Structural damage detection using convolutional neural networks combining strain energy and dynamic response

Meccanica - Based on the classification ability of a convolutional neural network (CNN), this paper proposes a structural damage detection method in which a CNN is used to classify the location and...     

Stochastic transient analysis of thermal stresses in solids by explicit time-domain method

Stochastic heat conduction and thermal stress analysis of structures has received considerable attention in recent years. The propagation of uncertain thermal environments will lead to stochastic variations in temperature fields and thermal stresses. Therefore, it is reasonable to consider the variability of thermal environments while conducting thermal analysis. However, for ambient thermal excitations, only stationary random processes have been investigated thus far. In this study, the highly efficient explicit time-domain method(ETDM) is proposed for the analysis of non-stationary stochastic transient heat conduction and thermal stress problems. The explicit time-domain expressions of thermal responses are first constructed for a thermoelastic body. Then the statistical moments of thermal displacements and stresses can be directly obtained based on the explicit expressions of thermal responses. A numerical example involving non-stationary stochastic internal heat generation rate is investigated. The accuracy and efficiency of the proposed method are validated by comparison with the Monte-Carlo simulation.     

Multi-scale Fractured Coal Gas–Solid Coupling Model and Its Applications in Engineering Projects

With coal mining entering the geological environment of “high stress, rich gas, strong adsorption and low permeability,” the difficulty of joint coal and gas extraction clearly augments, the risk of solid–gas coupling dynamic disasters greatly increases, and the underlying mechanisms become more complex. In this paper, based on the characteristics of coal’s multi-scale structure and spatiotemporal variation, the multi-scale fractured coal gas–solid coupling model (MSFM) was built. In this model, the interaction between coal matrix and its fractures and the mechanical characteristics of gas-bearing coal were considered, as well as their coupling relationship. By MATLAB software, the stress–damage–seepage numerical computation programs were developed, which were applied into Comsol Multiphysics to simulate gas flow caused by coal mining. The simulation results showed the spatial variability of coal elastic modulus and cross-flow behaviors of coal seam gas, which were superior to the results of traditional gas–solid coupling model. And the numerical results obtained from MSFM were closer to the measured results in field, while the computation results of traditional model were slightly higher than the measured results. Furthermore, the MSFM in a large scale was verified by field engineering project.     

Stochastic optimization of an urban rail timetable under time‐dependent and uncertain demand

Urban rail planning is extremely complex, mainly because it is a decision problem under different uncertainties. In practice, travel demand is generally uncertain, and therefore, the timetabling decisions must be based on accurate estimation. This research addresses the optimization of train timetable at public transit terminals of an urban rail in a stochastic setting. To cope with stochastic fluctuation of arrival rates, a two‐stage stochastic programming model is developed. The objective is to construct a daily train schedule that minimizes the expected waiting time of passengers. Due to the high computational cost of evaluating the expected value objective, the sample average approximation method is applied. The method provided statistical estimations of the optimality gap as well as lower and upper bounds and the associated confidence intervals. Numerical experiments are performed to evaluate the performance of the proposed model and the solution method.     

Lagrangian renormalized approximation of turbulence

A review is made of a two-point closure approximation called Lagrangian renormalized approximation (LRA), which is derived by a simple truncation of systematic Lagrangian renormalized expansions and is free from any ad hoc adjusting parameters or quantities. Emphasis is given to three key ideas: (i) representative, (ii) mapping and (iii) renormalized expansion underlying the LRA. The nature of the method of the expansion is explained by simple models, and general properties of the expansion as well as the truncated approximation are discussed in a general framework. A brief survey of the consequences of the LRA applied to three- and two-dimensional turbulences and passive scalar fields convected by turbulence is also presented.     

A microstructure-based viscoplastic model for asphalt concrete

A microstructure-based viscoplastic continuum model is developed for the permanent deformation of asphalt concrete (AC). The model accounts for several phenomena that influence the permanent deformation of AC at high temperatures. These phenomena include strain rate dependency, confining pressure dependency, dilation, aggregate friction, anisotropy, and damage.The material anisotropy was included in the model by replacing the stress invariants in the yield function with invariants of both the stress and a microstructure tensor, which describes the aggregate orientation distribution. The components of the microstructure tensor were determined using image analysis techniques (IAT) conducted on digital images taken from two-dimensional cut sections of AC. Furthermore, damage was included in the model based on the effective stress theory to account for crack and air void growth that significantly reduces the load-carrying capacity of the material.Experimental data from triaxial compressive strength tests conducted at five strain rates and three confining pressures were used to develop a methodology to determine the material parameters that characterize AC permanent deformation. The model predictions were in a good agreement with the experimental measurements.     

Nonlocal continuum theory of anisotropically damaged metals

The paper deals with a consistent and systematic general framework for the development of anisotropic continuum damage in ductile metals based on thermodynamic laws and nonlocal theories. The proposed model relies on finite strain kinematics based on the consideration of damaged as well as fictitious undamaged configurations related via metric transformation tensors which allow for the interpretation of damage tensors. The formulation is accomplished by rate-independent plasticity using a nonlocal yield condition of Drucker–Prager type, anisotropic damage based on a nonlocal damage growth criterion as well as non-associated flow and damage rules. The nonlocal theory of inelastic continua is established to be able to take into account long-range microstructural interaction. The approach incorporates macroscopic interstate variables and their higher-order gradients which properly describe the change in the internal structure and investigate the size effect of statistical inhomogeneity of the heterogeneous material. The idea of bridging length-scales is made by using higher-order gradients in the evolution equations of the equivalent inelastic strain measures which leads to a system of elliptic partial differential equations which is solved using the finite difference method at each iteration of the loading step and the displacement-based finite element procedure is governed by the standard principle of virtual work. Numerical simulations of the elastic–plastic deformation behavior of damaged solids demonstrate the efficiency of the formulation. Tension tests undergoing large strains are used to investigate the damage growth in high strength steel. The influence of various model parameters on the prediction of the deformation and localization of ductile metals is discussed.     

A PENNY-SHAPED CRACK IN A MAGNETOELECTROELASTIC LAYER UNDER RADIAL SHEAR IMPACT LOADING

This paper analyzes the dynamic magnetoelectroelastic behavior induced by a penny- shaped crack in a magnetoelectroelastic layer.The crack surfaces are subjected to only radial shear impact loading.The Laplace and Hankel transform techniques are employed to reduce the prob- lem to solving a Fredholm integral equation.The dynamic stress intensity factor is obtained and numerically calculated for different layer heights.And the corresponding static solution is given by simple analysis.It is seen that the dynamic stress intensity factor for cracks in a magnetoelec- troelastic layer has the same expression as that in a purely elastic material.And the influences of layer height on both the dynamic and static stress intensity factors are insignificant as h/a>2.     

On the no-slip boundary conditions for squeeze flow of viscous fluids

A typical class of boundary conditions for squeeze flow problems in lubrication approximation is the one in which the squeezing rate and the width between the squeezing plates are constant. This hypothesis is justified by claiming that the plates moves so slowly that they can be considered static. In this short note we prove that this assumption leads to a contradiction and hence cannot be used.     

Application of RANS-based method to predict acoustic noise of chevron nozzles

Passive noise control devices for jet flows, such as chevron nozzles, have been studied for a long time due to their large application in turbofan engines. The main purpose of their usage is the reduction of low-frequency noise generation and thus decreasing the noise perceived at the far field. This work is a numerical study of acoustic noise generated by jet flow operating at Mach number 0.9 and Reynolds number 1.38 × 10⁶, considering two chevron nozzle geometries that differ from each other by the penetration angle into the flow. The main aim was to demonstrate that Reynolds averaged Navier Stokes (RANS)-based methods are reliable means to obtain acoustical noise predictions for the industry with a considerably low computational cost. In order to achieve this objective, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) RANS simulations were performed with a cubic k-ɛ model and the acoustic noise spectrum for different angles of radiation was obtained via the Lighthill ray-tracing (LRT) method. The numerical results for the acoustic and flow fields were seen to be in reasonable agreement with the experimental data, suggesting that this methodology can be used as a fast and useful option to predict acoustic noise of jet flows from chevron nozzles.