Computational Methods in Engineering

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Considering the vulnerability of double-layer grid space structures to progressive collapse phenomenon, it is necessary to pay special attention to this phenomenon in the design process. Alternate path method is one of the most appropriate and accepted methods for progressive collapse resistant design of structures. Alternate Path Method permits local failure to occur but provides alternate paths around the damaged area so that the structure is able to absorb the applied loads without overall collapse. Following the sudden initial local failure event, severe dynamic effects may arise which should be taken into account in determining the realistic collapse behavior of the structure. In this paper, a new methodology based on alternate path method is presented to apply dynamic effects of initial local failure. The method is called nonlinear dynamic alternate path method. Due to its capability to take account of dynamic nature of the failure, this method can be used to evaluate realistic collapse behavior of the structure and to investigate the vulnerability of the structure to progressive collapse phenomenon.

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In this paper, the equation of motion of an elastic 2 DoF wing model has been derived using Lagranges method. The aerodynamic loads on the wing were calculated via the Strip-Theory and the effect of compressibility was included. Wing deflections due to bending and twist motions were determined using the Assume-Mode method. The aeroelastic equations were solved numerically using the V-g method. The results obtained for different types of wings were in good agreement with experimental data.

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In this paper, properties of slab deformation in sizing press mill as one of the slab reduction processes in hot rolling mills have been evaluated using the elastoviscoplastic finite element method with explicit formulation. Effect of prarameters such as initial slab width and thickness, reduction, feed pitch, and anvil speed on factors such as dogbone formation, head and tail fishtail profile, width necking at the leading end of slab, and slab edge quality have been studied. Furthermore, a comparison has been made between the two common width reduction methods, i.e. Vertical Rolling (Edging) and sizing Press, in order to determine their differences and the efficiency of each process. The amount of width return (back spread), one of the most important factors related to width reduction efficiency and also slab formation after the first horizontal rolling pass, has been evaluated. Also, in order to validate the applied finite element method, the results obtained have been compared with experimental ones found in the literature. The results show that deformation in sizing press is more favourable and that its efficiency is better than that of the vertical rolling mill.

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In this paper, an analytical method for noncircular shape extrusion is presented. Using this method, non-linear deformation field can be described with Hermit cubic spline which is prescribed by the boundary conditions of the die at its entryand exit. The upper bound method has been used to obtain optimum coefficient of the tangential boundary conditions. The results show that the optimum tangential parameter and the extrusion force determined by this method have good agreement with those obtained from other established methods. Also physical modeling tests show that optimum non-linear die could reduce extrusion force and strain variation compared with those in a linear die.

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Water-hammer is a transient condition which may occur in a network as a result of rapid or slow valve closures, pump failures, changes in turbine loading, etc. It creates high and low pressure waves which travel along the system and decay as a result of wall shear stress. Comparison o experimental and theoretical results revealed the failure of steady or quasi-steady models in correctly predicting the daming process of the pressure waves. In fact, the velocity profiles have greater gradients under unsteady conditions which results in higher shear stresses compared to the steady condition. In this paper, the transient condition in a network (valve-pipe-tank system) is investigated by implementing one of the unsteady friction models (Brunone model) into the method of characteristics (MOC). Results show that using the unsteady friction model damps the pressure waves more rapidly, the absence of which may result in disagreement between theoretical and experimental values. In addition, this work shows that pressure rise due to the water hammer phenomenon cannot be correctly determined without effecting the unsteady friction factor. The valve closure law affects pressure rise prediction.

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The mechanical behavior of cold rolled sheets is significantly related to residual stresses that arise from bending and unbending processes. Measurement of residual stresses is mostly limited to surface measurement techniques. Experimental determination of stress variation through thickness is difficult and time-consuming. This paper presents a closed form solution for residual stresses, in which the bending-unbending process is modeled as an elastic-plastic plane strain problem. An anisotropic material is assumed. To validate the analytical solution, finite element simulation is also demonstrated. This study is applicable to analysis of coiling-uncoiling, leveling and straightening processes.

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In this paper, radar detection based on Monte Carlo sampling is studied. Two detectors based on Importance Sampling are presented. In these detectors, called Particle Detector, the approximated likelihood ratio is calculated by Monte Carlo sampling. In the first detector, the unknown parameters are first estimated and are substituted in the likelihood ratio (like the GLRT method). In the second detector, the averaged likelihood ratio is calculated by integrating out the unknown parameters (like the AALR method). Thanks to the numerical nature of these methods, they can be applied to many detection problems which do not have analytical solutions. Simulation results show that both the proposed detectors and the GLRT have approximately the same performance in problems to which the GLRT can be applied. On the other hand, the proposed detectors can be used in many cases for which either no ML estimate of unknown parameters exists or their prior distribution is known.

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In this paper, the boundary-based estimation of pressure distribution in the cardiovascular system is investigated using two dimensional flow images. The conventional methods of non-invasive estimation of pressure distribution in the cardiovascular flow domain use the differential form of governing equations. This study evaluates the advantages of using the integral form of the equations in these calculations. The concepts provided with the Boundary Element Method (BEM) together with the boundary-based image segmentation tools are used to develop a fast calculation method. Boundary-based segmentation provides BEM with domain pixel extraction, boundary meshing, wall normal vector calculation, and accurate calculation of boundary element length. The integral form of the governing equations are reviewed in detail and the analytic value of integral constants at singular points are provided. The pressure data on boundary nodes are calculated to obtain the pressure data at every point in the domain. Therefore, the calculation of domain pressure could be considered as a post-processing procedure, which is an advantage of this approach. Both the differential and integral-based formulations are evaluated using mathematical Couette test flow image whose pressure domain is available. The resulting pressure distributions from both methods will be compared. According to the results obtained from this study, the use of BEM for estimating pressure values from a non-invasive flow image has the following advantages: reduced computational domain from two to one dimension, flexible calculation of pressure data at arbitrary points or at finer spatial resolutions, robustness against noise, less concern for its stability and compatibility, accuracy, and lower meshing attempts.

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While a great portion of the scheduling literature focuses on time-based criteria, the most important goal of management is maximizing the profitability of the firm. In this paper, the net preset value criterion is studied taking account of linear time-dependent cash flows in single machine and flow shop scheduling problems. First, a heuristic method is presented for the single machine scheduling problem with NPV criterion. Second, the permutation flow shop scheduling problem is studied with NPV criterion. An efficient Branch & Bound algorithm is accordingly presented using strong lower and upper bounds and dominace rules which are expanded for this problem. Finally, three heuristic methods are presented and compared to find appropriate solutions over short periods. By generating random problems of different sizes, it has been shown that the Branch & Bound method is efficient in solving small and medium sized problems, and also that the presented heuristic algorithm is efficient in tackling problems of any size.

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In this paper, a modification on the fixed grid finite element method is presented and used in the solution of 2D linear elastic problems. This method uses non-boundary-fitted meshes for the numerical solution of partial differential equations. Special techniques are required to apply boundary conditions on the intersection of domain boundaries and non-boundary-fitted elements. Hence, a new method is also presented for the computation of stiffness matrix of boundary intersecting elements and boundary conditions of higher accuracy are applied. In order to examine the applicability of the proposed method, some numerical examples are solved and the results are compared with those obtaioned from both fixed grid finite element and standard finite element methods.

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: In this paper, a nonlinear model of clamped-clamped microbeam actuated by electrostatic load with stretching and thermoelastic effects is presented. Free vibration frequency is calculated by discretization based on DQ method. Frequency is a complex value due to the thermoelastic effect that dissipates the energy. By separating the real and imaginary parts of frequency, quality factor of thermoelastic damping is calculated. Both stretching and thermoelastic effects are validated against the results of the reference papers. The variations of thermoelastic damping versus elasticity modulus, coefficient of thermal expansion and geometrical parameters such as thickness, gap distance, and length are investigated and these results are compared in the linear and nonlinear models for high values of voltage. Also, this paper shows that since for high values of electrostatic voltage the linear model reveals a large error for calculating the thermoelastic damping, the nonlinear model should be used for this purpose.

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In this paper, considering all the linear and nonlinear inertia terms of moving masses on a flexible beam, the dynamic response and dynamic stability of the beam are studied. Homotopy perturbation method is used to perform the analysis and results are provided in a stability map for the different values of mass and velocity of the moving masses. It is concluded that there is a borderline in the diagram that separates the stable and unstable regions. For the first time, this borderline is determined semi-analytically. Results of the stability analysis are validated using the Floquet theory. In addition to this borderline, it is also concluded that the Homotopy perturbation method is capable of evaluating the new critical values for mass and velocity which cause vibration resonance in the beam. The locus of these resonant points, which is totally a new finding in dynamic analysis of beam-moving mass problem, is determined semi-analytically. Finally, the effect of the friction between the beam and the moving mass is studied on the stability of the system and resonant conditions. Accuracy of the results for this case is also evaluated with a numerical simulation.

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In this study, for the first time, a comparison of single-relaxation-time, multi-relaxation-time and entropic lattice Boltzmann methods on non-uniform meshes is performed and application of these methods for simulation of two-dimensional cavity flows, channel flows and channel flows with sudden expansion is studied in the slip and near transition regimes. In this work, Taylor series expansion and least squares based lattice Boltzmann method is utilized in order to apply the lattice Boltzmann models on non-uniform meshes. A diffuse scattering boundary condition and a combination of bounce-back and specular boundary conditions are employed to obtain the slip at the walls. Besides, the relaxation times of lattice Boltzmann methods are computed in terms of Knudsen number. Different lattice Boltzmann methods are used to simulate lid-driven micro cavity flows and their results are compared with each other and with those obtained in the literature. Then, the best model in accuracy and stability, i.e. multi-relaxation-time lattice Boltzmann method, is applied to simulate the micro channel flow in different Knudsen numbers. Results show that the proposed method on non-uniform meshes is capable of simulating micro flows problems in the slip and the transition regimes.

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The main objective of this paper is to provide an applied algorithm for analyzing propeller-shaft vibrations in marine vessels. Firstly an underwater marine vehicle has been analyzed at different speed in unsteady condition using the finite volume method. Based on the results of this analysis, flow field of marine vehicle (wake of stern) and velocity inlet to the marine propeller  is extracted at different times. Propeller inlet flow field is applied in the boundary element code and using this code, marine propeller has been analyzed in unsteady state. In continue, main / lateral forces and moments over the propeller are extracted. Then the data obtained from the boundary element code alongwith exact geometry of the propeller and shaft have been studied, using finite element code. Natural and forced frequency of the propeller have been determined in various modes of vibration. According to obtained data from Finite Element Method (FEM) numerical analysis, maximum displacement of propeller is for displacement of the propeller tip in forced vibration state

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This paper presents a macro model to predict unreinforced masonry structures in plane behavior. The model is based on the concept of multilaminate theory. In the past, the method has been used to model behavior of soil, disregarding the cohesion and the tensile strength. Regarding its mathematical base, and the possibility of applying in other cases, this method is used to predict the ultimate failur load in URM structures in present study. This model is intrinsically capable of spotting induced anisotropy of brittle material such as concrete, rocks and masonry, develponig as a result of cracking. Here, the yield surface applied, consists an generalized mohr-coulomb yield surface, along with a cap model and a cut-off tensile. Comparing numerical results predicted to be obtained in non-linear analysis of masonry structures unreinforced against lateral load, with the results of ther experimental data shows capability of the model in failure analysis of URM structures.

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: Existence of singular points inside the solution domain or on its boundary deteriorates the accuracy and convergence rate of numerical methods. This phenomenon usually happens due to discontinuities in the boundary conditions or abrupt changes in the domain shape. This study has focused on the solution of singular plate problems using the exponential basis functions method. In this method, unknown functions are considered as a linear combination of exponential basis functions and the coefficients are calculated by approximate satisfaction of the boundary conditions. To increase the accuracy and convergence rate in problems with singular points, a series of singular, quasi-exponential functions are added to the method’s exponential basis functions. These functions have proper discontinuity in location of the singular points and satisfy the homogenous differential equation. The results obtained from the solution of three cracked plate problems show considerable increase in the accuracy and convergence rate of the proposed method compared with the exponential basis functions method without any noticeable increase in the computational cost.

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Utilizing one of the mesh free methods, the present paper concerns static analysis of thin plates with various geometric shapes based on the mindlin classical plate theories. In this numerical method, the domain of issue is solely expressed through a set of nods and no gridding or element is required. To express the domain of issues with various geometric shapes, first a set of nodes are defined in a standard rectangular domain , then via a three-order map with, these nodes are transferred to the main domain of the original issue; therefore plates of various geometric shapes can be analyzed. Among meshfree numerical methods, Element Free Galerkin method (EFG) is utilized here. The method is one of the weak form integral methods that uses MLS shape functions for approximation. Regarding the absence of Delta feature in MLS functions, boundary conditions cannot be imposed directly; hence the Lagrangian method is utilized to impose boundary conditions. At the end, our outputs are compared with those of analytic and finite element methods for plates, in order to validate the exactness of our solution method, and then after reliability is established, a few new examples will be solved.

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In this paper, buckling behavior of functionally graded carbon nanotube-reinforced composite (FG-CNTRC) plates is studied in line with the plates thikness. All  governing equations are presented incrementally, based on a First-order Shear Deformation Theory (FSDT) of plates and von Karman strain field. In order to find the critical buckling load, the axial load is applied to the plate incrementally and the equilibrium equations are solved by Dynamic Relaxation (DR) method. Parametric study of the effects of volume fraction of Carbon Nanotubes (CNTs), CNTs distribution, plate width-to-thickness ratio and aspect ratio of nano composite plates is done in detail. The results show that functionally graded distribution of CNTs causes a significant increase of critical buckling load.

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In this paper, first the theory of Improved Applied Element Method (IAEM) is proposed and then an appropriate algorithm and software are developed for analyzing structures behavior until collapse by this method. Then, some examples of structural analysis by the above method and a software developed for this study are presented. The results show that IAEM has the ability to solve the discussed problems more accurately in less time than Finite Element Method (FEM). Moreover, the efficiency of the method for solving large displacements problems is enhanced in this research by introducing nonlinear response indicators. For modification of the stiffness matrix in the nonlinear range, a new method is presented that increases the accuracy of calculation up to 30%.

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This study shows how to create different types of crack and discontinuities by using isogeometric analysis approach (IGA) and extended finite element method (XFEM). In this contribution, two unique features of isogeometric analysis approach are utilized to create discontinuous zones. Discontinuities consist of crack and cohesive zone. In isogeometric analysis method NURBS is used to approximate both geometry and primary variable. NURBS can create quadratic shapes exactly. Also, stress intensity factors are calculated in the vicinity of the crack tips for two dimensional problems and are compared with corresponding analytical and numerical counterparts. Extended finite element method is the other numerical method which is used in this work. The enrichment procedure is utilized in extended finite element method to create discontinuities. The well-known path independent J-integral approach is used in order to calculate the stress intensity factors. Also, in mixed mode situation, the interaction integral (M-integral) is considered to calculate the stress intensity factors. Results show that isogeometric analysis method has desirable accuracy as it uses lower degree of freedoms and consequently lower computational efforts than extended finite element method. In addition, creating the internal cohesive zone as one of the most important issues in computational fracture mechanics is feasible due to the special features of isogeometric analysis. The present study demonstrates the capability of isogeometric analysis parametric space to control the inter-element continuity and create the cohesive zone.