Isostatic frameworks are statically determinate trusses that are self contained (Le. they exist independent of support or foundation). Isostatic frameworks have been widely used as supporting structures, and recently they have been used as the structure for parallel manipulators. These truss-based manipulators could potentially solve the problems facing conventional manipulators and could make the design of high-degree-of-freedom manipulators feasible. The rigorous scientific study of isostatic frameworks and manipulators based on their structure has been limited. Recent developments in the design of large space structures and truss-based manipulators, however, demand rigorous design and mathematical tools. This dissertation provides a general theory for the design of structures based on frameworks and methods to analyze the kinematics of truss-based manipulators. The objective of the first part of this dissertation is to solve the problems of identification, generation and classification of isostatic frameworks in greater depth than in any past work in this area. Original methods are discussed for the enumeration and generation of isostatic frameworks. The first part also presents an original method to determine the geometry of general frameworks and an improved method to find the forces in their members. The determination of geometry and forces are critical areas in structural design. The second part of this dissertation presents a case study on one of the candidates for manipulator applications, the double-octahedral manipulator. The kinematic analyses of the double-octahedral manipulator includes methods to perform forward and inverse kinematic analysis, velocity and acceleration analysis, singularity analysis and workspace analysis. The closed-form solution to the inverse analysis presented herein is a major breakthrough in the development of the double-octahedral manipulator. Other analysis, such as velocity and acceleration, singularity, and workspace, depend on the inverse solution. It is believed that these solutions will help narrow the gap between theory and application of truss-based manipulators. The determination of singularities and works paces are application of recent ideas of other researchers. However, original implementations of these ideas have yielded astonishing results. The Jacobian and Hessian matrix presented in this dissertation should help in developing the control scheme for this device. C-Ianguage program codes for several of the methods are also provided. The methods have been tested based on the results obtained from these programs. The position analysis algorithms have also been tested on real hardware. Some of the methods developed here have been successfully employed for simulated and experimental vibration control studies. / Ph. D.

This research presents a simplified framework for the analysis of deployable trusses using the concentrated strain approach and uses it to provide key insights into the many design decisions to be made in the development of concentrated strain architectures. The framework uses Euler Column Theory to derive closed form solutions to estimate truss performance. The results are compared to a classical solution and shown to give similar results. A range of strut and hinge hierarchy choices are considered. Trusses composed of solid rods with rectangular flexures are shown to have significant axial and bending stiffness reductions due to the smaller cross-sectional areas and lower modulus of the flexures. Trusses composed of tubes are less sensitive to this because the flexure cross-sectional area does not dramatically change from that of the tube. A hinge material metric that properly weights flexure strain and modulus is presented to provide a basis for the comparison and selection of proper hinge materials. However, based on this metric, new materials with higher folding failure strain and higher modulus are needed. Finally, a concentrated strain deployable truss of solid rods was designed, manufactured, and tested. A truss performance index for column loading was used to compare this system with a distributed strain ATK-ABLE GR1 coilable boom system and an articulated ATK-ABLE SRTM boom system. It was demonstrated that the concentrated strain approach has the potential to achieve a higher linear compaction ratio and truss performance index for mass efficient deployable trusses than the distributed strain approach and the articulated approach. / Ph. D.

This dissertation proposes a new type of modular, long-reach, truss-type manipulator. Variable Geometry Trusses (VGT’s) are used to construct a reconfigurable manipulator system in which all primary members are loaded in pure tension or compression. Each module of the manipulator system is either a static truss link or one of several possible VGT actuators. This results in an extremely stiff and strong manipulator system with minimal overall weight. While many potential applications exist for this technology, the present work was largely motivated by the need for a robotic waste remediation system for underground radioactive waste storage tanks. This new manipulator system provides several advantages when used for this application. The reconfigurable nature of the proposed system allows the manipulator to be adapted on site to unforeseen conditions. Additionally, the kinematic redundancy of the manipulator ensures that solutions can be accomplished even in a highly obstructed workspace. The parallel structure of the truss modules enables the manipulator to be withdrawn in the event of a structural failure. Finally, of particular importance to this task, the open framework of the modules provide a passageway for waste conveyance or additionally, could act as a shielded conduit for control and power cabling. Kinematic analysis algorithms tailored to address the peculiarities of this new manipulator system have also been developed. In this work, the kinematic redundancy of the system is exploited to provide alternative solutions, to avoid numerical difficulties at singularities, or to avoid workspace obstacles. These issues are addressed through a combination of null space optimization procedures and order reduction methods. The null space optimization procedures are accomplished by extracting information from a full singular value decomposition of the Jacobian matrix. This method is shown to converge quickly, even for systems with thirty or more degrees of freedom. This represents a significant increase over most of the current literature which typically addresses systems of eight or fewer degrees of freedom. This dissertation presents the first application of null space optimization techniques for the positional control of a high degree-of-freedom parallel manipulators. This work also formalizes the concept of a canonical input specification set. The application of this concept results in greatly simplified analyses of many parallel manipulators. Although the manipulator system discussed was specifically developed for robotic handling of radioactive waste, the final resulting methodology is suited to a much broader class of problems, namely, under-constrained, redundant manipulator systems in general. / Ph. D.

This dissertation presents techniques for using adaptive trusses for active vibration isolation in flexible structures. Passive methods have been used almost exclusively in the past for vibration isolation, although in the more recent literature active techniques have been proposed in an attempt to achieve greater isolation performance. Most of the active techniques, however, require either detailed knowledge of the system or of the disturbance to be isolated. This work focuses on techniques in which knowledge of the disturbance is minimal, and in some cases, knowledge of the system is not necessary. Two new active vibration isolation methods are presented which are based on feedback of transmitted forces in the system. The methods include force feedback through a high gain, and state feedback using the LQR method with disturbance modelling. A third method which has been demonstrated in the literature, force feedback through a classical compensator, is also presented for comparison. For the purpose of discussion, each of the methods is applied to a system which includes a single active mount. The methods are then applied analytically to an adaptive truss, which essentially contains multiple mounts, to demonstrate multi-degree-of-freedom active vibration isolation. It is shown that force feedback provides two-way isolation, and its effects are independent of the type of active mount used (whether it is a force- or displacement-commanded mount). The most promising technique proves to be the simplest, the high-gain feedback method. This technique is a stable, model-free method of vibration isolation which places no restrictions on the type of system disturbance, other than that it must be within the actuator’s bandwidth. The high-gain approach is applied experimentally and shown to agree with the simulated results. / Ph. D.

This study utilizes state of the art information concerning roof truss behavior to simulate the effect of strength property correlations on roof truss reliability. Also, research efforts to define lumber property correlations are summarized. Computer models were constructed to simulate the behavior of five common roof truss patterns. The patterns studied were the Fink, double W, triple W, triple W farm, and flat Howe trusses. Monte Carlo simulation, based on 50,000 trials, was used to calculate probabilities of failure for each truss pattern, and level of strength property correlation. The simulated trusses were subjected to a 50 year maximum lifetime snow load distribution plus a dead load distribution. Bending, tensile, and compressive strength properties were modeled by a weighted least squares regression analysis. Modulus of elasticity was used as the independent strength predictor, and was modeled by a Weibull distribution. The residual strength correlations in the regression models were varied between simulations from 0.0 to 0.9. Member stresses were calculated using a pin joint analysis modified by load factors derived from the Purdue Plane Structures Analyzer. Truss failure was determined by a weakest link analysis which used failure criterion developed from current truss design equations. The influence of lumber property residual correlations on roof truss reliability was defined. The probability of failure increased as the levels of correlation increased, but the difference in magnitudes were considered insignificant. Also, the ratio of snow to dead load was found to be affect wood truss reliability. / M. S.

The Astoria-Megler Bridge is a 6.6 kilometer (4.1 mile) long bridge, connecting Oregon and Washington on US 101, with a continuous steel truss main span of 376 m (1232 ft). It is the second longest main span bridge of this type in the world. Due to vortex shedding, some of the long truss verticals exhibit wind-induced torsional vibrations. These vibrations can create large numbers of repeated stress cycles in the truss verticals and the gusset plate assemblies. The members and connections were not designed for such conditions and the impact of this behavior on the service life of the bridge is uncertain. A full-scale representation of one of the truss verticals observed to exhibit such wind induced torsional response was fabricated and tested in the Structural Engineering Research Laboratory at Oregon State University. Experimental data of the rotational behavior and the stress distribution along the vertical were collected using inclinometers, an angular rate sensor, and uniaxial and rosette strain gages. The data collected were compared with existing analytical methods and predictions from finite element models. The observed experimental results including twist angle, stress distribution, and stress magnitude were well captured by both the finite element model and the analytical equations. Using analytical expressions, the fatigue lives of the existing bridge verticals were predicted based on assumed storm duration and recurrence. / Graduation date: 2013

O presente trabalho aborda alguns aspectos estruturais e construtivos das estruturas metálicas espaciais. Inicialmente apresentam-se um breve histórico deste sistema estrutural, algumas informações gerais a respeito das classificações das estruturas espaciais, das \'tipologias\' para alguns dos sistemas mais utilizados, assim como exemplos de aplicação destas estruturas. A seguir discutem-se aspectos relativos à análise estrutural, com a apresentação de um breve roteiro de cálculo para uma cobertura em treliça espacial. Finalmente apresentam-se alguns resultados teóricos e experimentais relativos a barras comprimidas de inércia variável ao longo do comprimento. / In this work, some structural and constructional aspects of metal space structures are presented. lnitially, a brief review of this structural system is described together with some general informations about classifications, types and applications of usual systems. In addition, some aspects about structural analysis are discussed, presenting a brief guide for a space truss design. Finally, some theoretical and experimental results are illustrated for a case of axial compression members with variable stiffness.

O Estado do Pará tem uma área de 1.253.164,49 \'KM POT.2\', possui uma malha hidrográfica abundante e aproximadamente 19.253,35 km de estradas vicinais, que são cortadas por muitos rios. Neste contexto, a construção de pontes com pequenos e médios vãos é imprescindível para a melhoria do transporte intermunicipal e interestadual. O sistema de treliças modulares para pontes, já estudado no Reino Unido, Brasil e implantado na África, como também na América Central, se adéqua bem ao estado, e é constituído por vigas treliçadas planas, que utilizam peças serradas de madeira com seções transversais comerciais na composição da superestrutura da ponte. Procurando-se implantar o sistema no Pará, esse trabalho tem por objetivo a adequação do projeto de uma ponte treliçada de Eucalipto citriodora em projetos com madeiras tropicais, como Maçaranduba, Jatobá e Ipê. Para esta finalidade o sistema modular treliçado foi estudado por meio de análise numérica e experimental, e avaliado para pontes de até 36 m, com superestrutura formada por vigas treliçadas de madeira com 1 m de altura e ligações parafusadas. Como resultado deste estudo foi elaborada uma tabela contendo o número de vigas treliçadas a serem utilizadas em uma largura de ponte de 3,80 m dependendo do tamanho do vão. O sistema proposto proporciona vantagens como redução de custos e maior rapidez de execução, além de posterior reaproveitamento dos módulos. / The Para state has an area of 1.253.164,49 \'KM POT.2\'; it has an abundant hydrography and nearly 19.253,35 Km of vicinal roads, that are cut by many rivers. In this context, the construction of bridges with small and medium spans is essential to the improvement of intercity and interstate transportation. The system of modular timber truss bridges, was already studied in the United Kingdom, Brazil and used in Africa, as well as in Central America, fits well to the state, and it is composed of beams plane trusses, using sawed pieces of wood with commercial cross sections in the composition of the superstructure of the bridge. With the purpose of installing the system in Para, the aim of this work is the adequacy of the design of a Eucalyptus citriodora\'s truss bridge on projects with tropical woods, as Maçaranduba, Jatoba and Ipe. For this purpose, the modular truss system was studied by numerical and experimental analysis, and evaluated for bridges with spans up to 36 m, with the superstructure using timber trusses beans with 1 m height and bolted connections. As result, was presented a table containing the number of beam trusses to be used in a bridge\'s wide depending on the size of the span. The proposed system provides advantages such as lower costs and faster execution, besides subsequent reuse of modules.

Este trabalho apresenta um estudo sobre as estruturas metálicas espaciais abordando os seguintes aspectos: histórico e desenvolvimento, tipos, vantagens do sistema tridimensional e comportamento estrutural. Atenção especial é dispensada às tipologias de treliças espaciais mais comuns no Brasil, formadas por tubos circulares com variações de inércia nas extremidades. A influência da variação de inércia nas extremidades das barras no comportamento destes elementos isoladamente (resistência à compressão) e comportamento global da estrutura, foi estudada via elementos finitos. Descrevem-se vários sistemas de ligações patenteados utilizados em outros países e os comumente usados no Brasil. Apresentam-se resultados experimentais e teóricos de uma treliça espacial com dimensões em planta de 7,5 x 7,5 m. Na análise teórica foram considerados a variação de inércia nas barras e os efeitos da não linearidade geométrica. Analisou-se também, com as mesmas considerações anteriores, modelos de treliças espaciais de dimensões maiores que o modelo ensaiado. / This work presents a study of space steel structures including the following aspects: history and development, types, advantages of three-dimensional system and structural behaviour. It is given special attention to the most common types of space trusses in Brazil, composed of tubular sections bars with flattened ends. The influence of the variable stiffness on each element\'s behaviour (compressive strength) and on the global structural behaviour has been studied with the use of finite elements. Various patent connection systems used in other countries and those commonly used in Brazil are described. Experimental and theoretical results of a 7,5 m-long by 7,5 m-wide space truss are presented. In the theoretical analysis, variable stiffness and effects of geometrical non-linearity have been considered. Still applying the above considerations, larger space truss models have been also analysed.

I vissa takstolskonstruktioner kan det ibland uppstå stora tryckkrafter i diagonala reglar. I Sverige löser man oftast detta med hjälp av stagning tvärs diagonalen för att hindra utböjning i veka riktningen. Ibland när det är svårt att på plats trä in strävor på grund av utrymmesbrist och dylikt kan man spika eller skruva på en regel för att på så sätt förstärka den diagonala strävan. Detta examensarbete har undersökt två olika förstärkningsalternativ, rektangulärt- och T-tvärsnitt, med hjälp av reglar med dimension 45x95 mm2 vilka skruvas respektive spikas ihop. Detta har gjorts laborativt genom att trycka provkroppar i en provningsram och undersöka hur mycket den axiala kapaciteten ökar med förstärkning. De två olika förstärkningslösningarna bygger på att man på plats kan förstärka strävor med enkla medel. Testbitarna har levererats till Växjö universitet och är av oklassat virke. Provbitarnas E-modul har undersökts för att på teoretisk väg undersöka hur stor axialkraftskapacitet den primära strävan har utan förstärkning. Provkroppar tillverkades och konditionerades i klimatrum, med temperaturen 20°C och 65 % RF, i ca tre veckor före provtryckning. De laborativa värdena visar att den axiella kapaciteten ökar med 1,9 – 2,7 ggr för de rektangulära tvärsnitten och 2,5 – 4,0 ggr för T-tvärsnitten. Förstärkningsfaktorn är beroende av längd, förstärkningsalternativ och sammanfogning. Förstärkningseffektiviteten är högst för de längre strävorna. / In wooden roof trusses there sometimes may occur buckling in compressed web members. In most cases in Sweden this is solved by bracing between two webs to prevent buckling of the minor axis. Sometimes it is hard to brace between webs because of lack of space. Then it is possible to nail or screw a side member on the compressed web to increase the capacity. This diploma work has examined two different ways of bracing, rectangular cross section and T-bracing, with webs 45x95 mm2. Experimental tests have been made on compression webs and examine the bracing efficiency. It is important that the bracing alternatives are easy to use with simple tools. Ungraded lumber were delivered to Växjö University. The Youngs modulus of the test pieces has been examined so the critical buckling load of the main member without bracing could be calculated theoretically. The lumber was conditioned to equilibrium moisture content of approximately 12 percent in a room maintained at 65 percent relative humidity and 20°C in three weeks before testing the critical buckling load. The experimental results show that the critical buckling load increases with a factor of 1,9 – 2,7 for the rectangular cross sections and with a factor of 2,5 – 4,0 for the T-bracing. The bracing efficiency is dependent on length, bracing alternative and type of connectors.. The bracing efficiency increases for longer webs.