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.

Seismic performance of eccentrically-compressed steel pier under multi-directional earthquake loads

In this article,the seismic performance of box-shaped steel piers embedded with energy-dissipating shells under a multi-directional seismic load is investigated.A finite element(FE)model was accurately established and verified by the quasi-static test results.A parametric analysis of the hysteretic behaviour of a novel box-shaped steel pier under eccentric pressure was carried out on this basis.We discussed the influence of the eccentricity,axial compression ratio,thickness of embedded shell,ratio of slenderness,spacing of transverse stiffening ribs on the embedded shell,and width-to-thickness ratio of wallboard on the anti-seismic performance of a novel box-shaped steel bridge pier.The results revealed that the load carrying capacity and ductility coefficient of the specimen are substantially influenced by the eccentricity,variation in the axial compression ratio,and slenderness ratio.The specimen′s plastic energy dissipation capacity can be effectively improved by increasing the thickness of the embedded shell.The spacing of the transverse stiffening ribs only marginally affects seismic performance.In addition,the width-to-thickness ratio of the wallboard exerts a more considerable influence on the deformability of the square-section specimen.Finally,a formula for calculating the bearing capacity of the novel box-shaped steel piers under cyclic loading is proposed.

Behavior of eccentrically loaded concrete-filled GFRP tubular short columns

The glass fiber reinforced polymer (GFRP) tube is an effective material that can increase the bearing capacity and ductility of concrete.To study the mechanical behavior of this composite structure,twenty-one concrete-filled GFRP tubular short columns were tested under an eccentric load.The principle influencing factors,such as the eccentricity ratio,concrete strength and ratio of longitudinal reinforcement were also studied.In addition,the course of deformation,failure mode,and failure mechanism were analyzed by observing the phenomena and summarizing the data.The test results indicated that the strength and deformation characteristics of core concrete increase as a result of the addition of the GFRP tube.However,the gain in strength due to the addition of the GFRP tube decreases as the ratio of e /d increases.An increase in the longitudinal steel ratio can improve the bearing capacity of the composite short column effectively.Furthermore,the study showed that the constraint effect of the GFRP tube on high-strength concrete is not as effective as that on common concrete.The reason is that the lateral deformation of the high-strength concrete is less than that of the common concrete when the concrete column was tested under the same axial compression ratio.

Effect of eccentric and inclined loading on the bearing capacity of strip footing placed on rock mass

This paper deals with the bearing capacity determination of strip footing on a rock mass in hilly area by considering the influence of inclined and eccentric loading. Applying the generalized HoekBrown failure criterion, the failure behavior of the rock mass is modeled with the help of the power cone programming in the lower bound finite element limit analysis framework. Using bearing capacity factor(Ns), the change in bearing capacity of the strip footing due to the occurrence of eccentrically inclined loading is presented. The variations of the magnitude of Ns are obtained by examining the effects of the Hoek-Brown rock mass strength parameters(uniaxial compressive strength(sci), disturbance factor(D), rock parameter(mi), and Geological Strength Index(GSI)) in the presence of different magnitudes of eccentricity(e) and inclination angle(λ) with respect to the vertical plane, and presented as design charts. Both the inclined loading modes, i.e., inclination towards the center of strip footing(+λ) and inclination away from the center of strip footing(-λ), are adopted to perform the investigation. In addition, the correlation between the input parameters and the corresponding output is developed by utilizing the artificial neural network(ANN). Additionally, from sensitivity analysis, it is observed that inclination angle(λ) is the most sensitive parameter. For practicing engineers, the obtained design equation and design charts can be beneficial to understand the bearing capacity variation in the existence of eccentrically inclined loading in mountain areas.

Experimental and numerical study of buckling-restrained braces configured with out-of-plane eccentricity under cyclic loading

This study focuses on variations in the hysteretic behavior of buckling-restrained braces(BRBs)configured with or without out-of-plane eccentricity under cyclic loading.Quasi-static experiments and numerical simulations were carried out on concentrically and eccentrically loaded BRB specimens to investigate the mechanical properties,energy dissipation performance,stress distribution,and high-order deformation pattern.The experimental and numerical results showed that compared to the concentrically loaded BRBs,the stiffness,yield force,cumulated plastic ductility(CPD)coefficient,equivalent viscous damping coefficient and energy dissipation decreased,and the yield displacement and compression strength adjustment factor increased for the eccentrically loaded BRBs.With the existence of the out-of-plane eccentricity,the initial yield position changes from the yield segment to the junction between the yield segment and transition segment under a tensile load,while the initial high-order buckling pattern changes from a first-order C-shape to a secondorder S-shape under a compressive load.

3D modeling for effect of tool eccentricity on coupled thermal and material flow characteristics during friction stir welding

A novel three-dimensional numerical model is proposed to investigate the effect of tool eccentricity on the coupled thermal and material flow characteristics in friction stir welding(FSW) process.An asymmetrical boundary condition at the tool-workpiece interface,and the dynamic mesh technique are both employed for the consideration of the tool eccentricity during tool rotating.It is found that tool eccentricity induces the periodical variation of the heat densities both at the tool-workpiece interface and inside the shear layer,but the fluctuation amplitudes of the heat density variations are limited.However,it is demonstrated that tool eccentricity results in significant variation of the material flow behavior in one tool rotating period.Moreover,the material velocity variation at the retreating side is particularly important for the formation of the periodic characteristics in FSW.The modeling result is found to be in good agreement with the experimental one.

The Effect of Core Eccentricity on the Structural Behavior of Concrete Tall Buildings

The main purpose of this paper is to investigate the effect of core eccentricity on the structural behavior of concrete tall buildings.Concrete buildings of 55 floors with plan dimensions 48.0×48.0 m2 were investigated.Three cases of main core locations are studied:centric(A),eccentric by one sixth(B)and one third(C)of building width.The three-dimensional finite element method has been used in conducting structural analysis through ETABS software.Gravity and lateral(wind and seismic)loadings are applied to all building cases.It has been concluded that the core location is the prime parameter governing the structural behavior of tall buildings.Although the first two cases(A,B)have acceptable and similar structural behaviors conforming to code limits,in the third case(C),the building behavior came beyond code limits.The author introduced remedial action by adding two secondary cores in the opposite direction of the main core(C-R)to restore the building behavior to the code limits.The results of this action were satisfactory.

Construction of the Genealogy of Eccentric Monks Based on the Historical Materials of Chan Buddhism in the Song Dynasty--From Enlightened Masters in Chan Buddhism,Sages,to Saints

Regarding the Chan Buddhism lamp records from the Song Dynasty and starting from Jing De Zhuan Deng Lu,the category of“enlightened masters in Chan Buddhism”禪門達者was listed separately,meaning a separate category was established for eccentric monks who pretended to be crazy,had unknown inheritance and miraculous deeds,and were difficult to classify.The following lamp records named this category of eccentric monks as“sages”散聖,or“saints”應化聖賢,which constructed another historical genealogy for the special Chan Buddhism eccentric monks.Moreover,the early lamp records included mostly idiosyncratic mad monks from previous dynasties.Since the Southern Song Dynasty,Chan Buddhism historical materials included many sages from the current dynasty.Therefore,this study mainly examines how the genealogy of Chan Buddhism eccentric monks was constructed in Song Dynasty Chan Buddhism lamp records,including quotations,and organizes the images of eccentric monks in the Song Dynasty,as written in Chan Buddhism historical materials,in order that the meaning of existence of these enlightened masters,sages,saints,etc.,included in the genealogy of Song Dynasty eccentric monks in the history of Chan Buddhism can be reflected.

Simulation Research of Fault Model of Detecting Rotor Dynamic Eccentricity in Brushless DC Motor Based on Motor Current Signature Analysis

基于Ansoft／Maxwell设置动态偏心故障，建立求解电机电感和磁链的有限元模型，通过仿真，证明了将感应电机动态偏心故障的特征频率经过简化后，同样适用于无刷直流电动机。基于Ansoft／Simplorer建立无刷直流电动机系统的仿真模型。在电机稳态运行下，对定子电流进行傅里叶分析，研究并建立基于定子电流监测动态偏心故障的仿真模型：动态偏心故障与特征频率的关系、动态偏心故障程度与特征频率幅值的关系。进而研究了无刷直流电动机稳态运行时转速波动对偏心故障监测的影响。仿真结果表明，转子偏心程度加大，特征频率的幅值增加。

Properties and Applications of the Eccentric-gear Drive

The eccentric-gear can be used for variable speed transmission.But,due to the vibrations caused by variation of backlash in working process,the eccentric-gear is seldom applied in engineering project.There is just a little study about the eccentric-gear.And it is necessary to take a further research on eccentric-gear transmission for the applications in the transplanting mechanism of high-speed rice transplanter.The key of this paper is to extend understanding of three following characteristics of this drive：（1） The rotation-center-distance and the geometrical-center-distance of the two meshing eccentric gears are respectively the hypotenuse and the straight edge of a right triangle in a cycle.（2） The geometrical center line of two meshing gears divides the linking-line of the two rotational centers equally.（3） When two times the eccentricity of gear,the rotation-center-distance and the geometrical-center-distance form a right triangle,the optimal value of rotation-center-distance can be determined.In addition,the kinematic analysis,such as the relationship between contact point and midpoint of the linking-line of two gears＇ rotational centers,transmission ratio between the driving-gear and the driven-gear,contact angle and coordinate of contact point are be made,further the formula for calculation of contact force,flow chart for writing optimization program and curve for analysis of data are also be developed.The relationship between the rotation-center-distance and the geometrical-center-distance,which is determined by three characteristics mentioned above, is a key for the rational design and application of eccentric-gear transmission.Particularly,the presented right triangle property of eccentric gear drive is an important reference for effective analysis of dynamic characteristic of eccentric-gear mechanism and its reliable design.

An Intelligent Harmonic Synthesis Technique for Air-Gap Eccentricity Fault Diagnosis in Induction Motors

Induction motors （IMs） are commonly used in various industrial applications. To improve energy con- sumption efficiency, a reliable IM health condition moni- toring system is very useful to detect IM fault at its earliest stage to prevent operation degradation, and malfunction of IMs. An intelligent harmonic synthesis technique is pro- posed in this work to conduct incipient air-gap eccentricity fault detection in IMs. The fault harmonic series are syn- thesized to enhance fault features. Fault related local spectra are processed to derive fault indicators for IM air- gap eccentricity diagnosis. The effectiveness of the pro- posed harmonic synthesis technique is examined experi- mentally by IMs with static air-gap eccentricity and dynamic air-gap eccentricity states under different load conditions. Test results show that the developed harmonic synthesis technique can extract fault features effectively for initial IM air-gap eccentricity fault detection.

Kinematic Modeling and Characteristic Analysis of Eccentric Conjugate Non-circular Gear & Crank-Rocker & Gears Train Weft Insertion Mechanism

A novel weft insertion mechanism named eccentric conjugate non-circular gear & crank-rocker & gears train weft insertion mechanism was proposed in order to better meet the requirements of rapier loom's weft insertion mechanism as well as reduce the manufacturing difficulty. Meanwhile, based on the working principle of this mechanism, kinematical mathematic models of this mechanism were established and an aided analysis and simulation software was compiled. The influences of eccentricity ratio, deformation coefficient, and other important parameters on the kinematics characteristics of this mechanism were analyzed by using the software. A group of preferable parameters which could meet the requirements of weft insertion technology were obtained by means of human-computer interactive optimization method. The maximum velocity, maximum acceleration, and variation of acceleration of this mechanism are smaller than those of the conjugate cam weft insertion mechanism applied on TT96 rapier loom under the conditions of the same unilateral total stroke of rapier head and the same rotary speed of loom spindle; meanwhile the other demands of weaving technology can be met by this novel weft insertion mechanism.

The fragmentation of D-shaped casing filled with explosive under eccentric initiation

With the technical development of new warhead designs and improvised explosive device protection,irregular casing filled with explosive has been paid more attention recently. In this paper, we studied the fragmentation of a type of D-shaped casing, which is a common asymmetric casing in the field of warhead design. Based on the radiograph technique, static explosive experiments were conducted with D-shaped casings under four different eccentric initiation ratios to explore their fragmentation. A numerical model was then established to simulate the dynamic response of D-shaped casing filled with explosive. The results of numerical simulation were found to agree well with the experimental data.According to the results of numerical simulation and experimental data, the dynamic responses of Dshaped casing were analyzed. The results of the current work pave way for the innovative design of new warhead and for further studying the dynamic response of asymmetric casing.

Laboratory pull-out tests on fully grouted rock bolts and cable bolts:Results and lessons learned

Laboratory pull-out tests were conducted on the following rock bolts and cable bolts:steel rebars,smooth steel bars,fiberglass reinforced polymer threaded bolts,flexible cable bolts,IR5/IN special cable bolts and Mini-cage cable bolts.The diameter of the tested bolts was between 16 mm and 26 mm.The bolts were grouted in a sandstone sample using resin or cement grouts.The tests were conducted under either constant radial stiffness or constant confining pressure boundary conditions applied on the outer surface of the rock sample.In most tests,the rate of displacement was about 0.02 mm/s.The tests were performed using a pull-out bench that allows testing a wide range of parameters.This paper provides an extensive database of laboratory pull-out test results and confirms the influence of the confining pressure and the embedment length on the pull-out response(rock bolts and cable bolts).It also highlights the sensitivity of the results to the operating conditions and to the behavior of the sample as a whole,which cannot be neglected when the test results are used to assess the bolt-grout or the grouterock interface.

Activation reduction following an eccentric contraction impairs torque steadiness in the isometric steady-state

Background:The isometric steady-state following active lengthening is associated with greater torque production and lower activation,as measured by electromyographic activity(EMG),in comparison with a purely isometric contraction(ISO)at the same joint angle.This phenomenon is termed residual force enhancement(RFE).While there has been a great deal of research investigating the basic mechanisms of RFE,little work has been performed to understand the everyday relevance of RFE.The purpose of this study was to investigate whether neuromuscular control strategies differ between ISO and RFE by measuring torque steadiness of the human ankle plantar flexors.Methods:Following ISO maximal voluntary contractions in 12 males(25±4 years),an active lengthening contraction was performed at 15°/s over a 30°ankle excursion,ending at the same joint angle as ISO(5°dorsiflexion;RFE).Surface EMG of the tibialis anterior and soleus muscles was recorded during all tasks.Torque steadiness was determined as the standard deviation(SD)and coefficient of variation(CV)of the torque trace in the ISO and RFE condition during activation-matching(20%and 60%integrated EMG)and torque-matching(20%and 60%maximal voluntary contraction)experiments.Two-tailed,paired t tests were used,within subjects,to determine the presence of RFE/activation reduction(AR)and whether there was a difference in torque steadiness between ISO and RFE conditions.Results:During the maximal and submaximal conditions,there was 5%-9%RFE with a 9%-11%AR(p<0.05),respectively,with no difference in antagonist coactivation between RFE and ISO(p>0.05).There were no differences in SD and CV of the torque trace for the 20%and60%activation-matching or the 60%and maximal torque-matching trials in either the RFE or ISO condition(p>0.05).During the 20%torquematching trial,there were～37%higher values for SD and CV in the RFE as compared with the ISO condition(p<0.05).A significant moderate-to-strong negative relationship was identified between the reduction in torque steadiness following active lengthening and the accompanying AR(p<0.05).Conclusion:It appears that while the RFE-associated AR provides some improved neuromuscular economy,this comes at the cost of increased torque fluctuations in the isometric steady-state following active lengthening during submaximal contractions.

Optimization experiment on eccentric lapping of cylindrical rollers

Cylindrical rollers are important elements of bearings,and their machining accuracy and consistency affect the bearing quality.Using a GCr15 cylindrical roller ofФ11×12 as the processing object in this study,the effects of loading pressure,abrasive concentration,and speed combination on cylindrical roller machining precision were investigated using the orthogonal experimental design method on a double-side eccentric pendulum lapping and polishing machine.The machining parameters of the lapping stage were optimized,and the lapping optimal process parameters were determined by S/N response analysis and analysis of variance(ANOVA).The results show that when the experiment was optimized using loading pressure of 10 N/roller,abrasive concentrationof 20.0 wt%,and rotational speed combination,the material removal rate(MRR)of cylindrical roller reached 0.0896μm/min;the average roughness of the batch decreased from 0.056μm to 0.027μm,51.8%lower than the original batch average roughness,and the deviation decreased from the initial 0.022μm to 0.014μm;the batch average roundness error decreased from 0.47μm to 0.28μm,40.4%lower than the original batch average roundness error,and the deviation decreased from the initial 0.19μm to 0.038μm;and the batch average diameter variation decreased from 4.5μm to about 3.6μm,20%lower than the original batch average diameter variation.The double-side eccentric lapping of cylinder rollers does not only lead to improvement in the surface quality and shape accuracy of rollers,but also improvement in the batch consistency.

Spinal and supraspinal control of motor function during maximal eccentric muscle contraction:Effects of resistance training

Neuromuscular activity is suppressed during maximal eccentric(ECC)muscle contraction in untrained subjects owing to attenuated levels of central activation and reduced spinal motor neuron(MN)excitability indicated by reduced electromyography signal amplitude,diminished evoked H-reflex responses,increased autogenic MN inhibition,and decreased excitability in descending corticospinal motor pathways.Maximum ECC muscle force recorded during maximal voluntary contraction can be increased by superimposed electrical muscle stimulation only in untrained individuals and not in trained strength athletes,indicating that the suppression in MN activation is modifiable by resistance training.In support of this notion,maximum ECC muscle strength can be increased by use of heavy-load resistance training owing to a removed or diminished suppression in neuromuscular activity.Prolonged(weeks to months)of heavy-load resistance training results in increased H-reflex and V-wave responses during maximal ECC muscle actions along with marked gains in maximal ECC muscle strength,indicating increased excitability of spinal MNs,decreased presynaptic and/or postsynaptic MN inhibition,and elevated descending motor drive.Notably,the use of supramaximal ECC resistance training can lead to selectively elevated V-wave responses during maximal ECC contraction,demonstrating that adaptive changes in spinal circuitry function and/or gains in descending motor drive can be achieved during maximal ECC contraction in response to heavy-load resistance training.

Biomechanical response of skeletal muscle to eccentric contractions

The forced lengthening of an activated skeletal muscle has been termed an eccentric contraction(EC).This review highlights the mechanically unique nature of the EC and focuses on the specific disruption of proteins within the cell known as cytoskeletal proteins.The major intermediate filament cytoskeletal protein,desmin,has been the focus of work in this area because changes to desmin occur within minutes of ECs and because desmin has been shown to play both a mechanical and biologic role in a muscle's response to EC.It is hoped that these types of studies will assist in decreasing the incidence of muscle injury in athletes and facilitating the development of new therapies to treat muscle injuries.

Why are muscles strong, and why do they require little energy in eccentric action?

It is well acknowledged that muscles that are elongated while activated(i.e.,eccentric muscle action)are stronger and require less energy(per unit of force)than muscles that are shortening(i.e.,concentric contraction)or that remain at a constant length(i.e.,isometric contraction).Although the cross-bridge theory of muscle contraction provides a good explanation for the increase in force in active muscle lengthening,it does not explain the residual increase in force following active lengthening(residual force enhancement),or except with additional assumptions,the reduced metabolic requirement of muscle during and following active stretch.Aside from the cross-bridge theory,2 other primary explanations for the mechanical properties of actively stretched muscles have emerged:(1)the so-called sarcomere length nonuniformity theory and(2)the engagement of a passive structural element theory.In this article,these theories are discussed,and it is shown that the last of these—the engagement of a passive structural element in eccentric muscle action—offers a simple and complete explanation for many hitherto unexplained observations in actively lengthening muscle.Although by no means fully proven,the theory has great appeal for its simplicity and beauty,and even if over time it is shown to be wrong,it nevertheless forms a useful framework for direct hypothesis testing.