Computational Methods in Engineering

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There is a worldwide interest in the proper design of embankment dams to resist earthquake loadings. For the first time in Iran, a complete ambient vibration survey due to low-level loads such as wind, machinery activities, low level tectonic activities, and water exit from bottom outlet was performed on Marun embankment dam. These kinds of ambient vibration tests are suitable for manifesting the lower vibration modes of the dam body. Using different signal processing methods such as Power Spectra Density, the results of in-situ tests have been used to evaluate the natural frequencies, mode shapes and modal damping of the dam body. Besides ambient vibration tests, the 3-D modal analysis of the dam body was performed using ANSYS software. The foundation and abutment flexibility effects on dynamic characteristics of the dam body was investigated and the dynamic soil properties were used from Engineer’s report and some empirical relations. Also initial shear modulus of the dam body and foundation materials were evaluated by refraction survey. In this paper, the test procedures, related signal processing results, numerical analysis results and its comparison with the dynamic characteristics of the dam body obtained from the full-scale dynamic tests will be presented. Finally, calibrating procedures of the numerical model (based on increasing the accuracy of dam body geometry, soil and rock material parameters and foundation and abutment flexibility) will be discussed. Keywords: Embankment Dam, Dynamic Characteristics, Ambient Vibration Test, Modal Analysis

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Neutral stability limits for wake flow behind a flat plate is studied using spectral method. First, Orr-Sommerfeld equation was changed to matrix form, covering the whole domain of solution. Next, each term of matrix was expanded using Chebyshev expansion series, a series very much equivalent to the Fourier cosine series. A group of functions and conditions are applied to start and end points in the mathematical domain of the solution so as to avoid error accomulation at these points. The scheme ends with two matrices which result from the Orr-Sommerfeld equation. These matrices are solved, in conjunction, with boundary conditions ending up with a curve of neutral points of stability for an assumed velocity profile. Results are compared with other existing numerical methods and experiments, and the accuracy of the method is confirmed.

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Cohesive-frictional soils are widely used in the construction of embankment structures and due to the method of construction, i.e. applying compactive efforts in the vertical direction in these cases, the occurrence of anisotropy in the soil strength and permeability seems to be inevitable. In this study, attempts have been made to evaluate the shear strength of c-f soils through modifying a large shear box apparatus. Conducting more than 108 direct shear tests, the effects of compaction method and moisture on the shear strength anisotropy of a selected c-f soil (a clayey sand) have then been investigated. According to the test results, firstly strength anisotropy was observed in all the soil specimens and the shear strength in the vertical direction was about 14% to 21% higher than that in the horizontal direction. Secondly, it was found that an increase in the compaction moisture led to an increase in the degree of anisotropy. Furthermore, the anisotropy in the cohesive strength was more pronounced in the specimens with a moisture content higher than the optimum one. The highest degree of anisotropy was observed in the specimens compacted by impacting effort and the lowest one belonged to those with the vibratory compaction.

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This paper presents the preliminary results of an extensive parametric study on seismic response of two-dimensional semi-sine shaped hills to vertically propagating incident P- and SV-waves. Clear perspectives of the induced diffraction and amplification patterns are given by investigation of time-domain and frequency-domain responses. It is shown that site geometry, wave characteristics , and material parameters are the key parameters governing the hill’s response, simple formula and some tables are proposed for estimating the characteristic site period and also the average amplification potential of semi-sine shaped hills, which could be easily applied in site effect microzonation studies of topographic areas.

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In the present paper thecompressibleflowoftheunderwaterexplosionhasbeensimulatedusing One-fluid
method along with the Eulerian-Lagrangian ALE method. Besides, the exact Riemann solver and an appropriate
equation of state which is consistent with the thermodynamic behavior of water in underwater explosion, is employed.
The two dimensional underwater explosion problem near a flat plate is modeled. In order to increase the accuracy of
the method for simulating the wave front, the adaptive grid is used. The simulated underwater explosion results
agreed well with other similar numerical simulations. The numerical results indicate the capability of the present
study in simulating the physics of underwater explosion and modeling the fluctuations of explosive bubble and also
predicting the creation and collapse of the caviation zone.

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In this paper, free vibration of carbon nanotube-reinforced functionally graded circular plates with hole has been
investigated. Distribution of carbon nanotubes are continuous and the gradual and graded changes of materials through the
plate thickness are considered as volume fraction. Considering the linear and non-linear variation of circular plates through the
radial direction and also considering the proposed function for the thickness, the plate thickness can be convex or concave.
Moreover, the motion equations of plate were obtained based on the third-order shear deformation theory. These equations are
coupled differential equations which can convert Ordinary Differential Equations (ODE) using the Trigonometric series
expansion of displacement fields such that they satisfy the axial symmetry condition. Solving the converted ODE equations is too
difficult. For this reason, the differential quadrature method is employed to solve these equations. The obtained results are
compared with the results reported by other researchers and an excellent agreement is observed between them. Finally, the effects
of different geometric parameters as well as different volume fracture of nanotubes on natural frequency have been studied.

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This paper aims at optimizing the finite isotropic plates with the hexagonal cutout subjected to  plane loading using metaheuristic optimization algorithms. This research uses Differential Evolution Algorithm (DE) and Harmony Search Algorithm (HSA) from the evolutionary algorithm category, Big Bang- Big Crunch Algorithm (BB-BC) from the physics-based algorithm category, and Grey Wolf Optimizer Algorithm (GWO) and Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) from the SI algorithm category; then the results of these algorithms are compared with each other. The results indicate that the grey wolf optimizer has the complete performance, short solution time and the ability to avoid local optimums. In the analysis of finite isotropic plate, the effective parameters on stress distribution around the  hexagonal cutouts are cutout bluntness, cutout orientation, plate’s aspect ratio, cutout size, and type of loading. In this study, with the assumption of plane stress conditions, the analytical solution of Muskhelishvili’s complex variable method and conformal mapping is utilized. The plate is considered to be finite (the proportion ratio of the  diameter of circle circumscribing to the longest plate side should be more than 0.2), isotropic, and linearly elastic. The finite element method has been used to check the accuracy of the  results. Numerical results are in a  good agreement with those of the present analytical solution. The results show that by selecting the aforementioned parameters properly, less amounts of stress could achieve around the cutout can lead  to an increase in the load-bearing capacity of the structure.

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The stored deformation energy in the dislocation structures in a polycrystalline metal can provide a sufficient  driving force to move grain boundaries during annealing. In this paper, a thermodynamically-consistent three-dimensional, finite-strain and dislocation density-based crystal viscoplasticity constitutive theory has been developed to describe the distribution of stored energy and dislocation density in a polycrystalline metal. The developed constitutive equations have been numerically implemented into the Abaqus finite element package via writing a user material subroutine. The simulations have been performed using both the simple Taylor model and the full micromechanical finite element model. The theory and its numerical implementation are then verified using the available data in literature regarding the physical experiments of the single crystal aluminum. As an application of the developed constitutive model, the relationship between the stored energy and the strain induced grain boundary migration in aluminum polycrystals has been investigated by the Taylor model and also, the full finite element model. The obtained numerical results indicated that the Taylor model could not precisely simulate the distribution of the stored deformation energy within the polycrystalline microstructure; consequently, the strain induced grain boundary migration.  This is due to the fact that the strain induced grain boundary migration in a plastically deformed polycrystalline microstructure is principally dependent on the spatial distribution of the stored deformation energy rather than the overall stored energy value.

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In this paper, three-dimensional displacement response of a cylindrical sandwich panel with compressible core under the action of dynamic pulse loading is addressed using the extended high order sandwich panel theory. Also, local dynamic pulse buckling of facesheets is studied by considering the Budiansky-Roth buckling criterion. It is assumed that the sandwich panels consist of orthotropic face sheets and an isotropic viscoelastic foam core layer. The effects of various parameters including the panel span, core and facing thickness, pulse duration and maximum pressure on the non-linear dynamic response and buckling strength of the sandwich cylindrical panel are studied. The results obtained from the present method are compared with finite element solutions using the commercial software ANSYS and those reported in the literature, showing a good agreement. It is revealed that applied core non-linear theory could be satisfactory for the dynamic pulse response of sandwich viscoelastic panels. It is also shown that the pulse buckling strength of panel increases with a decrease of the panel radius or an increase of the panel thickness.