Optimal design for active damping in sandwich structures using the Direct MultiSearch method

This paper addresses the problem of optimal positioning of surface bonded piezoelectric patches in sandwich plates with viscoelastic core and laminated face layers. The objective is to maximize a set of modal loss factors for a given frequency range using multiobjective topology optimization. Active damping is introduced through co-located negative velocity feedback control. The multiobjective topology optimization problem is solved using the Direct MultiSearch Method. An application to a simply supported sandwich plate is presented with results for the maximization of the first six modal loss factors. The influence of the finite element mesh is analyzed and the results are, to some extent, compared with those obtained using alternative single objective optimization. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Optimal design for active damping in sandwich structures using the Direct MultiSearch method

This paper addresses the problem of optimal positioning of surface bonded piezoelectric patches in sandwich plates with viscoelastic core and laminated face layers. The objective is to maximize a set of modal loss factors for a given frequency range using multiobjective topology optimization. Active damping is introduced through co-located negative velocity feedback control. The multiobjective topology optimization problem is solved using the Direct MultiSearch Method. An application to a simply supported sandwich plate is presented with results for the maximization of the first six modal loss factors. The influence of the finite element mesh is analyzed and the results are, to some extent, compared with those obtained using alternative single objective optimization.

Multiobjective optimization of viscoelastic laminated sandwich structures using the Direct MultiSearch method

A multiobjective approach for optimization of passive damping for vibration reduction in sandwich structures is presented in this paper. Constrained optimization is conducted for maximization of modal loss factors and minimization of weight of sandwich beams and plates with elastic laminated constraining layers and a viscoelastic core, with layer thickness and material and laminate layer ply orientation angles as design variables. The problem is solved using the Direct MultiSearch (DMS) solver for derivative-free multiobjective optimization and solutions are compared with alternative ones obtained using genetic algorithms.

Use of high-resolution geophysical data to characterize heterogeneous aquifers: influence of data integration method on hydrological predictions

The integration of geophysical data into the subsurface characterization problem has been shown in many cases to significantly improve hydrological knowledge by providing information at spatial scales and locations that is unattainable using conventional hydrological measurement techniques. The investigation of exactly how much benefit can be brought by geophysical data in terms of its effect on hydrological predictions, however, has received considerably less attention in the literature. Here, we examine the potential hydrological benefits brought by a recently introduced simulated annealing (SA) conditional stochastic simulation method designed for the assimilation of diverse hydrogeophysical data sets. We consider the specific case of integrating crosshole ground-penetrating radar (GPR) and borehole porosity log data to characterize the porosity distribution in saturated heterogeneous aquifers. In many cases, porosity is linked to hydraulic conductivity and thus to flow and transport behavior. To perform our evaluation, we first generate a number of synthetic porosity fields exhibiting varying degrees of spatial continuity and structural complexity. Next, we simulate the collection of crosshole GPR data between several boreholes in these fields, and the collection of porosity log data at the borehole locations. The inverted GPR data, together with the porosity logs, are then used to reconstruct the porosity field using the SA-based method, along with a number of other more elementary approaches. Assuming that the grid-cell-scale relationship between porosity and hydraulic conductivity is unique and known, the porosity realizations are then used in groundwater flow and contaminant transport simulations to assess the benefits and limitations of the different approaches.

Application of the direct Liapunov method to the problem of symmetric stability in the atmosphere

The problem of symmetric stability is examined within the context of the direct Liapunov method. The sufficient conditions for stability derived by Fjørtoft are shown to imply finite-amplitude, normed stability. This finite-amplitude stability theorem is then used to obtain rigorous upper bounds on the saturation amplitude of disturbances to symmetrically unstable flows.By employing a virial functional, the necessary conditions for instability implied by the stability theorem are shown to be in fact sufficient for instability. The results of Ooyama are improved upon insofar as a tight two-sided (upper and lower) estimate is obtained of the growth rate of (modal or nonmodal) symmetric instabilities.The case of moist adiabatic systems is also considered.

A possible way to relate the covariantization and the negative dimensional integration method in the light-cone gauge

Here we present a possible way to relate the method of covariantizing the gauge-dependent pole and the negative dimensional integration method for computing Feynman integrals pertinent to the light-cone gauge fields. Both techniques are applicable to the algebraic light-cone gauge and dispense with prescriptions to treat the characteristic poles.

Evaluating residues and integrals through negative dimensional integration method (NDIM)

The standard way of evaluating residues and some real integrals through the residue theorem (Cauchy's theorem) is well-known and widely applied in many branches of Physics. Herein we present an alternative technique based on the negative dimensional integration method (NDIM) originally developed to handle Feynman integrals. The advantage of this new technique is that we need only to apply Gaussian integration and solve systems of linear algebraic equations, with no need to determine the poles themselves or their residues, as well as obtaining a whole class of results for differing orders of poles simultaneously.

The Modified Direct Analysis Method: an Extension of the Direct Analysis Method

The purpose of this research project is to study an innovative method for the stability assessment of structural steel systems, namely the Modified Direct Analysis Method (MDM). This method is intended to simplify an existing design method, the Direct Analysis Method (DM), by assuming a sophisticated second-order elastic structural analysis will be employed that can account for member and system instability, and thereby allow the design process to be reduced to confirming the capacity of member cross-sections. This last check can be easily completed by substituting an effective length of KL = 0 into existing member design equations. This simplification will be particularly useful for structural systems in which it is not clear how to define the member slenderness L/r when the laterally unbraced length L is not apparent, such as arches and the compression chord of an unbraced truss. To study the feasibility and accuracy of this new method, a set of 12 benchmark steel structural systems previously designed and analyzed by former Bucknell graduate student Jose Martinez-Garcia and a single column were modeled and analyzed using the nonlinear structural analysis software MASTAN2. A series of Matlab-based programs were prepared by the author to provide the code checking requirements for investigating the MDM. By comparing MDM and DM results against the more advanced distributed plasticity analysis results, it is concluded that the stability of structural systems can be adequately assessed in most cases using MDM, and that MDM often appears to be a more accurate but less conservative method in assessing stability.

Power conversion and signal transmission integration method based on dual modulation of DC-DC converters

For the development of communication systems such as Internet of Things, integrating communication with power supplies is an attractive solution to reduce supply cost. This paper presents a novel method of power/signal dual modulation (PSDM), by which signal transmission is integrated with power conversion. This method takes advantage of the intrinsic ripple initiated in switch mode power supplies as signal carriers, by which cost-effective communications can be realized. The principles of PSDM are discussed, and two basic dual modulation methods (specifically PWM/FSK and PWM/PSK) are concluded. The key points of designing a PWM/FSK system, including topology selection, carrier shape, and carrier frequency, are discussed to provide theoretical guidelines. A practical signal modulation-demodulation method is given, and a prototype system provides experimental results to verify the effectiveness of the proposed solution.

STUDY OF A DIRECT SAMPLING METHOD FOR THE INVERSE MEDIUM SCATTERING PROBLEM

Direct sampling methods are increasingly being used to solve the inverse medium scattering problem to estimate the shape of the scattering object. A simple direct method using one incident wave and multiple measurements was proposed by Ito, Jin and Zou. In this report, we performed some analytic and numerical studies of the direct sampling method. The method was found to be effective in general. However, there are a few exceptions exposed in the investigation. Analytic solutions in different situations were studied to verify the viability of the method while numerical tests were used to validate the effectiveness of the method.

Numerical methods in multibody system dynamics

"Series: Solid mechanics and its applications, vol. 226"

Comparison of dynamic effects of high-speed traffic load on ballasted track using a simplified two-dimensional and full three-dimensional model.

The vertical dynamic actions transmitted by railway vehicles to the ballasted track infrastructure is evaluated taking into account models with different degree of detail. In particular, we have studied this matter from a two-dimensional (2D) finite element model to a fully coupled three-dimensional (3D) multi-body finite element model. The vehicle and track are coupled via a non-linear Hertz contact mechanism. The method of Lagrange multipliers is used for the contact constraint enforcement between wheel and rail. Distributed elevation irregularities are generated based on power spectral density (PSD) distributions which are taken into account for the interaction. The numerical simulations are performed in the time domain, using a direct integration method for solving the transient problem due to the contact nonlinearities. The results obtained include contact forces, forces transmitted to the infrastructure (sleeper) by railpads and envelopes of relevant results for several track irregularities and speed ranges. The main contribution of this work is to identify and discuss coincidences and differences between discrete 2D models and continuum 3D models, as wheel as assessing the validity of evaluating the dynamic loading on the track with simplified 2D models

Explicit/implicit partitioning and a new explicit form of the generalized alpha method

Most finite element packages use the Newmark algorithm for time integration of structural dynamics. Various algorithms have been proposed to better optimize the high frequency dissipation of this algorithm. Hulbert and Chung proposed both implicit and explicit forms of the generalized alpha method. The algorithms optimize high frequency dissipation effectively, and despite recent work on algorithms that possess momentum conserving/energy dissipative properties in a non-linear context, the generalized alpha method remains an efficient way to solve many problems, especially with adaptive timestep control. However, the implicit and explicit algorithms use incompatible parameter sets and cannot be used together in a spatial partition, whereas this can be done for the Newmark algorithm, as Hughes and Liu demonstrated, and for the HHT-alpha algorithm developed from it. The present paper shows that the explicit generalized alpha method can be rewritten so that it becomes compatible with the implicit form. All four algorithmic parameters can be matched between the explicit and implicit forms. An element interface between implicit and explicit partitions can then be used, analogous to that devised by Hughes and Liu to extend the Newmark method. The stability of the explicit/implicit algorithm is examined in a linear context and found to exceed that of the explicit partition. The element partition is significantly less dissipative of intermediate frequencies than one using the HHT-alpha method. The explicit algorithm can also be rewritten so that the discrete equation of motion evaluates forces from displacements and velocities found at the predicted mid-point of a cycle. Copyright (C) 2003 John Wiley Sons, Ltd.

Filters method in direct search optimization, new measures to admissibility

Constrained nonlinear optimization problems are usually solved using penalty or barrier methods combined with unconstrained optimization methods. Another alternative used to solve constrained nonlinear optimization problems is the lters method. Filters method, introduced by Fletcher and Ley er in 2002, have been widely used in several areas of constrained nonlinear optimization. These methods treat optimization problem as bi-objective attempts to minimize the objective function and a continuous function that aggregates the constraint violation functions. Audet and Dennis have presented the rst lters method for derivative-free nonlinear programming, based on pattern search methods. Motivated by this work we have de- veloped a new direct search method, based on simplex methods, for general constrained optimization, that combines the features of the simplex method and lters method. This work presents a new variant of these methods which combines the lters method with other direct search methods and are proposed some alternatives to aggregate the constraint violation functions.