Recent research studies have confirmed that curved I-girders are capable of developing substantial shear postbuckling resistance due to tension field action and have demonstrated that the AASHTO LRFD equations for the tension field resistance in straight I-girders may be applied to curved I-girders within specific limits. However, the corresponding demands on intermediate transverse stiffeners in curved I-girders are still largely unknown. Furthermore, a number of prior research studies have demonstrated that transverse stiffeners in straight I-girders are loaded predominantly by bending induced by their restraint of web lateral deflections at the shear strength limit state, not by in-plane tension field forces. This is at odds with present Specification approaches for the design of transverse stiffeners, which are based on (1) providing sufficient stiffener bending rigidity only to develop the shear buckling strength of the web and (2) providing sufficient stiffener area to resist the in-plane tension field forces. In this research, the behavior of one- and two-sided intermediate transverse stiffeners in straight and horizontally curved steel I-girders is investigated by refined full nonlinear finite element analysis. Variations in stiffener rigidity, panel aspect ratio, panel slenderness, and stiffener type are considered. New recommendations for design of transverse stiffeners in straight and curved I-girder bridges are developed by combining the solutions from the above FEA studies with the results from prior research.

Made available in DSpace on 2015-04-22T22:16:15Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Almir Cunha da Gracas Neto.pdf: 379350 bytes, checksum: abf31b2ffa1155ab61fbf98c40bb9c57 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2007-09-18 / FAPEAM - Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado do Amazonas / This dissertation is concerned with a detailed proof of a Ruh-Vilms theorem which characterize the isometric immersion of a Riemannian manifold into the Euclidean space whose the mean curvature vector is parallel as being that immersion whose the associated Gauss map is harmonic. / Este trabalho apresenta uma demonstração detalhada do teorema que caracteriza as imersões isométricas (fórmula matemática) de uma variedade Riemanniana n-dimensional no espaço Euclidiano (p + n)-dimensional com vetor curvatura média paralelo como sendo aquelas cuja aplicação de Gauss associada é harmônica. O resultado deve-se a E.A.Ruh e J. Vilms.

The research addresses the effect of diagonal and horizontal stiffeners on shear transfer in rigid frame square knees. Rigid frame square knees are an integral component of pre-manufactured metal building systems. This paper examined a more efficient design of the rigid frame square knee. Five full-scale laboratory tests on square knee joints were performed to verify the effects of a diagonal stiffener on shear transfer. Two frames were fabricated without diagonal stiffeners, and three frames were fabricated with 1/8- inch- thick diagonal stiffeners, not extending the full diagonal length of the knee web. Experimental results, coupled with a finite element analysis, are compared to AISC provisions in Section F4: shear yielding and shear buckling, and in Section G3: tension field action. This research shows that if diagonal stiffeners are needed, then thin, shortened diagonal stiffeners are sufficient to restrain shear buckling of the knee web until shear yielding occurs.

Through translations and transformations, my degree project aims to explore what makes something – space, or an object– charged. I am investigating ways to create objects with the starting point in two pieces of furniture, analyzing them both in their everyday contexts, and in certain works of art. This has resulted in the creation of two works that I have called an imprint and a bench and a bed. The quality that I have been searching for in this project is what activates a subjective feeling of recognition that will stay in the mind of the beholder, a charge in an object that affects memory or consciousness. The way I explore this quality is by analyzing the terms Eros and punctum and by investigating the relationship between the abstract and the figurative, examining the bodily connection to the objects and the surrounding.

The applications of membranes are increasing rapidly in various fields of engineering and science. The geometric, material, force and contact non-linearities complicate their analysis, which increases the demand for computationally efficient methods and interpretation of counter-intuitive behaviours. The first part of the present work studies the free and constrained inflation of circular and cylindrical membranes. The membranes are assumed to be in contact with a soft substrate, modelled as a linear spring distribution.Adhesive and frictionless contact conditions are considered during inflation,while only adhesive contact conditions are considered during deflation. For a circular membrane, peeling of the membrane during deflation is studied, and a numerical formulation of the energy release rate is proposed. The second part of the thesis discusses the instabilities observed for fluid containing cylindrical membranes. Limit points and bifurcation points are observed on primary equilibrium branches. The secondary branches emerge from bifurcation points, with their directions determined by eigenvectors corresponding to zero eigenvalues at the bifurcation point. Symmetry has major implications on stability analysis of the structures, and the relationship between eigenvalue analysis and symmetry is highlighted in this part of the thesis. In the third part, wrinkling in the pressurized membranes is investigated,and robustness of the modified membrane theory and tension field theory is examined. The effect of boundary conditions, thickness variations, and inflating media on the wrinkling is investigated. It is observed that, with a relaxed strain energy formulation, the obtained equilibrium solutions are unstable due to the occurrence of pressure induced instabilities. A detailed analysis of pressure induced instabilities in the wrinkled membranes is described in the thesis. / <p>QC 20160518</p>

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<p>A large rectangular industrial duct consists of plates stiffened with parallel wide flange sections. The plates along with stiffeners acts to resist the pressure loads and to carry other loads to the supports. The behaviours of the components of large industrial ducts are significantly different from the behaviours on which the current design methods are based on. Investigation presented herein deals with the design methods for spacing stiffeners, proportioning stiffeners and calculating shear resistance of side panel.</p> <p>Current method of spacing stiffeners is based on large deflection plate theory. A parametric study was conducted on dimensionless parameters identified in order to benefit from membrane action in partially yielding plate for spacing stiffeners. Design equations were established in terms of dimensionless pressure, plate slenderness and normalized out-of-plane deflection for three cases namely; 0%, 16.5% and 33% of through thickness yielding of the plate. Results show that approximately 50% increase in stiffener spacing when yielding of 16.5% of thickness is permitted.</p> <p>Under suction type pressure load, the unsupported compression flange and restrained tension flange lead to distortional buckling of the stiffeners. The current methods do not address distortional buckling adequately. A parametric study on dimensionless parameters governing the behaviour and strength of stiffened plat panels was conducted. The study indicated that the behaviour and strength of the stiffened panels could be a function of web slenderness and overall slenderness of the stiffener. The study also identified the slenderness limit of stiffener web for which the stiffener reaches the yield moment capacity. This study demonstrated the conservatism of current method. Finally a method was established to calculate the strength of stiffened plate panel subjected lateral pressure.</p> <p>Side panels adjacent to the supports transfer large amount of shear to the supports and, in addition, resist internal pressure. Currently the design of side panels for shear is based on the methods used for the web of fabricated plate girders. The behaviour and the characteristics between the web of plate girder and the thin side panels are significantly different. A parametric study was conducted on dimensionless parameters identified. It was concluded that the plate slenderness dominates the normalized shear strength of stockier side panels. The aspect ratio and plate slenderness influence the normalized shear strength of slender side panels. Design methods to calculate the shear strength of side panels were proposed.</p> / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)