Relative Displacements (relative + displacement)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


EXAFS studies of lattice dynamics and thermal expansion

PHYSICA STATUS SOLIDI (C) - CURRENT TOPICS IN SOLID STATE PHYSICS, Issue 11 2004
P. Fornasini
Abstract Accurate temperature-dependent EXAFS measurements can give original information on the correlation of thermal motion in crystals, not only along the bond direction (parallel Mean Square Relative Displacement, MSRD), but also within the perpendicular plane (perpendicular MSRD). This potential is demonstrated by the results obtained for copper and germanium, taken as model systems. Possible applications for investigating on the local origin of Negative Thermal Expansion are being supported by measurements on crystals with the cuprite structure. (© 2004 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [source]


Construction of periventricular white matter hyperintensity maps by spatial normalization of the lateral ventricles

HUMAN BRAIN MAPPING, Issue 7 2009
Cynthia Jongen
Abstract Subcortical and periventricular white matter hyperintensities (WMHs) may have different associations with cognition and pathophysiology. The aim of the present study is to develop an automated method for construction of periventricular WMH maps that enables the analysis of between-group differences in WMH location and characteristics in the periventricular region without the requirement of prior boundary definition. To avoid influence of WMHs on spatial normalization, a reference image of the lateral ventricles was constructed based on images of 24 subjects. Construction was not biased to a single subject. WMHs were segmented by k-nearest neighbor-based classification of magnetic resonance inversion recovery and fluid attenuated inversion recovery images. Cerebrospinal fluid segmentations of individual subjects were nonrigidly mapped to the reference image of the lateral ventricles. The subject's WMHs were transformed to the reference space accordingly. Spatial normalization accuracy was validated using measures of overlap and of displacement relative to the boundary of the lateral ventricles. After spatial normalization, the boundaries of the lateral ventricles closely matched the reference image and in an area of ,1 cm around the lateral ventricles the relative displacement was less than 1 mm. To illustrate the method, it was applied to 61 patients with Type 2 diabetes and 26 control subjects, whereupon periventricular WMH maps were constructed and compared. The proposed method is particularly suited to analyze WMH distribution differences at the level of the lateral ventricles between large groups of patients. Hum Brain Mapp, 2009. © 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]


An extended finite element framework for slow-rate frictional faulting with bulk plasticity and variable friction

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL AND ANALYTICAL METHODS IN GEOMECHANICS, Issue 13 2009
Fushen Liu
Abstract We present an extended finite element (FE) approach for the simulation of slow-rate frictional faulting in geologic media incorporating bulk plasticity and variable friction. The method allows the fault to pass through the interior of FEs without remeshing. The extended FE algorithm for frictional faulting, advocated in two recent articles, emanates from a variational equation formulated in terms of the relative displacement on the fault. In the present paper we consider the combined effects of bulk plasticity and variable friction in a two-dimensional plane strain setting. Bulk plasticity is localized to the fault tip and could potentially be used as a predictor for the initiation and propagation of new faults. We utilize a variable velocity- and state-dependent friction, known as the Dieterich,Ruina or ,slowness' law, formulated in a slip-weakening format. The slip-weakening/variable friction model is then time-integrated according to the generalized trapezoidal rule. We present numerical examples demonstrating the convergence properties of a global Newton-based iterative scheme, as well as illustrate some interesting properties of the variable friction model. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


Analytical solution of the harmonic waves diffraction by a cylindrical lined cavity in poroelastic saturated medium

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL AND ANALYTICAL METHODS IN GEOMECHANICS, Issue 5 2007
Y. S. Karinski
Abstract This paper presents a model for the analysis of plane waves diffraction at a cavity in an infinite homogeneous poroelastic saturated medium, lined by a lining composed of four equal segments. An elastic boundary layer is placed between the cavity lining and the infinite porous medium. The boundary layer is simulated by ,elastic boundary conditions' in which the bulk matrix stress is proportional to the relative displacement between the lining and the surrounding medium matrix boundary. In addition, fluid impermeability through the intermediate layer is assumed. For the frequencies, that differ from the pseudoresonanse frequencies, the problem was reduced to the problem of an ideal elastic medium. A closed-form analytical solution of the problem was obtained using Fourier,Bessel series, the convergence of which was proven. It was shown that the number of series terms required to obtain a desired level of accuracy can be determined in advance. The influence of the medium porosity on the medium dynamic stress concentration was studied. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


Computational mechanics of the steel,concrete interface,

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL AND ANALYTICAL METHODS IN GEOMECHANICS, Issue 2 2002
M. R. Ben Romdhane
Abstract Concrete cracking in reinforced concrete structures is governed by two mechanisms: the activation of bond forces at the steel,concrete interface and the bridge effects of the reinforcement crossing a macro-crack. The computational modelling of these two mechanisms, acting at different scales, is the main objective of this paper. The starting point is the analysis of the micro-mechanisms, leading to an appropriate choice of (measurable) state variables describing the energy state in the surface systems: on the one side the relative displacement between the steel and the concrete, modelling the bond activation; on the other hand, the crack opening governing the bridge effects. These displacement jumps are implemented in the constitutive model using thermodynamics of surfaces of discontinuity. On the computational side, the constitutive model is implemented in a discrete crack approach. A truss element with slip degrees of freedom is developed. This degree of freedom represents the relative displacement due to bond activation. In turn, the bridge effect is numerically taken into account by modifying the post-cracking behaviour of the contact elements representing discrete concrete cracks crossed by a rebar. First simulation results obtained with this model show a good agreement in crack pattern and steel stress distribution with micro-mechanical results and experimental results. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


Discrete element method for modelling solid and particulate materials

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL METHODS IN ENGINEERING, Issue 4 2007
Federico A. Tavarez
Abstract The discrete element method (DEM) is developed in this study as a general and robust technique for unified two-dimensional modelling of the mechanical behaviour of solid and particulate materials, including the transition from solid phase to particulate phase. Inter-element parameters (contact stiffnesses and failure criteria) are theoretically established as functions of element size and commonly accepted material parameters including Young's modulus, Poisson's ratio, ultimate tensile strength, and fracture toughness. A main feature of such an approach is that it promises to provide convergence with refinement of a DEM discretization. Regarding contact failure, an energy criterion based on the material's ultimate tensile strength and fracture toughness is developed to limit the maximum contact forces and inter-element relative displacement. This paper also addresses the issue of numerical stability in DEM computations and provides a theoretical method for the determination of a stable time-step. The method developed herein is validated by modelling several test problems having analytic solutions and results show that indeed convergence is obtained. Moreover, a very good agreement with the theoretical results is obtained in both elastic behaviour and fracture. An example application of the method to high-speed penetration of a concrete beam is also given. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


Geology and geochemistry of shallow drill cores from the Bosumtwi impact structure, Ghana

METEORITICS & PLANETARY SCIENCE, Issue 8 2003
Daniel Boamah
The interior of the structure is largely filled by the 8 km diameter Lake Bosumtwi, and the crater rim and region in the environs of the crater is covered by tropical rainforest, making geological studies rather difficult and restricted to road cuts and streams. In early 1999, we undertook a shallow drilling program to the north of the crater rim to determine the extent of the ejecta blanket around the crater and to obtain subsurface core samples for mineralogical, petrological, and geochemical studies of ejecta of the Bosumtwi impact structure. A variety of impactite lithologies are present, consisting of impact glassrich suevite and several types of breccia: lithic breccia of single rock type, often grading into unbrecciated rock, with the rocks being shattered more or less in situ without much relative displacement (autochthonous?), and lithic polymict breccia that apparently do not contain any glassy material (allochtonous?). The suevite cores show that melt inclusions are present throughout the whole length of the cores in the form of vesicular glasses with no significant change of abundance with depth. Twenty samples from the 7 drill cores and 4 samples from recent road cuts in the structure were studied for their geochemical characteristics to accumulate a database for impact lithologies and their erosion products present at the Bosumtwi crater. Major and trace element analyses yielded compositions similar to those of the target rocks in the area (graywacke-phyllite, shale, and granite). Graywacke-phyllite and granite dikes seem to be important contributors to the compositions of the suevite and the road cut samples (fragmentary matrix), with a minor contribution of Pepiakese granite. The results also provide information about the thickness of the fallout suevite in the northern part of the Bosumtwi structure, which was determined to be ,15 m and to occupy an area of ,1.5 km2. Present suevite distribution is likely to be caused by differential erosion and does not reflect the initial areal extent of the continuous Bosumtwi ejecta deposits. Our studies allow a comparison with the extent of the suevite at the Ries, another well-preserved impact structure. [source]


The Development of the Epicardium in the Sturgeon Acipenser naccarii

THE ANATOMICAL RECORD : ADVANCES IN INTEGRATIVE ANATOMY AND EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY, Issue 10 2009
José M. Icardo
Abstract This article reports on the development of the epicardium in alevins of the sturgeon Acipenser naccarii, aged 4,25 days post-hatching (dph). Epicardial development starts at 4 dph with formation of the proepicardium (PE) that arises as a bilateral structure at the boundary between the sinus venosus and the duct of Cuvier. The PE later becomes a midline organ arising from the wall of the sinus venosus and ending at the junction between the liver, the sinus venosus and the transverse septum. This relative displacement appears related to venous reorganization at the caudal pole of the heart. The mode and time of epicardium formation is different in the various heart chambers. The conus epicardium develops through migration of a cohesive epithelium from the PE villi, and is completed through bleb-like aggregates detached from the PE. The ventricular epicardium develops a little later, and mostly through bleb-like aggregates. The bulbus epicardium appears to derive from the mesothelium located at the junction between the outflow tract and the pericardial cavity. Strikingly, formation of the epicardium of the atrium and the sinus venosus is a very late event occurring after the third month of development. Associated to the PE, a sino-ventricular ligament develops as a permanent connection. This ligament contains venous vessels that communicate the subepicardial coronary plexus and the sinus venosus, and carries part of the heart innervation. The development of the sturgeon epicardium shares many features with that of other vertebrate groups. This speaks in favour of conservative mechanisms across the evolutionary scale. Anat Rec, 2009. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]


Reversible phase transition of pyridinium-3-carboxylic acid perchlorate

ACTA CRYSTALLOGRAPHICA SECTION B, Issue 3 2010
Heng-Yun Ye
Pyridinium-3-carboxylic acid perchlorate was synthesized and separated as crystals. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) measurements show that this compound undergoes a reversible phase transition at ,,135,K with a wide hysteresis of 15,K. Dielectric measurements confirm the transition at ,,127,K. Measurement of the unit-cell parameters versus temperature shows that the values of the c axis and , angle change abruptly and remarkably at 129,(2),K, indicating that the system undergoes a first-order transition at Tc = 129,K. The crystal structures determined at 103 and 298,K are all monoclinic in P21/c, showing that the phase transition is isosymmetric. The crystal contains one-dimensional hydrogen-bonded chains of the pyridinium-3-carboxylic acid cations, which are further linked to perchlorate anions by hydrogen bonds to form well separated infinite planar layers. The most distinct differences between the structures of the higher-temperature phase and the lower-temperature phase are the change of the distance between the adjacent pyridinium ring planes within the hydrogen-bonded chains and the relative displacement between the hydrogen-bonded layers. Structural analysis shows that the driving force of the transition is the reorientation of the pyridinium-3-carboxylic acid cations. The degree of order of the perchlorate anions may be a secondary order parameter. [source]


Performance of a guideway seismic isolator with magnetic springs for precision machinery

EARTHQUAKE ENGINEERING AND STRUCTURAL DYNAMICS, Issue 2 2009
George C. Yao
Abstract This paper proposes the use of the nonlinear restoring force in an isolation system to improve the performance of a seismic isolator. Nonlinear magnetic springs applied to guideway sliding isolators (GSI) that protect precision machinery against seismic motion were studied. The magnetic springs use a non-contact magnetic repulsion force to achieve a nonlinear property. A numerical simulation model of the GSI system using step-by-step integration in the time domain was developed. A full-scale shaking table test was performed to verify the accuracy of the numerical model. Simulation and experimental results show that the GSI system with magnetic springs has good performance when subjected to floor vibrations during earthquakes. A parametric analysis of the magnetic springs in the GSI system under seismic motion was theoretically investigated. It was found that sufficient magnetic forces can diminish the system relative displacements. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


Seismic base-isolation by use of a telescoping stepping mechanism

EARTHQUAKE ENGINEERING AND STRUCTURAL DYNAMICS, Issue 3 2005
Maria D. Martinez-Rodrigo
Abstract A new base-isolation mechanism corresponding to a variance of the stepping A-shaped frame is proposed and its seismic performance is investigated numerically for strong ground accelerations with peak values in the range from 0.5 to 1g. In its simplest two-dimensional form, the system consists of a frame with two telescoping legs pinned at the apex at a sharp angle. The legs are attached to the foundation through a spring and a damper acting in parallel. Both the springs and viscous dampers have bilinear characteristics that make them very stiff in compression but very soft in tension. As the structure rocks sideways, the length of the loaded leg remains essentially constant while the length of the unloaded leg increases. When the ground acceleration changes direction, the process is reversed. The resulting system has three main characteristics: (i) as the structure steps on a rigid leg, the maximum acceleration that can be transmitted to the superstructure is limited to a value which is approximately independent of the amplitude of the ground motion; (ii) there is a systematic lifting of the superstructure with kinetic energy being systematically transformed into potential energy during the strong phase of the ground motion; and (iii) the system is slowly self-centering at the end of the earthquake. The seismic performance of the system is evaluated for a tall bridge pier and for a smaller frame that could be used in a multi-story building. The results obtained for the 1940 El Centro ground motion scaled to 1g and for the near-field Rinaldi ground motion recorded during the Northridge earthquake show that substantial reductions of the absolute acceleration can be obtained with reasonable relative displacements of the superstructure and small strokes in the isolation devices. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


Experimental study of the semi-active control of building structures using the shaking table

EARTHQUAKE ENGINEERING AND STRUCTURAL DYNAMICS, Issue 15 2003
Qing Sun
Abstract A magnetorheological (MR) damper has been manufactured and tested and a non-linear model is discussed. The parameters for the model are identified from an identification set of experimental data; these parameters are then used to reconstruct the force vs. displacement and the force vs. velocity hysteresis cycles of the MR damper for the hysteretic model. Then experiments are conducted on a three-storey frame model using impact excitation, which identifies dynamic parameters of the model equipped with and without the MR damper. Natural frequencies, damping ratios and mode shapes, as well as structural properties, such as the mass, stiffness and damping matrices, are obtained. A semi-active control method such as a variable structure controller is studied. Based on the ,reaching law' method, a feedback controller is presented. In order to evaluate the efficiency of the control system and the effect of earthquake ground motions, both numerical analysis and shaking table tests of the model, with and without the MR damper, have been carried out under three different ground motions: El Centro 1940, Taft 1952, and Ninghe 1976 (Tangshan Earthquake in Chinese). It is found from both the numerical analysis and the shaking table tests that the maximum accelerations and relative displacements for all floors are significantly reduced with the MR damper. A reasonable agreement between the results obtained from the numerical analysis and those from the shaking table tests is also observed. On the other hand, tests conducted at different earthquake excitations and various excitation levels demonstrate the ability of the MR damper to surpass the performance of a comparable passive system in a variety of situations. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


Shake table tests on a mass eccentric model with base isolation

EARTHQUAKE ENGINEERING AND STRUCTURAL DYNAMICS, Issue 9 2003
Bijan Samali
Abstract A mass eccentric structure is usually more seismically vulnerable than its concentric counterpart because of the coupled torsional,translational response of such structures. In this work, dynamic characteristics and response of a five-storey benchmark model with moderate mass eccentricity were investigated using a shake table, simulating four different ground motions. The effectiveness of laminated rubber bearings (LRB) and lead-core rubber bearings (LCRB) in protecting eccentric structures was examined and evaluated in relation to translational and torsional responses of the benchmark model. It was observed that both translational and torsional responses were significantly reduced with the addition of either a LRB or LCRB isolated system regardless of the nature of ground motion input. The LRB were identified to be more effective than LCRB in reducing model relative displacements, the relative torsional angle as well as accelerations, and therefore provided a better protection of the superstructure and its contents. On the other hand, LCRB rendered a smaller torsional angle and absolute displacement of the base isolation system, hence a more stable structural system. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


Coupled HM analysis using zero-thickness interface elements with double nodes.

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL AND ANALYTICAL METHODS IN GEOMECHANICS, Issue 18 2008
Part I: Theoretical model
Abstract In recent years, the authors have proposed a new double-node zero-thickness interface element for diffusion analysis via the finite element method (FEM) (Int. J. Numer. Anal. Meth. Geomech. 2004; 28(9): 947,962). In the present paper, that formulation is combined with an existing mechanical formulation in order to obtain a fully coupled hydro-mechanical (or HM) model applicable to fractured/fracturing geomaterials. Each element (continuum or interface) is formulated in terms of the displacements (u) and the fluid pressure (p) at the nodes. After assembly, a particular expression of the traditional ,u,p' system of coupled equations is obtained, which is highly non-linear due to the strong dependence between the permeability and the aperture of discontinuities. The formulation is valid for both pre-existing and developing discontinuities by using the appropriate constitutive model that relates effective stresses to relative displacements in the interface. The system of coupled equations is solved following two different numerical approaches: staggered and fully coupled. In the latter, the Newton,Raphson method is used, and it is shown that the Jacobian matrix becomes non-symmetric due to the dependence of the discontinuity permeability on the aperture. In the part II companion paper (Int. J. Numer. Anal. Meth. Geomech. 2008; DOI: 10.1002/nag.730), the formulation proposed is verified and illustrated with some application examples. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


On the Einstein model for EXAFS parallel and perpendicular mean-square relative displacements

JOURNAL OF SYNCHROTRON RADIATION, Issue 5 2008
A. Sanson
The correlated Einstein model for EXAFS parallel and perpendicular mean-square relative displacements (MSRDs) is discussed. By means of dynamical simulations on different crystalline structures, the error owing to the Einstein-fit model on the EXAFS MSRDs is estimated as a function of the standard deviation of the density of vibrational states. This error should be taken into account to improve the accuracy of the MSRDs. [source]


EXAFS studies of negative thermal expansion materials

PHYSICA STATUS SOLIDI (B) BASIC SOLID STATE PHYSICS, Issue 11 2008
Paolo Fornasini
Abstract Extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) can give information on the local dynamical behavior of crystals, opening new perspectives for understanding the origin of negative thermal expansion (NTE). In this paper, after a short review on the effects of thermal disorder in EXAFS spectra and on the relation between EXAFS and Bragg diffraction, some recent results on crystals with the zincblende and cuprite structures are presented and critically compared. The tension effect giving rise to NTE can be correlated to the anisotropy of the mean square relative displacements measured by EXAFS. (© 2008 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [source]


Millimetre-scale bubble-like dielectric elastomer actuators

POLYMER INTERNATIONAL, Issue 3 2010
Federico Carpi
Abstract Hydrostatic coupling has recently been reported as a means to improve the versatility and safety of electromechanical actuators based on dielectric elastomers (DEs). Hydrostatically coupled DE actuators rely on an incompressible fluid that mechanically couples a DE-based active part to a passive part interfaced to the load. The work reported here was aimed at developing millimetre-scale bubble-like versions of such transducers. Silicone-made oil-filled actuators were manufactured as both single units and arrays of parallel elements. Bubbles had a base diameter of 6 mm and were driven up to a voltage of 2.25 kV, applied across a silicone film with a thickness of 42 µm. Active relative displacements and stresses up to 18% and 2.2 kPa, respectively, were recorded with static driving. Dynamic investigations reported a ,3 dB bandwidth of the order of 100 Hz and a resonance frequency of about 250 Hz. Millimetre-scale hydrostatically coupled DE actuators might play a useful role in several fields of application. Among them, we are currently exploring novel tactile displays and cutaneous stimulators, made of wearable, distributed and flexible devices. Although further miniaturization is required for high-resolution uses, this technology holds promise to properly combine performance with safe and compliant interfaces with users, low specific weight, no acoustic noise and low cost. Copyright © 2009 Society of Chemical Industry [source]


The Vibrational Behavior of Bladed Disks in Consideration of Friction Damping and Contact Elasticity

PROCEEDINGS IN APPLIED MATHEMATICS & MECHANICS, Issue 1 2005
Christian Siewert
Rotating turbine blading is subjected to fluctuating gas forces during operation that cause blade vibrations. One of the main tasks in the design of turbomachinery blading is the reduction of the vibration amplitudes of the blades to avoid high resonance stresses that could damage the blading. The vibration amplitudes of the blades can be reduced significantly to a reasonable amount by means of friction damping devices such as underplatform dampers. In the case of blade vibrations, relative displacements between the friction damping devices and the neighboring blades occur and friction forces are generated that provide additional damping to the structure due to the dry friction energy dissipation. In real turbomachinery applications, spatial blade vibrations caused by a complex blade geometry and distributed excitation forces acting on the airfoil accur. Therefore, a three dimensional model including an appropriate spatial contact model to predict the generalized contact forces is necessary to describe the vibrational behavior of the blading with sufficient accuracy, see [1] and [2]. In this paper the contact model presented in [2] is extended to include also local deformations in the contacts between underplatform dampers and the contact surfaces of the adjacent blades. The additional elasticity in the contact influences the resonance frequency of the coupled bladed disk assembly. (© 2005 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [source]