Research on Bearing Capacity Calculation Method of Large Diameter Cylinder in Soft Clay

A large diameter cylinder inserted in soils is a new type of engineering structures used in offshore and port engineering. The mechanism of its bearing capacity and the analysis of its stability are important to its design and applications. In this paper, the finite element method is used to analyze the reacting forces of the soft soil foundation on the structure under the wave action. A simplified method is proposed, based on the plastic limit method, for the safety and stability analysis. Our analysis shows that the assumptions made in this paper and the mechanism used are reasonable, and the results obtained are appropriate. The calculation method is very efficient and can be used to evaluate main parameters of the structure in its preliminary designs.

Optimal design of building structures using genetic algorithms

A general framework for multi-criteria optimal design is presented which is well-suited for automated design of structural systems. A systematic computer-aided optimal design decision process is developed which allows the designer to rapidly evaluate and improve a proposed design by taking into account the major factors of interest related to different aspects such as design, construction, and operation.

The proposed optimal design process requires the selection of the most promising choice of design parameters taken from a large design space, based on an evaluation using specified criteria. The design parameters specify a particular design, and so they relate to member sizes, structural configuration, etc. The evaluation of the design uses performance parameters which may include structural response parameters, risks due to uncertain loads and modeling errors, construction and operating costs, etc. Preference functions are used to implement the design criteria in a "soft" form. These preference functions give a measure of the degree of satisfaction of each design criterion. The overall evaluation measure for a design is built up from the individual measures for each criterion through a preference combination rule. The goal of the optimal design process is to obtain a design that has the highest overall evaluation measure - an optimization problem.

Genetic algorithms are stochastic optimization methods that are based on evolutionary theory. They provide the exploration power necessary to explore high-dimensional search spaces to seek these optimal solutions. Two special genetic algorithms, hGA and vGA, are presented here for continuous and discrete optimization problems, respectively.

The methodology is demonstrated with several examples involving the design of truss and frame systems. These examples are solved by using the proposed hGA and vGA.

The Maryland soft shell clam industry and its effects on Tidewater resources

This report to the Maryland General Assembly covers: design and operation of the hydraulic clam dredge; summary of knowledge of Maryland's soft shell clam resource; development and present status; Potential value of the resource; Effects of the hydraulic clam dredge; evaluation of the effects of certain proposals concerning the soft shell clam industry; summary.

Sediment Quality Triad assessment in Kachemak Bay: characterization of soft bottom benthic habitats and contaminant bioeffects assessment

A baseline environmental characterization of the inner Kachemak Bay, Alaska was conducted using the sediment quality triad approach based on sediment chemistry, sediment toxicity, and benthic invertebrate community structure. The study area was subdivided into 5 strata based on geophysical and hydrodynamic patterns in the bay (eastern and western intertidal mud flats, eastern and western subtidal, and Homer Harbor). Three to seven locations were synoptically sampled within each stratum using a stratified random statistical design approach. Three sites near the village of Port Graham and two sites in the footprint of a proposed Homer Harbor expansion were also collected for comparison. Concentrations of over 120 organic and metallic contaminants were analyzed. Ambient toxicity was assessed using two amphipod bioassays. A detailed benthic community condition assessment was performed. Habitat parameters (depth, salinity, temperature, dissolved oxygen, sediment grain size, and organic carbon content) that influence species and contaminant distribution were also measured at each sampling site. Sediments were mostly mixed silt and sand; characteristic of high energy habitats, with pockets of muddy zones. Organic compounds (PAHs, DDTs, PCBs, cyclodienes, cyclohexanes) were detected throughout the bay but at relatively low concentrations. Tributyltin was elevated in Homer Harbor relative to the other strata. With a few exceptions, metals concentrations were relatively low and probably reflect the input of glacial runoff. Relative to other sites, Homer Harbor sites were shown to have elevated concentrations of metallic and organic contaminants. The Homer Harbor stratum however, is a deep, low energy depositional environment with fine grained sediment. Concentrations of organic contaminants measured were five to ten times higher in the harbor sites than in the open bay sites. Concentration of PAHs is of a particular interest because of the legacy of oil spills in the region. There was no evidence of residual PAHs attributable to oil spills, outside of local input, beyond the confines of the harbor. Concentrations were one to ten times below NOAA sediment quality guidelines. Selected metal concentrations were found to be relatively elevated compared to other data collected in the region. However, levels are still very low in the scale of NOAA’s sediment quality guidelines, and therefore appear to pose little or no ecotoxicity threat to biota. Infaunal assessment showed a diverse assemblage with more than 240 taxa recorded and abundances greater than 3,000 animals m-22 in all but a few locations. Annelid worms, crustaceans, snails, and clams were the dominant taxa accounting for 63 %, 19%, 5%, and 7 % respectively of total individuals. Specific benthic community assemblages were identified that were distributed based on depth and water clarity. Species richness and diversity was lower in the eastern end of the bay in the vicinity of the Fox River input. Abundance was also generally lower in the eastern portion of the study area, and in the intertidal areas near Homer. The eastern portions of the bay are stressed by the sediment load from glacial meltwater. Significant toxicity was virtually absent. Conditions at the sites immediately outside the existing Homer Harbor facility did not differ significantly from other subtidal locations in the open Kachemak Bay. The benthic fauna at Port Graham contained a significant number of species not found in Kachemak Bay. Contaminant conditions were variable depending on specific location. Selected metal concentrations were elevated at Port Graham and some were lower relative to Kachemak Bay, probably due to local geology. Some organic contaminants were accumulating at a depositional site.

Multi-objective design and optimisation of bypass outlet-guide vanes

This paper describes the development of an automated design optimization system that makes use of a high fidelity Reynolds-Averaged CFD analysis procedure to minimize the fan forcing and fan BOGV (bypass outlet guide vane) losses simultaneously taking into the account the down-stream pylon and RDF (radial drive fairing) distortions. The design space consists of the OGV's stagger angle, trailing-edge recambering, axial and circumferential positions leading to a variable pitch optimum design. An advanced optimization system called SOFT (Smart Optimisation for Turbomachinery) was used to integrate a number of pre-processor, simulation and in-house grid generation codes and postprocessor programs. A number of multi-objective, multi-point optimiztion were carried out by SOFT on a cluster of workstations and are reported herein.

Centrifuge modelling-based verification of response spectra design methods for some vulnerable structures

Residential RC framed structures suffered heavily during the 2001 Bhuj earthquake in Gujarat, India. These types of structures also saw severe damage in other earthquakes such as the 1999 Kocaeli earthquake in Turkey and 921 Ji-Ji earthquake in Taiwan. In this paper the seismic response of residential structures was investigated using physical modelling. Idealised soft storey and top heavy, two degrees of freedom (2DOF) portal frame structures were developed and tested on saturated and dry sand models at 25 g using the Schofield Centre 10-m Beam Centrifuge. It was possible to recreate observed field behaviour using these models. As observed in many of the recent earthquakes, soft storey structures were found to be particularly vulnerable to seismic loads. Elastic response spectra methods are often used in the design of simple portal frame structures. The seismic risk of these structures can be significantly increased due to modifications such as removal of a column or addition of heavy water tanks on the roof. The experimental data from the dynamic centrifuge tests on such soft storey or top-heavy models was used to evaluate the predictions obtained from the response spectra. Response spectra were able to predict seismic response during small to moderate intensity earthquakes, but became inaccurate during strong earthquakes and when soil structure interaction effects became important. Re-evaluation of seismic risk of such modified structures is required and time domain analyses suggested by building codes such as IBC, UBC or NEHRP may be more appropriate. © Springer 2006.

Case study on a deep excavation in soft ground by centrifuge model tests

This paper provides a case study on the deepest excavation carried out so far in the construction of the metro network in Shanghai, which typically features soft ground. The excavation is 38 m deep with retaining walls 65 m deep braced by 9 levels of concrete props. To obtain a quick and rough prediction, two centrifuge model tests were conducted, in which one is for the 'standard' section with green field surrounding and the other with an adjacent piled building. The tests were carried out in a run-stop-excavation-run style, in which excavation was conducted manually. By analyzing the lateral wall displacement, ground deformation, bending moment and earth pressure, the test results are shown to be reasonably convincing and the design and construction were validated. Such industry orientated centrifuge modeling was shown to be useful in understanding the performance of geotechnical processes, especially when engineers lack relevant field experience. © 2010 Taylor & Francis Group, London.

Seismically-induced displacements of a suction caisson in soft clay

The seismic design for offshore foundations is based predominantly on experience onshore. This paper describes the results of dynamic centrifuge tests performed to validate the performance of a suction caisson installed in normally consolidated clay. The main objective is to evaluate the likely plastic displacement under different shaking levels. Permanent displacement results indicate that the displacements experienced are well within the allowable movement for the foundation considered, even though a strength based design approach would consider this to be a failure. Larger earthquakes are seen to produce comparatively smaller displacements. It is concluded that the when designing for seismic loading, if some displacement is permissible then a performance-based approach allowing some displacement proves significantly less conservative than a purely strength-based design. It is also concluded that dynamic response analyses should consider the strength of soil, as this can act as a fuse against large amplitude shear waves. © 2011 Taylor & Francis Group, London.

Evaluation of the p-y method in the design of monopiles for offshore wind turbines

Monopile foundations, currently designed using the p-y method, are technically viable in supporting larger offshore wind turbines in waters to a depth of 30 m. The p-y method was developed to better understand the behavior of laterally loaded long slender piles required for the offshore oil and gas installations. The lateral load-deformation behavior of two monopiles, 5 and 7.5 m dia, installed in soft clays of varying undrained shear strength and stiffness, was studied. A combination of axial and lateral loads expected at an offshore wind farm location with a water depth of 30 m was used in the analysis. It was established that the Matlock (1970) p-y curves are too soft and under-estimate the ultimate soil reaction at all depths except at the monopile tip. At the pile tip, the base shear was not accounted for in the p-y curves, hence resulting in the over-estimation of the soil reaction. Consequently, the Matlock (1970) p-y formulation significantly underestimates the monopile ultimate lateral capacity. The use of the Matlock (1970) p-y method would result in over-conservative designs of monopiles for offshore wind turbines. This is an abstract of a paper presented at the Offshore Technology Conference (Houston, TX 5/6-9/2013).

Surface contact and design of fibrillar 'friction pads' in stick insects (Carausius morosus): mechanisms for large friction coefficients and negligible adhesion.

Many stick insects and mantophasmids possess tarsal 'heel pads' (euplantulae) covered by arrays of conical, micrometre-sized hairs (acanthae). These pads are used mainly under compression; they respond to load with increasing shear resistance, and show negligible adhesion. Reflected-light microscopy in stick insects (Carausius morosus) revealed that the contact area of 'heel pads' changes with normal load on three hierarchical levels. First, loading brought larger areas of the convex pads into contact. Second, loading increased the density of acanthae in contact. Third, higher loads changed the shape of individual hair contacts gradually from circular (tip contact) to elongated (side contact). The resulting increase in real contact area can explain the load dependence of friction, indicating a constant shear stress between acanthae and substrate. As the euplantula contact area is negligible for small loads (similar to hard materials), but increases sharply with load (resembling soft materials), these pads show high friction coefficients despite little adhesion. This property appears essential for the pads' use in locomotion. Several morphological characteristics of hairy friction pads are in apparent contrast to hairy pads used for adhesion, highlighting key adaptations for both pad types. Our results are relevant for the design of fibrillar structures with high friction coefficients but small adhesion.

Experimental and numerical investigation of the seismic behavior of rectangular tunnels in soft soils

Underground structures constitute crucial components of the transportation networks. Considering their significance for modern societies, their proper seismic design is of great importance. However, this design may become very tricky, accounting of the lack of knowledge regarding their seismic behavior. Several issues that are significantly affecting this behavior (i.e. earth pressures on the structure, seismic shear stresses around the structure, complex deformation modes for rectangular structures during shaking etc.) are still open. The problem is wider for the non-circular (i.e. rectangular) structures, were the soilstructure interaction effects are expected to be maximized. The paper presents representative experimental results from a test case of a series of dynamic centrifuge tests that were performed on rectangular tunnels embedded in dry sand. The tests were carried out at the centrifuge facility of the University of Cambridge, within the Transnational Task of the SERIES EU research program. The presented test case is also numerically simulated and studied. Preliminary full dynamic time history analyses of the coupled soil-tunnel system are performed, using ABAQUS. Soil non-linearity and soil-structure interaction are modeled, following relevant specifications for underground structures and tunnels. Numerical predictions are compared to experimental results and discussed. Based on this comprehensive experimental and numerical study, the seismic behavior of rectangular embedded structures is better understood and modeled, consisting an important step in the development of appropriate specifications for the seismic design of rectangular shallow tunnels.

Robotics education: A case study in soft-bodied locomotion

Locomotion has been one of the frequently used case studies in hands-on curricula in robotics education. Students are usually instructed to construct their own wheeled or legged robots from modular robot kits. In the development process of a robot students tend to emphasize on the programming part and consequently, neglect the design of the robot's body. However, the morphology of a robot (i.e. its body shape and material properties) plays an important role especially in dynamic tasks such as locomotion. In this paper we introduce a case study of a tutorial on soft-robotics where students were encouraged to focus solely on the morphology of a robot to achieve stable and fast locomotion. The students should experience the influence material properties exert on the performance of a robot and consequently, extract design principles. This tutorial was held in the context of the 2012 Summer School on Soft Robotics at ETH Zurich, which was one of the world's first courses specialized in the emerging field. We describe the tutorial set-up, the used hardware and software, the students assessment criteria as well as the results. Based on the high creativity and diversity of the robots built by the students, we conclude that the concept of this tutorial has great potentials for both education and research. © 2013 IEEE.

Soft robotics: The next generation of intelligent machines

There has been an increasing interest in applying biological principles to the design and control of robots. Unlike industrial robots that are programmed to execute a rather limited number of tasks, the new generation of bio-inspired robots is expected to display a wide range of behaviours in unpredictable environments, as well as to interact safely and smoothly with human co-workers. In this article, we put forward some of the properties that will characterize these new robots: soft materials, flexible and stretchable sensors, modular and efficient actuators, self-organization and distributed control. We introduce a number of design principles; in particular, we try to comprehend the novel design space that now includes soft materials and requires a completely different way of thinking about control. We also introduce a recent case study of developing a complex humanoid robot, discuss the lessons learned and speculate about future challenges and perspectives.

Magnetic materials and soft-switched topologies for high-current DC-DC converters

The thesis is focused on the magnetic materials comparison and selection for high-power non-isolated dc-dc converters for industrial applications or electric, hybrid and fuel cell vehicles. The application of high-frequency bi-directional soft-switched dc-dc converters is also investigated. The thesis initially outlines the motivation for an energy-efficient transportation system with minimum environmental impact and reduced dependence on exhaustible resources. This is followed by a general overview of the power system architectures for electric, hybrid and fuel cell vehicles. The vehicle power sources and general dc-dc converter topologies are discussed. The dc-dc converter components are discussed with emphasis on recent semiconductor advances. A novel bi-directional soft-switched dc-dc converter with an auxiliary cell is introduced in this thesis. The soft-switching cell allows for the MOSFET's intrinsic body diode to operate in a half-bridge without reduced efficiency. The converter's mode-by-mode operation is analysed and closed-form expressions are presented for the average current gain of the converter. The design issues are presented and circuit limitations are discussed. Magnetic materials for the main dc-dc converter inductor are compared and contrasted. Novel magnetic material comparisons are introduced, which include the material dc bias capability and thermal conductivity. An inductor design algorithm is developed and used to compare the various magnetic materials for the application. The area-product analysis is presented for the minimum inductor size and highlights the optimum magnetic materials. Finally, the high-flux magnetic materials are experimentally compared. The practical effects of frequency, dc-bias, and converters duty-cycle effect for arbitrary shapes of flux density, air gap effects on core and winding, the winding shielding effect, and thermal configuration are investigated. The thesis results have been documented at IEEE EPE conference in 2007 and 2008, IEEE APEC in 2009 and 2010, and IEEE VPPC in 2010. A 2011 journal has been approved by IEEE Transactions on Power Electronics.