Sharif Digital Repository

In this paper application of ionic polymermetal composite (IPMC) as an actuator in a deformable circular robot is studied. Large bending deformation induced by small stimulating voltage, low stiffness and the sensing characteristics that in future work can be used in feedback control make IPMC a good choice for such an application. Here, first a model for IPMC is proposed that can be used in simulating different arrangements of actuators. The parameters of the model are determined using results of blocked force and free displacement tests. Using this model, potentials of an IPMC-made ring-like robot in passing obstacles and the effect of the number of segments on the rings performance are... 

The specific fracture energy of dam concrete is a basic material characteristic needed for the prediction of concrete dam behavior. Data on fracture properties of dam concrete are quite limited to date. A series of tests was carried out based on the size effect due to a number of geometrically similar notched specimens of various sizes. Experimental tests include three-point bending tests. The specimens were of square cross section with a span to depth ratio of 2/5. Three different specimens with depth of 200, 400 and 800 mm were considered for the purpose of testing. Concrete mixtures are provided from the Caroon 3 dam project site using river gravel or commonly crushed stones from... 

In this article, the bending stiffness of a double-layered graphene sheet is investigated using a geometrically-based analytical approach. The analysis is based on the van der Waals interactions of atoms belonging to two neighboring sheets. The inter-atomic spacing between the adjacent layers is geometrically determined when the sheet is applied by a couple of moments in the opposite sides. The bending potential energy is obtained by summing up the potentials at discrete hexagons over the length and width of the sheet. It is observed that the bending stiffness of a double-layered graphene sheet does not depend on the length of the sheet and be a material property for the associated sheet.... 

In this paper the effect of thrust on the bending behaviour of flexible missiles is investigated. For this purpose, the governing equations of motion of a flexible guided missile are derived following the Lagrangian approach. The missile is idealized as a non-uniform beam where the bending elastic deflections are modelled using the method of modal substitution. The vehicle (time varying) bending modeshapes and natural frequencies are determined by modelling variable mass and stiffness distributions with thrust and mass burning effects accounted for. To solve this problem the missile is divided into several segments of uniform stiffness, density and axial force distribution. This approach... 

Fiber bending and temperature loss mechanisms in plastic optical fibers are reported.A simple arrangement is used to monitor the fiber bending and temperature by output power variation. Powers in the fibers in bend-free situation at room temperature and under rolling deforming force at different water bath temperatures (20-60°C) are measured and compared. Reported arrangements can be used as a temperature sensor  

The issue of the new elastic terms discovered in the nonlinear dynamic model of an enhanced nonlinear 3D Euler-Bernoulli beam is discussed. While the elastic orientation is negligible, the nonlinear dynamic model governing tension-compression, torsion and two spatial bendings is presented. Considering this model, some new elastic terms can be identified in the variation of elastic potential energy in each bending motion equation, and in each transverse shear force. Due to the new terms, each term of a bending equation and a transverse shear force, finds a counterpart in the other bending equation and transverse shear force, but the equations remain asymmetric. The new terms have arisen,... 

In this paper, the nonlinear cylindrical bending of a functionally graded plate is studied. The material properties of the plate are assumed to be graded continuously in the direction of thickness. The variation of the material properties follows a simple power-law distribution in terms of the volume fractions of constituents. The von Karman strains are used to construct the nonlinear equilibrium equations of the plates subjected to in-plane and transverse loadings. The governing equations are reduced to linear differential equation with nonlinear boundary conditions yielding a simple solution procedure. The results show that the functionally graded plates exhibit different behavior from... 

In this paper, a new finite element model for a generally laminated composite beam (LCB) is presented. Natural frequencies of a generally LCB are derived by developing the stiffness and mass matrices considering the effects of axial force, shear and torsional deformations and rotary inertia. This model includes coupling of bending and torsional modes of deformations which is usually present in LCBs due to ply orientation. The model is designed in such away that it can be used for single and double stepped crosssection. Comparing numerical results for simple cases with analytical solutions and literature indicate high accurate and quick response of the model. Copyright © 2006 by ASME  

In this paper, the free vibration of a cantilever Timoshenko beam with a rigid tip mass is analyzed. The mass center of the attached mass need not be coincident with its attachment point to the beam. As a result, the beam can be exposed to both torsional and planar elastic bending deformations. The analysis begins with deriving the governing equations of motion of the system and the corresponding boundary conditions using Hamilton's principle. Next, the derived formulation is transformed into an equivalent dimensionless form. Then, the separation of variables method is utilized to provide the frequency equation of the system. This equation is solved numerically, and the dependency of natural... 

Soda-lime glass material has been widely used for automobile windscreens. Two commercial finite element programs have been evaluated for simulation of the creep forming process using isotropic viscoplastic behavior assumption for soda-lime glass. This was done by selecting one of the programs and using it in connection with an optimization program for controlling the glass surface temperature, to examine the effect of considering thermal stresses and temperature variations along the surface of glass sheet for obtaining desired geometrical shape. The results show that the thermal stress effect must be considered for achieving more accurate simulation of glass creep forming process. Also... 

This paper presents dynamic and vibration analysis of a flight vehicle with consideration of the free fitting between its two sections. Using the Lagrangian approach, a general analytical model is developed for a non-spinning elastic vehicle in planar motion. The model contains rigid body motions and bending deformations of two sections of the flight vehicle and a nonlinear rotational spring that models the freeplay between the two sections. To express bending deformation, the mode summation method is applied. It is shown that freeplay in the joints significantly affects the trajectory of the flight vehicle. Numerical examples reveal the effect of a joint's nonlinearity on the trajectory and... 

Free vibrations and the transverse response of sandwich plates with viscoelastic cores under wide-band random excitation is studied with special attention to the so-called pumping, thickness-shear and stretching modes. The quadratic displacement field is adopted for all displacement components of the core to accurately capture the higher modes excited by the wide-band excitation. The Love-Kirchhoff plate theory is used for the face layers. The viscoelastic behavior of the core is modeled by the Golla-Hughes-McTavish method. An analytical solution using the normal mode method is provided for the simply supported boundary conditions by including a different family of modes. The effects of some... 

In this paper, a size-dependent formulation is developed for Timoshenko beams made of functionally graded materials (FGM). The developed formulation is based on the strain gradient theory;a non-classical continuum theory able to capture the size-effect in micro-scaled structures. Considering the material length scale parameters of the FG beams vary through the thickness, the new equivalent length scale parameters are proposed as functions of the constituents' length scale parameters to describe the size-dependent static and dynamic behavior of FG microbeams. The governing differential equations of equilibrium and both classical and nonclassical sets of boundary conditions are derived for the... 

Tortuosity and cementation factor are two critical parameters that significantly affect estimates of reservoir properties. Tortuosity factor can be used to estimate permeability using the Carman-Kozeny equation and is an important parameter for formation resistivity factor calculation using a modified version of Archie's formula. It is also used to predict water saturation of reservoir rocks. Tortuosity as an input parameter in Biot's equation can be used to estimate velocity dispersion. In this work, based on the Generalized Archie Equation Curve Fitting (GAECF), tortuosity and cementation factor are determined for selected intervals in a carbonate reservoir. Formation resistivity factor... 

Accumulative roll bonding is a severe plastic deformation process used for Cu-Al-Mn shape memory alloy. The main purpose of this study is to investigate the possibility of grain refinement of Cu-9.5Al-8.2Mn (in wt.%) shape memory alloy using accumulative roll bonding and post-deformation annealing. The alloy was successfully subjected to 5 passes of accumulative roll bonding at 600 °C. The microstructure, properties as well as post-deformation annealing of this alloy were investigated by optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, x-ray diffraction, differential scanning calorimeter, and bend and tensile testing. The results showed that after 5 passes of ARB at 600 °C, specimens... 

In this paper, a size-dependent formulation is developed for Timoshenko beams made of functionally graded materials (FGMs). The developed formulation is based on the strain gradient theory; a non-classical continuum theory able to capture the size-effect in micro-scaled structures. Five new equivalent length scale parameters are introduced as functions of the constituents' length scale parameters. It is shown that the size-dependent static and dynamic behavior of FG micro-beams can be described using these equivalent length scales. The governing differential equations of motion and both classical and non-classical sets of boundary conditions are derived for the proposed strain gradient FG... 

The free vibration analysis of generally laminated composite beam (LCB) with a delamination is presented using the finite element method (FEM). The effect of material couplings (bending-tension, bending-twist, and tension-twist couplings) with the effects of shear deformation, rotary inertia, and Poisson's effect are taken into account. To verify the validity and the accuracy of this study, the numerical solutions are presented and compared with the results from available references and very good agreement observed. Furthermore, the effects of some parameters such as slenderness ratio, the rotary inertia, the shear deformation, material anisotropy, ply configuration, and delamination... 

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effects of annealing phenomena on the energy absorption of Al-steel bilayer sheets, bonded by cold rolling, through wedge tearing. Tearing by wedge is a dissipating energy system that includes three components: cutting, friction and plastic deformation due to bending. In order to find the bonding and annealing effects on energy absorption, the non-bonded bilayer sheets are prepared in the same condition of bonded ones. The results show that energy absorption of bonded sheets is larger than that of non-bonded ones. This is due to different plastic bending moment of bonded and non-bonded bilayer sheets. Whenever the bond is improved by heat... 

A new structural connection with special unique features was developed. While under bending it showed very high rotational capacity, in shear, unlike other existing connections, it also demonstrated a large shear deformation capacity. The ductile response of this connection stems from its innovative geometry as well as the ductility of the elements embedded in it. Since the previous shear tests on the specimens of this connection were carried out under 'unrestricted' conditions, the tests reported here were all under 'restricted' conditions. These shear tests consisted of 'monotonie' as well as 'cyclic' tests on mild steel specimens. Due to the restrictions imposed on the specimens during... 

In this paper, a comprehensive assessment of design parameters for various beam theories subjected to a moving mass is investigated under different boundary conditions. The design parameters are adopted as the maximum dynamic deflection and bending moment of the beam. To this end, discrete equations of motion for classical Euler-Bernoulli, Timoshenko and higher-order beams under a moving mass are derived based on Hamilton's principle. The reproducing kernel particle method (RKPM) and extended Newmark-β method are utilized for spatial and time discretization of the problem, correspondingly. The design parameter spectra in terms of the beam slenderness, mass weight and velocity of the moving...