The Mississippi River Bridge in Vicksburg, MS is a 7 span cantilever bridge that is 3,389 feet long by 68.5 feet wide and is part of the Interstate-20 corridor. On March 23, 2011 at 1:30pm, a barge moving downstream struck a pier of the bridge. Infrasound stations located at the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) detected the impact. Coincidentally, ERDC had instrumented the bridge with strain gages and accelerometers as part of a structural health monitoring project. Finite Element (FE) models were developed to investigate the structural behavior of the bridge due to the impact. The measurements and the FE models were used to determine the source mechanism of the infrasound from the bridge. Measurements from the sensors that were installed on the bridge will be presented along with FE models and infrasound data.

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The objective of this thesis project was to compare the stress behaviour in thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) with FE analyses in both 2D and 3D. The main focus was to analyse the vertical stresses in the topcoat (TC) and how they varied in relation to different thicknesses of the thermally grown oxide (TGO), spraying methods of the bondcoat (BC) and the topography of the BC. For the 2D simulations six samples were used; three with BCs sprayed with high-velocity oxy-fuel spraying and three sprayed with atmospheric plasma spraying. The samples had been exposed to isothermal heat treatment at 1150 °C for 0, 100 and 200 hours. Five images of each sample were taken with a scanning electron microscope, resulting in a total of 30 images. FE simulations based on these 30 images were done simulating a cooling from 1100 °C to 100 °C. The 3D simulations were based on surfaces created from coordinates measured with stripe projection technique on three samples consisting of only substrate and BC. Three domains of each sample had been measured and three CAD models based on randomly selected surfaces of each domain were made, resulting in 27 CAD models. The CAD models were used in the 3D FE simulations also simulating a cooling from 1100 °C to 100 °C. The results showed that the 2D simulations corresponds to published assertions about a stress inversion after TGO growth and that cracking will propagate from one peak to another, presuming the roughness of the TGO can be expressed as a wave. No conclusions of differences between spraying methods of the BC could be drawn. The stress inversion phenomenon was also found in the 3D simulations. By inspecting the TGO/TC-interface profile in different sections of a 3D model, difficulties in predicting the stress behaviour in a TBC with 2D were explained. No differences in stresses in relation to the BC roughness could be stated.

No description available.

Clubfoot is one of the most common pathologies of the foot affecting 1 in 1000 newborn babies according to statistics. The first treatment approach is by using conventional procedures, such as plaster and cast, and, the literature reports a range of failures causing relapse. Patients with severe or relapsed cases or patients that are treated later in life may require unconventional procedures to provide correction. In order to increase the success rate after the correction, it is necessary to: a)perform analyses to improve the current treatments and b) investigate the tissues involved in this pathology in order to have a better understanding of clubfoot to develop future treatments. The Ilizarov fixator has been shown to be a good alternative for complex and relapsed cases. However, there are no numerical nor experimental studies to: a) improve the efficiency of the frame deployment for clubfoot, b) provide guidance on the right adjustment procedures, and c) understand the mechanical behaviour of the frame applied to clubfoot. This makes the adjustments fully dependent on the surgeon's experience instead of systematic guidelines/procedures. This results in configurations that induce stresses in the fixator that are transferred to the tissues and leading to a reduction in the success rate. Furthermore, the literature on the correction of clubfoot in babies and the role of the tissues in babies' feet during the correction is limited. Therefore, the aim of the thesis is to analyse the relationship between the adjustments of the connectors and the displacements of the fixator rods, on the one hand, and the stress-strain induced in the rods and fixator, on the other hand. This is achieved by means of a finite element analysis of the stress-strain distributions in the fixator components. The predicted stresses are used for the identification of the components that should be adjusted in the fixator to prevent them from failure. The findings and results in the thesis will enable surgeons to understand better the mechanical behaviour of the Ilizarov frame in clubfoot, and they will facilitate the establishment of a functional range of the fixator in order to improve the current procedures. Another aim is to investigate the mechanical behaviour of one of the most affected bones during the correction of clubfoot in babies, namely the talus. The literature reports a change of shape in the talus during clubfoot correction using conventional procedures. This can result in a change of the stress distribution in the foot tissues during gait in latter stages of life leading to different pathologies. This clearly shows the importance of investigating the mechanical behaviour of the talus. This is the first numerical study to investigate the right adjustment procedures of the frame for clubfoot. It is expected that the findings of this research contribute to the improvement of the current corrective procedures based on the use of the Ilizarov frame and to improve the understanding of clubfoot in babies.

<p>The work material in metal working operations always showssome kind of anisotropy. In order to simplify the theoreticalanalysis, especially considering bulk deformation processes,anisotropy is usually neglected and the material is assumed tobe isotropic. On the other hand, the analysis that consideredthe influence of anisotropy seldom incorporates the influenceof friction. For predicting the material flow during plasticdeformation and for predicting the final material properties ofthe product, adequate descriptions of both flow stress curvesand coefficients of friction have to be developed.</p><p>In the present work a number of experimental methods fordetermining the anisotropy have been utilized and compared:Yield loci, strain ratios (R-values) and establishing flowstress-curves in different directions. The results show thatthe yield loci measurements are weak in predicting anisotropywhen the material strain hardening is different in differentdirections. It is concluded that also the strain ration(R-value) measurements are unreliable for describinganisotropy. The most trustable and useful results were foundfrom multi-direction determinations of the flow stresses.</p><p>Three typical cases of ring upsetting conditions wereanalyzed by theory (3D-FEM) and experiments:</p><p>    An anisotropic ring, oriented 900 to the axis ofrotational symmetrical anisotropy. The friction coefficientwas the same in all directions</p><p>    An isotropic ring. The friction coefficient was differentin different directions</p><p>    An anisotropic ring oriented 00 to the axis of rotationalsymmetrical anisotropy. The friction coefficient was the samein all directions</p><p>The cases 1) and 2) reveal that the influence of anisotropyon the ring deformation is quite similar to that obtained bychanging the frictional condition. The case 3) exposes that ifthe material flow caused by anisotropy is incorrectly referredto friction, the possible error of the friction coefficient canbe as high as 80% for a pronounced anisotropic material. Amodified two-specimen method (MTSM) has been establishedaccording to an inverse method. Experiments were carried ascylinder upsetting. Here both ordinary cylinders were used aswell as so-called Rastegaev specimen. Also plane straincompression tests were utilized. The results show that MTSM isable to evaluate the validity of a selected mathematical modelwhen both the friction coefficient and the flow stress areunknown for a certain process. MTSM can also be used toestimate the friction coefficient and flow stress provided thatthe selected mathematical model is adequate.</p><p><b>Key words:</b>Anisotropy, friction coefficient, flowstress, modified two-specimen method and FE-analysis</p>

Flying-wing aircraft are considered to have great advantages and potentials in aerodynamic performance and weight saving. However, they also have many challenges in design. One of the biggest challenges is the structural design of the inner wing (fuselage). Unlike the conventional fuselage of a tube configuration, the flying-wing aircraft inner wing cross section is limited to a noncircular shape, which is not structurally efficient to resist the internal pressure load. In order to solve this problem, a number of configurations have been proposed by other designers such as Multi Bubble Fuselage (MBF), Vaulted Ribbed Shell (VLRS), Flat Ribbed Shell (FRS), Vaulted Shell Honeycomb Core (VLHC), Flat Sandwich Shell Honeycomb Core (FLHC), Y Braced Box Fuselage and the modified fuselage designed with Y brace replaced by vaulted shell configurations. However all these configurations still inevitably have structural weight penalty compared with optimal tube fuselage layout. This current study intends to focus on finding an optimal configuration with minimum structural weight penalty for a flying-wing concept in a preliminary design stage. A new possible inner wing configuration, in terms of aerodynamic shape and structural layout, was proposed by the author, and it might be referred as ‘Wave-Section Configuration’. The methodologies of how to obtain a structurally efficient curvature of the shape, as well as how to conduct the initial sizing were incorporated. A theoretical analysis of load transmission indicated that the Wave-Section Configuration is feasible, and this was further proved as being practical by FE analysis. Moreover, initial FE analysis and comparison of the Wave-Section Configuration with two other typical configurations, Multi Bubble Fuselage and Conventional Wing, suggested that the Wave-Section Configuration is an optimal design in terms of weight saving. However, due to limitations of the author’s research area, influences on aerodynamic performances have not yet been taken into account.

<p>After only two years of service, extensive cracking was found in the webs of two light-rail commuter line bridges in Stockholm, the Gröndal and Alvik bridges. Due to this incident it was found necessary to study the means available for analysing shear cracking in concrete structures subjected to in-plane stresses. The aim of this PhD project is to study shear cracking with these two bridges as reference. In this thesis, the first part aims to study the possibility of using finite element analysis as a tool for predicting shear cracking for plane state stresses. The second part is concerning how the shear cracks are treated in the concrete design standards.</p><p>Shear cracking in reinforced beams has been studied with non-linear finite element analyses. In these analyses the shear cracking behaviour was compared to experiments conducted to analyse the shear failure behaviour. Finite element analyses were performed with two different FE programs Abaqus and Atena. The material model used in Atena is a smeared crack model based on damage and fracture theory with either fixed or rotated crack direction. The material model used in Abaqus is based on plasticity and damage theory. The fixed crack model in Atena and the model in Abaqus gave good results for all studied beams. For the two studied deep beams with flanges the results from the rotated crack model were almost the same as obtained with the fixed crack model. The rotated crack model in Atena gave though for some beams a rather poor estimation of the behaviour.</p><p>The calculation of crack widths of shear cracks has been studied for the long-term load case in the serviceability state for the Gröndal and Alvik bridges, with the means available in the design standards. The methods based on the crack direction corresponding to the principal stress and do not include the effect of aggregate interlocking seems to be too conservative. Two of the studied methods included the effect of aggregate interlocking, it was made either by introducing stresses in the crack plane or implicitly by changing the direction of the crack so that it no longer coincide with the direction of principal stress. For calculations based on probable load conditions, these methods gave estimations of the crack widths that were close to the ones observed at the bridges. Continuous measurements of cracks at the Gröndal and the Alvik bridges have also been included. Monitoring revealed that the strengthening work with post-tensioned tendons has, so far, been successful. It also revealed that the crack width variations after strengthening are mainly temperature dependent where the daily temperature variation creates movements ten times greater than those from a passing light-rail vehicle. Monitoring a crack between the top flange and the webs on the Gröndal Bridge showed that the top flange was moving in a longitudinal direction relative to the web until the strengthening was completed. The crack widths in the sections strengthened solely by carbon fibre laminates seem to increase due to long-term effects.</p>

The work material in metal working operations always showssome kind of anisotropy. In order to simplify the theoreticalanalysis, especially considering bulk deformation processes,anisotropy is usually neglected and the material is assumed tobe isotropic. On the other hand, the analysis that consideredthe influence of anisotropy seldom incorporates the influenceof friction. For predicting the material flow during plasticdeformation and for predicting the final material properties ofthe product, adequate descriptions of both flow stress curvesand coefficients of friction have to be developed. In the present work a number of experimental methods fordetermining the anisotropy have been utilized and compared:Yield loci, strain ratios (R-values) and establishing flowstress-curves in different directions. The results show thatthe yield loci measurements are weak in predicting anisotropywhen the material strain hardening is different in differentdirections. It is concluded that also the strain ration(R-value) measurements are unreliable for describinganisotropy. The most trustable and useful results were foundfrom multi-direction determinations of the flow stresses. Three typical cases of ring upsetting conditions wereanalyzed by theory (3D-FEM) and experiments:     An anisotropic ring, oriented 900 to the axis ofrotational symmetrical anisotropy. The friction coefficientwas the same in all directions     An isotropic ring. The friction coefficient was differentin different directions     An anisotropic ring oriented 00 to the axis of rotationalsymmetrical anisotropy. The friction coefficient was the samein all directions The cases 1) and 2) reveal that the influence of anisotropyon the ring deformation is quite similar to that obtained bychanging the frictional condition. The case 3) exposes that ifthe material flow caused by anisotropy is incorrectly referredto friction, the possible error of the friction coefficient canbe as high as 80% for a pronounced anisotropic material. Amodified two-specimen method (MTSM) has been establishedaccording to an inverse method. Experiments were carried ascylinder upsetting. Here both ordinary cylinders were used aswell as so-called Rastegaev specimen. Also plane straincompression tests were utilized. The results show that MTSM isable to evaluate the validity of a selected mathematical modelwhen both the friction coefficient and the flow stress areunknown for a certain process. MTSM can also be used toestimate the friction coefficient and flow stress provided thatthe selected mathematical model is adequate. <b>Key words:</b>Anisotropy, friction coefficient, flowstress, modified two-specimen method and FE-analysis / NR 20140805

The usage of linear 3D FEA is widespread within the bridge design community, and although this tool provides substantial benefits in the design process, there are certain practical issues related to the application of this analysis tool. A situation in which such an issue prevails is when linear 3D FEA is used to analyze restraint forces due to thermal shrinkage or expansion in concrete slab frame bridges. Effects related to restraint forces in concrete are difficult to model and predict as these forces differ significantly in nature from external loads, and dealing with them in practical design situations is complicated. In this thesis, cracking due to restraint forces in concrete slab frame bridges was investigated using 3D non-linear FE-analyses in the software package ATENA 3D. Using volumetric finite elements, attempts were made to realistically capture the load response and cracking behavior of concrete slab frame bridges subjected to restraint forces induced by temperature differences among members. The initial parts of this thesis aims to find appropriate modelling techniques and material models for the prediction of cracks due to restraint forces in base restrained walls using a previously reported experimental research project as reference. Comparative simulations were performed, using crack widths and crack patterns as comparate. Overall good correspondence was obtained with an exception of deviation in cracks formed at locations near the restrained corners where crack widths were overestimated in the simulations. The technique used to model the restrained boundary proved to be highly influential in the context of obtaining realistic results. Subsequent to the comparative study, a parametric study was performed where the correlation between crack widths and selected attributes was investigated. The parameter which exhibited the most distinct influential effect on the results was the length-to-height (L/H) ratio of the wall. The applicability of a crack control approach intended for crack width estimation in liquid retaining and containment structures made of concrete exposed to thermally induced restraint forces, given in EN 1992-3, was then evaluated for use in design of concrete frame bridges. This approach proved to return conservative results for walls with low L/H-ratios when compared to results produced in the numerical simulations. Finally, a NLFE (non-linear finite element) model of a concrete slab frame bridge designed by the consultancy company Tyréns AB was composed and tested. Different procedures of applying temperature differences between front wall and bridge deck were evaluated. This study indicated that the width of cracks induced by lateral restraint forces decreased when temperature was modelled applying a discrete thermal gradient to members in contact with back filling material compared to using a uniform temperature in these members when temperature differences between bridge deck and wall was simulated. The interacting effects of permanent external load effects and restraint forces were also investigated. Crack widths from NLFE simulations were then compared with corresponding results calculated using linear FEA results as input for design equations given in EN 1992-1-1. The latter resulted in estimated cracks more than 10 times wider than that obtained in the simulations, while crack widths predicted using the EN 1992-3 approach showed better correspondence to the NLFE results.