Search results for "Civil and Structural Engineering"
showing 10 items of 1404 documents
Experimental Study of Central Baffle Flume
2019
In this paper, the hydraulics of a central baffle flume (CBF) were experimentally studied. Extensive experimental runs were carried out to highlight the effects of different geometrical parameters such as baffle length, contraction ratio, and the length of upstream and downstream guide walls. Two different approaches, i.e., the Π theorem of dimensional analysis coupled with the incomplete self-similarity theory and the energy balance equation, were applied to deduce the stage–discharge formula of a CBF characterized by different geometrical parameters. The stage–discharge relationship deduced by the dimensional analysis approach was more accurate than that obtained by the energy approach. F…
Theoretical study on travelling web dynamics and instability under non-homogeneous tension
2013
Problems of dynamics and stability of a moving web, travelling between two rollers at a constant velocity, are studied using analytical approaches. Transverse vibrations of the web are described by a partial differential equation that includes the centrifugal force, in-plane tension, elastic reaction and nonstationary inertial terms. The model of a thin elastic plate subjected to bending and non-homogeneous tension is used to describe the bending moment and the distribution of membrane forces. The stability of the plate is investigated with the help of studies of small out-of-plane vibrations. The influence of linearly distributed in-plane tension on the characteristics of the web vibration…
On the use of fractional calculus for the probabilistic characterization of random variables
2009
In this paper, the classical problem of the probabilistic characterization of a random variable is re-examined. A random variable is usually described by the probability density function (PDF) or by its Fourier transform, namely the characteristic function (CF). The CF can be further expressed by a Taylor series involving the moments of the random variable. However, in some circumstances, the moments do not exist and the Taylor expansion of the CF is useless. This happens for example in the case of $\alpha$--stable random variables. Here, the problem of representing the CF or the PDF of random variables (r.vs) is examined by introducing fractional calculus. Two very remarkable results are o…
Path integral solution for non-linear system enforced by Poisson White Noise
2008
Abstract In this paper the response in terms of probability density function of non-linear systems under Poisson White Noise is considered. The problem is handled via path integral (PI) solution that may be considered as a step-by-step solution technique in terms of probability density function. First the extension of the PI to the case of Poisson White Noise is derived, then it is shown that at the limit when the time step becomes an infinitesimal quantity the Kolmogorov–Feller (K–F) equation is fully restored enforcing the validity of the approximations made in obtaining the conditional probability appearing in the Chapman Kolmogorov equation (starting point of the PI). Spectral counterpa…
A method for the probabilistic analysis of nonlinear systems
1995
Abstract The probabilistic description of the response of a nonlinear system driven by stochastic processes is usually treated by means of evaluation of statistical moments and cumulants of the response. A different kind of approach, by means of new quantities here called Taylor moments, is proposed. The latter are the coefficients of the Taylor expansion of the probability density function and the moments of the characteristic function too. Dual quantities with respect to the statistical cumulants, here called Taylor cumulants, are also introduced. Along with the basic scheme of the method some illustrative examples are analysed in detail. The examples show that the proposed method is an a…
Probabilistic response of nonlinear systems under combined normal and Poisson white noise via path integral method
2011
In this paper the response in terms of probability density function of nonlinear systems under combined normal and Poisson white noise is considered. The problem is handled via a Path Integral Solution (PIS) that may be considered as a step-by-step solution technique in terms of probability density function. A nonlinear system under normal white noise, Poissonian white noise and under the superposition of normal and Poisson white noise is performed through PIS. The spectral counterpart of the PIS, ruling the evolution of the characteristic functions is also derived. It is shown that at the limit when the time step becomes an infinitesimal quantity an equation ruling the evolution of the pro…
Interactions between chemical evolution (hydration) and physical evolution (setting) in the case of tricalcium silicate
1994
This paper describes recent experimental results concerning investigation of the parameters which determine, on the one hand, the kinetics of hydration of tricalcium silicate and the thermodynamic, morphological and structural characteristics of C-S-H and, on the other hand, the evolution of the particle interactions at the origin of setting. It is shown that, in both cases, lime concentration in solution is the most important parameter. As a consequence, the chemical evolution of the system, which controls the lime concentration in solution, determines the nature of particle interactions and the physical evolution of the suspension or paste. In return, the contacts, between particles, resu…
An integrated approach based on Life Cycle Assessment and Thermoeconomics: Application to a water-cooled chiller for an air conditioning plant
2018
Abstract A large number of methods for energy systems analysis were developed in the last decades, aimed at acquiring an in-depth understanding of plant performances and enabling analysts to identify optimal design and operating conditions. In this work an integrated approach based on Life Cycle Assessment and Thermoeconomics is proposed as a method for assessing the exergo-environmental profile of energy systems. The procedure combines the capabilities of these two techniques, to account simultaneously for aspects related to thermodynamics of energy conversion processes and to the overall impacts along the plant life cycle related to other phases, i.e. from raw material extraction to the d…
The Behaviour of Mistuned Piezoelectric Shunt Systems and Its Estimation
2016
This paper addresses monoharmonic vibration attenuation using piezoelectric transducers shunted with electric impedances consisting of a resistance and an inductance in series. This type of vibration attenuation has several advantages but suffers from problems related to possible mistuning. In fact, when either the mechanical system to be controlled or the shunt electric impedance undergoes a change in their dynamical features, the attenuation performance decreases significantly. This paper describes the influence of biases in the electric impedance parameters on the attenuation provided by the shunt and proposes an approximated model for a rapid prediction of the vibration damping performa…
Identification of stiffness, dissipation and input parameters of multi degree of freedom civil systems under unmeasured base excitations
2009
A time domain dynamic identification technique based on a statistical moment approach has been formulated for civil systems under base random excitations in the linear state. This technique is based on the use of classically damped models characterized by a mass proportional damping. By applying the Itô stochastic calculus, special algebraic equations that depend on the statistical moments of the response can be obtained. These equations can be used for the dynamic identification of the mechanical parameters that define the structural model, in the case of unmeasured input as well, and the identification of the input itself. Furthermore, the above equations demonstrate the possibility of id…