• Composites Research
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• v.29 no.6
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• pp.401-407
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• 2016

IPMC is composed of thin ion conductive polymer film sandwiched between metallic electrodes plated on both surfaces. Ionic Polymer-Metal Composite (IPMC) generates voltages when bent by mechanical stimuli. IPMC has a potential for the variety of energy harvesting applications due to its soft and hydrophilic characteristics. However, the large-scale implementation is necessary to increase the output power. In this paper, the scale-up of surface area effect on voltage generation characteristics of IPMC was investigated using IPMC samples with different surface areas. Also, a circuit model simulating both the output voltage and its offset variations was designed for estimating the voltages from IPMC samples. The proposed model simulated the output voltages with offsets well corresponding to various frequencies of input bending motion. However, some samples showed that the increase of error between real and simulated voltages with time due to the nonlinear characteristic of offset variations.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.50 no.2
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• pp.241-255
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• 2014

The girder of self-anchored suspension bridge is subjected to large compression force applied by main cables. So, serious damage of the girder due to breakage of hangers may cause collapse of the whole bridge. With the time increasing, the hangers may break suddenly for their resistance capacities decrease due to corrosion. Using nonlinear static and dynamic analysis methods and adopting 3D finite element model, the responses of a concrete self-anchored suspension bridge to sudden breakage of hangers are studied in this paper. The results show that the sudden breakage of a hanger has significant effects on tensions of the hangers next to the broken hanger, bending and torsion moments of the girder, moments of the towers and reaction forces of the bearings. The results obtained from dynamic analysis method are very different from those obtained from static analysis method. The maximum tension of hanger produced by breakage of a hanger exceeds 2.2 times of its initial value, the maximum dynamic amplification factor reaches 2.54, which is larger than the value of 2.0 recommended for cable-stayed bridge in PTI codes. If two adjacent hangers on the same side of bridge break one after another, the maximum tension of other hangers exceeds 3.0 times of its initial value. If the safety factor adopted to design hanger is too small, or the hangers have been exposed to corrosion, the bridge may collapse due to breakage of two adjacent hangers.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.27-37
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• 2018

Reinforced concrete structures are widely used in civil engineering projects around the world in different designs. Due to the great evolution in computational equipment and numerical methods, structural analysis has become more and more reliable, and in turn more closely approximates reality. Thus among the many numerical methods used to carry out these types of analyses, the finite element method has been highlighted as an optimized tool option, combined with the non-linear and linear analysis techniques of structures. In this paper, the behavior of reinforced concrete beams was analyzed in two different configurations: i) with welding and ii) conventionally lashed stirrups using annealed wire. The structures were subjected to normal and tangential forces up to the limit of their bending resistance capacities to observe the cracking process and growth of the concrete structure. This study was undertaken to evaluate the effectiveness of welded wire fabric as shear reinforcement in concrete prismatic beams under static loading conditions. Experimental analysis was carried out in order compare the maximum load of both configurations, the experimental load-time profile applied in the first configuration was used to reproduce the same loading conditions in the numerical simulations. Thus, comparisons between the numerical and experimental results of the welded frame beam show that the proposed model can estimate the concrete strength and failure behavior accurately.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Precision Engineering
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• v.23 no.4 s.181
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• pp.176-182
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• 2006

Although several artificial disc designs have been developed for the treatment of discogenic low back pain, biomechanical changes with its implantation were rarely studied. To evaluate the effect of artificial disc implantation on the biomechanics of functional spinal unit, a nonlinear three-dimensional finite element model of L4-L5 was developed with 1-mm CT scan data. Biomechanical analysis was performed for two different types of artificial disc having constrained and unconstrained instant center of rotation(ICR), ProDisc and SB Charite III model. The implanted model predictions were compared with that of intact model. Angular motion of vertebral body, forces on the spinal ligaments and facet joint, and stress distribution of vertebral endplate for flexion-extension, lateral bending, and axial rotation with a compressive preload of 400N were compared. The implanted model showed increased flexion-extension range of motion compared to that of intact model. Under 6Nm moment, the range of motion were 140%, 170% and 200% of intact in SB Charite III model and 133%, 137%, and 138% in ProDisc model. The increased stress distribution on vertebral endplate for implanted cases could be able to explain the heterotopic ossification around vertebral body in clinical observation. As a result of this study, it is obvious that implanted segment with artificial disc suffers from increased motion and stress that can result in accelerated degenerated change of surrounding structure. Unconstrained ICR model showed increased in motion but less stress in the implanted segment than constrained model.

• Journal of Korean Society of Steel Construction
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.1-12
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• 2002

To obtain more accurate responses of laminated composite structures, the effect of transverse shear deformation, transverse normal strain/stress and a nonlinear variation of in-plane displacements with respect to the thickness coordinate need to be considered in the analysis. The improved higher-order theory is used to determine the deflections and natural frequencies of laminated composite structures. A quasi-elastic method is used for the solution of viscoelastic analysis of the laminated composite plates and sandwiches. Solutions of simply-supported laminated composite plates and sandwiches are obtained and the results are compared with those by the 3D elasticity theory and other theories. The improved theory proposed in this paper is shown to predict the deflections and natural frequencies more accurately than all other theories.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.329-345
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• 2018

This paper systematically investigated the mechanical performance of the weak-axis cover-plate connection, including a beam end monotonic loading test and a column top cyclic loading test, and a series of parametric studies for exterior and interior joints under cyclic loading using a nonlinear finite element analysis program ABAQUS, focusing on the influences of the shape of top cover-plate, the length and thickness of the cover-plate, the thickness of the skin plate, and the steel material grade. Results showed that the strains at both edges of the beam flange were greater than the middle's, thus it is necessary to take some technical methods to ensure the construction quality of the beam flange groove weld. The plastic rotation of the exterior joint can satisfy the requirement of FEMA-267 (1995) of 0.03 rad, while only one side connection of interior joint satisfied ANSI/AISC 341-10 under the column top cyclic loading. Changing the shape or the thickness or the length of the cover-plate did not significantly affect the mechanical behaviors of frame joints no matter in exterior joints or interior joints. The length and thickness of the cover-plate recommended by FEMA 267 (1995) is also suitable to the weak-axis cover-plate joint. The minimum skin plate thickness and a design procedure for the weak-axis cover-plate connections were proposed finally.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.407-421
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• 2020

In-place analysis for offshore platforms is essentially required to make proper design for new structures and true assessment for existing structures, in addition to the structural integrity of platforms components under the maximum and minimum operating loads when subjected to the environmental conditions. In-place analysis have been executed to check that the structural member with all appurtenance's robustness have the capability to support the applied loads in either storm or operating conditions. A nonlinear finite element analysis is adopted for the platform structure above the seabed and pile-soil interaction to estimate the in-place behavior of a typical fixed offshore platform. The SACS software is utilized to calculate the dynamic characteristics of the platform model and the response of platform joints then the stresses at selected members, as well as their nodal displacements. The directions of environmental loads and water depth variations have significant effects in the results of the in-place analysis behavior. The most of bending moment responses of the piles are in the first fourth of pile penetration depth from pile head level. The axial deformations of piles in all load combinations cases of all piles are inversely proportional with penetration depth. The largest values of axial soil reaction are shown at the pile tips levels (the maximum penetration level). The most of lateral soil reactions resultant are in the first third of pile penetration depth from pile head level and approximately vanished after that penetration. The influence of the soil-structure interaction on the response of the jacket foundation predicts that the flexible foundation model is necessary to estimate the force responses demands of the offshore platform with a piled jacket-support structure well.

• Composites Research
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.13-21
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• 2001

Substituting composite structures for conventional metallic structures has many advantages because of higher specific stiffness and specific strength of composite materials. In this work, one-piece driveshafts composed of carbon/epoxy and glass/epoxy composites were designed and manufactured for a rear wheel drive automobile satisfying three design specifications, such as static torque transmission capability, torsional buckling and the fundamental natural bending frequency. Single lap adhesive joint was used to join the composite shaft and the aluminum yoke. The torque transmission capability of the adhesively bonded composite shaft was calculated with respect to bonding length and yoke thickness by finite element analysis and compared with the experimental result. Torque transmission capability was based on the Tsai-Wu failure index fur composite shaft and the failure model which incorporated the nonlinear mechanical behavior of aluminum yoke and epoxy adhesive. From the experiments and the finite element analyses, it was found that the static torque transmission capability of the composite driveshaft was highest at the critical yoke thickness, and saturated beyond the critical length. Also, it was found that the one-piece composite driveshaft had 40% weight saving effect compared with a conventional two-piece steel driveshaft.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
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• v.35 no.11
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• pp.1471-1476
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• 2011

The catalytic converter in the front part of an automobile's exhaust system converts toxic exhaust gas into nontoxic gas. The substrate in the central part of the converter has a circular or oval-shaped cross section and fine lattice-shaped walls. In the canning process, the substrate is wrapped in mats and inserted into a can. During this process, mat pressure is induced, which may cause brittle fracturing in the substrate. In this paper, a finite element program for determining the mat pressure distribution was developed to avoid these fractures. The program was created in Microsoft EXCEL, so the input and output procedures are relatively simple. It was assumed that the substrate is rigid, the mat is material nonlinear, and the can is linear elastic. The can is modeled as a beam element to resist both bending and uniform tension/compression. The number of elements is fixed to 35, and the number of iterations, to 20. The solutions are compared to ABAQUS solutions and found to be in good agreement.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.511-524
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• 2020

In this research, a simple four-variable trigonometric integral shear deformation model is proposed for the static behavior of advanced functionally graded (AFG) ceramic-metal plates supported by a two-parameter elastic foundation and subjected to a nonlinear hygro-thermo-mechanical load. The elastic properties, including both the thermal expansion and moisture coefficients of the plate, are also supposed to be varied within thickness direction by following a power law distribution in terms of volume fractions of the components of the material. The interest of the current theory is seen in its kinematics that use only four independent unknowns, while first-order plate theory and other higher-order plate theories require at least five unknowns. The "in-plane displacement field" of the proposed theory utilizes cosine functions in terms of thickness coordinates to calculate out-of-plane shear deformations. The vertical displacement includes flexural and shear components. The elastic foundation is introduced in mathematical modeling as a two-parameter Winkler-Pasternak foundation. The virtual displacement principle is applied to obtain the basic equations and a Navier solution technique is used to determine an analytical solution. The numerical results predicted by the proposed formulation are compared with results already published in the literature to demonstrate the accuracy and efficiency of the proposed theory. The influences of "moisture concentration", temperature, stiffness of foundation, shear deformation, geometric ratios and volume fraction variation on the mechanical behavior of AFG plates are examined and discussed in detail.