Search results for " Cost"

Spatial Competition in Quality

2011

We develop a model of vertical innovation in which firms incur a market entry cost and position themselves in the quality space. Once established, firms compete monopolistically, selling to consumers with heterogeneous tastes for quality. We establish the general existence and conditional uniqueness of the pricing game in such vertically differentiated markets with a potentially large number of active firms. Turning to firms’ entry decisions, exogenously growing productivities induce firms to enter the market sequentially at the top end of the quality spectrum. We spell out the conditions under which the entry problem is replicated over time so that each new entrant improves incumbent quali…

Competition Policy in the Italian Economy: Current Developments and Lines of Action

2016

Presentation to the Italian Parliament of the 2015 Annual Report of the Italian Competition Authority. Rome, 18 June 2015

Complex analysis for the solution of torsion problems: a comparison among three methods

2009

An Innovative Ambient Identification Method

2020

Ambient modal identification, also known as Operational Modal Analysis (OMA), aims to identify the modal properties of a structure based on vibration data collected when the structure is under its operating conditions, i.e., no initial excitation or known artificial excitation. This procedure for testing and/or monitoring historic buildings, is particularly attractive for civil engineers concerned with the safety of complex historic structures. However, since the external force is not recorded, the identification methods have to be more sophisticated and based on stochastic mechanics. In this context, this contribution will introduce an innovative ambient identification method based on appl…

A model for multilayered beams undergoing end loads

2013

A formulation for layered beams undergoing end loads, namely axial, shear and bending actions, is developed and presented in this paper. A layer-wise kinematical model is first derived so that the point-wise balance relationships are fulfilled at the layer level. Successively, by enforcing the interface continuity conditions and taking the traction–free conditions on the top and bottom surfaces of the laminate into account, the layer-wise kinematical quantities are written in terms of generalized kinematical variables representative of the beam displacements field. The beam problem is then formulated in terms of these generalized variables leading to a model that shows the positive characte…

A Theory of Laminated Beams Subjected to Axial, Bending and Shear Load

2013

A theory of laminated beams subjected to axial, bending and shear loads is presented in this paper. The kinematical model employed to describe the laminated beam displacement field is layer-wise in nature. Moreover it is such that the equilibrium equations and the continuity of the stress components at plies interfaces are satisfied. By using the whole set of interface continuity conditions in conjunction with the traction –free conditions on the beam top and bottom surfaces the layer-wise kinematical quantities are written in terms of the mechanical primary variables pertaining to one layer only, which are then expressed in terms of the laminated generalized displacements. The solution for…

Impact Force Identification and Location on Isotropic and Composite Panels.

2009

Virtual element method for computational homogenization of composite and heterogeneous materials

2020

Abstract In this study, a two-dimensional multi-region framework, based on the use of the Virtual Element Method (VEM), is developed for computational materials homogenization and applied to different classes of widely employed heterogeneous materials. The VEM has recently emerged as a powerful generalisation of the Finite Element Method capable of dealing with very general polygonal mesh elements, including non-convex or highly distorted elements. Such features are appealing for the treatment of problems whose analysis domains present complex or statistical morphological features, which would generally require careful and time-consuming mesh/data preparation and regularization. In this wor…

Ritz Model for Damage Analysis in Variable Angle Tow Composite Plates

2022

In this work, a Ritz method is developed for progressive damage analysis of multilayered variable angle tow (VAT) composite plates under geometrically non-linear strains. The proposed model adopts a first order shear deformation theory and considers geometric non-linearities through the von Karman assumptions. A meso-modelling approach based on Continuum Damage Mechanics is adopted for analysing the initiation and evolution of damage. The onset of damage is predicted using the Hashin’s criteria. Four damage indices are defined and computed for expressing the degradation of the mechanical properties of the material, both for fibers and matrix under either tension and compression loading. A s…

Numerical and Experimental Analysis of the Frictional Effects on 4ENF Delamination Tests Performed on Unidirectional CFRP

2015

Abstract Progressive delamination in composite materials under static or fatigue loading condition are, in many structures, one of the predominant cause of failure. In the paper, an accurate study of quasi-static delamination growth under mode II loading condition is conducted. Several experimental tests are performed on composite laminates consisting of unidirectional carbon/epoxy layers. Four-point end-notched flexure (4ENF) test is employed in order to characterize the mode II interlaminar fracture toughness. The R-curve is obtained by means of optical and numerical determination of crack tip position. The energy release rate and the crack length are calculated through experimental deter…