D. Tech. Mechanical Engineering. / Discusses the main objective of this study was to extend the hybrid method developed by Paskaramoorthy, et al (1988). This objective was to study the effect of elastic wave on any particulate reinforced metal matrix composite (PRMMC). The specific objectives were: to compare the effect of plane wave and shear vertical wave on a particular particulate reinforced metal matrix composite (PRMMC)-Mg/TiC, using analytical method ; to use the extended hybrid method to determine the effect of particle size and single interface layer on Mg/TiC.

This study discusses the results of numerical modeling aspect of aggregate pier foundations (aggregate piers) in soft, compressible soils. FLAC 2D (Fast Lagrangian Analysis of Continua), a finite difference code is utilized in the analyses. Use of axisymmetry enabled to visualize a three dimensional model throughout this research. The primary objective of this research is to make comparisons for stress concentration ratio &lsquo / n&rsquo / , and settlement reduction ratio b for given variables consisting of length, diameter, elastic modulus of the aggregate piers, and foundation pressures. Analyses have been carried out with 1, 1.5, 2, and 3 m long piers with diameters of 60 cm, and 80 cm, placed under a circular footing in 1.30 m diameter. Two values for elastic modulus of the piers have been used to reflect the effect of pier stiffness on settlement behavior. Analysis and design methodology have been carried out in three stages. The first stage consists of modeling the matrix soil with an elastic constitutive model and exerting foundation pressures to first check the accuracy of the mesh by comparing the effective vertical stress and settlement values by analytical methods. Once satisfactory results are achieved, modeling of a rigid foundation is carried out. Consequently, aggregate piers are modeled and loaded. For foundation pressures, a range of values consisting of 25, 50, 75, and 100 kPa have been chosen to see the behavior of piers under variable foundation pressures. There are solid outcomes of this study. It concludes by stating that the settlement behavior of piers having L/d ratios greater than 3.75, are alike. Thus, there is almost no additional settlement improvement achieved with piers longer than 3 m with 60 cm pier diameter.

Despite the developments in the last decades, field performance information for short aggregate pier improved ground is needed for future design and to develop a better understanding of the performance of the short (floating) aggregate piers. A full-scale field study was performed to investigate the floating aggregate pier behavior in a soft clayey soil. Site investigations included five boreholes and sampling, four CPT soundings, and SPT and laboratory testing. The soil profile consisted of 8m thick compressible clay overlying weathered rock. Four large plate load test stations were prepared. A rigid steel footing having plan dimensions of 3.0m by 3.5m were used for loading. Four 65cm diameter reaction piles and steel cross beams were used to load the soil in each station. First test comprised of loading the untreated soil up to 250 kPa with increments, and monitoring the surface settlements. Moreover, distribution of settlements with depth is recorded by means of deep settlement gages installed prior to loading. Other three tests were conducted on clay soil improved by rammed aggregate piers. In each station, seven stone columns were installed, having a diameter of 65cm, area ratio of 0.25, placed in a triangular pattern with a center to center spacing of 1.25m. The length of the columns were 3m, 5m in the two station resembling floating columns, and 8m in the last station to simulate end bearing columns to observe the level of the improvement in the floating columns. Field instrumentations included surface and deep settlement gages, and load cell placed on a aggregate pier to determine distribution of the applied vertical stress between the column and the natural soil , thus to find magnitude of the stress concentration factor, n , in end bearing and floating aggregate piers. It has been found that, the presence of floating aggregate piers reduce settlements, revealing that major improvement in the settlements takes place at relatively short column lengths. It has been also found that the stress concentration factor is not constant, but varies depending on the magnitude of the applied stress. The magnitude of stress concentration factor varies over a range from 2.1 to 5.6 showing a decreasing trend with increasing vertical stress.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-11T19:22:34Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2012-12-18Bitstream added on 2014-06-13T20:29:06Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 brito_ltc_me_bauru.pdf: 1279436 bytes, checksum: d3b9eb1dc19df29b8c4458d3d793b0f3 (MD5) / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) / A transmissão em corrente contínua vem sendo muita valorizada devido a seus baixos custos em relação à transmissão em corrente alternada, principalmente para grande distâncias com o uso de menos cabos para o suprimento de energia em relação ao HVDC (High Voltage Alternating Current). Os dispositivos FACTS (Flexible Alternating Current Transmission System) foram projetados para fornecer um melhor controle de qualidade de energia transmitida, podendo ser conectados na estação geradora ou na carga. Esses dispositivos melhoraram a estabilidade e o suprimento de tensão e potência, sendo muito útil para aumentar a capacidade de transmissão de energia. O presente trabalho a tensão, corrente, potência ativa e reativa consumida pelos conversores na entrada e saída dos filtros, usando um banco de capacitores, e posteriormente, substituindo o banco de capacitores por um SVC (Static Var Compensator) em um circuito HVDC-Clássico. O circuito analisado consiste de uma geração em 60 Hz, 500k V que transmite potência para uma estação de 345K V e 50Hz. Assim, também analisa a eliminação de harmônicos de corrente, comum no conversor de 12 pulsos, e o suporte de reativos para os casos de tensão e corrente reduzidos e uma falta aplicada no lado AC do inversor / The DC transmission has been very prized due the its lower costs relative to the AC transmission, mainly for long distances and with the useful of less cables to supply energy in relation at the HVAC (High Voltage Alternating Current). The FACTS devices (Flexibe Alternating Current Transmission System) were designed to supply a better control and quality of transmitted energy, and can be connected at generator station or at generator station or at load. These devices improve the stability and the capacity to supply voltage and power, being very useful to increase the transmission capacity of energy. The present work analyses the voltage, current, active e reactive power consumed by the converters, before and after the filters, using a capacitor banks, and after that, replacing the capacitor bank by a SVC (Static Var Compensator) in a Classical HVDC circuit. The analzed circuit consists of a 60Hz, 500KV generation which transmits power for a 50Hz, 34K V station. Then, also analyses the current harmonic distortion elimination, common in the 12 pulses converter, and the reactive staff for reduced voltage and current and a 3-phase fault on the inverter AC side

Orientador: André Christóvão Pio Martins / Banca: Newton Geraldo Bretas / Banca: Pedro da Costa Junior / Resumo: A transmissão em corrente contínua vem sendo muita valorizada devido a seus baixos custos em relação à transmissão em corrente alternada, principalmente para grande distâncias com o uso de menos cabos para o suprimento de energia em relação ao HVDC (High Voltage Alternating Current). Os dispositivos FACTS (Flexible Alternating Current Transmission System) foram projetados para fornecer um melhor controle de qualidade de energia transmitida, podendo ser conectados na estação geradora ou na carga. Esses dispositivos melhoraram a estabilidade e o suprimento de tensão e potência, sendo muito útil para aumentar a capacidade de transmissão de energia. O presente trabalho a tensão, corrente, potência ativa e reativa consumida pelos conversores na entrada e saída dos filtros, usando um banco de capacitores, e posteriormente, substituindo o banco de capacitores por um SVC (Static Var Compensator) em um circuito HVDC-Clássico. O circuito analisado consiste de uma geração em 60 Hz, 500k V que transmite potência para uma estação de 345K V e 50Hz. Assim, também analisa a eliminação de harmônicos de corrente, comum no conversor de 12 pulsos, e o suporte de reativos para os casos de tensão e corrente reduzidos e uma falta aplicada no lado AC do inversor / Abstract: The DC transmission has been very prized due the its lower costs relative to the AC transmission, mainly for long distances and with the useful of less cables to supply energy in relation at the HVAC (High Voltage Alternating Current). The FACTS devices (Flexibe Alternating Current Transmission System) were designed to supply a better control and quality of transmitted energy, and can be connected at generator station or at generator station or at load. These devices improve the stability and the capacity to supply voltage and power, being very useful to increase the transmission capacity of energy. The present work analyses the voltage, current, active e reactive power consumed by the converters, before and after the filters, using a capacitor banks, and after that, replacing the capacitor bank by a SVC (Static Var Compensator) in a Classical HVDC circuit. The analzed circuit consists of a 60Hz, 500KV generation which transmits power for a 50Hz, 34K V station. Then, also analyses the current harmonic distortion elimination, common in the 12 pulses converter, and the reactive staff for reduced voltage and current and a 3-phase fault on the inverter AC side / Mestre

The presence of notches or cracks causes stresses to amplify in nearby regions. This phenomenon is studied by estimating the Stress Concentration Factor (SCF) for notches, and the Stress Intensity Factor (SIF) for cracks. In the present work, a semi-analytical method under the framework of linear elasticity is developed to give an estimate of these factors, particularly for cracks and notches in finite domains. The solution technique consists of analytically deriving a characteristic equation based on the general solution and homogeneous boundary conditions, and then using the series form of the reduced solution involving the (possibly complex-valued) roots of this characteristic equation to satisfy the remaining non-homogeneous boundary conditions. This last step has to be carried out numerically using, say, a weighted residual method. In contrast to infinite domain problems where a fully analytical solution is often possible, the presence of more boundaries, and a variety in configurations, makes the solution of finite do-main problems much more challenging compared to infinite domain ones, and these challenges are addressed in this work. The method is demonstrated on several classical and new problems including the problems of a semi-circular edge notch in a semi-infinite and finite plate, an elliptical hole in a plate, an edge-crack in a finite plate etc.

Neste trabalho está apresentada uma alternativa para o cálculo do fator de concentração de tensões (FCT) em juntas tubulares soldadas do tipo Y. Redes Neurais Artificiais (RNA) foram utilizadas para representar a distribuição de tensões ao longo da junta tubular para os casos de carregamento força axial no plano e momento fletor no plano. As RNA podem aprender a partir de um conjunto de dados sem a necessidade de uma expressão matemática entre as variáveis dependentes e independentes; representa uma vantagem sobre o procedimento normalmente utilizado, ou seja, as equações paramétricas. O modelo proposto representa um avanço no projeto de juntas tubulares, uma vez que evita a necessidade de se conhecer uma expressão matemática para representar a distribuição de tensões na junta e fornece um método mais preciso para avaliar a distribuição de tensões ao longo da junta soldada. O conjunto de dados utilizado foi formado a partir de simulações numéricas das juntas soldadas através do MEF, nas quais foi considerada a geometria do cordão de solda. / An alternative approach to calculate stress concentration factors (SCF) in Y-type welded tubular joints is presented. Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) were used to represent the stress distribution along the tubular joints in both in-plane axial force and in-plane bending moment load cases. ANN can learn from a database without establishing a mathematical expression between dependent and independent variables, which is an advantage over the usual parametric equations approach. The proposed model represents an improvement in the tubular joints design, since it avoids the previous knowing of a mathematical expression to represent the stress distribution in the joint and provides an accurate method to evaluate the stress distribution along the welded fillet joint. The database herein used was completed with FE simulations of tubular joints which consider the geometry of the weld fillet.

[pt] A análise de deformações em torno de regiões de concentração de tensões é uma importante ferramenta na avaliação da integridade estrutural de peças e componentes mecânicos. Todavia, esta análise se torna mais complexa quando o material atinge a plastificação junto ao entalhe. Neste trabalho, uma nova metodologia numérico-experimental para medição de deformações na superfície de um material, combinando métodos sem malha e visão computacional, é apresentada. A parte experimental da técnica é baseada na captura de imagens de um material em estados diferentes de deformação durante um ensaio mecânico. A técnica de visão computacional conhecida como Scale Invariant Feature Tecnique (SIFT) é utilizada aqui para extrair pontos característicos nas imagens capturadas. Para tanto, uma textura aleatória foi pintada na superfície do corpo de prova. Em seguida, os deslocamentos são obtidos experimentalmente, através do seguimento das posições dos pontos SIFT corretamente correspondidos no par de imagens capturadas do ensaio, antes e depois da aplicação da carga. Os pontos fornecidos pelo algoritmo SIFT são selecionados como nós de uma formulação sem malha, e o método de mínimos quadrados móveis é utilizado para gerar uma aproximação numérica do campo de deslocamentos e as suas derivadas. Assim, deformações na região próxima ao entalhe são devidamente quantificadas para posterior análise. Na validação da metodologia proposta, corpos de prova entalhados foram utilizados para estudar o comportamento da deformação plástica nas regiões de concentração de tensões. Os resultados dos testes mostraram boa concordância e precisão quando comparados com soluções analíticas, simulações pelo método dos elementos finitos (ANSYS) e soluções obtidas através de um software comercial de correlação de imagens digitais. / [en] Strain analysis near stress concentration regions is an important tool for structural integrity of mechanical components. However, this analysis becomes more complex when the material starts to deform plastically near the notch root. In this work, a novel experimental-numerical technique for the measurement of the strain distribution on the surface of a deformable body is described, which uses meshless methods and computer vision. The experimental part of this technique is based on the capture of images at different stages of material deformation during a mechanical test. The Scale Invariant Feature Transform (SIFT) is a computer vision algorithm used here to extract distinctive points or features in the captured images. For this purpose, a random texture was painted on the specimen surface. Then, the displacements are experimentally obtained by tracking the positions of successfully matched SIFT points in an undeformeddeformed pair of images. The points provided by SIFT are selected as nodes in a meshless formulation and the moving least square method is used to generate a numerical approximation for the displacement field and its derivates. Thus, the corresponding strain field close to the notch is calculated. To validate the proposed methodology, notched specimens were employed to study the deformation behavior on regions of stress concentration. Experimental results showed good agreement and accuracy when compared to analytical solutions, to simulations by finite elements (ANSYS) and to solutions obtained by using a commercial software based on the digital image correlation technique.

Carbon-fibre reinforced polymer (CFRP) laminates are widely used in various engineering applications, such as in race cars and aircrafts, because they are light, stiff and strong. They commonly contain stress raisers in the form of holes and notches (for mechanical joining methods, routing of pipes and cables etc.) and are also often subjected to complex combined multi-axial stress conditions during service. Yet their notched multi-axial fracture behaviour remains largely unexplored. This is the main contribution of the thesis. First, a novel loading fixture for applying a wide range of in-plane loading modes is developed based on the popular Arcan’s method. Termed the ‘modified Arcan rig’, it utilises friction gripping to transfer loads into tabbed specimens. This loading fixture is used to test centre-notched multi-directional CFRP laminates under different combinations of tension and shear stresses. Together with penetrant-enhanced X-ray CT and laminate de-ply, the fracture behaviour of quasi-isotropic CFRP specimens is investigated for the following loading modes: pure tension, pure compression, in-plane shear, and combined tension and shear. Two notch geometries (sharp notch and circular hole) are investigated to allow for an assessment of the role of stress concentration upon strength and damage development to be performed. Three distinct fracture modes are observed in a tensile/compressive-shear stress space (termed Mechanism A, Mechanism B and Mechanism C). It is observed that quasi-isotropic specimens with a central sharp notch are consistently stronger than equivalent specimens with a central circular hole (for all stress states investigated). An underlying micromechanical explanation concerning the effects of damage upon strength is proposed. Second, a finite element (FE) model is developed using the commercial FE program, Abaqus FEA to simulate the observed progressive damage and failure in the quasi-isotropic specimens. The FE model employs independent material property data as inputs. Overall, good correlation between the simulations and the experiments is obtained, validating the FE strategy. The capabilities of the model are extended to predict the notched fracture behaviour of the specimens under combined compression and shear loading, for which experimental work has not been done by the author, but for which literature data exists. Finally, the effect of laminate lay-up upon the notched multi-axial fracture behaviour of the CFRP specimens is explored by considering a 0° ply-dominated lay-up, a ±45° ply-dominated lay-up and a cross-ply lay-up, alongside the quasi-isotropic lay-up. Experiments reveal that all lay-ups exhibit Mechanisms A, B and C. However, the extent of damage in each Mechanism as well as the regime in which each Mechanism operates in (in the failure envelopes) strongly depend on the lay-up of the specimen. As expected, the tensile strengths and compressive strengths increase with the proportion of 0° plies. Surprisingly, the shear strengths do not scale with the proportion of ±45° plies; the specimen geometry and material orthotropy are attributed as reasons for this. In contrast to the case of the quasi-isotropic lay-up, the extent of subcritical damage induced by the circular hole is not always lower than that induced by the sharp notch for the other lay-ups. The difference in the extent of damage between both notch geometries is reflected in the notched strengths of the lay-up in question. These experimental observations are adequately predicted by the FE strategy, which further validates it as a reliable predictive tool for composite fracture.

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