Stress sensitivity of a 16 - bit D/A converter in a molded plastic DIP has been studied. Device performance was shown to change as a function of package stress. The effects of die position in the package and the presence or absence of die coat on package stress and device performance were determined. Finite element methods were employed for system analysis. Device stress sensitivity was attributed to diffused bit transistors and the mechanism assigned to nonuniformity of stress on the device bit transistors. Die coat (silicone gel) was shown to reduce normal and shear stresses and have little or no effect on X-axial stresses. Lowering the die in the package was shown to increase the X-axial stress uniformity from the die center to edge for die-coated parts and alter the value of shear stresses near the die edge for parts without die coat.

Subsea pipelines are subjected to wave and steady current loads which cause pipeline stability problems. Current knowledge and understanding on the pipeline on-bottom stability is based on the research programmes from the 1980’s such as the Pipeline Stability Design Project (PIPESTAB) and American Gas Association (AGA) in Joint Industry Project. These projects have mainly provided information regarding hydrodynamic loads on pipeline and soil resistance in isolation. In reality, the pipeline stability problem is much more complex involving hydrodynamic loadings, pipeline response, soil resistance, embedment and pipe-soil-fluid interaction. In this thesis Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) modelling is used to investigate and establish the interrelationship between fluid (hydrodynamics), pipe (subsea pipeline), and soil (seabed). The effect of soil types, soil resistance, soil porosity and soil unit weight on embedment was examined. The overall pipeline stability alongside pipeline diameter and weight and hydrodynamic effect on both soil (resulting in scouring) and pipeline was also investigated. The use of CFD provided a better understanding of the complex physical processes of fluid-pipe-soil interaction. The results show that the magnitude of passive resistance is on the average eight times that of lateral resistance. Thus passive resistance is of greater significance for subsea pipeline stability design hence the reason why Coulomb’s friction theory is considered as conservative for stability design analysis, as it ignores passive resistance and underestimates lateral resistance. Previous works (such as that carried out by Lyons and DNV) concluded that soil resistance should be determined by considering Coulomb’s friction based on lateral resistance and passive resistance due to pipeline embedment, but the significance of passive resistance in pipeline stability and its variation in sand and clay soils have not be established as shown in this thesis. The results for soil porosity show that increase in pipeline stability with increasing porosity is due to increased soil liquefaction which increases soil resistance. The pipe-soil interaction model by Wagner et al. established the effect of soil porosity on lateral soil resistance but did not attribute it to soil liquefaction. Results showed that the effect of pipeline diameter and weight vary with soil type; for sand, pipeline diameter showed a greater influence on embedment with a 110% increase in embedment (considering combined effect of diameter and weight) and a 65% decrease in embedment when normalised with diameter. While pipeline weight showed a greater influence on embedment in clay with a 410% increase. The work of Gao et al. did not completely establish the combined effect of pipeline diameter and weight and soil type on stability. Results also show that pipeline instability is due to a combination of pipeline displacement due to vortex shedding and scouring effect with increasing velocity. As scoring progresses, maximum embedment is reached at the point of highest velocity. The conclusion of this thesis is that designing for optimum subsea pipeline stability without adopting an overly conservative approach requires taking into consideration the following; combined effect of hydrodynamics of fluid flow on soil type and properties, and the pipeline, and the resultant scour effect leading to pipeline embedment. These results were validated against previous experimental and analytical work of Gao et al, Brennodden et al and Griffiths.

Existing reinforced concrete bridges may be deemed inadequate to carry the ever-increasing traffic loads according to the current codes and standards before they reach the end of their design life. It may therefore be required to either strengthen or replace these structures, which can be costly and causes disruptions to the infrastructure. This work investigates experimentally the possibilities to extend the useful life of existing reinforced concrete slab-on-beam structures deficient in shear by means of structural strengthening with fibre-reinforced polymers (FRP). The experimental campaign involved mechanical testing of ten full-scale T-beam specimens, representative of typical existing slab-on-beam bridges. Two sizes of test specimen were used to investigate the effect of size on the ultimate shear capacity of the beams. The investigated shear-strengthening configurations included externally bonded carbon fibre reinforced polymer (CFRP) sheets in a U-wrap configuration with and without end-anchorage and deep embedded CFRP bars. Unstrengthened control specimens were also tested to provide baseline for comparison. The results from the experimental programme revealed that while the deep embedment strengthening solution provides an increase in shear capacity of up to 50%, the strengthening with CFRP U-wraps results in reduced capacity compared with the underlying control beam. This presents a major implication in terms of safe design predictions of shear capacity of reinforced concrete T-beams strengthened with CFRP sheets as this is the most commonly used shear-strengthening scheme in practice. The study also demonstrated that greater contribution from the externally bonded CFRP U-wraps can be achieved using end-anchorage systems, which delay the debonding of the CFRP. The applicability of current codes of standards and guidelines was studied as well as appropriateness of using advanced numerical methods for assessment of existing reinforced concrete structures. It was found that while the standards used for assessment greatly under-predict the shear capacity, the guidelines for FRP-strengthened beams either under- or over-predict the shear capacity of the tested beams. More accurate predictions are possible using advanced fracture mechanics-based methods for both the unstrengthened as well as the strengthened beams.

The need for experimental and analytical modeling in the field of deep water offshore anchoring technologies is high. Suction caisson and drag embedment anchors (DEA) are common anchors used for mooring structures in deep water. The installation process of drag embedment anchors has been highly empirical, employing a trial and error methodology. In the past decade analytical methods have been derived for modeling DEA installation trajectories. However, obtaining calibration data for these models has not been economical. The development of a small scale experimental apparatus, known as the Laponite Tank, was developed for this thesis. The Laponite Tank provides a quick and economical means of measuring DEA trajectories, visually. The experimental data can then be used for calibrating models. The installation process of suctions caissons has benefited from from a more rational approach. Nevertheless, these methods require refinement and removal methodology requires development. In this thesis, an algorithm for modeling suction caisson installation in clay has been presented. An analytical method and modeling algorithm for removal processes of suction caissons in clay was also developed. The installation and removal models were calibrated to field data. These analytical and experimental studies can provide a better understanding of installation of drag embedment anchors and the installation and removal of suction caissons.

Extreme hurricane events of the past decade are responsible for several drag embedment anchor (DEA) mooring failures of mobile offshore drilling platforms stationed within the Gulf of Mexico. A proposed failure mechanism is caused by out-of-plane loading. The current status of DEA holding capacity is based on empirical design charts and does not include the effects of out-of-plane loading. Experimental modeling using a 1:10 scale generic DEA was performed at the Haynes Coastal Engineering Laboratory at Texas A & M University to examine the effects of out-of-plane load conditions. Instrumentation and specialized devices were constructed to measure the anchor's trajectory through a representative sample of Gulf of Mexico clay with average un-drained shear strength of 0.764 kPa (16 psf). The sediment basin allowed for drag distances of 4.87 m (16 ft) and an embedment depth of 1.37 m (4.5 ft). The measurements included pitch and roll of the anchor and line tension measured at the shank pad-eye. The variables modeled were fluke angle settings of 22°, 36° and 50°. The initial towline angle was varied from a minimum of 5° to upwards of 20°. Surface out-of-plane angles of 45° and 90° and embedment loading of 15°, 30° and 45° were examined. Curves of the ultimate holding capacity with respect to the out-of-plane towline angle and ultimate embedment depth were developed as functions of out-of-plane loading angles. Analysis of the rate effect indicates that a 46 percent increase in towing velocity causes an average 3 percent increase of holding capacity. The 50° fluke angle embeds an average of 0.7 fluke lengths deeper and has a holding capacity of 0.73 units greater than the 36° setting. The surface out-of-plane tests have a 5.1 percent reduction in holding capacity as the out-of-plane load angle increases from 45° to 90°. For all one fluke length initial towing distance tests, the ultimate holding capacity increases and the ultimate embedment depth decreases as the out-of-plane towing angle increases from 15° to 45°. The three fluke length initial towing distance tests indicate a contrasting trend, in that as the out-of-plane tow angle increases, both the ultimate holding capacity and ultimate embedment depth decrease.

The failed anchoring systems of mobile offshore drilling units from hurricanes occurring in 2004 and 2005 established a need to better understand the ultimate pullout capacity and trajectory of scaled model anchors under typical and out-of-plane loading conditions. The six degrees of freedom of small scale drag embedment anchors were studied in a laboratory testing environment with the intent that reasonable trends in anchor behavior will be found. Investigations within this experimental research program demonstrated the in-plane and out-of-plane loading behavior of conventional and prototype scaled model anchors embedded to predetermined depths in two different test beds of kaolinite clay with undrained shear strength profiles constant and increasing with depth. The anchors were loaded to failure in concentric, normal, concentric, shear, eccentric, normal, eccentric, shear, inclined, and drag embedment loading configurations. This series of pullout and drag embedment tests provided a suite of test results indicating behavioral trends of the varying holding capacities and anchor trajectories. Results were compared with similar research presented in the literature and an analytical model predicting out-of-plane loading behavior of similar anchors. It was concluded that increasing eccentricities from both concentric, normal and concentric, shear loading configurations resulted in decreasing bearing capacity factors, confirming the predicted trend from the analytical model for these loading configurations. Trajectories observed for the concentric, normal, concentric, shear, and eccentric, shear loading configurations showed that the anchors tracked straight out of the soil without deviation, but eccentric, normal loading found the anchor tending to track away from the initial loading location. For inclined loads, both anchors to track to whichever direction the anchor faced upon loading. Drag embedment trajectory was found to vary depending on the anchor, as the conventional anchor dove with an applied load and the prototype anchor rose towards the surface. / text

Mobile offshore drilling units are being used in the Gulf of Mexico to produce oil and gas. Anchoring systems such as drag embedment anchors and vertically loaded anchors are used to keep these units in place. Past mooring system failures due to hurricanes in 2004 and 2005 initiated a need to better understand the performance of these anchors to in-plane and out-of-plane loading conditions. In-plane and out-of-plane loading cause the anchor to translate or rotate in the directions of its six degrees of freedom. Behavior and holding capacity of the anchors when loaded in each of is six degrees of freedom are important in understanding and predicting their behavior. An experimental program was devised to investigate the behavior of anchors in pure translation and rotation loading. The scaled-model anchors were embedded at a measured depth in a soil bed of clay with an undrained shear strength between 10 and 20 psf and then loaded to failure. A rotation testing frame was designed to impose rotational loading in the yaw, roll and pitch directions. Test results from the experimental program are consistent and repeatable. The bearing factors for pure bearing fell well within the range of existing experimental and analytical studies on simple plates. Bearing factors for in-plane and out-of-plane shear and for all rotations are higher than those for simple plates due to presence of the shank. When the resistance is normalized by area of the fluke, the wider model provide greater normalized resistance to yawing, similar normalized resistance to pitching and rolling and less normalized resistance to bearing and shearing. It was concluded that the holding capacity of an anchor in its six degrees of freedom depends largely on its geometry, including the fluke and the shank. / text

Submitted by ERNESTO ABEL FERNANDO FRIEDMANN PALLAROLAS (ernofriedmann@hotmail.com) on 2017-10-06T13:46:59Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Tese Mestrado Final - Ernesto Pallarolas.pdf: 4098089 bytes, checksum: 7d480ea24092fc0882502d298d6dbd61 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Monique Sasaki (sayumi_sasaki@hotmail.com) on 2017-10-09T17:35:10Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 pallarolas_eaff_me_guara.pdf: 4098089 bytes, checksum: 7d480ea24092fc0882502d298d6dbd61 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-10-09T17:35:10Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 pallarolas_eaff_me_guara.pdf: 4098089 bytes, checksum: 7d480ea24092fc0882502d298d6dbd61 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-08-03 / Este trabalho teve a finalidade de estudar a resistência ao embutimento de ligações efetuadas por pinos metálicos (pregos) em peças estruturais de madeira. Para tanto foram consideradas três principais abordagens: analítica, numérica e experimental. Inicialmente foi efetuado um levantamento teórico sobre o tema, com base na literatura disponível, para avaliação da normalização nacional e internacional pertinente ao assunto. Na sequência foram realizados ensaios experimentais em corpos de prova compostos por madeiras de reflorestamento de pinus e eucalipto com ligações metálicas efetuadas por pinos metálicos com diâmetro de 6,5 mm. Os ensaios foram realizados de acordo com as recomendações das normas: brasileira ABNT NBR 7190:1997, europeia EUROCODE 5:2004 e americana ASTM D5764:2007 com posterior comparação entre os resultados obtidos para a resistência ao embutimento. Foi realizada uma análise estatística dos resultados obtidos, incluindo um estudo da resistência ao embutimento corrigida pela umidade e pela densidade. Foram calculados os valores analíticos teóricos de resistência ao embutimento mediante fórmulas propostos por cada norma e comparadas às médias dos valores experimentais obtidos pelas mesmas. Foi proposta também a análise do valor ideal de resistência por meio de métodos de análise de regressão segmentada sobre as curvas de comportamento de resposta do material. Por fim foram realizadas simulações numéricas no software ABAQUS, que tem como base o Método dos Elementos Finitos (MEF) para avaliação das distribuições de tensões nas regiões da ligação. Os resultados obtidos mostram que existem divergências significativas entre os valores experimentais de resistência ao embutimento obtidos através das normas estudadas quando comparados entre si. Também mostram que os valores analíticos calculados superestimam a resistência ao embutimento experimental para todas as normas. E ainda, que a resistência ao embutimento quando corrigida pela densidade apresenta melhor qualidade em termos de dispersão para o conjunto de dados estudado. Conclui-se que os métodos estatísticos de regressão segmentada estudados, podem ser uma boa alternativa para a modelagem do comportamento mecânico da madeira na obtenção de valores característicos mais invariantes e padronizados para os parâmetros de resistência. / This work had the purpose of studying the embedment resistance of connections made by metallic pins (nails) in structural pieces of wood. For that, three main approaches were considered: analytical, numerical and experimental. Initially, a theoretical survey was carried out on the subject, based on available literature, for the evaluation of national and international standardization related to the subject. Experimental tests were carried out on test specimens composed of pine and eucalyptus reforestation woods species with metal connections made by pins with a diameter of 6.5 mm. The tests were carried out according to the recommendations of Brazilian ABNT NBR 7190:1997, European EUROCODE 5:2004 and American ASTM D5764:2007 standards for further comparison between the obtained results for the embedment resistance. A statistical analysis of the obtained results was carried out, including a study of the resistance corrected by the humidity and the density. The theoretical analytical values of resistance were calculated using formulas proposed by each standard and compared to the averages of the experimental values. It was also proposed the analysis of the ideal resistance value by segmented regression analysis methods on the curves of the embedment behavior data set generated by the standards. Finally, numerical simulations were performed in ABAQUS software, which is based on the Finite Element Method (MEF) to evaluate the stress distributions in the bond areas. The obtained results showed that there are significant divergences between the experimental values of resistance obtained through the studied standards when compared to each other. They also show that the analytical calculated values overestimate the experimental resistance for all studied standards. Also, that the strength corrected by the density presents better dispersion perform quality for the studied data set. It is concluded that the studied statistical methods of segmented regression can be a good alternative for modeling the mechanical behavior of the wood to obtain characteristic values more invariant and standardized for the resistance parameters.

Connections in wood have been investigated and advanced ever since the ground-breaking work of Johansen in the early nineteenth century. Nevertheless, not much investigation has been undertaken on the existence of load-displacement path dependency in a sheathing-to-framing connection. Herein, a sheathing-to-framing connection is investigated in relation to displacement path dependency. This work uses 3D Finite Element beam-on-foundation models of an Oriented Strand Board (OSB/2) sheathing nailed to a C24 wood framing, to study possible strategies to numerically simulate the displacement path dependency. The models are used to study if non-linear elastic or elastic-plastic embedment properties of an annular-ringed shank nail in the wood-based materials bring about the path dependency using Connector elements in combination with different material models in the FE software Abaqus. Numerical results are compared with corresponding experimental test results of the connection together with the Eurocode 5 approach. The outcome of the numerical study both; confirms the existence of displacement path dependency and shows that this property in the connection can be described by plasticity properties in nail, sheathing material and the wood framing.

This research involves shake table testing of 1g scale models that mimic the coupled seismic response of a structure on a shallow mat foundation and foundation soil (known as soil-foundation-structural-interaction or SFSI). In previous research, SFSI effects have been quantified through analytical models, numerical analyses, and limited field data. This research works towards increasing the amount of empirical data through scale model shake table testing. A suite of earthquake time histories is considered in evaluating a nominal 10th scale soil-structure model using a flexible wall barrel on a 1-D shake table. San Francisco Young Bay Mud (YBM) is used as the prototype soil and long period narrow building as the prototype structure. Foundation embedment depth, fundamental mode of the structure, and seismic loading function are varied to generate a large database of SFSI results under controlled conditions. The foundation level response is compared to free-field responses to determine the magnitude of the SFSI. The results confirm the effects of foundation embedment on the peak ground motion and the spectral acceleration at the predominant period of the structure. The foundation level accelerations are deamplified compared to free-field results. Results also confirm the legitimacy of the testing platform and program by comparing the data to previous experimental study.