Analyses and evaluations for composite-moment frames with SMA PR-CFT connections

This paper describes seismic performance and evaluation for composite-moment frames (C-MF) with a new type of bolted connections. The study is purely analytical and explores the effort needed to establish new connection parameters without large-scale physical testing. The innovative aspects of this research are in the use of partial restraint (PR) connections between steel beams and concrete-filled tube (CFT) columns that utilize a combination of low-carbon steel and shape memory alloy (SMA) components as the main force transfer elements in the connections. The intent is to utilize the recentering provided by super-elastic shape memory tension bars to reduce building damage and residual drift after a major earthquake, and the energy dissipation of low-carbon steel components in parallel. Accurate modeling and computational efficiency were achieved through the use of a simplified joint element which includes all connection strength and deformation components. Four- and six-story C-MF models were designed for a high seismic zone in the western USA. Two connection types and three column systems installed at these prototype frame models were investigated through nonlinear pushover and dynamic analyses. The C-MF models with new bolted connections were compared to those with traditional welded connections. The results of numerical analysis demonstrate that C-MF with new PR connections show superior structural performance as indicated by small residual deformation and better distribution of the demand over the height of the structure.     

Resolution of computational aeroacoustics problems on unstructured grids with a higher-order finite volume scheme

Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) has become increasingly used in the industry for the simulation of flows. Nevertheless, the complex configurations of real engineering problems make the application of very accurate methods that only work on structured grids difficult. From this point of view, the development of higher-order methods for unstructured grids is desirable. The finite volume method can be used with unstructured grids, but unfortunately it is difficult to achieve an order of accuracy higher than two, and the common approach is a simple extension of the one-dimensional case. The increase of the order of accuracy in finite volume methods on general unstructured grids has been limited due to the difficulty in the evaluation of field derivatives. This problem is overcome with the application of the Moving Least Squares (MLS) technique on a finite volume framework. In this work we present the application of this method (FV-MLS) to the solution of aeroacoustic problems.     

The interaction of a gravity current with a circular cylinder mounted above a wall: Effect of the gap size

The flow of a gravity current past a circular cylinder mounted above a bottom wall is studied by means of two-dimensional Navier–Stokes simulations. The investigation focuses on the effects of the gap size on the forces acting on the cylinder. The interaction of the current with the cylinder can be divided into an impact, a transient, and a quasisteady stage. During the impact stage, the gravity current meets the cylinder, and the drag increases towards a maximum, while the lift undergoes a drastic fluctuation which increases noticeably with the gap size. During the quasisteady stage, the flow past the cylinder resembles that observed in constant-density boundary layer flows past cylinders: Karman vortex shedding is observed for sufficiently large gap sizes, while a vorticity cancellation mechanism is responsible for the suppression of vortex shedding at small gap sizes. On the other hand, interesting differences that distinguish the gravity current case from the constant-density case are the presence in the gravity current flow of a component of the mean quasisteady lift due to buoyancy, and another component from the deflection of the wake towards the wall by the constriction of the dense fluid flow downstream of the cylinder, as well as the cancellation of vortex shedding for all gap sizes when the ratio of the channel depth to lock height is decreased from 5 to 1.     

A multi-resolution,non-parametric,Bayesian framework for identification of spatially-varying model parameters

This paper proposes a hierarchical, multi-resolution framework for the identification of model parameters and their spatially variability from noisy measurements of the response or output. Such parameters are frequently encountered in PDE-based models and correspond to quantities such as density or pressure fields, elasto-plastic moduli and internal variables in solid mechanics, conductivity fields in heat diffusion problems, permeability fields in fluid flow through porous media etc. The proposed model has all the advantages of traditional Bayesian formulations such as the ability to produce measures of confidence for the inferences made and providing not only predictive estimates but also quantitative measures of the predictive uncertainty. In contrast to existing approaches it utilizes a parsimonious, non-parametric formulation that favors sparse representations and whose complexity can be determined from the data. The proposed framework in non-intrusive and makes use of a sequence of forward solvers operating at various resolutions. As a result, inexpensive, coarse solvers are used to identify the most salient features of the unknown field(s) which are subsequently enriched by invoking solvers operating at finer resolutions. This leads to significant computational savings particularly in problems involving computationally demanding forward models but also improvements in accuracy. It is based on a novel, adaptive scheme based on Sequential Monte Carlo sampling which is embarrassingly parallelizable and circumvents issues with slow mixing encountered in Markov Chain Monte Carlo schemes. The capabilities of the proposed methodology are illustrated in problems from nonlinear solid mechanics with special attention to cases where the data is contaminated with random noise and the scale of variability of the unknown field is smaller than the scale of the grid where observations are collected.     

Control of crystalline phases in magnetic Fe nanoparticles inserted inside a matrix of porous carbon

Two magnetic composites made up of Fe nanoparticles (Fe-NPs) embedded in a porous amorphous carbon matrix are presented. One of the samples, Fe-S-AC, was obtained with the aid of sucrose and the other, Fe-AC, in the absence of this substance. The XRD patterns show Bragg diffraction peaks associated with α-Fe and γ-Fe crystalline phases in the Fe-AC sample, while only peaks corresponding to the α-Fe phase are observed for Fe-S-AC powders. The Fe-NPs exhibit broad particle-size distributions for both samples, 5–50 nm for Fe-AC, whereas two populations (2–8 and 10–70 nm) for the Fe-S-AC composite are found. This fact gives rise to poorly defined blocking temperatures, as it can be deduced from the broad maxima observed in M_ZFC(T) variations. In addition, M(H) curves for both Fe-AC and Fe-S-AC samples reveal the existence of exchange-bias effect for T<60 K, probably due to a magnetic coupling within a core/shell structure of the Fe-NPs, although this effect was observed to be less significant for Fe-S-AC.     

(Liquid + liquid) equilibria of polymer-salt aqueous two-phase systems for laccase partitioning: UCON 50-HB-5100 with potassium citrate and (sodium or potassium) formate at 23 °C

Aqueous two-phase systems (ATPS) are recognized as very suitable techniques for the recovery of target solutes in biological applications. Three new phase diagrams of (UCON 50-HB-5100 + potassium citrate + water), (UCON 50-HB-5100 + sodium formate + water), and (UCON 50-HB-5100 + potassium formate + water) systems were measured at 23 °C. The binodal curves were successfully described using the empirical equation suggested by Merchuk and co-workers. The reliability of the tie-line data experimentally determined was evaluated using the equations reported by Othmer–Tobias and Bancroft and satisfactory linearity was obtained for all ATPS. Among the salts studied, potassium citrate proved to be the most effective in ATPS formation, providing the largest heterogeneous region. Besides, the effect of both anions and cations in the size of the heterogeneous region and in the slope of the tie-lines has been compared. For the same salts and conditions, the heterogeneous region using UCON as the phase-forming polymer is larger than using polyethylene glycol. Furthermore, laccase partition in the UCON-salt ATPS was studied and it was found that in all cases enzyme partition occurred preferably to the bottom phase (salt-rich phase). Laccase concentration in the salt-rich phase was approximately 2-fold that in the top phase, thus UCON-salt ATPS can be a suitable biphasic system for laccase extraction.     

Fluid–structure interaction between a two-dimensional mat-type VLFS and solitary waves by the Green–Naghdi theory

The two-dimensional, nonlinear hydroelasticity of a mat-type very large floating structure (VLFS) is studied within the scope of linear beam theory for the structure and the nonlinear, Level I Green–Naghdi (GN) theory for the fluid. The beam equation and the GN equations are coupled through the kinematic and dynamic boundary conditions to obtain a new set of modified GN equations. These equations represent long-wave motion beneath an elastic plate. A set of jump conditions that are necessary for the continuity (or the matching) of the solutions in the open water region and that under the structure is derived through the use of the postulated conservation laws of mass, momentum, and mechanical energy. The resulting governing equations, subjected to the boundary and jump conditions, are solved by the finite-difference method in the time domain. The present model is applicable, for example, to the study of the hydroelastic response of a mat-type VLFS under the action of a solitary wave, or a frontal tsunami wave. Good agreement is observed between the model results and other published theoretical and numerical predictions, as well as experimental data. The results show that consideration of nonlinearity is important for accurate predictions of the bending moment of the floating elastic plate. It is found that the rigidity of the structure greatly affects the bending moment and displacement of the structure in this nonlinear theory.