Sharif Digital Repository

A fracture energy-based constitutive model of concrete in the framework of continuum damage mechanics is formulated. Elastic, viscoelastic, and viscoplastic mechanisms are defined in a fictitious undamaged material state, the so-called effective configuration. A linear spring and a linear dashpot characterize the viscoelastic response of concrete. The viscoplastic behavior is also described using a linear spring, a nonlinear dashpot, and a slider with constant frictional resistance. The nonlinear dashpot of the viscoplastic body is formulated using a logarithmic function so that the model can reproduce valid strength magnifications under a wide range of strain rates. As a result, a... 

A new method for the simulation of crack initiation and propagation in quasi-brittle materials is proposed that combines the scaled boundary finite element method and a nonlocal multiscale damage model. The scaling centre of the scaled boundary finite element subdomain is taken as the material point. Microscopic damage is defined in terms of the stretch rate of bonds of material points, and macroscale topologic damage is evaluated as the weighted average of microscale damage over bonds in the influence domain. Through the energetic degradation function of phase field analysis, which connects energy-based damage and macroscale topologic damage, the nonlocal multiscale damage model is inserted... 

There exists an extensive range of applications for elevated gain DC/DC converters, as numerous low-voltage resources are exploited for power supply. Therefore, this study introduces a groundbreaking magnetically coupled DC/DC converter specifically designed for resources with low voltage, including micro PV or fuel cell systems. By enduring low current and voltage stresses, the power devices in this converter ensure remarkable efficiency while maintaining proven voltage ratio capability. The operational principles of the converter are thoroughly discussed and supported by the implementation of a 200W-400V prototype. In order to confirm the effectiveness of the converter, a range of... 

A novel approach for mesoscale modelling of concrete composites is proposed by combining enriched scaled boundary finite element methods with quad-tree mesh. The concrete meso-structures are comprised of randomly distributed aggregates, mortar matrix, and interface transition zone. An improved random aggregate generation technique is developed to construct digital images of mesoscale concrete models. Based on the quadtree decomposition algorithm, meshes can be generated automatically from the digital images of concrete mesostructure. The whole mesh generation process is highly efficient without any artificial interference and eliminates the issue of hanging nodes faced by standard finite... 

We used first principles calculations based on density functional theory with generalized gradient approximation to investigate and compare the structural, electronic and optical properties of two photoanode materials, ZnV2O6 and Zn2V2O7, for use in photocatalytic water splitting. After geometry optimization, the calculated structural parameters evince a satisfactory agreement with the reported experimental results indicating that the used method and conditions are suitable. The electronic structures demonstrate that both photocatalysts possess favorable band gaps (2.31 and 2.52 eV) and appropriate band edge positions for oxygen evolution reaction under solar radiation. The relatively light... 

A new plasmonic Ag hybridized CuWO4/WO3 heterostructure was successfully synthesized via a ligand-assisted sol gel method. The as-prepared plasmonic nanohybrid was thoroughly characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), UV-visible spectroscopy, photoluminescence (PL) spectrometry, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Raman spectroscopy, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area analysis and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). Moreover, the photocatalytic activity was evaluated by photo-degradation of methylene blue (MB) under visible light irradiation. The results indicate that the as-prepared plasmonic Ag-CuWO4/WO3 nanohybrid (compared to pure... 

In this study, dynamic modeling of an elbow axially functionally graded (AFG) macro/micro-tube carrying magnetic flow with different cross-sections is considered. Parametric optimization is performed for vibration suppression of such fluid-interaction systems. Implementing computer simulations, passive vibration control procedures, along with the effect of AFG materials and magnetic properties of the fluid as well as precisely manufactured geometry of the system, is investigated. It is assumed that the material characteristics of the system vary in the longitudinal direction based on exponential and power-law distribution profiles. Influence of the downstream inclination angle and... 

In this study, dynamic modeling of an elbow axially functionally graded (AFG) macro/micro-tube carrying magnetic flow with different cross-sections is considered. Parametric optimization is performed for vibration suppression of such fluid-interaction systems. Implementing computer simulations, passive vibration control procedures, along with the effect of AFG materials and magnetic properties of the fluid as well as precisely manufactured geometry of the system, is investigated. It is assumed that the material characteristics of the system vary in the longitudinal direction based on exponential and power-law distribution profiles. Influence of the downstream inclination angle and... 

Modeling and analysis of information system vulnerabilities helps us to predict possible attacks to networks using the network configuration and vulnerabilities information. As a fact, exploiting most of vulnerabilities result in access rights alteration. In this paper, we propose a new vulnerability analysis method based on the Take-Grant protection model. We extend the initial Take-Grant model to address the notion of vulnerabilities and introduce the vulnerabilities rewriting rules to specify how the protection state of the system can be changed by exploiting vulnerabilities. Our analysis is based on a bounded polynomial algorithm, which generates the closure of the Take-Grant graph... 

We study the translocation of stiff polymers through a nanopore, driven by the chemical-potential gradient exerted by binding proteins (chaperones) on the trans side of the pore. Bound chaperones prevent backsliding through the pore and, therefore, partially rectify the polymer passage. We show that the sequence of chain monomers with different binding affinity for the chaperones significantly affects the translocation dynamics. In particular, we investigate the effect of the nearest-neighbor adjacency probability of the two monomer types. Depending on the magnitude of the involved binding energies, the translocation speed may either increase or decrease with the adjacency probability. We... 

Combining the advection-diffusion equation approach with Monte Carlo simulations we study chaperone driven polymer translocation of a stiff polymer through a nanopore. We demonstrate that the probability density function of first passage times across the pore depends solely on the Péclet number, a dimensionless parameter comparing drift strength and diffusivity. Moreover it is shown that the characteristic exponent in the power-law dependence of the translocation time on the chain length, a function of the chaperone-polymer binding energy, the chaperone concentration, and the chain length, is also effectively determined by the Péclet number. We investigate the effect of the chaperone size on... 

The amount of rippling in graphene sheets is related to the interactions with the substrate or with the suspending structure. Here, we report on an irreversibility in the response to forces that act on suspended graphene sheets. This may explain why one always observes a ripple structure on suspended graphene. We show that a compression-relaxation mechanism produces static ripples on graphene sheets and determine a peculiar temperature Tc, such that for T