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At least 325 records · Page 18

Analysis of twisting stiffness for a multifiber composite layer

The twisting stiffness of a rectangular cross section consisting of a single row of solid circular cross-section fibers embedded in a matrix is analyzed. The problem is formulated as a Dirichlet torsion problem of a multielement region and solved by the boundary-point least-squares method. Numerical results for a single-fiber square cross section compare favorably with previous relaxation-method results. New numerical results for three and five-fiber composites suggest that the torsional rigidity of a multifiber composite can be approximated from the torsional rigidities of single and three-fiber models.

Bert, C. W.↗

Use of asymptotic methods in vibration analysis

The derivation of dynamic differential equations, suitable for studying the vibrations of rotating, curved, slender structures was examined, and the Hamiltonian procedure was advocated for this purpose. Various reductions of the full system are displayed, which govern the vibrating troposkien when various order of magnitude restrictions are placed on important parameters. Possible advantages of the WKB asymptotic method for solving these classes of problems are discussed. A special case of this method is used illustratively to calculate eigenvalues and eigenfunctions for a flat turbine blade with small flexural stiffness.

Ashley, H.↗

A Galerkin type finite element method for rotary-wing aeroelasticity in hover and forward flight

A Galerkin finite element method for the spatial discretization of the nonlinear, nonselfadjoint, partial differential equations governing rotary-wing aeroelasticity is presented. This method reduces algebraic manipulative labor significantly when compared to the global Galerkin method based on assumed modes. Furthermore, the Galerkin finite element method is ideally suited to treat rotor blades with discontinuous mass and stiffness distribution and structurally redundant configurations as they appear in bearingless rotors. Implementation of the method is illustrated for the coupled flap-lag aeroelastic problem of hingeless rotor blades in hover and forward flight. Numerical results for stability and response illustrate the numerical properties and convergence behavior of the method. It is concluded that the Galerkin finite element method is a practical tool for solving rotary-wing aeroelastic stability and response problems.

Straub, F. K.↗

Orthotropic hole element

A finite element was developed to adequately represent the state of stress in the region around a circular hole in orthotropic material experiencing reasonably general loading. This has been achieved through a complementary virtual work formulation of the stiffness and stress matrices for a square element with a center circular hole. The element has been incorporated into COSMIC/NASTRAN as a dummy element. Sample problems have been solved and these results are presented.

Markham, J. W.↗

Design of helicopter rotor blades for desired placement of natural frequencies

The mass and stiffness distributions for helicopter rotor blades are to be tailored in such a way to give a predetermined placement of blade natural frequencies. This optimization problem is addressed in a methodical, step-by-step process in which each aspect of the optimization is studied in detail. Careful consideration is also given to the mathematical formulation of the problem and to the introduction of appropriate constraints.

Peters, D. A.↗

Measuring dynamic oil film coefficients of sliding bearing

A method is presented for determining the dynamic coefficients of bearing oil film. By varying the support stiffness and damping, eight dynamic coefficients of the bearing were determined. Simple and easy to apply, the method can be used in solving practical machine problems.

Feng, G.↗

Kinematics and control algorithm development and simulation for a redundant two-arm robotic manipulator system

An efficient approach to cartesian motion and force control of a 7 degree of freedom (DOF) manipulator is presented. It is based on extending the active stiffness controller to the 7 DOF case in general and use of an efficient version of the gradient projection technique for solving the inverse kinematics problem. Cooperative control is achieved through appropriate configuration of individual manipulator controllers. In addition, other aspects of trajectory generation using standard techniques are integrated into the controller. The method is then applied to a specific manipulator of interest (Robotics Research T-710). Simulation of the kinematics, dynamics, and control are provided in the context of several scenarios: one pertaining to a noncontact pick and place operation; one relating to contour following where contact is made between the manipulator and environment; and one pertaining to cooperative control.

Hennessey, Michael P.↗

Implicit Extrapolation Methods for Variable Coefficient Problems

Implicit extrapolation methods for the solution of partial differential equations are based on applying the extrapolation principle indirectly. Multigrid tau-extrapolation is a special case of this idea. In the context of multilevel finite element methods, an algorithm of this type can be used to raise the approximation order, even when the meshes are nonuniform or locally refined. Here previous results are generalized to the variable coefficient case and thus become applicable for nonlinear problems. The implicit extrapolation multigrid algorithm converges to the solution of a higher order finite element system. This is obtained without explicitly constructing higher order stiffness matrices but by applying extrapolation in a natural form within the algorithm. The algorithm requires only a small change of a basic low order multigrid method.

Jung, M.↗

Torque Limits for Fasteners in Composites

The two major classes of laminate joints are bonded and bolted. Often the two classes are combined as bonded-bolted joints. Several characteristics of fiber reinforced composite materials render them more susceptible to joint problems than conventional metals. These characteristics include weakness in in-plane shear, transverse tension/compression, interlaminar shear, and bearing strength relative to the strength and stiffness in the fiber direction. Studies on bolted joints of composite materials have been focused on joining assembly subject to in-plane loads. Modes of failure under these loading conditions are net-tension failure, cleavage tension failure, shear-out failure, bearing failure, etc. Although the studies of torque load can be found in literature, they mainly discussed the effect of the torque load on in-plane strength. Existing methods for calculating torque limit for a mechanical fastener do not consider connecting members. The concern that a composite member could be crushed by a preload inspired the initiation of this study. The purpose is to develop a fundamental knowledge base on how to determine a torque limit when a composite member is taken into account. Two simplified analytical models were used: a stress failure analysis model based on maximum stress criterion, and a strain failure analysis model based on maximum strain criterion.

Yi Zhao↗

Development of a curved pipe capability for the NASTRAN finite element program

A curved pipe element capability for the NASTRAN structural analysis program is developed using the NASTRAN dummy element feature. A description is given of the theory involved in the subroutines which describe stiffness, mass, thermal and enforced deformation loads, and force and stress recovery for the curved pipe element. Incorporation of these subroutines into NASTRAN is discussed. Test problems are proposed. Instructions on use of the new element capability are provided.

Jeter, J. W., Jr.↗

Structural optimization using optimality criteria methods

Optimality criteria methods take advantage of some concepts as those of statically determinate or indeterminate structures, and certain variational principles of structural dynamics, to develop efficient algorithms for the sizing of structures that are subjected to stiffness-related constraints. Some of the methods and iterative strategies developed over the last decade for calculations of the Lagrange multipliers in stressand displacement-limited problems, as well as for satisfying the appropriate optimality criterion, are discussed. The application of these methods are illustrated by solving problems with stress and displacement constraints.

Khot, N. S.↗

Estimation on nonlinear damping in second order distributed parameter systems

An approximation and convergence theory for the identification of nonlinear damping in abstract wave equations is developed. It is assumed that the unknown dissipation mechanism to be identified can be described by a maximal monotone operator acting on the generalized velocity. The stiffness is assumed to be linear and symmetric. Functional analytic techniques are used to establish that solutions to a sequence of finite dimensional (Galerkin) approximating identification problems in some sense approximate a solution to the original infinite dimensional inverse problem.

Banks, H. T.↗

Steps toward eight-meter honeycomb mirror blanks. I Rationale and approach

The best form for 8-m telescope mirrors is discussed. It is concluded that honeycomb sandwich structure can meet the most exacting demand goals for subarcsecond image quality in optical and infrared astronomy. These structures are light, have good stiffness against gravitational and wind loading, and have low thermal inertia. The latter permits them to be operated at the ambient air temperature to avoid local seeing problems. Borosilicate and aluminosilicate glasses are adequate materials for ventilated honeycombs, which do not require low expansion materials.

Angel, J. R. P.↗

Vibrations of circular orthotropic plates in affine space

The vibration of an initially compressed plate having a circular geometry and orthotropy is examined in an affine space. The classical linear plate theory and Hamilton's principle are employed. The equations of motion of the plate are particularly simple in the chosen affine space, permitting a free-vibration study of the entire spectrum of composite materials with polar orthotropy. Approximate but very accurate standing-wave-type mode shapes are used in solving the essentially double eigenvalue problem to determine the effects of midplane forces on the vibration frequencies of the plate. The results indicate that the affine-space frequency increases with increasing stiffness ratio but decreases with increasing midplane compression. It is also discovered that, contrary to the trends observed for rectangular geometry and orthotropy by Oyibo (1981), Brunelle (1982), and Brunelle and Oyibo (1983), the affine-space frequency increases with increasing generalized Poisson's ratio.

Oyibo, G. A.↗

Analysis of coaxial spray combustion flames and related numerical issues

An approach to the simulation of strongly coupled multiphase flows in combustion hardware is sketched and its unique requirements highlighted. An example of a successful application to a coaxial injector flame is presented. Furthermore, several numerical issues that tend to interact with the physics of the problem are discussed with special regard to their potential impact on the choices of numerical parameters by the analyst. These include the issues of stability, numerical diffusivity, stiffness, and boundary conditions. The theme of this paper focuses on the intriguing relationships among the grid, the solution algorithm, and the actual physical mechanisms themselves.

Liang, P. Y.↗

Algorithms and software for nonlinear structural dynamics

The objective of this research is to develop efficient methods for explicit time integration in nonlinear structural dynamics for computers which utilize both concurrency and vectorization. As a framework for these studies, the program WHAMS, which is described in Explicit Algorithms for the Nonlinear Dynamics of Shells (T. Belytschko, J. I. Lin, and C.-S. Tsay, Computer Methods in Applied Mechanics and Engineering, Vol. 42, 1984, pp 225 to 251), is used. There are two factors which make the development of efficient concurrent explicit time integration programs a challenge in a structural dynamics program: (1) the need for a variety of element types, which complicates the scheduling-allocation problem; and (2) the need for different time steps in different parts of the mesh, which is here called mixed delta t integration, so that a few stiff elements do not reduce the time steps throughout the mesh.

Belytschko, Ted↗

Expansion and orthogonalization of measured modes for structure identification

The purpose was to investigate a new simultaneous expansion/orthogonalization method in comparison with two previously published expansion methods and a widely used orthogonalization technique. Each expansion method uses data from an analytical model of the structure to complete the estimate of the mode shape vectors. Berman and Nagy used Guyan expansion in their work with improving analytical models. In this method, modes are expanded one at a time, producing a set not orthogonal with respect to the mass matrix. Baruch and Bar Itzhack's optimal orthogonalization procedure was used to subsequently adjust the expanded modes. A second expansion technique was presented by O'Callahan, Avitabile, and Reimer and separately by Kammer. Again, modes are expanded individually and orthogonalized after expansion with the same optimal technique as above. Finally, a simultaneous expansion/orthogonalization method was developed from the orthogonal Procrustes problem of computational mathematics. In this method modes are optimally expanded as a set and orthogonal with respect to the mass matrix as a result. Two demonstation problems were selected for the comparison of the methods described. The first problem is an 8 degree of freedom spring-mass problem first presented by Kabe. Several conditions were examined for expansion method including the presence of errors in the measured data and in the analysis models. As a second demonstration problem, data from tests of laboratory scale model truss structures was expanded for system identification. Tests with a complete structure produced a correlated analysis model and the stiffness and mass matrices. Tests of various damaged configurations produced measured data for 6 modes at 14 dof locations.

Smith, Suzanne Weaver↗

Wind Tunnel to Atmospheric Mapping for Static Aeroelastic Scaling

Wind tunnel to Atmospheric Mapping (WAM) is a methodology for scaling and testing a static aeroelastic wind tunnel model. The WAM procedure employs scaling laws to define a wind tunnel model and wind tunnel test points such that the static aeroelastic flight test data and wind tunnel data will be correlated throughout the test envelopes. This methodology extends the notion that a single test condition - combination of Mach number and dynamic pressure - can be matched by wind tunnel data. The primary requirements for affecting this extension are matching flight Mach numbers, maintaining a constant dynamic pressure scale factor and setting the dynamic pressure scale factor in accordance with the stiffness scale factor. The scaling is enabled by capabilities of the NASA Langley Transonic Dynamics Tunnel (TDT) and by relaxation of scaling requirements present in the dynamic problem that are not critical to the static aeroelastic problem. The methodology is exercised in two example scaling problems: an arbitrarily scaled wing and a practical application to the scaling of the Active Aeroelastic Wing flight vehicle for testing in the TDT.

Heeg, Jennifer↗