Localized buckling in sandwich struts with inhomogeneous deformation in both face plates

A nonlinear analytical model for investigating localized interactive buckling in simply supported thin-face plate sandwich struts with weak cores is extended to account for local deformations in both face plates, which have been observed in experiments and finite element simulations. The original model is based on potential energy principles with large displacement assumptions. It assumes Timoshenko shear deformable theory for the core and approximates the overall mode as a half-sine wave along the length of the strut while the local face plate displacements are initially unknown and are found as solutions of the governing equations. The extended model is able to capture measurable local face plate displacements in the less compressed face plate, beyond the secondary bifurcation which leads to localized interactive buckling, for the case where overall buckling is critical. Moreover, the allowance of local displacements in both face plates allows the extended model to predict the post-buckling behavior better in cases where local buckling is critical. The results from this model compare very well with nonlinear finite element simulations with respect to both the equilibrium paths and panel deformations

The load-bearing duct: Biomimicry in structural design

The philosophical aspects of applying the principles of biomimicry are explored in a case study of structural design. Integrating structural engineering with services engineering can be regarded, to some extent, as taking principles from biological systems and applying them to large-scale conceptual design. The end-product discussed herein a so-called load-bearing duct, a functional naturally ventilated multi-storey office building that takes the applied loading efficiently both structurally and cost-effectively giving it the potential to be sustainable throughout its design life

From Youth Awareness to Action: The Case of The EIT Climate-KIC Young Innovators Program in Cyprus. In United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) Report

Sowing the seeds of ESD in K-12 school systems has been pivotal in creating the student move- ment of ‘climate strikes’ that have dominated international news across the globe. Students across Europe and the globe are aware of the climate emergency and are taking to the streets to demand action. Moving from awareness to action, Young Innovators, a pioneering program launched by EIT Climate-KIC, aims to empower young people to use systems thinking and climate innovation approaches in order to contribute to local and regional challenges faced by their community. The implementation of the pilot in high schools (12-18 year olds) in the Republic of Cyprus in 2020 is presented here, highlighting the effect this intervention had on teachers and students alike, as well as lessons learned for scaling up the program across ESD-related curricula in Cyprus

Stability of composite cylindrical shells with non-classical hygrothermal-electro-elastic coupled loads

An accurate nonlinear hygrothermal-electro-elastic (HTEE) buckling analysis of piezoelectric fiber reinforced composite cylindrical shells subjected to the coupled loading effects of axial compression and hydrostatic pressure is established by considering non-uniform pre-buckling effect. Nonlinear governing equations are derived based on higher-order shear deformation theory and Novozhilov’s nonlinear shell theory. Accurate critical buckling stresses and pressures, and explicit buckling modes for both axisymmetric and non-axisymmetric buckling are obtained by the Galerkin method. A comparison between the new prediction and existing results is presented and excellent agreement is reported. A comprehensive parametric study of geometric parameters, end conditions, distribution patterns and hygrothermal-electric multi-physical fields on the buckling behavior of HTEE composite cylindrical shell is also analyzed and discussed