The fluid-structure interactions of wall-mounted slender structures, such as cilia, filaments, flaps, and flags, play an important role in a broad range of physical processes: from the coherent waving motion of vegetation, to the passive flow control capability of hair-like surface coatings. While these systems are ubiquitous, their coupled nonlinear response exhibits a wide variety of behaviours that is yet to be fully understood, especially when multiple structures are considered. The purpose of this work is to investigate, via numerical simulation, the fluid-structure interactions of arrays of slender structures over a range of input conditions. A direct modelling approach, whereby the individual structures and their dynamics are fully resolved, is realised via a lattice Boltzmann-immersed boundary model, which is coupled to two different structural solvers: an Euler-Bernoulli beam model, and a finite element model. Results are presented for three selected test cases - which build in scale from a single flap in a periodic array, to a small finite array of flaps, and finally to a large finite array - and the key behaviour modes are characterised and quantified. Results show a broad range of behaviours, which depend on the flow conditions and structural properties. In particular, the emergence of coherent waving motions are shown to be closely related to the natural frequency of the array. Furthermore, this behaviour is associated with a lock-in between the natural frequency of the array and the predicted frequency of the fluid instabilities. The original contributions of this work are: the development and application of a numerical tool for direct modelling of large arrays of slender structures; the characterisation of the behaviour of slender structures over a range of input conditions; and the exposition of key behaviour modes of slender structures and their relation to input conditions.

[pt] Pilares mistos são pilares compostos de perfis metálicos, concreto e vergalhões. Um tipo destes pilares é aquele em que um perfil metálico fechado é preenchido com concreto armado, que é o tipo de pilar adotado neste trabalho. Uma de suas vantagens é a facilidade de execução. O objetivo deste trabalho é estudar experimentalmente o comportamento dos pilares mistos quando sujeitos à flexão-compressão. Inicialmente foi realizada uma série de ensaios em corpos de prova mistos com a finalidade de se obter a curva tensão- deformação do concreto confinado. Em seguida foram realizados 15 ensaios de pilares mistos onde as variáveis estudadas foram o comprimento de flambagem do pilar, a excentricidade da carga e a taxa de armadura. Os resultados experimentais foram comparados com as resistências calculadas de acordo com os métodos propostos nas normas técnicas NBR 14323 e no EuroCode 4. De uma forma geral, todos os métodos de cálculo forneceram bons resultados. / [en] Composite columns are a structural members subjected to compression and bending, made of concrete and structural steel. One particular type of composite column consists of rectangular steel hollow sections completely filled with concrete and reinforcing bars, which is the type of column considered in this work. One of the advantages of this column is the construction facility. The objective of this work is to study experimentally the behaviour of composite columns when subjected to combined compression and bending. Initially a series of tests of composite specimens was carried out in order to obtain the stress-strain curve for the concrete confined by the steel section. Following that, 15 composite columns were tested with the purpose of studying the effect of the buckling length, load eccentricity and reinforcement ratio on the column strength. The experimental results were compared to theoretical resistances calculated by the NBR 14323 and EuroCode 4 Code Requirements. In general, a good agreement was found between the experimental and theoretical results.

This thesis covers the field of vortex-flow dominated external aerodynamics. As part of the contribution to the AVT-113 task group it was possible to prove the feasibility of high Reynolds number CFD computations to resolve and thus better understand the peculiar dual vortex system encountered on the VFE-2 blunt leading edge delta wing at low to moderate incidences. Initial investigations into this phenomenon seemed to undermine the hypothesis, that the formation of the inner vortex system depends on the laminar/turbulent state of the boundary layer at separation onset. As a result of this research, the initial hypothesis had to be expanded to account also for high Reynolds number cases, where a laminar boundary layer at separation onset can be excluded. In addition, unsteady transonic computations are used to shed light on a highly non-linear phenomenon encountered at high angles of incidence. At certain conditions, the increase of the incidence by a single degree leads to a sudden movement of the vortex breakdown location from the trailing edge to mid-chord. The lessons learned from the contribution to the VFE-2 facet are furthermore used to prove the technology readiness level of the tools within the second facet of AVT-113, the Cranked Arrow Wing Aerodynamics Project International (CAWAPI). The platform for this investigation, the F-16XL aircraft, experiences at high transonic speeds and low incidence a complex interaction between the leading edge vortex and a strong, mid-chord shock wave. A synergetic effect of VFE-2 with a further project, the Environmentally friendly High Speed Aircraft (HISAC), is also presented in this thesis. Reynolds number dependence is documented in respect to leading edge vortex formation of the wing planform for a reference HISAC configuration. Furthermore, proof is found for a similar dual vortex system as for the VFE-2 blunt leading edge configuration. / QC 20100713

Conventional three dimensional structural analysis methods prove to be expensive for the preliminary design of wind turbine blades. However, wind turbine blades are large slender members with complex cross sections. They can be accurately modeled using beam models. The accuracy in the predictions of the structural behavior using beam models depends on the accuracy in the prediction of their effective section properties. Several techniques were proposed in the literature for predicting the effective section properties. Most of these existing techniques have limitations because of the assumptions made in their approaches. Two generalized beam theories, Generalized Timoshenko and Generalized Euler-Bernoulli, for the static analysis based on the principles of the simple 1D-theories are developed here. Homogenization based on the strain energy equivalence principle is employed to predict the effective properties for these generalized beam theories. Two efficient methods, Quasi-3D and Unit Cell, are developed which can accurately predict the 3D deformations in beams under the six fundamental deformation modes: extension, two shears, torsion and two flexures. These methods help in predicting the effective properties using the homogenization technique. Also they can recover the detailed 3D deformations from the predictions of 1D beam analysis. The developed tools can analyze two types of slender members 1) slender members with invariant geometric features along the length and 2) slender members with periodically varying geometric features along the length. Several configurations were analyzed for the effective section properties and the predictions were validated using the expensive 3D analysis, strength of materials and Variational Asymptotic Beam Section Analysis (VABS). The predictions from the new tools showed excellent agreement with full 3D analysis. The predictions from the strength of materials showed disagreement in shear and torsional properties. Explanations for the same are provided recalling the assumptions made in the strength of materials approach.

Slender structures are elegant aesthetically. The insufficiency in knowledge of the real resistance to buckling of very slender reinforced concrete columns leads to an exaggeration of the sizes of the columns. _The examples of concrete compression members cited and constructed in Industry on a global basis suggest that very slender columns have inherent safety both from the point of view of the ultimate strength and stability. The strengths of columns given. by the British codes would seem to be exceeded by many of the long slender reinforced concrete columns and struts which have been used Internationally. Both the theoretical and the experimental short term investigations have been carried out to establish the behaviour of hinged, very slender reinforced concrete columns at various stages'of axial loading. Forty three very slender reinforced concrete columns of two different square cross sections with two sizes of longitudinal reinforcements with lateral ties were cast. Slenderness rates, L A, were varied from 30 to 79. Special factors were obtained to relate the actual modulus of elasticity of concrete in columns at buckling failure to a knowledge of the initial modulus of elasticity of concrete in control cylinder specimens. Both theoretical and experimental graphs of load against moment, made dimensionless for critical sections of columns have been obtained. Dimensionless load-moment interaction diagrams using material failure as the criterion have been superimposed on these graphs to show considerable inherent material strength of the tested columns near buckling collapse failures. A theory using the fundamental approach has, been developed to predict the deflected shape and moments along the, heights of the columns at various stages of loading. The proposed theory predicts with good correlations the experimental deflections and moments of any loading stages of the columns. The theory has been used to obtain the required variables, to arrive at the initial predicted design loads of the investigated columns. Good correlations of the moments derived from observed strains have also been obtained. The developed theory predicts satisfactorily the buckling collapse loads of the columns. Although the theory has been derived for axially I loaded very slender reinforced concrete-columns, it seems to accept satisfactorily eccentricities of up to about 10 mm. This was confirmed after extensive comparisons of the theoretical buckling collapse loads with the applicable tests of other authors. Creep In the columns investigated was discovered to be one of the major factors for serious consideration. This was conclusively revealed from the observations on the last two very long term creep tests on columns. The actual safe sustained loads for these very slender columns of slenderness ratios, L/H, between 40 and 79 seem to be between 33% and 19% of the short term buckling collapse loads. The reduced modulus approach to predict the safe long term sustained loads seems to give reasonable values for L/H ratios of 40 and 50. The recommendations given for the proposed design of very slender reinforced concrete columns seem to be adequate and simple to use in practice. They are further simplified by the derivation of two equations for the reduction factors, R, for the slenderness ratios between 36 and 40 and between 40 and 79 respectively. The investigation has proved that very slender reinforced concrete columns are very dangerous structural members, as they tend to have violent buckling failures. Nevertheless, It must be prudent not to design against disaster at any cost. This Investigation seemed to have enhanced considerably knowledge of the design of very slender reinforced concrete columns.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-06-02T20:09:19Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 5795.pdf: 7169522 bytes, checksum: 82089f61a5b06c7100940687172cc2e6 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-02-19 / Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais / The resistance to compression is the property that determines the use of masonry as a structural system since the great majority of structural elements in such systems are generally subjected to compressive stresses. One of the factors to be taken into account in the design of these compression elements is their slenderness. For design in Brazil it is still used the concept of simplified slenderness where the buckling length is determined by an effective depth (hef) and the radius of gyration is replaced by a parameter called the effective thickness (tef) for calculating a resistance reduction factor. This reduction factor has its origin in very old international standards and building codes, dating back to when these codes used the allowable stresses method for the dimensioning of structural elements; due to its age, an effective explanation and derivation of this factor, therefore, has been lost and is unknown at this time. With the various updates of international standards for structural masonry and the consequent adoption of the limit state design method for dimensioning of elements, this factor has been abolished. In the Brazilian standards, however, even with the adoption of the limit state design method, this factor is still used, which is a contradiction. Studies on the strength reduction due to slenderness effects show that there are large differences when comparing the results given by the simplified method in the NBR with those given by international standards. These differences probably don t lead to loss of structural integrity of structures in Brazil because the slenderness ratio has been limited to low values, particularly in the case of unreinforced masonry. / A resistência a compressão é propriedade determinante no uso da alvenaria como estrutura, uma vez que a grande maioria dos elementos estruturais nesse tipo de sistema construtivo são submetidos preponderadamente ao esforço de compressão. Um dos fatores a ser levado em conta no dimensionamento de elementos comprimidos é a esbeltez desse elemento. Até hoje no Brasil utiliza-se o conceito de esbeltez simplificado, onde o comprimento de flambagem é determinado por uma altura efetiva (hef) e o raio de giração é substituído por um parâmetro chamado espessura efetiva (tef) para cálculo de fator minorador de resistência. Esse fator tem sua origem em normas e códigos de construção internacionais bastante antigos, remontando a épocas em que esses códigos tratavam o dimensionamento pelo Método das Tensões Admissíveis, tendo sido perdida e, portanto, sendo desconhecida a efetiva explicação da sua dedução. Com as diversas atualizações de normas internacionais em alvenaria estrutural e com a consequente adoção do Método dos Estados Limites para dimensionamento, esse fator foi abolido. Na normalização brasileira, mesmo com a adoção do Método dos Estados Limites, esse fator continua vigente, o que gera uma contradição. Estudos sobre o efeito da redução da resistência devido à esbeltez, mostram que existem grandes diferenças nos resultados quando se compara o método simplificado na NBR com os de outras normas internacionais. Essas diferenças provavelmente não induzem a perda de segurança nas estruturas nacionais porque o índice de esbeltez tem sido limitado a valores baixos, em especial no caso de alvenaria não-armada.

[pt] Carregamentos de longa duração produzem um aumento contínuo nas deformações das estruturas de concreto armado devido à fluência do concreto. Em geral a fluência do concreto não afeta a resistência dos elementos estruturais. Em pilares esbeltos, entretanto, ela pode reduzir a capacidade de carga como resultado do aumento substancial das excentricidades de segunda ordem levando a uma instabilidade do pilar. Neste trabalho é feito um estudo experimental sobre os efeitos da fluência do concreto em pilares esbeltos. Foram ensaiados seis pilares de 210 cm de comprimento e seção transversal de 12,5 x 15 cm, solicitados a flexo-compressão reta. As variáveis consideradas foram a taxa de armadura e a excentricidade da carga aplicada, constante e de longa duração. O principal objetivo do trabalho foi estudar o efeito do aumento, ao longo do tempo, da excentricidade de segunda ordem sobre a resistência dos pilares. Os resultados experimentais são comparados com resultados teóricos obtidos por meio de métodos encontrados na literatura. / [en] Sustained loads cause a progressive increase of the strains in a structure due to concrete creep. In general, creep strains do not affect the strength of the structural elements. In slender columns, however, they can reduce the load capacity as a result of the continuous increase of the second order eccentricity, leading to the column instability. An experimental investigation on the effects of concrete creep on the behavior of slender columns was carried out in the present study. Six columns 210 cm long, with cross sections of 12,5 cm x 15 cm, were tested subjected to sustained eccentric compressive loading. The main objective was to study the effect of the increase of the second order eccentricity on the ultimate strength of the columns. The experimental results were compared with results obtained from theoretical methods available in the literature .

Os silos verticais são estruturas com elevado índice de deformações excessivas e ruptura causados, principalmente, pelo desconhecimento da variabilidade nas pressões devidas ao produto armazenado. O objetivo deste trabalho é apresentar um estudo teórico, numérico e experimental das pressões exercidas pelos produtos armazenados granulares nas paredes de silos esbeltos, com a proposta da incorporação de parâmetros com propriedades estocásticas, nos modelos de pressões apresentados na literatura. Os parâmetros mais relevantes dos modelos de pressões foram ajustados aos dados experimentais obtidos em um silo-piloto, utilizando a técnica de estimação de parâmetros por máxima verossimilhança (EMV), e, para isso, foram empregados os algoritmos genéticos (AGs) como procedimento de otimização. As avaliações experimentais no silo-piloto foram conduzidas com três produtos: soja, milho e ração. Com as variabilidades dos parâmetros dos modelos de pressões encontrados nos experimentos, a confiabilidade estrutural dos silos verticais metálicos cilíndricos de chapas onduladas e fundo plano foi avaliada por meio da técnica de simulação de Monte Carlo (SMC). Os resultados mostraram que os modelos de pressões de Janssen (1895) e de Jenike et al. (1973) podem ser utilizados para o cálculo das pressões com as variabilidades dos parâmetros representadas pela distribuição lognormal. A avaliação da probabilidade de falha para este sistema está acima dos limites recomendados internacionalmente, indicando que atenção especial deve ser dada aos projetos de silos verticais esbeltos. / Vertical silos are structures with a large number of deformations and failures mainly due to misunderstanding of pressure variability of the storage products. The aim of this work is theoretical, numerical and experimental study of wall pressure in slender silos with the incorporation of stochastic properties of the parameters in pressures models used in the international literature. The most relevant parameters of the pressure models were adjusted to the experimental data obtained from a pilot-silo using maximum likelihood function, and for this purpose, genetic algorithms (GA) were used in the optimization procedure. The experimental evaluation in pilot-silo was conducted with three different bulk solids, which are: maize, soy and animal feed mixture. With the pressures models parameters, the structural reliability of flat bottom corrugated cylindrical steel silos with was evaluated using Monte Carlo simulation (SMC) to simulate a stochastic process. The results showed that Janssen (1895) and Jenike et al. (1973) pressure models can be used to evaluate the pressures with the parameters uncertainties modeled to lognormal distributions. The reliability index determined in this structural system was less than international recommended values for the design of slender silos.

Como conseqüência do atual desenvolvimento tecnológico dos materiais aço e concreto, várias pesquisas têm surgido com vistas a um melhor aproveitamento da capacidade desses dois materiais, exigindo um maior conhecimento sobre o comportamento dos elementos, inclusive sobre sua vulnerabilidade a estados limites últimos. Sendo a instabilidade um estado limite último possível de ocorrer em configurações de equilíbrio de peças de concreto armado submetidas a determinadas solicitações normais, seu estudo torna-se fundamental para que seja possível propor soluções estruturais seguras e economicamente viáveis. Este trabalho apresenta a análise de alguns aspectos que interferem no estudo da estabilidade de pilares esbeltos de concreto armado, através de uma abordagem envolvendo aspectos teóricos, como também aspectos práticos oriundos da resolução de exemplos. O estudo é feito com base nos métodos geral e do equilíbrio, com os processos exato e do pilar padrão, através de um software (SISTEMA FLEXOR), desenvolvido por CADAMURO Jr. (1997). O objetivo é testar a viabilidade desses métodos a fim de propor soluções e, com isso, tornar mais amplo e acessível o uso de pilares esbeltos de concreto armado, incentivando a adoção de projetos mais arrojados sem subutilização dos materiais. / As a consequence of the actual technological development of the materials steel and concrete, many researches have come up with proposal of better use of these two materials capacity, demanding a bigger knowledge about the behaviour of the elements, included your vulnerability to ultimate limit states. Being the instability a possible ultimate limit state of reinforced concrete columns equilibrium configuration, this study has been fundamental to make possible to propose safe and economically reasonable structural solutions. This work presents the analysis of some aspects that interfere in the study of slender reinforced concrete columns stability, through an approach involving theoretical and practical aspects derived from numerical solutions. The scheme is based in the General and Equilibrium Methods with the Exact Process and Model Column Method, through a software (SISTEMA FLEXOR) developed by CADAMURO Jr. (1997). The objective is to testify the practicability of these methods, to propose solutions and to render wider and more practical the use of slender reinforced concrete columns, stimulating the adoption of projects bolders without underutilisation of the materials.

A maioria dos silos existentes no mundo não apresenta condições ideais de operação devido ao insuficiente conhecimento das pressões, do fluxo e do grande número de variáveis que afetam o comportamento dos produtos armazenados. Isso explica também, a grande quantidade de acidentes e colapsos em silos. Uma análise dos principais códigos normativos indica a existência de divergências entre eles, principalmente quando se referem à determinação das pressões exercidas pelo produto armazenado sobre a estrutura, o mesmo ocorrendo entre as teorias propostas por pesquisadores. Este trabalho tem por finalidade apresentar um estudo teórico das pressões e fluxo em silos verticais esbeltos (h/d≥1,5) exercidas pelo produto armazenado. Para isso, um estado da arte das teorias de pressões e fluxo propostas pelos mais importantes pesquisadores e normas internacionais sobre o assunto foi desenvolvida. Como exemplo de aplicação, foram analisadas as pressões em um silo vertical esbelto com fundo cônico, para as situações de fluxo de massa e fluxo de funil, para dois produtos granulares. Com base nos resultados obtidos, foi elaborada uma proposta de norma brasileira para a determinação das pressões exercidas pelo produto armazenado para essas unidades, tendo em vista que o Brasil ainda não possui uma norma específica para o projeto e construção de silos. Além disso, foi desenvolvido um programa computacional de cálculo das pressões. / Silos are structures that usually present process and failures problems due to insufficient knowledge of bulk solids pressures and flow. An analysis of the principal international theories and standards shows divergences, mainly in the pressures determination due to the storage of bulk solids. This work presents a theoretical study of the pressures and flow in slender vertical silos (h/d≥1,5) due the storage of the bulk solids. An state of the art of the theories of pressures and flow proposed by the most important researchers and international standards on the subject is presented. As a practical example, the pressures were determined in a slender vertical silo with conical bottom, for mass and funnel flow patterns and for two granular materials. Based on the study, a proposal of Brazilian standard was elaborated for the determination of the pressures due the bulk solids for slender silos, considering that Brazil doesn't still have a specific standard for the design and construction of silos. A software for pressures determination was also developed.