Parametric analysis on buffeting performance of a long-span high-speed railway suspension bridge

The buffeting performance of kilometer-level high-speed railway suspension bridges has a great impact on the smooth operation of high-speed trains.To investigate the buffeting performance of the structure significantly different from traditional suspension bridges,the first long-span high-speed railway suspension bridge,Wufengshan Yangtze River Bridge(WYRB),is taken as a numerical example to demonstrate the effects of structural parameters and wind field parameters on the buffeting responses.Based on the design information,the spatial finite element model(FEM)of WYRB is established before testing its accuracy.The fluctuating wind fields are simulated via both classical and stochastic wave based spectral representation method(SRM).Finite element method is further taken to analyze the parametric sensitivity on wind induced buffeting responses in time domain.The results show that the vertical displacement is more sensitive to the changing dead load than the lateral and torsional ones.The larger stiffness of the main girder and the lower sag-to-span ratio are both helpful to reduce the buffeting responses.Wind spectrum and coherence function are key influencing factors to the responses so setting proper wind field parameters are essential in the wind-resistant design stage.The analytical results can provide references for wind resistance analysis and selection of structural and fluctuating wind field parameters for similar long-span high-speed railway suspension bridges.

Parametric Analysis of Tensile Properties of Bimodal Al Alloys by Finite Element Method

An axisymmetrical unit cell model was used to represent a bimodal Al alloy that was composed of both nano-grained （NG） and coarse-grained （CG） aluminum. Effects of microstructural and materials parameters on tensile properties of bimodal AI alloy were investigated by finite element method （FEM）. The parameters analyzed included aspect ratios of CG Al and the unit cell, volume fraction of CG Al （VFCG）, and yield strength and strain hardening exponent of CG Al. Aspect ratios of CG Al and the unit cell have no significant influence on tensile stress-strain response of the bimodal Al alloy. This phenomenon derives from the similarity in elastic modulus and coefficient of thermal expansion between CG AI and NG Al. Conversely, tensile properties of bimodal Al alloy are extremely sensitive to VFCG, yield strength and strain hardening exponent of CG Al. Specifically, as VFCG increases, both yield strength and ultimate tensile strength （UTS） of the bimodal Al alloy decreases, while uniform strain of bimodal AI alloy increases. In addition, an increase in yield strength of CG Al results in an increase in both yield stress and UTS of bimodal AI alloy and a decrease in uniform strain of bimodal Al alloy. The lower capability in lowering the increase of stress concentration in NG Al due to a higher yield strength of CG Al causes the lower uniform strain of the bimodal AI alloy. When strain hardening exponent of CG Al increases, 0.2% yield stress, UTS, and uniform strain of the bimodal Al alloy increases. This can be attributed to the increased work-hardening ability of CG Al with a higher strain hardening exponent.

Parametric Analysis and Experimental Study on Local Flexibility of TY-Type Tubular Joints

Loal flexibility of tubular joints has important effect on the static and dynamic behaviour of offshore platforms, therefore, the determination of it becomes an important research subject in the field of offshore engineering. In this paper, the local flexibility of TY-type tubular joints, which are widely used in offshore platforms, is calculated by using semi- analytical method. Based on the calculated results, parametric formulae for evaluating element in the local joint flexibility matrix of TY- type tubular joints are derived by regression. A test on PVC models of TY-type tubular joints to measure the local joint flexibility is also reported. A comparison of the results calculated from the parametric formulae presented in this paper with those measured from the model test shows that the parametric formulae are reliable. It is recommended that these formulae be used in the global structural analysis of offshore platforms.

Parametric analysis of wheel wear in high-speed vehicles

In order to reduce the wheel profile wear of highspeed trains and extend the service life of wheels, a dynamic model for a high-speed vehicle was set up, in which the wheelset was regarded as flexible body, and the actual measured track irregularities and line conditions were considered. The wear depth of the wheel profile was calculated by the well-known Archard wear law. Through this model, the influence of the wheel profile, primary suspension stiffness, track gage, and rail cant on the wear of wheel profile were studied through multiple iterafive calculations. Numerical simulation results show that the type XP55 wheel profile has the smallest cumulative wear depth, and the type LM wheel profile has the largest wear depth. To reduce the wear of the wheel profile, the equivalent conicity of the wheel should not be too large or too small. On the other hand, a small primary vertical stiffness, a track gage around 1,435-1,438 mm, and a rail cant around 1：35-1：40 are beneficial for dynamic performance improvement and wheel wear alleviation.

Criteria of limiting temperature and parametric analysis of the large deflection behavior for fully restrained steel beams in fire

This paper mainly involve 3 parts:1) To apply the minimum principle of acceleration in dynamics of elastic-plastic continua at finite deformation to the statics problems,a computing model is presented for the restrained steel beams exposed to the fire.In this model,both effects of large deflection and thermal expansion deformation are taken into account,and the constitutive equations with the temperature effects are used.Then a dynamic finite difference(DFD) method is presented by using the dis-crete technique,which can be used in simulating the response of the steel beams at elevated temperature,and the large deflec-tion behavior and catenary action effects of the beams can be adequately expressed.The primary numerical results show that the method is valid and credible.Compared with other methods,this technique is very simple,and it can also be further devel-oped to simulate the behavior of steel beams subjected to the coupling loading of explosion and fire when both effects of strain rate and inertia are considered.2) By using this DFD method,detailed parametric analysis are presented so as to check the consistency of response results for several different formulas of thermal expansion deformation and retention factors of steel at elevated temperature,the influence of these parameters on the critical temperature is examined.3) Based on the analysis for the curves of temperature-generalized yield function comprised by the axial force and bending moment,both criteria to determine the limiting temperature(or failure temperature) of large deflection steel beams are presented more explicitly,that is,both lim-iting temperatures can be determined by if the catenary force begins to appear or arrives at the maximum value,respectively.It is shown by numerical results that both limiting temperatures are close to the both critical temperatures which are correspond-ing to the maximum deflections equal to span/20 and span/10,respectively.This conclusion may be helpful to make rational fire resisting design for the steel beams.

Parametric analysis of a packed bed thermal storage device with phase change material capsules in a solar heating system application

The goal of this study is to investigate the effect of key design parameters on the thermal performance of the packed bed heat storage device by numerical calculation.A one-dimensional,non-equilibrium packed bed latent heat storage mathematical model was established and the applicability of the model was verified.The results demonstrate that the inlet temperature of the heat transfer fluid(HTF)had the greatest influence on each index.When the inlet temperature increased from 333 K to 363 K,exergy destruction increased threefold,effective heat storage time decreased by 67%,effective heat storage increased by 38%,and exergy efficiency decreased by 11%.The decrease of the capsule diameter had a positive effect on each evaluation index.According to the sensitivity analysis,the order of importance of each parameter within their variation range was HTF inlet temperature,HTF flow rate,PCM capsule size and PCM initial temperature.

INFLUENCE OF SHOT AND STEP RESPONSE ON PARAMETRIC SENSITIVITY UNDER THE STIMULUS-RESPONSE OF ANALYSIS

Shot and step response measurements were carried out with inert bed and adsorption bed both under iso-thermal conditions.Parameter values were determined from a time domain analysis of the measured inputand response signal.Sensitivity test in the parameter values showed that shot response measurements maygive more reliable parameter values than step measurements.Since Kubin[1]and Kucera[2]proposed a parameter estimation technique based on a moment methodfor adsorption system,attention has been focused on dynamic input-output measurements with variouspacked bed systems for the parameter estimation.The object of this work is to compare shot and step re-sponse measurements and see which measurement gives more reliable parameter values.

Theoretical analysis on the deformation characteristics of coal wall in a longwall top coal caving face

Against the background of analyzing coal wall stability in 14101 fully mechanized longwall top coal caving face in Majialiang coal mine,based on the torque equilibrium of the coal wall,shield support and the roof strata,an elastic mechanics model was established to calculate the stress applied on the coal wall.The displacement method was used to obtain the stress and deformation distributions of the coal wall.This study also researched the influence of support resistance,protective pressure to the coal wall,fracture position of the main roof and mining height on the coal wall deformation.The following conclusions are drawn:(1) The shorter the distance from the longwall face,the greater the vertical compressive stress and horizontal tensile stress borne by the coal wall.The coal wall is prone to failure in the form of compressive-shear and tension;(2) With increasing support resistance,the revolution angle of the main roof decreases linearly.As the support resistance and protective force supplied by the face guard increases,the maximum deformation of the coal wall decreases linearly;(3) As the face approaches the fracture position of the main roof,coal wall horizontal deformation increases significantly,and the coal wall is prone to instability;and(4) The best mining height of 14101 longwall face is 3.0 m.

Dynamic Analysis for Structures Isolated with Dampers

In this paper, mathematical models and dynamic analyses for both SDOF and MDOF structures isolated with dampers are established and performed, and a comprehensive computation method is provided. The shock absorbing effect is illustrated through an example of a two DOF damper-isolated system excited by sinusoidal waves and actual ground acceleration input recorded in earthquakes. It is shown that most of the responses of the structure with dampers reduce greatly near the resonant zone, but acceleration is enlarged in the lower or higher frequency zone; among various parameters, the influence of frictional coefficient n is the most significant, that of damping ratio of the dampers , is the second, and that of stiffness coefficient of the dampers k, is the slightest.

Shear performance analysis of a heavy-duty universal hinged cast steel support

This paper presents the shear performance analysis of a heavy-duty universal hinged cast steel support with the largest bearing capacity. The effect of 9 parameters ( 52 specimens) ,i. e. height of the upper support,depth of the ring of the upper support,depth of the top plate of the bottom support,height of the ribs of the bottom support,depth of the ribs of the bottom support,bolt hole diameter,number of the ribs of the bowl,depth of the ribs of the bowl,and yield strength of the material,were analyzed with a 3-dimensional elastic-plastic finite element model in which the nonlinearities of geometry,material and contact were all considered. Analysis shows that height of the upper support,depth of the ring of the upper support and yield strength of the material have a great effect on the mechanical performance of the support. Height of the upper support has the largest effect on performance price ratio of the support,and the maximum effect can be up to 160% . Depth of the top plate of the bottom support,height of the ribs of the bottom support and depth of the ribs of the bottom support have a medium effect on performance price ratio of the support,and the effect is within the limit of 15% 19% .

Prediction of rock fragmentation in a fiery seam of an open-pit coal mine in India

Spontaneous combustion of coal increases the temperature in adjoining overburden strata of coal seams and poses a challenge when loading blastholes.This condition,known as hot-hole blasting,is dangerous due to the increased possibility of premature explosions in loaded blastholes.Thus,it is crucial to load the blastholes with an appropriate amount of explosives within a short period to avoid premature detonation caused by high temperatures of blastholes.Additionally,it will help achieve the desired fragment size.This study tried to ascertain the most influencial variables of mean fragment size and their optimum values adopted for blasting in a fiery seam.Data on blast design,rock mass,and fragmentation of 100 blasts in fiery seams of a coal mine were collected and used to develop mean fragmentation prediction models using soft computational techniques.The coefficient of determination(R^(2)),root mean square error(RMSE),mean absolute error(MAE),mean square error(MSE),variance account for(VAF)and coefficient of efficiency in percentage(CE)were calculated to validate the results.It indicates that the random forest algorithm(RFA)outperforms the artificial neural network(ANN),response surface method(RSM),and decision tree(DT).The values of R^(2),RMSE,MAE,MSE,VAF,and CE for RFA are 0.94,0.034,0.027,0.001,93.58,and 93.01,respectively.Multiple parametric sensitivity analyses(MPSAs)of the input variables showed that the Schmidt hammer rebound number and spacing-to-burden ratio are the most influencial variables for the blast fragment size.The analysis was finally used to define the best blast design variables to achieve optimum fragment size from blasting.The optimum factor values for RFA of S/B,ld/B and ls/ld are 1.03,1.85 and 0.7,respectively.

Parametric studies on relationships between flutter derivatives of slender bridge(Ⅱ)

Based on curve fitting of coefficients of three component forces of the Messina Straits Bridge, and the previously proposed semi-analytical expressions of flutter derivatives of flexible structure, the change of flutter derivatives of slender bridge cross-section with respect to its aerodynamic center, rotational speed and angle variation is studied using a parametric method. The calculated results are compared with the measured ones, and expressions of flutter derivatives of the Messina Straits Bridge are derived. The intrinsic relationships existing in flutter derivatives are validated again. It is shown that the influence of the rotational speed on flutter derivatives is not negligible. Therefore, it provides an additional semi-analytical approach for analyzing flutter derivatives of the bridge with streamlined cross-section to get its aerodynamic information.

Parametric studies on relationships between flutter derivatives of slender bridge (Ⅰ)

Relationships between flutter derivatives of slender bridge are investigated based on our previously proposed semi-analytical flutter derivatives of flexible structure. The intrinsic relations are validated with test data of flutter derivatives of two bridges. Changes in flutter derivatives with the aerodynamic center, rotation speed, and angle variation are also studied by using a parametric method. The results show correctness of the proposed expressions of flutter derivatives given by authors in Ref. [1], and indicate that certain relations exist between these derivatives. It is also shown that semi-analytical flutter derivatives are applicable to bridges with a streamlined cross-section.

Parametric Study on Cable-Stayed and Knee-Braced Steel Portal Frames

To improve wind resistance capacity of cable-braced steel portal frames,a double-braced portal frame was proposed by adding two pre-stressed knee braces to a cable-braced portal frame. To study the reasonable range of application and method of cable parameter determination for this novel structure,the influences of load condition, span, base constraint, and cable parameters on structural performance were investigated by using the finite element code SAP2000. The results show that pre-stressed knee braces can effectively resist both uplifted and lateral wind loads,so this cablestayed and knee-braced steel portal frame is suitable for large wind.When the vertical load is comparable with the wind load,this novel type of portal frames is suitable for a medium span( 21-48 m). The cables in the cable brace can be determined by structural vertical stiffness,and the cables in the knee brace can be designed as the same as those in the cable-stayed part for the reason that their cross sectional area has only a weak effect on the structure. If no cable fails,the pretension variation of the cable does not affect the stiffness of the portal frame. The cable in the cable brace,working together with the cables in the knee braces,can ease uneven distribution of internal force,and their pretensions can be determined according to actual engineering projects.

Modelling, Transient Simulation and Economic Analysis of Solar Thermal Based Air Conditioning System in Gujarat

Commercial building sector accounts for 8% of the total electricity consumption in India. Cooling activities (HVAC) in commercial buildings consume 55% of the total energy utilized. Consequently, CO2 emissions from conventional buildings in India were estimated to be 98 metric tonnes of CO2 per million ft2 in 2014. Solar thermal air conditioning can be the solution to these demands and can contribute to about 15% to 20% of India’s total oil consumption thereby reducing the dependence on fossil fuels. Hence, the main objective of the work is to model and simulate a solar absorption cooling system for GERMI office building located in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, India, using the transient simulation software ‘TRNSYS’. Cooling load estimation and comfort conditions required for the building were determined based on ASHRAE standards. Evacuated tube collectors were selected because of its market availability, ease of manufacturing and proven technology. Single effect absorption chiller was used because of its commercial availability. The effects of storage tank volume, collector area and collector slope were also investigated for parametric optimization. The results of the simulation and parametric analysis are analyzed and presented in the paper.

Theoretical Analysis of Cold Storage Devices in a CO2 Transcritical/Subcritical Supermarket Refrigeration Plant

This paper proposes a theoretical study of a cold storage system in a CO2 （carbon dioxide） MT （medium temperature） plant for supermarkets application. The aim of this plant strategy is that in the daily hours the storage can export heat form the refrigerant outcoming the gas cooler/condenser whereas during the nightly hours it can be maintained cooled by this latter before its incoming into the evaporator. Besides, the storage can be used for reducing the energy peak consumption, permitting to size the plant on a lower energy target, and it can influence the choice of the optimisation logic of the plant controller, in this work a model for a MT CO2 transcritical/subcritical cycle, able to manage the transient due to the changes of loads and external conditions, is proposed to take into account the evolution with time in a fixed time step. A parametrical analysis has been conduced for understanding the optimal design of the plant. A seasonal analysis is considered too, for understanding the cold storage benefits in different periods of year.

Plus Energy Buildings:A Numerical Case Study

The feasibility of Plus Energy Building for a sample relevant case is investigated.After a literature review aimed to identify key aspects of this type of buildings,a preliminary evaluation of the thermal performance of a building constructed using conventional material is presented together with a parametric analysis of the impact of typical influential parameters.Solar domestic hot water(SDHW)and photovoltaic systems(PV)are considered in the study.Numerical simulations indicate that for the examined sample case(Beirut in Lebanon)the total annual energy need of conventional building is 87.1 kWh/y.m^(2).About 49%of energy savings can be achieved by improving the building envelope and installing energy efficient technologies.Moreover,about 90%of energy savings in domestic hot water production can be achieved by installing a SDHW system composed of two solar collectors connected in series.Finally,the addition of a grid connected PV array system can significantly mitigate the energy needs of the building leading to an annual excess of energy.

Microwave-Assisted Transition Metal Nanostructure Synthesis: Power-Law Signature Verification

A power-law (y = cxn) signature between process energy budget (kJ) and process energy density (kJ·ml-1) of microwave-assisted synthesis of silver and gold nanostructures has been recently described [Law and Denis. AJAC, 14(4), 149-174, (2023)]. This study explores this relation further for palladium, platinum, and zinc oxide nanostructures. Parametric cluster analysis and statistical analysis is used to test the power-law signature of over four orders of magnitude as a function of six microwave applicator-types metal precursor, non-Green Chemistry synthesis and claimed Green Chemistry. It is found that for the claimed Green Chemistry, process energy budget ranges from 0.291 to 900 kJ, with a residual error ranging between −33 to +25.9 kJ·ml-1. The non-Green Chemistry synthesis has a higher process energy budget range from 3.2 kJ to 3.3 MJ, with a residual error of −33.3 to +245.3 kJ·ml-1. It is also found that the energy profile over time produced by software controlled digestion applicators is poorly reported which leads to residual error problematic outliers that produce possible phase-transition in the power-law signature. The original Au and Ag database and new Pd, Pt and ZnO database (with and without problematic outliers) yield a global microwave-assisted synthesis power-law signature constants of c = 0.7172 ± 0.3214 kJ·ml-1 at x-axes = 0.001 kJ, and the exponent, n = 0.791 ± 0.055. The information in this study is aimed to understand variations in historical microwave-assisted synthesis processes, and develop new scale-out synthesis through process intensification.

Mechanical behaviors of steel reinforced ECC / concrete composite columns under combined vertical and horizontal loading

In order to improve the load capacity, seismic performance and performance-cost ratio of the columns, the concrete at the base of reinforced concrete （RC） columns is substituted with engineered cementitious composites （ECC） to form ECC/RC composite columns. Based on the existing material properties, the mechanical behaviors of the ECC columns, ECC/RC composite columns and RC columns were numerically studied under combined vertical and horizontal loading with the software of ATENA. Then, the failure mechanism of ECC columns and ECC/RC composite columns were comprehensively studied and compared with that of the RC columns. Then, the effects of the height of the ECC, the axial compression ratio, and the transverse reinforcement ratio on the mechanical behaviors of the composite or the ECC column are studied. The calculation results show that the ultimate load capacity, ductility and crack resistance of the ECC or ECC/RC composite columns are superior to those of the RC columns. The ECC/RC composite column with a height of the ECC layer of 1.2h （ h is the height of the cross section） can achieve similar mechanical properties of a full ECC column. With high shear strength, ECC can undertake the shear force and significantly reduce the amount of stirrups, avoiding construction issues and promoting its engineering application.

Noise Reduction of an Axial Piston Pump by Valve Plate Optimization

Current researches mainly focus on the investigations of the valve plate utilizing pressure relief grooves. However,air?release and cavitation can occur near the grooves. The valve plate utilizing damping holes show excellent perfor?mance in avoiding air?release and cavitation. This study aims to reduce the noise emitted from an axial piston pump using a novel valve plate utilizing damping holes. A dynamic pump model is developed,in which the fluid properties are carefully modeled to capture the phenomena of air release and cavitation. The causes of di erent noise sources are investigated using the model. A comprehensive parametric analysis is conducted to enhance the understanding of the e ects of the valve plate parameters on the noise sources. A multi?objective genetic algorithm optimization method is proposed to optimize the parameters of valve plate. The amplitudes of the swash plate moment and flow rates in the inlet and outlet ports are defined as the objective functions. The pressure overshoot and undershoot in the piston chamber are limited by properly constraining the highest and lowest pressure values. A comparison of the various noise sources between the original and optimized designs over a wide range of pressure levels shows that the noise sources are reduced at high pressures. The results of the sound pressure level measurements show that the optimized valve plate reduces the noise level by 1.6 d B(A) at the rated working condition. The proposed method is e ective in reducing the noise of axial piston pumps and contributes to the development of quieter axial piston machines.