Application of Solution Structure Method to Modeling Dynamic Response of Mechanical Structures

Transient nature of the loading conditions applied to the structural components makes dynamic analysis one of the important components in the design-analysis cycle. Time-varying forces and accelerations can substantially change stress distributions and cause a premature failure of the mechanical structures. In addition, it is also important to determine dynamic response of the structural elements to the frequency of the applied loads. In this paper we describe an application of the meshfree Solution Structure Method to the structural dynamics problems. Solution Structure Method is a meshfree method which enables construction of the solutions to the engineering problems that satisfy exactly all prescribed boundary conditions. This method is capable of using spatial meshes that do not conform to the shape of a geometric model. Instead of using the grid nodes to enforce boundary conditions, it employs distance fields to the geometric boundaries and combines them with the basis functions and prescribed boundary conditions at run time. This defines unprecedented geometric flexibility of the Solution Structure Method as well as the complete automation of the solution procedure

Characterization of Homogenized Mechanical Properties of Porous Ceramic Materials Based on Their Realistic Microstructure

The recent advances in the Materials Engineering have led to the development of new materials with customized microstructure in which the properties of its constituents and their geometric distribution have a considerable effect on determination of the macroscopic properties of the substance. Direct inclusion of the material microstructure in the analysis on a macro level is challenging since spatial meshes created for the analysis should have enough resolution to be able to accurately capture the geometry of the microstructure. In most cases this leads to a huge finite element model which requires a substantial amount of computational resources. To circumvent this limitation a number of homogenization techniques were developed. By considering a small element of the material, referred to as Representative Volume Element (RVE), homogenization methods make it possible to include the effects of a material’s microstructure on the overall properties at the macro level. However, complexity of the microstructure geometry and the necessity of satisfying periodic boundary conditions introduce additional difficulties into the analysis procedure. In this dissertation we propose a hybrid homogenization method that combines Asymptotic homogenization with MeshFree Solution Structures Method (SSM). Our approach allows realistic inclusion of complex geometry of the microstructure that can be captured from micrographs or micro CT scans. In addition to unprecedented flexibility in handling complex geometries, this method also provides a completely automatic analysis procedure. Using meshfree solution structures simplifies meshing to creating a simple cartesian grid which only needs to contain the domain. This also eliminates manual modifications which usually needs to be performed on meshes created from image data. A computational platform is developed in C++ based on meshfree/asymptotic method. In this platform also a novel meshfree solution structure is designed to provide exact satisfaction of periodic boundary conditions for boundary value problems such as homogenization. Performance of the developed platform is tested over 2D and 3D domains against previously published data and/or conventional finite element methods. After getting satisfactory results, homogenized properties are used to compute localized stress and strain distributions over inhomogeneous structures. Furthermore, effects of geometric features of pores/inclusions on homogenized mechanical properties is investigated and it is demonstrated that the developed platform could provide an automated quantitative analysis tool for studying effects of different design parameters on homogenized properties

Modeling of Pipeline Transients: Modified Method of Characteristics

The primary purpose of this research was to improve the accuracy and robustness of pipeline transient modeling. An algorithm was developed to model the transient flow in closed tubes for thin walled pipelines. Emphasis was given to the application of this type of flow to pipelines with small radius 90° elbows. An additional loss term was developed to account for the presence of 90° elbows in a pipeline. The algorithm was integrated into an optimization routine to fit results from the improved model to experimental data. A web based interface was developed to facilitate the pre- and post- processing operations. Results showed that including a loss term that represents the effects of 90° elbows in the Method of Characteristics (MOC) [1] improves the accuracy of the predicted transients by an order of magnitude. Secondary objectives of pump optimization, blockage detection and removal were investigated with promising results

Engineering Analysis in Imprecise Geometric Models

Engineering analysis in geometric models has been the main if not the only credible/reasonable tool used by engineers and scientists to resolve physical boundaries problems. New high speed computers have facilitated the accuracy and validation of the expected results. In practice, an engineering analysis is composed of two parts; the design of the model and the analysis of the geometry with the boundary conditions and constraints imposed on it. Numerical methods are used to resolve a large number of physical boundary problems independent of the model geometry. The time expended due to the computational process are related to the imposed boundary conditions and the well conformed geometry. Any geometric model that contains gaps or open lines is considered an imperfect geometry model and major commercial solver packages are incapable of handling such inputs. Others packages apply different kinds of methods to resolve this problems like patching or zippering; but the final resolved geometry may be different from the original geometry, and the changes may be unacceptable. The study proposed in this dissertation is based on a new technique to process models with geometrical imperfection without the necessity to repair or change the original geometry. An algorithm is presented that is able to analyze the imperfect geometric model with the imposed boundary conditions using a meshfree method and a distance field approximation to the boundaries. Experiments are proposed to analyze the convergence of the algorithm in imperfect models geometries and will be compared with the same models but with perfect geometries. Plotting results will be presented for further analysis and conclusions of the algorithm convergenc

SPATIAL TRANSFORMATION PATTERN DUE TO COMMERCIAL ACTIVITY IN KAMPONG HOUSE

ABSTRACT Kampung houses are houses in kampung area of the city. Kampung House oftenly transformed into others use as urban dynamics. One of the transfomation is related to the commercial activities addition by the house owner. It make house with full private space become into mixused house with more public spaces or completely changed into full public commercial building. This study investigate the spatial transformation pattern of the kampung houses due to their commercial activities addition. Site observations, interviews and questionnaires were performed to study the spatial transformation. This study found that in kampung houses, the spatial transformation pattern was depend on type of commercial activities and owner perceptions, and there are several steps of the spatial transformation related the commercial activity addition. Keywords: spatial transformation pattern; commercial activity; owner perception, kampung house; adaptabilit