• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.17 no.5
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• pp.727-734
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• 2004

An uncoupled computational model for analyzing the hygrothermal dynamic response of composite laminates has been developed. The constitutive equations, expressed in an integral form, and involving relaxation moduli are adopted, to describe the non-aging hygrothermorheologically simple materials. A Prony series represents the relaxation moduli is exploited in order to derive a recursive relationship, and thereby eliminate the storage problem that arises when dealing with material possessing memory. The problem is formulated in a descritized variational form. Mindlin and higher order finite elements are employed for spatial descretization, while the Newmark average acceleration scheme is exploited for temporal descritization. The adopted recursive formula uses only the details of the previous event to compute the details of the current one. Numerical results of the displacement fields of both thin and thick viscoelastic laminates problems are discussed to show up the effectiveness of Mindlin and higher-order shear theories.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.54 no.3
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• pp.475-489
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• 2015

This study presents the validation of a numerical model developed for dynamic analysis of buildings with roller seismic isolation bearings. Experimental methods allowed validation of the motion equations of a physical model of a building with and without roller bearings under base excitation. The results are presented in terms of modal parameters, frequency response functions (FRFs) and acceleration response. The agreement between numerical and experimental results proves the accuracy of the developed numerical model. Finally, the performance of the constructed seismic protection system is assessed through a parametric study.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.625-637
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• 2015

It is usual in design and assessment of structures to isolate the effects of vertical and horizontal excitations by ignoring their coupling effects. In this situation, total structural response is obtained by employing the well-known combination rules whereby independent assumed response components of earthquakes are combined. In fact, the effects of the simultaneity of the ground motion components are ignored. In this paper, the effect of vertical excitation on horizontal response of structures, the coupling of vertical and horizontal responses, has been evaluated. A computer program is prepared to perform nonlinear dynamic analysis based on the derived governing equations of coupled motions. In the case of simultaneous excitation the results show significant increases in spectral displacement in some periods of vibration in comparison to only horizontally excited systems. Moreover, whenever ratio of the vertical peak ground acceleration to horizontal one become larger, the significant increase in horizontal spectral displacements are observed.

• Advances in aircraft and spacecraft science
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.225-242
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• 2016

Euclid is an astronomy and astrophysics space mission of the European Space Agency. The mission aims to understand why the expansion of the Universe is accelerating and what is the nature of the source responsible for this acceleration which physicists refer to as dark energy. This paper provides both an overview of the spacecraft mechanical architecture and a synthesis of the process applied to establish adequate mechanical loads for design and testing. Basic methodologies and procedures, logics and criteria which have been used with the target to meet a compliant, "optimised" design are illustrated. The strategy implemented to limit the risk for overdesign and over-testing without jeopardizing the design margins is also addressed.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.119-130
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• 2009

This paper reports results of the structural response of empty steel tanks under vertical ground motions. The tanks are modeled using a finite element discretization using shell elements, and the vertical motion is applied and analyzed using nonlinear dynamics. Several excitation frequencies are considered, with emphasis on those that may lead to resonance of the roof. The computational results illustrate that as the base motion frequency is tuned with the frequency of the first roof-mode of the tank, the system displays large-amplitude displacements. For frequencies away from such mode, small amplitude displacements are obtained. The effect of the height of the cylinder on the dynamic response of the tank to vertical ground motion has also been investigated. The vertical acceleration of the ground motion that induces significant changes in the stiffness of the tank was found to be almost constant regardless of the height of the cylinder.

• Journal of the Earthquake Engineering Society of Korea
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• v.21 no.5
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• pp.237-244
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• 2017

This study proposes a numerical model to explain the closely placed double modes in the vibration of a layered stone pagoda system. The friction surface between the stones is modelled as the Timoshenko finite element while each stone layer is modelled as a rigid body. It is assumed that the irregular asperity on the friction surface enables the stone to be excited. This results in the closely placed modes that are composed of natural modes and self-excited modes. To examine the validity of the proposed model, a set of modal testing and analysis for a layered stone pagoda mock-up model has been conducted and a set of closely placed double modes are extracted. Applying the extended sensitivity-based system identification technique, the various system parameters are identified so that the modal parameters of the proposed numerical model are the same with those of the experimental mock-up. For a horizontal impulse excitation, the simulated acceleration responses are compared with measurements.

• Journal of Applied Reliability
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.137-148
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• 2010

This study deals with the accelerated life test of high power phosphor converted white Light Emitting Diodes (High power LEDs). Samples were aged at $110^{\circ}C$/85% RH and $130^{\circ}C$/85% RH up to 900 hours under non-biased condition. The stress induced a luminous flux decay on LEDs in all the conditions. Aged devices exhibited modification of package silicon color from white to yellowish brown. The instability of the package contributes to the overall degradation of optical lens and structural degradations such as generating bubbles. The degradation mechanisms of lumen decay and reduction of spectrum intensity were ascribed to hygro-mechanical stress which results in package instabilities.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.12 no.6
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• pp.573-594
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• 2001

A two-level displacement-based design procedure is developed. To obtain the displacement demands, elastic spectra for occasional earthquakes and inelastic spectra for rare earthquakes are used. Minimum global stiffness and strength to be supplied to the structure are based on specified maximum permissible drift limits and on the condition that the structure responds within the elastic range for occasional earthquakes. The performance of the structure may be assessed by an inelastic push-over analysis to the required displacement and the evaluation of damage indices. The approach is applied to the design of a five-story reinforced concrete coupled wall structure located in the most hazardous seismic region of Argentina. The inelastic dynamic response of the structure subjected to real and artificially generated acceleration time histories is also analyzed. Finally, advantages and limitations of the proposed procedure from the conceptual point of view and practical application are discussed.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.54 no.4
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• pp.809-827
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• 2015

In this paper, seismic energy response of inelastic steel structures under earthquake excitations is investigated. For this purpose, a numerical procedure based on nonlinear dynamic analysis is developed by considering material, geometric and connection nonlinearities. Material nonlinearity is modeled by the inversion of Ramberg-Osgood equation. Nonlinearity caused by the interaction between the axial force and bending moment is also defined considering stability functions, while the geometric nonlinearity caused by axial forces is described using geometric stiffness matrix. Cyclic behaviour of steel connections is taken into account by employing independent hardening model. Dynamic equation of motion is solved by Newmark's constant acceleration method in the time history domain. Energy response analysis of space frames is performed by using this proposed numerical method. Finally, for the first time, the distribution of the different energy types versus time at the duration of the earthquake ground motion is obtained where in addition error analysis for the numerical solutions is carried out and plotted depending on the relative error calculated as a function of energy balance versus time.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Precision Engineering
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.105-112
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• 2013

This paper presents the structural design and finite element analysis of precision stage based on a double triangular parallel mechanism for precision positioning and large force generation. Recently, with the acceleration of miniaturization in mobile appliances, the demand for precision aligning and bonding has been increasing. Such processes require both high precision and large force generation, which are difficult to obtain simultaneously. This study aimed at constructing a precision stage that has high precision, long stroke, and large force generation. Actuators were tactically placed and flexure hinges were carefully designed by optimization process to constitute a parallel mechanism with a double triangular configuration. The three actuators in the inner triangle function as an in-plane positioner, whereas the three actuators in the outer triangle as an out-of-plane positioner. Finite element analysis is performed to validate load carrying performances of the developed precision stage.