Large displacement and large strain problems of mechanical systems can be solved mainly by four methods. These are Floating Frame of Reference, Incremental Finite Element, Large Rotation Vector and Absolute Nodal Coordinate Formulations (ANCF). Due to exact rigid body representation, simple mass matrix structure and non-incremental formulation, ANCF is more convenient in analyzing flexible multibody systems. However, it is limited to problems with regular boundaries, currently. The aim of the thesis is to improve the current ANCF in order to handle various problems with irregular boundaries. For this purpose, firstly meshfree ANCF has been developed to analyze flexible multibody systems. Verification of the developed meshfree formulation has been performed for beam type structures and accurate results have been obtained. Then, &ldquo / ANCF with Virtual Element Mapping Method&rdquo / has been proposed to overcome the boundary problems of the current formulations. The proposed method has been implemented to plane stress, plane strain, plate/shell and 3D solid finite elements. Verification of the proposed method has been performed by using the patch test problems available in the literature. Besides, it has been verified by various flexible multibody problems with large deformations. Additionally, shape function polynomials for thin plate assumption have been derived. It is observed that developed formulations and methods can be useful not only for flexible multibody systems but also for structural mechanics problems subjected to large deformations and/or rotations. The proposed methods and formulations are more efficient than the current formulations in the literature due to extended shape limits of finite elements.

This thesis explores experimentally and theoretically two different aspects of the properties and behaviour of metals: their ability to damp noise and their susceptibility to crack when solidifying. The first part concerns intrinsic material damping, and is motivated by increased demands from society for reductions in noise emissions. It is a material’s inherent ability to reduce its vibration level, and hence noise emission, and transform its kinetic energy into a temperature increase. To design new materials with increased intrinsic material damping, we need to be able to measure it. In this thesis, different methods for measurement of the intrinsic damping have been considered: one using Fourier analysis has been experimentally evaluated, and another using a specimen in uniaxial tension to measure the phase-lag between stress and strain has been improved. Finally, after discarding these methods, a new method has been developed. The new method measures the damping properties during compression using differential calorimetry. A specimen is subjected to a cyclic uniaxial stress to give a prescribed energy input. The difference in temperature between a specimen under stress and a non-stressed reference sample is measured. The experiments are performed in an insulated vacuum container to reduce convective losses. The rate of temperature change, together with the energy input, is used as a measure of the intrinsic material damping in the specimen. The results show a difference in intrinsic material damping, and the way in which it is influenced by the internal structure is discussed. The second part of the thesis examines hot cracks in solidifying shells. Most metals have a brittle region starting in the two-phase temperature range during solidification and for some alloys this region extends as far as hundreds of degrees below the solidus temperature. To calculate the risk of hot cracking, one needs, besides knowledge of the solidifying material’s ability to withstand stress, knowledge of the casting process to be able to calculate the thermal history of the solidification, and from this calculate the stress. In this work, experimental methods to measure and evaluate the energy transfer from the solidifying melt have been developed. The evaluated data has been used as a boundary condition to numerically calculate the solidification process and the evolving stress in the solidifying shell. A solidification model has been implemented using a fixed-domain methodology in a commercial finite element code, Comsol Multiphysics. A new solidification model using an arbitrary Lagrange Eulerian (ALE) formulation has also been implemented to solve the solidification problem for pure metals. This new model explicitly tracks the movement of the liquid/solid interface and is much more effective than the first model. / QC 20100929

This thesis work aims the ionic liquid pretreatment of peanut shells for co-production of glucose as fermentable sugar and lignin, considering a multi product perspective. The effects of ionic liquid type and pretreatment time period on the sugar and lignin yields were investigated, as the particle size and temperature parameters were determined in the preliminary studies. Peanut shells were pretreated at constant temperature, 150 oC, for 5, 15 and 30 minutes with 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate and for 15, 30 and 60 minutes with 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride. The pretreated peanut shells were then subjected to enzymatic hydrolysis in order to produce fermentable sugars, mostly, glucose. The solid residue obtained upon enzymatic hydrolysis was analyzed in terms of lignin quantity. 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate pretreatment for 15 minutes resulted in the maximum reducing sugar and lignin yields / 28 g of reducing sugar and 20 g of solid residue with 70% lignin were obtained per 100 g of peanut shells. Higher pretreatment time resulted in lower yields. Moreover, no optimal time period for 1-ethyl-3- methylimidazolium chloride pretreatment was obtained, since reducing sugar and lignin yields increased as the time period increased. Also all reducing sugar and lignin yields were lower than that obtained with 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate. Lignin obtained upon enzymatic hydrolysis of 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate pretreated peanut shells were characterized by SEM, FTIR, TGA and XRD analyses, which also showed the morphological and structural effects of pretreatment and enzymatic hydrolysis on peanut shells / and used as concrete admixture, which increased the flow of the concrete by 6%.

No description available.

The objective of the present study is the computational and analytical modelling of a stress and strain state of the composite laminated structures. The exact three dimensional solution is derived for laminated anisotropic thick cylinders with both constant and variable material properties through the thickness of a layer. The governing differential equations are derived in a such form that to satisfy the stress functions and are given for layered cylindrical shell with open ends. The solution then extended to the laminated cylindrical shells with closed ends, that is to pressure vessels. Based on the accurate three-dimensional stress analysis an approach for the optimal design of the thick pressure vessels is formulated. Cylindrical pressure vessels are optimised taking the fibre angle as a design variable to maximise the burst pressure. The effect of the axial force on the optimal design is investigated. Numerical results are given for both single and laminated (up to five layers) cylindrical shells. The maximum burst pressure is computed using the three-dimensional interactive Tsai-: Wu failure criterion, which takes into account the influence of all stress components to the failure. Design optimisation of multilayered composite pressure vessels are based on the use of robust multidimensional methods which give fast convergence. Transverse shear and normal deformation higher-order theory for the solution of dynamic problems of laminated plates and shells is studied. The theory developed is based on the kinematic hypotheses which are derived using iterative technique. Dynamic effects, such as forces of inertia and the direct influence of external loading on the stress and strain components are included at the initial stage of derivation where kinematic hypotheses are formulated. The proposed theory and solution methods provide a basis for theoretical and applied studies in the field of dynamics and statics of the laminated shells, plates and their systems, particularly for investigation of dynamic processes related to the highest vibration forms and wave propagation, for optimal design etc. Geometrically nonlinear higher-order theory of laminated plates and shells with shear and normal deformation is derived. The theory takes into account both transverse shear and normal deformations. The number of numerical results are obtained based on the nonlinear theory developed. The results illustrate importance of the influence of geometrical nonlinearity, especially, at high levels of loading and in case when the laminae exhibit significant differences in their elastic properties. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of Natal, Durban, 1995.

Σκοπός της παρούσας εργασίας ήταν η δημιουργία ενός ευφυούς συστήματος για τη διάγνωση νοσημάτων του προστάτη αδένα με βάση σημεία και συμπτώματα που διαπιστώνονται σε έναν ασθενή όπως καταγράφονται κατά την κλινική του εξέταση. Τα βασικά σημεία της εργασίας είναι τα εξής: αρχικά παράγεται το μοντέλο της διαγνωστικής στρατηγικής που ακολουθείται για τη διάγνωση των συγκεκριμένων παθήσεων και στη συνέχεια γίνεται εκμαίευση της διαγνωστικής γνώσης από ειδικούς ή/και από εμπειρικά δεδομένα. Η διαδικασία και η γνώση αναπαρίστανται με χρήση υβριδικών μεθόδων αναπαράστασης και με τη χρήση ασάφειας ή/και αβεβαιότητας, η οποία είναι εγγενής σε τέτοια διαγνωστικά συστήματα. Το σύστημα αναπτύχθηκε με τέτοια εργαλεία που δίνουν την δυνατότητα στέγασής του σε ιστότοπο ώστε να χρησιμοποιηθεί ως ειδικός συμβουλευτικός οδηγός από ενδιαφερομένους μη ειδικούς ιατρούς & από ασθενείς καθώς και από φοιτητές υγειονομικών σχολών για εκπαιδευτική χρήση. Το σύστημα περιέχει γνώση εμπειρογνωμόνων σε συνδυασμό με στοιχεία πλούσιας βιβλιογραφικής αναζήτησης και μελέτης. Τέλος πραγματοποιήθηκε επικύρωση των αποτελεσμάτων μέσα από μια τυχαιοποιημένη κλινική έρευνα. Η υλοποίηση του συστήματος μας στηρίζεται σε ένα ειδικό κέλυφος δημιουργίας ευφυών συστημάτων και σε εργαλεία μεθόδων μηχανικής μάθησης. Επίσης, υλοποιούνται δύο εκδοχές (Hirofilos Ι & ΙΙ) και γίνεται σύγκριση των απο-τελεσμάτων. Αναγνωρίστηκε η σαφής υπεροχή του Hirofilos ΙΙ που αναπτυχθηκε με σύστημα μηχανικής εκμάθησης και με δυνατότητα διαχρονικής αναβάθμισης. / During making this project our concern was the creation of a new expert system for diagnosis prostate disease depending on the clinical status of a patient as these are identified during medical examination. The main points were as follows: First has been constructed a diagnosis process model which was followed by the diagnosis for the most common prostate diseases. Secondly was implemented extracting of the medical knowledge based on specialists or/and experimental data. The whole process and the medical Knowledge will be developed using hybrid methods of representation and having the partcipation of such saying fuzziness or inaccuracy, that is innate in that kind of intelligent decision-support. The new intelligent system is already accommodated on a hospital server and is used as a decision-support system, as well as an e-learning platform for medical students. For the implementation of the new system have been used an expert system shell and knowledge engineering tools.

Thesis (MA)--University of Stellenbosch, 2001. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The aim of this study is to investigate man's use of the mollusk within selected art forms, and to use the research results to design a contemporary museum exhibition, relevant within a South African context. Two sections are presented. In section A the selected art forms, fine arts, architecture, furniture design, masks and music and other sound instruments are thoroughly investigated to determine in what way the mollusk/shell is used in or on these art forms. A large number of figures are included to illustrate the available examples, and to aid the reader in the visualization of these applications. In section B a design solution is presented, based on the research results of section A. The compilation of an exhibition team and the whole design process, from the choice of an exhibition theme to the evaluation of the exhibition, is investigated. The exhibition designer plays the important role of interpreting the research results and to compile a design solution. A wide variety of exhibition techniques are recommended for the design solution, including theatre productions, special lighting and sound effects, demonstrations and tours. A number of figures are included, where photos taken during the museum visitations and design sketches provide further insight into the design solution. From the research results it was noted that an educational subject such as the mollusk/shell, can be made timely and attractive for the museum visitor by the use of creative, contemporary and relative exhibition techniques. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die doel van hierdie studie is om die mens se benutting van die mollusk in geselekteerde kunsvorme te ondersoek en om die navorsingsresultate te gebruik om 'n eietydse en kreatiewe museumuitstalling, relevant binne die Suid-Afrikaanse konteks, te ontwerp. Twee afdelings word aangebied. In afdeling A word die geselekteerde kunsvorme, beeldende kunste, argitektuur, meubeIkuns, maskers en musiek- en ander kIankinstrumente deeglik ondersoek om vas te stel op watter wyse die mollusk/skulp daarin of daarop gebruik word. 'n Groot aantal figure word ingesluit om die beskikbare voorbeelde te illustreer en op so 'n wyse visuaIisasie vir die leser te vergemaklik. In afdeling B word 'n ontwerpoplossing aangebied, gebaseer op die navorsingsresultate van afdeling A Die samestelling van 'n uitstalspan en die hele ontwerpproses, vanaf die keuse van 'n uitstalterna tot die evaluering van die uitstalling, word ondersoek. Die uitstaIontwerper vertolk die belangrike rol om die navorsingsresultate te interpreteer en 'n ontwerpoplossing daaruit saam te stel. 'n Groot verskeidenheid uitstaltegnieke word vir die ontwerpoplossing aanbeveel, wat onder meer teateraanbiedings, spesiale beligting- en klankeffekte, demonstrasies en toere insluit. 'n Verskeidenheid figure word ingesluit waar foto's, geneem tydens die ter plaatse ondersoeke, en ontwerpsketse 'n aanduiding van die ontwerpoplossing gee. Uit die navorsingsresultate kon daar vasgestel word dat 'n opvoedkundige onderwerp soos die mollusk/skulp, deur die gebruik van kreatiewe, eietydse en relevante uitstaltegnieke, vir die museumbesoeker aktueel en aantreklik gemaak kan word.

[pt] Este trabalho apresenta um estudo do comportamento não- linear e instabilidade de cascas e painéis cilíndricos laminados de materiais compósitos. Com esta finalidade é desenvolvida uma formulação de alta ordem de deformação cisalhante que leva en conta estes efeitos nas relações deformação-deslocamento. O comportamento da casca é descrito por uma consistente teoria não-linear para cascas laminadas que considera pequenas deformações e rotações moderadas e incorpora automaticamente o efeito das deformações cisalhantes. O modelo de bifurcação clássico é utilizado para estudar a estabilidade da casca compósita. O comportamento pós-crítico é examinado a partir de uma solução modal obtida com técnicas de perturbação. Em ambos os casos aplica-se o método de Rayleigh-Ritz para discretizar o sistema de equações diferenciais de equilíbrio em um sistema de equações algébricas. O método de Newton-Raphson é empregado na resolução das equações não- lineares de equilíbrio do caminho pós-crítico e na obtenção do caminho fundamental da estrutura imperfeita. A implementação numérica (em álgebra simbólica) é feita utilizando a linguagem de programação Maple V release 3. É então desenvolvido um estudo paramétrico com o objetivo de determinar a influência dos parâmetros geométricos e das características próprias do laminado (número de lâminas e orientação das fibras) na resposta crítica e pós-crítica da casca compósita para dois tipos de carregamento, a saber: pressão lateral e compressão axial. É analisado, também, o grau de sensibilidade às imperfeições geométricas destas estruturas. São apresentadas comparações dos resultados teóricos aqui obtidos com outros existentes na literatura com o objetivo de demonstrar a confiabilidade da formulação e metodologia numérica aqui desenvolvidas. / [en] The purpose of the present work is to study the non-linear behaviour and instability of laminated composite cylindrical shells and panels under axial and pressure loading. The analysis is performed within a refined non- linear theory for composite laminated shells incorporating the effects of transverse shear and the geometric imperfections. The classical bifurcation theory is used to analyze the critical behavior of the shell. To examine the post-critical behavior of the shell, a modal solution based on the basic ideas of Koiter`s theory is deduced and the Rayleigh-Ritz method together with the Newton-Raphson strategy are used to solve the non-linear equilibrium problem and plot either the post-critical path or the non- linear equilibrium path of the imperfect shell. The analytical and numerical procedures were performed by the use of the symbolic algebra package Maple V release 3. The influence played by the geometrical parametrs of the shell and physical parameters of the composite laminate, such as stacking sequences and fiber orientation in each lamina, on the critical and post-critical behavior of the shell is examined and a series of conclusions are outlined. The imperfection sensitivity of these shells is also analyzed. Comparisons of the present results with those obtained by other theories and experiments are found to be satisfactory and show the validity of the present methodology. / [es] Este trabajo presenta un estudio de la inestabilidad y comportamiento no lineal y la inestabilidad de cortezas y paneles cilíndricos laminados de materiales compuestos. Con esta finalidad se desarrolla una formulación de alta orden de deformación cisallante que considera estos hechos en las relaciones deformación desplazamiento. EL comportamiento de la corteza se describe a través de una consistente teoría no lineal para cascas laminadas. Esta teoría considera pequeñas deformaciones y rotaciones moderadas e incorpora automáticamente las deformaciones cisallantes. El modelo de bifurcación clásico se utiliza para estudiar la estabilidad de la corteza. El comportamiento poscrítico se examina a partir de una solución modal obtenida con técnicas de perturbación. En ambos casos se aplica el método de Rayleigh Ritz para discretizar el sistema de ecuaciones diferenciales de equilibrio en un sistema de ecuaciones algébraicas. El método de Newton Raphson es utilizado en la resolución de las ecuaciones no lineares de equilibrio del camino postcrítico y en la obtención del camino fundamental de la extructura imperfecta. La implementación numérica (en álgebra simbólica) se realiza utilizando el lenguaje de programación Maple V release 3. Con el objetivo de determinar la influencia de los parámetros geométricos y de las características proprias del laminado en la respuesta crítica y postcrítica de la casca compósita, se realiza un estudio paramétrico para para dos tipos de carga: presión lateral y compresión axial. Se analiza también, el grado de sensibilidad a las imperfeiciones geométricas de estas extructuras. Finalmente, y con el objetivo de demostrar la confiabilidad de la formulación y la metodología numérica aqui desarrolladas, se comparan los resultados teóricos obtenidos con los reportados en la literatura.

[pt] A análise das ressonâncias internas em sistemas estruturais contínuos é uma das principais áreas de pesquisa no campo da dinâmica não linear. A ressonância interna entre dois modos de vibração ocorre quando a proporção de suas frequências naturais é um número inteiro. De particular importância, devido à sua influência na resposta estrutural, é a ressonância interna 1:1, geralmente associada às simetrias do sistema, a ressonância interna 1:2, devida às não linearidades quadráticas e a ressonância 1:3 decorrente de não linearidades cúbicas. A ressonância interna permite a transferência de energia entre os modos de vibração relacionados, levando geralmente a novos fenômenos com profunda influência sobre a estabilidade da resposta dinâmica. As cascas de revolução geralmente exibem ressonâncias internas devido à inerente simetria circunferencial e um denso espectro de frequência em sua faixa de frequências mais baixas. Isso pode levar não apenas a ressonâncias internas do tipo m:n, mas a múltiplas ressonâncias internas. Nesta tese é realizada a análise de múltiplas ressonâncias internas em cascas cilíndricas delgadas, em particular as ressonâncias internas de 1:1:1:1 e 1:1:2:2 são investigadas em detalhes, um tópico pouco explorado na literatura técnica. A investigação de ressonâncias internas em sistemas contínuos geralmente é realizada usando modelos discretos de baixa dimensão. Embora alguns trabalhos anteriores tenham investigado ressonâncias internas do tipo m:n em cascas cilíndricas, muitos resultados não são consistentes, uma vez que os modelos discretos derivados não consideram os acoplamentos modais devido a não linearidades quadráticas e cúbicas. Aqui, usando um procedimento de perturbação, expansões modais consistentes são derivadas para um número arbitrário de modos de interação, levando a modelos de baixa dimensão confiáveis. A precisão desses modelos é corroborada usando o método Karhunen-Loève. Finalmente, é bem sabido que pequenas imperfeições geométricas da ordem da espessura da casca têm uma forte influência na sua resposta não linear. No entanto, sua influência nas ressonâncias internas, instabilidade dinâmica e transferência de energia é desconhecida. Assim, a influência de diferentes tipos de imperfeição modal é devidamente considerada na presente análise. Utilizando os modelos discretos aqui derivados, é apresentada uma análise detalhada das bifurcações, utilizando técnicas de continuação e o critério de estabilidade de Floquet, esclarecendo a importância das ressonâncias internas nas vibrações não lineares e instabilidades de cascas cilíndricas. Os resultados também confirmam que a forma e a magnitude das imperfeições geométricas iniciais têm uma influência profunda nos resultados, permitindo ou impedindo a transferência de energia entre os modos ressonantes considerados. / [en] The analysis of internal resonances in continuous structural systems is one of the main research areas in the field of nonlinear dynamics. Internal resonance between two vibration modes occur when the ratio of their natural frequencies in an integer number. Of particular importance, due to its influence on the structural response, is the 1:1 internal resonance, usually associated with system symmetries, the 1:2 internal resonance, due to quadratic nonlinearities, and the 1:3 resonance arising from cubic nonlinearities. The internal resonance enables the energy transfer between the related vibration modes, leading usually to new phenomena with profound influence on the stability of the dynamic response. Shells of revolution usually exhibit internal resonances due to the inherent circumferential symmetry and a dense frequency spectrum in their lower frequency range. This may lead not only to m:n internal resonances, but also multiple internal resonances. In this thesis, the analysis of multiple internal resonances in slender cylindrical shells is conducted, in particular 1:1:1:1 and 1:1:2:2 internal resonances are investigated in detail, a topic rarely found in the technical literature. The investigation of internal resonances in continuous systems is usually conducted using low dimensional discrete models. Although some previous works have investigated m:n internal resonances in cylindrical shells, many results are not consistent since the derived discrete models do not consider the modal couplings due to quadratic and cubic nonlinearities. Here, using a perturbation procedure, consistent modal expansions are derived for an arbitrary number of interacting modes, leading to reliable low dimensional models. The accuracy of these models is corroborated using the Karhunen-Loève method. Finally, it is well known that small geometric imperfections of the order of the shell thickness has a strong influence on the shell nonlinear response. However, their influence on internal resonances, dynamic instability and energy transfer is largely unknown. Thus, the influence of different types of modal imperfection is properly considered in the present analysis. Using the derived discrete models, a detail bifurcation analysis, using continuation techniques and Floquet stability criterion, is presented, clarifying the importance of internal resonances on the nonlinear vibrations and instabilities of cylindrical shells. The results also confirm that the form and magnitude of initial geometric imperfections has a profound influence on the results enabling or preventing the energy transfer among the considered resonant modes.

In transport of fluids or even as structural elements, cylindrical shells are widely used in several segments of structure engineering. The understanding of the behavior of this type of structure along a trajectory of equilibrium resultant of a description of historical loading of different natures and, consequently, is important in the definition of the real load capacity of the ducts. In this work, a finite element for geometric and threedimensional nonlinear analyses of pipes is developed. Taking into account the nature of the analysis, proper measure of tension and deformation that are compatible with states of large deformations and displacements are studied. The Total Lagrangean formulation is adopted, but the constitutive relationships used are linear. The developed computational implementation uses a three-dimensional finite element of pipe with 2 or 3 nodes, compatible with the state of great deformations and displacements, and, also, incorporating the movements of rigid body of the structure.In order to map the nonlinear trajectories of equilibrium, using some methodologies proposed in the literature, a structure of Object-Oriented Programming is used. It allows the application of different techniques of incremental and iterative analysis integrated to the implementation of the aforementioned finite elements.Aiming to validate the formulation, the results obtained by using the program here developed are evaluated through their comparison with analytical solutions and previously published results. / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / No transporte de fluidos ou mesmo como elementos estruturais as cascas cilíndricas são largamente utilizadas em diversos segmentos da engenharia civil. A compreensão do comportamento desse tipo de estrutura ao longo de uma trajetória de equilíbrio resultante de um histórico de carregamento de diferentes naturezas é importante na definição da real capacidade portante dos dutos. Neste trabalho, desenvolve-se um elemento finito para análises geometricamente não lineares tridimensionais de tubos. Levando-se em consideração a natureza da análise, são estudadas medidas adequadas de tensão e deformação, compatíveis com regimes de grandes deformações e deslocamentos. A formulação Lagrangeana Total é adotada, mas as relações constitutivas utilizadas são lineares. A implementação computacional desenvolvida emprega um elemento finito tridimensional de tubo com 2 ou 3 nós, compatível com o regime de grandes deformações e deslocamentos, incorporando, também, os movimentos de corpo rígido da estrutura. Com o objetivo de mapear as trajetórias não lineares de equilíbrio, utilizando-se algumas metodologias propostas na literatura, é usada uma estrutura de programação orientada a objetos, permitindo a aplicação de diferentes técnicas de análise incremental e iterativa integradas à implementação de elementos finitos supracitada. Visando validar a formulação, os resultados obtidos no programa desenvolvido são avaliados através da comparação com soluções analíticas e outras análises numéricas disponíveis na literatura.