Stochastic Models of Composite Mechanics in the Problems of Designing Structural Elements in Aerospace Engineering

The present-day trends and development prospects of stochastic averaging methods in composite mechanics are analyzed. The following methods are considered: the traditional one (the medium of comparison is homogeneous), the method of periodic components (the medium of comparison has a regular structure), the numerical method of local approximation with regard for the short-range order in the arrangement and interaction of inhomogeneities, and a synthesis of the periodic-component and local-approximation methods. A detailed procedure is presented for calculating the functionals of second, third, and higher orders of the stochastic problem. The results obtained are used for evaluating, in an explicit form, corrections to the effective elastic moduli found for quasi-isotropic and unidirectional fiber composites by the traditional averaging method and the method of periodic components. Analytical formulas for the second-order moment functions of structural stresses and strains are derived. It is shown that the fields of structural stresses and strains are locally ergodic. A new multilevel approach is proposed for designing composites, which takes into account the effect of structurally technological factors. Thus, unidirectional fiber composites are calculated by a two-level model, layered structures - by a three-level model, and carbon-carbon structures - by a five-level model. A stage-by-stage solution procedure is suggested for the boundary-value problem of micromechanics of composites. For a wide class of composites, the effective elastic moduli are calculated and the strength surfaces are constructed.     

The bearing strength and failure behavior of bolted e-glass/epoxy composite joints

An experimental study was carried out to investigate the failure strength of a pinned-joint E-glass/epoxy composite plate. The main objective was to examine the influence of the preload moment, the edge distance to the pin diameter ratio, and the specimen width to pin diameter ratio on the strength. The load-carrying capacity of the pin-loaded hole could be changed by varying the specimen geometry and the preload moment. Guidelines for effective geometrical configurations and the preload moment for the mechanically pin-connected E-glass/epoxy composite plate were specified based on the ultimate bearing strength. Russian translation published in Mekhanika Kompozitnykh Materialov, Vol. 44, No. 4, pp. 569–590, July–August, 2008.     

Effect of dispersed filter particles on the strength behavior of composites

An attempt is made to find a solution by which the effect of neighboring filler particles on the strength of composites could be indirectly estimated. The stresses in composites with a great amount of filler are calculated. Composites based on epoxy-resin binder are tested. A comparison of different models shows that the modified Kerner model reflects only the tendency for the compression strength to change with the degree of filling. The relations between the compression strength and the degree of filling are better described by models allowing for constraint of the plastic deformations of the matrix. However, in this case, the effect of the neighboring particles is not properly taken into account. Translated from Mekhanika Kompozitnykh Materialov, Vol. 35, No. 5, pp. 575–584, September–October, 1999.     

Deformation behavior and strength of unidirectional carbon fiber laminates

The elastic deformation behavior and the load-carrying capacity of unidirectional carbon fiber laminates under static loading at room and cryogenic (down to 77 K) temperatures are investigated. The possible ways of predicting their elastic and strength characteristics proceeding from the volume content and mechanical parameters of fibers and matrix are analyzed. __________ Translated from Mekhanika Kompozitnykh Materialov, Vol. 42, No. 5, pp. 583–598, September–October, 2006.     

Comparative analysis of availability between three systems with general repair times, reboot delay and switching failures

This paper compares the availability characteristics between three different systems with reboot delay and standby switching failures. Three systems are studied under the assumption that the time-to-failure and the time-to-repair of the primary and standby units are exponentially and generally distributed, respectively. The reboot times are assumed to be exponentially distributed with parameter β. It is assumed that there is a significant probability q of a switching failure. Using the supplementary variable technique, we develop the explicit expressions for the steady-state availability, Av, for three configurations and perform comparative analysis for three various repair time distributions, such as exponential, gamma, and uniform. Under the cost/benefit criterion, comparisons are made based on assumed numerical values given to the distribution parameters, and to the cost of the primary and standby units.     

Numerical investigation of the acoustic scattering problem from penetrable prolate spheroidal structures using the Vekua transformation and arbitrary precision arithmetic

A complete set of radiating “outwards” eigensolutions of the Helmholtz equation, obtained by transforming appropriately through the Vekua mapping the kernel of Laplace equation, is applied to the investigation of the acoustic scattering by penetrable prolate spheroidal scatterers. The scattered field is expanded in terms of the aforementioned set, detouring so the standard spheroidal wave functions along with their inherent numerical deficiencies. The coefficients of the expansion are provided by the solution of linear systems, the conditioning of which calls for arbitrary precision arithmetic. Its integration enables the polyparametric investigation of the convergence of the current approach to the solution of the direct scattering problem. Finally, far‐field pattern visualization in the 3D space clarifies the preferred scattering directions for several frequencies of the incident wave, ranging from the “low” to the “resonance” region.     

Micromechanical Analysis of Inelastic Deformation of Unidirectional Fibrous Composites under Multiaxial and Shear Loadings

An algorithm is proposed for numerically solving nonlinear 3D problems of micromechanics of a unidirectionally reinforced composite with a regular structure. For the matrix, equations of the deformation theory of plasticity and relations of reduced rigidity in its failure zones are used, whereas the fibers are elastic and indestructible. According to the method of local approximation, fields of microstresses and microstrains are determined in a structural fragment containing nine periodic cells. Boundary conditions of the fragment correspond to an arbitrary combination of longitudinal, transverse, and shear microstresses occurring in the central part of the fragment. The solution to the nonlinear 3D problem is sought by the method of superposition with an iterational refinement based on the successive solution of an antiplane problem and a problem on a generalized plain strain state of the structural segment. Special features of the iteration procedure are considered. The calculated deformation diagrams and ultimate strengths of a unidirectional glass-epoxy composite are presented for several loading trajectories.     

Education campaign and family understanding affect stability and qualitative behavior of an online game addiction model for children and youth in Thailand

Online game addiction has become a large problem worldwide, and it could give negative impacts on children in many ways such as physical health, learning, emotion, and behavior. Online game addiction is mostly found in children and youth at the age of 15 to 24 years. Therefore, in this paper, we have developed a mathematical model of online game addiction to explore the effects of education campaign and family understanding on online game addiction in Thailand. Analysis of this model reveals two main equilibria, addiction‐free (AFE) and addiction‐present (APE) ones. Results show that the AFE is locally asymptotically stable when the value of basic reproduction number (R₀) is less than the unity; otherwise, there is a unique endemic equilibrium point, and it is locally stable when satisfies the Routh‐Hurwitz criterion. Further, the conditions of AFE to be globally stable are demonstrated. Finally, the results of sensitivity analysis and numerical simulation show that the effectiveness of both education campaign and family understanding is an important factor in reducing the value of R₀ and holds great promise for lowering the number of children and youth who addict to online game in Thailand.     

Optimization and analysis of the profitability of tariff structures with two-part tariffs

Service providers often offer tariff structures with several two-part tariffs that consist of a fixed fee and a usage price, such that consumers may pick the tariff they prefer. Prices of tariffs have significant impacts on service providers’ profit, because they simultaneously influence consumers’ tariff choices and their usage. The number of tariffs also plays an important role, because more tariffs segment the market better but also increase the administrative burden and require more marketing effort. This article presents a mixed-integer nonlinear programming optimization problem to determine profit-maximizing tariffs; compares several heuristic search methods, in particular, the gradient method, stochastic search, and simulated annealing, to solve this problem; analyses the profitability of different tariff structures; and outlines the factors that drive differences in profitability across various tariff structures. The results show that especially for large samples of more than 100 consumers, simulated annealing performs best and deviates only 0.2% from the optimum. Structures with fewer two-part tariffs are generally sufficient, because additional two-part tariffs only negligibly increase service providers’ profit.     

Comparative analysis of the machine repair Problem with imperfect coverage and service pressure condition

In this paper we analyze the warm-standby M/M/R machine repair problem with multiple imperfect coverage which involving the service pressure condition. When an operating machine (or warm standby) fails, it may be immediately detected, located, and replaced with a coverage probability c by a standby if one is available. We use a recursive method to develop the steady-state analytic solutions which are used to calculate various system performance measures. The total expected profit function per unit time is derived to determine the joint optimal values at the maximum profit. We first utilize the direct search method to measure the various characteristics of the profit function followed by Quasi-Newton method to search the optimal solutions. Furthermore, the particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm is implemented to find the optimal combinations of parameters in the pursuit of maximum profit. Finally, a comparative analysis of the Quasi-Newton method with the PSO algorithm has demonstrated that the PSO algorithm provides a powerful tool to perform the optimization problem.     

Dynamical behavior analysis of a two-dimensional discrete predator-prey model with prey refuge and fear factor

This paper investigates the dynamics of an improved discrete Leslie-Gower predator-prey model with prey refuge and fear factor. First, a discrete Leslie-Gower predator-prey model with prey refuge and fear factor has been introduced. Then, the existence and stability of fixed points of the model are analyzed. Next, the bifurcation behaviors are discussed, both flip bifurcation and Neimark-Sacker bifurcation have been studied. Finally, some simulations are given to show the effectiveness of the theoretical results.     

Mathematical and numerical analysis of a three-species predator-prey model with herd behavior and time fractional-order derivative

In this paper, we investigate with a time fractional-order derivative in a three-species predator-prey model with the presence of prey social behavior. A new approximation for predator-prey interaction in the presence of prey social behavior has been considered. For the model analysis, the study has been divided into two principal parts. First of all, we study the local stability of the equilibria and the existence of Hopf bifurcation. Then, for the numerical analysis, the Caputo fractional derivative operator is utilized to approximate the numerical solution of the model. An excellent agreement is seen between the numerical results and the theoretical predictions.     

Transient analysis of a single server queue with catastrophes, failures and repairs

A transient solution is obtained analytically using continued fractions for the system size in an M/M/1 queueing system with catastrophes, server failures and non-zero repair time. The steady state probability of the system size is present. Some key performance measures, namely, throughput, loss probability and response time for the system under consideration are investigated. Further, reliability and availability of the system are analysed. Finally, numerical illustrations are used to discuss the system performance measures.      

Bifurcation analysis of a diffusive predator–prey system with a herd behavior and quadratic mortality

In this paper, a diffusive predator–prey system, in which the prey species exhibits herd behavior and the predator species with quadratic mortality, has been studied. The stability of positive constant equilibrium, Hopf bifurcations, and diffusion‐driven Turing instability are investigated under the Neumann boundary condition. The explicit condition for the occurrence of the diffusion‐driven Turing instability is derived, which is determined by the relationship of the diffusion rates of two species. The formulas determining the direction and the stability of Hopf bifurcations depending on the parameters of the system are derived. Finally, numerical simulations are carried out to verify and extend the theoretical results and show the existence of spatially homogeneous periodic solutions and nonconstant steady states. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Second-order two-scale method for bending behavior analysis of composite plate with 3-D periodic configuration and its approximation

This paper considers the bending behaviors of composite plate with 3-D periodic configuration.A second-order two-scale(SOTS)computational method is designed by means of construction way.First,by 3-D elastic composite plate model,the cell functions which are defined on the reference cell are constructed.Then the effective homogenization parameters of composites are calculated,and the homogenized plate problem on original domain is defined.Based on the Reissner-Mindlin deformation pattern,the homogenization solution is obtained.And then the SOTS’s approximate solution is obtained by the cell functions and the homogenization solution.Second,the approximation of the SOTS’s solution in energy norm is analyzed and the residual of SOTS’s solution for 3-D original in the pointwise sense is investigated.Finally,the procedure of SOTS’s method is given.A set of numerical results are demonstrated for predicting the effective parameters and the displacement and strains of composite plate.It shows that SOTS’s method can capture the 3-D local behaviors caused by3-D micro-structures well.