• Smart Structures and Systems
• /
• v.14 no.2
• /
• pp.225-246
• /
• 2014

The present paper develops piezo-thermo-elastic analysis of a thick spherical shell for generalized functionally graded piezoelectric material. The assumed structure is loaded under thermal, electrical and mechanical loads. The mechanical, thermal and electrical properties are graded along the radial direction based on a power function with three different non homogenous indexes. Primarily, the non homogenous heat transfer equation is solved by applying the general boundary conditions, individually. Substitution of stress, strain, electrical displacement and material properties in equilibrium and Maxwell equations present two non homogenous differential equation of order two. The main objective of the present study is to improve the relations between mechanical and electrical loads in hollow spherical shells especially for functionally graded piezoelectric materials. The obtained results can evaluate the effect of every non homogenous parameter on the mechanical and electrical components.

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

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
• /
• v.47 no.4
• /
• pp.559-573
• /
• 2013

Geometrically non-linear axisymmetric bending of a shallow spherical shell with a clamped or a simply supported edge under axisymmetric load was investigated numerically. The partial load was introduced by the Heaviside step function, and the solution was obtained by the finite difference and the Newton-Raphson methods. The thickness of the shell was considered to be uniform and the material was assumed to be homogeneous and isotropic. Sensitivity analysis was made for three geometrical parameters. The accuracy of the algorithm was checked by comparing the central deflection, the radial membrane stress at the edge, or the transverse shear force with the solutions of plates and shells in the literature and good agreement was obtained. The main findings of the study can be outlined as follows: (i) If the shell is fully loaded the central deflection of a clamped shell is larger than that of a simply supported shell provided that the shell is not very shallow, (ii) if the shell is partially loaded the central deflection of the shell is sensitive to the parameters of thickness, depth, and partial loading but the influence of the boundary conditions is negligible.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
• /
• 2011.02a
• /
• pp.467-467
• /
• 2011

Reflecting the growing importance of nanomaterials in science and technology, controlling the porosity combined with well-defined structural properties has been an ever-demanding pursuit in the related fields of frontier researches. A number of reports have focused on the synthesis of various nanoporous materials so far and, recently, the nanomaterials with multimodal porosity are getting an emerging importance due to their improved material properties compared with the mono porous materials. However, most of those materials are obtained in bulk phases while the spherical nanoparticles are one of the most practical platforms in a great number of applications. Here, we report on the synthesis of the core-shell silica nanoparticles with double mesoporous shells (DMSs). The DMS nsnoparticles are spherical and monodispersive and have two different mesoporous shells, i.e., the bimodal porosity. It is the first example of the core-shell silica nanoparticles with the different mesopores coexisting in the individual nanoparticles. Furthermore, the carbon and silica hollow capsules were also fabricated via a serial replication process.

• Smart Structures and Systems
• /
• v.16 no.5
• /
• pp.853-872
• /
• 2015

Numerical analysis of large amplitude free vibration behaviour of laminated composite spherical shell panel embedded with the piezoelectric layer is presented in this article. For the investigation purpose, a general nonlinear mathematical model has been developed using higher order shear deformation mid-plane kinematics and Green-Lagrange nonlinearity. In addition, all the nonlinear higher order terms are included in the present mathematical model to achieve any general case. The nonlinear governing equation of freely vibrated shell panel is obtained using Hamilton's principle and discretised using isoparametric finite element steps. The desired nonlinear solutions are computed numerically through a direct iterative method. The validity of present nonlinear model has been checked by comparing the responses to those available published literature. In order to examine the efficacy and applicability of the present developed model, few numerical examples are solved for different geometrical parameters (fibre orientation, thickness ratio, aspect ratio, curvature ratio, support conditions and amplitude ratio) with and/or without piezo embedded layers and discussed in details.

• Steel and Composite Structures
• /
• v.36 no.6
• /
• pp.711-727
• /
• 2020

In the present research, the free vibration analysis of functionally graded (FG) nanocomposite deep spherical shells reinforced by graphene platelets (GPLs) on elastic foundation is performed. The elastic foundation is assumed to be Winkler-Past ernak-type. It is also assumed that graphaene platelets are randomly oriented and uniformly dispersed in each layer of the nanocomposite shell. Volume fraction of the graphene platelets as nanofillers may be different in the layers. The modified HalpinTsai model is used to approximate the effective mechanical properties of the multilayer nanocomposite. With the aid of the first order shear deformation shell theory and implementing Hamilton's principle, motion equations are derived. Afterwards, the generalized differential quadrature method (GDQM) is utilized to study the free vibration characteristics of FG-GPLRC spherical shell. To assess the validity and accuracy of the presented method, the results are compared with the available researches. Finally, the natural frequencies and corresponding mode shapes are provided for different boundary conditions, GPLs volume fraction, types of functionally graded, elastic foundation coefficients, opening angles of shell, and thickness-to-radius ratio.

• Journal of the Computational Structural Engineering Institute of Korea
• /
• v.15 no.3
• /
• pp.399-407
• /
• 2002

A three-dimensional method of analysis is presented for determining the free vibration frequencies and mode shapes of hollow bodies of revolution (i.e., thick shells), not limited to straight line generators or constant thickness. The middle surface of the shell may have arbitrary curvatures, and the wall thickness may vary arbitrarily. Displacement components$U_\Phi, U_z, U_\theta$ in the meridional, normal and circumferential directions, respectively, are taken to be sinusoidal in time, periodic in$\theta$, and algebraic polynomials in the$\Phi$and z directions. Potential(strain) and kinetic energies of the entire body are formulated, and upper bound values of the frequencies are obtained by minimizing the frequencies. As the degrees of the polynomials are increased, frequencies converge to the exact values. Novel numerical results are presented for two types of thick conical shells and thick spherical shell segments having linear thickness variations. Convergence to four digit exactitude is demonstrated for the first five frequencies of both types of shells. The method is applicable to thin shells, as well as thick and very thick ones.

• Steel and Composite Structures
• /
• v.44 no.2
• /
• pp.155-169
• /
• 2022

In the present paper an analytical model was developed to study the non-linear vibrations of Functionally Graded Carbon Nanotube (FG-CNT) reinforced doubly-curved shallow shells using the Multiple Scales Method (MSM). The nonlinear partial differential equations of motion are based on the FGM shallow shell hypothesis, the non-linear geometric Von-Karman relationships, and the Galerkin method to reduce the partial differential equations associated with simply supported boundary conditions. The novelty of the present model is the simultaneous prediction of the natural frequencies and their mode shapes versus different curvatures (cylindrical, spherical, conical, and plate) and the different types of FG-CNTs. In addition to combining the vibration analysis with optimization algorithms based on the genetic algorithm, a design optimization methode was developed to maximize the natural frequencies. By considering the expression of the non-dimensional frequency as an objective optimization function, a genetic algorithm program was developed by valuing the mechanical properties, the geometric properties and the FG-CNT configuration of shallow double curvature shells. The results obtained show that the curvature, the volume fraction and the types of NTC distribution have considerable effects on the variation of the Dimensionless Fundamental Linear Frequency (DFLF). The frequency response of the shallow shells of the FG-CNTRC showed two types of nonlinear hardening and softening which are strongly influenced by the change in the fundamental vibration mode. In GA optimization, the mechanical properties and geometric properties in the transverse direction, the volume fraction, and types of distribution of CNTs have a considerable effect on the fundamental frequencies of shallow double-curvature shells. Where the difference between optimized and not optimized DFLF can reach 13.26%.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
• /
• v.19 no.3
• /
• pp.321-336
• /
• 2005

The structural feasibility of a variety of non-conventional sludge digesters, in the form of thin shells of revolution constructed in concrete, has formed the subject of investigation of a recent programme of research at the University of Cape Town. Such forms are usually known in the literature as "egg-shaped", and the advantages of these over conventional digesters of the wide-cylindrical type are now well-recognised: superior mixing efficiency, less accumulation of deposits at the bottom, easier removal of bottom deposits and surface crust, reduced heat losses, and so forth. With the aim of exploring the structural feasibility of various non-conventional forms for concrete sludge digesters, and making available usable analytical data and practical guidelines for the design of such thin shell structures, a number of theoretical studies have recently been undertaken, and these have covered conical assemblies, spherical assemblies and parabolic ogival configurations. The purpose of the present paper is to bring together the different analytical approaches employed in each of these studies, summarise the main findings in each case, draw comparisons among the various studied configurations with regard to structural efficiency and functional suitability, and make appropriate conclusions and recommendations.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
• /
• v.53 no.4
• /
• pp.661-679
• /
• 2015

In this article, nonlinear finite element solutions of bending responses of functionally graded spherical panels are presented. The material properties of functionally graded material are graded in thickness direction according to a power-law distribution of volume fractions. A general nonlinear mathematical shallow shell model has been developed based on higher order shear deformation theory by taking the geometric nonlinearity in Green-Lagrange sense. The model is discretised using finite element steps and the governing equations are obtained through variational principle. The nonlinear responses are evaluated through a direct iterative method. The model is validated by comparing the responses with the available published literatures. The efficacy of present model has also been established by demonstrating a simulation based nonlinear model developed in ANSYS environment. The effects of power-law indices, support conditions and different geometrical parameters on bending behaviour of functionally graded shells are obtained and discussed in detail.