A numerical model of delamination in composite laminated beams using the LRZ beam element based on the refined zigzag theory

A method based on the Refined Zigzag Theory (RZT) to model delamination in composite laminated beam structures is presented. The novelty of this method is the use of one-dimensional finite elements to discretize the geometry of the beam. The key property of this beam element, named LRZ, is the possibility to capture the relative displacement between consecutive layers which occurs during delamination. The fracture mode that the LRZ element is capable to predict is mode II. In order to capture the relative displacement using the LRZ element it is necessary to adapt the RZT theory as presented in this paper. The mechanical properties of the layers are modeled using a continuum isotropic damage model. The modified Newton–Raphson method is used for solving the non-linear problem. The RZT theory, the LRZ finite element and the isotropic damage model are described in the paper. Also, the implicit integrations algorithm is presented. The performance of the LRZ element is analyzed by studying the delamination in a beam for two different laminates, using the plane stress solution as a reference

Simulated trajectories error analysis program. Volume 1 - User's manual Final report

Input/output routines and computerized simulation for error analysi

The rhetoric of Americanisation: social construction and the British computer industry in the Post-World War II period

This research seeks to understand the process of technological development in the UK and the specific role of a ‘rhetoric of Americanisation’ in that process. The concept of a ‘rhetoric of Americanisation’ will be developed throughout the thesis through a study into the computer industry in the UK in the post-war period. Specifically, the thesis discusses the threat of America, or how actors in the network of innovation within the British computer industry perceived it as a threat and the effect that this perception had on actors operating in the networks of construction in the British computer industry. However, the reaction to this threat was not a simple one. Rather this story is marked by sectional interests and technopolitical machination attempting to capture this rhetoric of ‘threat’ and ‘falling behind’. In this thesis the concept of ‘threat’ and ‘falling behind’, or more simply the ‘rhetoric of Americanisation’, will be explored in detail and the effect this had on the development of the British computer industry. What form did the process of capture and modification by sectional interests within government and industry take and what impact did this have on the British computer industry? In answering these questions, the thesis will first develop a concept of a British culture of computing which acts as the surface of emergence for various ideologies of innovation within the social networks that made up the computer industry in the UK. In developing this understanding of a culture of computing, the fundamental distinction between the US and UK culture of computing will be explored. This in turn allows us to develop a concept of how Americanisation emerged as rhetorical construct. With the influence of a ‘rhetoric of Americanisation’, the culture of computing in the UK began to change and the process through which government and industry interacted in the development of computing technologies also began to change. In this second half of the thesis a more nuanced and complete view of the nature of innovation in computing in the UK in the sixties will be developed. This will be achieved through an understanding of the networks of interaction between government and industry and how these networks were reconfigured through a ‘rhetoric of Americanisation’. As a result of this, the thesis will arrive at a more complete view of change and development within the British computer industry and how interaction with government influences that change

Computer simulation applied to parcel conveyors

This thesis was submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy and awarded by Brunel University.The research reported by this thesis concerns the operation of Post Office parcel conveyors. It evaluates the behaviour of straight belt conveyors using different parcel loadings. Empirical parcel data supplied by the Post Office is used for the development of a computer-based simulation model. An important problem in parcel conveying is the variability in size, shape and homogeneity of parcels, which may lead to conveyor jamming. Because of statutory requirements for parcel handling by the Royal Mail, it is not possible to carry out physical tests. This research demonstrated the feasibility of parcel conveyor simulation models with computing equipment current in 1970 - 1975. It established that jamming was unlikely in straight conveyors loaded with parcels conforming to Post Office recommendations. Non-conforming parcels could cause jams, particularly with humid atmospheric conditions. It was established that the continuum theory of Jenike, which assumes the conveyor to be filled with an 'Ideal' material, could not be extended to parcel conveyors. This precludes the use of finite element analysis for solution of this problem. The model established by this research can be developed further, to deal with changes in the direction and cross-section of belt conveyors and additional parcel characteristics

Healthcare Design: Designing Healthier and Happier Environments for Patient Care

This paper will discuss research regarding the best practices in developing a healthy environment in a medical facility in order to better aid the recovery of patients and help facilitate a more efficient work environment for the nursing staff. Medical facility design will be discussed in terms of safety and infection control; the psychological effects of certain design elements on patients; and appropriate accommodations for patients, staff, and family. The research discussed has been used to develop an updated and healthy environment for the Olivet Nazarene University Virtual Learning Center (VLC) housed in Wisner Hall of Nursing Education. This paper will discuss the design for the VLC as it pertains to the aesthetics including color, artwork, and space planning. Limitations to the project including budget and time will also be addressed

Trusted execution: applications and verification

Useful security properties arise from sealing data to specific units of code. Modern processors featuring Intel’s TXT and AMD’s SVM achieve this by a process of measured and trusted execution. Only code which has the correct measurement can access the data, and this code runs in an environment trusted from observation and interference. We discuss the history of attempts to provide security for hardware platforms, and review the literature in the field. We propose some applications which would benefit from use of trusted execution, and discuss functionality enabled by trusted execution. We present in more detail a novel variation on Diffie-Hellman key exchange which removes some reliance on random number generation. We present a modelling language with primitives for trusted execution, along with its semantics. We characterise an attacker who has access to all the capabilities of the hardware. In order to achieve automatic analysis of systems using trusted execution without attempting to search a potentially infinite state space, we define transformations that reduce the number of times the attacker needs to use trusted execution to a pre-determined bound. Given reasonable assumptions we prove the soundness of the transformation: no secrecy attacks are lost by applying it. We then describe using the StatVerif extensions to ProVerif to model the bounded invocations of trusted execution. We show the analysis of realistic systems, for which we provide case studies

Aspects of command language portability incorporating a machine-independent filestore concept

A brief summary of job control language development precedes a general discussion of possible improvements in command language practice. The user requirements of a command language are considered with special reference to a machine independent basis. "Primitive" functions are defined from this viewpoint. To meet the proposed objective of portability it is suggested that an appreciation of the user interaction with the computer operating system is necessary. This provides the definition of the user profile model based on the user requirements of a command language. A second model is then developed to represent the structure of the operating system. [Continues.