A Non-Stationary Beam-Enabled Stochastic Channel Model and Characterization over Non-Reciprocal Beam Patterns

The multiple-input multiple-output(MIMO)-enabled beamforming technology offers great data rate and channel quality for next-generation communication.In this paper,we propose a beam channel model and enable it with time-varying simulation capability by adopting the stochastic geometry theory.First,clusters are generated located within transceivers'beam ranges based on the Mate?rn hardcore Poisson cluster process.The line-of-sight,singlebounce,and double-bounce components are calculated when generating the complex channel impulse response.Furthermore,we elaborate on the expressions of channel links based on the propagation-graph theory.A birth-death process consisting of the effects of beams and cluster velocities is also formulated.Numerical simulation results prove that the proposed model can capture the channel non-stationarity.Besides,the non-reciprocal beam patterns yield severe channel dispersion compared to the reciprocal patterns.

Resistance of full-scale beams against close-in explosions.Numerical modeling and field tests

This paper explores the performances of a finite element simulation including four concrete models applied to a full-scale reinforced concrete beam subjected to blast loading. Field test data has been used to compare model results for each case. The numerical modelling has been, carried out using the suitable code LS-DYNA. This code integrates blast load routine(CONWEP) for the explosive description and four different material models for the concrete including: Karagozian & Case Concrete, Winfrith, Continuous Surface Cap Model and Riedel-Hiermaier-Thoma models, with concrete meshing based on 10, 15, and 20 mm. Six full-scale beams were tested: four of them used for the initial calibration of the numerical model and two more tests at lower scaled distances. For calibration, field data obtained employing pressure and accelerometers transducers were compared with the results derived from the numerical simulation. Damage surfaces and the shape of rupture in the beams have been used as references for comparison. Influence of the meshing on accelerations has been put in evidence and for some models the shape and size of the damage in the beams produced maximum differences around 15%. In all cases, the variations between material and mesh models are shown and discussed.

Auto-parametric resonance of a continuous-beam-bridge model under two-point periodic excitation:an experimental investigation and stability analysis

The auto-parametric resonance of a continuous-beam bridge model subjected to a two-point periodic excitation is experimentally and numerically investigated in this study.An auto-parametric resonance experiment of the test model is conducted to observe and measure the auto-parametric resonance of a continuous beam under a two-point excitation on columns.The parametric vibration equation is established for the test model using the finite-element method.The auto-parametric resonance stability of the structure is analyzed by using Newmark's method and the energy-growth exponent method.The effects of the phase difference of the two-point excitation on the stability boundaries of auto-parametric resonance are studied for the test model.Compared with the experiment,the numerical instability predictions of auto-parametric resonance are consistent with the test phenomena,and the numerical stability boundaries of auto-parametric resonance agree with the experimental ones.For a continuous beam bridge,when the ratio of multipoint excitation frequency(applied to the columns)to natural frequency of the continuous girder is approximately equal to 2,the continuous beam may undergo a strong auto-parametric resonance.Combined with the present experiment and analysis,a hypothesis of Volgograd Bridge's serpentine vibration is discussed.

Double-layer model updating for steel-concrete composite beam cable-stayed bridge based on GPS

In order to establish the relationship between the measured dynamic response and the health status of long-span bridges, a double-layer model updating method for steel-concrete composite beam cable-stayed bridges is proposed. Measured frequencies are selected as the first-layer reference data, and the mass of the bridge deck, the grid density, the modulus of concrete and the ballast on the side span are modified by using a manual tuning technique. Measured global positioning system （GPS） data is selected as the second-layer reference data, and the degradation of the integral structure stiffness EI of the whole bridge is taken into account for the second-layer model updating by using the finite element iteration algorithm. The Nanpu Bridge in Shanghai is taken as a case to verify the applicability of the proposed model updating method. After the first-layer model updating, the standard deviation of modal frequencies is smaller than 7%. After the second-layer model updating, the error of the deflection of the mid-span is smaller than 10%. The integral structure stiffness of the whole bridge decreases about 20%. The research results show a good agreement between the calculated response and the measured response.

Fluid Flow and Solidification Simulation in Beam Blank Continuous Casting Process With 3D Coupled Model

Based on turbulent theory, a 3D coupled model of fluid flow and solidification was built using finite difference method and used to study the influence of superheating degree and casting speed on fluid flow and solidification, analyze the interaction between shell and molten steel, and compare the temperature distribution under different technological conditions. The results indicate that high superheating degree can lengthen the liquid-core depth and make the crack and breakout possible, so suitable superheating should be controlled within 35℃ according to the simulation results. Casting speed which is one of the most important technological parameters of improving production rate, should be controlled between 0. 85 m/min and 1.05 m/min and the caster has great potential in the improvement of blank quality.

Dynamic response of clamped sandwich beams: analytical modeling

An improved analytical model is developed to predict the dynamic response of clamped lightweight sandwich beams with cellular cores subjected to shock loading over the entire span.The clamped face sheets are simplified as a single-degree-of-freedom(SDOF)system,and the core is idealized using the rigid-perfectly-plastic-locking(RPPL)model.Reflection of incident shock wave is considered by incorporating the bending/stretching resistance of the front face sheet and compaction of the core.The model is validated with existing analytical predictions and FE simulation results,with good agreement achieved.Compared with existing analytical models,the proposed model exhibits superiority in two aspects:the deformation resistance of front face sheet during shock wave reflection is taken into account;the effect of pulse shape is considered.The practical application range of the proposed model is therefore wider.

Verification of Beam Models for Ionic Polymer-Metal Composite Actuator

Ionic Polymer-Metal Composite (IPMC) can work as an actuator by applying a few voltages.A thick IPMC actuator,where Nafion-117 membrane was synthesized with polypyrrole/alumina composite filler,was analyzed to verify the equivalent beam and equivalent bimorph beam models.The blocking force and tip displacement of the IPMC actuator were measured with a DC power supply and Young's modulus of the IPMC strip was measured by bending and tensile tests respectively.The calculated maximum tip displacement and the Young's modulus by the equivalent beam model were almost identical to the corresponding measured data.Finite element analysis with thermal analogy technique was utilized in the equivalent bimorph beam model to numerically reproduce the force-displacement relationship of the IPMC actuator.The results by the equivalent bimorph beam model agreed well with the force-displacement relationship acquired by the measured data.It is confirmed that the equivalent beam and equivalent bimorph beam models are practically and effectively suitable for predicting the tip displacement,blocking force and Young's modulus of IPMC actuators with different thickness and different composite of ionic polymer membrane.

Modeling and Experimental Validation of the Electron Beam Selective Melting Process

Electron beam selective melting （EBSM） is a promising additive manufacturing （AM） technology. The EBSM process consists of three major procedures：（1） spreading a powder layer, （2） preheating to slightly sinter the powder, and （3） selectively melting the powder bed. The highly transient multi-physics phenomena involved in these procedures pose a significant challenge for in situ experimental observation and measurement. To advance the understanding of the physical mechanisms in each procedure, we leverage high- fidelity modeling and post-process experiments. The models resemble the actual fabrication procedures, including （1） a powder-spreading model using the discrete element method （DEM）, （2） a phase field （PF） model of powder sintering （solid-state sintering）, and （3） a powder-melting （liquid-state sintering） model using the finite volume method （FVM）. Comprehensive insights into all the major procedures are provided, which have rarely been reported. Preliminary simulation results （including powder particle packing within the powder bed, sintering neck formation between particles, and single-track defects） agree qualitatively with experiments, demonstrating the ability to understand the mechanisms and to guide the design and optimization of the experimental setup and manufacturing process.

Surface and thermal effects on vibration of embedded alumina nanobeams based on novel Timoshenko beam model

This paper deals with the free vibration analysis of circular alumina （Al2O3） nanobeams in the presence of surface and thermal effects resting on a Pasternak foun- dation. The system of motion equations is derived using Hamilton＇s principle under the assumptions of the classical Timoshenko beam theory. The effects of the transverse shear deformation and rotary inertia are also considered within the framework of the mentioned theory. The separation of variables approach is employed to discretize the governing equa- tions which are then solved by an analytical method to obtain the natural frequencies of the alumina nanobeams. The results show that the surface effects lead to an increase in the natural frequency of nanobeams as compared with the classical Timoshenko beam model. In addition, for nanobeams with large diameters, the surface effects may increase the natural frequencies by increasing the thermal effects. Moreover, with regard to the Pasternak elastic foundation, the natural frequencies are increased slightly. The results of the present model are compared with the literature, showing that the present model can capture correctly the surface effects in thermal vibration of nanobeams.

Timoshenko beam model for chiral materials

Natural and artificial chiral materials such as deoxyribonucleic acid （DNA）, chromatin fibers, flagellar filaments, chiral nanotubes, and chiral lattice materials widely exist. Due to the chirality of intricately helical or twisted microstructures, such materials hold great promise for use in diverse applications in smart sensors and actuators, force probes in biomedical engineering, structural elements for absorption of microwaves and elastic waves, etc. In this paper, a Timoshenko beam model for chiral materials is developed based on noncentrosymmetric micropolar elasticity theory. The governing equations and boundary conditions for a chiral beam problem are derived using the variational method and Hamilton＇s principle. The static bending and free vibration problem of a chiral beam are investigated using the proposed model. It is found that chirality can significantly affect the mechanical behavior of beams, making materials more flexible compared with nonchiral counterparts, inducing coupled twisting deformation, relatively larger deflection, and lower natural frequency. This study is helpful not only for understanding the mechanical behavior of chiral materials such as DNA and chromatin fibers and characterizing their mechanical properties, but also for the design of hierarchically structured chiral materials.

Bending of Euler-Bernoulli nanobeams based on the strain-driven and stress-driven nonlocal integral models: a numerical approach

Eringen's nonlocal elasticity theory is extensively employed for the analysis of nanostructures because it is able to capture nanoscale effects.Previous studies have revealed that using the differential form of the strain-driven version of this theory leads to paradoxical results in some cases,such as bending analysis of cantilevers,and recourse must be made to the integral version.In this article,a novel numerical approach is developed for the bending analysis of Euler-Bernoulli nanobeams in the context of strain-and stress-driven integral nonlocal models.This numerical approach is proposed for the direct solution to bypass the difficulties related to converting the integral governing equation into a differential equation.First,the governing equation is derived based on both strain-driven and stress-driven nonlocal models by means of the minimum total potential energy.Also,in each case,the governing equation is obtained in both strong and weak forms.To solve numerically the derived equations,matrix differential and integral operators are constructed based upon the finite difference technique and trapezoidal integration rule.It is shown that the proposed numerical approach can be efficiently applied to the strain-driven nonlocal model with the aim of resolving the mentioned paradoxes.Also,it is able to solve the problem based on the strain-driven model without inconsistencies of the application of this model that are reported in the literature.

Equivalent continuum modeling of beam-like truss structures with flexible joints

The paper investigated the equivalent continuum modeling of beam-like repetitive truss structures considering the flexibility of joints,which models the contact between the truss member and joint by spring-damper with six directional stiffnesses and dampings.Firstly,a two-node hybrid joint-beam element was derived for modeling the truss member with flexible end joints,and a condensed model for the repeating element with flexible joints was obtained.Then,the energy equivalence method was adopted to equivalently model the truss structure with flexible joints and material damping as a spatial viscoelastic anisotropic beam model.Afterwards,the equations of motion for the equivalent beam model were derived and solved analytically in the frequency domain.In the numerical studies,the correctness of the presented method was verified by comparisons of the natural frequencies and frequency responses evaluated by the equivalent beam model with the results of the finite element method model.

Four-Beam Model for Vibration Analysis of a Cantilever Beam with an Embedded Horizontal Crack

As one of the main failure modes, embedded cracks occur in beam structures due to periodic loads. Hence it is useful to investigate the dynamic characteristics of a beam structure with an embedded crack for early crack detection and diagnosis. A new four-beam model with local flexibilities at crack tips is developed to investigate the transverse vibration of a cantilever beam with an embedded horizontal crack; two separate beam segments are used to model the crack region to allow opening of crack surfaces. Each beam segment is considered as an Euler-Bernoulli beam. The governing equations and the matching and boundary conditions of the four-beam model are derived using Hamilton＇s principle. The natural frequencies and mode shapes of the four-beam model are calculated using the transfer matrix method. The effects of the crack length, depth, and location on the first three natural frequencies and mode shapes of the cracked cantilever beam are investigated. A continuous wavelet transform method is used to analyze the mode shapes of the cracked cantilever beam. It is shown that sudden changes in spatial variations of the wavelet coefficients of the mode shapes can be used to identify the length and location of an embedded horizontal crack. The first three natural frequencies and mode shapes of a cantilever beam with an embedded crack from the finite element method and an experimental investigation are used to validate the proposed model. Local deformations in the vicinity of the crack tips can be described by the proposed four-beam model, which cannot be captured by previous methods.

Analytical modeling for rapid design of bistable buckled beams

Double-clamped bistable buckled beams demonstrate great versatility in various fields such as robotics,energy harvesting,and microelectromechanical system(MEMS).However,their design often requires time-consuming and expensive computations.In this work,we present a method to easily and rapidly design bistable buckled beams subjected to a transverse point force.Based on the Euler–Bernoulli beam theory,we establish a theoretical model of bistable buckled beams to characterize their snapthrough properties.This model is verified against the results from a finite element analysis(FEA)model,with maximum discrepancy less than 7%.By analyzing and simplifying our theoretical model,we derive explicit analytical expressions for critical behavioral values on the force-displacement curve of the beam.These behavioral values include critical force,critical displacement,and travel,which are generally sufficient for characterizing the snapthrough properties of a bistable buckled beam.Based on these analytical formulas,we investigate the influence of a bistable buckled beam's key design parameters,including its actuation position and precompression,on its critical behavioral values,with our results validated by FEA simulations.Our analytical method enables fast and computationally inexpensive design of bistable buckled beams and can guide the design of complicated systems that incorporate bistable mechanisms.

Influence of moderate-to-strong anisotropic non-Kolmogorov turbulence on intensity fluctuations of a Gaussian–Schell model beam in marine atmosphere

The scintillation index（SI） of a Gaussian–Schell model（GSM） beam in a moderate-to-strong anisotropic nonKolmogorov turbulent atmosphere is developed based on the extended Rytov theory. The on-axis SI in a marine atmosphere is higher than that in a terrestrial atmosphere, but the off-axis SI exhibits the opposite trend. The on-axis SI first increases and then begins to decrease and saturate as the turbulence strength increases. Turbulence inner and outer scales have different effects on the on-axis SI in different turbulent fluctuation regions. The anisotropy characteristic of atmospheric turbulence leads to the decline in the on-axis SI, and the rise in the off-axis SI. The on-axis SI can be lowered by increasing the anisotropy of turbulence, wavelength, and source partial coherence before entering the saturation attenuation region. The developed model may be useful for evaluating ship-to-ship/shore free-space optical communication system performance.

Beam Approximation for Dynamic Analysis of Launch Vehicles Modelled as Stiffened Cylindrical Shells

A beam approximation method for dynamic analysis of launch vehicles modelled as stiffened cylindrical shells is proposed.Firstly,an initial beam model of the stiffened cylindrical shell is established based on the cross-sectional area equivalence principle that represents the shell skin and its longitudinal ribs as a beam with annular cross-section,and the circumferential ribs as lumped masses at the nodes of the beam elements.Then,a fine finite element model(FE model)of the stiffened cylindrical shell is constructed and a modal analysis is carried out.Finally,the initial beam model is improved through model updating against the natural frequencies and mode shapes of the fine FE model of the shell.To facilitate the comparison between the mode shapes of the fine FE model of the stiffened shell and the equivalent beam model,a weighted nodal displacement coupling relationship is introduced.To prevent the design parameters used in model updating from converging to incorrect values,a pre-model updating procedure is added before the proper model updating.The results of two examples demonstrate that the beam approximation method presented in this paper can build equivalent beam models of stiffened cylindrical shells which can reflect the global longitudinal,lateral and torsional vibration characteristics very well in terms of the natural frequencies.

Electron beam welding of precipitation hardened CuCrZr alloy:Modeling and experimentation

In order to maintain the structural consistency during the welding of precipitation hardened copperchromium-zirconium(PH-CuCrZr)alloy components,electron beam welding(EBW)process was employed.Experimental study and numerical modeling of EBW process during welding of PH-CuCrZr alloy components were carried out.A 3D finite element model was developed to predict the output responses(bead penetration and bead width)as a function of EBW input parameters(beam current,acceleration voltage and weld speed).A combined circular and conical source with Gaussian heat distribution was used to model the deep penetration characteristic of the EBW process.Numerical modeling was carried out by developing user defined function in Ansys software.Numerical predictions were compared with the experimental results which had a good agreement with each other.The developed model can be used for parametric study in wide range of problems involving complex geometries which are to be welded using EBW process.The present work illustrates that the input current with a contribution of 44.56%and 81.13%is the most significant input parameter for the bead penetration and bead width,respectively.

Conversion between solid and beam element solutions of finite element method based on meta-modeling theory:development and application to a ramp tunnel structure

In this study, a new method for conversion of solid finite element solution to beam finite element solution is developed based on the meta-modeling theory which constructs a model consistent with continuum mechanics. The proposed method is rigorous and efficient compared to a typical conversion method which merely computes surface integration of solid element nodal stresses to obtain cross-sectional forces. The meta-modeling theory ensures the rigorousness of proposed method by defining a proper distance between beam element and solid element solutions in a function space of continuum mechanics. Results of numerical verification test that is conducted with a simple cantilever beam are used to find the proper distance function for this conversion. Time history analysis of the main tunnel structure of a real ramp tunnel is considered as a numerical example for the proposed conversion method. It is shown that cross-sectional forces are readily computed for solid element solution of the main tunnel structure when it is converted to a beam element solution using the proposed method. Further, envelopes of resultant forces which are of primary importance for the purpose of design, are developed for a given ground motion at the end.

Analytical modeling of sandwich beam for piezoelectric bender elements

Piezoelectric bender elements are widely used as electromechanical sensors and actuators, An analytical sandwich beam model for piezoelectric bender elements was developed based on the first-order shear deformation theory （FSDT）, which assumes a single rotation angle for the whole cross-section and a quadratic distribution function for coupled electric potential in piezoelectric layers, and corrects the effect of transverse shear strain on the electric displacement integration. Free vibration analysis of simplysupported bender elements was carried out and the numerical results showed that, solutions of the present model for various thickness-to-length ratios are compared well with the exact two-dimensional solutions, which presents an efficient and accurate model for analyzing dynamic electromechanical responses of bender elements.

Comparison on construction of strut-and-tie models for reinforced concrete deep beams

With consideration of the differences between concrete and steel,three solutions using genetic evolutionary structural optimization algorithm were presented to automatically develop optimal strut-and-tie model for deep beams.In the finite element analysis of the first method,the concrete and steel rebar are modeled by a plane element and a bar element,respectively.In the second method,the concrete and steel are assigned to two different plane elements,whereas in the third method only one kind of plane element is used with no consideration of the differences of the two materials.A simply supported beam under two point loads was presented as an example to verify the validity of the three proposed methods.The results indicates that all the three methods can generate optimal strut-and-tie models and the third algorithm has powerful capability in searching more optimal results with less computational effort.The effectiveness of the proposed algorithm III has also been demonstrated by other two examples.