• Journal of the Computational Structural Engineering Institute of Korea
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.153-158
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• 2017

In this paper, we take into account topology optimization problems considering spatial randomness in the material property of elastic modulus. Based on 88 lines MATLAB Code, Monte Carlo analysis has been performed for MBB(messerschmidt-$b{\ddot{o}}lkow$-blohm) model using 5,000 random sample fields which are generated by using the spectral representation scheme. The random elastic modulus is assumed to be Gaussian in the spatial domain of the structure. The variability of the volume fraction of the material, which affects the optimum topology of the given problem, is given in terms of correlation distance of the random material. When the correlation distance is small, the randomness in the topology is high and vice versa. As the correlation distance increases, the variability of the volume fraction of the material decreases, which comply with the feature of the linear static analysis. As a consequence, it is suggested that the randomness in the material property is need to be considered in the topology optimization.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.6 no.6
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• pp.659-671
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• 1998

Exercise of complete control on all aspects of any manufacturing / fabrication process is very difficult, leading to uncertainties in the material properties and geometric dimensions of structural components. This is especially true for laminated composites because of the large number of parameters associated with its fabrication. When the basic parameters like elastic modulus, density and Poisson's ratio are random, the derived response characteristics such as deflections, natural frequencies, buckling loads, stresses and strains are also random, being functions of the basic random system parameters. In this study the basic elastic properties of a composite lamina are assumed to be independent random variables. Perturbation formulation is used to model the random parameters assuming the dispersions small compared to the mean values. The system equations are analyzed to obtain the mean and the variance of the plate natural frequencies. Several application problems of free vibration analysis of composite plates, employing the proposed method are discussed. The analysis indicates that, at times it may be important to include the effect of randomness in material properties of composite laminates.

• Computational Structural Engineering
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.125-134
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• 1994

Response variability of reinforced concrete frame subjected to material property randomness has been evaluated with the aid of the finite element method. The spatial variation of Young's modulus is assumed to be a two-dimensional homogeneous stochastic process. Young's Modulus of concrete material has been investigated based on the uiaxial strength of concrete cylinder. Direct Monte Carlo simulation method is used to investigate the response of reinforced concrete frame due to the variation of Young's modulus with the Neumann expansion method and the pertubation method. The results by three analytic methods are compared with those by deterministic finite element analysis. These stochastic technique may be an efficient tool for evaluating the structural safety and reliability of reinforced concrete structures.

• Journal of Ocean Engineering and Technology
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• v.26 no.5
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• pp.73-80
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• 2012

It is well known that a considerable amount of scatter is shown in experimental results relating to fatigue crack growth even under identical and constant amplitude cyclic loading conditions. Moreover, flux cored arc welding (FCAW) is a common method used to join thick plates such as the structural members of large scale offshore structures and very large container ships. The objective of this study was to investigate the macro- and microscopic observations of the fatigue crack growth (FCG) behavior of the FCAWed API 2W Gr. 50 steel joints typically applied for offshore structures. In order to clearly understand the randomness of the fatigue crack growth behavior in the materials of three different zones, the weld metal (WM), heat affected zone (HAZ), and base metal (BM), experimental fatigue crack growth tests for each of five specimens were performed on ASTM standard compact tension (CT) specimens under constant amplitude cyclic loading. Special focus was placed on the fatigued fracture surfaces. As a result, a different behavior was observed at the macro-level, depending on the type of material property: BM, HAZ, or WM. The variability in the fatigue crack growth rate for WM was higher than that of BM and HAZ.