Automatic Extraction of Apparent Semantic Structure from Text Contents of a Structural Calculation Document

A generic method for the automatic extraction of apparent semantic document structure from a structural calculation document was proposed in this paper. The method consists of two processes: extracting subtitles and classifying depth levels of the subtitles. The subtitles become tree nodes of the apparent semantic structure. A context model of technical documents was built for the subtitle extraction from plain text information. In addition, a formal classification method for the determination of depth levels of the subtitles was developed and used to build a document tree with sequentially ordered subtitles. An application module of the proposed method, which transforms a plain text document into a semistructured XML document, was implemented. Performance of the developed application module was also evaluated with 40 test documents including structural calculation documents, technical reports, and theses.     

Postbuckling of Elastic Columns with Second-Mode Imperfection

Initial imperfections of columns are often assumed to have the shape of the first buckling mode. In this technical note, the imperfection has the shape of the second mode. An elastica analysis is performed, and numerical results are obtained for two cases with the use of a shooting method. For the example of a pinned column, bifurcation occurs at a load slightly higher than the critical load for the perfect system. With further increase in load, the deflection changes smoothly from an antisymmetric shape with one node to a shape with no nodes. For the cantilevered-column example, a limit point occurs just beyond the critical load for the perfect system, and the equilibrium shape jumps from one state to another. As the load is increased further, the deflection passes smoothly to the other side of the column and loses its inflection point.     

Free Vibration of Open Circular Cylindrical Composite Shells with Point Supports

A variational full-field method is presented in this paper for the free vibration analysis of open circular cylindrical laminated shells supported at discrete points. A differential equation in matrix form is developed using the first-order shear deformable theory of shells, and rotary inertia is included. The displacement fields are defined by using very high-order interpolating polynomials and a large number of preselected nodal points on the reference surface of the shell. Each nodal point has 5 degrees of freedom, three displacement components, and two components of the rotation of the normal to the reference surface. The stiffness and mass matrices are obtained using the strain and kinetic energy functions. The numerical results are calculated for shallow and deep circular cylindrical panels with four-, six-, and eight-point supports along the two parallel straight edges. The values of the natural frequency obtained from the present method show good agreement with published data in the literature.     

Timoshenko Beam-Column with Generalized End Conditions and Nonclassical Modes of Vibration of Shear Beams

The main objective of this publication is to derive, in a classic manner, the characteristic equations for the undamped natural frequencies and the corresponding modes of vibration of a two-dimensional (2D) Timoshenko beam–column with generalized support conditions (i.e., with semirigid flexural restraints and lateral bracings as well as lumped masses at both ends) and subjected to a constant axial load along its span. The model includes the simultaneous effects (or couplings) of bending and shear deformations, translational and rotational inertias of all masses considered. The proposed model is general, showing that the natural frequencies and the corresponding modes of vibration of 2D beam–columns are highly sensitive to the coupling effects just mentioned. This is particularly true in members with low shear stiffness and with the end flexural restraints and lateral bracing approaching those of free–free and pinned–free conditions. A second objective of this paper is to show that the obtained solution reproduce, as a special case, the nonclassical modes of shearbeams, including the inversion of modes of vibration (i.e., higher modes crossing lower modes) in shear beams with pinned–free and free–free end conditions, and the phenomena of double frequencies at certain values of beam slenderness (r/L).     

Discriminant Model for Evaluating Soil Liquefaction Potential Using Cone Penetration Test Data

Statistical analysis using a discriminant model is applied to 399 cone penetration test (CPT) data sets of both liquefaction and nonliquefaction cases, including 174 sets from the Chi-Chi earthquake in Taiwan and 225 sets of synthesized data. The discriminant model employed is a multivariate statistical method. In situ testing results of cone tip resistance qc and sleeve friction ratio Rf are adopted as the major parameters for analyses. A model for evaluating liquefaction potential using CPT-qc data is also established in this study, which allows calculated results to be compared with the empirical curves.     

Analysis of Rim Supports for Off‐Axis Inflatable Reflectors. I: Loads

A structural analysis is performed for the rim support of a pressurized off‐axis paraboloidal membrane, serving as a space‐based solar concentrator. The function of the rim support is to take up the tensile forces created by the stretched membrane. This paper deals with the load analysis. The tensile forces transmitted by the membrane to the rim support are calculated, and are proportional to pb, where p is the inflation pressure and b is one‐half the major axis of the elliptical rim. Next, the internal forces and moments generated in the rim support by the membrane forces are calculated. The compression forces are considerably larger, at any point, than the shear forces; both are proportional to pb2. The bending moments are proportional to pb3. The critical point is found to be at the top of the rim, where both the bending moment and compression force are at their maximum.     

Damage Detection through Analysis of Modes in a Partially Constrained Plate

The need for aircraft, both military and civilian, to serve longer and cost less to operate is ever present. The ability to potentially extend service life and reduce operating and maintenance costs are key factors in the many choices with aircraft programs. The field of structural health monitoring attempts to reduce labor and cost by allowing technicians to monitor selected properties of an aircraft’s structure to detect impending failure. This research examines methods to detect damage to a thermal protection system tile using representative aluminum plates. Plates are subjected to modal analysis in single and joined conditions in an attempt to provide the capability of sensing damage to a tile on the surface of a vehicle whereas the sensors remain on the substructure of the airframe. Jointly, the development of a means to model the system using finite-element techniques is explored. It is found that the finite-element modeling technique produces correlating modal frequencies within a 7.19% worst case average when compared to the physical tests. This leads to the ability to compare mode shapes and frequencies to detect damage in such a system.     

Identification of the Soil–Structure Interaction System Using Earthquake Response Data

This paper demonstrates how system identification techniques can be successfully applied to a soil–structure interaction system using the earthquake response data. The parameters identified are the shear moduli of several near-field soil regions and Young’s moduli of the shell sections of the structure. The soil–structure interaction system is modeled by the finite element method combined with the infinite element formulation for the unbounded layered soil medium. The simulated earthquake responses using the identified parameters are shown to be in excellent agreement with the observed response data. Prediction of the responses is also carried out for a larger earthquake event using the identified parameters as the initial properties in the equivalent linearization procedure. It has been found that the predicted responses are also compared very well with the measured responses.     

Correlation of Elastic Constants with Penetration Resistance in Sandy Soils

In this note, we investigate some existing correlations between soil modulii and penetration resistance using a direct approach. We make use of settlement data from case histories for both shallow and deep foundations over sandy soils. Knowledge of foundation dimensions, loads, and measured settlements permits us, using elasticity theory, to calculate the theoretical soil modulus. We can then directly compare the calculated modulus with measured penetration resistance. A total of 276 case histories are considered. The resulting data set is used to assess the efficacy of two well-known correlations between soil modulii and penetration resistance. We find that both correlations provide reasonably good representations of the data, but have a conservative bias in the sense that the predicted modulus values are smaller than the best-fit results. From an engineering standpoint, both correlations represent reasonable solutions and our results should lend comfort to future users of either correlation.     

Vibration Analysis of an Elastic Beam Subjected to a Moving Beam with Flexible Connections

The vibration problem of a simply supported beam subjected to a moving elastic structure is investigated. The model consists of two Euler-Bernoulli beams which are assumed to be connected by flexible springs at two discrete points. The dynamic response of the simply supported beam subjected to the moving elastic beam at a constant speed is studied by the modal superposition method. The elastic stiffness and the inertial effect of the moving beam are included in the analysis. By solving the ordinary differential equations governing the motion of the model, some approximate analytical results are derived and influence factors on the dynamic response of the simply supported beam are discussed in details, including the stiffness ratio, which is defined as the stiffness of the moving beam to that of the simply supported beam, the moving velocity and the connection spring stiffness between the two beams. Results of the study imply that the connection stiffness has an apparent influence on the dynamic behavior of the simply supported beam.     

Data Consolidation from Hydroelectric Plants

This paper presents a sequence of procedures for data analysis and correction from hydroelectric plants. The procedures are based on variable data recorded by the plant. Therefore, they do not require additional financial investment in instrumentation for measurements. The proposed methodology makes use of a data manager, a queries builder, a generator of the overall efficiency function and an electronic spreadsheet. It has been applied to the data from a large Brazilian hydroelectric plant whose operation is under the coordination of the Electric System National Operator (ONS). The benefits of the data correction are analyzed using a simulator of the hydroelectric plants operation. This simulator is used to reproduce the past operation of the plant, once with official data and the next with adjusted data. The results show significant improvements in terms of quality of the data, contributing to the efficiency and reliability of the computational models in use by the energy sector in the operation planning.     

Estimation of Tension in Cables with Intermediate Elastic Supports Using Finite-Element Method

Cables with intermediate elastic supports are widely used in bridge engineering, but there is a lack of effective methods for estimating the tensions in these cables. In this paper, an analytical form of the equilibrium equation for a tension bar has been used to provide a shape function to develop a suitable finite-element model for a cable. A program for estimating the tension in cables with intermediate elastic supports has been developed in which the bending stiffness of the cable, the stiffness of the end restraints, and the stiffness of the intermediate supports are taken into account by using this element and MATLAB. The program has been verified by comparison of the results from laboratory experiments. The method has been applied to compute the tension in the tie bars of a concrete-filled steel tube arch bridge. This demonstrates that the cable tension estimated by the present method is suitably accurate.     

Optimal Instantaneous Unit Hydrograph from Multistorm Data

An optimization method for estimating an optimal smooth instantaneous unit hydrograph (IUH) from multistorm data taken simultaneously is proposed. A gamma IUH is used for representing the analytical IUH. The parameters of the analytical IUH are optimized. The method avoids oscillations in the tail end of IUH. It automatically takes care of the volume and nonnegativity constraints. The application of the method is illustrated through examples. The new method reliably estimates the optimal IUH.     

Advanced Boundary Element Analysis of Three-Dimensional Elastic Solids with Fiber Reinforcements

An advanced boundary element methodology for the analysis of three-dimensional fiber-reinforced elastic solids using the concept of fiber elements has been presented in this paper as an extension of the earlier work of Banerjee and co-workers. The previous simplified formulation was based on the assumption that the Poisson ratios of the matrix and the fiber are equal. However, this may not be a valid assumption for all values of elastic stiffness ratios and fiber to matrix volume ratios. Moreover, such restrictions do not allow for any future extensions to nonlinear analysis. Also, because of limiting computing power available at that time, their implementation was restricted to only a small number of fiber elements in a given analysis. The new algorithm proposed in this work does not make any such assumptions. In this algorithm, the fibers are semianalytically integrated and the resulting equations are back-substituted into the equations for the composite matrix without any further approximation. The present work has been implemented in a general purpose multiregion boundary element computer program and is capable of handling very large numbers of fiber elements in a given analysis. Several numerical examples are presented to validate the proposed method of fiber composite analysis and its applicability is demonstrated via practical engineering problems.     

Three-Dimensional Indirect Boundary Element Method Formulation for Dynamic Analysis of Frames Buried in Semiinfinite Elastic Media

This paper presents a formulation of the indirect boundary element method based on the principle of virtual work for the dynamic analysis of frame structures buried in semi-infinite elastic media. The present formulation, which falls in the category of symmetric Galerkin boundary element methods, leads to symmetric stiffness matrices for the continuum that may be defined in terms of conventional structural analysis variables (i.e., generalized displacements and lumped forces). It is shown that, in the context of the present formulation, rotation degrees of freedom may readily be introduced in the interpolation scheme with very little additional computational effort. The consistency of the present formulation with well-established results is assessed by comparing the predictions for the static and dynamic stiffness of single piles with other results from the literature. Finally, the dynamic stiffness of a single buried frame under vertical and horizontal loading is studied. The analysis shows that the stiffness of the full frame may not always be accurately estimated by means of results for single piles, even when dynamic interaction factors are used.     

Numerical Analysis of a Tunnel Support Design in Conjunction with Empirical Methods

In this paper, preliminary support design of a tunnel was analyzed by numerical and empirical approaches. The case study for this analysis is a tunnel to be constructed on the Bilecik-Istanbul roadway in Turkey. The rock mass properties of the tunnel route and design support recommendations were obtained by using an empirical approach. The rock mass properties obtained from the empirical method were used as input parameters for the numerical analysis. The empirical and numerical results, in terms of support design, were evaluated. It was seen that the numerical analysis results supported by empirical values were logical and reliable.     

Nonlinear System Identification of Reinforced Concrete Steel Structure: Using Pseudodynamic Testing Data

The research results are presented of the joint project of the National Center for Research on Earthquake Engineering (Taiwan) and Stanford University on the pseudodynamic testing of a three-story full-scale reinforced concrete steel moment frame. Nonlinear stress–strain relations, corresponding to oscillations in the frame, were estimated for successive time intervals from a pseudodynamic test of strong ground motion excitation. Numerical models of the behavior of the frame under the pseudodynamic loading of four levels of input ground motion were constructed and used for estimating changes in the shear moduli in the frame during its loading and for the nonlinear identification of the frame behavior. The contents of linear and nonlinear quadratic and cubic components in the response of the frame were estimated. It was found that the frame possesses mostly odd-order nonlinearities, such as the third, fifth, seventh, etc. order nonlinearities, whereas, even-order nonlinearities, such as, quadratic, the fourth, sixth, eighth, etc. order nonlinearities, are weak. Temporal changes in the behavior of the frame were observed during the test, indicating a substantial decrease in the elastic shear moduli, increase in the absorption of seismic waves and in the contents of the nonlinear part in the response of the frame.     

Integration of Construction As-Built Data Via Laser Scanning with Geotechnical Monitoring of Urban Excavation

The demand for urban underground space has been increasing in the past decades to create living space and to avoid traffic congestion. A critical concern during the design and development of the underground space is the influence of construction-related ground movements on neighboring facilities and utilities. Currently, engineers can estimate ground movements using a combination of semiempirical methods and numerical model simulation. However, these advanced analyses require accurate as-built construction staging data, which most projects lack. The traditional approach of collecting construction-staging data is both labor intensive and time consuming. This paper explores the use of three-dimensional laser scanning technology to accurately capture construction activities during development of an urban excavation. The paper describes the planning, execution, and data processing phases of collecting accurate construction as-built staging information over a period of 4?months at an urban excavation site in Evanston, Ill. The resulting data provide an unprecedented level of detail on the as-built site conditions and provide much needed information to civil engineering disciplines involved in an urban excavation including construction management and structural and geotechnical engineering.     

包头铁水固氧提铌的工艺

提出了用固态氧化剂(轧钢铁皮或高品位铁精矿)从包头铁水提铌的工艺,简称铁水固氧提铌工艺。实验得到了固氧提铌最佳工艺参数:铁水温度为1350℃;W(氧化剂重量/生铁重量)为5%~10%。探讨了非标准状态下,固氧提铌过程铁水中的Nb、Si、Mn、C和P的热力学行为,分析了氧化剂加入量对铁水温度的影响。     

Evaluating the Constrained Modulus and Collapsibility of Loess from Standard Penetration Test

Argentinean loess has mechanical properties highly dependent on moisture content. Sand and silt particles jointed by clay bridges and precipitated salts form macropores which undergo high volume decrease when loaded or wetted. The constrained deformation modulus is an important parameter for the assessment of settlement and to characterize loessical formations. This work analyzes experimental results obtained in double-oedometer test and standard penetration tests (SPT) performed in silty loess. Typical behaviors observed in double-oedometer test are related to the decrease of soil modulus, collapsibility, cementation, and presence of disseminated cementing nodules. Correlations between the constrained modulus, collapsibility, and the blow count from SPT are presented. The influence of disseminated nodules, moisture content, and collapsed soil structure on the constrained modulus and collapsibility of loess is highlighted.