Reliability based multiobjective optimization for design of structures subject to random vibrations

Based on a multiobjective approach whose objective function (OF) vector collects stochastic reliability performance and structural cost indices, a structural optimization criterion for mechanical systems subject to random vibrations is presented for supporting engineer’s design. This criterion differs from the most commonly used conventional optimum design criterion for random vibrating structure, which is based on minimizing displacement or acceleration variance of main structure responses, without considering explicitly required performances against failure. The proposed criterion can properly take into account the design-reliability required performances, and it becomes a more efficient support for structural engineering decision making. The multiobjective optimum (MOO) design of a tuned mass damper (TMD) has been developed in a typical seismic design problem, to control structural vibration induced on a multi-storey building structure excited by nonstationary base acceleration random process. A numerical example for a three-storey building is developed and a sensitivity analysis is carried out. The results are shown in a useful manner for TMD design decision support.

Random vibration analysis of FGM plates subjected to moving load using a refined stochastic finite element method

The article introduces a finite element procedure using the bilinear quadrilateral element or four-node rectangular element(namely Q4 element) based on a refined first-order shear deformation theory(rFSDT) and Monte Carlo simulation(MCS), so-called refined stochastic finite element method to investigate the random vibration of functionally graded material(FGM) plates subjected to the moving load.The advantage of the proposed method is to use r-FSDT to improve the accuracy of classical FSDT, satisfy the stress-free condition at the plate boundaries, and combine with MCS to analyze the vibration of the FGM plate when the parameter inputs are random quantities following a normal distribution. The obtained results show that the distribution characteristics of the vibration response of the FGM plate depend on the standard deviation of the input parameters and the velocity of the moving load.Furthermore, the numerical results in this study are expected to contribute to improving the understanding of FGM plates subjected to moving loads with uncertain input parameters.

Seismic safety assessment with non-Gaussian random processes for train-bridge coupled systems

Extensive high-speed railway(HSR)network resembled the intricate vascular system of the human body,crisscrossing mainlands.Seismic events,known for their unpredictability,pose a significant threat to both trains and bridges,given the HSR’s extended operational duration.Therefore,ensuring the running safety of train-bridge coupled(TBC)system,primarily composed of simply supported beam bridges,is paramount.Traditional methods like the Monte Carlo method fall short in analyzing this intricate system efficiently.Instead,efficient algorithm like the new point estimate method combined with moment expansion approximation(NPEM-MEA)is applied to study random responses of numerical simulation TBC systems.Validation of the NPEM-MEA’s feasibility is conducted using the Monte Carlo method.Comparative analysis confirms the accuracy and efficiency of the method,with a recommended truncation order of four to six for the NPEM-MEA.Additionally,the influences of seismic magnitude and epicentral distance are discussed based on the random dynamic responses in the TBC system.This methodology not only facilitates seismic safety assessments for TBC systems but also contributes to standard-setting for these systems under earthquake conditions.

Random vibration of hysteretic systems under Poisson white noise excitations

Hysteresis widely exists in civil structures,and dissipates the mechanical energy of systems.Research on the random vibration of hysteretic systems,however,is still insufficient,particularly when the excitation is non-Gaussian.In this paper,the radial basis function(RBF)neural network(RBF-NN)method is adopted as a numerical method to investigate the random vibration of the Bouc-Wen hysteretic system under the Poisson white noise excitations.The solution to the reduced generalized Fokker-PlanckKolmogorov(GFPK)equation is expressed in terms of the RBF-NNs with the Gaussian activation functions,whose weights are determined by minimizing the loss function of the reduced GFPK equation residual and constraint associated with the normalization condition.A steel fiber reinforced ceramsite concrete(SFRCC)column loaded by the Poisson white noise is studied as an example to illustrate the solution process.The effects of several important parameters of both the system and the excitation on the stochastic response are evaluated,and the obtained results are compared with those obtained by the Monte Carlo simulations(MCSs).The numerical results show that the RBF-NN method can accurately predict the stationary response with a considerable high computational efficiency.

Frequency Domain Fatigue Evaluation on SCR Girth-Weld Based on Structural Stress

The Steel Catenary Riser(SCR)is a vital component for transporting oil and gas from the seabed to the floating platform.The harsh environmental conditions and complex platform motion make the SCR’s girth-weld prone to fatigue failure.The structural stress fatigue theory and Master S-N curve method provide accurate predictions for the fatigue damage on the welded joints,which demonstrate significant potential and compatibility in multi-axial and random fatigue evaluation.Here,we propose a new frequency fatigue model subjected to welded joints of SCR under multiaxial stress,which fully integrates the mesh-insensitive structural stress and frequency domain random process and transforms the conventional welding fatigue technique of SCR into a spectrum analysis technique utilizing structural stress.Besides,a full-scale FE model of SCR with welds is established to obtain the modal structural stress of the girth weld and the frequency response function(FRF)of modal coordinate,and a biaxial fatigue evaluation about the girth weld of the SCR can be achieved by taking the effects of multi-load correlation and pipe-soil interaction into account.The research results indicate that the frequency-domain fatigue results are aligned with the time-domain results,meeting the fatigue evaluation requirements of the SCR.

An efficient approach for the equivalent linearization of frame structures with plastic hinges under nonstationary seismic excitations

An efficient approach is proposed for the equivalent linearization of frame structures with plastic hinges under nonstationary seismic excitations.The concentrated plastic hinges,described by the Bouc-Wen model,are assumed to occur at the two ends of a linear-elastic beam element.The auxiliary differential equations governing the plastic rotational displacements and their corresponding hysteretic displacements are replaced with linearized differential equations.Then,the two sets of equations of motion for the original nonlinear system can be reduced to an expanded-order equivalent linearized equation of motion for equivalent linear systems.To solve the equation of motion for equivalent linear systems,the nonstationary random vibration analysis is carried out based on the explicit time-domain method with high efficiency.Finally,the proposed treatment method for initial values of equivalent parameters is investigated in conjunction with parallel computing technology,which provides a new way of obtaining the equivalent linear systems at different time instants.Based on the explicit time-domain method,the key responses of interest of the converged equivalent linear system can be calculated through dimension reduction analysis with high efficiency.Numerical examples indicate that the proposed approach has high computational efficiency,and shows good applicability to weak nonlinear and medium-intensity nonlinear systems.

Adaptive inverse control of random vibration based on the filtered-X LMS algorithm

Random vibration control is aimed at reproducing the power spectral density （PSD） at specified control points. The classical frequency-spectrum equalization algorithm needs to compute the average of the multiple frequency response functions （FRFs）, which lengthens the control loop time in the equalization process. Likewise, the feedback control algorithm has a very slow convergence rate due to the small value of the feedback gain parameter to ensure stability of the system. To overcome these limitations, an adaptive inverse control of random vibrations based on the filtered-X least mean-square （LMS） algorithm is proposed. Furthermore, according to the description and iteration characteristics of random vibration tests in the frequency domain, the frequency domain LMS algorithm is adopted to refine the inverse characteristics of the FRF instead of the traditional time domain LMS algorithm. This inverse characteristic, which is called the impedance function of the system under control, is used to update the drive PSD directly. The test results indicated that in addition to successfully avoiding the instability problem that occurs during the iteration process, the adaptive control strategy minimizes the amount of time needed to obtain a short control loop and achieve equalization.

Improvement for design of beam structures in large vibrating screen considering bending and random vibration

Demand for large vibrating screen is huge in the mineral processing industry. As bending and random vibration are not considered in a traditional design method for beam structures of a large vibrating screen, fatigue damage occurs frequently to affect the screening performance. This work aims to conduct a systematic mechanics analysis of the beam structures and improve the design method. Total motion of a beam structure in screening process can be decomposed into the traditional followed rigid translation(FRT), bending vibration(BV) and axial linear-distributed random rigid translation(ALRRT) excited by the side-plates. When treated as a generalized single-degree-of-freedom(SDOF) elastic system analytically, the BV can be solved by the Rayleigh's method. Stochastic analysis for random process is conducted for the detailed ALRRT calculation. Expressions for the mechanics property, namely, the shearing force and bending-moment with respect to BV and ALRRT, are derived, respectively. Experimental and numerical investigations demonstrate that the largest BV exists at the beam center and can be nearly ignored in comparison with the FRT during a simplified engineering design. With the BV and FRT considered, the mechanics property accords well with the practical situation with the maximum error of 6.33%, which is less than that obtained by traditional method.

Random vibration analysis of switching apparatus based on Monte Carlo method

The performance in vibration environment of switching apparatus containing mechanical contact is an important element when judging the apparatus’s reliability. A piecewise linear two-degrees-of-freedom mathematical model considering contact loss was built in this work, and the vibration performance of the model under random external Gaussian white noise excitation was investigated by using Monte Carlo simulation in Matlab/Simulink. Simulation showed that the spectral content and statistical characters of the contact force coincided strongly with reality. The random vibration character of the contact system was solved using time (numerical) domain simulation in this paper. Conclusions reached here are of great importance for reliability design of switching apparatus.

Seismic spatial effects on long-span bridge response in nonstationary inhomogeneous random fields

The long-span bridge response to nonstationary multiple seismic random excitations is investigated using the PEM (pseudo excitation method). This method transforms the nonstationary random response analysis into ordinary direct dynamic analysis, and therefore, the analysis can be solved conveniently using the Newmark, Wilson-9 schemes or the precise integration method. Numerical results of the seismic response for an actual long-span bridge using the proposed PEM are given and compared with the results based on the conventional stationary analysis. From the numerical comparisons, it was found that both the seismic spatial effect and the nonstationary effect are quite important, and that both stationary and nonstationary seismic analysis should pay special attention to the wave passage effect.

Seismic spatial effects on dynamic response of long-span bridges in stationary inhomogeneous random fields

The seismic analysis of long-span bridges subjected to multiple ground excitations is an important problem. The conventional response spectrum method neglects the spatial effects of ground motion,and therefore may result in questionable conclusions.The random vibration approach has been regarded as more reliable.Unfortunately,so far, computational difficulties have not yet been satisfactorily resolved.In this paper,an accurate and efficient random vibration approach—pseudo excitation method (PEM),by which the above difficulties are overcome,is presented.It has been successfully used in the three dimensional seismic analysis of a number of long-span bridges with thousands of degrees of freedom and dozens of supports.The numerical results of a typical bridge show that the seismic spatial effects~ particularly the wave passage effect,are sometimes quite important in evaluating the safety of long-span bridges.

RESPONSE ANALYSIS OF PIEZOELECTRIC SHELLS IN PLANE STRAIN UNDER RANDOM EXCITATIONS

The random response of a piezoelectric thick shell in plane strain state under boundary random excitations is studied and illustrated with a piezoelectric cylindrical shell. The differential equation for electric potential is integrated radially to obtain the electric potential as a function of displacement. The random stress boundary conditions are converted into homogeneous ones by transformation,which yields the electrical and mechanical coupling differential equation for displacement under random excitations. Then this partial differential equation is converted into ordinary differential equations using the Galerkin method and the Legendre polynomials,which represent a random multi-degree-of-freedom system with asymmetric stiffness matrix due to the electrical and mechanical coupling and the transformed boundary conditions. The frequency-response function matrix and response power spectral density matrix of the system are derived based on the theory of random vibration. The mean-square displacement and electric potential of the piezoelectric shell are finally obtained,and the frequency-response characteristics and the electrical and mechanical coupling properties are explored.

STOCHASTIC OPTIMAL CONTROL OF HYSTERETIC SYSTEMS UNDER EXTERNALLY AND PARAMETRICALLY RANDOM EXCITATIONS

A stochastic optimal control method for nonlinear hysteretic systems under externally and/or parametrically random excitations is presented and illustrated with an example of hysteretic column system. A hysteretic system subject to random excitation is first replaced by a nonlinear non-hysteretic stochastic system. An It$\hat {\rm o}$ stochastic differential equation for the total energy of the system as a one-dimensional controlled diffusion process is derived by using the stochastic averaging method of energy envelope. A dynamical programming equation is then established based on the stochastic dynamical programming principle and solved to yield the optimal control force. Finally, the responses of uncontrolled and controlled systems are evaluated to determine the control efficacy. It is shown by numerical results that the proposed stochastic optimal control method is more effective and efficient than other optimal control methods.

Response of train-bridge system under intensive seismic excitation by random vibration method

Earthquake is a kind of sudden and destructive random excitation in nature.It is significant to determine the probability distribution characteristics of the corresponding dynamic indicators to ensure the safety and the stability of structures when the intensive seismic excitation,the intensity of which is larger than 7,acts in train-bridge system.Firstly,the motion equations of a two-dimensional train-bridge system under the vertical random excitation of track irregularity and the vertical seismic acceleration are established,where the train subsystem is composed of 8 mutually independent vehicle elements with 48 degrees of freedom,while the single-span simple supported bridge subsystem is composed of 102D beam elements with 20 degrees of freedom on beam and 2 large mass degrees of freedom at the support.Secondly,Monte Carlo method and pseudo excitation method are adopted to analyze the statistical parameters of the system.The power spectrum density of random excitation is used to define a series of non-stationary pseudo excitation in pseudo excitation method and the trigonometric series of random vibration history samples in Monte Carlo method,respectively solved by precise integral method and Newmark-βmethod through the inter-system iterative procedure.Finally,the results are compared with the case under the weak seismic excitation,and show that the samples of vertical acceleration response of bridge and the offload factor of train obeys the normal distribution.In a high probability,the intensive earthquakes pose a greater threat to the safety and stability of bridges and trains than the weak ones.

Performance improvement of the stochastic-resonance-based tri-stableenergy harvester under random rotational vibration

In this paper,the stochastic-resonance-based tri-stable energy harvester(TEH)is proposed to enhance harvesting performance under random rotational vibration.An electromechanical coupled system interfaced with a standard rectifier circuit driven by colored noise is considered.The stationary probability density function(SPDF)of the harvester is obtained by the improved stochastic averaging.Then,with the adiabatic approximation theory,the analytical expression of signal-to-noise ratio(SNR)for the TEH is deduced to characterize stochastic resonance(SR).To enhance direct current(DC)power delivery from a rotational TEH,the influences of system parameters on SR is discussed.The obtained results suggest that there are damping-induced resonance and noise-intensity-induced SR in the tri-stable system.The TEH has higher harvesting performance under the optimal SR.That is,the optimal parameter combinations can induce optimal SR and maximize harvesting performance.Thus,the stochastic-resonance-based TEH can be optimized to enhance energy harvesting through choosing the optimal parameter.

Geometrically Nonlinear Random Responses of Stiffened Plates Under Acoustic Pressure

An algorithm integrating reduced order model(ROM),equivalent linearization(EL),and finite element method(FEM)is proposed to carry out geometrically nonlinear random vibration analysis of stiffened plates under acoustic pressure loading.Based on large deflection finite element formulation,the nonlinear equations of motion of stiffened plates are obtained.To reduce the computation,a reduced order model of the structures is established.Then the EL technique is incorporated into FE software NASTRAN by the direct matrix abstraction program(DMAP).For the stiffened plates,a finite element model of beam and plate assembly is established,in which the nodes of beam elements are shared with shell elements,and the offset and section properties of the beam are set.The presented method can capture the root-mean-square(RMS) of the stress responses of shell and beam elements of stiffened plates,and analyze the stress distribution of the stiffened surface and the unstiffened surface,respectively.Finally,the statistical dynamic response results obtained by linear and EL methods are compared.It is shown that the proposed method can be used to analyze the geometrically nonlinear random responses of stiffened plates.The geometric nonlinearity plays an important role in the vibration response of stiffened plates,particularly at high acoustic pressure loading.

SEISMIC RANDOM VIBRATION ANALYSIS OF LOCALLY NONLINEAR STRUCTURES

A nonlinear seismic analysis method for complex frame structures subjected to sta- tionary random ground excitations is proposed.The nonlinear elasto-plastic behaviors may take place only on a small part of the structure.The Bouc-Wen differential equation model is used to model the hysteretic characteristics of the nonlinear components.The Pseudo Excitation Method (PEM)is used in solving the linearized random differential equations to replace the solution of the less efficient Lyapunov equation.Numerical results of a real bridge show that the method proposed is effective for practical engineering analysis.

Random Vibration Analysis of Urban Underground Tunnels Under Vertical Earthquake Excitations Based on Mass–Damper–Spring Model

In this paper, the verticalseismic effects on tunnels are studied based on a classic mass–damper–spring model. An analyticaldiscrete modelof urban underground tunnels subjected to verticalearthquake excitations is proposed by considering the first verticalvibration mode. Taking a light railproject in Tianjin as an example, this study uses the proposed discrete modelto analyze the displacements of tunneland soilunder verticalearthquake excitations. The soildisplacement responses at different tunnellocations are analyzed with linear random vibration theory.The computationalcost is greatly reduced using the proposed model. It can be seen that different from the case of horizontalearthquakes, the displacement responses under verticalearthquake excitations keep growing after seismic acceleration reaches its peak for a short duration, and then,they begin to decay. The soils at different positions around the tunnels have large relative displacement under verticalearthquake excitations. Moreover, a finite-element modelis also established for displacement responses using ABAQUS.The comparison with the results of the finite-element modelshows that the results of the proposed discrete modelare available.

SEISMIC RANDOM VIBRATION ANALYSIS OF STOCHASTIC STRUCTURES USING RANDOM FACTOR METHOD

Seismic random vibration analysis of stochastic truss structures is presented. A new method called random factor method is used for dynamic analysis of structures with uncertain parameters, due to variability in their material properties and geometry. Using the random factor method, the natural frequencies and modeshapes of a stochastic structure can be respectively described by the product of two parts, corresponding to the random factors of the structural parameters with uncertainty, and deterministic values of the natural frequencies and modeshapes obtained by conventional finite element analysis. The stochastic truss structure is subjected to stationary or non-stationary random earthquake excitation. Computational expressions for the mean and standard deviation of the mean square displacement and mean square stress are developed by means of the random variable＇s functional moment method and the algebra synthesis method. An antenna and a truss bridge are used as practical engineering examples to illustrate the application of the random factor method in the seismic response analysis of random structures under stationary or non-stationary random earthquake excitation.

Parametric characteristic of the random vibration response of nonlinear systems

Volterra series is a powerful mathematical tool for nonlinear system analysis,and there is a wide range of nonlinear engineering systems and structures that can be represented by a Volterra series model.In the present study,the random vibration of nonlinear systems is investigated using Volterra series.Analytical expressions were derived for the calculation of the output power spectral density（PSD） and input-output cross-PSD for nonlinear systems subjected to Gaussian excitation.Based on these expressions,it was revealed that both the output PSD and the input-output crossPSD can be expressed as polynomial functions of the nonlinear characteristic parameters or the input intensity.Numerical studies were carried out to verify the theoretical analysis result and to demonstrate the effectiveness of the derived relationship.The results reached in this study are of significance to the analysis and design of the nonlinear engineering systems and structures which can be represented by a Volterra series model.