Writhing Geometry of Open DNA

Motivated by recent experiments on DNA torsion-force-extension characteristics we consider the writhing geometry of open stiff molecules. We exhibit a cyclic motion which allows arbitrarily large twisting of the end of a molecule via an activated process. This process is suppressed for forces larger than femto-Newtons which allows us to show that experiments are sensitive to a generalization of the Calugareanu-White formula for the writhe. Using numerical methods we compare this formulation of the writhe with recent analytic calculations.Comment: 12 pages 10 figures. Revtex

Low cycle fatigue tests of reinforced concrete columns and joints built with ribbed reinforcement and plain stirrups

The majority of existing reinforced concrete (RC) buildings were built prior to the introduction of seismic codes. As observed in various recent earthquakes, due to their lack of structural capacity and ductility such structures are very vulnerable and have suffered considerable damage. The number of cyclic tests that have been carried out to investigate the behaviour of RC components with detailing typical of these buildings is very limited. Such tests are very relevant for seismic vulnerability assessment purposes. In this paper, a low-cycle fatigue testing campaign on RC columns and connections specifically devised to investigate various physical parameters that affect damage development, is presented. The campaign consists of 19 columns and 7 beam-column connections. Some of the preliminary results and observations are presented and discussed

The effect of the number of response cycles on the behaviour of reinforced concrete elements subject to cyclic loading

The development of damage in reinforced concrete (RC) structures is a cumulative process. Some damage indices used to quantify damage make use of the number of response cycles as an Engineering Demand Parameter (EDP) relating with damage development. Other indices make use of deformation in terms of displacement or chord rotation. These functions are generally a function of whether the response is monotonic or cyclic, and are insensitive to the number of major deflection cycles leading to that state of damage. Many such relations are derived from experimental data from low-cycle fatigue tests performed on RC elements. The loading in such tests generally consists of either a monotonic increase in load or a gradually increasing cyclic load. Since damage development is a cumulative process, and hence depends on the load history, the loading pattern in low-cycle fatigue tests for assessment purposes should reflect the response of an earthquake. This paper will discuss a procedure to determine a loading history for cyclic tests, based on earthquake demands. The preliminary results of a campaign of low-cycle fatigue tests on RC elements to investigate the effect of using different load histories are also discussed

Nonlinear modeling of the cyclic response of RC columns

Cyclic load reversals (like those induced by earthquakes) result in accelerated bond degradation, leading to significant bar slippage. The bond-slip mechanism is reported to be one of the most common causes of damage and even collapse of existing RC structures subjected to earthquake loading. RC structures with plain reinforcing bars, designed and built prior to the enforcement of the modern seismic-oriented design philosophies, are particularly sensitive to bond degradation. However, perfect bond conditions are typically assumed in the numerical analysis of RC structures. This paper describes the numerical modeling of the cyclic response of two RC columns, one built with deformed bars and the other with plain bars and structural detailing similar to that typically adopted in pre-1970s structures. For each column, different modeling strategies to simulate the column response were tested. Models were built using the OpenSees and the SeismoStruct platforms, and calibrated with the available tests results. Within each platform, different types of nonlinear elements were used to represent the columns. Bond-slip effects were included in the OpenSees models resorting to a simple modeling strategy. The models and the parameters adopted are presented and discussed. Comparison is established between the most relevant experimental results and the corresponding results provided by the numerical models. Conclusions are drawn about the capacity of the tested models to simulate the columns response and about the influence of considering or not considering the effects of bars slippage

The social psychology of seismic hazard adjustment: re-evaluating the international literature

The majority of people at risk from earthquakes do little or nothing to reduce their vulnerability. Over the past 40 years social scientists have tried to predict and explain levels of seismic hazard adjustment using models from behavioural sciences such as psychology. The present paper is the first to synthesise the major findings from the international literature on psychological correlates and causes of seismic adjustment at the level of the individual and the household. It starts by reviewing research on seismic risk perception. Next, it looks at norms and normative beliefs, focusing particularly on issues of earthquake protection responsibility and trust between risk stakeholders. It then considers research on attitudes towards seismic adjustment attributes, specifically beliefs about efficacy, control and fate. It concludes that an updated model of seismic adjustment must give the issues of norms, trust, power and identity a more prominent role. These have been only sparsely represented in the social psychological literature to date

Numerical analysis of the thermal energy storage in cellular structures filled with phase-change material

This paper reports the results of a numerical study on the thermal performance of metal cellular structures that can be obtained by additive manufacturing (selective laser melting) when they are impregnated with phase change material (PCM) for possible applications in electronic cooling. Two body-centered cubic (BCC) periodic structures with cell sizes of 5 mm and 10 mm and a porosity of 87%, made of two solid materials (aluminum alloy and copper), and two paraffins with characteristic melting temperatures of 55 and 64 °C were considered. The numerical simulations are carried out using the commercial code ANSYS Fluent and are based on a previously validated purely conductive heat transfer model. The computational domains include just small repetitive portions of the considered composite structures, thus allowing substantial savings of computational time. Computed results show that, with both paraffins, the copper made finer BCC structure (5 mm) yields the best thermal performances, i.e, the shortest PCM melting time and the highest rate of thermal energy storage during transients

Influence of Earthquake-Tsunami Sequence Induced Corrosion on Residual Seismic Capacity of Concrete Structures

Field investigations have highlighted the high likelihood of chloride ingress in reinforced concrete (RC) buildings submerged by seawater and covered by mud during an earthquake-tsunami (EQ-TS) sequence. Chloride attack through EQ-induced cracks or spalling can cause a high corrosion rate in the reinforcement, thereby compromising the long-term durability of the structure and its performance in future events. Typically, this deterioration process is neglected when assessing the future performance of frame structures in tectonically-active coastal regions. This study demonstrates the influence of EQ-TS-induced corrosion on the residual seismic capacity of modern RC frame structures. The analyses show an undesirable component-level failure mode switch to a shear-dominated mechanism. The median collapse fragility of the frame is also seen to be significantly influenced by the reinforcement corrosion. The outcome of this study raises questions on the post-tsunami management of both modern and older-type RC frame structures

Comment on "Elasticity Model of a Supercoiled DNA Molecule"

We perform simulations to numerically study the writhe distribution of a stiff polymer. We compare with analytic results of Bouchiat and Mezard (PRL 80 1556- (1998); cond-mat/9706050).Comment: 1 page, 1 figure revtex

Experimental and numerical analysis of the thermal performance of PCM-impregnated reticular structures obtained by additive manufacturing

This paper proposes a combined experimental and numerical analysis of the melting of three different paraffin waxes embedded in reticular structures fabricated by additive manufacturing. The parent material of the reticular structures is AlSi10Mg. Metal structures, having a 100 mm square base and a thickness of 20 mm, were printed between two 10 mm thick plates. Samples were positioned in an upright position and laterally heated applying different heat fluxes. Three different paraffins were tested, with different characteristic melting temperatures (42 °C, 55 °C, and 64 °C), which are suitable for electronics cooling applications. Four different structures were tested, having a cell length of 5 mm and 10 mm, and porosities of 0.87 and 0.93. Besides the experimental tests, numerical simulations of the melting phenomenon were carried out using a purely conductive model implemented in ANSYS Fluent. The discretized numerical domains represented just small repetitive portions of the test modules, thus allowing substantial computational time savings. This simplified method has been proven to yield results that are in good agreement with the experimental data. The main outcome of this work is the setup of the simplified numerical procedure, which was then validated and used to investigate the effectiveness of the considered structures in diffusing heat into the low thermal conductivity phase change materials. It was concluded that the best overall thermal performance can be obtained with low porosity and low cell size since this enables faster melting processes and better surface temperature control