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At least 73 records · Page 4

Theoretical study of corrugated plates: Shear stiffness of a trapezoidally corrugated plate with discrete attachments to a rigid flange at the ends of the corrugations

Analysis and numerical results are presented for the elastic shear stiffness of a corrugated shear web with a certain type of discrete attachments at the ends of the trough lines of the corrugations, namely point attachments to a rigid flange which interferes with the deformations of the end cross sections by preventing downward movement but permitting upward (lifting off) movement. The analysis is based on certain assumed modes of deformation of the cross sections in conjunction with the method of minimum total potential energy and the calculus of variations in order to obtain equations for the manner in which the assumed modes of deformation vary along the length of the corrugation. The numerical results are restricted to the case of equal-width crests and troughs but otherwise apply to a wide variety of geometries. They are in the form of graphs which give the overall shear stiffness as a fraction of the overall shear stiffness that could be obtained by having continuous attachment at the ends of the corrugations.

Hsiao, C.↗

The interpretation of crustal dynamics data in terms of plate motions and regional deformation near plate boundaries

A particularly detailed set of observations in the vicinity of an intraplate, thrust earthquake (M 7.4) in Argentina, indicate a cyclic pattern of deformation very similar to that reported previously for interplate earthquakes. This deformation cycle, which may be characteristic of many seismically active areas, consists of: (1) steady strain accumulation, possibly punctuated by strain reversals; (2) coseismic strain release; (3) a period of continued strain release due to afterslip (persisting for perhaps a year or so); and (4) rapid postseismic strain accumulation which decreases exponentially and grades into steady strain accumulation. Deformation associated with three earthquakes in the U.S. (1940, M7.1 Imperial Valley California; 1964, M8.4 Alaska; 1959, M7.5 Hebgen Lake, Montana) are interpreted in light of this general earthquake cycle and are used to investigate the mechanics of strain release for these events. These examples indicate that large postseismic movements can occur for strike-slip, thrust, and normal fault events, and both viscoelastic relaxation and postseismic after-slip must be incorporated in models of earthquake related deformation. The mechanics of the strain release process revealed by these examples has implications for estimating earthquake repeat times from geodetic observations near active faults.

Solomon, Sean C.↗

Crustal dynamics project: The interpretation of crustal dynamics data in terms of plate motions and regional deformation near plate boundaries

The focus of the research was in two broad areas: (1) the nature and dynamics of time-dependent deformation and stress along major seismic zones, and (2) the nature of long-wavelength oceanic geoid anomalies in terms of lateral variations in upper mantle temperature and composition. The principal findings are described in the appendices.

Solomon, Sean C.↗

The interpretation of crustal dynamics data in terms of plate motions and regional deformation near plate boundaries

The focus of the research was in two broad areas: (1) the nature and dynamics of time dependent deformation and stress along major seismic zones; and (2) the nature of long wavelength oceanic geoid anomalies in terms of lateral variations in upper mantle temperature and composition. The principle findings of the research are described in the accompanying appendices. The first two and the fourth appendices are reprints of papers recently submitted for publication, and the third is the abstract of a recently completed thesis supported by this project.

Soloman, Sean C.↗

The interpretation of crustal dynamics data in terms of plate motions and regional deformation near plate boundaries

The focus was in two broad areas during the most recent 6-month period: (1) the nature and dynamics of time dependent deformation and stress along major seismic zones; and (2) the nature of long-wavelength oceanic geoid anomalies in terms of lateral variations in upper mantle temperature and composition. The principle findings are described in the accompanying appendices.

Soloman, Sean C.↗

A note on the distortion of a flat-plate boundary layer by free-stream vorticity normal to the plate

The purpose of this note is to construct a local solution that eliminates a residual velocity discontinuity in the inviscid portion of a solution obtained in a recent paper by Goldstein, Leib and Cowley (1992). This result is of importance because it shows that the solution obtained in that paper is entirely non-singular outside the viscous wall boundary layer and that any singularity in the problem will have to arise in the usual way through a breakdown in the viscous boundary layer.

Goldstein, M. E.↗

Receptivity of Flat-Plate Boundary Layer in a Non-Uniform Free Stream (Vorticity Normal to the Plate)

Experimental and theoretical studies of low speed leading edge boundary layer receptivity to free-stream vorticity produced by upstream wires normal to the leading edge are discussed. Data include parametric variations in leading edge configuration and details of the incident disturbance field including single and multiple wakes. The induced disturbance amplitude increases with increases in the leading edge diameter and wake interactions. Measurements agree with the theory of M. E. Goldstein.

Kogan, M. N.↗

Plate motion controls on back-arc spreading

The motions of the subducting and the overriding plates influence the spatial and temporal distribution of back-arc spreading. Cenozoic plate motions in hot spot-fixed and no-net-rotation reference frames were studied with attention to correlations between changes in motion and episodes of back-arc spreading in the western Pacific. The results suggest that major back-arc opening occurs when both the overriding plate retreats from the trench in an absolute sense and the subducting plate undergoes a significant speed-up. Neither phenomenon alone is sufficient to initiate spreading. Three major plate velocity increases can be identified in the Cenozoic: (1) the Pacific plate 5-9 Ma; (2) the Indian plate at 27 Ma; and (3) the Pacific plate at 43 Ma, due to its shift from northerly to more westerly motion. At the present time, the Indian and Philippine are the only overriding plates that are retreating from their Pacific trenches and back-arc spreading occurs only on these two retreating plates. Although the Indian plate has been retreating for at least 25 Ma, back-arc spreading began only following the Pacific plate speed-up 5-9 Ma. Earlier, during the Indian plate speed-up, no overriding plates were retreating strongly and no back-arc spreading epsiodes are preserved from this time. For the earliest Pacific plate shift at 43 Ma, the Eurasian plate was not advancing, thus creating the only favorable plate kinematic conditions in the Cenozoic for back-arc basin formation in this region. It is unclear whether extension in the Japan Sea is a result of these conditions.

Fein, J. B.↗

Failure investigation and mitigation after experimental research reactor fuel plate deformation in an irradiation device

Experimental research reactor fuel testing is conducted in the Belgian Reactor 2 (BR2) of the Belgian Nuclear Research Centre (SCK CEN) in dedicated irradiation vehicles or rigs. One such vehicle allows flat full-size fuel plates to be irradiated by inserting them into slotted baskets that captures a narrow portion of the longitudinal edges of the plates. The motion of the fuel plates within the baskets is possible within the narrow slots and thus, the plate is considered to be unattached. The design intentionally omits fixing mechanisms of the fuel plates to the baskets to facilitate the inspection and repositioning of the plates between the irradiation cycles and the accommodation of thermal expansion of the plates in the lateral direction. However, loosely inserted fuel plates have weak structural boundary conditions allowing for larger out-of-plane deflections caused by hydrodynamic loads exerted by the flowing coolant, as compared to those of fixed plates. Unexpected large deformations of plates occurred in several irradiation cycles that further resulted in a loss of cladding integrity. These deformations could not be attributed to a single source. This triggered a series of thermal hydraulic, structural, and fluid-structure interaction analyses aiming at understanding the observed phenomenon. The analyses revealed that, for a certain combination of unfavorable manufacturing and assembly tolerances, fuel plate edges could escape out of the slots in the irradiation basket due to the hydrodynamic load. Subsequently, the plate could become wedged inside the basket coolant channel opening. This resulted in reduced coolant flow and accelerated temperature increase and thermal expansion of the plate while under irradiation. This unfavorable feedback loop could then lead to excessive plate surface temperatures, deformed plates and cladding failure, as was observed in the experiments. These analyses not only provided a probable cause of the fuel plate failures, but also resulted in a new and improved design of the irradiation basket to avoid these issues in the future. In conclusion, a series of recent successful irradiations confirm that the sources of failures were identified correctly, and the implemented mitigations were adequate.

BR2↗

Polar Plate Theory for Orthogonal Anisotropy

Laminated fiber-reinforced (or filamentary) composites are used today for their high strength-to-weight and stiffness-to-weight ratios. However, because of the anisotropic behavior of composites, determining the response on a macroscopic scale is challenging. This is particularly evident in the evaluation of the governing differential equations of a circular disk with the fibers of the lamina oriented with rectilinear orthogonality. This includes any situation involving a composite plate of circular geometry in which out-of-plane displacements due to load are desired, such as fastener pull through loading of a composite plate. Current analysis techniques use numerical methods with rectilinear coordinate systems to solve problems with circular geometry. These analyses over predict plate stiffness by 20% and underpredict failure by 70%. Consequently, there is a need to transform classical composite plate theory to a polar coordinate system. In order to better analyze structures with circular geometries the classical composite plate equations are transformed into the plate equations for a rectilinearly anisotropic composite in polar coordinates. A composite plate is typically a laminate of fibers in rectilinear directions. Subsequent to the lay-tip the necessary geometry is cut out of a rectangular plate. In a similar manner, the derivation of the plate equation starts with the fundamental definitions of strain, displacement and curvature and incorporates the material property angular dependence into the equilibrium equations for a differential polar element. In the transformed state, the stiffness coefficients are no longer constant, adding to the complexity of the governing differential equations. This paper discusses the new derivation and evaluation of the plate equations for a circular composite disk with orthogonal rectilinear anisotropy. The resultant new three partial differential equations, which describe the circular anisotropic plate, can be used to evaluate out-of-plane displacements for given load conditions in design of composite Structures. Without the formation of these unique plate equations, design of such structures is not a precise engineering accomplishment due to the lack of precise design tools. Such structures are over designed to compensate and costly tests need to be performed after production to validate safety. Though impossible to present the mathematical solution within the limits of this paper, the application of the newly derived plate equation in its orthotropic form for a balanced symmetric laminate compared favorably with test results and surpassed the results of standard numerical methods. Within the limitations of the problem foundation the predictive model provides a mechanism for establishing out-of-plane deflection levels for a circular composite plate. Future work in this area should include incorporating the circular composite plate equations in Finite Element Models. The new anisotropic polar plate equations call be utilized as a design tool so that the design more accurately meets the requirements, thus taking full advantage of the weight savings of composites. These accomplishments have not previously been presented to the engineering community nor ever proposed to the IAF. Should the proposed paper be accepted for presentation, attendance is assured.

Bailey, Michelle D.↗

Ionospheric plasma flow about a system of electrically biased flat plates

The steady state interaction of two electrically biased parallel plates immersed in a flowing plasma characteristic of low earth orbit is studied numerically. Fluid equations are developed to describe the motion of the cold positively charged plasma ions, and are solved using finite-differences in two dimensions on a Cartesian grid. The behavior of the plasma electrons is assumed to be described by the Maxwell-Boltzmann distribution. Results are compared to an analytical and a particle simulation technique for a simplified flow geometry consisting of a single semi-infinite negatively biased plate. Comparison of the extent of the electrical disturbance into the flowing plasma and the magnitude of the current collected by the plate is very good. The interaction of two equally biased parallel plates is studied as a function of applied potential. The separation distance at which the current collected by either plate decreases by five and twenty percent is determined as a function of applied potential. The percent decreases were based on a non-interacting case. The decrease in overall current is caused by a decrease in ionic density in the region between the plates. As the separation between the plates decreases, the plates collect the ions at a faster rate than they are supplied to the middle region by the oncoming plasma flow. The docking of spacecraft in orbit is simulated by moving two plates of unequal potential toward one another in a quasi-static manner. One plate is held at a large negative potential while the other floats electrically in the resulting potential field. It is found that the floating plate does not charge continuously negative as it approaches the other more negatively biased plate. Instead, it charges more and then less negative as ionic current decreases and then increases respectively upon approach. When the two plates come into contact, it is expected that the electrically floating plate will charge rapidly negative to a potential near that of the other plate.

Herr, Joel L.↗

Frequencies and Flutter Speed Estimation for Damaged Aircraft Wing Using Scaled Equivalent Plate Analysis

Equivalent plate analysis is often used to replace the computationally expensive finite element analysis in initial design stages or in conceptual design of aircraft wing structures. The equivalent plate model can also be used to design a wind tunnel model to match the stiffness characteristics of the wing box of a full-scale aircraft wing model while satisfying strength-based requirements An equivalent plate analysis technique is presented to predict the static and dynamic response of an aircraft wing with or without damage. First, a geometric scale factor and a dynamic pressure scale factor are defined to relate the stiffness, load and deformation of the equivalent plate to the aircraft wing. A procedure using an optimization technique is presented to create scaled equivalent plate models from the full scale aircraft wing using geometric and dynamic pressure scale factors. The scaled models are constructed by matching the stiffness of the scaled equivalent plate with the scaled aircraft wing stiffness. It is demonstrated that the scaled equivalent plate model can be used to predict the deformation of the aircraft wing accurately. Once the full equivalent plate geometry is obtained, any other scaled equivalent plate geometry can be obtained using the geometric scale factor. Next, an average frequency scale factor is defined as the average ratio of the frequencies of the aircraft wing to the frequencies of the full-scaled equivalent plate. The average frequency scale factor combined with the geometric scale factor is used to predict the frequency response of the aircraft wing from the scaled equivalent plate analysis. A procedure is outlined to estimate the frequency response and the flutter speed of an aircraft wing from the equivalent plate analysis using the frequency scale factor and geometric scale factor. The equivalent plate analysis is demonstrated using an aircraft wing without damage and another with damage. Both of the problems show that the scaled equivalent plate analysis can be successfully used to predict the frequencies and flutter speed of a typical aircraft wing.

Krishnamurthy, Thiagarajan↗

Dynamics of the abrupt change in Pacific Plate motion around 50 million years ago

Changes in Pacific Plate motion combined near equally with hotspot drift to generate the prominent bend in the Hawaiian-Emperor seamount chain some 50 million years ago, according to kinematic plate reconstruction and global dynamic models. A drastic change in plate tectonics and mantle convection occurred around 50 Ma as exemplified by the prominent Hawaiian-Emperor Bend. Both an abrupt Pacific Plate motion change and a change in mantle plume dynamics have been proposed to account for the Hawaiian-Emperor Bend, but debates surround the relative contribution of the two mechanisms. Here we build kinematic plate reconstructions and high-resolution global dynamic models to quantify the amount of Pacific Plate motion change. We find Izanagi Plate subduction, followed by demise of the Izanagi-Pacific Ridge and Izu-Bonin-Mariana subduction initiation alone, is incapable of causing a sudden change in plate motion, challenging the conventional hypothesis on the mechanisms of Pacific Plate motion change. Instead, Palaeocene slab pull from Kronotsky intraoceanic subduction in the northern Pacific exerts a northward pull on the Pacific Plate, while its Eocene demise leads to a sudden 30-35 degrees change in plate motion, accounting for about half of the Hawaiian-Emperor Bend. We suggest the Pacific Plate motion change and hotspot drift due to plume dynamics could have contributed nearly equally to the formation of the Hawaiian-Emperor Bend. Such a scenario is consistent with available constraints from global plate circuits, palaeomagnetic data and geodynamic models.

Hu, Jiashun↗

The buckling response of symmetrically laminated composite plates having a trapezoidal planform area

The focus of this work is the buckling response of symmetrically laminated composite plates having a planform area in the shape of an isosceles trapezoid. The loading is assumed to be inplane and applied perpendicular to the parallel ends of the plate. The tapered edges of the plate are assumed to have simply supported boundary conditions, while the parallel ends are assumed to have either simply supported or clamped boundary conditions. A semi-analytic closed-form solution based on energy principles and the Trefftz stability criterion is derived and solutions are obtained using the Rayleigh-Ritz method. Intrinsic in this solution is a simplified prebuckling analysis which approximates the inplane force resultant distributions by the forms Nx=P/W(x) and Ny=Nxy=0, where P is the applied load and W(x) is the plate width which, for the trapezoidal planform, varies linearly with the lengthwise coordinate x. The out-of-plane displacement is approximated by a double trigonometric series. This analysis is posed in terms of four nondimensional parameters representing orthotropic and anisotropic material properties, and two nondimensional parameters representing geometric properties. For comparison purposes, a number of specific plate geometry, ply orientation, and stacking sequence combinations are investigated using the general purpose finite element code ABAQUS. Comparison of buckling coefficients calculated using the semi-analytical model and the finite element model show agreement within 5 percent, in general, and within 15 percent for the worst cases. In order to verify both the finite element and semi-analytical analyses, buckling loads are measured for graphite/epoxy plates having a wide range of plate geometries and stacking sequences. Test fixtures, instrumentation system, and experimental technique are described. Experimental results for the buckling load, the buckled mode shape, and the prebuckling plate stiffness are presented and show good agreement with the analytical results regarding the buckling load and the prebuckling plate stiffness. However, the experimental results show that for some cases the analysis underpredicts the number of halfwaves in the buckled mode shape. In the context of the definitions of taper ratio and aspect ratio used in this study, it is concluded that the buckling load always increases as taper ratio increases for a given aspect ratio for plates having simply supported boundary conditions on the parallel ends. There are combinations of plate geometry and ply stackling sequences, however, that reverse this trend for plates having clamped boundary conditions on the parallel ends such that an increase in the taper ratio causes a decrease in the buckling load. The clamped boundary conditions on the parallel ends of the plate are shown to increase the buckling load compared to simply supported boundary conditions. Also, anisotropy (the D16 and D26 terms) is shown to decrease the buckling load and skew the buckled mode shape for both the simply supported and clamped boundary conditions.

Radloff, H. D., II↗