No description available.

<p> Large ducts are used to carry air and flue gases to and from industrial processes and can be subjected to a variety of loading conditions. To maintain the structural integrity of the ducts, stiffeners are attached to the casing to form a more rigid frame. Stiffeners protect the duct casing by reducing the unsupported span of the plate, hold the original shape of the duct, and are used for overall duct support or restraint. </p> <p> Current methods used to size stiffeners on industrial ducts are derived from standard equations used for beam design in buildings with some accommodation for the composite section formed by the beam and casing plate. These methods are shown to be significantly conservative with a safety factor in the order of four to five. This large conservatism in the design results in higher capital costs and construction costs. </p> <p> To determine the actual capacity of a stiffener beam relative to the design limit, an experimental program was developed. A box was fabricated with a removable top plate that incorporated one of two different beam stiffeners. The box was subjected to a vacuum pressure and the response of the beams was monitored until their final collapse. </p> <p> A finite element model was developed to simulate the experiment. Reasonable agreement between the finite element model and the experimental data was found. Subsequently, a parametric study was conducted using the developed finite element model. </p> <p> An alternative analytical design method was presented that took into account composite action. This includes the location of the neutral axis, the location of the load along the height of the beam, and the contribution of the web to the support of the outstanding compression flange. Each of these factors provides an increase in bending capacity for the stiffener. </p> <p> The proposed alternative method continues to provide conservative results relative to the point of failure determined by both the experimental program and the finite element analysis. However, the results are substantially less conservative than what is provided through the current design methods. </p> / Thesis / Master of Applied Science (MASc)

Este trabalho apresenta um novo modelo de análise de falha em estruturas metal-polímero que, além de considerar a falha independente no metal ou no polímero, leva em consideração a falha na região de interface metal-polímero em decorrência de desgaste por deslizamento, quando existe movimento relativo entre as superfícies. Inicialmente, o estudo apresenta as principais características dos metais e polímeros e os mecanismos de falha mais relevantes. Faz a proposta do modelo de análise de falha e por último, apresenta a análise completa de falha de enrijecedores à flexão, uma estrutura metal-polímero utilizada pela indústria de óleo e gás. O modelo proposto permite fazer a previsão da taxa de desgaste de polímeros por deslizamento em função do ângulo da aspereza da superfície metálica, em situações onde a falha é gerada por fadiga de alto ciclo. / This work presents a new model for evaluating the failure in polymer-metal structures that, besides considering the isolated failure in metal or polymer, considers the failure in the polymer-metal interface region due to sliding wear, when there is relative movement between the surfaces. Initially, the study presents the main characteristics of metals and polymers and the most relevant failure mechanisms. Makes the proposed failure analysis model and, finally, shows the complete analysis of failure in bending stiffeners, a polymer-metal structure used by the oil and gas industry. The proposed model allows the prediction of the wear rate of polymers by sliding a function of asperity´s angle of the metal surface in situations where failure is generated by high cycle fatigue.

Este trabalho apresenta um novo modelo de análise de falha em estruturas metal-polímero que, além de considerar a falha independente no metal ou no polímero, leva em consideração a falha na região de interface metal-polímero em decorrência de desgaste por deslizamento, quando existe movimento relativo entre as superfícies. Inicialmente, o estudo apresenta as principais características dos metais e polímeros e os mecanismos de falha mais relevantes. Faz a proposta do modelo de análise de falha e por último, apresenta a análise completa de falha de enrijecedores à flexão, uma estrutura metal-polímero utilizada pela indústria de óleo e gás. O modelo proposto permite fazer a previsão da taxa de desgaste de polímeros por deslizamento em função do ângulo da aspereza da superfície metálica, em situações onde a falha é gerada por fadiga de alto ciclo. / This work presents a new model for evaluating the failure in polymer-metal structures that, besides considering the isolated failure in metal or polymer, considers the failure in the polymer-metal interface region due to sliding wear, when there is relative movement between the surfaces. Initially, the study presents the main characteristics of metals and polymers and the most relevant failure mechanisms. Makes the proposed failure analysis model and, finally, shows the complete analysis of failure in bending stiffeners, a polymer-metal structure used by the oil and gas industry. The proposed model allows the prediction of the wear rate of polymers by sliding a function of asperity´s angle of the metal surface in situations where failure is generated by high cycle fatigue.

No description available.

Stiffeners are used as a means of providing additional support to columns at beam connection locations. They are added when the strength of the column is exceeded but full moment strength of the beam section is desired. In determining the design of column stiffeners, there are no specifications for determining the distribution of load between the column web and stiffeners. The AISC Load and Resistance Factor Design Specifications provides guidelines for determining the stiffener area but no specifications are given. The actual loads taken by the stiffener and web are therefore not truly known. In this study, experiments were done to determine the load supported by the stiffeners and web when tensile forces are applied to the specimen. The initial stiffener design for the test specimens was based on LRFD guidelines. The actual load distribution between the column web and stiffeners is determined from strain data obtained during testing. This distribution is compared with the assumed loads obtained from the initial LRFD calculations. Finite element analysis is also utilized to confirm the consistency of the results obtained from the experiments. Using this information, a new method is developed which better predicts the distribution of load between the column web and the stiffener. / Master of Science

Radar antenna structures especially array antennas which are integrated onto structures of aerial vehicles are subject to dynamic structural and aerodynamic loads. Due to occurrences of these dynamic loads there will be certain dynamic deformations which affect the antenna&rsquo / s performance in an adverse manner. The influence of deformations and vibrations are important on array antenna structures, since they cause a change in orientation of elements of the phased array antenna which affects the gain of the antenna negatively. In this study, vibration characteristics of a particular radar antenna structure are optimized using topology and stiffener design optimization methods such that negative effects of mechanical vibrations on functional performance of radar antenna are minimized. Topology and stiffener design optimization techniques are performed separately by the use of ANSYS Finite Element (FE) software in order to modify the design of the radar antenna structure such that its critical natural frequencies in the range of 0-500 Hz are shifted out of the dominant peak sinusoid frequency range of the air platform. As a result of this, it will be possible to minimize the vibration response of the phased array elements in the frequency range of 0-500 Hz / hence better antenna performance can be achieved. In addition to this, it will also be possible to minimize the broadband random vibration response of base excitation coming from air platform.

Composite bridges in Sweden are commonly designed as a twin I-girder section. To stablizie the bridge during launching and concreting horizontal cross bracings are used. These are normally connected to a transverse web stiffener that is welded with a throat size of 5 mm regardless of the dimensions of the bridge. During an inspection of Vårby Bridge south of Stockholm in 2006 cracks were found in this weld between the transverse web stiffener and the top flange. After discovering of these problems the Swedish Transport Administration (Trafikverket) wants the designer to present calculations for this weld. The aim of this thesis was to investigate and compare the stresses in the weld between the top flange and the transverse stiffener for different cross bracings. A finite element model of a typical composite bridge, with five different types of cross bracings, was investigated using the FE program Brigade Plus. A selection of loads including temperature-, traffic- and fatigue loads were considered. The thesis clearly shows that the design of cross bracings will affect the stress levels in the weld.

Because origami has proved to be a tremendously rich source of inspiration in engineering, interest in solving some of the challenges that affect origami-inspired design has been significant. One such challenge involves ensuring that origami-inspired mechanisms are rigid-foldable or capable of moving without requiring links to bend or distort. Because rigid-foldability is essential in mechanisms that are constructed using rigid materials, access to methods of engineering this characteristic are highly desirable. This research addresses this need by developing methods for the design of origami-inspired mechanisms that are rigid-foldable. Methods for modifying crease patterns to achieve this are described and compared. Methods for achieving rigid-foldability using thick materials are also developed. Proofs of a process for generating new variations of existing thick-origami models are developed and demonstrated on multiple models. The possibility of using compliant panels to create rigid-foldability is also studied.Because of the relationship between mechanism stiffness and rigid-foldability, means of managing the pattern stiffness are also examined. The design of compliant, deployable stiffeners is studied to permit a comparison of different stiffener types. This comparison is used to identify dominant configurations that are most advantageous for a deployable mechanism. The use of thick-origami models are also considered. The geometry of two varieties of a cantilever tube are optimized to support a cantilever beam.

When a concentrated load is introduced perpendicular to the flanges of a steel beam, this condition is referred to as Patch loading (Gozzi, 2007). This occurrence is common in many steel structures, for example at supports or during launching of bridges. Because of the usual slenderness of I-beams and other plated structures, these are sometimes reinforced with stiffeners in order to avoid buckling. Modifications, such as adding stiffeners to a beam, are done to make greater plastic deformations possible before buckling can occur; thereby increasing the resistance against failure. Transverse stiffeners are added in areas where the beam is exposed to concentrated loads (Lagerqvist, 1994). The descriptions of calculating patch loading in the Eurocode are presented for cases of double stiffeners, with the load applied in between two stiffeners with same distance to each of them, or when there is one single stiffener that is acting in line with the load. In the Eurocode there are also descriptions on how to calculate on the resistance against patch loading when there are no stiffeners added. However, the Eurocode lacks descriptions for cases when the stiffeners are misaligned. The purpose of this paper is the evaluation of the impact from transverse stiffeners to the resistance of welded I-beams, when the stiffeners are misaligned and where the length of the beam varies. Because of the complexity of such of problems it is almost impossible to find theoretical solutions (Lagerqvist &amp; Johansson, 1996). Therefore, in this study as well as in almost all studies that aim to predict the ultimate resistances of steel beams subjected to patch loading, the results are gained empirically. The tests herein were done by FE-modeling and the results from the physical experiments done in Lagerkvist’s doctoral thesis were used for validation of the model, as conducting experiments ourselves was not economically possible. 6 The study was made in two steps. In the first step FE-models were produced under the same circumstances as the results obtained by Lagerqvist (1994). Those analyses were not part of the aim of the study; the intention for making the initial analyses was to strengthen the reliability of the results. From there, the final analyses were made with the aim in investigating the influence of stiffeners on the resistance, when these are misaligned. In this step, observations were also made with regards to the impact of the bending moment of the beam on its resistance. The initial analyses, which were made for validation of the modeling, had a satisfying correspondence to the physical experiments; hence the final analyses are assumed valid of acceptance. From observations of the results in the final analyses it is noticed that adding stiffeners is a highly preferred way of increasing the resistance for slender beams. For full utilization it is however important to have the stiffeners optimally placed, because a small deviation from this position gives an unwanted decrease in resistance.