• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
• /
• v.54 no.8
• /
• pp.3176-3180
• /
• 2022

A gamma irradiator is a well-developed installation for gamma radiation sterilization. A "shuffle-dwell" mode is preferable for high dose applications. A novel configuration of a shuffle-dwell gamma irradiator is proposed to increase energy utilization and throughput, which would result in higher profitability. While the minimum distance between any irradiation position and each source pencil, the minimum distance between the neighboring irradiation positions and the size of source pencils are kept the same as the current configuration, the irradiation positions and source pencils are rearranged based on the fact that radiation is emitted in an isotropic fashion. The computational results suggest that the proposed configuration requires an 8.7% smaller area and exposes the product to 11.8% more gamma radiation in a 10.7% shorter irradiation time. In other words, the proposed configuration needs a smaller area and shorter irradiation time to have a better performance compared to the current shuffle-dwell gamma irradiator. Note that the claim is based primarily on an analytical calculation. Experimental and manufacturing among other practical considerations will be taken into account in the future work to exhaustively evaluate the performance of the proposed configuration and to compare it with that of the traditional configuration.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
• /
• v.83 no.6
• /
• pp.771-788
• /
• 2022

This research investigates the free vibration of porous advanced composite plates resting on Winkler/Pasternak/ Kerr foundations by using a new hyperbolic quasi three dimensional (quasi-3D) shear deformation theory. The present theory, which does not require shear correction factor, accounts for shear deformation and thickness stretching effects by parabolic variation of all displacements across the thickness, and satisfies the stress-free boundary conditions on the upper and lower surfaces of the plate. In this work, we consider imperfect FG plates with porosities embedded within elastic Winkler, Pasternak or Kerr foundations. Implementing an analytical approach, the obtained governing equations from Hamilton's principle according to FG plates are derived. The closed form solutions are obtained by using Navier technique, and natural frequencies of FG plates are found, for simply supported plates, by solving the results of eigenvalue problems. A comprehensive parametric study is presented to evaluate effects of the geometry of material, mode numbers, porosity volume fraction, Power-law index and stiffness of foundations parameters on free vibration characteristics of FG plates.

• Wind and Structures
• /
• v.35 no.1
• /
• pp.35-54
• /
• 2022

A comparative study of aeroelastic vibrations of spring-mass cylinder and chimneys, with the help of a few wake oscillator models available in the literature, is presented. The models include those proposed by Facchinetti, Farshidian and Dolatabadi method-I, Farshidian and Dolatabadi method-II, de Langre, Skop and Griffin. Besides, the linear model proposed by Simiu and Scanlan is also incorporated in the study. For chimneys, the first mode oscillation is considered, and the top displacements of the chimneys are evaluated using the considered models. The results of the analytical model are compared with those obtained from the numerical solution of the wake-oscillator coupled equations. The response behavior of the cylinder and three chimneys of different heights are studied and compared with respect to critical parametric variations. The results of the study indicate that the numerical analysis is essential to capture the effect of non-linear aeroelastic phenomena in the solutions, especially for small damping. Further, except for the models proposed by Farshidian and Dolatabadi, other models predict nearly the same responses. The non-linear model predicts a much higher response as compared to the linear model.

• Earthquakes and Structures
• /
• v.22 no.4
• /
• pp.355-372
• /
• 2022

The study is part of an experimental program on full-scale Un-Reinforced Masonry (URM) wall panels strengthened with Textile reinforced mortars (TRM). Eight brick walls (two with and five without central opening), were tested under the diagonal tension (shear) test method in order to investigate the strengthening system effectiveness on the in-plane behaviour of the walls. All the URM panels consist of the innovative components, named "Orthoblock K300 bricks" with vertical holes and a thin layer mortar. Both of them have great capacity and easy application and can be constructed much more rapidly than the traditional bricks and mortars, increasing productivity, as well as the compressive strength of the masonry walls. Several parameters pertaining to the in-plane shear behaviour of the retrofitted panels were investigated, including shear capacity, failure modes, the number of layers of the external TRM jacket, and the existence of the central opening of the wall. For both the control and retrofitted panels, the experimental shear capacity and failure mode were compared with the predictions of existing prediction models (ACI 2013, TA 2000, Triantafillou 1998, Triantafillou 2016, CNR 2018, CNR 2013, Eurocode 6, Eurocode 8, Thomoglou et al. 2020). The experimental work allowed an evaluation of the shear performance in the case of the bidirectional textile (TRM) system applied on the URM walls. The results have shown that some analytical models present a better accuracy in predicting the shear resistance of all the strengthened masonry walls with TRM systems which can be used in design guidelines for reliable predictions.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
• /
• v.81 no.6
• /
• pp.769-780
• /
• 2022

This paper studies the dynamic behavior of laminated composite circular cylindrical shells interacting with a fluid. The mathematical formulation of the dynamic problem for an elastic body is developed based on the variational principle of virtual displacements and the relations of linear elasticity theory. The behavior of an ideal compressible fluid is described by the potential theory, the equations of which together with boundary conditions are transformed to a weak form. The hydrodynamic pressure exerted by the fluid on the internal surface of the shell is calculated according to the linearized Bernoulli equation. The numerical implementation of the mathematical formulation has been done using the semi-analytical finite element method. The influence of the ply angle and lay-up configurations of laminated composites on the natural vibration frequencies and the hydroelastic stability boundary have been analyzed for shells with different geometrical dimensions and under different kinematic boundary conditions set at their edges. It has been found that the optimal value of the ply angle depends on the level of filling of the shell with a fluid. The obtained results support the view that by choosing the optimal configuration of the layered composite material it is possible to change upwards or downwards the frequency and mode shape, as well as the critical velocity for stability loss over a wide range.

• Steel and Composite Structures
• /
• v.42 no.6
• /
• pp.765-777
• /
• 2022

Ultra high performance concrete (UHPC) can be used in the UHPC-steel composite structures especially for bridge structures to achieve high stiffness and high fatigue resistance with low self-weight. The structural performances of UHPC-steel composite slabs subjected to hogging moment have a significant influence on the global stiffness and durability of UHPC-steel composite structures. In order to study the structural behaviors of non-steam-cured UHPC-steel composite slabs subjected to negative moment, five composite slabs combined the thin UHPC layers to steel plates via shear stud connecters with the diameter of 16mm were fabricated and tested under negative moment. The test program aimed to investigate the effect of stud spacing and longitudinal reinforcement ratios on the failure mode, load-deflection behaviors, cracking patterns, bond-slips, and carrying capacities of composite slabs subjected to negative moment. In addition, direct tensile tests for the dog-bone UHPC specimens with longitudinal reinforcement bars were carried out to study the effect of reinforcement bars on the tensile strength of UHPC in the thin structure members. Based on the experimental results, analytical models were also developed to predict the cracking load and ultimate load of UHPC-steel composite slabs subjected to negative moment.

• Advances in materials Research
• /
• v.11 no.1
• /
• pp.59-73
• /
• 2022

In the construction industry, thin-walled frame elements with very slender open cross-sections and low torsional stiffness are often subjected to a complex loading condition where axial, bending, shear and torsional stresses are present simultaneously. Hence, these often fail in instability even before the yield capacity is reached. One of the most common instability conditions associated with thin-walled structures is Lateral Torsional Buckling (LTB). In this study, a first order Generalized Beam Theory (GBT) formulation and numerical analysis of cold-formed steel lipped channel beams (C80×40×10×1, C90×40×10×1, C100×40×10×1, C80×40×10×1.6, C90×40×10×1.6 and C100×40×10×1.6) subjected to uniform moment is carried out to predict pure Lateral Torsional Buckling (LTB). These results are compared with the Finite Element Analysis of the beams modelled with shell elements using ABAQUS and analytical results based on Euler's buckling formula. The mode wise deformed shape and modal participation factors are obtained for comparison of the responses along with the effect of varying the length of the beam from 2.5 m to 10 m. The deformed shapes of the beam for different modes and GBTUL plots are analyzed for comparative conclusions.

• Steel and Composite Structures
• /
• v.41 no.5
• /
• pp.649-661
• /
• 2021

This paper presents experimental and analytical studies to understand the behavior of crumb rubber concrete (CRC)-filled fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) and steel tube double skin column (DSC) and beam (DSB) members under cyclic loading. The main test variable was the percentage of rubber which ranged from 0 to 40%. For column members, different heights corresponding to different aspect ratios were examined to understand the to understand the effect of DSCs' slenderness on the cyclic response of the columns. the. The behavior of the specimens in terms of failure mode, strain development, energy dissipation, load-displacement response were presented and compared. The ability of the current provisions of the Australian codes to predict the capacity of such double skin members was also evaluated based on the test results. This study concluded that the reduction in the concrete strength was more severe at the material level compared to structural level. Also, as the load changed from axial compression in columns to pure moment in beams the negative effect of rubber percentage on the strength became less significant.

• Coupled systems mechanics
• /
• v.11 no.4
• /
• pp.357-371
• /
• 2022

This paper presents a parametric study on the free vibration analysis of a functionally graded material (FGM) circular plate with non-uniform thickness resting on a variable Pasternak elastic foundation. The mechanical properties of the material vary in the transverse direction through the thickness of the plate according to the power-law distribution to represent the constituent components. The equation of motion of the circular plate has been carried out based on the classical plate theory (CPT), and the differential quadrature method (DQM) is employed to solve the governing equations as a semi-analytical method. The grid points are chosen based on Chebyshev-Gauss-Lobatto distribution to achieve acceptable convergence and better accuracy. The influence of geometric parameters, variable elastic foundation, and functionally graded variation for clamped and simply supported boundary conditions on the first three natural frequencies are investigated. Comparisons of results with similar studies in the literature have been presented and two-dimensional mode shapes for particular plates have been plotted to illustrate the effect of variable thickness profile.

• Steel and Composite Structures
• /
• v.45 no.5
• /
• pp.683-695
• /
• 2022

Conventional braces are often used to provide stiffness to structures; however due to buckling they cannot be used as seismic energy dissipating elements. In this study, a seismic energy dissipation device is proposed which is comprised of a bracing member and a steel hysteretic damper made of steel hexagonal plates. The hexagonal shaped designated fuse causes formation of plastic hinges under axial deformation of the brace. The main advantages of this damper compared to conventional metallic dampers and buckling-restrained braces are the stable and controlled energy dissipation capability with ease of manufacture. The mechanical behavior of the damper is formulated first and a design procedure is provided. Next, the theoretical formulation and the efficiency of the damper are verified using finite element (FE) analyses. An analytical model of the damper is established and its efficiency is further investigated by applying it to seismic retrofit of a case study structure. The seismic performance of the structure is evaluated before and after retrofit in terms of maximum interstory drift ratio, top story displacement, residual displacement, and energy dissipation of dampers. Overall, the median of maximum interstory drift ratios is reduced from 3.8% to 1.6% and the residual displacement decreased in the x-direction which corresponds to the predominant mode shape of the structure. The analysis results show that the developed damper can provide cost-effective seismic protection of structures.