This paper presents a static analysis of functionally graded single and sandwich beams by using an efficient 7DOFs quasi-3D hybrid type theory. The governing equations are derived by employing the principle of virtual works in a weak form and solved by means of the Finite Element Method (FEM). A C1 cubic Hermite interpolation is used for the vertical deflection variables while C0 linear interpolation is employed for the other kinematics variables. Convergence rates are studied in order to validate the finite element technique. Numerical results of the present formulation are compared with analytical and FEM solutions available in the literature. / Revisión por pares

Synapses play a critical role in neural circuits, and their highly specialized structures and biochemical characteristics have been widely studied in learning and memory. Along with their role in signal transmission, synapses also serve as adhesion structures, yet their mechanical characteristics have not received much attention. Given the important role of mechanics in cell adhesion, mechanical studies of synapses could offer insights into synaptic development, maintenance, and function. Here, I investigated synaptic elasticity in cultured rat hippocampal neurons and suggest that mechanical elasticity may be related to synaptic plasticity. I used torsional harmonic atomic force microscopy (TH-AFM) to measure the nanomechanical properties of functional mature excitatory synapses, whose identity and activity was verified by fluorescence microscopy. I combined TH-AFM with transmission electron microscopy and found that high stiffness of synapses originated from postsynaptic spines, not presynaptic boutons. I observed that spines at functional mature excitatory synapses were on average 10 times stiffer than dendritic shafts and that the distribution of spine stiffness exhibited a lognormal-like pattern. Importantly, I found that spine stiffness was correlated with spine size, and it is well established that spine size is correlated with synaptic strength. Based on the stiffness measurements and theoretical modelling of cell adhesion stability, I suggest that stiffness not only helps maintain spine morphology in the presence of synapse adhesion, but also helps stabilize synaptic adhesion. I propose a mechanical synaptic plasticity model. According to this model, mechanical strength leads to functional strength, which could provide a potential causal link between structural plasticity and functional plasticity of synapses.

Les matériaux de protection incendie sont largement utilisés pour assurer la sécurité des usagers des infrastructures. Les normes de protection incendie évoluant régulièrement, les matériaux doivent être de plus en plus performants. Ceux-ci sont généralement des mortiers constitués d’oxydes réfractaires et isolants. L’objectif de ce travail est de mettre au point un composite coupe-feu 4 h applicable par projection mais également de déterminer ses propriétés thermiques et mécaniques.Dans une première partie, cette étude reprend les différentes étapes de l’élaboration d’un matériau de protection incendie, après la présentation de la démarche qui a guidé l’élaboration de nos matériaux, nous nous sommes intéressés plus particulièrement à la composition chimique de la matrice ainsi que celle du ciment. Leurs propriétés thermiques et mécaniques ont été passées en revue.Les matières premières nécessaires à l’élaboration d’un mortier ont ensuite été sélectionnées. L’évolution, respectivement de la conductivité thermique, de la diffusivité, de la porosité, de la chaleur spécifique et des propriétés mécaniques des mortiers choisis en fonction de la nature et de la quantité de charges incorporées à la matrice a été étudiée. Une description des divers modèles analytiques et numériques permettant la représentation de la conductivité thermique et du module d’Young des matériaux a permis de développer un modèle capable de prédire le comportement thermique et mécanique des composites en fonction de la nature et de quantité de charges ajoutées.Dans une seconde partie, la cinétique de la réaction d’hydratation du plâtre afin de maîtriser les temps de prise et pour faciliter la production des projetés dans la chaîne industrielle a été étudiée. L’influence sur la cinétique d’hydratation, de la composition chimique du plâtre, de sa granulométrie et de l’ajout d’adjuvants couramment utilisés dans l’industrie plâtrière, a également été traitée.10A l’issue de cette étude, deux formulations de composites projetables ont été mises au point. / Fire protection materials are widely used to ensure the safety of users of the infrastructure. Standards of fire protection regularly operating, the materials must be more efficient. These are generally composed of refractory mortar and insulating oxides. The objective of this work is to develop a firewall composite 4 h applied by projecting but also to determine the thermal and mechanical properties.In the first part, this study describes the various stages of the development of a fire protection material, after the presentation of the approach that has guided the development of our materials, we are interested especially in the chemical composition of the matrix and that of the cement. Their thermal and mechanical properties have been reviewed.The raw materials for the preparation of mortar were selected. The evolution respectively of thermal conductivity, diffusivity, porosity, specific heat and the mechanical properties of mortars chosen according to the nature and amount of the fillers incorporated in the matrix has been studied. A description of the various analytical and numerical models for the representation of the thermal conductivity and Young's modulus of the materials led to the development of a model able to predict the thermal and mechanical behavior of composites based on the nature and amount of charges added.In a second part, the kinetics of the hydration reaction of gypsum to control setting time and to facilitate the production of the composite in the industrial chain was studied. The influence on the kinetics of hydration, of the chemical composition of the gypsum, particle size distribution and the addition of adjuvant commonly used in the plaster industry, has also been treated.At the end of this study, two formulations of composites applied by projection were developed.

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Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Oklahoma, 2004. / Title from title screen (viewed on Dec. 7, 2007). Title from document title page. Includes bibliographical references. Available in PDF format via the World Wide Web.

We present an a-posteriori method for computing rigorous upper and lower bounds of the J-integral in two dimensional linear elasticity. The J-integral, which is typically expressed as a contour integral, is recast as a surface integral which yields a quadratic continuous functional of the displacement. By expanding the quadratic output about an approximate finite element solution, the output is expressed as a known computable quantity plus linear and quadratic functionals of the solution error. The quadratic component is bounded by the energy norm of the error scaled by a continuity constant, which is determined explicitly. The linear component is expressed as an inner product of the errors in the displacement and in a computed adjoint solution, and bounded using standard a-posteriori error estimation techniques. The method is illustrated with two fracture problems in plane strain elasticity. / Singapore-MIT Alliance (SMA)

This study aims to investigate the effect of elastic properties of viscoelastic polymer solutions on the microscopic sweep efficiency in enhanced oil recovery (EOR) operations. The effect of elasticity was studied as isolated from the shear viscosity effect using polymer blends with identical shear viscosity behavior but different elastic characteristics. Oil displacement results were compared and the individual effect of elasticity on the sweep efficiency was investigated. A detailed rheological characterization of the polymer solutions was done to measure their viscoelastic properties. A series of polymer flooding experiments were performed using a radial core holder. Results of the experiments indicated that the sweep efficiency of a polymeric fluid could be effectively improved by adjusting the molecular weight distribution (MWD) of the solution at constant shear viscosity and polymer concentration. An attempt was made to find a rheological parameter of polymer solutions that correlates better with the resultant oil recovery. / Petroleum Engineering

This thesis is an extension of a recent study into the relationship between merger size and profitability. It studies a class of Cournot oligopoly with linear cost and quadratic demand. Its focus is to analyze how a mergers profitability is affected by its size and by the demand elasticity. Such results have not yet been reported in previous studies, perhaps due to the complexity of the equilibrium equation involved. It shows an increase in the demand elasticity also raises a mergers profitability. Consequently, an increase in the demand elasticity reduces merged members critical combined per-merger market share for the merger to be profit enhancing. Comparing with 80% minimum market share requirement for a profitable merger in Salant, Switzer, and Reynolds (1983), a greater market share is needed when the demand function is concave (demand is relatively inelastic), while a smaller market share may still be profitable when the demand function is convex (demand is relatively elastic). In our model, mergers are generally detrimental to public interests by increasing market price and reducing output. However, the merger will be less harmful when the goods are very inelastic.

The goal of this thesis is to develop an efficient finite element model of a particular micro-positioning(MP) system, known as the 3RRR Mechanism. MP systems are capable of delivering accurate and controllable motion in the micro-metre to sub-micrometre range. Conventional mechanisms, which are often composed of rigid links with pinned connections are prone to friction, backlash and stiction, which are magnified at small displacements. As such MP systems utilize a new structure known as the compliant mechanism. The structure of most compliant mechanisms is based on conventional mechanisms; however they are monolithic devices which utilize flexible elements, instead of pins, to transform the input to a useful output position. One common flexible element found in compliant mechanisms is the right circular flexure hinge. The seminal work on flexure hinges was done by Paros and Weisbord(1965), the basis of which was to calculate compliance (the reciprocal of stiffness) in order to characterize the behaviour of the hinge when loaded. However they essentially modelled the flexure hinge as a 1-D beam, when it is in fact 3-D in nature. Researchers completing finite element models of MP systems and flexure hinges have extended the model to 2-D elements, still resulting in poor results when compared to experimental data. The task of completing a full 3-D finite element model of a MP system, let alone a right circular flexure hinge, is a major computational effort. For instance, a full 3-D model of the 3RRR mechanism would require over 1,000,000 degrees of freedom(DOF) dedicated to the flexure hinges alone. A 2-D model requires approximately 45,000 DOF in total; however, this number is still regarded as large. Given these facts, a new technique called the Equivalent Beam Methodology(EBM) has been developed to model the 3-D stiffness of any right circular flexure hinge with a low number of DOF. This method essentially maps the 3-D stiffness of the hinge to a number of 1-D beam elements. For comparison, the finite element model of the 3RRR mechanism which incorporates the beams of the EBM has under 300 DOF in total, and is more accurate than the 2-D model. This method is extremely accurate, easy to use, and has a very low number of DOF, which makes it suitable to many advanced finite element modelling analyses such as topographic optimization, dynamic and modal analysis.