Thesis (M.C.E.)--University of Delaware, 2007. / Principal faculty advisor: Dennis R. Mertz, Dept. of Civil & Environmental Engineering. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2007. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

In spite of many multiaxial fatigue life prediction methods proposed over decades of research, no universally accepted approach yet exists. A multiaxial fatigue damage model developed for approximately proportional random amplitude loading is proposed in this study. A normal strain based analysis incorporating the multiaxial state of stress is conducted along a critical orientation assuming a constant strain ratio. The dominant deformation direction is chosen to be the critical orientation which is selected with the help of a principal strain histogram generated from the given multiaxial loading history. The uniaxial cyclic stress-strain curve is modified for the biaxial state of stress present along the critical orientation for the plane stress conditions. Modified versions of Morrow's and of Smith, Watson, and Topper's (SWT) mean-stress models are used to incorporate mean stresses. A maximum shear strain based analysis is, in addition, conducted to check for the shear dominant fatigue crack growth possibility along the critical direction. The most damaging maximum shear strain is chosen after analyzing the in-plane and the two out-of-plane shear strains. The minimum of the two life values obtained from SWT model and the shear strain model is compared with the life estimated by the proposed model with the modified Morrow's mean stress model. The former is essentially the life predicted by Socie. The results of the proposed model, as reduced to the uniaxial case, are also compared with the experimental data obtained by conducting one-channel random amplitude loading history experiments. / Master of Science

This dissertation argues that admission control should be applied as early as possible within a system. To that end, this dissertation examines the benefits and trade-offs involved in applying admission control to a networked computer system at the level of the network interface hardware. Admission control has traditionally been applied in software, after significant resources have already been expended on processing a request. This design decision leads to systems whose algorithmic cost is a function of the load applied to the system, rather than the load admitted to the system. By performing admission control at the network interface, it is possible to develop systems whose algorithmic cost is a function of load admitted to the system, rather than load applied to the system. Such systems are able to deal with excessive applied loads without exhibiting performance degradation. This dissertation first examines existing admission control approaches, focussing on the cost of admission control within those systems. It then goes on to develop a model of system behaviour under overload, and the impact of admission control on that behaviour. A new class of admission control mechanisms which are able to perform load rejection using the network interface hardware are then described, along with a prototype implementation using commodity hardware. A prototype implementation in the FreeBSD operating system is evaluated for a variety of network protocols and performance is compared to the standard FreeBSD implementation. Performance and scalability under overload is significantly improved.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Florida State University, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 175-176). Also available online via the Florida State University electronic theses website (http://etd.lib.fsu.edu/).

This thesis addresses the results of an experimental and analytical investigation aimed at examining the static load-displacement response of braced plane frame structures composed of fiber reinforced polymeric (FRP) composite material structural members manufactured by the pultrusion process. In the experimental part of this investigation, eighteen full-scale lateral loading tests for FRP composite frames with different brace configurations and beam column connection types were performed. The load-displacement responses of such frames were measured and are reported herein. In the analytical part of this investigation, a frame analysis method that accounts for the anisotropic nature of FRP composite material structural members was investigated. The results from the experimental work are compared with the results from the analytical procedures. The effects of various structural parameters of the frame such as (1) effective mechanical material properties of members, (2) beam-column connection types, and (3) the influence of diagonal structural members on the lateral load-displacement response of the braced plane frames are also investigated. The numerical load-displacement results from the proposed FRP composite frames analysis procedure provided good agreement with the results from the full-scale laboratory tests.

This dissertation argues that admission control should be applied as early as possible within a system. To that end, this dissertation examines the benefits and trade-offs involved in applying admission control to a networked computer system at the level of the network interface hardware. Admission control has traditionally been applied in software, after significant resources have already been expended on processing a request. This design decision leads to systems whose algorithmic cost is a function of the load applied to the system, rather than the load admitted to the system. By performing admission control at the network interface, it is possible to develop systems whose algorithmic cost is a function of load admitted to the system, rather than load applied to the system. Such systems are able to deal with excessive applied loads without exhibiting performance degradation. This dissertation first examines existing admission control approaches, focussing on the cost of admission control within those systems. It then goes on to develop a model of system behaviour under overload, and the impact of admission control on that behaviour. A new class of admission control mechanisms which are able to perform load rejection using the network interface hardware are then described, along with a prototype implementation using commodity hardware. A prototype implementation in the FreeBSD operating system is evaluated for a variety of network protocols and performance is compared to the standard FreeBSD implementation. Performance and scalability under overload is significantly improved.

Mémoire (M.Sc.)--Université du Québec à Chicoutimi, 1978. / Document électronique également accessible en format PDF. CaQCU

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Florida State University, 2005. / Advisor: Dr. Nur Yazdani, Florida State University, FAMU-FSU College of Engineering, Dept. of Civil Engineering. Title and description from dissertation home page (viewed Sept. 19, 2005). Document formatted into pages; contains xi, 178 pages. Includes bibliographical references.

Condition assessment and safety verification of existing bridges and decisions as to whether bridge posting is required are addressed through analysis, load testing, or a combination of methods. Bridge rating through structural analysis is by far the most common procedure for rating existing bridges. The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) Manual for Bridge Evaluation (MBE), First Edition permits bridge capacity ratings to be determined through allowable stress rating (ASR), load factor rating (LFR) or load and resistance factor rating (LRFR); the latter method is keyed to the AASHTO LRFD Bridge Design Specifications, which is reliability-based and has been required for the design of new bridges built with federal findings since October, 2007. A survey of current bridge rating practices in the United States has revealed that these three methods may lead to different ratings and posting limits for the same bridge, a situation that carries serious implications with regard to the safety of the public and the economic well-being of communities that may be affected by bridge postings or closures. To address this issue, a research program has been conducted with the overall objective of providing recommendations for improving the process by which the condition of existing bridge structures is assessed. This research required a coordinated program of load testing and finite element analysis of selected bridges in the State of Georgia to gain perspectives on the behavior of older bridges under various load conditions. Structural system reliability assessments of these bridges were conducted and bridge fragilities were developed for purposes of comparison with component reliability benchmarks for new bridges. A reliability-based bridge rating framework was developed, along with a series of recommended improvements to the current bridge rating methods, which facilitate the incorporation of various in situ conditions of existing bridges into the bridge rating process at both component and system levels. This framework permits bridge ratings to be conducted at three levels of increasing complexity to achieve the performance objectives, expressed in the terms of reliability, that are embedded in the LRFR option of the AASHTO Manual of Bridge Evaluation. This research was sponsored by the Georgia Department of Transportation, and has led to a set of Recommended Guidelines for Condition Assessment and Evaluation of Existing Bridges in Georgia.