An improved model for predicting effective Young's modulus of the twisted structure under cyclic loading:taking into account the untwisting effect

Twist structures have diverse applications, ranging from dragline, electrical cable, and intelligent structure. Among these applications, tension deformation can＇t be avoided during the fabrication and working processes, which often leads to the twist structure rotation （called untwisting effect） and twist pitch increasing. As a consequence, this untwisting behavior has a large effect on the effective Young＇s modulus. In this paper, we present an improved model based on the classical Costello＇s theory to predict the effective Young＇s modulus of the basic structure, twisted by three same copper strands under cyclic loading. Series of experiments were carried out to verify the present model taking into account the untwisting effect. The experimental results have better agreements with the presented model than the common Costello＇s model.

Topology optimization of 3D structures with design-dependent loads

Topology optimization of continuum structures with design-dependent loads has long been a challenge. In this paper, the topology optimization of 3D structures subjected to design-dependent loads is investigated. A boundary search scheme is proposed for 3D problems, by means of which the load surface can be identified effectively and efficiently, and the difficulties arising in other approaches can be overcome. The load surfaces are made up of the boundaries of finite elements and the loads can be directly applied to corresponding element nodes, which leads to great convenience in the application of this method. Finally, the effectiveness and efficiency of the proposed method is validated by several numerical examples.

Hot Spot in Materials with Structural Defects under High Shear Loading Rates

The response of three-dimensional sample of Al, containing vacancy complex, under shear loading was simulated. The molecular dynamics method was used and interaction between atoms was described on the base of pseudopotential theory Solitary waves were generated in the sample under mechanical loading. Their interaction with the vacancy complexes was shown to be able to initiate hot spot in that local region of the complexes. Some parameters of the hot spot as well as solitary waves were calculated. The initiation of the hot spot is accompanied with sufficient local structural relaxation.

Seawater Corrosion Fatigue of Welded Joints Under Random Variable Amplitude Loading

Offshore platforms are always subjected to wave action which is random variable amplitude cyclic loading. In order to simulate the stressing condition at the 'hot spot' of the tubular joints and the marine environment, random variable amplitude fatigue tests have been carried out on welded plate joints in sea water. The tests have been conducted under the conditions of loading frequency of 0.2 Hz/, stress ratio of -1, seawater temperature of about 20°C and cathodic protection with the potential about -850 mV, SCE. The test results have been compared with the seawater corrosion fatigue life under constant amplitude loading. Miner's linear cumulative damage summation rule has been used to predict the corrosion fatigue life under variable amplitude loading. The predicted life is in good agreement with the test data.

EFFECTS OF SPLITTER BLADES ON THE LAW OF INNER FLOW WITHIN CENTRIFUGAL PUMP IMPELLER

Analysis on the inner flow field of a centrifugal pump impeller with splitter blades is carfled out by numerical simulation. Based on this analysis, the principle of increasing pump head and efficiency are discussed. New results are obtained from the analysis of turbulence kinetic energy and relative velocity distribution： Firstly, unreasonable length or deviation design of the splitter blades may cause great turbulent fluctuation in impeller channel, which has a great effect on the stability of impeller outlet flow; Secondly, it is found that the occurrence of flow separation can be decreased or delayed with splitter blades from the analysis of blade loading; Thirdly, the effect of splitter blades on reforming the structure of ＂jet-wake＂ is explained from the relative velocity distribution at different flow cross-sections, which shows the flow process in the impeller. The inner flow analysis verifies the results of performance tests results and the PIV test.

Perturbation Analysis of the Attached Water Mass Effect on Offshore Platform Dynamic Response

Theoretically speaking, it is impossible to make the differential equation of motion uncoupled for the natural modes of a system in consideration of the attached water. The hydro-elastic structure is equal to the non-proportional damping system. In this paper a perturbation analysis method is put forward. The structure motion equation is strictly solved mathematically, and the non-proportional damping problem is transformed into a series of proportional damping ones in the superposition form. The paper also presents the calculation formula of the dynamic response of the structure being subjected to harmonic and arbitrary load. The convergence of the proposed method is also studied in this paper, and the corresponding convergence conditions are given. Finally, the proposed method is used to analyze the displacement response of a real offshore platform. The calculation results show that this method has the characteristics of high accuracy and fast convergence.

Regression Formulations for the Stress at Hot Spot of Multiplanar Tubular DT Joints

Stress concentration analysis of multiplanar tubular DT joints plays an important role in the fatigue design of offshore platforms. A semi-analytic method for stress analysis under the condition of any loads is briefly introduced in the paper. Nineteen multiplanar tubular DT joints with one of two braces of the same dimension subjected to axial loads and out- of- plane bending moments are computed for parametric stress analysis by using the present method. The influence of geometrical parameters on the stresses of multiplanar tubular DT joints is discussed and compared with corresponding uniplanar T joints. The regression formulae for the stress at hot spot of multiplanar DT joints are found by modification of SCF of corresponding uniplanar T joints. The parametric formulae for the maximum stress by superposition. Finally, the influences of stiffening effect and load-interaction effect on the maximum stress of DT joints are discussed.

Observer-Based Disturbance Accommodation Control Strategy for Useful Lifetime Control and Structural Load Mitigation of Wind Turbines

Wind turbines undergo degradation due to various factors which induce stress, thereby leading to fatigue damage to various wind turbine components. In addition, the current increase in demand for electrical power has led to the development of large wind turbines, which result in increased structural loads, therefore, increasing the possibility of early failure due to fatigue load. This paper proposes a proportional integral observer (PI-Observer) based disturbance accommodation controller (DAC) with individual pitch control (IPC) for load mitigation to reduce components’ damage and ensure the wind turbine is operational for the expected lifetime. The results indicate a reduction in blades’ bending moments with a standard deviation of 15.9%, which positively impacts several other wind turbine subsystems. Therefore, the lifetime control strategy demonstrates effective structural load mitigation without compromise on power generation, thus, achieving a nominal lifetime control to inhibit premature failure.

Static response of a layered magneto-electro-elastic half-space structure under circular surface loading

A cylindrical system of vector functions, the stiffness matrix method and the corresponding recursive algorithm are proposed to investigate the static response of transversely isotropic,layered magneto-electro-elastic（MEE） structures over a homogeneous half-space substrate subjected to circular surface loading. In terms of the system of vector functions, we expand the extended displacements and stresses, and deduce two sets of ordinary differential equations, which are related to the expansion coeficients. The solution to one of the two sets of these ordinary differential equations can be evaluated by using the stiffness matrix method and the corresponding recursive algorithm. These expansion coeficients are then integrated by adaptive Gaussian quadrature to obtain the displacements and stresses in the physical domain. Two types of surface loads, mechanical pressure and electric loading,are considered in the numerical examples. The calculated results show that the proposed technique is stable and effective in analyzing the layered half-space MEE structures under surface loading.

Synthesis of hollow and mesoporous structured NaYF4：Yb,Er upconversion luminescent nanoparticles for targeted drug delivery

In this paper, we demonstrated a one-step template-free strategy to fabricate a hollow mesoporous structured NaY F4：Yb,Er nanoparticles with excellent upconversion luminescence. Folic acid（FA）, a commonly used cancer-targeting agent, was conjugated on the surface of the nanoparticles based on the presence of free amine groups, which were labeled as NaY F4：Yb,Er-FA HMUCNPs. The properties were extensively studied, which indicated the obtained samples showed a typical hollow mesoporous structure and excellent upconversion luminescence that were useful for cell imaging and drug delivery. The L929 cells viability, hemolysis assay and coagulation test demonstrated good biocompatibility of the samples. The anti-cancer drug doxorubicin hydrochloride（DOX） storage/release properties were demonstrated to be pH-responsive, in which, the drug release might be beneficial at the reduced pH for targeted release and controlled therapy. Moreover, it was found that DOX-loaded NaY F4：Yb,Er-FA HMUCNPs exhibited greater cytotoxicity to KB cells than free DOX due to the specific cell uptake by KB cells via folate receptor-mediate endocytosis. Therefore, the multifunctional nanoparticles combining upconversion luminescent property and hollow mesoporous structure have potential for simultaneous targeted anti-cancer drug delivery and cell imaging.

Stiffeners layout design of thin-walled structures with constraints on multi-fastener joint loads

The purpose of this paper is to present an extended topology optimization method for the stiffeners layout design of aircraft assembled structures. Multi-fastener joint loads and manufacturing constraints are considered simultaneously. On one hand, the joint loads are calculated and constrained within a limited value to avoid the failure of fasteners. On the other hand, the manufacturing constraints of the material distribution in the machining directions of stiffeners are implemented by an improved piecewise interpolation based on a beveled cut-surface. It is proven that the objective function is strictly continuous and differentiable with respect to the piecewise interpolation. The effects of the extended method with two different constraints are highlighted by typical numerical examples. Compared with the standard topology optimization, the final designs have clearly shown the layout of stiffeners and the joint loads have been perfectly constrained to a satisfying level.

Aerodynamic and structural characteristics of helicopter rotor in circling flight

To investigate the distinct properties of the helicopter rotors during circling flight,the aerodynamic and dynamic models for the main rotor are established considering the trim conditions and the flight parameters of helicopters.The free wake method is introduced to compute the unsteady aerodynamic loads of the rotor characterized by distortions of rotor wakes,and the modal superposition method is used to predict the overall structural loads of the rotor.The effectiveness of the aerodynamic and the structural methods is verified by comparison with the experimental results,whereby the influences of circling direction,radius,and velocity are evaluated in both aerodynamic and dynamic aspects.The results demonstrate that the circling condition makes a great difference to the performance of rotor vortex,as well as the unsteady aerodynamic loads.With the decrease of the circling radius or the increment of the circling velocity,the thrust of the main rotor increases apparently to balance the inertial force.Meanwhile,the harmonics of aerodynamic loads in rotor disc change severely and an evident aerodynamic load shock appears at high-order components,which further causes a shift-of-peak-phase bending moment in the flap dimension.Moreover,the advancing side of blade experiences second blade/vortex interaction,whose intensity has a distinct enhancement as the circling radius decreases with the motion of vortexes.

VERIFICATION AND COMPARISON OF FORMULAS FOR BED LOAD TRANSPORT

Several typical formulas for bed load transport are examined based on field data. It is concluded that the Einstein formula provides good estimates for the bed load transport rate while other ones predict much lower transport rates. The main reason for the under-prediction is that Dp, the effective diameter of particles, is too large as a representative diameter of the bed material for gravel streams with partially movable bed. Performance of these formulas can be significantly improved if D35 is adopted instead of Dp.

Longitudinal connection effect on initial support steel frames in tunnels--Take the traffic tunnels as examples

Most tunnel projects are designed with cross-sectional loads,and the inhomogeneity of the longitudinal forces is ignored.In theory,such a support structure can resist large loads,but in practice,large deformation,concrete cracking,steel frame distortion,and other phenomena often occur in tunnels under poor surrounding rock conditions.Hence,the longitudinal stability of the tunnel must be considered.In this study,the mechanism of longitudinal connecting ribs(LCRs)of tunnels was investigated through element tests,theoretical analyses,and numerical simulations,and the effect of the LCRs was evaluated experimentally.The applicability of the constitutive relations and boundary conditions of the numerical model was verified.The instability mode of the steel frame reflecting the longitudinal stress gradient of the tunnel was analyzed,and the longitudinal surrounding rock pressure and the verified numerical model were applied to analyze the LCR using the load structure method.The results indicate the following:(1)LCRs can effectively improve the ultimate bearing capacity and stability of a structure and reduce the area and degree of damage;(2)Two types of instability modes occur in tunnel steel frames,and the main factor is bending failure caused by the axial force;(3)The distance sensitivity of the LCR in the tunnel is higher than the stiffness sensitivity.For large deformations of tunnels,double rows of rebars with a spacing of less than 1.5 m should be used as longitudinal connections.

In situ trapped high-density single metal atoms within graphene： Iron-containing hybrids as representatives for efficient oxygen reduction

Atomically dispersed catalysts have attracted attention in energy conversion applications because their efficiency and chemoselectivity for special catalysis are superior to those of traditional catalysts. However, they have limitations owing to the extremely low metal-loading content on supports, difficulty in the precise control of the metal location and amount as well as low stability at high temperatures. We prepared a highly doped single metal atom hybrid via a single-step thermal pyrolysis of glucose, dicyandiamide, and inorganic metal salts. High-angle annular dark field-scanning transmission electron microscopy （HAADF-STEM） and X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy （XAFS） revealed that nitrogen atoms doped into the graphene matrix were pivotal for metal atom stabilization by generating a metal-Nx coordination structure. Due to the strong anchoring effect of the graphene matrix, the metal loading content was over 4 wt.% in the isolated atomic hybrid （the Pt content was as high as 9.26 wt.% in the Pt-doped hybrid）. Furthermore, the single iron-doped hybrid （Fe@N-doped graphene） showed a remarkable electrocatalytic performance for the oxygen reduction reaction. The peak power density was - 199 mW·cm-2 at a current density of 310 mA·cm-2 and superior to that of a commercial Pt/C catalyst when it was used as a cathode catalyst in assembled zinc-air batteries. This work offered a feasible approach to design and fabricate highly doped single metal atoms （SMAs） catalysts for potential energy applications.