No description available.

No description available.

An improved multi degree-of-freedom direct shear device has been designed and constructed to test interfaces and joints under pore water pressure. Any two structural (concrete, steel, wood) or geologic (soil, rock) materials may be tested in the device as long as the top specimen is solid. The apparatus is designed to hold a 7.5-inch diameter 3-inch thick upper sample and a 9-inch diameter 3-inch thick lower sample. A normal stress of 400 psi (2.7 MPa) and a shear stress of 550 psi (3.9 MPa) can be developed at the interface. Test loading may be static, quasi-static, or cyclic, and constant or variable stiffness loading is available. A stiff reaction frame was designed to house the device and is described. The electro-hydraulic system is capable of supporting cyclic testing at 30 Hz. A new computer-controlled data acquisition and control system is also described.

published_or_final_version / Civil Engineering / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

published_or_final_version / Mechanical Engineering / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

A finite element formulation for the shear-deformable analysis of beams, plates and shells, based on a strain energy expression defined in terms of total and flexural displacement components, is presented. The effects of transverse shear deformation are considered while the normal strain is neglected. The finite element representation requires independent descriptions of total and flexural displacement components. The flexural strain energy term involves second derivatives of flexural displacement component and thereby necessitates slope-compatible shape functions. This requirement is relaxed by adopting the 'discrete Kirchhoff' hypothesis for the flexural displacement component. An element of triangular shape is formulated for the analysis of laminated composite plates and shallow shells. Numerically exact integration is employed in the calculation of element stiffness matrix and corresponding load vectors. The resulting finite element possesses twelve degrees of freedom at each corner node of the triangle. Numerical results obtained for an extensive range of thickness and planform aspect ratios, laminate configurations, mesh sizes, edge conditions, types of loading and geometry of the structure demonstrate the efficacy of the finite element formulation. The element is applicable to a full range of thicknesss ratios. The present formulation is employed for dynamic and stability analysis of beams, as a precursor to the inclusion of these effects in the analysis of plates and shells.

No description available.

No description available.

Abstract not available

Thesis (M.S.)--West Virginia University, 2004. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains xi, 126 p. : ill. Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 123-126).