Search results for " Structural"

Topological surface wave metamaterials for robust vibration attenuation and energy harvesting

2021

International audience; We propose topological metamaterials working in Hertz frequency range, constituted of concrete pillars on the soil ground in a honeycomb lattice. Based on the analog of the quantum valley Hall effect, a non-trivial bandgap is formed by breaking the inversion symmetry of the unit cell. A topological interface is created between two different crystal phases whose robustness against various defects and disorders is quantitatively analyzed. Finally, we take advantage of the robust and compact topological edge state for designing a harvesting energy device. The results demonstrate the functionality of the proposed structure for both robust surface vibration reduction and …

User behavior in Smart and Sustainable Offices (SSO)

2017

Smart and Sustainable Offices (SSO) require synergies between technologies and users behaviors. The sociotechnical approach considers users’ motives, attitudes, cognitions and behaviors when designing work environments. This note will describe those phenomena in office environments. It will also present a set of tools to assess those phenomena and will provide guidelines to improve them.

An implicit mesh discontinuous Galerkin formulation for higher-order plate theories

2019

In this work, a discontinuous Galerkin formulation for higher-order plate theories is presented. The starting point of the formulation is the strong form of the governing equations, which are derived in the context of the Generalized Unified Formulation and the Equivalent Single Layer approach from the Principle of Virtual Displacements. To express the problem within the discontinuous Galerkin framework, an auxiliary flux variable is introduced and the governing equations are rewritten as a system of first-order partial differential equations, which are weakly stated over each mesh element. The link among neighboring mesh elements is then retrieved by introducing suitably defined numerical …

The role of evanescent modes in Global-Local analysis of UGW in plates with varying local zone-scatterer relations

2023

In order to provide a reliable and robust SHM performance, Ultrasonic Guided Waves (UGWs) need to be analyzed and understood. Numerical modeling of UGW propagation and scattering by hybrid methods offers the possibility of simulating UGW interaction with waveguides of arbitrary cross-sections and discontinuities. Maximizing the accuracy of such methods is important to perform quantitative SHM, while maintaining minimum computational cost. This work investigates the role of evanescent modes in the numerical analysis of UGWs in aluminum and composite plates with defects, by the hybrid Global-Local method. The complex solutions to the UGW eigenvalue problem are found and the scattering spectra…

MAJOR AND TRACE ELEMENTS GEOCHEMISTRY IN THE GROUND WATERS OF A VOLCANIC AREA: MOUNT ETNA (SICILY, ITALY)

1998

Thirty-five ground-water samples have been collected from wells, springs and drainage galleries on Mt Etna volcano for the determination of major, minor and trace elements in solution. Attention has been focused in particular on dissolved minor and trace elements, for most of which no data were available in the studied area. In general, dissolution of solids into Etna's ground waters follows from strong interaction between water of meteoric origin, CO2 gas of magmatic origin and the volcanic rocks of the aquifers. However, the R-mode analysis allowed to distinguish several sources of solutes: Al, Co, Ni, Fe, Si, As would derive mainly from alteration of the volcanic rocks of Etna; SO4=, K, …

Structural analysis, phase stability and electrochemical characterization of Nb doped BaCe0.9Y0.1O3−x electrolyte for IT-SOFCs

2012

Abstract To improve the chemical stability of high temperature proton conductors based on barium cerate, electrolyte powders doped with different amounts of niobium were synthesized by the citrate–nitrate auto-combustion method. Pure single phases of BaCe 0.9− x Nb x Y 0.1 O 3− x (BCYN, 0.03 ≤  x  ≤ 0.12) were obtained by thermal treatment at 1000 °C. Sintering at 1450 °C for 10 h produced dense pellets. X-ray absorption spectroscopy allowed to define the dopant ion insertion site and the co-dopant valency. Treatments in pure CO 2 atmosphere at 700 °C for 3 h and subsequent XRD analysis were carried out to probe the chemical stability of the produced electrolytes. The influence of the prese…

Toward the Development of Load Transfer Efficiency Evaluation of Rigid Pavements by a Rolling Wheel Deflectometer

2020

The jointed rigid pavement is currently evaluated by the Falling weight deflectometer which is rather slow for the testing of the jointed pavements. Continuous nondestructive evaluation of rigid pavements with a rolling wheel deflectometer can be used to measure the load transfer and is investigated. Load transfer is an important indicator of the rigid pavement&rsquo

Synthesis and characterization of perfluoroalkyl-pyrenes embedded in a polymethylmethacrylate matrix

2012

Free vibrations analysis of cracked variable stiffness composite plates by the eXtended Ritz method

2022

Variable stiffness composite laminates show advantageous structural features related to their enlarged design space. They are attractive candidates for advanced engineering applications where the assessment of static and dynamic behavior and strength in the presence of cracks is often required. In the present work, a single-domain extended Ritz formulation is proposed to study the free vibrations of cracked variable stiffness composite plates. The plate model is based on the first-order shear deformation theory whose primary variable, i.e. displacements and rotations, are approximated via a set of orthogonal polynomial trial functions enriched with a set of special crack functions. These fu…

A Logic Fuzzy Model for Evaluation of the Railway Station’s Practice Capacity in Safety Operating Conditions

2013

Abstract The practice capacity of a railway junction depends, in addition to the effective operation’s conditions, by the potential risk factors related to the design plan of the railway station. With the aim of an approach based on the “fuzzy sets” it is possible to determine the numeric value of the practice capacity by the logic - qualitative relations between the features of the railway junction and the potential risk factors. This methodology permits to try out the absolute value of a suitable vector β, (less then the unit) for the utilization of the theoretic capacity in conditions of maximum reliability of the system related to the aspect of safety (technique “fail safe”).