Sharif Digital Repository

Connection of truss elements using socket joints is one of the more common practices in the construction of space structures. Although these hollow spherical joints may deform due to the applied loads, these deformations and the resulting effects on the member axial forces are usually ignored in the analysis and design. This work is an investigation of the effects of socket joint deformability on the behavior of space grid structures. Here, the load-deformation relationships obtained from a series of biaxial loading tests on actual socket joints have been used to represent their behavior in several finite-element analysis models. These models have been analyzed using a special-purpose... 

The objective of this work is to study the effects of harmonics on energy meters. This study is canied out based on IEEE 1459 standard through extensive tests on some energy meters installed at Gil an utility consumers. First, a review on IEEE 1459 standard on power definitions will be given. The definitions are then ervaluated for a compact Fluorescent Lamp (CFL) as a harmonic generating load. Then, the results of the performance e-alnation of two energy meters are presented for different linear and nonlinear loads based on IEEE1459 standard power definitions. Two different test procedures are performed for this putpose. In the first series of tests, a harmonic polluted voltage is applied... 

Two artificial neural networks (ANNs) are constructed, trained, and tested to map inputs of a complex trunk finite element (FE) model to its outputs for spinal loads and muscle forces. Five input variables (thorax flexion angle, load magnitude, its anterior and lateral positions, load handling technique, i.e., one- or two-handed static lifting) and four model outputs (L4-L5 and L5-S1 disc compression and anterior-posterior shear forces) for spinal loads and 76 model outputs (forces in individual trunk muscles) are considered. Moreover, full quadratic regression equations mapping input-outputs of the model developed here for muscle forces and previously for spine loads are used to compare the... 

Low back pain is a common reason for activity limitation in people younger than 45 years old, and was proved to be associated with heavy physical works, repetitive lifting, impact, stationary work postures and vibrations. The study of load transferring and the loading condition encountered in spinal column can be simulated by finite element models. The intervertebral disc is a structure composed of a porous material. Many physical models were developed to simulate this phenomenon. The confounding effects of poroelastic properties and loading conditions on disc mechanical responses are, nevertheless, not cleared yet. The objective of this study was to develop an axisymmetric poroelastic... 

An analytical study using Variational Iteration Method (VIM) is carried out in order to investigate the vibrations of electro-statically actuated double-clamped and simply-supported microbeams. Effects of applied voltage and residual axial load on the nonlinear natural frequency and deflection of the microbeams are studied. It shows that pre-compression in microbeams increases the amplitude of deflections for a specific applied voltage. Also, an increase in pre-tension motivates the microbeam to show more nonlinear behavior in an applied voltage. Predicted results are compared with the experimental data available in the literature and also with numerical results which shows a good agreement.... 

This article is intended to highlight the effectiveness of longitudinal Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymer (GFRP) bars in combination with GFRP sheets on the flexural capacity of Reinforced Concrete (RC) columns. Seven half-scale RC columns including five strengthened and two control unstrengthened specimens were experimentally tested under axial and cyclic lateral loads. The strengthened columns with two different longitudinal GFRP bar ratios were tested under three different axial load levels. The flexural strength and ductility parameters of the specimens were calculated by obtaining their deformations and measuring the loads from load cells. The experimental results indicate significant... 

Pile Foundations are used to transfer loads from superstructures to the underlying competent soil layers. Predicting pile bearing capacity is among the most interesting subjects for geotechnical engineers. In this study, a single pile is modeled in axisymmetric condition. The soil is considered to be a sandy soil. Then, results of the model were verified with a full scale pile load test performed by previous researchers. In order to take into consideration the real behavior of sandy soils, a variation of modulus of elasticity with respect to the changes in the mean effective stress was taken into account. The dependency of soil modulus to the mean effective stress makes the model more... 

Epidemiological studies are divided over the causative role of body weight (BW) in low back pain. Biomechanical modeling is a valuable approach to examine the effect of changes in BW on spinal loads and risk of back pain. Changes in BW have not been properly simulated by previous models as associated alterations in model inputs on the musculature and moment arm of gravity loads have been neglected. A detailed, multi-joint, scalable model of the thoracolumbar spine is used to study the effect of BW (varying at five levels, i.e., 51, 68, 85, 102, and 119kg) on the L5-S1 spinal loads during various static symmetric activities while scaling moment arms and physiological cross-sectional areas of... 

The increasing application of non-linear loads in power system causes additional losses in transformers resulting in premature damage. Manufactures and users of transformers realise the importance of this phenomenon and it is vital to adopt a procedure to prevent it thereby enhancing the reliability of power system. To achieve this, the most common method is derating of transformers. This paper intends to review derating of transformers under nonsinusoidal operation, for which all available approaches are classified into four major methods including IEEE recommended, analytical, experimental and finite elements based method. For each method, the fundamental theory, significant factors... 

The purpose of this paper is to model the detailed effects of interactions that take place between components of un-bonded flexible risers, and to study the three-dimensional motion responses of risers when subjected to axial loads, bending moments, and internal and external pressures. A constitutive law for un-bonded flexible risers is proposed and a procedure for the identification of the related input parameters is developed using a multi-scale approach. A generalized finite element structural model based on the Euler-Bernoulli beam theory is developed in which the constitutive law is embedded. The beam theory is enhanced by the addition of suitable pressure terms to the generalized... 

Multiple joint interactions are critical to produce stable coordinated movements and can be influenced by low back pain and task conditions. Inter-segmental coordination pattern and variability were assessed in subjects with and without chronic nonspecific low back pain (CNSLBP). Kinematic data were collected from 22 CNSLBP and 22 healthy volunteers during repeated trunk flexion-extension in various conditions of symmetry, velocity, and loading; each at two levels. Sagittal plane angular data were time normalized and used to calculate continuous relative phase for each data point. Mean absolute relative phase (MARP) and deviation phase (DP) were derived to quantify lumbar-pelvis and... 

Range of motion (ROM) of the thoracic spine has implications in patient discrimination for diagnostic purposes and in biomechanical models for predictions of spinal loads. Few previous studies have reported quite different thoracic ROMs. Total (T1-T12), lower (T5-T12) and upper (T1-T5) thoracic, lumbar (T12-S1), pelvis, and entire trunk (T1) ROMs were measured using an inertial tracking device as asymptomatic subjects flexed forward from their neutral upright position to full forward flexion. Correlations between body height and the ROMs were conducted. An effect of measurement errors of the trunk flexion (T1) on the model-predicted spinal loads was investigated. Mean of peak voluntary total... 

Empirical drift capacity models for in-plane loaded unreinforced masonry (URM) walls are derived from results of quasi-static cyclic shear-compression tests. The experimentally determined drift capacities are, however, dependent on the applied demand, i.e., on the loading protocol that is used in the test. These loading protocols differ between test campaigns. The loading protocols applied in tests are also different from the displacement histories to which URM walls are subjected in real earthquakes. In the absence of experimental studies on the effect of loading histories on the wall response, this article presents numerical simulations of modern unreinforced clay block masonry walls that... 

A large portion of the railway bridge stock in many countries is comprised of masonry arch bridges. During recent years, more attention has been paid to the maintenance of such structures. Rehabilitation and retrofitting methods have been proposed to enhance the performance of masonry arch bridges and extend their service life. Because a large portion of forces exerted on such structures comes from the railway track and passing trains, structural elements are added to the track to reduce the forces transmitted to bridges. One such element is the ballast mat, which, according to suppliers, has a positive impact on the structural performance of the track. This paper tries to assess the effects... 

Abutments of concrete arch dams are usually crossed by several joints, which may create some rock wedges. Abutment stability analysis and controlling the probable wedge movements is one of the main concerns in the design procedure of arch dams that should be investigated. For decades, the quasi-static method, due to its simple approach, has been used by most of dam designers. In this study, the dynamic method is presented and the obtained time history of sliding safety factors is compared with the quasi-static results. For this purpose, all three components of Kobe (1979) and Imperial Valley (1940) earthquakes are applied to the wedge, simultaneously, and the magnitude and direction of wedge... 

The dummies currently used for predicting vehicle occupant response during frontal crashes or whole-body vibration provide insufficient information about spinal loads. Although they aptly approximate upper-body rotations in different loading scenarios, they overlook spinal loads, which are crucial to injury assessment. This paper aims to develop a modified dummy finite element (FE) model with a detailed viscoelastic lumbar spine. This model has been developed and validated against in-vitro and in-silico data under different loading conditions, and its predicted ranges of motion (RoM) and intradiscal pressure (IDP) maintain close correspondence with the in-vitro data. The dominant frequency... 

As the reinforcing bars used in concrete structures located in earthquake-prone areas experience strain rates higher than normal quasi-static ones, it is necessary to have a comprehensive understanding of the behaviour of such materials under these rates of loading. In this work, in order to study the behaviour of grade A-III reinforcing-bar steel (based on the GOST standard, a set of technical standards maintained by the Euro-Asian Council for Standardization, Metrology and Certification), a number of monotonic tests on its tensile and compressive strength on (short and long) specimens at various strain rates, 0·002, 0·01, 0·02 and 0·04 s-1, experienced during earthquakes, were carried out.... 

A series of low speed wind tunnel tests were conducted to study the unsteady aerodynamic behavior of an airfoil sinusoidally oscillating in plunge. The experiments included measuring the surface pressure distribution over a range of reduced frequencies, k = 0.03 - 0.06. In addition, steady state data were acquired and were used to furnish a baseline for further analysis and comparison. The model was oscillated with amplitude of ±15 cm and at three different mean angles of attack of 0, 10° and 18°. The unsteady aerodynamic loads were calculated from the surface pressure measurements, 64 ports, along the chord for both upper and lower surfaces. The plunging displacements were transformed into... 

Musculoskeletal models represent spinal motion segments by spherical joints/beams with linear/nonlinear properties placed at various locations. We investigated the fidelity of these simplified models (i.e., spherical joints with/without rotational springs and beams considering nonlinear/linear properties) in predicting kinematics of the ligamentous spine in comparison with a detailed finite element (FE) model while considering various anterior-posterior joint placements. Using the simplified models with different joint offsets in a subject-specific musculoskeletal model, we computed local spinal forces during forward flexion and compared results with intradiscal pressure measurements. In... 

Background: Sudden trunk perturbations occur in various occupational and sport activities. Despite numerous measurement studies, no comprehensive modeling simulations have yet been attempted to investigate trunk biodynamics under sudden loading/unloading. Methods: Dynamic kinematics-driven approach was used to evaluate the temporal variation of trunk muscle forces, internal loads and stability before and after a sudden release of a posterior horizontal load. Measured post-disturbance trunk kinematics, as input, and muscle electromyography (EMG) activities, for qualitative validation, were considered. Findings: Computed agonist and antagonist muscle forces before and after release agreed well...