Earthquake-resistant performance investigation for rural buildings in Zhongxiang area, China

We carried out a census of the rural residential buildings of Zhongxiang area＇ s 17 towns. Next, we conducted a sample survey in four townships： Huji, Shipai, Zhangji, and Jiuli. According to the census and sample survey data of the rural residence buildings, we evaluated the quality and earthquake-resistant performance of the rural buildings for the various local rural residential structural types. The results showed that there are four main factors affecting the seismic performance of the local rural residences ： （ 1 ） Foundations are not made appropriately （ such as by compaction or some other fill） but are built directly in the farming soil. （2） Seismic measures are not completely implemented. Structure construction measures are not in place at the junction of the vertical and horizontal wall. The vertical wall joints are not the result of the same masonry techniques as the horizontal joints. There are no lintels above the door and window openings, or if there are any, the length of the lintels is less than 240 mm. （3） The brick masonry wall has low strength. The greatest housing wall mortar strength is between M0. 4 - 1.5, much lower than the strength of the brick. （4） The building material and construction quality are poor. The quality of the mortar masonry wall is poor. The cracks between the bricks are uneven, even in the seams.

Seismic performance evaluation procedure of asymmetric plan structures

Plan asymmetry leads to lateral-rotational coupled effects on structural response characteristics.This investigation deals with a simplified method for performance estimation of structures with asymmetric plan.By taking the eccentric characteristics of structures into account,an equivalent triple-degree of freedom (ETDOF) system,which is constructed by eccentric mass,rigid links and springs,is proposed.The modal pushover analysis (MPA) method for asymmetric plan structures is proposed.The target displacement is determined by constant strength spectrum.The applicability of proposed method is discussed.A generic mass eccentric 4-story steel frame is analyzed by the proposed MPA procedure and nonlinear time history analysis (NTHA).The results show that the maximum deformation obtained from MPA has a good agreement with the NTHA results.The proposed MPA procedure is reliable and effective for evaluating the performance of asymmetric plan structures.

Real-time total system error estimation: Modeling and application in required navigation performance

In required navigation performance（RNP）, total system error（TSE） is estimated to provide a timely warning in the presence of an excessive error. In this paper, by analyzing the underlying formation mechanism, the TSE estimation is modeled as the estimation fusion of a fixed bias and a Gaussian random variable. To address the challenge of high computational load induced by the accurate numerical method, two efficient methods are proposed for real-time application, which are called the circle tangent ellipse method（CTEM） and the line tangent ellipse method（LTEM）,respectively. Compared with the accurate numerical method and the traditional scalar quantity summation method（SQSM）, the computational load and accuracy of these four methods are extensively analyzed. The theoretical and experimental results both show that the computing time of the LTEM is approximately equal to that of the SQSM, while it is only about 1/30 and 1/6 of that of the numerical method and the CTEM. Moreover, the estimation result of the LTEM is parallel with that of the numerical method, but is more accurate than those of the SQSM and the CTEM. It is illustrated that the LTEM is quite appropriate for real-time TSE estimation in RNP application.

Performance measurement and evaluation of an ionic liquid electrospray thruster

As a novel micro-propulsion system for small satellites(from micro to nano),the ionic liquid electro spray propulsion system is a promising candidate.However,performance measurement and evaluation of the Ionic Liquid Electrospray Thruster(ILET)is one of the most challenging issues for practical application,due to the difficulties in the development of a prototype and direct measurements of micro-thrust and small flow rate.To address this issue,a Modular Ionic Liquid Electrospray Thruster(MILET)prototype is constructed,and a diagnostic system for thrust and mass flow rate is specially developed based on an analytical balance method.With the ionic liquid 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate as the propellant,a series of experiments is carried out on the MILET prototype under a wide operating condition through changing the applied voltage to control the thrust.Under different applied voltages,the thrust and the mass flow rate of the propellant are directly measured.The propulsive performance parameters of the thruster,such as thrust,specific impulse,thrust-to-power ratio,thruster efficiency,etc.,are comprehensively analyzed.Then,a performance comparison is made between the MILET and other representative ILETs.With a relatively low applied voltage ranging from 1550 V to 2000 V,the MILET achieves a quasi-constant specific impulse of 1263 s with the averaged thrust-to-power ratio of 65.2μN/W and thruster efficiency of 40.7%.The performance of ILET is also compared with other typical electric propulsions.The results demonstrate that the ILET exhibits an excellent ability of minimalization with high specific impulse and thruster efficiency,which guarantees a great superiority in micro propulsions.Finally,the ways to further improve the performance of ILET are discussed,which further confirms the potential prospect of ILET.The present result helps to advance the development and application of ILET.

A fully automated framework for helicopter rotor blades design and analysis including aerodynamics,structure, and manufacturing

This study describes an integrated framework in which basic aerospace engineering aspects(performance, aerodynamics, and structure) and practical aspects(configuration visualization and manufacturing) are coupled and considered in one fully automated design optimization of rotor blades. A number of codes are developed to robustly perform estimation of helicopter configuration from sizing, performance analysis, trim analysis, to rotor blades configuration representation. These codes are then integrated with a two-dimensional airfoil analysis tool to fully design rotor blades configuration including rotor planform and airfoil shape for optimal aerodynamics in both hover and forward flights. A modular structure design methodology is developed for realistic composite rotor blades with a sophisticated cross-sectional geometry. A D-spar cross-sectional structure is chosen as a baseline. The framework is able to analyze all realistic inner configurations including thicknesses of D-spar, skin, web, number and ply angles of layers of each composite part,and materials. A number of codes and commercial software(ANSYS, Gridgen, VABS, Pre VABS,etc.) are implemented to automate the structural analysis from aerodynamic data processing to sectional properties and stress analysis. An integrated model for manufacturing cost estimation ofcomposite rotor blades developed at the Aerodynamic Analysis and Design Laboratory(AADL),Aerospace Information Engineering Department, Konkuk University is integrated into the framework to provide a rapid and dynamic feedback to configuration design. The integration of three modules has constructed a framework where the size of a helicopter, aerodynamic performance analysis, structure analysis, and manufacturing cost estimation could be quickly investigated. All aspects of a rotor blade including planform, airfoil shape, and inner structure are considered in a multidisciplinary design optimization without an exception of critical configuration.

Investigating the influence of segmentation in estimating safety performance functions for roadway sections

Safety performance functions（SPFs） are crucial to science-based road safety management.Success in developing and applying SPFs, apart data quality and availability, depends fundamentally on two key factors： the validity of the statistical inferences for the available data and on how well the data can be organized into distinct homogeneous entities. The latter aspect plays a key role in the identification and treatment of road sections or corridors with problems related to safety. Indeed, the segmentation of a road network could be especially critical in the development of SPFs that could be used in safety management for roadway types, such as motorways（freeways in North America）, which have a large number of variables that could result in very short segments if these are desired to be homogeneous. This consequence, from an analytical point of view, can be a problem when the location of crashes is not precise and when there is an overabundance of segments with zero crashes. Lengthening the segments for developing and applying SPFs can mitigate this problem, but at a sacrifice of homogeneity. This paper seeks to address this dilemma by investigating four approaches for segmentation for motorways, using sample data from Italy. The best results were obtained for the segmentation based on two curves and two tangents within a segment and with fixed length segments. The segmentation characterized by a constant value of all original variables inside each segment was the poorest approach by all measures.