The importance of plates, with discontinuities in boundary supports in aeronautical and marine structures, have led to various techniques to solve plate problems with mixed edge support conditions. The domain decomposition method is one of the most effective of these techniques, providing accurate numerical solutions. This method is used to investigate the vibration and buckling of flat, isotropic, thin and elastic plates with mixed edge support conditions. Two practical approaches have been developed as an extension of the domain decomposition method, namely, the primary-secondary domain (PSD) approach and the line-domains (LD) approach. The PSD approach decomposes a plate into one primary domain and one/two secondary domain(s). The LD approach considers interconnecting boundaries as dominant domains whose basic functions take a higher edge restraint from the neighbouring edges. Convergence and comparison studies are carried out on a number of selected rectangular plate cases. Extensive practical plate problems with various shapes, combinations of mixed boundary conditions and different inplane loading conditions have been solved by the PSD and LD approaches. / Master of Engineering (Hons)

In an attempt to find a way of improving the damage tolerance of composite bonded repairs to metallic aircraft structures, the effect of using conventional crack growth retardation techniques in conjunction with bonded repairs was experimentally investigated. Hence, an experimental test program was set up to determine whether fatigue crack growth under bonded repairs is retarded further by giving the crack to be repaired a crack growth retardation treatment prior to repair patch application. In addition, it was set up to determine the influence of a bonded repair on the effectiveness of a crack growth retardation method. Centrally cracked aluminium plates were used. Stop drilling followed by cold hole expansion and the application of single overloads were selected as retardation treatments. Two patch materials were considered; boron/epoxy and Glare 2. Further test variables were the aluminium alloy and the plate thickness. Fatigue testing was carried out under constant amplitude loading and baseline results were determined first. In addition to optically monitoring the crack growth, local and global out-of-plane deformations were visualised with holographic interferometry and shadow moire??. Furthermore, the stress intensity factors under the repair patch were examined with strain gauges and measurement of the central crack opening displacement. Disbonds and fracture surfaces were studied after residual strength tests. The crack growth results obtained showed that retardation treatments decrease crack growth rates under a repair patch and that the effectiveness of a retardation treatment is increased by the patch. Although identical crack growth rates were observed under boron/epoxy and Glare 2 patches, the reinitiation period after the retardation treatment lasted longer when Glare 2 patches were applied. Analytical predictions of the extent of retardation based on existing models showed that the conjunctive effect of retardation treatments and bonded repairs was underestimated. A sustained reduction in crack growth rates was observed under bonded repairs with a prior overload retardation treatment. It was concluded that the damage tolerance of bonded repairs is increased by the application of a crack growth retardation treatment because the crack growth is retarded further. These findings indicate that the range of cracks in aircraft for which bonded repairs can be considered is expanded and that economic benefits can be obtained.

Shape control of a structure with distributed piezoelectric actuators can be achieved through optimally selecting the loci, shapes and sizes of the piezoelectric actuators and choosing the electric fields applied to the actuators. Shape control can be categorised as either static or dynamic shape control. Whether it is a transient or gradual change, static or dynamic shape control, both aim to determine the loci, sizes, and shapes of piezoelectric actuators, and the applied voltages such that a desired structural shape is achieved effectively. This thesis is primarily concerned with establishing a finite element formulation for the general smart laminated composite plate structure, which is capable to analyse static and dynamic deformation using non-rectangular elements. The mechanical deformation of the smart composite plate is modelled using a third order plate theory, while the electric field is simulated based on a layer-wise theory. The finite element formulation for static and dynamics analysis is verified by comparing with available numerical results. Selected experiments have also been conducted to measure structural deformation and the experimental results are used to correlate with those of the finite element formulation for static analysis. In addition, the Linear Least Square (LLS) method is employed to study the effect of different piezoelectric actuator patch pattern on the results of error function, which is the least square error between the calculated and desired structural shapes in static structural shape control. The second issue of this thesis deals with piezoelectric actuator design optimisation (PADO) for quasi-static shape control by finding the applied voltage and the configuration of piezoelectric actuator patch to minimise error function, whereas the piezoelectric actuator configuration is defined based on the optimisation technique of altering nodal coordinates (size/shape optimisation) or eliminating inefficient elements in a structural mesh (topology optimisation). Several shape control algorithms are developed to improve the structural shape control by reducing the error function. Further development of the GA-based voltage and piezoelectric actuator design optimisation method includes the constraint handling, where the error function can be optimised subjected to energy consumption or other way around. The numerical examples are presented in order to verify that the proposed algorithms are applicable to quasi-static shape control based on voltage and piezoelectric actuator design optimisation (PADO) in terms of minimising the error function. The third issue is to use the present finite element formulation for a modal shape control and for controlling resonant vibration of smart composite plate structures. The controlled resonant vibration formulation is developed. Modal analysis and LLS methods are also employed to optimise the applied voltage to piezoelectric actuators for achieving the modal shapes. The Newmark direct time integration method is used to study harmonic excitation of smart structures. Numerical results are presented to induce harmonic vibration of structure with controlled magnitude via adjusting the damping and to verify the controlled resonant vibration formulation.

On étudie des familles rigides de connexions de selles sur des surfaces de demi-translation. Les configurations correspondantes sont une première étape pour comprendre la géométrie à l'infini des strates de l'espace des modules des différentielles quadratiques. On étend un résultat de Masur et Zorich en classifiant ces configurations pour chaque composante connexe de strate dès que le genre est supérieur à cinq. <br /><br />On regarde ensuite de façon plus fine des dégénérescences particulières et on prouve en particulier qu'une strate n'admet qu'un seul bout topologique lorsque le genre est zéro.<br /><br />Le lien entre surfaces de translation et échanges d'intervalles fournit un outil puissant pour l'étude du flot de Teichmüller. On propose une généralisation de cette représentation au cadre des différentielles quadratiques. On relie les propriétés géométriques et dynamiques de ces applications à des critères combinatoires explicites portant sur les permutations généralisées associées.

Aujourd'hui, les plates-formes hétérogènes et partagées que sont les grilles de calcul sont omniprésentes. De plus, le besoin d'exécuter des applications parallèles complexes est croissant. Cette thèse vise à ordonnancer des applications représentées par des graphes de tâches modelables (dont le nombre de processeurs est fixé par l'ordonnanceur) sur des grilles de calcul en exploitant le maximum de parallélisme, utilisant efficacement les ressources, gérant l'hétérogénéité et le partage des ressources. Nous avons pour cela opté pour des heuristiques pragmatiques car, bien qu'elles n'offrent pas de garantie de performance, elles peuvent néanmoins conduire à de bonnes performances moyennes tout en construisant des ordonnancements en des temps relativement courts. La plupart des heuristiques existantes n'ordonnancent les applications parallèles mixtes qu'en milieu homogène et utilisent parfois inefficacement les ressources. Nous avons donc tout d'abord étudié différentes heuristiques dans le cas de plates-formes homogènes et proposé des améliorations visant à améliorer le compromis entre réduction du temps de complétion et efficacité. Nous avons ensuite introduit la gestion de l'hétérogénéité dans l'heuristique proposée et comparé ses performances à celles d'un algorithme garanti. Enfin, nous avons tenu compte du caractère partagé des grilles en gérant la concurrence entre applications. L'approche retenue consiste à limiter la quantité de ressources que chaque application peut utiliser pour construire son ordonnancement. Nous avons également proposé plusieurs stratégies de détermination de cette contrainte de ressources.

La détention et l'usage des instruments de paiement se sont considérablement développés dans les pays industrialisés. Le succès des cartes de paiement peut s'expliquer par la présence de systèmes de paiement interbancaires, comme "Visa" ou "MasterCard", organisant les interactions entre la banque du porteur, l'émetteur, et la banque du commerçant, l'acquéreur. Cette thèse s'intéresse à un mécanisme d'allocation des coûts particulier pratiqué par les plates-formes de paiement: les interchanges. On appelle "interchange" la subvention versée par la banque du commerçant à la banque du porteur à chaque fois qu'un consommateur utilise sa carte de paiement. En faisant baisser le prix payé par le consommateur pour une transaction, les interchanges contribuent à encourager l'usage des cartes de paiement au détriment des espèces. La thèse s'articule autour de deux problématiques. La première problématique concerne l'effet des interchanges sur les investissements des acteurs des systèmes de paiement par carte. La seconde problématique traite de l'impact des interchanges sur la substitution entre la carte de paiement et les espèces. Dans le premier chapitre de la thèse, nous effectuons une analyse empirique de l'industrie des cartes de paiement en France et en Europe. Dans le second chapitre de la thèse, nous construisons un modèle théorique destiné à présenter les résultats de la littérature sur les interchanges. Dans le troisième chapitre, nous abordons la question de l'influence des interchanges sur les investissements des banques pour améliorer la qualité du service de paiement, et sur les investissements des commerçants pour contourner la plate-forme, en émettant des cartes privatives. Dans le quatrième chapitre de la thèse, nous traitons de l'impact des interchanges sur les mécanismes de substitution entre la carte et les espèces.

Design of commercial aircraft structure, composed of composite material, requires the prediction of failure loads given large scale damage. In particular, a fuselage of graphite/epoxy lamination was analyzed for damage tolerance given a standard large crack that severed both skin and internal structure. Upon loading, a zone of damage is known to develop in front of a crack-tip in composite laminates; and, its material behavior within the damage zone is characterized as strain softening. This investigation sought to develop a computational model that simulates progressive damage growth and predicts failure of complex laminated shell structures subject to combined tensile and flexural load conditions. This was accomplished by assuming a macroscopic definition of orthotropic damage that is allowed to vary linearly through the shell thickness. It was further proposed that nonlocal plate strain and curvature act to force damage growth according to a set of uniaxial criteria. Damage induced strain softening is exhibited by degradation of laminate stiffness. An expression for the damage reduced laminated plate stiffness was derived which assumed the familiar laminated plate [AM] stiffness matrix format. The model was implemented in a finite element shell program for simulation of fracture and evaluation of damage tolerance. Laminates were characterized for damage resistance according to material parameters defining nonlocal strain and the damage growth criteria. These parameters were selected using an inverse method to correlate simulation with uniaxial strength and fracture test results. A novel combined tension-plus-flexure fracture test was developed to facilitate this effort. Analysis was performed on a section of pressurized composite fuselage containing a large crack. Good agreement was found between calculations and test results. / Graduation date: 1998

Thesis (M.Eng.)--Memorial University of Newfoundland, 2005. / Bibliography: leaves 116-121.

We consider the application of least-squares variational principles and the finite element method to the numerical solution of boundary value problems arising in the fields of solidand fluidmechanics.For manyof these problems least-squares principles offer many theoretical and computational advantages in the implementation of the corresponding finite element model that are not present in the traditional weak form Galerkin finite element model.Most notably, the use of least-squares principles leads to a variational unconstrained minimization problem where stability conditions such as inf-sup conditions (typically arising in mixed methods using weak form Galerkin finite element formulations) never arise. In addition, the least-squares based finite elementmodelalways yields a discrete system ofequations witha symmetric positive definite coeffcientmatrix.These attributes, amongst manyothers highlightedand detailed in this work, allow the developmentofrobust andeffcient finite elementmodels for problems of practical importance. The research documented herein encompasses least-squares based formulations for incompressible and compressible viscous fluid flow, the bending of thin and thick plates, and for the analysis of shear-deformable shell structures.

The tension-compression vibration of an elastic cusped plate is studied under all the reasonable boundary conditions at the cusped edge, while at the noncusped edge displacements and at the upper and lower faces of the plate stresses are given.