-loss detection. Frequency shift and cross correlation deviation of impedance signature are utilized to estimate impedance variation due to prestress-loss.

• Proceedings of the KSR Conference
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• 2008.11b
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• pp.1710-1716
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• 2008

The Loop Heat Pipe (LHP) operates to pump the working fluid by means of the capillary force in a wick structure. Particularly, it is difficult to design and manufacture the evaporator consisted of a grooved container and a compensation chamber as well as the wick structure. This study is related to design and manufacture the grooved container coupled with wick structure, the properties of the wick structure such as the permeability, the porosity, and the maximum capillary pressure were measured to apply the cooling technology for Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor (IGBT). The container of the LHP was manufactured by the electrical discharge process and the wick structure was sintered with the nickel particle by an axial-press apparatus with the pulse electronic discharge. As results, the properties of the wick were experimentally obtained about 60% of the porosity, 35kPa of the maximum capillary force and $1.53{\times}10-13m2$ of the permeability.

• Structural Monitoring and Maintenance
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.33-46
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• 2019

In present study, Operational Modal Analysis (OMA) was employed to carry out the dynamic and vibration analysis of the threshing unit of the combine harvester thresher as a mechanical component. The main study is to find the causes of vibration and to decrease it to enhance the lifetime and efficiency of the threshing unit. By utilizing OMA, structural modal parameters such as mode shapes, natural frequencies, and damping ratio was calculated. The combine harvester was excited by engine to vibrate different parts and accelerometer sensor collected acceleration signals at different speeds, and OMA was utilized by nonparametric and frequency analysis methods to obtain modal parameters while vibrating in real working conditions. Afterwards, finite element model was designed from the thresher and updated using the data obtained from the modal analysis. Using the conducted analyses, it was specified that proximity of the thresher pass frequency to one of the natural frequencies (16.64 Hz) was the most important effect of vibration in the thresher. Modification process of the structure was carried out by increasing mass required for changing the natural frequency location of the first mode to 12.4 Hz in order to reduce resonance and vibration of the thresher.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.30 no.6
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• pp.567-576
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• 2019

Time-dependent creep analysis of a rotating functionally graded cantilever beam with trapezoidal longitudinal cross section subjected to thermal and inertia loading is investigated using first-order shear deformation theory (FSDT). The model described in this paper is a simple simulation of a turbine blade working under creep condition. The material is a metal based composite reinforced by a ceramic where the creep properties of which has been described by the Sherby's constitutive model. All mechanical and thermal properties except Poisson's ratio are assumed to be variable longitudinally based on the volume fraction of constituent. The principle of virtual work as well as first order shear deformation theory is used to derive governing equations. Longitudinal distribution of displacements and stresses are investigated for various volume fractions of reinforcement. Method of successive elastic solution is employed to obtain history of stresses and creep deformations. It is found that stresses and displacements approach their steady state values after 40000 hours. The results presented in this paper can be used for selection of appropriate longitudinal distribution of reinforcement to achieve the desired stresses and displacements.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.59-66
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• 2019

Hollow steel-reinforced concrete-filled GFRP tubular member is a new kind of composite members. Firstly set the mold in the GFRP tube (non-bearing component), then set the longitudinal reinforcements with stirrups (steel reinforcement cage) between the GFRP tube and the mold, and filled the concrete between them. Through the axial compression test of the hollow steel-reinforced concrete-filled GFRP tubular member, the working mechanism and failure modes of composite members were obtained. Based on the experiment, when the load reached the ranges of $55-70%P_u$ ($P_u-ultimate$ load), white cracks appeared on the surface of the GFRP tubes of specimens. At that time, the confinement effects of the GFRP tubes on core concrete were obvious. Keep loading, the ranges of white cracks were expanding, and the confinement effects increased proportionally. In addition, the damages of specimens, which were accompanied with great noise, were marked by fiber breaking and resin cracking on the surface of GFRP tubes, also accompanied with concrete crushing. The bearing capacity of the axially compressed components increased with the increase of reinforcement ratio, and decreased with the increase of hollow ratio. When the reinforcement ratio was increased from 0 to 4.30%, the bearing capacity was increased by about 23%. When the diameter of hollow part was decreased from 55mm to 0, the bearing capacity was increased by about 32%.

• Advances in materials Research
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.11-24
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• 2019

This paper presents a review study for energy-efficient gas turbines (GTs) with cycles which contributes significantly towards sustainable usage. Nonetheless, these progressive engines, operative at turbine inlet temperatures as high as $1600^{\circ}C$, require the employment of highly creep resistant materials for use in hotter section components of gas turbines like combustion chamber and blades. However, the gas turbine obtain its driving power by utilizing the energy of treated gases and air which is at piercing temperature and pushing by expanding through the several rings of steady and vibratory blades. Since the turbine blades works at very high temperature and pressure, high stress concentration are observed on the blades. With the increasing demand of service, to provide adequate efficiency and power within the optimized level, turbine blades are to be made of those materials which can withstand high thermal and working load condition for longer cycle time. This paper depicts the recent developments in the field of implementing the best suited materials for the GTs, selection of proper Thermal Barrier Coating (TBC), fracture analysis and experiments on failed or used turbine blades and several other designing and operating factors which are effecting the blade life and efficiency. It is revealed that Nickel based Superalloys were promising, Cast Iron with Zirconium and Pt-Al coatings are used as best TBC material, material defects are the foremost and prominent reason for blade failure.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.435-446
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• 2019

The existing piezoelectric spherical transducers with fixed prescribed dynamic characteristics limit their application in scenarios with multi-frequency or frequency variation requirement. To address this issue, this work proposes an improved design of piezoelectric spherical transducers using the resistance tuning method. Two piezoceramic shells are the functional elements with one for actuation and the other for tuning through the variation of load resistance. The theoretical model of the proposed design is given based on our previous work. The effects of the resistance, the middle surface radius and the thickness of the epoxy adhesive layer on the dynamic characteristics of the transducer are explored by numerical analysis. The numerical results show that the multi-frequency characteristics of the transducer can be obtained by tuning the resistance, and its electromechanical coupling coefficient can be optimized by a matching resistance. The proposed design and derived theoretical solution are validated by comparing with the literature given special examples as well as an experimental study. The present study demonstrates the feasibility of using the proposed design to realize the multi-frequency characteristics, which is helpful to improve the performance of piezoelectric spherical transducers used in underwater acoustic detection, hydrophones, and the spherical smart aggregate (SSA) used in civil structural health monitoring, enhancing their operation at the multiple working frequencies to meet different application requirements.