Foot force distribution of walking machine with consideration of terrain properties

Determination of foot force distribution during walking is important to the simulation and control of the vehicle. This problem was often considered as an indeterminate problem and several optimization methods were proposed. The indeterminancy, which was due to the assumption of rigid bodies, can, however, be removed by incorporating the compliance equations into the equations of equilibrium. Based on such a compliant model, a s stiffness matrix method was developed to determine the foot force distribution. However, due to the complexity of the problem, the compliance of terrain in the stiffness matrix method was considered either negligible or as a linear spring model. In this paper, two realistic terrain models are incorporated into the stiffness matrix method to study the effect of terrain properties on foot force distribution during walking. These two terrain models are the three-parameter solid model and the four-parameter Burgers model. The former is a model of clay terrain while the latter is a model of a paddy field. These models are extended to three dimensions and then combined with the leg compliances to form the stiffness matrix of the system. The simulation results show that the terrain compliance has significant effect on foot force distribution. For example, it is observed that this compliance helps to distribute the foot forces evenly and to minimize the frictional angles.     

Stiffness reduction of cracked general symmetric laminates using a variational approach

In this paper, stiffness reduction of general symmetric laminates containing a uniform distribution of matrix cracks in a single orientation is analyzed. An admissible stress field is considered, which satisfies equilibrium and all the boundary and continuity conditions. This stress field has been used in conjunction with the principle of minimum complementary energy to get the effective stiffness matrix of a cracked general symmetric laminate. Natural boundary conditions have been derived from the variational principle to overcome the limitations of the existing variational methods on the analysis of general symmetric laminates. Therefore, the capability of analyzing cracked symmetric laminates using the variational approach has been enhanced significantly. It has been shown that the method provides a rigorous lower bound for the stiffness matrix of a cracked laminate, which is very important for practical applications. Results derived from the developed method for the properties of the cracked laminates showed an excellent agreement with experimental data and with those obtained from McCartney’s stress transfer model. The differences of the developed model with McCartney’s model are discussed in detail. It can be emphasized that the current approach is simpler than McCartney’s model, which needs an averaging procedure to obtain the governing equations. Moreover, it has been shown that the existing variational models are special cases of the current formulation.     

A novel method for slant crack detection in rotors based on turning in two directions

This paper presents a novel way to detect fatigue slant cracks in rotors based on theoretical discussion. Hence, the dynamic behaviour of a Jeffcott rotor system with a mid-span slant crack under arbitrary crack orientations is studied. First, using concepts of fracture mechanics, the flexibility matrix and subsequently the system’s stiffness matrix are calculated. A symmetric relation for a global stiffness matrix is presented and proved. Next, the motion equations of the system that are obtained in four directions, two transverse, one torsional and one longitudinal, are solved using the Runge–Kutta numerical method. The characteristics of crack orientations for angles greater than 90° (transverse crack) are investigated in detail and their influence on the elements of the crack compliance matrix is presented. Also, slant crack characteristics with complementary angles are compared to each other. It is shown that the difference between cracked systems with complementary angles is only in 3rd row (3rd column) of the crack compliance matrix, and also it is shown that due to the presence of a slant crack, the system responses in forward and backward motion are different. Using the frequency responses of the shaft obtained, a technique to detect the existence of slant cracks on the shaft was proposed. This novel method is a simple way that can be used for slant crack detection in rotors.     

一种精确结构静力重分析法

本文提出了一种结构静力重分析方法。通过引入结构刚体位移特征向量，可以导出结构广义柔度矩阵，原阶数较高的刚度方程被转化成一阶数较小的线性系统，位移一般解可以在边界条件尚未引入结构刚度矩阵之前导出，对于有局部变化的结构，新的结构广义柔度矩阵可以迅速进行修改。这种静力重分析可以用在载荷条件、边界条件、结构单元同时或分别改变时的静力分析之中，文中提供了两个算例，以证明此方法的有效性     

Ultrasonic waves in layered anisotropic media: characterization of multidirectional composites

An efficient and stable recursive compliance/stiffness matrix algorithm is presented to model wave propagation in multidirectional composites. The models are applied to clarify angle beam transmission through a multidirectional composite and to process ultrasonic data for determination of the elastic properties of a composite lamina (single ply) from measurements on a multidirectional composite. Ultrasonic characterization of composites using double-through-transmission and time-resolved line focus acoustic microscopy has been addressed. The double-through-transmission measurements and simulations show that the transmission amplitude is highly dependent on ply orientation and angle of incidence. The transmission amplitude decreases rapidly with incident angle deviation from the normal; however, a transmission window is found in the incident angle range 45–60° at frequencies below 2.25 MHz. The time-delay measurements by the double-through-transmission technique have been used to reconstruct lamina properties using the Floquet wave concept. A unidirectional lamina elastic properties measurement using line focus acoustic microscopy of a multidirectional composite sample is also briefly discussed. The effective elastic properties for the composites are determined from the lamina properties by a Floquet wave dynamic homogenization method.     

Ultrasonic waves in layered anisotropic media: characterization of multidirectional composites

An efficient and stable recursive compliance/stiffness matrix algorithm is presented to model wave propagation in multidirectional composites. The models are applied to clarify angle beam transmission through a multidirectional composite and to process ultrasonic data for determination of the elastic properties of a composite lamina (single ply) from measurements on a multidirectional composite. Ultrasonic characterization of composites using double-through-transmission and time-resolved line focus acoustic microscopy has been addressed. The double-through-transmission measurements and simulations show that the transmission amplitude is highly dependent on ply orientation and angle of incidence. The transmission amplitude decreases rapidly with incident angle deviation from the normal; however, a transmission window is found in the incident angle range 45–60° at frequencies below 2.25 MHz. The time-delay measurements by the double-through-transmission technique have been used to reconstruct lamina properties using the Floquet wave concept. A unidirectional lamina elastic properties measurement using line focus acoustic microscopy of a multidirectional composite sample is also briefly discussed. The effective elastic properties for the composites are determined from the lamina properties by a Floquet wave dynamic homogenization method.     

A Test Method for Characterizing Clear Wood Using a Single Specimen

The constitutive models used for wood and timber have been formulated in different scales. The term clear wood corresponds to the macroscopic scale, where the orthotropic elastic model is commonly used. This model, which is typically applied to local modeling (e.g. connections), is defined by a compliance matrix composed of nine parameters, the elongations and angular distortions of which are uncoupled. The current experimental standard methods for obtaining these nine parameters are time consuming, as different specimen configurations and careful preparation for specific grain orientation are needed. As different specimens are used and the material properties of wood can vary greatly at a local level, this would have a notable influence on the outcome, as this method is not robust. Optical digital measurements (ODM) are changing and improving these traditional procedures. This work presents a new procedure for determining the compliance matrix of clear wood using just one rectangular prism as a specimen, with an orientation of the grain that does not coincide with the axes defined by the edges of the specimen. The specimen is loaded in the three mutually perpendicular directions defined by the prism, in a single axis load set up using a 3D ODM. The method was initially validated using ARAMIS® 3D, with 5 M pixels, on ash (Fraxinus excelsior L). Reasonable results were obtained, according to the resolution used; however, a higher resolution is needed to attain proper accuracy.     

关于结构刚度方程病态问题的疑难分析

本文围绕矩阵位移法求解结构位移的误差，讨论了结构刚度矩阵的病态问题，指出了计算上的病态常常是结构刚度分布和结构拓扑的不合理，而不一定是计算本身的问题。首先，文章依据误差界的概念和范数的性质推导了衡量结构刚度矩阵病态程度的条件数的公式。然后，阐明了基于不同范数的条件数在衡量矩阵病态程度上的等价性。最后，通过两个具有代表性的算例，分别从结构构件的刚度差异和结构几何拓扑两方面，计算和分析了结构刚度矩阵的病态程度随结构本身性质的改变而改变的规律。在特定的算例中，还有使结构刚度矩阵的病态程度降到最低的最佳刚度分布。     

变截面Timoshenko梁的单元刚度矩阵

变截面构件在工程中应用广泛,在对变截面梁进行数值计算时,需要建立变截面梁单元的刚度矩阵。该文采用势能驻值原理,考虑了轴力引起的几何非线性和剪切变形的影响,将梁截面刚度的变化率作为小量,得到了近似到二阶的单元刚度矩阵。在构造位移模式时,从梁的微分平衡方程出发,得到同样近似到二阶、分别以三次和五次多项式表示的剪切和弯曲位移模式。该文还证明了单元刚度矩阵的奇异性,给出了轴压刚度的表达式,定量论证了与某些精确解的误差,表明在一定范围内,该文的结果具有足够的精度。最后以一个计算实例说明该文的单元刚度矩阵具有较快的收敛性。     

Non-axisymmetric bending of thin annular plates due to circumferentially distributed moments

The non-linear deformation of a thin annular plate subjected to circumferentially distributed bending moments is studied. A von Kármán plate model is adopted to formulate the equations of motion. Free–free boundary conditions have been applied at both inner and outer edges. The matrix formulation of the Differential Quadrature Method is used to discretise and solve the governing equations. Linear analysis predicts that the annular disk deforms axisymmetrically into a spherical dome. However, the proposed non-linear analysis shows that a symmetry breaking bifurcation may occur after which the linear solution becomes unstable and the plate transitions into a non-axisymmetric cylindrical deformation. This is the case when at least one of two parameters reaches a critical value. These parameters are the non-dimensionalised ratio between applied moment and bending stiffness and the ratio between inner and outer radius. Furthermore, it is noted that free-free boundary conditions and circumferentially distributed bending moments do not break the circular symmetry of the annular disk. Hence, the principal axes of curvature in the deformed configuration do not have a preferred orientation. Therefore, the present work describes a shell possessing infinite identical equilibria, having different yet no favoured direction and, hence, links to previous researches on neutrally stable structures.     

On estimation methods for effective moduli of microcracked solids

Summary  Most of the conventional methods for estimating the overall elastic moduli of microcracked solids are defined based on the concept of effective medium or effective field. The formal similarity of these methods is examined in this paper. A one-to-one correspondence relation exists between the effective medium methods and the effective field methods in the sense that they yield identical results. In addition to the conventional estimation techniques, any other number of such approaches may be constructed by appropriately specifying the effective matrix compliance (or stiffness) tensor and the effective stress (or strain) field which a microcrack is assumed to be subjected to. To generate continuous spectra of new methods for estimating the effective elastic moduli, two simple and straightforward approaches are proposed, which contain one or two adjustable parameters in order to yield results of good accuracy. The discussion in this paper can be extended to other kinds of heterogeneous materials. Received 4 October 2000; accepted for publication 30 January 2001     

Thermoelastic stress intensity factors for a cracked layer between two different anisotropic solids

Steady-state anisotropic thermoelasticity equations are used to obtain the stress intensity factors for a cracked layer sandwiched between two different anisotropic elastic solids. The anisotropy is assumed to arise from discrete fibers whose orientation could alter with reference to the crack edges. A generalized plane deformation prevails in the dissimilar media domain with a line of discontinuity disturbing a uniform heat flow. The flexibility/stiffness matrix approach is used such that the crack problem reduces to solving two sets of singular integral equations. Numerical values of the crack tip stress-intensity factors are obtained for various crack size, crack location, crack surface insulation, fiber volume fraction and orientation angles. The results are displayed graphically.     

Theoretical prediction of stiffness and strength of three-dimensional and four-directional braided composites

Based on unit cell model, the 3D 4-directional braided composites can be simplified as unidirectional composites with different local axial coordinate system and the compliance matrix of unidirectional composites can be defined utilizing the bridge model. The total stiffness matrix of braided composites can be obtained by the volume average stiffness of unidirectional composites with different local axial coordinate system and the engineering elastic constants of braided composites were computed further. Based on the iso-strain assumption and the bridge model, the stress distribution of fiber bundle and matrix of different unidirectional composites can be determined and the tensile strength of 3D 4-directional braided composites was predicted by means of the Hoffman＇s failure criterion for the fiber bundle and Mises＇ failure criterion for the matrix.     

The effect of instrument compliance on dynamic rheological measurements

The effect of instrument compliance on ERD and forced oscillation experiments is examined. A relationship for the determination of correct experimental conditions in ERD measurements is presented. It is concluded that the applicability of shear compliance corrections is doubtful whenever their magnitude is over 50% of the measured quantity and |G ^*| > 5 × 10⁵ Pa. Compressive compliance is found to have a negligible effect in all practical cases. Torsional compliance can be important in oscillatory experiments when sample torsional stiffness is high relative to instrument stiffness. Numerical values for Rheometrics equipment are used throughout the discussion.     

三维机织复合材料的弹性性能预报模型

建立了基于等效响应比拟技术的三维机织复合材料弹性性能预报模型．首先将三维机织物的结构单元分解为4个子元(经纱、纬纱、填充纱和接结纱),用几何模型去估算这些子元的体积分数．然后依据不同的外载形式,将复合材料的应力-应变关系等效地表达为3组诸子元所组成的三维弹簧网络．根据刚度系数的物理意义,采用不同的弹簧网络连接形式,并按体积平均化方法获得材料总体刚度矩阵中相应的刚度系数,进而计算得到三维机织复合材料的9个弹性系数．该模型考虑了层内交织经纱、层间交织接结纱的弯曲以及材料内部纯树脂区对三维机织复合材料弹性性能的影响．试验结果与模型的理论预测值进行比较,表明这个模型是有效的。     

Modeling of anisotropic polydispersed composites by progressive micromechanical approach

A progressive micromechanical method is presented in order to predict the elastic constants of polydispersed composites including multi-directional or randomly oriented reinforcement particles. Heterogeneities of various types are introduced into the matrices in a gradual manner. At each step, the Mori-Tanaka method is used to obtain the stiffness tensor of the intermediate medium used as a matrix of the following step. The proposed method is capable of introducing any kind of heterogeneities based on their dimensions, orientations, mechanical properties, and volume fractions to the matrix. Furthermore, suitable probability density functions can be defined for physical and structural parameters of the composite, including the level of the filler-matrix interfacial bonding, the aspect ratio, and the orientation of reinforcement particles. The efficiency of the iterative approach and the convergence of the solution are studied by computing the stiffness tensors of unidirectional and bidirectional particulate composites. The results of the present study are also compared with the literature data for a randomly oriented particulate composite.     

螺桨盘转子轴头动刚度实验测量方法及技术处理

在螺桨盘转子系统的颤振涡动研究中,系统的安装刚度对转子的颤振涡动失稳有着重要的作用.对于飞机发动机,实际安装情况十分复杂,发动机短舱.安装节、机翼等对螺桨盘转子的运动均有影响.所以,在颤振涡动研究中,必须考虑轴头的动刚度.轴头的动刚度是通过动柔度转换而来的,而在动柔度的实验测量中必须解决几个技术问题,首先是提高信噪比.其次是消除工艺夹具带来的附加质量和附加转动惯量的影响,从而提高动刚度系数的测量精度.本文通过对模型转子以及某实际桨轴发动机转子轴头动刚度系数的测量及处理,阐述轴头动刚度矩阵的测量方法,以及有关技术问题的处理过程.     

快凝粉末冶金铝合金的微观结构

利用Ｘ射线衍射,透射电镜及高分辨电镜对快凝粉末冶金Ａ１－８．５Ｆｅ－１．３Ｖ－１．７Ｓｉ铝合金的微观结构进行了初步观察。结果表明,合金中仅含有一种硅化物强化相,即Ａｌ＿１３（Ｆｅ,Ｖ）＿３Ｓｉ,点阵常数为１．２５６ｎｍ。发现有些分布于晶内的硅化物相与合金基体具有确定的取向关系,即｛１１０｝Ａ１基体／｛１１０｝硅化物＜１１１＞Ａｌ基体／（１１０）硅化物但是位于晶界上的硅化物与基体没有确定的取向关系,而常常存在厚度约为５０Ａ的非晶层。      

求解多层弹性半空间轴对称问题的精确刚度矩阵法

本文首先从弹性力学的基本方程出发，利用Hankel积分变换等数学手段，推导出了单层弹性半空问轴对称问题的刚度矩阵，然后按传统的有限元方法组成总体刚度矩阵。通过求解由总体刚度矩阵所构成的代数方程和Hankel积分逆变换就可解出静荷载作用下多层弹性半空间轴对称问题的精确解。由于刚度矩阵的元素中不含有正指数项，计算时不会出现溢出的现象，从而克服了传递矩阵法的缺点。由于在推导过程中摒弃了应力函数的选择，使得问题的求解更加理论化和合理化，同时也为进一步研究这类问题如温度场，动力学等方向奠定了理论基础。最后，文中还给出了计算实例来证明推导结果的准确性。     

An experimental and analytical treatment of matrix cracking in cross-ply laminates

The development of damage in cross-ply Hercules AS4/3502 graphite/epoxy laminates has been investigated. Specific endeavors were to identify the mechanisms for initiation and growth of matrix cracks and to determine the effect of matrix cracking on the stiffness loss in cross-ply laminates. Two types of matrix cracks were identified. These include both straight and curved cracks. The experimental study of matrix crack damage revealed that the curved cracks formed after the straight cracks and followed a repeatable pattern of location and orientation relative to the straight cracks. Therefore, it was postulated that the growth mechanism for curved cracks is driven by the stress state resulting from the formation of the straight cracks. This phenomenon was analytically investigated by a finite-element model of straight cracks in a cross-ply laminate. The finite-element results provide supporting evidence for the postulated growth mechanism. The experimental study also revealed that the number of curved cracks increased with the number of consecutive 90-deg plies. Finally, experimental results show as much as 10-percent degradation in axial stiffness due to matrix cracking in cross-ply graphite/epoxy laminates.