Non-linear modal properties of non-shallow cables

A non-linear mechanical model of non-shallow linearly elastic suspended cables is employed to investigate the non-linear modal characteristics of the free planar motions. An asymptotic analysis of the equations of motion is carried out directly on the partial-differential equations overcoming the drawbacks of a discretization process. The direct asymptotic treatment delivers the approximation of the individual non-linear normal modes. General properties about the non-linearity of the in-plane modes of different type—geometric, elasto-static and elasto-dynamic—are unfolded. The spatial corrections to the considered linear mode shape caused by the quadratic geometric forces are investigated for modes belonging to the three mentioned classes. Moreover, the convergence of Galerkin reduced-order models is discussed and the influence of passive modes is highlighted.     

Non-linear stochastic response of a shallow cable

The paper considers the stochastic response of geometrical non-linear shallow cables. Large rain-wind induced cable oscillations with non-linear interactions have been observed in many large cable stayed bridges during the last decades. The response of the cable is investigated for a reduced two-degrees-of-freedom system with one modal coordinate for the in-plane displacement and one for the out-of-plane displacement. At first harmonic varying chord elongation at excitation frequencies close to the corresponding eigenfrequencies of the cable is considered in order to identify stable modes of vibration. Depending on the initial conditions the system may enter one of two states of vibration in the static equilibrium plane with the out-of-plane displacement equal to zero, or a whirling state with the out-of-plane displacement different from zero. Possible solutions are found both analytically and numerically. Next, the chord elongation is modelled as a narrow-banded Gaussian stochastic process, and it is shown that all the indicated harmonic solutions now become instable with probability one. Instead, the cable jumps randomly back and forth between the two in-plane and the whirling mode of vibration. A theory for determining the probability of occupying either of these modes at a certain time is derived based on a homogeneous, continuous time three states Markov chain model. It is shown that the transitional probability rates can be determined by first-passage crossing rates of the envelope process of the chord wise component of the support point motion relative to a safe domain determined from the harmonic analysis of the problem.     

Vibrations of inclined cables under skew wind

A non-linear finite element model of inclined cables, i.e. cables with non-leveled supports, in the large displacement and deformation fields is proposed for computing the dynamic response to wind loads which blow in arbitrary direction. The initial equilibrium, assumed as the static configuration under self-weight and mean wind component, is defined by a continuous approach, following an iterative procedure which starts from the configuration under self-weight only. The proposed formulation, which accounts for longitudinal inertia forces, allows to spot the circumstances when the simplified small-sag approach, adopting longitudinal mode condensation, becomes too crude. Numerical simulations have been performed employing the Proper Orthogonal Decomposition to lower the computational effort.     

Self-consistency and the use of correlated stochastic separated flow models for prediction of particle-laden flows

Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) is being used increasingly in the design and analysis of particle-laden flows. A significant challenge of this work is in correctly predicting the interaction of the fluid turbulence with the particulate phase. Typically, Lagrangian tracking is used to calculate the particle trajectories with stochastic treatments used to provide an instantaneous turbulent flow field. The stochastic calculations are based on the mean velocities and turbulence quantities calculated by the CFD solver. The current work examines the correlated stochastic separated flow (SSF) model used to synthesize the instantaneous fluid velocity field. Two functional forms of the Eulerian spatial correlation are considered: exponential, and Frenkiel with loop parameter m equal to unity. It is well known that the use of a Frenkiel function is incorrect due to the Markovian nature of the model. Nonetheless, a literature review indicates that the Frenkiel function is still being used in the CFD community. In order to illustrate the implications of this, numerical predictions are compared to Taylor's analytical result for fluid particle dispersion in homogeneous isotropic turbulence. Excellent predictions are obtained with the exponential correlation and recommendations on timestep requirements are made. In contrast, predictions from the Frenkiel model are in poor agreement with Taylor's solution. This poor agreement results from an inconsistency between the effective correlation of fluid velocities arising from the model and the original intended correlation.     

Non-linear and linear evolution of perturbation in stochastic basic flows

In this paper, we examine the non-linear and linear evolutions of perturbation in stochastic basic flows with two-dimensional quasi-geostrophic equations on a sphere. As the analytic solutions for the considered quasi-geostrophic equations are not available, the Fourier finite volume element method is used to perform numerical simulation. It is found that, the non-linear and linear evolutions of perturbation in stochastic basic flow will be consistent for a short period of time and small stochastic fluctuations when they are consistent in the deterministic basic flow. However, the tangent linear model will fail to approximate the original non-linear model when the time period is considerably long and stochastic fluctuation becomes large. Moreover, the global energy decays faster for stochastic basic flow with stronger fluctuations.     

Two-to-one resonant multi-modal dynamics of horizontal/inclined cables. Part II: Internal resonance activation,reduced-order models and nonlinear normal modes

Resonant multi-modal dynamics due to planar 2:1 internal resonances in the non-linear, finite-amplitude, free vibrations of horizontal/inclined cables are parametrically investigated based on the second-order multiple scales solution in Part I [1] (in press). The already validated kinematically non-condensed cable model accounts for the effects of both non-linear dynamic extensibility and system asymmetry due to inclined sagged configurations. Actual activation of 2:1 resonances is discussed, enlightening on a remarkable qualitative difference of horizontal/inclined cables as regards non-linear orthogonality properties of normal modes. Based on the analysis of modal contribution and solution convergence of various resonant cables, hints are obtained on proper reduced-order model selections from the asymptotic solution accounting for higher-order effects of quadratic nonlinearities. The dependence of resonant dynamics on coupled vibration amplitudes, and the significant effects of cable sag, inclination and extensibility on system non-linear behavior are highlighted, along with meaningful contributions of longitudinal dynamics. The spatio-temporal variation of non-linear dynamic configurations and dynamic tensions associated with 2:1 resonant non-linear normal modes is illustrated. Overall, the analytical predictions are validated by finite difference-based numerical investigations of the original partial-differential equations of motion.     

Analysis of the relationship between total and effective rainfall by means of streamflow shot noise and rainfall stochastic models

Linking the results of two research topics on rainfall and streamflow stochastic models, the relationship between total and effective rainfall is studied here. The short time streamflow process is examined concerning the climatic and hydrogeological characters of the watershed, identifying four distinct components giving rise to runoff. In this way the watershed can be regarded as a four-component linear system, whose input is the effective rainfall. Finally, the streamflow model is used as an effective rainfall inverse estimator, allowing the analysis of the links between total and effective rainfall assuming a simple transformation law. The determination of this law is performed by applying a stochastic model, whose parameters are estimated on the companion series of recorded total rainfall and reconstructed effective rainfall. An application to a case study shows the effectiveness of the proposed approach.

---

Sommario Raccordando i risultati di due ricerche sui modelli stocastici di pioggia e dei deflussi, vengono qui studiate le relazioni fra la pioggia totale e la pioggia efficace. I deflussi aggregati a breve scala temporale sono esaminati alla luce delle caratteristiche climatiche e idrogeologiche del bacino idrografico, identificando quanttro distinte componenti che danno origine al deflusso. II bacino idrografico viene così rappresentato da un sistema lineare a quattro componenti, il cui input è la pioggia efficace. Pertanto, il modello dei deflussi viene usato per effettuare la stima inversa delle piogge efficaci, consentendo lo studio delle relazioni fra le piogge totali ed efficaci ipotizzando una semplice legge di trasformazione. La determinazione di questa legge è effettuata applicando un modello stocastico, i cui parametri sono stimati sulle serie corrispondenti di pioggia totale registrata e di pioggia efficace ricostruita. Un'applicazione a un caso reale mostra l'efficacia dell'approccio proposto.

     

Nonlinear stochastic analysis of subharmonic response of a shallow cable

The paper deals with the subharmonic response of a shallow cable due to time variations of the chord length of the equilibrium suspension, caused by time varying support point motions. Initially, the capability of a simple nonlinear two-degree-of-freedom model for the prediction of chaotic and stochastic subharmonic response is demonstrated upon comparison with a more involved model based on a spatial finite difference discretization of the full nonlinear partial differential equations of the cable. Since the stochastic response quantities are obtained by Monte Carlo simulation, which is extremely time-consuming for the finite difference model, most of the results are next based on the reduced model. Under harmonical varying support point motions the stable subharmonic motion consists of a harmonically varying component in the equilibrium plane and a large subharmonic out-of-plane component, producing a trajectory at the mid-point of shape as an infinity sign. However, when the harmonical variation of the chordwise elongation is replaced by a narrow-banded Gaussian excitation with the same standard deviation and a centre frequency equal to the circular frequency of the harmonic excitation, the slowly varying phase of the excitation implies that the phase difference between the in-plane and out-of-plane displacement components is not locked at a fixed value. In turn this implies that the trajectory of the displacement components is slowly rotating around the chord line. Hence, a large subharmonic response component is also present in the static equilibrium plane. Further, the time variation of the envelope process of the narrow-banded chordwise elongation process tends to enhance chaotic behaviour of the subharmonic response, which is detectable via extreme sensitivity on the initial conditions, or via the sign of a numerical calculated Lyapunov exponent. These effects have been further investigated based on periodic varying chord elongations with the same frequency and standard deviation as the harmonic excitation, for which the amplitude varies in a well-defined way between two levels within each period. Depending on the relative magnitude of the high and low amplitude phase and their relative duration the onset of chaotic vibrations has been verified.     

A stochastic approximation approach to improve the convergence behavior of hierarchical atomistic-to-continuum multiscale models

The aim of this work is to provide an improved information exchange in hierarchical atomistic-to-continuum settings by applying stochastic approximation methods. For this purpose a typical model belonging to this class is chosen and enhanced. On the macroscale of this particular two-scale model, the balance equations of continuum mechanics are solved using a nonlinear finite element formulation. The microscale, on which a canonical ensemble of statistical mechanics is simulated using molecular dynamics, replaces a classic material formulation. The constitutive behavior is computed on the microscale by computing time averages. However, these time averages are thermal noise-corrupted as the microscale may practically not be tracked for a sufficiently long period of time due to limited computational resources. This noise prevents the model from a classical convergence behavior and creates a setting that shows remarkable resemblance to iteration schemes known from stochastic approximation. This resemblance justifies the use of two averaging strategies known to improve the convergence behavior in stochastic approximation schemes under certain, fairly general, conditions. To demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed strategies, three numerical examples are studied.     

On the hysteresis of wire cables in Stockbridge dampers

Stockbridge dampers are used e.g. for reducing wind-excited oscillations due to vortex shedding in conductors of overhead lines. In these dampers, mechanical energy is dissipated in wire cables (“damper cables”). The damping mechanism is due to statical hysteresis resulting from Coulomb (dry) friction between the individual wires of the cable undergoing bending deformation. Systems with statical hysteresis can be modelled by means of Jenkin elements arranged in parallel, consisting of linear springs and Coulomb friction elements. The damper cable is a continuous system and damping takes place throughout the whole length of the cable, so that distributed Jenkin elements are used. The local mechanical properties of the wire cable are identified experimentally in the time domain. In particular, the moment–curvature relation is determined experimentally at every location of the wire cable subjected to dynamic flexural deformations. Using such a model for the damper cables, the equations of motion can be formulated for a Stockbridge damper, and discretization of the damper cable leads to a system of non-linear ordinary differential equations. In order to test this dynamical model of a Stockbridge damper we compute impedance curves and compare them to experimental results.     

A stochastic approach for the simulation of collisions between colloidal particles at large time steps

This paper presents a new approach for the detection and treatment of colloidal particle collisions. It has been developed in the framework of Lagrangian approaches where a large number of particles is explicitly tracked. The key idea is to account for the continuous trajectories of both colliding partners during a time step that is not restricted. Unlike classical approaches which consider only the distances between a pair of particles at the beginning and at the end of each time step (or assume straight-line motion in between), we model the whole relative, and possibly diffusive, trajectory. The collision event is dealt with using the probability that the relative distance reaches a minimum threshold (equal to the sum of the two particle radii). In that sense, the present paper builds on the idea of a previous work. However, in this first work, the collision event was simulated with a simplified scheme where one of the collision partners was removed and re-inserted randomly within the simulation domain. Though usually applied, this treatment is limited to homogeneous situations. Here, an extension of the stochastic model is proposed to treat more rigorously the collision event via a suitable evaluation of the time and spatial location of the collision and an adequate calculation of subsequent particle motion. The resulting collision kernels are successfully compared to theoretical predictions in the case of particle diffusive motion. With these promising results, the feasibility of simulating the collisional regime over a whole range of particle sizes (even nanoscopic) and time steps (from a ballistic to a purely diffusive regime) with a numerical method of reasonable computational cost has been confirmed. The present approach thus appears as a good candidate for the simulation of the agglomeration phenomenon between particles also in complex non-homogeneous flows.     

Asymptotic models for the discrete optimal control of the deformation of an elastic membrane

This paper considers the singularly perturbed static problem of the optimal control of the deformation of an elastic membrane by means of external loads (control without constraints) applied to several small areas distant from each other. The objective functional is equal to the sum of the square of the root-mean-square approximation error and the square of the norm of the external load. Asymptotic models are constructed using the method of matched asymptotic expansions. __________ Translated from Prikladnaya Mekhanika i Tekhnicheskaya Fizika, Vol. 47, No. 5, pp. 131–144, September–October, 2006.     

Modeling vortex-shedding effects for the stochastic response of tall buildings in non-synoptic winds

This study derives a model for the vortex-induced vibration and the stochastic response of a tall building in strong non-synoptic wind regimes. The vortex-induced stochastic dynamics is obtained by combining turbulent-induced buffeting force, aeroelastic force and vortex-induced force. The governing equations of motion in non-synoptic winds account for the coupled motion with nonlinear aerodynamic damping and non-stationary wind loading. An engineering model, replicating the features of thunderstorm downbursts, is employed to simulate strong non-synoptic winds and non-stationary wind loading. This study also aims to examine the effectiveness of the wavelet-Galerkin (WG) approximation method to numerically solve the vortex-induced stochastic dynamics of a tall building with complex wind loading and coupled equations of motions. In the WG approximation method, the compactly supported Daubechies wavelets are used as orthonormal basis functions for the Galerkin projection, which transforms the time-dependent coupled, nonlinear, non-stationary stochastic dynamic equations into random algebraic equations in the wavelet space. An equivalent single-degree-of-freedom building model and a multi-degree-of-freedom model of the benchmark Commonwealth Advisory Aeronautical Research Council (CAARC) tall building are employed for the formulation and numerical analyses. Preliminary parametric investigations on the vortex-shedding effects and the stochastic dynamics of the two building models in non-synoptic downburst winds are discussed. The proposed WG approximation method proves to be very powerful and promising to approximately solve various cases of stochastic dynamics and the associated equations of motion accounting for vortex shedding effects, complex wind loads, coupling, nonlinearity and non-stationarity.     

Computational and quasi-analytical models for non-linear vibrations of resonant MEMS and NEMS sensors

Large-amplitude non-linear vibrations of micro- and nano-electromechanical resonant sensors around their primary resonance are investigated. A comprehensive multiphysics model based on the Galerkin decomposition method coupled with the averaging method is developed in the case of electrostatically actuated clamped-clamped resonators. The model is purely analytical and includes the main sources of non-linearities as well as fringing field effects. The influence of the higher modes and the validation of the model is demonstrated with respect to the shooting method as well as the harmonic balance coupled with the asymptotic numerical method. This model allows designers to investigate the sensitivity variation of resonant sensors in the non-linear regime with respect to the electrostatic forcing.     

Statistical models for predicting the effect of bidisperse particle collisions on particle velocities and stresses in homogeneous anisotropic turbulent flows

The purpose of this paper is to present and compare two statistical models for predicting the effect of collisions on particle velocities and stresses in bidisperse turbulent flows. These models start from a kinetic equation for the probability density function (PDF) of the particle velocity distribution in a homogeneous anisotropic turbulent flow. The kinetic equation describes simultaneously particle–turbulence and particle–particle interactions. The paper is focused on deriving the collision terms in the governing equations of the PDF moments. One of the collision models is based on a Grad-like expansion for the PDF of the velocity distributions of two particles. The other model stems from a Grad-like expansion for the joint fluid–particle PDF. The validity of these models is explored by comparing with Lagrangian simulations of particle tracking in uniformly sheared and isotropic turbulent flows generated by LES. Notwithstanding the fact that the fluid turbulence may be isotropic, the particle velocity fluctuations are anisotropic due to the impact of gravitational settling. Comparisons of the model predictions and the numerical simulations show encouraging agreement.     

Structural response of stiffened plates in similitude under a turbulent boundary layer excitation

In structural dynamics, similitude laws usually deal with simple configurations as thin flat plates with point forces. Only recently, few papers have analyzed stiffened shells or stochastic pressure loads.This research activity extends the applicability of some similitude laws, developed for thin flat plates under a turbulent boundary layer load, to ribbed plates forced by the same wall pressure fluctuations.The work addresses the problem of designing a scaled experimental test-article and, successively, of re-modulating the measured data in order to get the structural response of an original (unscaled) configuration.Due to the complexity of the structural domain, the design of a scaled configuration leads to a distorted similitude. Then, a simple approach, to circumvent the distortion effects, is proposed.     

Asymptotic expansion homogenization of discrete fine-scale models with rotational degrees of freedom for the simulation of quasi-brittle materials

Discrete fine-scale models, in the form of either particle or lattice models, have been formulated successfully to simulate the behavior of quasi-brittle materials whose mechanical behavior is inherently connected to fracture processes occurring in the internal heterogeneous structure. These models tend to be intensive from the computational point of view as they adopt an “a priori” discretization anchored to the major material heterogeneities (e.g. grains in particulate materials and aggregate pieces in cementitious composites) and this hampers their use in the numerical simulations of large systems. In this work, this problem is addressed by formulating a general multiple scale computational framework based on classical asymptotic analysis and that (1) is applicable to any discrete model with rotational degrees of freedom; and (2) gives rise to an equivalent Cosserat continuum. The developed theory is applied to the upscaling of the Lattice Discrete Particle Model (LDPM), a recently formulated discrete model for concrete and other quasi-brittle materials, and the properties of the homogenized model are analyzed thoroughly in both the elastic and the inelastic regime. The analysis shows that the homogenized micropolar elastic properties are size-dependent, and they are functions of the RVE size and the size of the material heterogeneity. Furthermore, the analysis of the homogenized inelastic behavior highlights issues associated with the homogenization of fine-scale models featuring strain-softening and the related damage localization. Finally, nonlinear simulations of the RVE behavior subject to curvature components causing bending and torsional effects demonstrate, contrarily to typical Cosserat formulations, a significant coupling between the homogenized stress–strain and couple-curvature constitutive equations.     

Experimental analysis of a stochastic model for estimating wind-borne compact debris trajectory in turbulent winds

The impact of flying debris against building envelopes during high winds is a major source of structural damage. For example, damage produced by Hurricanes Katrina and Ike in the United States on the facades of tall buildings, located in urban areas, has been documented. It is therefore of relevance to analyze the vulnerability of tall buildings to debris-induced non-structural damage in the general context of performance-based wind engineering. In order to analyze the random trajectory of debris in highly turbulent winds, a numerical model combined with a probability-based algorithm was recently proposed by the authors (Moghim and Caracoglia, 2013). This model investigates the trajectory of “compact debris”, defined as point-mass objects of negligible mass moments of inertia and for which the aerodynamics is predominantly controlled by the drag force. The model replicates both the inherent randomness in debris properties and the effect of wind shear and atmospheric turbulence to estimate debris trajectory and the likelihood of impact against vertical building facades in a probabilistic setting.This paper describes the comparison between numerical model results and wind tunnel experiments. Tests were carried out in the Northeastern University׳s small scale wind tunnel in both smooth flow and grid-generated turbulent flow. The motion of spheres and cubes, simulating compact debris objects, was investigated in two dimensions (2D) on a vertical plane.The 2D motion of compact objects of various sizes was captured by a high-speed digital camera at different flow speeds. Experimental results showed to be consistent with numerical simulations. They also confirmed that not only mean flow speed but also turbulence features can have a non-negligible effect on the trajectory of compact objects.