A multiscale 3D finite element analysis of fluid/solute transport in mechanically loaded bone

The transport of fluid, nutrients, and signaling molecules in the bone lacunar-canalicular system （LCS） is critical for osteocyte survival and function. We have applied the fluorescence recovery after photobleaching （FRAP） approach to quantify load-induced fluid and solute transport in the LCS in situ, but the measurements were limited to cortical regions 30-50 μm underneath the periosteum due to the constrains of laser penetration. With this work, we aimed to expand our understanding of load-induced fluid and solute transport in both trabecular and cortical bone using a multiscaled image-based finite element analysis （FEA） approach. An intact murine tibia was first re-constructed from microCT images into a three-dimensional （3D） linear elastic FEA model, and the matrix deformations at various locations were calculated under axial loading. A segment of the above 3D model was then imported to the biphasic poroelasticity analysis platform （FEBio） to predict load-induced fluid pressure fields, and interstitial solute/fluid flows through LCS in both cortical and trabecular regions. Further, secondary flow effects such as the shear stress and/or drag force acting on osteocytes, the presumed mechano-sensors in bone, were derived using the previously developed ultrastructural model of Brinkman flow in the canaliculi. The material properties assumed in the FEA models were validated against previously obtained strain and FRAP transport data measured on the cortical cortex. Our results demonstrated the feasibility of this computational approach in estimating the fluid flux in the LCS and the cellular stimulation forces （shear and drag forces） for osteocytes in any cortical and trabecular bone locations, allowing further studies of how the activation of osteocytes correlates with in vivo functional bone formation. The study provides a promising platform to reveal potential cellular mechanisms underlying the anabolic power of exercises and physical activities in treating patients with skeletal deficiencies.

Dynamics of a Dual Power-split Transmission Based on Loaded Tooth Contact Analysis

In order to implement the dynamic characteristic of a dual power-split transmission, a dynamic me- chanics model is built. Firstly, according to the method of theoretical analysis of the tooth contact analysis （TCA） and loaded tooth contact analysis （LTCA）, the actual meshing process of each gear pairs is simulated, and the time-varying mesh stiffness excitations are obtained, which can improve the numerical precision. Second- ly, by using the lumped mass method, the bending-torsional coupling three dimensional dynamic model of the dual power-split transmission is established, and the identical dimensionless equations are deduced by elimina- ting the effect of rigid displacement and the method of dimensional normalization. Finally, by the method of the fourth order Runge-Kutta algorithm with variable step lengths, the responses of this system in a frequency domain and time domain are obtained, and the dynamic load change characteristics of each gear pairs are analyzed. The results show that the establishment, solution and analysis of the system dynamics model could provide a basis for the dynamic design, and have an important significance for the dynamic efficiency analysis and dynamic perform- ance optimization design of the dual power-split transmission.

Geometry Design and Tooth Contact Analysis of Crossed Beveloid Gears for Marine Transmissions

Beveloid gears,also known as conical gears,gain more and more importance in industry practice due to their abilities for power transmission between parallel,intersected and crossed axis.However,this type of gearing with crossed axes has no common plane of action which results in a point contact and low tooth durability.Therefore,a geometry design approach assuming line contact is developed to analyze the tooth engagement process of crossed beveloid gears with small shaft angle for marine transmission applications.The loaded gear tooth contact behavior is simulated by applying a quasi-static analysis to study the effects of gearing parameters on mesh characteristics.Using the proposed method,a series of sensitivity analyses to examine the effects of critical gearing parameters such as shaft angle,cone angle,helix angle and profile-shift coefficient on the theoretical gear mesh is performed.The parametric analysis of pitch cone design shows that the dominant design parameters represented by the angle between the first principle directions（FPD） and normal angular factor are more sensitive to the shaft and cone angles than they are to the helix angle.The theoretical contact path is highly sensitive to the profile-shift coefficient,which is determined from the theoretical tooth contact analysis.The FPD angle is found to change the distribution of contact pattern,contact pressure and root stress as well as the translational transmission error and the variation of the mesh stiffness significantly.The contact pattern is clearly different between the drive and coast sides due to different designed FPD angles.Finally,a practical experimental setup for marine transmission is performed and tooth bearing test is conducted to demonstrate the proposed design procedure.The experimental result compared well with the simulation.Results of this study yield a better understanding of the geometry design and loaded gear mesh characteristics for crossed beveloid gears used in marine transmission.

Assessment of pipeline stability in the Gulf of Mexico during hurricanes using dynamic analysis

Pipelines are the critical link between major offshore oil and gas developments and the mainland. Any inadequate on-bottom stability design could result in disruption and failure, having a devastating impact on the economy and environment. Predicting the stability behavior of offshore pipelines in hurricanes is therefore vital to the assessment of both new design and existing assets. The Gulf of Mexico has a very dense network of pipeline systems constructed on the seabed. During the last two decades, the Gulf of Mexico has experienced a series of strong hurricanes, which have destroyed, disrupted and destabilized many pipelines. This paper first reviews some of these engineering cases. Following that, three case studies are retrospectively simulated using an in-house developed program. The study utilizes the offshore pipeline and hurricane details to conduct a Dynamic Lateral Stability analysis, with the results providing evidence as to the accuracy of the modeling techniques developed.

DISCUSSION OF CRITICAL LOAD IN NONLINEAR STABILITY ANALYSIS AND SUGGESTION OF VARIATIONAL PRINCIPLE OF SOLVING CRITICAL LOADS

In this paper, a set of variational formulas of solving nonlinear instability critical loads are established from the viewpoint of variational principle. The paper shows that it is very convenient to solve nonlinear instability critical load by using the variational formulas suggested in this paper.

Model Order Reduction of Complex Airframes Using Component Mode Synthesis for Dynamic Aeroelasticity Load Analysis

Airframe structural optimization at different design stages results in new mass and stiffness distributions which modify the critical design loads envelop. Determination of aircraft critical loads is an extensive analysis procedure which involves simulating the aircraft at thousands of load cases as defmed in the certification requirements. It is computationally prohibitive to use a GFEM （Global Finite Element Model） for the load analysis, hence reduced order structural models are required which closely represent the dynamic characteristics of the GFEM. This paper presents the implementation of CMS （Component Mode Synthesis） method for the generation of high fidelity ROM （Reduced Order Model） of complex airframes. Here, sub-structuring technique is used to divide the complex higher order airframe dynamical system into a set of subsystems. Each subsystem is reduced to fewer degrees of freedom using matrix projection onto a carefully chosen reduced order basis subspace. The reduced structural matrices are assembled for all the subsystems through interface coupling and the dynamic response of the total system is solved. The CMS method is employed to develop the ROM of a Bombardier Aerospace business jet which is coupled with aerodynamic model for dynamic aeroelasticity loads analysis under gust turbulence. Another set of dynamic aeroelastic loads is also generated employing a stick model of same aircraft. Stick model is the reduced order modelling methodology commonly used in the aerospace industry based on stiffness generation by unitary loading application. The extracted aeroelastic loads from both models are compared against those generated employing the GFEM. Critical loads modal participation factors and modal characteristics of the different ROMs are investigated and compared against those of the GFEM. Results obtained show that the ROM generated using Craig Bampton CMS reduction process has a superior dynamic characteristics compared to the stick model.

Analysis of Critical Load of the Orthotropic Plate Structures

Advanced design based on the concept of orthotropic structure includes better use of materials, less weight compared to the equivalent isotropic construction and controlled effectively reserve resistance in all its segments. In this case a calculation of critical load is exposed using the FDM （Finite Difference Method） concept of thin plates subjected to complex loads due to forces in the middle-plane. Results of calculation model, discussed in this paper, are given in graphic form. Presented results should serve as an indicator of the expansion of theoretical base of similar models, which can be reasonably use by researchers and engineers in their practices, and by students for educational purposes.

THE ELASTO-PLASTIC STRAIN ANALYSIS OF NOTCHED PLATE UNDER CYCLIC LOADING—AN APPLICATION OF PLASTIC ANISOTROPIC HARDENING THEORY

In order to predict the life of engineering structures, it is necessary to investigate the strain distribution in notched members. In gineral, the Uauschinger Effect of materials under cyclic loading is not negligible, and so the anisolropic hardening model has been suggested. From the comparison between the calculated and experimental results in this paper, we can see that even the linear kinematic hardening model is quite suitable for strain analysis under cyclic loading.

Analysis and Research on the Load of the Box Girder Locomotive Turntable

The locomotive turntable is an essential device for the steering operation of the railway locomotive. This paper has introduced the structural composition and characteristics of the box girder locomotive turntable, has ana- lyzed its vertical load, horizontal load and torsional load, and has established a mechanical model for the symmet- rical structure of the box girder locomotive turntable under the action of positive and negative symmetric vertical loads. Furthermore, it has also demonstrated the safe and reliable structural performance of this type of locomotive turntable on the basis of the practical example of a 35 m box girder locomotive turntable.

Loads Analysis of Flanges of a Transonic and Supersonic Wind Tunnel Wide Angle Diffuser

Compared with general circular flanges, flanges on conical shells have different configurations. In the Chinese national code GBISO, however, there are no related contents about flange design of this kind of type. So, it needs to study loads of flanges of this kind of type. This paper takes the flange connection of a wide angle diffuser in a transonic and supersonic wind tunnel as the background, according to the principles of flange design in Chinese national code GB150, combining the characteristics of flanges of a wide angle diffuser, the loads of flanges have been analyzed, and the equations of loads and their locations have been presented.

The finite element analysis of articular cartilage fiber-reinforced composite model under rolling load

Articular cartilage is a layer of low-friction,load-bearing soft hydrated tissue covering bone-ends in diarthrosis,which plays an important role in spreading the load,reducing the joint contact stress,joint friction and wear during exercise.The vital mechanical function

Simulating the Stress-Strain Response of Building under Oscillating Wind Conditions

Wind load is one of the main lateral control loads that need to be considered in the design of high-rise building structures. It is also of great engineering significance to study the influence of static wind load or time-varying wind load on the dynamic response of structures. In this paper, a high-rise building with a rectangular section (46.8 m × 27 m × 33 m) is simulated based on Ansys18.0 APDL software. The real situation of its response under no lateral wind load and different fluctuating wind load conditions is simulated and the stress and strain response of the building under steady-state and time-varying wind load is given. The results show that the upper strain of the structure under wind load is about 1/1000 of the bottom strain, and the strain of the structure shows obvious accumulation from the top to the bottom, that is, the bottom strain of the building will be higher than the top strain. The influence of time-varying wind load on building structure is related to the loading position of wind load on the structure. The results provide a basis for the structural wind resistance design of this type of building.

DIRECT DIGITAL DESIGN AND SIMULATION OF MESHING IN WORM-GEAR DRIVE

A direct digital design method （DDDM） of worm-gear drive is proposed. It is directly based on the simulation of manufacturing process and completely different from the conventional modeling method. The loaded tooth contact analysis （LTCA） method is analyzed, in which the advanced surface to surface searching technique is included. The influence of misalignment errors and contact deformations on contact zone and transmission error （TE） is discussed. Combined modification approach on worm tooth surface is presented. By means of DDDM and LTCA, it is very conven- ient to verify the effect of worm-gear drive＇s modification approach. The analysis results show that, the modification in profile direction reduces the sensitivity of worm-gear drive to misalignment errors and the modification in longitudinal direction decreases the TE. Thus the optimization design of worm-gear drive can be achieved prior to the actual manufacturing process.

EXPERIMENTAL STUDY ON THE LOAD DECAY AND ITS EFFECT ON LEAK RATE OFO-RING

Experimental studies on load decay and leak rate of O-rings made of two kindsof silicone rubber are conducted. The results show that the characteristic of load decay isrelative to the material and temperature of O-rings; the rate of load decay increases with the riseof temperature; the effects of load decay on leak rate of O-rings are negligible at roomtemperature, but they are notable at high temperature, and they are related to the material ofO-rings. On the basis of study on the theory of load decay and analysis to the results ofexperiments, a theoretical model is developed to describe the load decay characteristic of O-rings,and it matches the experimental data very well. By the study of time-temperature equivalence of loaddecay, the interconvertting equation of test data of load decay at different temperatures isobtained.

THEORETICAL INVESTIGATION ON STATE OF LOAD DISTRIBUTION AMONG CONTACT BEARINGS OF DOUBLE CIRCULAR ARC HELICAL GEARS

A dynamic analysis approcach to investigate the state of load distribution among contact bearings of double circular are belical gears is proposed and a computer program is developed for calculating the factor of iced distribution based on the theory of W-N gears. The changing situations of load distribution among contact bearings of the gears influenced by main issues are analyzed by a series of parametric studies.

Performance of Concrete Subjected to Severe Multiple Actions of Composite Salts Solution under Wet-Dry Cycles and Flexural Loading in Lab

Several action regimes were employed, namely, those exposed to solutions containing single and/or composite chloride and sulfate salts, and under wet-dry cycles and/or flexural loading. The variations in dynamic modulus of elasticity（Erd values） were monitored, as well as the key factor impacting on the chloride ingress when concrete subjected to multiple action regimes was identified by the method of Grey Relation Analysis（GRA）. The changes in micro-structures and mineral products of interior concrete after different action regimes were investigated by means of X-ray diffraction（XRD）, mercury intrusion technique（MIP）, and scanning electron microscopy（SEM）. The test results showed that the cyclic wet-dry accelerated the deterioration of OPC concrete more than the action of 35% flexural loading based on the results of Erd values and the GEA. The analyses from micro-structures could give certain explanations to the change in Erd values under different action regimes.

Progressive collapse resisting capacity of reinforced concrete load bearing wall structures

Reinforced concrete(RC) load bearing wall is widely used in high-rise and mid-rise buildings. Due to the number of walls in plan and reduction in lateral force portion, this system is not only stronger against earthquakes, but also more economical. The effect of progressive collapse caused by removal of load bearing elements, in various positions in plan and stories of the RC load bearing wall system was evaluated by nonlinear dynamic and static analyses. For this purpose, three-dimensional model of 10-story structure was selected. The analysis results indicated stability, strength and stiffness of the RC load-bearing wall system against progressive collapse. It was observed that the most critical condition for removal of load bearing walls was the instantaneous removal of the surrounding walls located at the corners of the building where the sections of the load bearing elements were changed. In this case, the maximum vertical displacement was limited to 6.3 mm and the structure failed after applying the load of 10 times the axial load bored by removed elements. Comparison between the results of the nonlinear dynamic and static analyses demonstrated that the "load factor" parameter was a reasonable criterion to evaluate the progressive collapse potential of the structure.

An Experimental Study for Inverse Load Reconstruction

This paper performs an experimental study for inverse load reconstruction. By measuring and analyzing the load characteristics of different home and office electric devices, the author shows that a reconstruction of the individual power consumption of different loads from the total measurement of a single power meter is possible.

A Dual-spline Approach to Load Error Repair in a HEMS Sensor Network

In a home energy management system(HEMS),appliances are becoming diversified and intelligent,so that certain simple maintenance work can be completed by appliances themselves.During the measurement,collection and transmission of electricity load data in a HEMS sensor network,however,problems can be caused on the data due to faulty sensing processes and/or lost links,etc.In order to ensure the quality of retrieved load data,different solutions have been presented,but suffered from low recognition rates and high complexity.In this paper,a validation and repair method is presented to detect potential failures and errors in a domestic energy management system,which can then recover determined load errors and losses.A Kernel Extreme Learning Machine(K-ELM)based model has been employed with a Radial Basis Function(RBF)and optimised parameters for verification and recognition;whilst a Dual-spline method is presented to repair missing load data.According to the experiment results,the method outperforms the traditional B-spline and Cubic-spline methods and can effectively deal with unexpected data losses and errors under variant loss rates in a practical home environment.

Generation Principle of Helix Tooth Profile in Hypocycloid Pinw heel Transmission and Its Contact Characteristics

The transmission characteristics of gear drive can be improved with the use of novel tooth profiles.A theoretical study on tooth profile of the hypocycloid pinwheel transmission and contact analysis of gear pair based on finite element method(FEM) are carried out,respectively.The line contact between mated tooth surfaces becomes point contact according to a plus movement.Through loaded tooth contact analysis(LTCA),the contact stress and load distributions for the proposed hypocycloid pinwheel transmission and the traditional one are discussed.The analysis results show that the developed tooth surfaces have anticipatory point contact characteristics under loads and contact fatigue dangerous area locates around the ultimate contact position.