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Full-Text Articles in Mechanical Engineering

Buckling, Postbuckling And Imperfection Sensitivity Analysis Of Different Type Of Cylindrical Shells By Hui's Postbuckling Method, Hailan Xu Dec 2013

Buckling, Postbuckling And Imperfection Sensitivity Analysis Of Different Type Of Cylindrical Shells By Hui's Postbuckling Method, Hailan Xu

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Hui and Chen (1986) were the first to show that the well-known Koiter’s General Theory of Elastic Stability of 1945 can be significantly improved by evaluating the postbuckling b coefficient at the actual applied load, rather than at the classical buckling load. Such improvement method was demonstrated to be (1) very simple to apply with no tedious algebra, (2) significant reduction in imperfection sensitivity and (3) although it is still asymptotically valid, there exists a significant extension of the range of validity involving larger imperfection amplitudes. Strictly speaking, Koiter’s theory of 1945 is valid only for vanishingly small imperfection amplitudes. …


Mode I Fracture Toughness Of Eight-Harness-Satin Carbon Cloth Weaves For Co-Cured And Post-Bonded Laminates, Josh E. Smith Dec 2013

Mode I Fracture Toughness Of Eight-Harness-Satin Carbon Cloth Weaves For Co-Cured And Post-Bonded Laminates, Josh E. Smith

Master's Theses

Mode I interlaminar fracture of 3k 8-Harness-Satin Carbon cloth, with identical fill and weft yarns, pre-impregnated with Newport 307 resin was investigated through the DCB test (ASTM D5528). Crack propagations along both the fill and weft yarns were considered for both post-bonded (co-bonded) and co-cured laminates. A patent-pending delamination insertion method was compared to the standard Teflon film option to assess its applicability to mode I fracture testing. The Modified Beam Theory, Compliance Calibration method, and Modified Compliance Calibration method were used for comparative purposes for these investigations and to evaluate the validity of the proposed Equivalent Stiffness (EQS) method. …


The Formulation And Computation Of The Nonlocal J-Integral In Bond-Based Peridynamics, Wenke Hu, Youn Doh Ha, Florin Bobaru, Stewart A. Silling Jul 2013

The Formulation And Computation Of The Nonlocal J-Integral In Bond-Based Peridynamics, Wenke Hu, Youn Doh Ha, Florin Bobaru, Stewart A. Silling

Florin Bobaru Ph.D.

This work presents a rigorous derivation for the formulation of the J-integral in bond-based peridynamics using the crack infinitesimal virtual extension approach. We give a detailed description of an algorithm for computing this nonlocal version of the J-integral.We present convergence studies (m-convergence and δ-convergence) for two different geometries: a single edge-notch configuration and a double edge-notch sample.We compare the results with results based on the classical J-integral and obtained from FEM calculations that employ special elements near the crack tip.We identify the size of the nonlocal region for which the peridynamic J-integral value is near the classical FEM solutions.We discuss …


The Meaning, Selection, And Use Of The Peridynamic Horizon And Its Relation To Crack Branching In Brittle Materials, Florin Bobaru, Wenke Hu Jul 2013

The Meaning, Selection, And Use Of The Peridynamic Horizon And Its Relation To Crack Branching In Brittle Materials, Florin Bobaru, Wenke Hu

Florin Bobaru Ph.D.

This note discusses the peridynamic horizon (the nonlocal region around a material point), its role, and practical use in modeling. The objective is to eliminate some misunderstandings and misconceptions regarding the peridynamic horizon. An example of crack branching in a nominally brittle material (homalite) is addressed and we show that crack branching takes place without wave interaction. We explain under what conditions the crack propagation speed depends on the horizon size and the role of incident stress waves on this speed.


Studies Of Dynamic Crack Propagation And Crack Branching With Peridynamics, Youn Doh Ha Ph.D., Florin Bobaru Ph.D. Jul 2013

Studies Of Dynamic Crack Propagation And Crack Branching With Peridynamics, Youn Doh Ha Ph.D., Florin Bobaru Ph.D.

Florin Bobaru Ph.D.

In this paper we discuss the peridynamic analysis of dynamic crack branching in brittle materials and show results of convergence studies under uniform grid refinement (m-convergence) and under decreasing the peridynamic horizon (δ-convergence). Comparisons with experimentally obtained values are made for the crack-tip propagation speed with three different peridynamic horizons.We also analyze the influence of the particular shape of themicro-modulus function and of different materials (Duran 50 glass and soda-lime glass) on the crack propagation behavior. We show that the peridynamic solution for this problem captures all the main features, observed experimentally, of dynamic crack propagation and branching, as well …


Design, Fabrication, And Testing Of An Emr Based Orbital Debris Impact Testing Platform, Jeffrey J. Maniglia Jr. Jun 2013

Design, Fabrication, And Testing Of An Emr Based Orbital Debris Impact Testing Platform, Jeffrey J. Maniglia Jr.

Master's Theses

This paper describes the changes made from Cal Poly’s initial railgun system, the Mk. 1 railgun, to the Mk. 1.1 system, as well as the design, fabrication, and testing of a newer and larger Mk. 2 railgun system. The Mk. 1.1 system is developed as a more efficient alteration of the original Mk. 1 system, but is found to be defective due to hardware deficiencies and failure, as well as unforeseen efficiency losses. A Mk. 2 system is developed and built around donated hardware from the Naval Postgraduate School. The Mk. 2 system strove to implement an efficient, augmented, electromagnetic …


Analysis And Mitigation Of The Cubesat Dynamic Environment, Steve M. Furger May 2013

Analysis And Mitigation Of The Cubesat Dynamic Environment, Steve M. Furger

Master's Theses

A vibration model was developed for CubeSats inside the Poly-Picosatellite Orbital Deployer (P-POD). CubeSats are fixed in the Z axis of deployers, and therefore resonate with deployer peaks. CubeSats generally start fixed in the X and Y axes, and then settle into an isolated position. CubeSats do not resonate with deployers after settling into an isolated position. Experimental data shows that the P-POD amplifies vibration loads when CubeSats are fixed in the deployer, and vibration loads are reduced when the CubeSats settle into an isolated position. A concept for a future deployer was proposed that isolates CubeSats from the deployer …


Work To-Date On Mechanical Design For An Open Hardware Spacecraft, Jacob Brewer, Brian Badders, Josh Berk, Jeremy Straub Apr 2013

Work To-Date On Mechanical Design For An Open Hardware Spacecraft, Jacob Brewer, Brian Badders, Josh Berk, Jeremy Straub

Jeremy Straub

The OpenOrbiter CubeSat seeks to demonstrate the designs created for the Open Prototype for Educational NanoSats (OPEN) initiative. OPEN provides a set of freely available design documents that can be utilized by educational and research teams worldwide. The OPEN structure implements a different strategy than most other CubeSats, allowing it to maximize the use of the overhang space (an area of space between the supports for the frame rails and the wall in the PPOD deployer). It also provides a location for payload components or a propellant tank at the spacecraft’s center of mass. This design is enabled by a …


Blended Isogeometric Shells, D. J. Benson, S. Hartmann, Y. Bazilevs, Ming-Chen Hsu, T.J.R. Hughes Mar 2013

Blended Isogeometric Shells, D. J. Benson, S. Hartmann, Y. Bazilevs, Ming-Chen Hsu, T.J.R. Hughes

Ming-Chen Hsu

We propose a new isogeometric shell formulation that blends Kirchhoff–Love theory with Reissner–Mindlin theory. This enables us to reduce the size of equation systems by eliminating rotational degrees of freedom while simultaneously providing a general and effective treatment of kinematic constraints engendered by shell intersections, folds, boundary conditions, the merging of NURBS patches, etc. We illustrate the blended theory’s performance on a series of test problems.


The Effect Of Sensor Mass, Sensor Location, And Delamination Location Of Different Composite Structures Under Dynamic Loading, Albert Darien Liu Jan 2013

The Effect Of Sensor Mass, Sensor Location, And Delamination Location Of Different Composite Structures Under Dynamic Loading, Albert Darien Liu

Master's Theses

This study investigated the effect of sensor mass, sensor location, and delamination location of different composite structures under dynamic loading. The study pertains to research of the use of accelerometers and dynamic response as a cost-effective and reliable method of structural health monitoring in composite structures. The composite structures in this research included carbon fiber plates, carbon fiber-foam sandwich panels, and carbon-fiber honeycomb sandwich panels. The composite structures were manufactured with the use of a Tetrahedron MTP-8 heat press. All work was conducted in the Cal Poly Aerospace Structures/Composites Laboratory. Initial delaminations were placed at several locations along the specimen, …


Numerical Modeling And Characterization Of Vertically Aligned Carbon Nanotube Arrays, Johnson Joseph Jan 2013

Numerical Modeling And Characterization Of Vertically Aligned Carbon Nanotube Arrays, Johnson Joseph

Theses and Dissertations--Mechanical Engineering

Since their discoveries, carbon nanotubes have been widely studied, but mostly in the forms of 1D individual carbon nanotube (CNT). From practical application point of view, it is highly desirable to produce carbon nanotubes in large scales. This has resulted in a new class of carbon nanotube material, called the vertically aligned carbon nanotube arrays (VA-CNTs). To date, our ability to design and model this complex material is still limited. The classical molecular mechanics methods used to model individual CNTs are not applicable to the modeling of VA-CNT structures due to the significant computational efforts required. This research is to …