Hybrid Architecture:A Studio-Based Pedagogical Framework for Digital Architectural Design

This article intends to bring a new perspective to the discussion of how studio-based education in architectural studies can improve its quality by embedding meta-tools as paradigmatic frameworks as a learning/teaching strategy.The newly emerging creative and collaborative digital design tools and systems led to the re-shaping and re-definition of the traditional studio-based teaching/learning processes.The shift does not only comprise of a newly gained ability of using“design toolkits”,but also has substantial cognitive and pedagogical implications.The paper presents,describes and discusses the application of a new pedagogical approach through the application of a novel knowledge framework,that has been used in the teaching of DAD(Digital Architectural Design)in the context of a master’s level course.

Structural Carpentry in Qing Dynasty-A Framework for the Hierarchically Modularized Chinese Timber Structural Design

This article, by using mathematical expressions, offers a scientific framework for understanding how the grading system of Qing′s structural carpentry determines the design and construction in the grand style timber architecture.The Qing′s grand style timber structure, which is ready for prefabrication and assembly, is extremely hierarchical oriented and significantly standardized. The general procedure in designing a grand style timber structure is to start with the grade that defines the basic module (dou kou); next comes with the number of bracket set (cuan), the number of longitudinal bays and the number of purlins which affect its plan and cross section; thirdly choose a roof type that determines its longitudinal section and the facade as well. A series of formulae are conducted to help depict the layout, cross sectional roof curvature and special longitudinal treatments in 4 sloped and 9 spined roofs respectively.

水田动力底盘逆向建模与质心验证——基于Geomagic Design X

针对目前农业机械仿真和优化模型精度不高的问题,提出了一种构建精确模型的逆向建模方法。应用光学扫描仪采集点云数据,基于Geomagic Design X处理点云数据并重构零部件模型,在SolidWorks中完成水田动力底盘的装配。以VP6D-CQ型水田动力底盘为例,将测得的实际质心位置与所建的模型质心位置进行比较,并对提出的逆向建模方法进行了试验验证以及误差分析。结果表明:总质量、x坐标、y坐标、z坐标的误差值分别为4.55%、3.62%、2.23%、4.81%,误差值均在5%内。此方法可构建准确的三维模型,为后续仿真优化数据精确性奠定了基础,与传统的研发相比较,可缩短农业机械研发周期、降低设计成本。

App Designer辅助教学方法探索与实践——以软件无线电课程为例

软件无线电作为通信学科的必修课程,具有承上启下的重要作用。因课程原理抽象、理论公式复杂,学员在学习过程存在理解掌握难、实践应用难等问题。通过对当前软件无线电教学过程中存在的不足与困难进行分析,提出利用MATLAB App Designer辅助课程教学,从教学准备、课堂互动、自主实验、反馈提升四个方面开展课程教学改革。实践表明,该方法对于提升学员的工程思维、系统思维具有显著效果,同时可以增强学员理论联系实际的能力。

A new methodology for energy-based seismic design of steel moment frames

A procedure is proposed whereby input and hysteretic energy spectra developed for single-degree-of-freedom （SDOF） systems are applied to multi-degree-of-freedom （MDOF） steel moment resisting frames. The proposed procedure is verified using four frames, viz., frame with three-, five-, seven- and nine-stories, each of which is subjected to the fault- normal and fault-parallel components of three actual earthquakes. A very good estimate for the three- and five-story frames, and a reasonably acceptable estimate for the seven-, and nine-story frames, have been obtained. A method for distributing the hysteretic energy over the frame height is also proposed. This distribution scheme allows for the determination of the energy demand component of a proposed energy-based seismic design （EBSD） procedure for each story. To address the capacity component of EBSD, a story-wise optimization design procedure is developed by utilizing the energy dissipating capacity from plastic hinge formation/rotation for these moment frames. The proposed EBSD procedure is demonstrated in the design of a three-story one-bay steel moment frame.

Seismic performance analysis and design suggestion for frame buildings with cast-in-place staircases

Many staircases in reinforced concrete （RC） frame structures suffered severe damage during the Wenchuan earthquake. Elastic analyses for 18 RC structure models with and without staircases are conducted and compared to study the influence of the staircase on the stiffness, displacements and internal forces of the structures. To capture the yielding development and damage mechanism of frame structures, elasto-plastic analysis is carried out for one of the 18 models. Based on the features observed in the analyses, a new type of staircase design i.e., isolating them from the master structure to eliminate the effect of K-type struts, is proposed and discussed. It is concluded that the proposed method of staircase isolation is effective and feasible for engineering design, and does not significantly increase the construction cost.

Peak displacement patterns for the performance-based seismic design of steel eccentrically braced frames

Performance-based seismic design(PBSD) aims to assess structures at different damage states. Since damage can be directly associated to displacements, seismic design with consideration of displacement seems to be logical. In this study, simple formulae to estimate the peak floor displacement patterns of eccentrically braced frames(EBFs) at different performance levels subjected to earthquake ground motions are proposed. These formulae are applicable in a PBSD and especially in direct displacement-based design(DDBD). Parametric study is conducted on a group of 30 EBFs under a set of 15 far field and near field accelerograms which they scaled to different amplitudes to adapt various performance levels. The results of thousands of nonlinear dynamic analyses of EBFs have been post-processed by nonlinear regression analysis in order to recognize the major parameters that influence the peak displacement pattern of these frames. Results show that suggested displacement patterns have relatively good agreement with those acquired by an exact nonlinear dynamic analysis.

Evaluation of collapse resistance of RC frame structures for Chinese schools in seismic design categories B and C

According to the Code for Seismic Design of Buildings （GB50011-2001）, ten typical reinforced concrete （RC） frame structures, used as school classroom buildings, are designed with different seismic fortification intensities （SFIs） （SFI=6 to 8.5） and different seismic design categories （SDCs） （SDC=B and C）. The collapse resistance of the frames with SDC=B and C in terms of collapse fragility curves are quantitatively evaluated and compared via incremental dynamic analysis （IDA）. The results show that the collapse resistance of structures should be evaluated based on both the absolute seismic resistance and the corresponding design seismic intensity. For the frames with SFI from 6 to 7.5, because they have relatively low absolute seismic resistance, their collapse resistance is insufficient even when their corresponding SDCs are upgraded from B to C. Thus, further measures are needed to enhance these structures, and some suggestions are proposed.

Evaluating the inelastic displacement ratios of moment-resisting steel frames designed according to the Egyptian code

Seismic codes estimate the maximum displacements of building structures under the design-basis earthquakes by amplifying the elastic displacements under the reduced seismic design forces with a deflection amplification factor(DAF). The value of DAF is often estimated as ρ× R, where R is the force reduction factor and ρ is the inelastic displacement ratio that accounts for the inelastic action of the structure according to the definition presented by FEMA P695. The purpose of this study is to estimate the ρ-ratio of moment resisting steel frames(MRSFs) designed according to the Egyptian code. This is achieved by conducting a series of elastic and inelastic time-history analyses by two sets of earthquakes on four MRSFs designed according to the Egyptian code and having 2, 4, 8 and 12 stories. The earthquakes are scaled to produce maximum story drift ratios(MSDRs) of 1.0%, 1.5%, 2.0% and 2.5%. The mean values of the ρ-ratio are calculated based on the displacement responses of the investigated frames. The results obtained in this study indicate that the consideration of ρ for both the roof drift ratios(RDRs) and the MSDRs equal to 1.0 is a reasonable estimation for MRSFs designed according to the Egyptian code.

Design and dynamic analysis of integrated architecture for vibration energy harvesting including piezoelectric frame and mechanical amplifier

Vibration energy harvesters(VEHs) can transform ambient vibration energy to electricity and have been widely investigated as promising self-powered devices for wireless sensor networks, wearable sensors, and applications of a micro-electro-mechanical system(MEMS). However, the ambient vibration is always too weak to hinder the high energy conversion efficiency. In this paper, the integrated frame composed of piezoelectric beams and mechanical amplifiers is proposed to improve the energy conversion efficiency of a VEH. First, the initial structures of a piezoelectric frame(PF) and an amplification frame(AF) are designed. The dynamic model is then established to analyze the influence of key structural parameters on the mechanical amplification factor. Finite element simulation is conducted to study the energy harvesting performance, where the stiffness characteristics and power output in the cases of series and parallel load resistance are discussed in detail. Furthermore, piezoelectric beams with variable cross-sections are introduced to optimize and improve the energy harvesting efficiency. Advantages of the PF with the AF are illustrated by comparison with conventional piezoelectric cantilever beams. The results show that the proposed integrated VEH has a good mechanical amplification capability and is more suitable for low-frequency vibration conditions.

A Computer-aided Design System for Framed-mould in Autoclave Processing

The general computer-aided design （CAD） software cannot meet the mould design requirement of the autoclave process for composites, because many parameters such as temperature and pressure should be considered in the mould design process, in addition to the material and geometry of the part. A framed-mould computer-aided design system （FMCAD） used in the autoclave moulding process is proposed in this paper. A function model of the software is presented, in which influence factors such as part structure, mould structure, and process parameters are considered; a design model of the software is established using object oriented （O-O） technology to integrate the stiffness calculation, temperature field calculation, and deformation field calculation of mould in the design, and in the design model, a hybrid model of mould based on calculation feature and form feature is presented to support those calculations. A prototype system is developed, in which a mould design process wizard is built to integrate the input information, calculation, analysis, data storage, display, and design results of mould design. Finally, three design examples are used to verify the prototype.

Optimal Design of Bicycle Frame Parameters Considering Biomechanics

With the development of technology and the change of market demands,the trend in middle and high grade bicycle manufacturing is developed toward small-volume,multi-species,and customer-oriented production.Therefore,human element should be fully considered in design so that the bicycle has the best cycling performance for the specific rider.Currently,customized design is difficult to achieve since feature parameters of the rider are not included in the design.The design of bicycle frame is the most important in bicycle design.The relative positions among the saddle,handlebar and central axis are defined as the bicycle three-pivot,they are the main parameters in bicycle frame design.In conventional bicycle design,frame parameters are merely relevant to bicycle types.On the basis of the principles of biomechanics and ergonomics knowledge,this paper presents a design method for bicycle three-pivot considering feature parameters of the rider by dynamic simulation.Firstly,a dynamic model of rider-bicycle system is built for a special rider,and a serial of simulation experiments is designed by uniform test method.Then,a mathematical model is built between the three-pivot position and the square of lower limb muscle stress by using simulation and regression analysis of the rider-bicycle system.The optimal three-pivot position parameters are obtained by setting the minimal of the square of the lower limb muscle stress as the objective.Therefore,the optimal parameters are gained for the specific rider.Finally,various results are gained for different riders based on the same design process.The function between feature parameters of the rider and the optimum three-pivot position parameters is built by regression.Bicycle design considering biomechanics can be divided into three main steps：calculating the three-pivot position,designing the geometrical structure of the bicycle frame and analyzing frame strength,and selecting appropriate parts and assembling the bicycle.Bicycle design considering biomechanics changes the conventional bicycle design and realizes customized design by considering human element in the design process.

Concurrent multi-scale design optimization of composite frame structures using the Heaviside penalization of discrete material model

This paper deals with the concurrent multi-scale optimization design of frame structure composed of glass or carbon fiber reinforced polymer laminates. In the composite frame structure, the fiber winding angle at the micro-material scale and the geometrical parameter of components of the frame in the macro-structural scale are introduced as the independent variables on the two geometrical scales. Considering manufacturing requirements, discrete fiber winding angles are specified for the micro design variable. The improved Heaviside penalization discrete material optimization interpolation scheme has been applied to achieve the discrete optimization design of the fiber winding angle. An optimization model based on the minimum structural compliance and the specified fiber material volume constraint has been established. The sensitivity information about the two geometrical scales design variables are also deduced considering the characteristics of discrete fiber winding angles. The optimization results of the fiber winding angle or the macro structural topology on the two single geometrical scales, together with the concurrent two-scale optimization, is separately studied and compared in the paper. Numerical examples in the paper show that the concurrent multi-scale optimization can further explore the coupling effect between the macro-structure and micro-material of the composite to achieve an ultralight design of the composite frame structure. The novel two geometrical scales optimization model provides a new opportunity for the design of composite structure in aerospace and other industries.

Seismic fragility assessment of RC frame structure designed according to modern Chinese code for seismic design of buildings

Following several damaging earthquakes in China, research has been devoted to find the causes of the collapse of reinforced concrete （RC） building sand studying the vulnerability of existing buildings. The Chinese Code for Seismic Design of Buildings （CCSDB） has evolved over time, however, there is still reported earthquake induced damage of newly designed RC buildings. Thus, to investigate modern Chinese seismic design code, three low-, mid- and high-rise RC frames were designed according to the 2010 CCSDB and the corresponding vulnerability curves were derived by computing a probabilistic seismic demand model （PSDM）.The PSDM was computed by carrying out nonlinear time history analysis using thirty ground motions obtained from the Pacific Earthquake Engineering Research Center. Finally, the PSDM was used to generate fragility curves for immediate occupancy, significant damage, and collapse prevention damage levels. Results of the vulnerability assessment indicate that the seismic demands on the three different frames designed according to the 2010 CCSDB meet the seismic requirements and are almost in the same safety level.

Hydroforming Process Design Using Finite Element Simulation for a Vehicle Instrument Panel Support Frame

Tubular hydroforming has attracted increased attention in the vehicle industry recently. This paper covers a complete hydroforming process design for an instrum ent panel frame by finite element simulation using the explicit code LS-DYNA. The manufacturing process for the instrument panel frame consists of tube pre-be nding and final hydroforming. To accomplish hydroforming process design successf ully, a thorough investigation of proper combination of process parameters such as internal hydraulic pressure and axial feeding is carried out by finite element simulation to predict the tube wall thickness and shape. An optimized process parameter combination is obtained and verified by the instrument panel frame hyd roforming experiment. The experiment shows that designed process parameters can be used in real production through FEA simulation, but tubular thinned amplitu de by FEA is less than that with the experiment.

Integrated design optimization of composite frames and materials for maximum fundamental frequency with continuous fiber winding angles

Fiber reinforced composite frame structure is an ideal lightweight and large-span structure in the fields of aerospace,satellite and wind turbine.Natural fundamental frequency is one of key indicators in the design requirement of the composite frame since structural resonance can be effectively avoided with the increase of the fundamental frequency.Inspired by the concept of integrated design optmization of composite frame structures and materials,the design optimization for the maximum structural fundamental frequency of fiber reinforced frame structures is proposed.An optimization model oriented at the maximum structural fundamental frequency under a composite material volume constraint is established.Two kinds of independent design variables are optimized,in which one is variables represented structural topology,the other is variables of continuous fiber winding angles.Sensitivity analysis of the frequency with respect to the two kinds of independent design variables is implemented with the semi-analytical sensitivity method.Some representative examples in the manuscript demonstrate that the integrated design optimization of composite structures can effectively explore coupled effects between structural configurations and material properties to increase the structural fundamental frequency.The proposed integrated optimization model has great potential to improve composite frames structural dynamic performance in aerospace industries.

OPTIMUM PARAMETERS AND DESIGN OF TUNED MASS DAMPER FOR BUILDING FRAMES UNDER GROUND ACCELERATION

For the purpose of comparison and applications, two criteria for the optimum searching are considered, which are the minimization of the minimum of the maximum dynamic magnification factor(Min. Min. Max. DMF) and the minimization of the minimum dynamic reduction factor (Min.Min.DRF). A study is carried out to investigate the applicability of designing TMD utilizing the unit modal participation factor. In addition, the design steps for the building frame with TMD are suggested. It is demonstrated that significant reduction in the response can be achieved by adopting the optimum TMD parameters in the present paper.

A Framework for Web-Based Mechanical Design and Analysis

In this paper, a Web-based Mechanical Design and A na lysis Framework (WMDAF) is proposed. This WMADF allows designers to develop web -based computer aided programs in a systematic way during the collaborative mec hanical system design and analysis process. This system is based on an emerg ing web-based Content Management System (CMS) called eXtended Object Oriented P ortal System (XOOPS). Due to the Open Source Status of the XOOPS CMS, programs d eveloped with this framework can be further customized to satisfy the demands of the user. To introduce the use of this framework, this paper exams three differ ent types of mechanical design and analysis problems. First, a repetitive design consideration and calculation process is transferred into WMADF programs to gai n efficiency for wired collaborative team. Second, the considered product solid model is created directly through the use of XOOPS program and Microsoft Compone nt Object Model (COM) instances. To the end of the paper, an example linked with ANSYS is used to indicate the possible application of this framework.

Improving the design of reinforcing frames by simulating the arch and peltate venation structures

Based on the analyses on arch and peltate venation structures, the design of reinforcing frames was improved. First, distribution rules of the arch structure were summarized. According to the load condition and the structure of the frame, a mechanical model of arch structure was devel- oped, and two solutions for the model were analyzed and compared with each other. Through the a- nalysis, application rules of arch structure for improving the design were obtained. Then, distribu- tion rules of peltate venation structure were summarized. By using the same method, application rules of peltate venation structure for improving the design were also obtained. Finally, mechanical problem of the frame was described, and rib arrangement of the frame was redesigned. A parameter optimization for the widths of ribs in bionic arrangement was also carried out to accomplish the im- proving design. Comparison between bionic and conventional reinforcing frames shows that the weight is reduced by as much as 15.3%.

Seismic design factors for RC special moment resisting frames in Dubai,UAE

This study investigates the seismic design factors for three reinforced concrete （RC） framed buildings with 4, 16 and 32-stories in Dubai, UAE utilizing nonlinear analysis. The buildings are designed according to the response spectrum procedure defined in the 2009 International Building Code （IBC＇09）. Two ensembles of ground motion records with 10% and 2% probability of exceedance in 50 years （10/50 and 2/50, respectively） are used. The nonlinear dynamic resPonses to the earthquake records are computed using IDARC-2D. Key seismic design parameters are evaluated; namely, response modification factor （R）, deflection amplification factor （Cd）, system overstrength factor （Ωo）, and response modification factor for ductility （Rd） in addition to inelastic interstory drift. The evaluated seismic design factors are found to significantly depend on the considered ground motion （10/50 versus 2/50）. Consequently, resolution to the controversy of Dubai seismicity is urged. The seismic design factors for the 2/50 records show an increase over their counterparts for the 10/50 records in the range of 200%-400%, except for the D~ factor, which shows a mere 30% increase. Based on the observed trends, perioddependent R and Cd factors are recommended if consistent collapse probability （or collapse prevention performance） in moment frames with varying heights is to be expected.