Search results for "Civil and Structural Engineering"
showing 10 items of 1404 documents
Variable kinematics models and finite elements for nonlinear analysis of multilayered smart plates
2015
Abstract A variable kinematics approach for moderately large deflection analysis of smart magneto-electro-elastic multilayered plates is presented. The approach is based on the condensation of the electro-magnetic state into the plate kinematics, whose nonlinear strain–displacement relationships are expressed in the von Karman sense. This leads to models resulting in an effective mechanical plate, which takes the multifield coupling effects into account by the plate stiffness, inertia and loading characteristics, consistently defined as combinations of the layers material properties. By a unified approach, both equivalent single layer and layerwise models are developed formulating the assoc…
Reconfigurable waveguides defined by selective fluid filling in two-dimensional phononic metaplates
2022
Abstract We investigate two-dimensional phononic metaplates consisting of a periodic array of cups on a thin epoxy plate that is perforated with periodic cross holes. The cups are individually filled with water or remain empty, in view of creating reconfigurable phononic waveguides. Phononic band gaps exist for empty or filled epoxy cups, leading to waveguides defined with either positive or negative contrast. Straight and 90° bent waveguides are considered experimentally. Lamb waves are excited by a piezoelectric patch glued onto the metaplate and are imaged using a scanning laser vibrometer. Experimental results are compared to a three-dimensional finite element model of fluid–structure i…
An equivalent single-layer approach for free vibrations analysis of smart laminated thick composite plates
2012
An equivalent single-layer model for the free vibration analysis of smart laminated plates is presented. The electric and magnetic fields are assumed to be quasi-static and third-order in-plane kinematics is employed to adequately take the shear influence into account when the plate thickness increases. The model governing equations are the plate equations of motion written in terms of mechanical primary variables and effective stiffness coefficients, which take the multifield coupling effects into account. The model shows that the surfaces magneto-electric boundary conditions enter the definitions of the laminate forces and moments resultants. Moreover, it reveals that new stiffness terms,…
Biaxial deformation and ductility domains for engineered rectangular RC cross-sections: A parametric study highlighting the positive roles of axial l…
2016
Abstract Axial load and biaxial bending strongly influence the deformation capacity of column cross-sections, in most cases causing a non-negligible loss of curvature and ductility with respect to the case of pure bending along principal axes, commonly assumed as the basic condition to assess the inelastic capacity. In consideration of this the paper investigates the biaxial deformation performance of RC rectangular cross-sections belonging to one-dimensional elements, focusing on the influence of some parameters as the cross-section aspect ratio and the distribution of the rebars, as well as the mechanical characteristics of concrete and steel and the impact of biaxial/axial stresses. In t…
Analytical approach for the mix design optimisation of bituminous mixtures with crumb rubber
2018
The present paper provides a basis for defining a mix design method specifically tailored to rubberised asphalt that takes into account the behaviour of crumb rubber. An analytical approach to quantifying the recovered deformation of crumb rubber in the post-compaction phase has been developed in order to adjust the number of gyrations proposed by the Superpave method for compacting specimens of hot mix asphalt using a Superpave gyratory compactor. The maximum allowable amount of rubber has been calculated. Finally, a step-by-step protocol has been proposed in order to fabricate and compact crumb rubber modified mixtures with the gyratory compactor.
On the nuclear response of the helium-cooled lithium lead test blanket module in ITER
2005
Abstract The helium-cooled lithium lead (HCLL) concept has been recently selected as one of the two European reference designs foreseen for the breeding blanket of a demonstration fusion reactor. In particular, within the framework of the research and development activities on this blanket line, an HCLL test blanket module (TBM) has to be designed and manufactured to be implemented in ITER. At the Department of Nuclear Engineering (DIN) of the University of Palermo, a research campaign has been carried out to investigate the nuclear response of HCLL-TBM inside ITER by a numerical approach based on the Monte Carlo method. A realistic 3D heterogeneous model of HCLL-TBM has been set-up and ins…
A study of the potential influence of frame coolant distribution on the radiation-induced damage of HCLL-TBM structural material
2008
Abstract Within the European Fusion Technology Programme, the Helium-Cooled Lithium Lead (HCLL) breeding blanket concept is one of the two EU lines to be developed for a Long Term fusion reactor, in particular with the aim of manufacturing a Test Blanket Module (TBM) to be implemented in ITER. The HCLL-TBM is foreseen to be located in an ITER equatorial port, being housed inside a steel-supporting frame, actively cooled by pressurized water. That supporting frame has been designed to house two different TBMs, providing two cavities separated by a dividing Plate 20 cm thick. As the nuclear response of HCLL-TBM might vary accordingly to the supporting frame configuration and composition, at t…
Study of the helium-cooled lithium lead test blanket module nuclear behaviour under irradiation in ITER
2009
Abstract The present paper deals with the detailed investigation of the helium-cooled lithium lead test blanket module (HCLL-TBM) nuclear behaviour under irradiation in ITER, carried out at the Department of Nuclear Engineering of the University of Palermo adopting a numerical approach based on the Monte Carlo method. A realistic 3D heterogeneous model of the HCLL-TBM was set-up and inserted into an ITER 3D semi-heterogeneous model that realistically simulates the reactor lay-out up to the cryostat. A Gaussian-shaped neutron source was adopted for the calculations. The main features of the HCLL-TBM nuclear response were assessed, paying a particular attention to the neutronic and photonic d…
Effectiveness of BFRP confinement on the compressive behaviour of clay brick masonry cylinders
2020
Abstract This paper presents the results of an experimental and analytical study on the compressive behaviour of small clay brick masonry cylinders reinforced with a basalt fibre reinforced polymer (BFRP) composite. Fourteen cylinders, manufactured using two assembling schemes and confined using either one or two layers of BFRP grids, were tested under monotonic compression loading. Traditional strain measuring systems were integrated with digital image correlation (DIC) technique. The BFRP confined masonry cylinders showed a ductile behaviour characterised by a softening branch of the stress–strain curve. The experimental strains, strength, and full stress–strain curves were modelled using…
Simultaneous measurement of temperature and strain in glass fiber/epoxy composites by embedded fiber optic sensors: II. Post-cure testing
2007
In this paper the use of fiber optic sensors embedded into GFRP laminates for structural health monitoring of thermo-mechanical loads is presented. The proposed sensing system, consisting of two coupled fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensors, allows the simultaneous measurement of both temperature and strain by decoupling the change in reflected wavelength induced by temperature variations from that induced by either mechanical or apparent strain, with significant advantages either for monitoring the composite cure kinetics, as described in the accompanying paper (Part I), or for assessing the structural response to thermo-mechanical loads. Both thermal ramp and mechanical static/dynamic bending…