• Wind and Structures
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• v.17 no.5
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• pp.495-513
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• 2013

Thin, high-strength steel roof cladding is widely used in residential and industrial low-rise buildings and is susceptible to failure during severe wind storms such as cyclones. Current cladding design is heavily reliant on experimental testing for the determination of roof cladding performance. Further study is necessary to evolve current design standards, and numerical modelling of roof cladding can provide an efficient and cost effective means of studying the response of cladding in great detail. This paper details the development of a numerical model that can simulate the static response of corrugated roof cladding. Finite element analysis (FEA) was utilised to determine the response of corrugated cladding subject to a static wind pressure, which included the anisotropic material properties and strain-hardening characteristics of the thin steel roof cladding. The model was then validated by comparing the numerical data with corresponding experimental test results. Based on this comparison, the model was found to successfully predict the fastener reaction, deflection and the characteristics in deformed shape of the cladding. The validated numerical model was then used to predict the response of the cladding subject to a design cyclone pressure trace, excluding fatigue effects, to demonstrate the potential of the model to investigate more complicated loading circumstances.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.4 no.6
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• pp.607-627
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• 2013

The application of shape memory alloys (SMAs) to the seismic response reduction of civil engineering structures has attracted growing interest due to their self-centering feature and excellent fatigue performance. The loading rate dependence of SMAs raises a concern in the seismic analysis of SMA-based devices. However, the implementation of micromechanics-based strain-rate-dependent constitutive models in structural analysis software is rather complicated and computationally demanding. This paper investigates the feasibility of replacing complex rate-dependent models with rate-independent constitutive models for superelastic SMA elements in seismic time-history analysis. Three uniaxial constitutive models for superelastic SMAs, including one rate-dependent thermomechanical model and two rate-independent phenomenological models, are considered in this comparative study. The pros and cons of the three nonlinear constitutive models are also discussed. A parametric study of single-degree-of-freedom systems with different initial periods and strength reduction factors is conducted to examine the effect of the three constitutive models on seismic simulations. Additionally, nonlinear time-history analyses of a three-story prototype steel frame building with special SMA-based damping braces are performed. Two suites of seismic records that correspond to frequent and design basis earthquakes are used as base excitations in the seismic analyses of steel-braced frames. The results of this study show that the rate-independent constitutive models, with their parameters properly tuned to dynamic test data, are able to predict the seismic responses of structures with SMA-based seismic response modification devices.

• Wind and Structures
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.99-110
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• 2019

Vortex-Induced-Vibration (VIV) is one kind of the wind-induced vibrations, which may occur in the construction and operation period of bridges. This phenomenon can bring negative effects to the traffic safety or can cause bridge fatigue damage and should be eliminated or controlled within safe amplitudes.In the current VIV studies, one available mitigation countermeasure, the horizontal flow-isolating plate, shows satisfactory performance particularly in PI shaped bridge deck type. Details of the wind tunnel test are firstly presented to give an overall description of this appendage and its control effect. Then, the computational-fluid-dynamics(CFD) method is introduced to investigate the control mechanism, using two-dimensional Large-Eddy-Simulation to reproduce the VIV process. The Reynolds number of the cases involved in this paper ranges from $1{\times}10^5$ to $3{\times}10^5$, using the width of bridge deck as reference length. A field-filter technique and detailed analysis on wall pressure are used to give an intuitive demonstration of the changes brought by the horizontal flow-isolating plate. Results show that this aerodynamic appendage is equally effective in suppressing vertical and torsional VIV, indicating inspiring application prospect in similar PI shaped bridge decks.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.51 no.4
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• pp.1132-1141
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• 2019

Steel-concrete-steel (SCS) sandwich structures have important advantages over conventional concrete structures, however, bond-slip between the steel plate and concrete may lead to a loss of composite action, resulting in a reduction of stiffness and fatigue life of SCS sandwich structures. Due to the inaccessibility and invisibility of the interface, the interfacial performance monitoring and debonding detection using traditional measurement methods, such as relative displacement between the steel plate and core concrete, have proved challenging. In this work, two methods using piezoelectric transducers are proposed to detect the bond-slip between steel plate and core concrete during the test of the beam. The first one is acoustic emission (AE) method, which can detect the dynamic process of bond-slip. AE signals can be detected when initial micro cracks form and indicate the damage severity, types and locations. The second is electromechanical impedance (EMI) method, which can be used to evaluate the damage due to bond-slip through comparing with the reference data in static state, even if the bond-slip is invisible and suspends. In this work, the experiment is implemented to demonstrate the bond-slip monitoring using above methods. Experimental results and further analysis show the validity and unique advantage of the proposed methods.

• Wind and Structures
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• v.28 no.5
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• pp.271-284
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• 2019

This paper describes the application of a novel virtual prototyping methodology to wind turbine blade design. Numeric modelling data and experimental data about turbine blade geometry and structural/dynamical behaviour are combined to obtain an affordable digital twin model useful in reducing the undesirable uncertainties during the entire turbine lifecycle. Moreover, this model can be used to track and predict blade structural changes, due for example to structural damage, and to assess its remaining life. A new interactive and recursive process is proposed. It includes CAD geometry generation and finite element analyses, combined with experimental data gathered from the structural testing of a new generation wind turbine blade. The goal of the research is to show how the unique features of a complex wind turbine blade are considered in the virtual model updating process, fully exploiting the computational capabilities available to the designer in modern engineering. A composite Sandia National Laboratories Blade System Design Study (BSDS) turbine blade is used to exemplify the proposed process. Static, modal and fatigue experimental testing are conducted at Clarkson University Blade Test Facility. A digital model was created and updated to conform to all the information available from experimental testing. When an updated virtual digital model is available the performance of the blade during operation can be assessed with higher confidence.

• Tribology and Lubricants
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• v.39 no.5
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• pp.212-215
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• 2023

Diaphragm compressors play a crucial role in safely compressing large volumes of high-purity hydrogen gas without contamination or leakage, thereby ensuring quality and reliability. Diaphragm compressors use a thin, flat, triple-layered diaphragm plate that is subjected to repetitive piston pressure for compression. They are usually made of metallic materials such as stainless steel or Inconel owing to their high-pressure resistance. However, since they are consumable components, they fail due to fatigue from repetitive pressure and vibration stress. This study aims to evaluate the scratch characteristics of diaphragms in operational environments by conducting tests on three different samples: Inconel 718, AISI 301, and Teflon-coated AISI 301. The Inconel 718 sample underwent a polishing process, the AISI 301 sample used raw material, and the Teflon coating was applied to the AISI 301 substrate at a thickness of 50 ㎛. To assess the scratch resistance, reciprocating motion friction tests were performed using a tribometer, utilizing 220 and 2000 grit sandpapers as the counter materials. The results of the friction tests suggested that the Teflon-coated sample exhibited the lowest initial friction coefficient and consistently maintained the lowest average friction coefficient (0.13 and 0.11 with 220 and 2000 grit, respectively) throughout the test. Moreover, the Teflon-coated diaphragm showed minimal wear patterns, indicating superior scratch resistance than the Inconel 718 and AISI 301 samples. These findings suggest that Teflon coatings may offer an effective solution for enhancing scratch resistance in diaphragms, thereby improving compressor performance in high-pressure hydrogen applications.

• Tribology and Lubricants
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• v.40 no.1
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• pp.24-27
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• 2024

A monotype valve body for a dual clutch transmission has the potential to reduce costs, weight, and manufacturing time by modularizing various parts, including those of existing solenoid packs and valve bodies, into one through the application of super-precision die casting technology. However, this approach may lead to challenges such as reduced rigidity and increased interference due to modularization and compactness, impacting both product performance due to the reduced weight as well as durability and reliability. Unlike existing products, this approach requires a high-precision thin-wall block to avoid more complicated flow line formation, interference between flow lines, and leaks, as well as a strict quality requirement standard and precise inspections including detection of internal defects. To conduct precise inspections, we built an equivalent model corresponding to a driving distance of 300,000 km. Testing involved simulating actual road loads using a real vehicle and a chassis dynamometer in the FTP-75 mode (EPA Federal Test Procedure). The aim of the study was to establish a vehicle load-based part durability model for manufacturing a mono-type valve body and to develop fundamental technology for part weight reduction through preliminary design by introducing analytical weight reduction technology based on the derived results.

• Advances in aircraft and spacecraft science
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.225-237
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• 2018

The difficulties of satellite vibration testing are due to the commonly expressed qualification requirements being incompatible with the limited performance of the entire controlled system (satellite + interface + shaker + controller). Two features cause the problem: firstly, the main satellite modes (i.e., the first structural mode and the high and low tank modes) are very weakly damped; secondly, the controller is just too basic to achieve the expected performance in such cases. The combination of these two issues results in oscillations around the notching levels and high amplitude beating immediately after the mode. The beating overshoots are a major risk source because they can result in the test being aborted if the qualification upper limit is exceeded. Although the abort is, in itself, a safety measure protecting the tested satellite, it increases the risk of structural fatigue, firstly because the abort threshold has been already reached, and secondly, because the test must restart at the same close-resonance frequency and remain there until the qualification level is reached and the sweep frequency can continue. The beat minimum relates only to small successive frequency ranges in which the qualification level is not reached. Although they are less problematic because they do not cause an inadvertent test shutdown, such situations inevitably result in waiver requests from the client. A controlled-system analysis indicates an operating principle that cannot provide sufficient stability: the drive calculation (which controls the process) simply multiplies the frequency reference (usually called cola) and a function of the following setpoint, the ratio between the amplitude already reached and the previous setpoint, and the compression factor. This function value changes at each cola interval, but it never takes into account the sensor signal phase. Because of these limitations, we firstly examined whether it was possible to empirically determine, using a series of tests with a very simple dummy, a controller setting process that significantly improves the results. As the attempt failed, we have performed simulations seeking an optimum adjustment by finding the Least Mean Square of the difference between the reference and response signal. The simulations showed a significant improvement during the notch beat and a small reduction in the beat amplitude. However, the small improvement in this process was not useful because it highlighted the need to change the reference at each cola interval, sometimes with instructions almost twice the qualification level. Another uncertainty regarding the consequences of such an approach involves the impact of differences between the estimated model (used in the simulation) and the actual system. As limitations in the current controller were identified in different approaches, we considered the feasibility of a new controller that takes into account an estimated single-input multi-output (SIMO) model. Its parameters were estimated from a very low-level throughput. Against this backdrop, we analyzed the feasibility of an LQG control in cancelling beating, and this article highlights the relevance of such an approach.

• Composites Research
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• v.36 no.6
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• pp.441-447
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• 2023

Recently, as demand for high-strength, lightweight materials has increased, there has been great interest in joining with metals. In the case of mechanical bonding, such as bolting and riveting, chemical bonding using adhesives is attracting attention as stress concentration, cracks, and peeling occur. In this paper, surface treatment was performed to improve the adhesive strength, and the change in adhesive strength was analyzed. For the adhesive strength test were conducted with Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastic(CFRP), CR340(Steel), and Al6061(Aluminum), and laser and plasma surface treatment were used. After plasma surface treatment, the adhesive strength improved by 7.3% and 39.2% in CFRP-CR340 and CFRP-Al6061, respectively. CR340-Al6061 was improved by 56.2% in laser surface treatment. Surface free energy(SFE) was measured by contact angle after plasma treatment, and it is thought that the adhesion strength was improved by minimizing damage through a chemical reaction mechanism. For laser surface treatment, it is thought that creates a rough bonding surface and improves adhesive strength due to the mechanical interlocking effect. Therefore, surface treatment is effect to improve adhesive strength, and based on this paper, the long-term fatigue test will be conducted to prevent fatigue failure, which is a representative cause of actual structural damage.

• International Journal of Highway Engineering
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• v.8 no.1 s.27
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• pp.15-23
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• 2006

Criteria of the current asphalt mix design, Marshall method, includes the stability and flow which are not related with field performance of HMA mixture, together with the air void, Void filled with asphalt (VFA) and/or Void of mineral Aggregate(VMA). In addition, the limits of stability and flow are satisfied in most cases, the Optimum asphalt content (OAC) is determined based on volumetric properties, such as the air void and/or VFA and/of VMA. Therefore, many researchers have sought mechanistic properties which can replace the stability and flow, making the designed mixture having potential for better field performance. This study initiated to develope a mix design by introducing two performance-related mechanistic properties, the deformation strengh and fracture energy, in place of the stability and flow of the Marshall method. The deformation strength $(S_D)$ from the Kim Test has a high correlation with rutting property and the fracture energy(FE) from the indirect tensile test represents the fatigue cracking property of asphalt mixture. Four types of asphalt mixture were prepared for examining possibility of using the suggested mix design method in comparison with current methods. The results showed that mechanical properties were reflected in determination of OAC with this suggested mix design, unlike the existing Marshall method.