Detta kandidatarbete har som syfte att belysa rollen som glitch kan spela i skapande. Jag ställer mig frågan vad som händer när vi för in ett medvetet brott i en kreativ handling, hur vi behandlar det vi uppfattar som fel eller misstag, och vad som kan hända när vi utforskar det som blivit förkastat som trasigt och obsolet. Dessa frågor har uppstått dels ur en nyfikenhet för det okända och ett ständigt sökande efter nya uttrycksformer, men även ur kritik. Den teknologiska utvecklingen min generation befinner sig i för oss allt hastigare framåt, och jag ifrågasätter hur vi förhåller oss till värdet av medietekniska artefakter när konsumtionshetsen gör sig alltmer påmind. Genom att ägna mig åt studier av glitch och konstformer som uppstått därifrån, second hand och dess kultur samt mediearkeologi har jag bildat mig en grund att stå på som sedan lett mig genom mitt gestaltningsarbete. Med ett kritiskt förhållningssätt har jag använt mig av icke-konventionella metoder och program för att redigera och manipulera media, och reflekterat över resultaten med stöd av forskning och diskussion med andra människor. Jag har utforskat digital glitch i medieformer som jag under mina tre år av studier har bekantat mig med, men även vandrat över fysiska kretskort och undersökt vad som händer när ett konkret brott introduceras i deras förväntade flöde. Resultatet har blivit ett nytt förhållningssätt till utdaterad teknik, en ny vinkel att betrakta kreativitet och skapande från och förhoppningsvis en ökad respekt för vår fortsatta tekniska utveckling. / This bachelor thesis is intended to highlight the role that glitch can have in creation. I pose the question of what happens when we introduce a deliberate disruption in a creative act? How do we treat what we perceive as flaws and mistakes, and what can happen when we explore what has once been rejected as broken and obsolete? These questions have arisen partly from the curiosity about the unknown and a constant search for new forms of expression, but also from criticism. The technological development my generation is experiencing is moving us forward at an ever increasing pace, and it leaves me inquisitive about how we relate to the value of media artifacts when consumerism is becoming more and more prevalent. By studying glitches and their resulting art forms, second-hand and its culture, as well as media archeology, I have formed a foundation on which to base my work. With a critical approach, I have used non-conventional methods and programs to edit and manipulate media, and reflected upon the results supported by both research and discussion with other people. I have explored digital glitches in media that I've worked with during my three years of study, but also traversed physical circuit boards and investigated what happens when a break is introduced in their expected flow. The result is a new approach to outdated technology, a new angle from which to view creativity and creation, and​—​hopefully​—​a shift in respect for our continued technological development.

This paper deals with a novel active bending soft body that employs metamaterials and combines soft behavior, integrated actuation, low complexity and a high density of producible forces and moments. The presented concept consists of a tube-like structure with tailored, unconventional material properties which enable the generation of a bending deformation and/or moment when circumferential stress and/or strain is induced. Circumferential actuation can be generated by a difference in pressure between the internal and external surface of the tube or, alternatively, by distributed expansion actuators that act radially or tangentially (e.g. shape memory wires). In addition to an analytical model, this paper also presents a design procedure and deals with the implementation of the proposed concept in a functional prototype and its experimental characterization.

No description available.

The continuing quest for higher performance levels of modern gas turbine engines has been accompanied by the demand for higher engine operating temperatures. The use of Thermal Barrier Coatings (TBCs) enabled gas turbines to operate at higher temperatures by protecting the blade material (nickel superalloy) while operating in extreme environments. The TBC system typically consists of a bond coat for protection of the nickel–based superalloy against oxidation followed by a top coat consisting of a thermally insulating zirconia-yttria. In addition to the complex gradation in phases, the coatings are subjected to continuous oxidation with service exposure, mechanical loading on rotating parts, fatigue, thermal mis-match and temperature gradients. Hence, the study of failure mechanisms of TBCs become important in deciding operational reliability and service life of the coating. As there are many systems in which the operating temperatures are not high enough to warrant the use of the top coat (ceramic layer), the study of failure mechanisms in superalloys coated with only the bond coat continue to be of great interest. The present work concentrates on the fracture behavior of NiAl bond coats on nickel superalloy and seeks to evaluate the fracture toughness of the coating through the use of micro-machined samples. A review of the relevant literature indicated that while a considerable body of work exists on bulk tests of failure (spalling, splitting, etc.), not much has been reported in the open literature on the evaluation of basic quantities such as the toughness of the coating itself. The present thesis seeks to establish a protocol for the evaluation of toughness and crack propagation mechanisms in coatings through a combination of micro-sample testing that allows fracture to be correlated with location in the film and the use of an analytical model to quantitatively evaluate stress intensity factors in a bi-material system. A system of NiAl coating produced by pack aluminizing is studied for the fracture properties of the coating. Specimen geometries are optimized to enable micro-cracks to be machined and propagated in a low load testing system, such as a depth sensing indenter, so that crack lengths (and position relative to the interface) can be correlated with load. To enable linear elastic theory to be used, dimensions are determined that allow fracture before general yielding. A three point bending test using miniaturized micro-beam specimens of ~ 4 X 0.3 X 0.3 mm is found to be suitable for the above purpose. The technique is a challenging one that requires focused ion beam machining (FIB) along with careful handling and alignment of small samples. The coatings are characterized for their microstructure by electron microscopy to identify compositional variation across the thickness and to determine the thickness of the coating and inter diffusion zone (IDZ). The crack advancement is monitored with increments of loading and the stress intensity factor is evaluated using a program written in “MAPLE” for an edge crack subjected to bending in a bilayered material. Surprisingly, fracture in this system is found to be stable owing to a gradual increase in toughness from the coating surface to the interface. Such an increase from less than 2 to more than 9 MPa m0.5 may be due to the increasing Ni/Al ratio across the thickness of the bond coat. Crack branching is observed as the crack approaches the IDZ and the reasons for such behaviour are not fully understood. This work establishes the viability of this technique to determine fracture properties in highly graded coated systems and may be readily extended to more complex coating architectures and other forms of loading such as cyclic, mixed mode, etc.

Size effects in out-of-plane bending stiffness of honeycomb cellular materials were studied using analytical mechanics of solids modeling, fabrication of samples and mechanical testing. Analysis predicts a positive size-effect relative to continuum model predictions in the flexure stiffness of a honeycombed beam loaded in out-of-plane bending. A method of determining the magnitude of that effect for several different methods of constructing or assembling square-celled and hexagonal-celled materials, using both single-walled and doubled-walled construction methods is presented. Hexagonal and square-celled honeycombs, with varying volume fractions were fabricated in Nylon 12 using Selective Laser Sintering. The samples were mechanically tested in three-point and four point-bending to measure flexure stiffness. The results from standard three-point flexure tests, did not agree with predictions based on a mechanics of solids model for either square or hexagonal-celled samples. Results for four-point bending agreed with the mechanics of solids model for the square-celled geometries but not for the hexagonal-celled geometries. A closed form solution of an elasticity model for the response of the four-point bending configuration was developed, which allows interpretation of recorded displacement data at two points and allows separation the elastic bending from the localized, elastic/plastic deformation that occurs between the loading rollers and the specimen’s surface. This localized deformation was significant in the materials tested. With this analysis, the four-point bending data agreed well with the mechanics of solids predictions. / text

[ES] Hoy en día, la arquitectura moderna está orientada principalmente al empleo eficiente de materiales tecnológicos y sostenibles, la tecnificación del proceso de diseño, proyecto y construcción, y la búsqueda de soluciones muy ligeras. Estas ideas se reflejan en las estructuras flexo-activas, que recientemente han atraído considerable atención como nuevo paradigma para construir estructuras ligeras, tanto en el ámbito de la investigación como en la práctica. El término "flexión activa" hace referencia a una categoría de estructuras en las que la flexión se emplea en el proceso de configuración de su forma. Los sistemas estructurales flexo-activos incluyen barras o láminas incurvadas cuya geometría es el resultado de su deformación elástica desde una configuración inicial recta o plana. Hasta el momento, el número de realizaciones es limitado; se trata sobre todo de aplicaciones experimentales con funcionalidad arquitectónica o artística. La obtención de la configuración de equilibrio es una de las principales dificultades que aparecen en la fase de concepción, debido precisamente a la no linealidad de la respuesta estructural de las barras activas, así como a la posible interacción con otros elementos estructurales como membranas o cables, que trabajan por forma, y cuya geometría no se puede fijar de modo arbitrario. Los métodos computaciones de determinación de forma para estructuras flexo-activas incluyen modelos de elementos finitos con cables virtuales no lineales que se acortan hasta alcanzar la configuración final, o algoritmos de relajación dinámica que consideran las variables que caracterizan la deformación de las barras activas. Esta tesis doctoral tiene por objeto proporcionar un análisis en profundidad de la aplicabilidad del principio de flexión activa al diseño de estructuras ligeras, en particular a los puentes peatonales. Para ello, la investigación se aborda desde tres puntos de vista: a) modelización computacional; b) eficiencia estructural; c) diseño y construcción. En primer lugar, se lleva a cabo una revisión de la bibliografía existente, haciendo hincapié en los trabajos previos en el diseño de pasarelas con flexión activa. En el campo de la modelización computacional, se desarrolla un novedoso método numérico de determinación de forma para estructuras flexo-activas basado en el modelo geométricamente exacto para piezas alargadas (también conocido como la teoría de vigas de Reissner-Simó). Distintos ejemplos numéricos han sido reproducidos para mostrar la exactitud del método. La parte de la investigación relacionada con el análisis de la eficiencia estructural se centra en el comportamiento del sistema flexo-activo propuesto en esta tesis para el diseño de estructuras ligeras: el arco flexo-activo arriostrado (o atirantado). Se trata de un arco plano compuesto por una barra flexible y continuo que se activa por la acción de los cables principales que tiran de ambos extremos de la varilla, y de los puntales o cables secundarios que desvían el cable principal y actúan en ciertas secciones transversales. La parte computacional-analítica se completa con el desarrollo de un procedimiento numérico basado en algoritmos genéticos, con el fin de obtener configuraciones estructurales eficientes. La tesis finaliza con el diseño, fabricación y montaje de una pasarela flexo-activa hecha con tubos PRFV utilizando este tipo estructural, realizada en el laboratorio de modelos de la Universitat Politècnica de València. / [CA] Hui dia, l'arquitectura moderna està orientada principalment a l'ús eficient de materials tecnològics i sostenibles, la tecnificació del procés de disseny, projecte i construcció, i la cerca de solucions molt lleugeres. Aquestes idees es reflecteixen en les estructures flexo-actives, que recentment han atret considerable atenció com a nou paradigma per a construir estructures lleugeres, tant en l'àmbit de la investigació com en la pràctica. El terme "flexió activa" fa referència a una categoria d'estructures en les quals la flexió s'empra en el procés de configuració de la seua forma. Els sistemes estructurals flexo-actius inclouen barres o làmines incorbades, la geometria de les quals és el resultat de la seua deformació elàstica des d'una configuració inicial recta o plana. Fins al moment, el nombre de realitzacions és limitat; es tracta sobretot d'aplicacions experimentals amb funcionalitat arquitectònica o artística. L'obtenció de la configuració d'equilibri és una de les principals dificultats que apareixen en la fase de concepció, degut precisament a la no linealitat de la resposta estructural de les barres actives, així com a la possible interacció amb altres elements estructurals com a membranes o cables, que treballen per forma, i la geometria de la qual no es pot fixar de manera arbitrària. Els mètodes computacions de determinació de forma per a estructures flexo-actives inclouen models d'elements finits amb cables virtuals no lineals que s'escurcen fins a aconseguir la configuració final, o algorismes de relaxació dinàmica que consideren les variables que caracteritzen la deformació de les barres actives. Aquesta tesi doctoral té per objecte proporcionar una anàlisi en profunditat de l'aplicabilitat del principi de flexió activa al disseny d'estructures lleugeres, en particular als ponts per als vianants. Per a això, la investigació s'aborda des de tres punts de vista: a) modelització computacional; b) eficiència estructural; c) disseny i construcció. En primer lloc, es duu a terme una revisió de la bibliografia existent, amb recalcament en els treballs previs en el disseny de passarel·les amb flexió activa. En el camp de la modelització computacional, es desenvolupa un nou mètode numèric de determinació de forma per a estructures flexo-actives basat en el model geomètricament exacte per a peces allargades (també conegut com la teoria de bigues de Reissner-Simó). Diferents exemples numèrics han sigut reproduïts per a mostrar l'exactitud del mètode. La part de la investigació relacionada amb l'anàlisi de l'eficiència estructural se centra en el comportament del sistema flexo-actiu proposat en aquesta tesi doctoral per al disseny d'estructures lleugeres: l' arc flexo-actiu esbiaixat (o lligat). Es tracta d'un arc pla compost per un membre flexible i continu que s'activa per l'acció dels cables principals que tiren de tots dos extrems de la vareta, i dels puntals o cables secundaris que desvien el cable principal i actuen en certa secció transversal de la vareta. La part computacional-analítica es completa amb el desenvolupament d'un procediment numèric basat en algorismes de tipus genètic, amb la finalitat d'obtindre configuracions estructurals eficients. La tesi finalitza amb el disseny, fabricació i muntatge d'una passarel·la flexo-activa feta amb tubs PRFV utilitzant aquest tipus estructural, realitzada en el laboratori de models de la Universitat Politècnica de València. / [EN] Nowadays, modern architecture is focused on the search of efficient uses of technological and sustainable materials, high-tech concept-design-erection processes and the possibility to produce lightweight solutions with maximum elegance in shape. These ideas are reflected on bending-active structures, which recently attracted considerable attention as a new paradigm to build lightweight structures both in research and practice. The concept 'active bending' refers to a category of structures in which bending is used in the process of shape configuration. Bending-active structural systems include curved rods or shells which have been elastically bent from an initial straight or plane configuration. As of now, the number of realisations is limited; they are mostly experimental ones, with architectural or artistic nature. Form finding of the equilibrium configuration is one of the main difficulties during the conceptual phase, due to the non-linearity of the structural response of the active members, and also to the interaction with other form-active structural elements as membranes or cables, whose geometry cannot be prescribed in advance. Computational form-finding methods for bending-active structures include finite element models with non-linear virtual links that are shortened to reach the final form, or dynamic relaxation (explicit) algorithms to cope with the variables describing the response of the active members. This PhD thesis aims to provide an indepth analysis on the applicability of the active bending principle to the design of lightweight structures, in particular pedestrian bridges. For that purpose, the work is carried out from three points of view: (a) computational modelling and simulation; (b) structural performance and efficiency; (c) design and construction. First of all, a literature review on the topic and a overview of realisations in the fied of bending-active footbridges is provided. In the field of computational modelling, a novel form-finding method based on the geometrically exact rod model (or Reissner-Simo beam theory) is implemented. Numerical examples are also given to show the accuracy of the method. The part of the work related to the analysis of the structural performance and efficiency is focused on the bending-active configuration proposed in this PhD thesis for designing lightweight structures: the bending-active braced (or tied) arch. This is a simple planar arch composed of a continuous flexible member that is activated by the action of main cables pulling at both ends of the rod, and secondary struts or cables that deviate the main cable and act at certain cross-section of the rod. The computational-analytical part is completed with the development of a numerical procedure based on genetic algorithms to obtain efficient structural configurations. The thesis ends with the design, fabrication and assembling of a bending-active short footbridge made of GFRP tubes using this structural type, held in the laboratory of concept models of the Polytechnic University of Valencia. / The author has had the opportunity to join the research project: Sistemas estructuras flexo-activos- Concepción, desarrollo y análisis de nuevos prototipos (FLEXACT - grant BIA2105-69330- P) / Bessini Muñoz, JG. (2021). Form-finding and Performance of Bending-active Structures. Proposals of Application to Lightweight Braced Arches [Tesis doctoral]. Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/Thesis/10251/165575 / TESIS

As vast networks of high pressure buried energy pipelines traverse North America and other continents, the stability of such essential buried infrastructure must be maintained under a variety of earth loading conditions. The pipe-soil interaction and the longitudinal behaviour of buried pipes due to relative ground movements is poorly understood. This thesis presents full scale testing and numerical modeling of steel and Glass Fibre Reinforced Polymer (GFRP) pipelines to better understand the flexural performance of buried pipes subjected to lateral earth movement. For the experimental phase of the study, a series of pipe bending experiments have been conducted on 102 mm nominal diameter and 1830 mm long steel and GFRP pipes buried in dense sand. Pipe loading was carried out by pulling pipe ends using two parallel cables attached to a spreader beam outside the test region, using a hydraulic actuator. The different tests covered burial depth-to-diameter (H/D) ratios of 3, 5 and 7. During the steel pipe testing phase, special consideration was given to assess the effect of boundary limits, friction within the pulling mechanism, and consistency of results using repeated tests. For the GFRP pipes, the experimental work investigated the effect of the laminate structure of the pipes, including both cross-ply and angle-ply laminates. Test results showed that burial depth significantly influenced the ultimate pulling forces, longitudinal strains, and pipe net deflection at mid-span. The results were also compared between the two types of pipes. The failure mechanism for all tests was consistently governed by soil failure, except for the angle-ply GFRP pipe that failed at a burial depth of H/D=7. For the numerical analysis, the study presents the development and verification of two and three-dimensional numerical models including material constitutive models for both the pipe and for the soil using a stress-dependent modulus. Calculations are presented for different burial depths and are compared to experimental data. It was shown that the numerical model can successfully capture the pipe-soil interaction behaviour for both pipe types in terms of load-displacement responses and net bending deflection. Also, the effect of material variation and laminate structure were in agreement with test data. / Thesis (Ph.D, Civil Engineering) -- Queen's University, 2013-04-18 22:21:53.025

Nesta pesquisa analiso as metodologias de luteria experimental chamadas Circuit-Bending e Hardware Hacking, as quais englobo no termo Circuito Alterado, criado especificamente para este trabalho. Tais metodologias baseiam-se na construção de aparelhos musicais a partir da reutilização de componentes eletrônicos descartados. O principal objetivo desta dissertação é estabelecer relações contextuais entre os três atos fundamentais envolvidos na alteração de circuitos - abrir o circuito, tateá-lo em busca de sonoridades interessantes e multiplicar a metodologia, através de concertos, blogs e/ou oficinas - e questões culturais relacionadas a cada ato. / On this research I analyze the experimental luthier methodologies called Circuit-Bending and Hardware Hacking, which I call Circuito Alterado (Altered Circuits). This methodologies are based in the construction of musical instruments from the reuse of obsolete electronic components. The main goal of this dissertation is to establish contextual relationships between the tree acts involved in the methodologies - to open-up the circuit, to touch it, in the search of interesting sonorities and to multiply it, through concerts, blogs and/or workshops - and cultural issues related to each act.

Nesta pesquisa analiso as metodologias de luteria experimental chamadas Circuit-Bending e Hardware Hacking, as quais englobo no termo Circuito Alterado, criado especificamente para este trabalho. Tais metodologias baseiam-se na construção de aparelhos musicais a partir da reutilização de componentes eletrônicos descartados. O principal objetivo desta dissertação é estabelecer relações contextuais entre os três atos fundamentais envolvidos na alteração de circuitos - abrir o circuito, tateá-lo em busca de sonoridades interessantes e multiplicar a metodologia, através de concertos, blogs e/ou oficinas - e questões culturais relacionadas a cada ato. / On this research I analyze the experimental luthier methodologies called Circuit-Bending and Hardware Hacking, which I call Circuito Alterado (Altered Circuits). This methodologies are based in the construction of musical instruments from the reuse of obsolete electronic components. The main goal of this dissertation is to establish contextual relationships between the tree acts involved in the methodologies - to open-up the circuit, to touch it, in the search of interesting sonorities and to multiply it, through concerts, blogs and/or workshops - and cultural issues related to each act.

L’utilisation des multicouches prend de plus en plus d’ampleur dans le domaine des sciences de l’ingénieur, tout d’abord dans l’industrie, et plus récemment de plus en plus en Génie Civil. Qu’il s’agisse de complexes mêlant des polymères, du bois ou du béton, des efforts importants sont nécessaires pour la modélisation fine de ce type de matériaux. En effet, des phénomènes induits par l’anisotropie et l’hétérogénéité sont associés à ces multi-matériaux : effets de bords, dilatations thermiques différentielles, délaminages/décollements ou non linéarités de type viscosité, endommagement, plasticité dans les couches ou aux interfaces. Parmi les modèles proposés dans la littérature, on trouve par exemple des modèles monocouche équivalente ou de type "Layerwise" (une cinématique par couche). Appartenant à cette deuxième catégorie, des modèles ont été développés depuis quelques années dans le laboratoire Navier et permettent une description suffisamment fine pour aborder les problématiques spécifiques citées plus haut tout en conservant un caractère opératoire certain. En introduisant des efforts d’interfaces comme des efforts généralisés du modèle, ces approches ont montré leur efficacité vis-à-vis de la représentation des détails au niveau inter- et intra-couches. Il est alors aisé de proposer des comportements et des critères d’interfaces et d’être efficace pour la modélisation du délaminage ou décollement, phénomène très présent dans les composites multicouches assemblés et collés. Par conséquent, un programme éléments finis MPFEAP a été développé dans le laboratoire Navier. Le modèle a également été introduit sous la forme d’un User Element dans ABAQUS, dans sa forme la plus simple (interfaces parfaites).Un nouveau model layerwise est proposé dans ce mémoire pour les plaques multicouches, appelé "Statically Compatible Layerwise Stresses with first-order membrane stress approximations per layer in thickness direction" SCLS1. Le modèle est conforme aux équations d’équilibre 3D ainsi qu’aux conditions aux limites de bord libre. En outre, une version raffinée du nouveau modèle est obtenu en introduisant plusieurs couches mathématiques par couche physique. Le nouveau modèle a été mis en œuvre dans une nouvelle version du code éléments finis MPFEAP.En parallèle, un programme d’éléments finis basé sur la théorie Bending-Gradient développée dans le laboratoire Navier est proposé ici. Le modèle est une nouvelle théorie de plaque épaisse chargée hors-plan où les inconnues statiques sont celles de la théorie Love-Kirchhoff, à laquelle six composantes sont ajoutées représentant le gradient du moment de flexion. La théorie Bending- Gradient est obtenue à partir de la théorie Generalized-Reissner: cette dernière implique quinze degrés de liberté cinématiques, huit d’entre eux étant lié uniquement à la déformation de Poisson hors-plan, et donc l’idée principale de la théorie de plaque Bending-Gradient est de simplifier la théorie Generalized-Reissner en réglant ces huit d.o.f. à zéro et de négliger la contribution de la contrainte normale σ33 dans l’équation constitutive du modèle de plaque. Un programme éléments finis appelé BGFEAP a été développé pour la mise en œuvre de l’élément de Bending-Gradient. Un User Element dans Abaqus a été aussi développé pour la théorie Bending-Gradient / The use of multilayer is becoming increasingly important in the field of engineering, first in the industry, and more recently more and more in Civil Engineering. Whether complex blend of polymers, wood or concrete, significant efforts are required for accurate modeling of such materials. Indeed, phenomena induced anisotropy and heterogeneity are associated with these multi-material: edge effects, differential thermal expansion, delamination/detachment or nonlinearities viscosity type damage, plasticity in layers or interfaces. Among the models proposed in the literature, we found for example equivalent monolayer model or of "LayerWise" type (a kinematic per layer). Belonging to the second category, models have been developed in recent years in Navier allow a sufficiently detailed description to address specific issues mentioned above while maintaining a surgical nature. By introducing interface forces as generalized forces of the model, these approaches have demonstrated their effectiveness vis-à-vis the representation of details at inter- and intra-layers. It is then easy to offer behaviors and interfaces criteria and to be effective for modeling delamination or detachment, phenomenom very present in multilayered composites assembled and glued together. Therefore, a finite element program MPFEAP was developed in Navier laboratory. The model was also introduced as a User Element in ABAQUS, in its simplest form (perfect interfaces).A new layerwise model for multilayered plates is proposed in this dissertation, named Statically Compatible Layerwise Stresses with first-order membrane stress approximations per layer in thickness direction SCLS1. The model complies exactly with the 3D equilibrium equations and the free-edge boundary conditions. Also, a refined version of the new model is obtained by introducing several mathematical layers per physical layer. The new model has been implemented in a new version of the in-house finite element code MPFEAP.In parallel, a finite element program based on the Bending-Gradient theory which was developed in Navier laboratory, is proposed here. The model is a new plate theory for out-of-plane loaded thick plates where the static unknowns are those of the Love-Kirchhoff theory, to which six components are added representing the gradient of the bending moment. The Bending-Gradient theory is obtained from the Generalized-Reissner theory: the Generalized-Reissner theory involves fifteen kinematic degrees of freedom, eight of them being related only to out-of-plane Poisson’s distortion and thus, the main idea of the Bending-Gradient plate theory is to simplify the Generalized-Reissner theory by setting these eight d.o.f. to zero and to neglect the contribution of the normal stress σ33 in the plate model constitutive equation. A finite element program called BGFEAP has been developed for the implementation of the Bending-Gradient element. A User Element in Abaqus was also developed for the Bending-Gradient theory