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Krishnamurthy, Thiagaraja

Publications and source records attributed to Krishnamurthy, Thiagaraja.

An Analytical Method to Calculate Effective Elastic Properties of General Multifunctional Honeycomb Cores in Sandwich Composites

Sandwich composite structures are ideal configurations in which to incorporate additional functionality beyond load-carrying capabilities. The inner core-walls can be layered to incorporate other functions such as power storage for a battery. In this work we investigate an assemblage of analytical tools to compute effective properties that allow complex layered core architectures to be homogenized into a single continuum layer. This provides a great increase in computational efficiency to numerically simulate the structural response of multifunctional sandwich structures under applied loads. We present a coupled analytical method including an extensive numerical verification of the accuracy of this method.

Sather, Erik↗

Strain-Based Damage Determination Using Finite Element Analysis for Structural Health Management

A damage determination method is presented that relies on in-service strain sensor measurements. The method employs a gradient-based optimization procedure combined with the finite element method for solution to the forward problem. It is demonstrated that strains, measured at a limited number of sensors, can be used to accurately determine the location, size, and orientation of damage. Numerical examples are presented to demonstrate the general procedure. This work is motivated by the need to provide structural health management systems with a real-time damage characterization. The damage cases investigated herein are characteristic of point-source damage, which can attain critical size during flight. The procedure described can be used to provide prognosis tools with the current damage configuration.

Hochhalter, Jacob D.↗

Effect of bow-type initial imperfection on reliability of minimum-weight, stiffened structural panels

Computations were performed to determine the effect of an overall bow-type imperfection on the reliability of structural panels under combined compression and shear loadings. A panel's reliability is the probability that it will perform the intended function - in this case, carry a given load without buckling or exceeding in-plane strain allowables. For a panel loaded in compression, a small initial bow can cause large bending stresses that reduce both the buckling load and the load at which strain allowables are exceeded; hence, the bow reduces the reliability of the panel. In this report, analytical studies on two stiffened panels quantified that effect. The bow is in the shape of a half-sine wave along the length of the panel. The size e of the bow at panel midlength is taken to be the single random variable. Several probability density distributions for e are examined to determine the sensitivity of the reliability to details of the bow statistics. In addition, the effects of quality control are explored with truncated distributions.

Stroud, W. Jefferson↗

Reliability of stiffened structural panels: Two examples

The reliability of two graphite-epoxy stiffened panels that contain uncertainties is examined. For one panel, the effect of an overall bow-type initial imperfection is studied. The size of the bow is assumed to be a random variable. The failure mode is buckling. The benefits of quality control are explored by using truncated distributions. For the other panel, the effect of uncertainties in a strain-based failure criterion is studied. The allowable strains are assumed to be random variables. A geometrically nonlinear analysis is used to calculate a detailed strain distribution near an elliptical access hole in a wing panel that was tested to failure. Calculated strains are used to predict failure. Results are compared with the experimental failure load of the panel.

Stroud, W. Jefferson↗