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Thesis (M.S.)--Brigham Young University. Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, 2006. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 107-109).

The main objective of this study was to investigate factors on dynamic load-deflection properties of seat foundations and pressure distributions between a human subject and a seat. The study was divided into three major parts: impact loads on seat foundations, factors on dynamic load-deflection properties of seat foundations, and body mass transfer during human subjects’ stand-to-sit movement. Results of this study indicated that the normal sitting-down speed averaged 16.3 cm/s, and hard sitting-down speed varied from 71 to 84 cm/s which can be considered as a free human body drop speed for seat foundations with panel base and foam, flat spring base and foam. Recorded peak sitting forces in terms of participants’ body weights averaged 100% and 247% for normal and hard sitting-down motions, respectively. Sitting ride, seat foundation stiffness and maximum pressure under buttocks were considered as parameters to describe human subjects’ sitting experience. Statistical analysis indicated that body weight and foam stiffness had no significant effect on seat foundation stiffness in most case. In general, the stiffness of seat foundation decreased significantly as foam thickness increased from 5 to 10 cm, but the decrease was not significant as foam thickness increased from 10 to 20 cm. For sitting ride, curved spring seat foundation had significantly highest sitting ride, followed by flat spring base, then webbing base and then panel base. Seat base, foam stiffness, foam thickness and human body weight had significant effect on maximum pressure under buttocks, but significant difference dependent on treatment combination. In sitting-down motion, it could be concluded that hard sitting-down time for seat foundation of CF and FF was longer than normal sitting-down, but for seat foundation of PF and P, hard sitting-down time was shorter than normal sitting-down. There are two main phases in sitting-down motion: propulsive impulse and braking impulse. In normal sitting-down motion, averaging mean force weight percentage (FWP) on seat yielded 3% of body weight while averaging mean FWP on feet yield 97% body weight, which means, in normal sitting-down motion, braking impulse occurred before body touching the seat foundation.

Recent advances in manufacturing of multifunctional materials have provided opportunities to develop structures that possess superior mechanical properties with other concurrent capabilities such as sensing, self-healing, electromagnetic and heat functionality. The idea is to fabricate components that can integrate multiple capabilities in order to develop lighter and more efficient structures. In this regard, due to their combined structural and electrical functionalities, electrically conductive carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) matrix composites have been used in a wide variety of applications in most of which they are exposed to unwanted impact-like mechanical loads. Experimental data have suggested that the application of an electromagnetic field at the moment of the impact can significantly reduce the damage in CFRP composites. However, the observations still need to be investigated carefully for practical applications. Furthermore, as the nature of the interactions between the electro-magneto-thermo-mechanical fields is very complicated, no analytical solutions can be found in the literature for the problem. In the present thesis, the effects of coupling between the electromagnetic and mechanical fields in electrically conductive anisotropic composite plates are studied. In particular, carbon fiber polymer matrix (CFRP) composites subjected to an impact-like mechanical load, pulsed electric current, and immersed in the magnetic field of constant magnitude are considered. The analysis is based on simultaneous solving of the system of nonlinear partial differential equations, including equations of motion and Maxwell's equations. Physics-based hypotheses for electro-magneto-mechanical coupling in transversely isotropic composite plates and dimension reduction solution procedures for the nonlinear system of the governing equations have been used to reduce the three-dimensional system to a two-dimensional (2D) form. A numerical solution procedure for the resulting 2D nonlinear mixed system of hyperbolic and parabolic partial differential equations has been developed, which consists of a sequential application of time and spatial integrations and quasilinearization. Extensive computational analysis of the response of the CFRP composite plates subjected to concurrent applications of different electromagnetic and mechanical loads has been conducted. The results of this work verify the results of the previous experimental studies on the subject and yield some suggestions for the characteristics of the electromagnetic load to create an optimum impact response of the composite.

Metal mesh foil bearings (MMFBs) are a promising low cost gas bearing technology for support of high speed oil-free microturbomachinery. Elimination of complex oil lubrication and sealing system by installing MMFBs in oil free rotating machinery offer distinctive advantages such as reduced system overall weight, enhanced reliability at high rotational speeds and extreme temperatures, and extended maintenance intervals compared to conventional turbo machines. MMFBs for oil-free turbomachinery must demonstrate adequate load capacity, reliable rotordynamic performance, and low frictional losses in a high temperature environment. The thesis presents the measurements of MMFB break-away torque, rotor lift off and touchdown speeds, temperature at increasing static load conditions, and identified stiffness and equivalent viscous damping coefficients. The experiments, conducted in a test rig driven by an automotive turbocharger turbine, demonstrate the airborne operation (hydrodynamic gas film) of the floating test MMFB with little frictional loses at increasing loads. The measured drag torque peaks when the rotor starts and stops, and drops significantly once the bearing is airborne. The estimated rotor speed for lift-off increases linearly with increasing applied loads. During continuous operation, the MMFB temperature measured at one end of the back surface of the top foil increases both with rotor speed and static load. Nonetheless, the temperature rise is only nominal ensuring reliable bearing performance. Application of a sacrificial layer of solid lubricant on the top foil surface aids to reduce the rotor break-away torque. The measurements give confidence on this simple bearing technology for ready application into oil-free turbomachinery. Impact loads delivered (with a soft tip) to the test bearing, while resting on the (stationary) drive shaft, evidence a system with large damping and a structural stiffness that increases with frequency (max. 200 Hz). The system equivalent viscous damping ratio decreases from ~ 0.7 to 0.2 as the frequency increases. In general, the viscous damping in a metal mesh structure is of structural type and inversely proportional to the frequency and amplitude of bearing motion relative to the shaft. Impact load tests, conducted while the shaft rotates at 50 krpm, show that the bearing direct stiffness is lower (~25% at 200 Hz) than the bearing structural stiffness identified from impact load tests without shaft rotation. However, the identified equivalent viscous damping coefficients from tests with and without shaft rotation are nearly identical. The orbits of bearing motion relative to the rotating shaft show subsynchronous motion amplitudes and also backward synchronous whirl. The subsynchronous vibration amplitudes are locked at a frequency, nearly identical to a rotor natural frequency. A backward synchronous whirl occurs while the rotor speed is between any two natural frequencies, arising due to bearing stiffness asymmetry.

Within this paper recently developed mathematical tools for the modelling of contact problems on thin film structures [1] for multilayers and gradient coatings are adapted to allow the investigation of laminate structures of transversal isotropy. Applying series approaches using Bessel and Sinus functions complete three dimensional solutions can be found for relatively complex laminate structures allowing to model quasistatic contact, impact and bending loads. Worked into a small computer program the approach can be used to model laminate structures with up to 100 different layers on an ordinary personal computer in an acceptable calculation time. The new tool is applied to analyse a variety of load problems typically occurring in windsurfing and leading to damage of the boards consisting of a laminated shell and an polymer foam core. [1] N. Schwarzer: „Modelling of the mechanics of thin films using analytical linear elastic approaches“, habilitation thesis of the TU-Chemnitz 2004, department “Physics of solid bodies”, http://archiv.tu-chemnitz.de/pub/2004/0077

[pt] Este trabalho tem como objetivo o estudo experimental do comportamento de vigas de concreto armado reforçadas a flexão com CFC sujeitas a carga de impacto. As variáveis adotadas foram a taxa de carregamento e a taxa de reforço. Todas as vigas foram dimensionadas para resistirem ao mesmo carregamento, de forma que a ruptura fosse governada pelo escoamento do aço da armadura longitudinal de tração. O programa experimental consistiu no ensaio de dezoito vigas biapoiadas de concreto armado. Todas as vigas foram construídas com a mesma seção transversal, vão e resistência de concreto, diferindo somente na armadura longitudinal de tração. Foram confeccionados três tipos de vigas, sendo que as vigas com maior taxa de aço de armadura longitudinal de tração não receberam reforço, enquanto que as demais foram reforçadas com CFC de forma a suportar a mesma carga última das vigas sem reforço. Foram realizados ensaios estáticos e dinâmicos. Para a aplicação da carga de impacto utilizou-se um martelo, que liberado de diferentes alturas de queda, forneceu diferentes taxa de carregamento e, consequentemente, diferentes taxas de deformação nas vigas ensaiadas. Os resultados mostraram que as vigas com reforço de CFC possuem menor capacidade de desaceleração do movimento de queda do martelo. Verificou-se que quanto maior a altura de queda do martelo maior é a força máxima de reação das vigas, apresentando um crescimento praticamente linear com o aumento da taxa de carregamento. / [en] An experimental study on the behavior of reinforced concrete beams strengthened in flexure with CFC under impact load was carried out in this work. The main objective was to investigate the effects of the loading rate on the strength of the beams. The variables were the loading rate and the ratio of fiber to steel reinforcement cross sections. All beams were design to resist the same load, in a way that the failure should be governed by the yielding of the longitudinal tension steel reinforcement. The experimental program consisted of the test of eighteen simply supported beams. All the beams had the same cross section, span and concrete strength. The only difference was the amount of longitudinal tension steel and fiber reinforcements. Static and dynamic testing had been carried through. A hammer was used for the impact load application, which was released from different heights, giving different loads rates and, consequently, different deformation rates in the tested beams. The results showed that the beams with reinforcement of CFC had less capacity of movement deceleration of hammer fall. It was observed that the higher the height of the hammer the higher was the maximum force of reaction of the beams, showing practically a linear growth with the increase of the loading rate.

Within this paper recently developed mathematical tools for the modelling of contact problems on thin film structures [1] for multilayers and gradient coatings are adapted to allow the investigation of laminate structures of transversal isotropy. Applying series approaches using Bessel and Sinus functions complete three dimensional solutions can be found for relatively complex laminate structures allowing to model quasistatic contact, impact and bending loads. Worked into a small computer program the approach can be used to model laminate structures with up to 100 different layers on an ordinary personal computer in an acceptable calculation time. The new tool is applied to analyse a variety of load problems typically occurring in windsurfing and leading to damage of the boards consisting of a laminated shell and an polymer foam core. [1] N. Schwarzer: „Modelling of the mechanics of thin films using analytical linear elastic approaches“, habilitation thesis of the TU-Chemnitz 2004, department “Physics of solid bodies”, http://archiv.tu-chemnitz.de/pub/2004/0077

Title: Influence of Hyperkinetic Load on Selected Mechanical Changes of Human Axial System. Objectives: The main aim of this thesis is to determine the influence of hyperkinetic load on the change of selected mechanical properties of the rhythmic gymnastic axial system based on the sophisticated use of the Transfer Vibration through Spine (TVS) method. Methods: The following experimental methods were used to identify changes in rheological properties of AS and to assess load intensity: 1) TVS method; 2) software for evaluating and analyzing vibration tests of heterogeneous systems; 3) kinematic and dynamic motion analysis using:  2D motion video recording,  QUALISYS 3D motion analysis system,  KISTLER, to analyze dynamic human-surroundings interactions. Results: Pilot studies and the main experimental part of the thesis have shown that the use of the TVS method can identify both short-term and longitudinal changes of AS mechanical properties. Due to the hyperkinetic load, the selected mechanical properties of the rhythmic AS are changed. The gymnastic apparatus reacts to the training load by reducing the rheological parameters, especially the damping coefficient b and the viscosity µ. After regeneration, which is on the following day, the parameters return to the default values. The impact load...

Standards and regulations for dimensioning of load-bearing structures are based on the response of load-bearing structures subjected to loads without variation in time. In the event of an accidental load, e.g. a collision or explosion, causes the load to have a rapid variation in the time resulting in a dynamic response. Previous studies have shown that structures that respond in a certain way under static load have shown a completely different behavior under dynamic influence and therefore it is of interest to study the dynamic response of structures.By testing concrete beams with varying amounts of shear reinforcement subjected to impact loading, the purpose of this report is to analyze how the beams responds in terms of crack width and vibrations when they are exposed to a dynamic load. For comparison, reference tests have also been performed on beams subjected to a quasi-static load.The result of the project shows that the shear reinforcement comes into play as the beams with a larger amount of reinforcement have more capacity to hold the flexural shear cracks together. There is also an indication that the dynamic flexural shear capacity could be lower than static shear capacity as the shear cracks had an increased inclination during dynamic loading for some of the beams. This results in a decreased flexural shear capacity as only one stirrup carried the load across the shear crack.Measured signal shows that beams failing respond when impacted by the similar to a plastic collision, while beams responding with a flexure dominated mode without going to failure instead answer similar to an elastic collision. Furthermore, there is indication that the natural frequencies change significantly due to both flexural cracks and flexural shear cracks.