Search results for "Fitting"
showing 10 items of 225 documents
Validity and Internal Consistency of the Preschool-FLAT, a New Tool for the Assessment of Food Literacy in Young Children from the Training-To-Health…
2020
Background: The importance of assessing “food literacy” since youth has been highlighted and, to this purpose, valid and consistent instruments are needed. This study aimed to assess the validity and internal consistency of the preschool-FLAT (Food Literacy Assessment Tool). Methods. 505 children from 21 kindergartens, recruited within the Training-to-Health Project in Palermo (Italy), underwent oral sessions and activities on food-related aspects. Their knowledge/skills were recorded in the preschool-FLAT. The following scale measures were assessed: Content validity; internal consistency (Chronbach’s alpha coefficients); construct validity (Structural Equation Modeling&md…
Improving demand forecasting accuracy using nonlinear programming software
2006
We address the problem of forecasting real time series with a proportion of zero values and a great variability among the nonzero values. In order to calculate forecasts for a time series, the model coefficients must be estimated. The appropriate choice of values for the smoothing parameters in exponential smoothing methods relies on the minimization of the fitting errors of historical data. We adapt the generalized Holt–Winters formulation so that it can consider the starting values of the local components of level, trend and seasonality as decision variables of the nonlinear programming problem associated with this forecasting procedure. A spreadsheet model is used to solve the problems o…
Increasing the shear capacity of reinforced concrete beams using pretensioned stainless steel ribbons
2017
In this work, the second part of an experimental campaign investigating the efficiency of an alternative retrofitting method for increasing the flexural and/or shear capacity in reinforced concrete beams, based on the use of prestressed stainless steel ribbons and steel angles, is presented and analytically reproduced. This group of tests focuses on the ability of the adopted retrofitting method to improve the shear strength and ultimate deformation of reinforced concrete structural elements. As described in a companion paper, the adopted retrofitting method is alternative to traditional techniques of reinforced concrete retrofitting, being easy to install and usually reversible, and charac…
Measuring guided waves in long bones: Modeling and experiments in free and immersed plates
2005
Guided waves, consistent with the A0 Lamb mode, have previously been observed in bone phantoms and human long bones. Reported velocity measurements relied on line fitting of the observed wave fronts. Such an approach has limited ability to assess dispersion and is affected by interference by other wave modes. For a more robust identification of modes and determination of phase velocities, signal processing techniques using the fast Fourier transform (FFT) were investigated. The limitations of FFT because of spatial resolution were addressed to improve the precision of the measured modes. An inversion scheme was developed for determining the plate thickness from the measured velocity. Experi…
Experimental in situ behaviour of unreinforced masonry elements retrofitted by pre-tensioned stainless steel ribbons
2014
Abstract The results of in situ tests carried out on unreinforced and reinforced poor rubble masonry full-scale walls in the earthquake prone Messina (Italy) area are presented and discussed. This experimental research was aimed at the assessment of the in plane shear behaviour of ancient masonry strengthened with an innovative system for masonry and retrofitting of reinforced concrete element constituted by three-dimensional pre-tensioned stainless steel ribbons. A comparison between different strengthening configurations was made in order to characterise the behaviour of masonry panels under shear-compression load, focusing attention on the diagonal cracking failure mode. The effectivenes…
Masonry columns confined with fabric reinforced cementitious matrix (FRCM) systems: A round robin test
2021
Abstract The conservation and the preservation of existing masonry buildings, most of them recognized as cultural heritage, require retrofitting techniques that should reduce the invasiveness and assure reversibility and compatibility with the substrate. In this perspective, the strengthening system should be able to improve the bearing capacity of the structural member and, at the same time, to assure mechanical and material compatibility. The use of Fabric Reinforced Cementitious Matrix (FRCM) composites is now recognized to be suitable for these purposes. Indeed, the inorganic matrix has comparable properties with respect to the existing historical mortars while the fabric has relevant t…
A strategy for the finite element modeling of FRP-confined concrete columns subjected to preload
2018
Abstract Compressive behavior of columns strengthened by means of an outer elastic confinement provided e.g. by fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) jackets has become a main topic in the field of structural retrofitting. In details, the problem of the response assessment of strengthened columns is still under study. Many analytical formulations have been proposed to describe the compressive behavior of confined concrete under both monotonic and cyclic loads. However, the effect of a stress/strain level in the columns already present prior to apply the confinement has been generally neglected until now, also because of the lack of well defined strategies of modeling. In this frame, here, (1) a FE…
Lessons Learned on the Tensile and Bond Behavior of Fabric Reinforced Cementitious Matrix (FRCM) Composites
2020
Fabric Reinforced Cementitious Matrix (FRCM) composites represent an effective, compatible and cost-efficient solution for strengthening and retrofitting existing structures. A strong research effort was done to investigate the tensile and bond properties of these materials, as well as the overall behaviour of strengthened members. A Round Robin Test was organized by Rilem TC 250-CSM on 28 FRCM composites comprising basalt, carbon, glass, PBO, aramid and steel textiles, embedded in either cement, lime or geopolymer mortars, to collect an experimental dataset and define test protocols. This paper collects the outcomes of this study to highlight fundamental properties of FRCM and to investiga…
Analysis-oriented stress–strain model of CRFP-confined circular concrete columns with applied preload
2018
The compressive behavior of FRP-confined concrete is a current issue in the field of structural retrofitting. The available models well predict the stress–strain behavior under monotonic and cyclic loads. However, in the practical applications, columns that need an increasing of bearing capacity are often strengthened under serviceability load conditions, with a stress and strain state that could change the response of the reinforced systems with respect to the case of the unloaded state. In this paper, the compressive behavior of circular FRP-confined concrete columns with preload is analyzed with the introduction of a modified analysis-oriented model. Differently from the classical formul…
Investigation of the crack tip stress field in a stainless steel SENT specimen by means of Thermoelastic Stress Analysis
2019
Abstract In this work a Thermoelastic Stress Analysis (TSA) setup is implemented to investigates the Thermoelastic and Second Harmonic signals on a fatigue loaded Single Edge Notched Tension (SENT) specimen made of stainless steel AISI 304L. Three load ratios are in particular applied, R=-1, 0, 0.1. The thermoelastic signal is used to evaluate the Stress Intensity Factor via two approaches, the Stanley-Chan linear interpolation method and the over-deterministic least-square fitting (LSF) method using the Williams’ series expansion. Regarding least-square fitting, an iterative procedure is proposed to identify the optimal crack tip position in the thermoelastic maps. The SIF and T-Stress are…