• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.35 no.5
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• pp.571-592
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• 2010

An energy-based fatigue life prediction framework was previously developed by the authors for prediction of axial, bending and shear fatigue life at various stress ratios. The framework for the prediction of fatigue life via energy analysis was based on a new constitutive law, which states the following: the amount of energy required to fracture a material is constant. In the first part of this study, energy expressions that construct the constitutive law are equated in the form of total strain energy and the distortion energy dissipated in a fatigue cycle. The resulting equation is further evaluated to acquire the equivalent stress per cycle using energy based methodologies. The equivalent stress expressions are developed both for biaxial and multiaxial fatigue loads and are used to predict the number of cycles to failure based on previously developed prediction criterion. The equivalent stress expressions developed in this study are further used in a new finite element procedure to predict the fatigue life for two and three dimensional structures. In the second part of this study, a new Quadrilateral fatigue finite element is developed through integration of constitutive law into minimum potential energy formulation. This new QUAD-4 element is capable of simulating biaxial fatigue problems. The final output of this finite element analysis both using equivalent stress approach and using the new QUAD-4 fatigue element, is in the form of number of cycles to failure for each element on a scale in ascending or descending order. Therefore, the new finite element framework can provide the number of cycles to failure at each location in gas turbine engine structural components. In order to obtain experimental data for comparison, an Al6061-T6 plate is tested using a previously developed vibration based testing framework. The finite element analysis is performed for Al6061-T6 aluminum and the results are compared with experimental results.

• Journal of Navigation and Port Research
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• v.31 no.10
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• pp.825-831
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• 2007

The use of high-strength aluminum alloys for ship and offshore structure generally has many benefits compared to the structural steels. These materials are used widely in a variety of fields, especially in the hull and deck of high speed craft, box-girder of bridges, deck and side plates of offshore structure. The structural weight can be reduced using these aluminum structure, which can enable high speed The characteristics of stress-strain relationship of aluminum structure are fairly different from the steel one, because of the influence of Heat Affected Zone(HAZ) by the welding processing. The HAZ of aluminum is much wider than that of steel with its high heat conductivity. In this paper, the ultimate strength characteristics of aluminum stiffened panel subjected to axial loading, such as the relationship between extent of HAZ and the behavior of buckling/ultimate strength, are investigated through the Finite Element Analysis with varying its range.

• Transactions of Materials Processing
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• v.25 no.6
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• pp.379-389
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• 2016

As a stator for steam turbine diaphragm, hollow-type nozzle stator to substitute for conventional solid one is introduced in this study. This hollowed stator can be separated into two parts such as upper and lower plates with large and curved surface area. This study focuses on thick plate forming process for the upper plate of the hollow-partitioned nozzle stator. First, to reduce forming defects such as under-cut and localized thinning of the deformed plate, and to avoid tool interruption between forming punch and lower die, tool design including the position determination of forming surfaces is performed. Uni-axial tensile tests are carried out using SUS409L steel plate with initial thickness of 5.00mm, and plastic strain ratio (r-value) is also obtained. Due to the asymmetric curved configuration of the upper plate, it is hard to adopt a series of blank holder or draw-bead, so the initial plate during this thick plate forming experiences unstable and non-uniform contact. To easy this forming difficulty and find suitable tool geometry without sliding behavior of the workpiece in the die cavity, two geometric parameters with respect to each shoulder angle of the lower die and the upper punch are adopted. FE models with consideration of 21 combinations for the geometric parameters are built-up, and numerical simulations are performed. From the simulated and predicted results, it is shown that the geometric parameter combinations with ($30^{\circ}$, $90^{\circ}$) and ($45^{\circ}$, $90^{\circ}$) for the shoulder angle of the lower die and the upper punch are suitably applied to this upper plate forming of the hollow-partitioned nozzle stator used for the turbine diaphragm.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.223-242
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• 2015

Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) have emerged as a novel solution to many of the challenges of structural health monitoring (SHM) in civil engineering structures. While research projects using WSNs are ongoing worldwide, implementations of WSNs on full-scale structures are limited. In this study, a WSN is deployed on a full-scale 17.3m-long, 11-bay highway sign support structure to investigate the ability to use vibration response data to detect damage induced in the structure. A multi-level damage detection strategy is employed for this structure: the Angle-between-String-and-Horizon (ASH) flexibility-based algorithm as the Level I and the Axial Strain (AS) flexibility-based algorithm as the Level II. For the proposed multi-level damage detection strategy, a coarse resolution Level I damage detection will be conducted first to detect the damaged region(s). Subsequently, a fine resolution Level II damage detection will be conducted in the damaged region(s) to locate the damaged element(s). Several damage cases are created on the full-scale highway sign support structure to validate the multi-level detection strategy. The multi-level damage detection strategy is shown to be successful in detecting damage in the structure in these cases.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.6 no.5_6
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• pp.561-578
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• 2010

This study proposes a multi-level damage localization strategy to achieve an effective damage detection system for civil infrastructure systems based on wireless sensors. The proposed system is designed for use of distributed computation in a wireless sensor network (WSN). Modal identification is achieved using the frequency-domain decomposition (FDD) method and the peak-picking technique. The ASH (angle-between-string-and-horizon) and AS (axial strain) flexibility-based methods are employed for identifying and localizing damage. Fundamentally, the multi-level damage localization strategy does not activate all of the sensor nodes in the network at once. Instead, relatively few sensors are used to perform coarse-grained damage localization; if damage is detected, only those sensors in the potentially damaged regions are incrementally added to the network to perform finer-grained damage localization. In this way, many nodes are able to remain asleep for part or all of the multi-level interrogations, and thus the total energy cost is reduced considerably. In addition, a novel distributed computing strategy is also proposed to reduce the energy consumed in a sensor node, which distributes modal identification and damage detection tasks across a WSN and only allows small amount of useful intermediate results to be transmitted wirelessly. Computations are first performed on each leaf node independently, and the aggregated information is transmitted to one cluster head in each cluster. A second stage of computations are performed on each cluster head, and the identified operational deflection shapes and natural frequencies are transmitted to the base station of the WSN. The damage indicators are extracted at the base station. The proposed strategy yields a WSN-based SHM system which can effectively and automatically identify and localize damage, and is efficient in energy usage. The proposed strategy is validated using two illustrative numerical simulations and experimental validation is performed using a cantilevered beam.

• Journal of Ocean Engineering and Technology
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.259-271
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• 2019

It is important to obtain reasonable predictions of the extent of the damage during maritime accidents such as ship collisions and groundings. Many fracture models based on different mechanical backgrounds have been proposed and can be used to estimate the extent of damage involving ductile fracture. The goal of this study was to compare the damage extents provided by some selected fracture models. Instead of performing a new series of material constant calibration tests, the fracture test results for the ship building steel EH36 obtained by Park et al. (2019) were used which included specimens with different geometries such as central hole, pure shear, and notched tensile specimens. The test results were compared with seven ductile fracture surfaces: Johnson-Cook, Cockcroft-Latham-Oh, Bai-Wierzbicki, Modified Mohr-Coulomb, Lou-Huh, Maximum shear stress, and Hosford-Coulomb. The linear damage accumulation law was applied to consider the effect of the loading path on each fracture surface. The Swift-Voce combined constitutive model was used to accurately define the flow stress in a large strain region. The reliability of these simulations was verified by the good agreement between the axial tension force elongation relations captured from the tests and simulations without fracture assignment. The material constants corresponding to each fracture surface were calibrated using an optimization technique with the minimized object function of the residual sum of errors between the simulated and predicted stress triaxiality and load angle parameter values to fracture initiation. The reliabilities of the calibrated material constants of B-W, MMC, L-H, and HC were the best, whereas there was a high residual sum of errors in the case of the MMS, C-L-O, and J-C models. The most accurate fracture predictions for the fracture specimens were made by the B-W, MMC, L-H, and HC models.

• Coupled systems mechanics
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.299-313
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• 2019

The paper represents computer modeling of the deformed state of physically nonlinear transversally isotropic bodies with hole. In order to describe the anisotropy of the mechanical properties of transversally-isotropic materials a structurally phenomenological model has been used. This model allows representing the initial material in the form of the coupled isotropic materials: the basic material (binder) considered from the positions of continuum mechanics and the fiber material oriented along the anisotropy direction of the original material. It is assumed that the fibers perceive only the axial tensile-compression forces and are deformed together with the base material. To solve the problems of the theory of plasticity, simplified theories of small elastoplastic deformation have been used for a transversely-isotropic body, developed by B.E. Pobedrya. A simplified theory allows applying the theory of small elastoplastic deformations to solve specific applied problems, since in this case the fibrous medium is replaced by an equivalent transversely isotropic medium with effective mechanical parameters. The essence of simplification is that with simple stretching of composite in direction of the transversal isotropy axis and in direction perpendicular to it, plastic deformations do not arise. As a result, the intensity of stresses and deformations both along the principal axis of the transversal isotropy and along the perpendicular plane of isotropy is determined separately. The representation of the fibrous composite in the form of a homogeneous anisotropic material with effective mechanical parameters allows for a sufficiently accurate calculation of stresses and strains. The calculation is carried out under different loading conditions, keeping in mind that both sizes characterizing the fibrous material fiber thickness and the gap between the fibers-are several orders smaller than the radius of the hole. Based on the simplified theory and the finite element method, a computer model of nonlinear deformation of fibrous composites is constructed. For carrying out computational experiments, a specialized software package was developed. The effect of hole configuration on the distribution of deformation and stress fields in the vicinity of concentrators was investigated.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.219-235
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• 2022

Strengthening slender reinforced concrete (RC) columns is a challenge. They are susceptible to overall buckling that induces bending moment and axial compression. This study presents the precise three-dimensional finite element modeling of slender RC columns strengthened with fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) composites sheets with various patterns under concentric or eccentric compression. The slenderness ratio λ (height/width ratio) of the studied columns ranged from 15 to 35. First, to determine the optimal modeling procedure, nine alternative nonlinear finite element models were presented to simulate the experimental behavior of seven FRP-strengthened slender RC columns under eccentric compression. The models simulated concrete behavior under compression and tension, FRP laminate sheets with different fiber orientations, crack propagation, FRP-concrete interface, and eccentric compression. Then, the validated modeling procedure was applied to simulate 58 FRP-strengthened slender RC columns under compression with minor eccentricity to represent the inevitable geometric imperfections. The simulated columns showed two cross sections (square and rectangular), variable λ values (15, 22, and 35), and four strengthening patterns for FRP sheet layers (hoop H, longitudinal L, partial longitudinal L_w, and longitudinal coupled with hoop LH). For λ=15-22, pattern L showed the highest strengthening effectiveness, pattern L_w showed brittle failure, steel reinforcement bars exhibited compressive yielding, ties exhibited tensile yielding, and concrete failed under compression. For λ>22, pattern L_w outperformed pattern L in terms of the strengthening effectiveness relative to equivalent weight of FRP layers, steel reinforcement bars exhibited crossover tensile strain, and concrete failed under tension. Patterns H and LH (compared with pattern L) showed minor strengthening effectiveness.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.25-40
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• 2022

In this study, 3D coupled-consolidation numerical parametric study was conducted to predict the deformation mechanism of a 20 storey building sitting on (4×4) piled raft (with length of piles, L_p=30 m) to adjacent 6 m diameter (D) tunnelling in stiff clay. The influences of different tunnel locations relative to piles (i.e., z_t/L_p) were investigated in this parametric study. In first case, the tunnel was excavated near the pile shafts with depth of tunnel axis (z_t) of 9 m (i.e., z_t/L_p). In second and third cases, tunnels were driven at z_t of 30 m and 42 m (i.e., z_t/L_p = 1.0 and 1.4), respectively. An advanced hypoplastic clay model (which is capable of taking small-strain stiffness in account) was adopted to capture soil behaviour. The computed results revealed that tunnelling activity adjacent to a building resting on piled raft caused significant settlement, differential settlement, lateral deflection, angular distortion in the building. In addition, substantial bending moment, shear forces and changes in axial load distribution along pile length were induced. The findings from the parametric study revealed that the building and pile responses significantly influenced by tunnel location relative to pile.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.45 no.5
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• pp.729-747
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• 2022

The critical buckling loads and buckling modes of bi-directional functionally graded porous unified higher order shear plate with elastic foundation are investigated. A mathematical model based on neutral axis rather than midplane is developed in comprehensive way for the first time in this article. The material constituents form ceramic and metal are graded through thickness and axial direction by the power function distribution. The voids and cavities inside the material are proposed by three different porosity models through the thickness of plate. The constitutive parameters and force resultants are evaluated relative to the neutral axis. Unified higher order shear plate theories are used to satisfy the zero-shear strain/stress at the top and bottom surfaces. The governing equilibrium equations of bi-directional functionally graded porous unified plate (BDFGPUP) are derived by Hamilton's principle. The equilibrium equations in the form of coupled variable coefficients partial differential equations is solved by using numerical differential integral quadrature method (DIQM). The validation of the present model is presented and compared with previous works for bucking. Deviation in buckling loads for both mid-plane and neutral plane are developed and discussed. The numerical results prove that the shear functions, distribution indices, boundary conditions, elastic foundation and porosity type have significant influence on buckling stability of BDFGPUP. The current mathematical model may be used in design and analysis of BDFGPU used in nuclear, mechanical, aerospace, and naval application.