Sharif Digital Repository

Marine structures, as key elements in the global energy network, constantly are subjected to harsh environmental loading conditions. Therefore, reliable yet efficient structural control mechanisms are required to ensure their safe functionality and structural stability. In the present work, a novel hybrid structural control element for marine structures has been designed in which the superelasticity effect of shape memory alloy (SMA) and damping controllability of magnetorheological fluid (MRF), as smart materials, have been combined. The novel system does not require huge external energy for activation and in addition, the system has the ability to be tuned for variable loading conditions.... 

Wind and ocean waves highly influence the performance and functionality of structures, requiring an efficient control element. The structural behavior of one of the most recent structural control elements, namely shape memory alloys (SMA)-based control element, under cyclic loadings of oceans waves, has been investigated. Shape memory alloys are one of the attractive smart materials with the ability to return to the initial shape after experiencing large deformation. Experimental tests have been conducted to study the effects of cyclic loads on several specimens of the SMA wires. The SMA wires are being used in the SMA-based structural control system to dissipate the energy of external... 

The stability and integrity of structures under indeterminant external loadings, particularly earthquakes, is a vital issue for the design and safe operation of marine and offshore structures. Over the past decades, many structural control systems, such as viscous-based systems, have been developed and embedded in marine and offshore structures, particularly oil platforms to maintain the stability and mitigate the seismic hazards. Rapid improvement in intelligent materials, including shape memory alloys (SMAs) and Magnetorheological fluid (MRF), have led to the design and development of efficient structural control elements. The present work aims to establish a framework for the structural... 

Structural integrity and ensuring the stability of steel frame structures, including marine and coastal structures, are the main challenges for designers in civil infrastructures, particularly in oil platforms, subjected to tough periodic and non-periodic environmental loading conditions. Variable loadings with different amplitudes and frequencies may lead to the stability of steel structures loss. In order to keep the stability of the steel structures and prevent possible damages, reliable yet efficient structural control systems are in demand. Conventional structural control systems need significant activation energy and/or in-depth users knowledge to be effective. Most recently, smart... 

Dynamic environmental loads, such as winds and waves, make the stability of offshore structures at high risk, requiring reliable yet efficient control elements to ensure the stability of such structures under lateral loads. Among the variety of control elements that have been developed to enhance the stability of a structure, shape memory alloy (SMA)-based control elements are promising as they are low-cost, easy to embed into the main control element, and do not need an external power supply. However, cyclic loads may highly influence the performance and functionality of SMA-based elements. The present work investigates the effects of pre-straining SMA components in energy dissipation... 

The effect of inertial forces on the Structural Dynamics (SD) behaviour of Elastic Flapping Wings (EFWs) is investigated. In this regard, an analytical modal-based SD solution of EFW undergoing a prescribed rigid body motion is initially derived. The formulated initial-value problem is solved analytically to study the EFW structural responses, and sensitivity with respect to EFWs' key parameters. As a case study, a rectangular wing undergoing a prescribed sinusoidal motion is simulated. The analytical solution is derived for the first time and helps towards a conceptual understanding of the overall EFW's SD behaviour and its analysis required in their designs. Specifically, the EFW transient... 

The structural dynamics (SD) behavior of Elastic Flapping Wings (EFWs) is investigated analytically as a novel approach in EFWs analysis. In this regard an analytical SD solution of EFW undergoing a prescribed rigid body motion is initially derived, where the governing equations are expressed in modal space. The inertial forces are also analytically computed utilizing the actuator induced acceleration effects on the wing structure, while due to importance of analytical solution the linearity assumption is also considered. The formulated initial-value problem is solved analytically to study the EFW structural responses, where the effect of structure-actuator frequency ratio,... 

A methodology is developed for the design of optimum viscous fluid passive energy dissipation systems using pole assignment active control algorithm. In this method, the procedure to assign the new structural poles is slightly modified such that the resulting structural properties (i.e., the optimum locations of system poles) can be achieved merely by modification of structural stiffness and addition of a passive control system. A combination of stiffness reduction and increase of damping is utilized to reduce both acceleration and displacement response. It is shown that the control systems designed using this method provide structural performances slightly better than or close to those of... 

A practical procedure is developed for the design of passive control systems using viscous fluid dampers for nonlinear structures. The design methodology takes advantage of the modification of the damping, strength, and stiffness properties of the structure to achieve the desired relative displacement and absolute acceleration response. For this purpose, a study of poles in the complex plane is used to determine the required changes in the dynamic properties of nonlinear structures. Furthermore, a relatively simple relation between the ductility demands of highly damped single- and multiple-degree-of-freedom (SDF and MDF respectively) systems is established to reduce the computational burden... 

A strategy is developed for design of passive control systems for structures experiencing inelastic deformations during earthquake loading. Besides the addition of passive energy dissipation devices, the proposed method suggests the required changes to the stiffness and strength of the structure, to reduce the absolute acceleration and relative deformation responses simultaneously. For this purpose, the locations and amounts of modifications in stiffness, strength and damping are determined by a sliding mode control algorithm to consider the nonlinear behavior of the structure. Being originally designed for active control, the sliding mode algorithm is modified to facilitate the extraction... 

ABSTARCT: A practical procedure is developed for the design of passive control systems using viscous fluid dampers for nonlinear structures. The design methodology takes advantage of the modification of the damping, strength, and stiffness properties of the structure to achieve the desired relative displacement and absolute acceleration response. For this purpose, a study of poles in the complex plane is used to determine the required changes in the dynamic properties of nonlinear structures. Furthermore, a relatively simple relation between the ductility demands of highly damped single- and multiple-degree-of-freedom (SDF and MDF respectively) systems is established to reduce the... 

One of the main challenges of hybrid simulation is developing integration methods that not only provide accurate and stable results but also are compatible with the hybrid simulation circumstances. This paper presents a novel enhanced integration technique for hybrid simulation termed “modified operator splitting” (MOS) method. The main aim of the MOS technique is to improve the precision of the operator splitting (OS) method by reducing the corrector step length, where initial stiffness is utilized instead of actual stiffness. For this purpose, a new algorithm is proposed, which makes a more precise estimation of the predictor displacement; thus minimizes the effect of the corrective... 

One of the main challenges of hybrid simulation is developing integration methods that not only provide accurate and stable results but also are compatible with the hybrid simulation circumstances. This paper presents a novel enhanced integration technique for hybrid simulation termed “modified operator splitting” (MOS) method. The main aim of the MOS technique is to improve the precision of the operator splitting (OS) method by reducing the corrector step length, where initial stiffness is utilized instead of actual stiffness. For this purpose, a new algorithm is proposed, which makes a more precise estimation of the predictor displacement; thus minimizes the effect of the corrective... 

One of the main challenges of hybrid simulation is developing integration methods that not only provide accurate and stable results but also are compatible with the hybrid simulation circumstances. This paper presents a novel enhanced integration technique for hybrid simulation termed “modified operator splitting” (MOS) method. The main aim of the MOS technique is to improve the precision of the operator splitting (OS) method by reducing the corrector step length, where initial stiffness is utilized instead of actual stiffness. For this purpose, a new algorithm is proposed, which makes a more precise estimation of the predictor displacement; thus minimizes the effect of the corrective... 

Structural and dynamic properties of ions confined in nanoslits are crucial to understand the fundamental mechanism underlying a wide range of chemical and biological phenomena. K + and Cl - show similar ion mobilities in a bulk aqueous solution, whereas they exhibit a remarkable difference when transporting through an angstrom-scale channel. Our molecular dynamics simulations uncover that such discrepancy originates from the subtle differences in their hydration structures and preferable locations across the channel. Opposite charge causes different water dipolar orientations around ions, mediating the distance and tribological interactions between hydrated ions and channel's walls.... 

This study investigates the collapse resistance of the cable net structures. Compared to conventional structures, the analysis of the cable net structures is rather complicated due to the highly nonlinear behavior of the cables, which leads to large displacements and instabilities during the analysis. In this paper, 24 prototype structures are modeled with various force density levels, span lengths, and the number of spans. Several collapse scenarios, including the cable rupture, column removal, and restrain failure, are defined, and the prototype structures are analyzed considering 168 collapse scenarios. This paper aims to recognize the critical elements, the weak points, and other... 

Thermoplastic starch (TPS), as a natural based polymer, is known to have the capability to be used in biological applications due to its biocompatibility and biodegradability. In this study, mechanical properties of TPS are enhanced by incorporating bioactive β-tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP) particles for bone tissue engineering applications. Starch-based nanocomposites containing 3, 5, and 10 wt% of β-TCP nanoparticles (TT3, TT5, TT10) were made using a co-rotating twin-screw extruder. Dynamic light scattering (DLS) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) techniques were employed to analyze the nanocomposites. Moreover, degradability, swelling degree, and biomineralization in a simulated body fluid (SBF)...