Self-Repairing Membranes for Inflatable Structures Inspired by a Rapid Wound Sealing Process of Climbing Plants

A new self-repairing membrane for inflatable light weight structures such as rubber boats or Tensairity constructions is presented. Inspired by rapid self-sealing processes in plants, a thin soft cellular polyurethane foam coating is applied on the inside of a fabric substrate, which closes the fissure if the membrane is punctured with a spike. Experimental tests are carried out with a purpose built setup by measuring the air mass flow through a leak in a damaged membrane sample. It is shown that the weight per unit area of the self-repairing foam as well as the curing of the two component PU-foam under an overpressure influence the repair efficiency. Curing the foam under overpressure affects the relative density as well as the microstructure of the foam coatings. Maximal median repair efficiencies of 0.999 have been obtained with 0.16 g.cm 2 foam cured at 1 bar overpressure. These results suggest that the bio-inspired technique has the potential to extend the functional integrity of injured inflatable structures dramatically.

Pseudo-beam method for compressive buckling characteristics analysis of space inflatable load-carrying structures

This paper extends Le van＇s work to the case of nonlinear problem and the complicated configuration. The wrinkling stress distribution and the pressure effects are also included in our analysis. Pseudo-beam method is presented based on the inflatable beam theory to model the inflatable structures as a set of inflatable beam elements with a prestressed state. In this method, the discretized nonlinear equations are given based upon the virtual work principle with a 3-node Timoshenko＇s beam model. Finite element simulation is performed by using a 3-node BEAM189 element incorporating ANSYS nonlinear program. The pressure effect is equivalent included in our method by modifying beam element cross-section parameters related to pressure. A benchmark example, the bending case of an inflatable cantilever beam, is performed to verify the accuracy of our proposed method. The comparisons reveal that the numerical results obtained with our method are close to open published analytical and membrane finite element results. The method is then used to evaluate the whole buckling and the loadcarrying characteristics of an inflatable support frame subjected to a compression force. The wrinkling stress and region characteristics are also shown in the end. This method gives better convergence characteristics, and requires much less computation time. It is very effective to deal with the whole load-carrying ability analytical problems for large scale inflatable structures with complex configuration.

Deformation of wrinkled membrane inflatable structures under concentrated loads

The axisymmetric deformation of a paraboloidal membrane inflatable structure subjected to a concentrated load at its apex and a uniform internal pressure was analyzed. The wrinkle angle was obtained according to the membrane theory when wrinkles appeared and determined the wrinkle region. The wrinkled deformation was obtained based on the relaxed energy function. The effects of inflation pressure and concentrated loads on the wrinkle angle were analyzed and the deformation was obtained at the apex of structure. According to the numerical analysis, the shape of deformed meridians with wrinkles was obtained.

A simple analytical method for deflation prediction of inflatable structures

The static performance of inflatable structures has been well studied and the dynamic deployment simulation has received much attention. However, very few studies focus on its deflation behavior. Although there are several dynamic finite element algorithms that can be applied to the deflation simulation, their computation costs are expensive, especially for large scale structures. In this work, a simple method based on classic thermodynamics and the analytical relationship between air and membrane was proposed to efficiently analyze the air state variables under the condition of ventilation. Combined with failure analysis of static bearing capacity, a fast incremental analytical method was presented to predict both elastic and post wrinkling deflation process of inflatable structures. Comparisons between simplified analysis, dynamic finite element simulation, and a full-scale experimental test are presented and the suitability of this simple method for solving the air state and predicting the deflation behavior of inflatable structures is proved.

Structural design and modal behaviors analysis of a new swept baffled inflatable wing

Inflatable wing has significant application value in the design of loitering munitions because of its advantages such as lightweight and foldability.However,due to the flexible characteristics,aeroelastic behaviors of inflatable wings such as flutter are nonnegligible in flight.By designing a certain angle between the inflatable beam and the wing span,the structural dynamic and even the aeroelastic performance of the inflatable wing can be effectively improved.Based on the analysis of the mechanical and geometric characteristics of the inflatable structure,a new inflatable wing with sweep arranged inflatable beams is proposed,and the main design variables and methods are analyzed.For purpose of investigating the aeroelastic performance of the swept baffled inflatable wing,the modal behaviors by considering the wet mode are studied.In consideration of the deficiencies of the traditional wet modal analysis method,by introducing the influence on the additional stiffness of flow field,an added massstiffness method is proposed in this paper,and the advantages are verified by ground vibration experiments.On this basis,the effects of baffles sweep angle,pressure,and boundary conditions on the modal parameters and aeroelastic performance of inflatable wing are analyzed.The results show that the aeroelastic performance of the inflatable wing can be designed by changing the baffles sweep angle,which is enlightened for the aeroelastic tailoring design on inflatable wings.

Study of velocity effects on parachute inflation performance based on fluid-structure interaction method

The inflation of a five-ring cone parachute with the airflow velocity of 18 m/s is studied based on the simplified arbitrary Lagrange Euler （SALE）/fluid-structure interaction （FSI） method. The numerical results of the canopy shape, stability, opening load, and drag area are obtained, and they are well consistent with the experimental data gained from wind tunnel tests. The method is then used to simulate the opening process under different velocities. It is found that the first load shock affected by the velocity often occurs at the end of the initial inflation stage. For the first time, the phenomena that the inflation distance proportion coefficient increases and the dynamic load coefficient decreases, respectively, with the increase in the velocity are revealed. The above proposed method is competent to solve the large deformation problem without empirial coefficients, and can collect more space-time details of fluid-structure-motion information when it is compared with the traditional method.

Numerical simulations for gas-structure interaction in inflated deployment of folded membrane boom

It is very important for gas-structure interaction between compressible ideal gas and elastic structure of space folded membrane booms during the inflatable deployment. In order to study this gas-structure interaction problem, Arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian （ALE） finite element method was employed. Gas-structure interaction equation was built based on equilibrium integration relationship, and solved by operator split method. In addition, numerical analysis of V-shape folded membrane booms inflated by gas was given, the variation of inner pressure as well as deployment velocities of inflatable boom at different stage were simulated. Moreover, these results are consistent with the experiment of the same boom~ which shows that both ALE method and operator split method are feasible and reliable methods to study gas-structure interaction problem.

Large-Scale Structure Formation via Quantum Fluctuations and Gravitational Instability

This is a review of the status of the universe as described by the standard cosmological model combined with the inflationary paradigm. Their key features and predictions, consistent with the WMAP (Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropies Probe) and Planck Probe 2013 results, provide a significant mechanism to generate the primordial gravitational waves and the density perturbations which grow over time, and later become the large-scale structure of the universe—from the quantum fluctuations in the early era to the structure observed 13.7 billion later, our epoch. In the single field slow-roll paradigm, the primordial quantum fluctuations in the inflaton field itself translate into the curvature and density perturbations which grow over time via gravitational instability. High density regions continuously attract more matter from the surrounding space, the high density regions become more and more dense in time while depleting the low density regions. At late times the highest density regions peaks collapse into the large structure of the universe, whose gravitational instability effects are observed in the clustering features of galaxies in the sky. Thus, the origin of all structure in the universe probably comes from an early era where the universe was filled with a scalar field and nothing else.

Friction characteristics of confined inflatable structures

The availability of high‐strength fabrics and progress in the development of large‐scale inflatable technology made possible the creation of temporary and quickly deployable structures for protection of underground infrastructure.Inflatable structures are relatively lightweight and portable,and can maintain the required rigidity while in operation.These benefits have prompted the development of inflatable structures for use in confined spaces,such as tunnels and large‐diameter pipes to act as barriers for containing flooding with minimal infrastructure modification.This work presents experimental results obtained from the evaluation of frictional characteristics of the fabric material that constitute the structural membrane of confined inflatable structures developed for protection of underground transportation tunnels and other large conduits.Friction tests at coupon level and slippage tests in a reduced‐scale inflatable structure were performed in order to evaluate the frictional characteristics of Vectran webbings.Tests at coupon level were performed to determine the friction coefficient for different surface types and conditions.Tests with the reduced‐scale inflatable structure contributed to the understanding of the friction characteristics at system level when subjected to different pressurization or depressurization sequences designed to induce slippage.Test results indicate that friction coefficient values at coupon level are about 29 percent higher than values derived from reduced‐scale tests.

Deployment dynamics and topology optimization of a spinning inflatable structure

Inflatable space structures may undergo the vibration of a long duration because of their features of dynamic deployment,high flexibility,and low-frequency modes.In this paper,a topology optimization methodology is proposed to reduce the vibration of a spinning inflatable structure.As the first step,a variable-length shell element is developed in the framework of arbitrary Lagrange-Euler(ALE)and absolute nodal coordinate formulation(ANCF)to accurately model the deployment dynamics of the inflatable structure.With the help of two additional material coordinates,the shell element of ALE-ANCF has the ability to describe the large deformation,large overall motion,and variable length of an inflatable structure.The nonlinear elastic forces and additional inertial forces induced by the variable length are analytically derived.In the second step,a topology optimization procedure is presented for the dynamic response of an inflatable structure through the integration of the equivalent static loads(ESL)method and the density method.The ESL sets of the variable-length inflatable structure are defined to simplify the dynamic topology optimization into a static one,while the density-based topology optimization method is used to describe the topology of the inflatable structure made of two materials and solve the static optimization problem.In order to obtain more robust optimization results,sensitivity analysis,density filter,and projection techniques are also utilized.Afterwards,a benchmark example is presented to validate the ALE-ANCF modeling scheme.The deployment dynamics and corresponding topology optimization of a spinning inflatable structure are studied to show the effectiveness of the proposed topology optimization methodology.

Prediction on Deflection of Inflated Beam

The bending stiffness of the inflated beam is considered as a constant before wrinkles appear, and it decreases obviously as wrinkles propagate. The formula of the bending stiffness is obtained based on the membrane theory in this paper. Furthermore, the definition of dimensionless bending stiffness factor is presented; the relationship of bending stiffness factor and wrinkling factor is derived; the bending stiffness factor is simplified as different linear functions with wrinkling factor, and the simplified model of bending stiffness of inflated beam under bending is also obtained. The bending stiffness including expression of wrinkling factor is substituted into the deflection differential equation, and then the slope and deflection equation of the inflated beam is deduced by integrating the deflection differential equation. Finally, the load-deflection curve is obtained, which is compared with the experimental data in a previous paper. It has a good agreement with each other.

Credit Risk Model Taking Account of Inflation and Its Contribution to Macroeconomic Discussion on Effect of Inflation on Output Growth

We use Extended Merton model(EMM)for estimating the firm’s credit risks in the presence of inflation.We show quantitatively that inflation is an influential factor making either a benign or adverse effect on the firm’s survival,supporting at the microeconomic level New Keynesian findings of the nonlinear inflation effect on output growth.Lower inflation increasing the firm’s expected rate of return can raise its mean year returns and decrease its default probability.Higher inflation,decreasing the expected rate return,makes the opposite effect.The magnitude of the adverse effect depends on the firm strength:for a steady firm,this effect is small,whereas for a weaker firm,it can be fatal.EMM is the only model taking account of inflation.It can be useful for banks or insurance companies estimating credit risks of commercial borrowers over the debt maturity,and for the firm’s management planning long-term business operations.

Allowed Parameter Regions for a Tree—Level Inflation Model

The early universe inflation is well known as a promising theory to explain the origin of large-scale structure of universe and to solve the early universe pressing problems. For a reasonable inflation model, the potential during inflation must be very flat, at least, in the direction of the inflaton. To construct the inflaton potential all the known related astrophysics observations should be included. For a general tree-level hybrid inflation potential, which is notdiscussed fully so far, the parameters in it are shown how to be constrained via the astrophysics data observed and to be obtained to the expected accuracy, and to be consistent with cosmology requirements.

Comparative Assessment of Zero-Inflated Models with Application to HIV Exposed Infants Data

In a typical Kenyan HIV clinical setting, there is a likelihood of registering many zeros during the routine monthly data collection of new HIV infections among HIV exposed infants (HEI). This is attributed to the implementation of the prevention of mother to child transmission (PMTCT) policies. However, even though the PMTCT policy is implemented uniformly across all public health facilities, implementation naturally differs from every facility due to differential health systems and infrastructure. This leads to structured zero among reported positive HEI (where PMTCT implementation is optimum) and non-structured zero among reported positive HEI (where PMTCT implementation is not optimum). Hence the classical zero-inflated and hurdle models that do not account for the abundance of structured and non-structured zeros in the data can give misleading results. The purpose of this study is to systematically compare performance of the various zero-inflated models with an application to HIV Exposed Infants (HEI) in the context of structured and unstructured zeros. We revisit zero-inflated, hurdle models, Poisson and negative binomial count models and conduct the simulations by varying sample size and levels of abundance zeros. Results from simulation study and real data analysis of exposed infant diagnosis show the negative binomial emerging as the best performing model when fitting data with both structured and non-structured zeros under various settings.

矩形平面投影气膜结构风振响应特性及风振系数研究

近年来,矩形平面投影气膜结构被广泛应用于大跨度气膜煤仓等设施中,但是规范中尚无该类结构的风振系数。本文通过风洞测压试验,测量了典型矢跨比矩形平面投影气膜结构的风荷载;运用非线性动力时程分析法分析了结构的风振响应。研究了风速、风向、跨度、矢跨比和内压等参数对结构变形和响应极值的影响。结果表明:结构呈现迎风面及背风面凹陷、顶部和两侧向外凸的平均变形特征;极值响应的分布受结构参数和风向角的影响;响应的大小与跨度和矢跨比呈正相关;增大内压在一定程度上可以提高结构的抗风性,内压调控区间建议为400~500Pa;给出了可供抗风设计参考的位移风振系数及应力风振系数。

寒区气肋膜暖棚混凝土施工吊罐入仓可行性模拟分析

叶巴滩水电站位于高寒地区,因冬季极端温度低,混凝土仓面施工时需采取封闭保温措施。但混凝土采取吊罐入仓又需仓面无遮挡,难以同时解决保温问题和吊罐下料问题,因此,确定一套合适的施工方案并验证其可行性尤为重要。通过层次分析法,确定气肋膜暖棚施工方案为混凝土仓面施工保温方案;采用有限元分析法,验证该方案开入仓天窗在保温和下料方面的可行性,并确定耗电量相对较少的工况。结果表明:推荐使用气肋膜暖棚施工方案作为叶巴滩水电站的混凝土仓面施工方案;永久敞开式施工窗口的气肋膜暖棚施工方案可以满足叶巴滩水电站的温度要求,能在环境温度为-20℃的情况下,使暖棚内部混凝土施工区域温度保持在5℃以上;棚内均匀布置10台热风机,送风量设定为800m^(3)/h、温度设定为30℃,提前打开50min并持续运行6h,总耗电量相对最少,每次约为818.4kW·h。

气肋式充气帐篷结构承载能力仿真分析

为分析不同充气内压对气肋式充气帐篷承载能力的影响,建立包含气肋拱、篷布、防风绳的大跨度拱形帐篷结构有限元模型,考虑气肋内气体和膜面的流-固耦合作用以及防风绳受力特性,在80 mm雪载荷和8级风载荷组合作用下求解帐篷结构的变形和应力结果,分析气肋式充气帐篷结构在风载荷和雪载荷组合作用下的承载性能,结果表明帐篷合适的充气内压为300 kPa。

Fluid structure interaction simulation of supersonic parachute inflation by an interface tracking method

An Arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian(ALE)approach with interface tracking is developed in this paper to simulate the supersonic parachute inflation.A two-way interaction between a nonlinear finite element method and a finite volume method is accomplished.In order to apply this interface tracking method to problems with instantaneous large deformation and self-contact,a new virtual structure contact method is proposed to leave room for the body-fitted mesh between the contact structural surfaces.In addition,the breakpoint due to the fluid mesh with negative volume is losslessly restarted by the conservative interpolation method.Based on this method,fluid and structural dynamic behaviors of a highly folded disk-gap-band parachute are obtained.Numerical results such as maximum Root Mean Square(RMS)drag,general canopy shape and the smallest canopy projected areas in the terminal descent state are in accordance with the wind tunnel test results.This analysis reveals the inflation law of the disk-gap-band parachute and provides a new numerical method for supersonic parachute design.

气肋式充气膜结构风荷载作用下结构特性分析及模型试验

气肋式充气膜结构具有轻质、可移动、施工方便等优点,在临时会馆、机库等方面得到了广泛的应用。首先对气肋式充气膜结构的结构形式进行综述分析;随后以索笼绑带型气肋式充气膜结构为研究对象,建立共节点模型分析气肋直径、箍带数、内压对结构风荷载效应的影响,同时,通过在模型中删除索段的方法明确了各类索段的作用;最后进行了气肋加载试验,将试验结果和有限元计算结果进行了对比分析。

Study of parachute inflation process using fluid–structure interaction method

A direct numerical modeling method for parachute is proposed firstly, and a model for the star-shaped folded parachute with detailed structures is established. The simplified arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian fluid structure interaction （SALE/FSI） method is used to simulate the infla- tion process of a folded parachute, and the flow field calculation is mainly based on operator split- ting technique. By using this method, the dynamic variations of related parameters such as flow field and structure are obtained, and the load jump appearing at the end of initial inflation stage is cap- tured. Numerical results including opening load, drag characteristics, swinging angle, etc. are well consistent with wind tunnel tests. In addition, this coupled method can get more space-time detailed information such as geometry shape, structure, motion, and flow field. Compared with previous inflation time method, this method is a completely theoretical analysis approach without relying on empirical coefficients, which can provide a reference for material selection, performance optimi- zation during parachute design.