• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.36 no.3
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• pp.279-299
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• 2010

A methodology on application of the discrete singular convolution (DSC) technique to the free vibration analysis of thin plates with curvilinear quadrilateral platforms is developed. In the proposed approach, irregular physical domain is transformed into a rectangular domain by using geometric coordinate transformation. The DSC procedures are then applied to discretization of the transformed set of governing equations and boundary conditions. For demonstration of the accuracy and convergence of the method, some numerical examples are provided on plates with different geometry such as elliptic, trapezoidal having straight and parabolic sides, sectorial, annular sectorial, and plates with four curved edges. The results obtained by the DSC method are compared with those obtained by other numerical and analytical methods. The method is suitable for the problem considered due to its generality, simplicity, and potential for further development.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.4 no.5
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• pp.541-552
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• 1996

This paper is concerned with the structural optimization problem of maximizing the compressive buckling load of orthotropic rectangular plates for a given volume of material. The optimality condition is first derived via variational calculus. It states that the thickness distribution is proportional to the strain energy density contrary to popular claims of constant strain energy density at the optimum. An engineers physical meaning of the optimality condition would be to make the average strain energy density with respect to the depth a constant. A double cosine thickness varying plate and a double sine thickness varying plate are then fine tuned in a one parameter optimization using the Rayleigh-Ritz method of analysis. Results for simply supported square plates indicate an increase of 89% in capacity for an orthotropic plate having 100% of its fibers in $0^{\circ}$ direction.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.40 no.6
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• pp.783-800
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• 2011

This paper addresses the finite strip formulations for the stability analysis of viscoelastic composite plates with variable thickness in the transverse direction, which are subjected to in-plane forces. While the finite strip method is fairly well-known in the buckling analysis, hitherto its direct application to the buckling of viscoelastic composite plates with variable thickness has not been investigated. The equations governing the stiffness and the geometry matrices of the composite plate are solved in the time domain using both the higher-order shear deformation theory and the method of effective moduli. These matrices are then assembled so that the global stiffness and geometry matrices of a moderately thick rectangular plate are formed which lead to an eigenvalue problem that is solved to determine the magnitude of critical buckling load for the viscoelastic plate. The accuracy of the proposed model is verified against the results which have been reported elsewhere whilst a comprehensive parametric study is presented to show the effects of viscoelasticity parameters, boundary conditions as well as combined bending and compression loads on the critical buckling load of thin and moderately thick viscoelastic composite plates.

• Computational Structural Engineering
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.105-118
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• 1992

Static performance was compared for the triangular plate elements through some numerical experiments. Four Kirchhoff elements and six Mindlin elements were selected for the comparison. Numerical tests were executed for the problems of rectangular plates with regular and distorted meshes, rhombic plates, circular plates and cantilever plates. Among the Kirchhoff 9 DOF elements, the discrete Kirchhoff theory element was the best. Element distortion and the aspect ratio were shown to have negligible effects on the displacement behaviour. The Specht's element resulted in better results than the Bergan's but it was sensitive to the aspect ratio. The element based on the hybrid stress method also resulted in good results but it assumed to be less reliable. Among the linear Mindlin elements, the discrete shear triangle was the best in view of reliability, accuracy and convergence. Since the thin plate behaviour of it was as good as the DKT element, it can be used effectively in the finite element code regardless of the thickness. As a quadratic Mindlin element, the MITC7 element resulted in best results in almost all cases considered. The results were at least as good as those of doubly refined meshes of linear elements.

• Journal of KSNVE
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• v.5 no.3
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• pp.373-383
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• 1995

From the viewpoint of the structural design, the principal problem of the heat exchanger is the potentiality of structural instabilities due to the fluid loading effect during operations. Excessive fluid loading may give rise to permanent deformation of tube and would enentually result in collapse of heat exchanger, which would cause an obstruction of the fluid flow in the narrow channels. In this study, a fluid-structural interaction model was developed to investigate analtically the vibration characteristics of thin rectangular tube used in the heat exchanger. The model consists of two flat plates separated by fluid. The effects of the fluid in the tube was stuided. For analyses, the natural frequency coefficients of the model were investigated for the plate aspect ratios, channel heights, and boundary conditions. As conclusions, the natural frequency coefficients of the tube is found to be affected largely by the fluid loading and the channel heights.

• Journal of Power System Engineering
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• v.14 no.6
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• pp.67-74
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• 2010

Many tanks are installed in ship and marine structures. They are often in contact with inner or outer fluid, like ballast, fuel and cargo tanks. Fatigue damages are sometimes observed in these tanks which seem to be caused by resonance with exciting force of engine and propeller. Vibration characteristics of these thin walled tanks in contact with fluid near engine and propeller are strongly affected by added mass of containing fluid. Therefore it is essentially important to estimate the added mass effect to predict vibration of the tanks. Many authors have studied vibration of cylindrical and rectangular tanks containing fluid. Few research on dynamic interaction among tank walls through fluid are reported in the vibration of rectangular tanks recently. In case of rectangular tanks, structural coupling between adjacent panels and effect of vibration modes of multiple panels on added mass have to be considered. In the previous report, A numerical tool of vibration analysis of a 3-dimensional tank is developed by using finite element method for plates and boundary element method for fluid region. In this paper, the coupling effect between panels of a tank on added mass of containing fluid, the effect of structural constraint between panels on each vibration mode for fluid region and mode characteristics in accordance with changing breadth of the plates are investigated numerically and discussed.

• Journal of Korean Society of Coastal and Ocean Engineers
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.225-240
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• 2006

In order to calculate bending moments of rectangular plates with three edges clamped the other free subjected to both a uniform load and a triangular load, a finite difference equation for the non-dimensional governing equation are presented and numerical solutions with different aspect ratios and/or number of grid points are analyzed. The finite difference solutions are obtained by use of grid points up to 11,520 and the optimum grid points according to aspect ratios of the plate are presented as well. The obtained numerical solutions are shown to satisfy the given x moment boundary condition at the free edge, which can not be satisfied in Levy's analytical solutions and peculiar behaviour of the calculated moments is observed around the corners between the free edge and fixed ones. The numerical solutions of bending moments subjected to both a uniform load and a triangular load are compared with the corresponding analytical solutions which are shown in very good agreement on the solution domain except the neighborhood of the free edge.

• International Journal of Safety
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.13-17
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• 2002

A new system of equations governing the nonlinear thin laminated plates with large deflections using von Karman equations is derived. The effects of transverse shear in the thin interlayer are included as part of the analysis. The finite difference method is used to perform the geometrically nonlinear behavior of the plate. The resultant equations permit the analysis of the effect of transverse shear stress deformation on the overall behavior of the interlayer using the load incremental method. For the purpose of feasibility and validity of this present method, the numerical results are compared with other available solutions for accuracy as well as efficiency. The solution techniques have been implemented and the numerical results of example problem are discussed and evaluated.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.74 no.1
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• pp.83-90
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• 2020

Several classical and higher order plate theories were used to study the buckling of functionally graded material (FGM) plates. In the great majority of research, a power function is used to represent metal and ceramic material transverse distribution (P-FGM). Therefore, the effect of having other transverse variation of material properties on the buckling behavior of thick rectangular FGM plates was not properly addressed. In the present work, this effect is investigated using the Third order Shear Deformable Theory (TSDT) for the case of simply supported FGM plate. Both a sigmoid function and an exponential functions are used to represent the transverse gradual property variation. The plate governing equations are combined with a Navier type expanded solution of the unknown displacements to derive the buckling equation in terms of the pre-buckling in-plane loads. Finally, the critical in-plane load is calculated for the different buckling modes. The model is verified by a comparison of the calculated buckling loads with available published results of Al-SiC P-FGM plates. The conducted parametric study shows that manufacturing FGM plates with sigmoid variation of properties in the thickness direction increases the buckling load considerably. This improvement is found to be more significant for the case of thick plates than that of thin plates. Results also show that this stiffening-like effect of the sigmoid function profile is more evident for cases where the in-plane loads are applied along the shorter edge of the plate.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.44 no.4
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• pp.431-448
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• 2012

In this paper, the first-order shear deformation theory (FSDT) (Mindlin) for continuum incorporating surface energy is exploited to study the static behavior of ultra-thin functionally graded (FG) plates. The size-dependent mechanical response is very important while the plate thickness reduces to micro/nano scales. Bulk stresses on the surfaces are required to satisfy the surface balance conditions involving surface stresses. Unlike the classical continuum plate models, the bulk transverse normal stress is preserved here. By incorporating the surface energies into the principle of minimum potential energy, a series of continuum governing differential equations which include intrinsic length scales are derived. The modifications over the classical continuum stiffness are also obtained. To illustrate the application of the theory, simply supported micro/nano scaled rectangular films subjected to a transverse mechanical load are investigated. Numerical examples are presented to present the effects of surface energies on the behavior of functionally graded (FG) film, whose effective elastic moduli of its bulk material are represented by the simple power law. The proposed model is then used for a comparison between the continuum analysis of FG ultra-thin plates with and without incorporating surface effects. Also, the transverse shear strain effect is studied by a comparison between the FG plate behavior based on Kirchhoff and Mindlin assumptions. In our analysis the residual surface tension under unstrained conditions and the surface Lame constants are expected to be the same for the upper and lower surfaces of the FG plate. The proposed model is verified by previous work.