Direct Pointwise Comparison of FE Predictions to StereoDIC Measurements:Developments and Validation Using Double Edge-Notched Tensile Specimen

To compare finite element analysis(FEA)predictions and stereovision digital image correlation(StereoDIC)strain measurements at the same spatial positions throughout a region of interest,a field comparison procedure is developed.The procedure includes(a)conversion of the finite element data into a triangular mesh,(b)selection of a common coordinate system,(c)determination of the rigid body transformation to place both measurements and FEA data in the same system and(d)interpolation of the FEA nodal information to the same spatial locations as the StereoDIC measurements using barycentric coordinates.For an aluminum Al-6061 double edge notched tensile specimen,FEA results are obtained using both the von Mises isotropic yield criterion and Hill’s quadratic anisotropic yield criterion,with the unknown Hill model parameters determined using full-field specimen strain measurements for the nominally plane stress specimen.Using Hill’s quadratic anisotropic yield criterion,the point-by-point comparison of experimentally based full-field strains and stresses to finite element predictions are shown to be in excellent agreement,confirming the effectiveness of the field comparison process.

A New Method with High Confidence for Validation of Computer Simulation Models of Flight Systems

Computer simulation models may by used to gain further information about missile performance variability. Model validation is an important aspect of the test program for a missile system. Validation provides a basis for confidence in the model's results and is a necessary step if the model is to be used to draw inference about the behavior of the real missile. This paper is a review of methods useful for validation of computer simulation models of missile systems and provides a new method with high degree of confidence for validation of computer simulation models of missile systems. Some examples of the use of the new method in validating computer simulation models are given.

A GOCE only gravity model GOSG01S and the validation of GOCE related satellite gravity models

We compile the GOCE-only satellite model GOSG01S complete to spherical harmonic degree of 220 using Satellite Gravity Gradiometry （SGG） data and the Satellite-to-Satellite Tracking （SST） observations along the GOCE orbit based on applying a least-squares analysis. The diagonal components （Vxx, Vyy, Vzz） of the gravitational gradient tensor are used to form the system of observation equations with the band-pass ARMA filter. The point-wise acceleration observations （ax, ay, az） along the orbit are used to form the system of observation equations up to the maximum spherical harmonic degree/order 130. The analysis of spectral accuracy characteristics of the newly derived gravitational model GOSG01S and the existing models GOTIM04S, GODIR04S, GOSPW04S and JYY_GOCE02S based on their comparison with the ultrahigh degree model EIGEN-6C2 reveals a significant consistency at the spectral window approximately between 80 and 190 due to the same period SGG data used to compile these models. The GOCE related satellite gravity models GOSG01S, GOTIM05S, GODIR05S, GOTIM04S, GODIR04S, GOSPW04S, JYY_- GOCE02S, EIGEN-6C2 and EGM2008 are also validated by using GPS-leveling data in China and USA. According to the truncation at degree 200, the statistic results show that all GGMs have very similar differences at GPS-leveling points in USA, and all GOCE related gravity models have better performance than EGM2008 in China. This suggests that all these models provide much more information on the gravity field than EGM2008 in areas with low terrestrial gravity coverage. And STDs of height anomaly differences in China for the selected truncation degrees show that GOCE has improved the accuracy of the global models beyond degree 90 and the accuracies of the models improve from 24 cm to 16 cm. STDs of geoid height differences in USA show that GOSG01S model has best consistency comparing with GPSleveling data for the frequency band of the degree between 20 and 160.

Wheel-rail contact model for railway vehicle-structure interaction applications:development and validation

An enhancement in the wheel-rail contact model used in a nonlinear vehicle-structure interaction(VSI)methodology for railway applications is presented,in which the detection of the contact points between wheel and rail in the concave region of the thread-flange transition is implemented in a simplified way.After presenting the enhanced formulation,the model is validated with two numerical applications(namely,the Manchester Benchmarks and a hunting stability problem of a sus-pended wheelset),and one experimental test performed in a test rig from the Railway Technical Research Institute(RTRI)in Japan.Given its finite element(FE)nature,and contrary to most of the vehicle multibody dynamic commercial software that cannot account for the infrastructure flexibility,the proposed VSI model can be easily used in the study of train-bridge systems with any degree of complexity.The validation presented in this work proves the accuracy of the proposed model,making it a suitable tool for dealing with different railway dynamic applications,such as the study of bridge dynamics,train running safety under different scenarios(namely,earthquakes and crosswinds,among others),and passenger riding comfort.

Offshore Software Maintenance Outsourcing Process Model Validation:A Case Study Approach

The successful execution and management of Offshore Software Maintenance Outsourcing(OSMO)can be very beneficial for OSMO vendors and the OSMO client.Although a lot of research on software outsourcing is going on,most of the existing literature on offshore outsourcing deals with the outsourcing of software development only.Several frameworks have been developed focusing on guiding software systemmanagers concerning offshore software outsourcing.However,none of these studies delivered comprehensive guidelines for managing the whole process of OSMO.There is a considerable lack of research working on managing OSMO from a vendor’s perspective.Therefore,to find the best practices for managing an OSMO process,it is necessary to further investigate such complex and multifaceted phenomena from the vendor’s perspective.This study validated the preliminary OSMO process model via a case study research approach.The results showed that the OSMO process model is applicable in an industrial setting with few changes.The industrial data collected during the case study enabled this paper to extend the preliminary OSMO process model.The refined version of the OSMO processmodel has four major phases including(i)Project Assessment,(ii)SLA(iii)Execution,and(iv)Risk.

Modelling,Validation,and Calculations of Stratospheric Ozone Dynamics and Latitudinal Changes

This paper presents an engineering system approach of 2-D cylindrical model of mass balance calculations with convection,diffusion,and all potential photolysis,ozone generating and depleting chemical reactions considered.This model was developed,validated,and tested under different conditions for the stratospheric ozone.The calculated ozone concentrations and profile in the stratosphere at both the Equator and mid-latitudinal location of 40°S were found to exhibit a similar and close profile and peak value of the published measured data.The discrepancy between the calculations and measurements for the average ozone concentration was shown to be less than 1%and the variation of distributions to be less than 19%.The latitudinal changes of ozone concentrations,distribution,and peak of the layer were found to shift from 9.41 ppm at mid-altitude of z=30 km at the Equator,to 7.81 ppm at z=34.5 km at 40°S,to 5.78 ppm at higher altitude z=39 km at the South Pole.The total ozone abundances at strategic latitudes at 0°S,20°S,40°S,60°S,and 90°S,were found to remain stable and not much changed,from 305 DU to 335 DU,except a smaller value of 288 DU at the South Pole.The possible explanations of ozone profile change and peak shifting as affected by solar/UV radiation,latitudinal locations,and ozone-depleting reactions were discussed and elaborated.The 2-D ozone Model presented in this paper is a robust,efficient,executable,and validated model for studying the complex ozone phenomena in the stratosphere.

Snow and sea ice thermodynamics in the Arctic:Model validation and sensitivity study against SHEBA data

Evolution of the Arctic sea ice and its snow cover during the SHEBA year were simulated by applying a high-resolution thermodynamic snow/ice model （HIGHTSI）. Attention was paid to the impact of albedo on snow and sea ice mass balance, effect of snow on total ice mass balance, and the model vertical resolution. The SHEBA annual simulation was made applying the best possible external forcing data set created by the Sea Ice Model Intercomparison Project. The HIGHTSI control run reasonably reproduced the observed snow and ice thickness. A number of albedo schemes were incorporated into HIGHTSI to study the feedback processes between the albedo and snow and ice thickness. The snow thickness turned out to be an essential variable in the albedo parameterization. Albedo schemes dependent on the surface temperature were liable to excessive positive feedback effects generated by errors in the modelled surface temperature. The superimposed ice formation should be taken into account for the annual Arctic sea ice mass balance.

Some non-linear height–diameter models performance for mixed stand in forests in Northwest Iran

This study evaluated the total height of trees based on diameter at breast height by using 23 widely used height-diameter non-linear regression models for mixed-species forest stands consisting of Caucasian oak,field maple,and hornbeam from forests in Northwest Iran.1920 trees were measured in 6 sampling plots(every sampling plot has 1 ha area).The fit of the best height–diameter models for each species were compared based on R2,Root Mean Square Error(RMSE),Akaike information criterion(AIC),standard error,and relative ranking performance criteria.In the final step,verification of results was performed by paired sample t-test to compare the observed height and estimated height.Results showed that among 23 height-diameter models,the best models were obtained from the top five ones including Modified-logistic,Prodan,Sibbesen,Burkhart,and Exponential.Comparison between the actual observed height and estimated height for Caucasian oak showed that Modified–Logistic,Prodan,Sibbesen,Burkhart,and Exponential performed better than the others,respectively(There were no statistically significant differences between observed heights and predicted height(p≥0.05)).Prodan,Modified-Logistic,Burkhart,and Loetch evaluated field maple tree height correctly,and Modified-Logistic,Burkhart,and Loetch had better fitness compared to the others for hornbeam,respectively.Although other models were introduced as appropriate criteria,they could not reliably predict the height of trees.Using the Rank analysis,the Modified-Logistic model for the Caucasian oak and Prodan model for field maple and hornbeam had the best performance.Finally,to complement the results of this study,it is suggested to assess how environmental factors such as elevation,climate parameters,forest protection policy and forest structure will modify height-diameter allometry models and will enhance the prediction accuracy of tree heights prediction in mixed stands.

Validation methodology for distribution-based degradation model

Distribution-based degradation models （or graphical approach in some literature） occur in a wide range of applications. However, few of existing methods have taken the validation of the built model into consideration. A validation methodology for distribution-based models is proposed in this paper. Since the model can be expressed as consisting of assumptions of model structures and embedded model parameters, the proposed methodology carries out the validation from these two aspects. By using appropriate statistical techniques, the rationality of degradation distributions, suitability of fitted models and validity of degradation models are validated respectively. A new statistical technique based on control limits is also proposed, which can be implemented in the validation of degradation models＇ validity. The case study on degradation modeling of an actual accelerometer shows that the proposed methodology is an effective solution to the validation problem of distribution-based de qradation models.

CFD study of non-premixed swirling burners: Effect of turbulence models

This research investigates a numerical simulation of swirling turbulent non-premixed combustion.The effects on the combustion characteristics are examined with three turbulence models:namely as the Reynolds stress model,spectral turbulence analysis and Re-Normalization Group.In addition,the P-1 and discrete ordinate(DO)models are used to simulate the radiative heat transfer in this model.The governing equations associated with the required boundary conditions are solved using the numerical model.The accuracy of this model is validated with the published experimental data and the comparison elucidates that there is a reasonable agreement between the obtained values from this model and the corresponding experimental quantities.Among different models proposed in this research,the Reynolds stress model with the Probability Density Function(PDF)approach is more accurate(nearly up to 50%)than other turbulent models for a swirling flow field.Regarding the effect of radiative heat transfer model,it is observed that the discrete ordinate model is more precise than the P-1 model in anticipating the experimental behavior.This model is able to simulate the subcritical nature of the isothermal flow as well as the size and shape of the internal recirculation induced by the swirl due to combustion.

Validation of 1D model for methane/air/Pt combustion in stagnation flow

A 2D model is built on the package of FLUENT to study the effects of radial aspect ratio （R/W）, length-to-width ratio （L/W）, strain rate （SR）, and buoyancy （Ri=Gr/Re^2） on the validation of the simplified 1D model. In the present 2D model, the methane/air homogeneous reaction mechanism of Peters and the methane/air/platinum heterogeneous reaction mechanism of Deutschmann are applied. By comparison between the 1D and 2D numerical results, it is found that the validation of 1D model is highly related with the catalytic stagnation reactor configuration. For length-to-width ratio L/W = 1 configuration, 1D laminar model is applicable when the radial aspect ratio R/W 〉 0.4. For R/W = 0.6, the reactor exhibited 1D characteristics when L/W 〈 1. Compared with the temperature and species profiles, the velocity distribution along the axis is more sensitive to the change of radial aspect ratio and length-to-width ratio. With increasing of the strain rate, the flame front goes closer to the catalytic wall surface and the difference between the 1D and 2D results decreases. For a valid 1D simulation, it is recommended that the strain rate should be convection can be neglected when Ri〈 5. greater than 20 s^-1. The effects of natural

Prototype Validation Model of FY-4 Initiated

Major progress has been achieved in the development of the prototype of FY-4 meteorological satellite.After two years development,the FY-4 development team with SAST as the leader finished the electrical model of the satellite and passed the preliminary design review.The development of the prototype validation satellite has been initiated.FY-4 will be China's first geostationary Earth observation remote

A simplified pneumatic model for air brake of passenger trains

Braking system performance is relevant for both railway safety and network optimization. Most trains employ air brake systems;air brake systems of freight trains mostly cannot achieve a synchronous application of brake forces, which is usually customary for passenger trains. The paper generalizes a previous air brake pneumatic model to passenger trains and describes the needed modifications. Among them, the way the pressure reduces in the brake pipe is generalized. Moreover, this paper reports an analytical bi-dimensional function for calculating the nozzle diameter equivalent to the electro-pneumatic(EP) or the electronically controlled pneumatic(ECP)brake valve as a function of the wagon length and the time to vent the brake pipe locally. The numerical results of the new model are compared against several experimental tests of high-speed passenger trains of Trenitalia, namely ETR500 and ETR1000. The model is suitable to be integrated into the UIC software TrainDy, aiming to extend its computational field to passenger trains and to simulate the safety of trains during a recovery.

Dynamic Modeling and Sensitivity Analysis for an MEA-Based CO_(2) Capture Absorber

The absorber is the key unit in the post-combustion monoethanolamine(MEA)-based carbon dioxide(CO_(2))capture process.A rate-based dynamic model for the absorber is developed and validated using steady-state experimental data reported in open literature.Sensitivity analysis is performed with respect to important model parameters associated with the reaction,mass transport and phy-sical property relationships.Then,a singular value decomposition(SVD)-based subspace parameter estimation method is proposed to improve the model accu-racy.Finally,dynamic simulations are carried out to investigate the effects of the feed rate of lean MEA solution and the flue inlet conditions.Simulation results indicate that the established dynamic model can reasonably reflect the physical behavior of the absorber.Some new insights are gained from the simulation results.

Mathematical modelling of ball and plate system with experimental and correlation function-based model validation

The ball and plate system is an inherently nonlinear under actuated benchmark system used for validating the performance of various control schemes. A mathematical model depicting the dynamics close to that of the system is very much required for such a test bed. In this correspondence, the complete nonlinear model, a simplified nonlinear model, and a linearized model of the ball and plate system are developed. The system comprises a ball and plate mechanism and a rotary servo unit. The ball and plate mechanism is modelled using the Euler–Lagrange method, whereas the rotary servo subsystem is modelled from the first principles. The nonlinear model of the combined system is developed by including the dynamics of the servo motor with gear and rolling resistance between the ball and the plate. The simplified nonlinear model of the system is obtained with suitable assumptions. The model is linearized around the operating point using the Jacobian. The validity of the developed models is investigated through correlation function analysis. The open-loop response of the three models, viz., nonlinear, simplified nonlinear, and linearized models, is analyzed in the MATLAB/Simulink platform. Since the open-loop system is unstable, the experimental validation of the model is performed with a double-loop PSO (particle swarm optimization) PID control scheme.

Climatic Features Related to Eastern China Summer Rainfalls in the NCAR CCM3

The climatic features associated with the eastern China summer rainfalls (ECSR) are examined in the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) Community Climate Model Version 3 (CCM3) of the United States of America, and run with time-evolving sea surface temperature (SST) from September 1978 to August 1993. The CCM3 is shown to capture the salient seasonal features of ECSR. As many other climate models, however, there are some unrealistic projections of ECSR in the CCM3. The most unacceptable one is the erroneously intensified precipitation center on the east periphery of the Tibetan Plateau and its northeastward extension. The artificial strong rainfall center is fairly assessed by comparing with the products of the station rainfall data, Xie and Arkin (1996) rainfall data and the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) reanalysis (Gibson et al., 1997). The physical processes involved in the formation of the rainfall center are discussed. The preliminary conclusion reveals that it is the overestimated sensible heating over and around the Tibetan Plateau in the CCM3 that causes the heavy rainfall. The unreal strong surface sensible heating over the southeast and northeast of Tibetan Plateau favors the forming of a powerful subtropical anticyclone over the eastern China. The fake enclosed subtropical anticyclone center makes the moist southwest wind fasten on the east periphery of the Tibetan Plateau and extend to its northeast. In the southeast coast of China, locating on the southeast side of the subtropical anticyclone, the southwest monsoon is decreased and even replaced by northeast wind in some cases. In the CCM3, therefore, the precipitation is exaggerated on the east periphery of the Tibetan Plateau and its northeast extension and is underestimated in the southeast coast of China. Key words Eastern China summer rainfall - Model validation - Subtropical anticyclone - Diabatic heating This study was sponsored by Chinese Academy of Sciences under grant “ Hundred Talents” for “ Validation of Coupled Climate models” and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No.49823002), and IAP innovation fund (No. 8-1204).

Performance of a Reconfigured Atmospheric General Circulation Model at Low Resolution

Paleoclimate simulations usually require model runs over a very long time. The fast integration version of a state-of-the-art general circulation model （GCM）, which shares the same physical and dynamical processes but with reduced horizontal resolution and increased time step, is usually developed. In this study, we configure a fast version of an atmospheric GCM （AGCM）, the Grid Atmospheric Model of IAP/LASG （Institute of Atmospheric Physics/State Key Laboratory of Numerical Modeling for Atmospheric Sciences and Geophysical Fluid Dynamics）, at low resolution （GAMIL-L, hereafter）, and compare the simulation results with the NCEP/NCAR reanalysis and other data to examine its performance. GAMIL-L, which is derived from the original GAMIL, is a finite difference AGCM with 72 × 40 grids in longitude and latitude and 26 vertical levels. To validate the simulated climatology and variability, two runs were achieved. One was a 60-year control run with fixed climatological monthly sea surface temperature （SST） forcing, and the other was a 50-yr （1950-2000） integration with observational time-varying monthly SST forcing. Comparisons between these two cases and the reanalysis, including intra-seasonal and inter-annual variability are also presented. In addition, the differences between GAMIL-L and the original version of GAMIL are also investigated.The results show that GAMIL-L can capture most of the large-scale dynamical features of the atmosphere, especially in the tropics and mid latitudes, although a few deficiencies exist, such as the underestimated Hadley cell and thereby the weak strength of the Asia summer monsoon. However, the simulated mean states over high latitudes, especially over the polar regions, are not acceptable. Apart from dynamics, the thermodynamic features mainly depend upon the physical parameterization schemes. Since the physical package of GAMIL-L is exactly the same as the original high-resolution version of GAMIL, in which the NCAR Community Atmosphere Model （CAM2） physical package was used, there are only small differences between them in the precipitation and temperature fields. Because our goal is to develop a fast-running AGCM and employ it in the coupled climate system model of IAP/LASG for paleoclimate studies such as ENSO and Australia-Asia monsoon, particular attention has been paid to the model performances in the tropics. More model validations, such as those ran for the Southern Oscillation and South Asia monsoon, indicate that GAMIL-L is reasonably competent and valuable in this regard.

The Numerical Scheme Development of a Simplified Frozen Soil Model

In almost all frozen soil models used currently, three variables of temperature, ice content and moisture content are used as prognostic variables and the rate term, accounting for the contribution of the phase change between water and ice, is shown explicitly in both the energy and mass balance equations. The models must be solved by a numerical method with an iterative process, and the rate term of the phase change needs to be pre-estimated at the beginning in each iteration step. Since the rate term of the phase change in the energy equation is closely related to the release or absorption of the great amount of fusion heat, a small error in the rate term estimation will introduce greater error in the energy balance, which will amplify the error in the temperature calculation and in turn, cause problems for the numerical solution convergence. In this work, in order to first reduce the trouble, the methodology of the variable transformation is applied to a simplified frozen soil model used currently, which leads to new frozen soil scheme used in this work. In the new scheme, the enthalpy and the total water equivalent are used as predictive variables in the governing equations to replace temperature, volumetric soil moisture and ice content used in many current models. By doing so, the rate terms of the phase change are not shown explicitly in both the mass and energy equations and its pre-estimation is avoided. Secondly, in order to solve this new scheme more functionally, the development of the numerical scheme to the new scheme is described and a numerical algorithm appropriate to the numerical scheme is developed. In order to evaluate the new scheme of the frozen soil model and its relevant algorithm, a series of model evaluations are conducted by comparing numerical results from the new model scheme with three observational data sets. The comparisons show that the results from the model are in good agreement with these data sets in both the change trend of variables and their magnitude values, and the new scheme, together with the algorithm, is more efficient and saves more computer time.

Validating the Runoff from the PRECIS Model Using a Large-Scale Routing Model

The streamflow over the Yellow River basin is simulated using the PRECIS （Providing REgional Climates for Impacts Studies） regional climate model driven by 15-year （1979-1993） ECMWF reanalysis data as the initial and lateral boundary conditions and an off-line large-scale routing model （LRM）. The LRM uses physical catchment and river channel information and allows streamflow to be predicted for large continental rivers with a 1°×1° spatial resolution. The results show that the PRECIS model can reproduce the general southeast to northwest gradient distribution of the precipitation over the Yellow River basin, The PRECIS- LRM model combination has the capability to simulate the seasonal and annual streamflow over the Yellow River basin. The simulated streamflow is generally coincident with the naturalized streamflow both in timing and in magnitude.

Prediction of Dynamic Wellbore Pressure in Gasified Fluid Drilling

The basis of designing gasified drilling is to understand the behavior of gas/liquid two-phase flow in the wellbore. The equations of mass and momentum conservation and equation of fluid flow in porous media were used to establish a dynamic model to predict wellbore pressure according to the study results of Ansari and Beggs-Brill on gas-liquid two-phase flow. The dynamic model was solved by the finite difference approach combined with the mechanistic steady state model. The mechanistic dynamic model was numerically implemented into a FORTRAN 90 computer program and could simulate the coupled flow of fluid in wellbore and reservoir. The dynamic model revealed the effects of wellhead back pressure and injection rate of gas/liquid on bottomhole pressure. The model was validated against full-scale experimental data, and its 5.0% of average relative error could satisfy the accuracy requirements in engineering design.