I-beam Crack Identification Based on Study of Local Flexibility due to Crack

Local flexibility of crack plays an important role in crack identification of structures.Analytical methods on local flexibility in a cracked beam with simple geometric crossing sections,such as rectangle,circle,have been made,but there are some difficulties in calculating local flexibility in a cracked beam with complex crossing section,such as pipe and I-beam.In this paper,an analytical method to calculate the local flexibility and rotational spring stiffness due to crack in I-beam is proposed.The local flexibility with respect to various crack depths can be calculated by dividing a cracked I-beam into a series of thin rectangles.The forward and inverse problems in crack detection of I-beam are studied.The forward problem comprises the construction of crack model exclusively for crack section and the construction of a numerically I-beam model to gain crack detection database.The inverse problem consists of the measurement of modal parameters and the detection of crack parameters.Two experiments including measurement of rotational spring stiffness and prediction of cracks in I-beam are conducted.Experimental results based on the current methods indicate that relative error of crack location is less than 3%,while the error of crack depth identification is less than 6%.Crack identification of I-beam is expected to contribute to the development of automated crack detection techniques for railway lines and building skeletons.

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.

Numerical Analysis of Local Joint Flexibility of K-joints with External Plates Under Axial Loads in Offshore Tubular Structures

The Local Joint Flexibility(_(LJF))of steel K-joints reinforced with external plates under axial loads is investigated in this paper.For this aim,firstly,a finite element(FE)model was produced and verified with the results of several experimental tests.In the next step,a set of 150 FE models was generated to assess the effect of the brace angle(θ),the stiffener plate size(ηandλ),and the joint geometry(γ,τ,ξ,andβ)on the_(LJF)factor(f_(LJF)).The results showed that using the external plates can decrease 81%of the f_(LJF).Moreover,the reinforcing effect of the reinforcing plate on the f_(LJF)is more remarkable in the joints with smallerβ.Also,the effect of theγon the f_(LJF)ratio can be ignored.Despite the important effect of the f_(LJF)on the behavior of tubular joints,there is not available any study or equation on the f_(LJF)in any reinforced K-joints under axial load.Consequently,using the present FE results,a design parametric equation is proposed.The equation can reasonably predict the f_(LJF)in the reinforced K-joints under axial load.

OPTIMAL CONTROL OF THE FLEXI-BLE LINK MANIPULATOR WITH CONTROLLABLE LOCAL DEGREES OF FREEDOM

Although flexible manipulators own many potential advantages, one of their major disadvantages is the deterioration of the end-effector accuracy due to the flexibility. Therefore, how to reduce vibration is a significant problem. Inspired by the observation on the motion behaviors of animals, a new idea of decreasing motion deflection of the flexible manipulator is suggested. The concept of controllable local degrees of freedom is proposed and analyzed. By way of optimizing local motion provided by the controllable local degrees of freedom, the end-effector deflection of the flexible manipulator can be effectively decreased through dynamic coupling. The corresponding optimal method for vibration control of the flexible manipulator is put forward. The kinematic simulation is carried ant on a three-link flexible manipulator The corresponding results verify the feasibility of this method.

In situ protonation in a locally flexible porous coordination polymer for enhancing proton-carrier loading and proton conductivity

Designing efficient proton-conductive materials is crucial in fuel cells.Yet,it remains a substantial challenge because of the issues in proton mobility,proton-carrier amount,and orientation of proton host materials.Herein,we report an in-situ protonation strategy to produce a locally flexible porous coordination polymer(PCP)to enhance the proton-carrier loading and proton conductivity.The local dipole flipping of the ligand allows effective proton exchange with low activation energy,promoting interpore proton transport through the pore apertures and pore walls.The protonation induces substantial charges to the frameworks and enhances the interaction with proton carriers,thereby increasing the loading of the proton carriers.By this design strategy,the resulting PCP exhibits enhanced phosphoric acid loading and extraordinary proton conductivities under both aqueous and anhydrous conditions compared to its isoreticular analog that features rigidity without proton-exchange capability.Our work provides a new avenue for designing proton-conductive materials that combine structural dynamics with performance merits.