Excitation and Detection of Shear Horizontal Waves with Electromagnetic Acoustic Transducers for Nondestructive Testing of Plates

The fundamental shear horizontal（SH0） wave has several unique features that are attractive for long-range nondestructive testing（NDT）. By a careful design of the geometric configuration, electromagnetic acoustic transducers（EMATs） have the capability to generate a wide range of guided wave modes, such as Lamb waves and shear-horizontal（SH） waves in plates. However, the performance of EMATs is influenced by their parameters. To evaluate the performance of periodic permanent magnet（PPM） EMATs, a distributed-line-source model is developed to calculate the angular acoustic field cross-section in the far-field. Numerical analysis is conducted to investigate the performance of such EMATs with different geometric parameters, such as period and number of magnet arrays, and inner and outer coil widths. Such parameters have a great influence on the directivity of the generated SH0 waves that arises mainly in the amplitude and width of both main and side lobes. According to the numerical analysis, these parameters are optimized to obtain better directivity. Optimized PPM EMATs are designed and used for NDT of strip plates. Experimental results show that the lateral boundary of the strip plate has no perceivable influence on SHO-wave propagation, thus validating their used in NDT. The proposed model predicts the radiation pattern ofPPM EMATs, and can be used for their parameter optimization.

Shaking table test and numerical analysis of a 1:12 scale model of a special concentrically braced steel frame with pinned connections

This paper describes shaking table tests of a 1：12 scale model of a special concentrically braced steel frame with pinned connections, which was fabricated according to a one-bay braced frame selected from a typical main factory building of a large thermal power plant. In order to investigate the seismic performance of this type of structure, several ground motion accelerations with different levels for seismic intensity Ⅷ, based on the Chinese Code for Seismic Design of Buildings, were selected to excite the model. The results show that the design methods of the members and the connections are adequate and that the structural system will perform well in regions of high seismicity. In addition to the tests, numerical simulations were also conducted and the results showed good agreement with the test results. Thus, the numerical model is shown to be accurate and the beam element can be used to model this structural system.

Static load test and load transfer mechanism study of squeezed branch and plate pile in collapsible loess foundation

As a special geological phenomenon, the character of collapsible loess foundation is collapsible when penetrated by water. This character leads to the soil losing load bearing capacity largely and may lead to foundation failure. Pile is a popular foundation used in collapsible loess. The squeezed branch and plate pile is a new type of pile developed in recent years and has not be used in a project before. In this paper three squeezed branch and plate piles are tested in collapsible loess after immersion processing. The results may be used for reference in similar construction project, and to provide theoretical references for de- signing of the squeezed branch and plate piles in engineering practice.

Edge crack growth of mortar plate specimens under uniaxial loading tests

In this paper, a compression-to-tension conversion technique is developed by applying predominant mode I loading test, using a servo-controlled compression system. The technique is applied to thin mortar plate specimens of different widths that include a prefabricated crack on either a single side to facilitate unilateral crack propagation, or prefabricated cracks positioned on both sides asymmetrically with respect to the specimen midpoint to facilitate bilateral crack propagation under direct tensile stress with a loading rate of 0.001 mm/s. The results show that the main pathways of unilateral crack propagation governing specimen failure are fluctuated locally, but present an approximately straight line overall in the absence of pre-existing internal defects. However, the pathways of bilateral crack propagation are relatively complex, although they present similar characteristics. Analysis results suggest that bilateral crack propagation can be basically divided into three stages, i.e. a stage of linear propagation, a stage representing deviation from the other crack, and a stage where one crack approaches either the other crack or approaches the opposite edge of the specimen, and thereby forming a continuous crack through the specimen. In addition, the stressestrain curves of bilateral crack specimens do not vary significantly around the point of peak stress prior to specimen failure, which means that the specimens do not fail instantaneously.

Analysis and seismic tests of composite shear walls with CFST columns and steel plate deep beams

A composite shear wall concept based on concrete filled steel tube （CFST） columns and steel plate （SP） deep beams is proposed and examined in this study. The new wall is composed of three different energy dissipation elements： CFST columns; SP deep beams; and reinforced concrete （RC） strips. The RC strips are intended to allow the core structural elements - the CFST columns and SP deep beams - to work as a single structure to consume energy. Six specimens of different configurations were tested under cyclic loading. The resulting data are analyzed herein. In addition, numerical simulations of the stress and damage processes for each specimen were carried out, and simulations were completed for a range of location and span-height ratio variations for the SP beams. The simulations show good agreement with the test results. The core structure exhibits a ductile yielding mechanism characteristic of strong column-weak beam structures, hysteretic curves are plump and the composite shear wall exhibits several seismic defense lines. The deformation of the shear wall specimens with encased CFST column and SP deep beam design appears to be closer to that of entire shear walls. Establishing optimal design parameters for the configuration of SP deep beams is pivotal to the best seismic behavior of the wall. The new composite shear wall is therefore suitable for use in the seismic design of building structures.

EFFICIENCY ANALYSIS OF DOUBLE CRANK RING-PLATE-TYPE PIN-CYCLOIDAL GEAR PLANETARY DRIVE

From the general formula for calculating the efficiency of planetary geartrains, the efficiency of the double crank ring-plate-type pin-cycloidal gear planetary drive isderived. To prove the theory, an experimental study has been conducted. The tested value of theefficiency of a sample set of the new-type drive in the experiment agrees with the calculated one.It shows that the new-type drive is of not merely high bearing capacity, but also quite highefficiency.

Testing of a Full-Scale Composite Floor Plate

A full-scale composite floor plate was tested to investigate the flexural behavior and in-plane effects of the floor slab in a grillage of composite beams that reduces the tendency for longitudinal splitting of the concrete slab along the line of the primary beams. This is important in cases where the steel decking is discontinuous when it is orientated parallel to the beams. In this case, it is important to demonstrate that the amount of transverse reinforcement required to transfer local forces from the shear connectors can be reduced relative to the requirements of Eurocode 4. The mechanism under study involved in-plane compression forces being developed in the slab due to the restraining action of the floor plate, which was held in position by the peripheral composite beams;while the secondary beams acted as transverse ties to resist the forces in the floor plate that would otherwise lead to splitting of the slab along the line of the primary beams. The tendency for cracking along the center line of the primary beam and at the peripheral beams was closely monitored. This is the first large floor plate test that has been carried out under laboratory conditions since the Cardington tests in the early 1990s, although those tests were not carried out to failure. This floor plate test was designed so that the longitudinal force transferred by the primary beams was relatively high (i.e., it was designed for full shear connection), but the transverse reinforcement was taken as the minimum of 0.2% of the concrete area. The test confirmed that the primary beams reached their plastic bending resistance despite the discontinuous decking and transverse reinforcement at the minimum percentage given in Eurocode 4. Based on this test, a reduction factor due to shear connectors at edge beams without U-bars is proposed.

Statistical tests of recent plate tectonic units by using geodetic data

The statistical testing models of the plate tectonic units and the hypothesis of their rigidity is presented by using the dense geodetic data, and to a certain extent the established statistic value can be regarded as a quantitative index to compare the rigidity degrees of different blocks. The several conclusions about the global megaplates and the regional tectonics of China are tested and verified by actual calculations, which testifies the effectiveness of this method in testing the rigidity degree and delineating their boundaries.

Comparison of the Rose Bengal Plate and the Complement Fixation Tests with the Tube Agglutination Test for Diagnosis of Human Brucellosis

Brucellosis is a zoonotic disease of economic importance. The clinical manifestations vary in humans;therefore a good diagnostic test is required to confirm the disease. The serum tube agglutination (SA) test, though still the most widely test used, can be problematic for the diagnosis of chronic infections. The other supplementary tests, such as the complement fixation (CF) test and ELISA, require special equipment, reagents and trained personnel. The Rose Bengal plate (RBP) test has shown potential as a good rapid diagnostic test. This is a report of serum samples from suspected cases of brucellosis that were tested using the RBP, SA and CF tests. The RBP test was shown to have a better relative sensitivity and as good specificity as the SA when compared with the CF test, and may be a useful initial diagnostic test for hospitals in remote rural areas if properly conducted with well stored antigen.

Numerical simulation of plate rigid restraint cracking tests based on cohesive element model

Cohesive element is developed from the Dugdal-Barenblatt model in the field of fracture mechanics. The mechanical constitutive relation of cohesive element can be artificially assumed depending on the specific applications. It has been successfully applied in the study of crystal plasticity/brittle fracture process and decohesion between delaminations. In this paper, tensile experiments of large steel plate with different length of pre-existing cracks are conducted. Based on commercial software ABAQUS, cohesive element is adopted to simulate the tensile tests, and appropriate parameter values are obtained by fitting displacement-force curves. Using these parameters, a numerical method is presented by applying cohesive element to thermo-elastic-plastic finite element method （TEP-FEM） to simulate plate rigid restraint cracking （PRRC） tests. By changing constitutive relation of cohesive element, dimensions of the model and welding conditions, the influence of welding restraint intensity and welding conditions on the crack propagation are discussed, respectively. Three types of welding cold cracking are simulated. Significant influence of welding cold cracking on resistant stress in welding line is captured by this numerical method.

Test and Evaluation of Stiffness of a Pin Turning Device for Large Marine Engine Crankshafts

In order to prevent unwanted excited vibrations and to secure better machining precision in large size heavy duty machine tools dynamic stiffness is one of the most desirable and critical properties. In the past decades, many researches on machine tool stiffness test and evaluation methodology have been made. However any methodology for a Pin Turning Device (PTD), which is a special kind of turning lathe for machining big size crankshaft pins, is rarely found among them. This study proposes a test and evaluation process of stiffness of a PTD by measuring frequency response function at the tool center point (TCP). For conformance proving for the proposed methodology, stiffness of a PTD obtained by the proposed method with impact hammer test (IHT) has been compared with that determined by FEM.

Surgical Treatment for Proximal Humerus Fractures Comparison between Plate Fixation and Kapandji’s Pinning

Introduction: Proximal humerus fractures are common, however, there is no consensus on a decision-making algorithm for the therapeutic management of these fractures, the aim of this study is to evaluate and compare functional results between two surgical techniques and to deduce the satisfactory results of the Kapandji’s pinning which, compared to the screw plate, should keep its place in the therapeutic arsenal. Patients and Methods: It’s a retrospective study, including two groups: The first of 18 patients treated with palm-tree pinning using kapandji’s technique, the second of 16 patients treated with anatomical screw plate at the orthopedic trauma service of the Mohamed VI university hospital between July 2013 and July 2018. We compared the results of the two techniques by studying three parameters which are the healing time, the anatomical reduction, and the functional outcomes. The average age was 46 years, and the sex ratio (M/F) was 2.3. Results: The statistical analysis of functional and radiological results showed no significant difference between the two techniques, indeed the average healing time was 56.3 days in the group treated by screw plate and 55.2 days in the group treated by Kapandji’s pinning (p = 0.46), Constant’s score was 73.18 and 79.05 respectively (p = 0.27) and the average cephalodiaphyseal angle was 49.03° and 52.07°, respectively (p = 0.35). Discussion: This study has clearly shown, as reported in the literature, that there is no conclusive evidence to suggest superiority of os-teosynthesis by anatomical plate versus kapandji’s pinning. However, the simple achievement of pinning according to kapandji’s technique, the preservation of soft tissues and the low cost make us prefer this technique. Furthermore, despite the progress noted in the development of osteosynthesis means of the proximal humerus, percutaneous pinning should always keep its place.

Non-Contact Stress Measurement during Tensile Testing Using an Emat for SH₀-Plate Wave and Lamb Wave

The stress on a test specimen during tensile testing is generally measured by a strain gauge. This method has some problems in that it would influence the measurement conditions of the tensile test and can evaluate only the position at which the strain gauge is attached. The acoustoelastic method is proposed as a method replacing the strain gauge method. However, an ultrasonic sensor with a piezoelectric oscillator requires a coupling medium to inject an ultrasonic wave into a solid material. This condition, due to the error factor of the stress measurement, makes it difficult for the ultrasonic sensor to move on the specimen. We then tried to develop a non-contact stress measurement system during tensile testing using an electromagnetic acoustic transducer (EMAT) with an SH0-plate wave and S0-Lamb wave. The EMAT can measure the propagation time in which the ultrasonic wave travels between a receiver and a transmitter without a coupling medium during the tensile testing and can move easily. The interval between the transmitter and the receiver is 10mm and can be moved along the parallel direction or the vertical direction of the tensile load. The transit time was measured by a cross-correlation method and converted into the stress on the test specimen using the acoustoelastic method. We confirmed that the stress measurement using an SH0-plate wave was superior to that with an S0-Lamb wave.

Simulation research on offset field-plate used as edge termination in 4H-SiC merged PiN-Schottky diodes

A new structure of 4H-silicon carbide （SIC） merged PiN-Schottky （MPS） diodes with offset field-plate （FP） as edge termination is developed. To understand the influences of 4H-SiC MPS diodes with offset FP on the characteristics, simulations have been done by using ISE TCAD. Related factors of offset FP have been studied as well to optimise the reverse characteristics of 4H SiC MPS diodes. The simulation results show that the device using offset FP can create a higher blocking voltage under reverse bias as compared with that using field guard rings. Besides, the offset FP does not cause any extra steps in the manufacture of MPS diodes.

Design of New Elevator Pressure Guide Plate and Its Test Device

Pressure guide plate plays a certain role in the safe operation of elevator.Based on understanding the respective performance of new and old pressure guide plates,this paper analyses the problems existing in the original pressure guide plate.It also conducts stress analysis according to the function of pressure guide plate on elevator,and designs a new type of pressure guide plate combined with technological capability and equipment.According to the stress characteristics,a test device is designed and a comparative test is made between the new type of pressure guide plate and the old in order to test the reliability of the new type of pressure guide plate.The test proves that the new pressure guide plate of elevator can meet the requirements of product use and safe operation of elevator products.

Analytical and Experimental Research on Wave Scattering by an Open-Type Rectangular Breakwater with Horizontal Perforated Plates

This study proposes a novel open-type rectangular breakwater combined with horizontal perforated plates on both sides to enhance the sheltering effect of the rectangular box-type breakwaters against longer waves.The hydrodynamic characteristics of this breakwater are analyzed through analytical potential solutions and experimental tests.The quadratic pressure drop conditions are exerted on the horizontal perforated plates to facilitate assessing the effect of wave height on the dissipated wave energy of breakwater through the analytical solution.The hydrodynamic quantities of the breakwater,including the reflection,transmission,and energyloss coefficients,together with vertical and horizontal wave forces,are calculated using the velocity potential decomposition method as well as an iterative algorithm.Furthermore,the reflection and transmission coefficients of the breakwater are measured by conducting experimental tests at various wave periods,wave heights,and both porosities and widths of the horizontal perforated plates.The analytical predicted results demonstrate good agreement with the iterative boundary element method solution and measured data.The influences of variable incident waves and structure parameters on the hydrodynamic characteristics of the breakwater are investigated through further calculations based on analytical solutions.Results indicate that horizontal perforated plates placed on the water surface for both sides of the rectangular breakwater can enhance the wave dissipation ability of the breakwater while effectively decreasing the transmission and reflection coefficients.

Horizontal Push Plate Test and Simulation of CRTS II Slab Ballastless Track

Good interlayer interface performance is the key to maintaining the stability of CRTSⅡslab ballastless track structure.In a project,the tangential cohesion parameters of CRTSⅡslab ballastless track structure are generally measured by horizontal push plate test,so as to measure the interlayer interface performance.Horizontal push plate contraction scale and full scale tests of CRTSⅡslab ballastless track structure are carried out to obtain the tangential force-displacement relation curve of the interlayer interface,thus obtaining the parameters of cohesion model.A threedimensional progressive damage analysis model for CRTSⅡslab ballastless track structure is established,the whole process inversion of the horizontal push plate test is carried out,and the reliability of the contraction scale test results is verified by means of simulation and comparative analysis of test results.The results show that the greater the tangential stiffness of the interlayer interface of the track structure,the weaker the interlayer deformation coordination capability;the more significant the non-uniformity of the interface damage,the more likely the stress concentration;the greater the fracture toughness,the less likely the disjoint in the interlayer interface of the track structure.

Fatigue behavior of aluminum stiffened plate subjected to random vibration loading

Vibration tests were carried out on three types of stiffened aluminum plates with fully clamped boundaries under random base excitation. During the test, the response of the specimens was monitored using strain gauges. Based on the strain history, the accumulation of fatigue damage of the stiffened plates was estimated by means of the rainflow cycle counting technique and the Miner linear damage accumulation model in the time domain. Utilizing the change of natural frequencies, a nonlinear model was fitted for predicting the fatigue damage of plate and then the foregone failure criterion of 5% reduction in natural frequency is improved. The influence of section and spacing of the stiffeners on the vibration fatigue behavior of the aluminum plate was investigated. The results show that the fatigue life of aluminum plate increases with adding either T or L section riveted stiffeners. With the same cross-sectional area of stiffener, the T section stiffened plate shows longer fatigue life than L section stiffened plate. Meanwhile, the vibration fatigue life also shows great sensitivity to the spacing between the stiffeners.

Z-pin增强陶瓷基复合材料拉伸和层间剪切性能

研究了Z-pin横向增强平纹编织陶瓷基复合材料的拉伸和层间剪切性能。炭纤维平纹编织物和炭纤维Z-pin制备的预成型体,通过化学气相渗透(CVI)工艺制成Z-pin增强平纹编织陶瓷基复合材料。通过单轴拉伸试验及加-卸载试验研究材料拉伸力学性能参数及破坏规律。采用双切口压缩试验测试材料的层间剪切强度。结果表明,Z-pin增强平纹编织陶瓷基复合材料拉伸应力-应变曲线具有非线性特性;Z-pin嵌入降低了平纹编织陶瓷基复合材料的拉伸强度,显著提高了陶瓷基复合材料层间剪切强度,使原来单纯层间基体与织物表面的脱离转变为Z-pin的剪切破坏和层间基体与织物的脱离双重破坏机理。