A buckling analysis for rectangular orthotropic plates with centrally located cutouts

An analysis to obtain the buckling loads of a rectangular orthotropic plate with a centrally located cutout is described. Cutout shapes can be elliptical, circular, rectangular, or square. The boundary conditions considered in the analysis are simply supported unloaded edges and either clamped or simply supported loaded edges. The plate is loaded in uniaxial compression by either uniform edge displacement or uniform edge stress. A computer program that implements this analysis is described, and the program use is demonstrated by sample problems

An approximate buckling analysis for rectangular orthotropic plates with centrally located cutouts

An approximate analysis for predicting buckling of rectangular orthotropic composite plates with centrally located cutouts is presented. In this analysis, prebuckling and buckling problems are converted from a two-dimensional to a one-dimensional system of linear differential equations with variable coefficients. The conversion is accomplished by expressing the displacements as series with each element containing a trigonometric function of one coordinate and a coefficient that is an arbitrary function of the other coordinate. Ordinary differential equations are then obtained from a variational principle. Analytical results obtained from the approximate analysis are compared with finite element analyses for isotropic plates and for specially orthotropic plates with central circular cutouts of various sizes. Experimental results for the specially orthotropic plates are also presented. In nearly all cases, the approximate analysis predicts the buckling mode shapes correctly and predicts the buckling loads to within a few percent of the finite element and experimental results

Design of ceramic components with the NASA/CARES computer program

The ceramics analysis and reliability evaluation of structures (CARES) computer program is described. The primary function of the code is to calculate the fast-fracture reliability or failure probability of macro-scopically isotropic ceramic components. These components may be subjected to complex thermomechanical loadings, such as those found in heat engine applications. CARES uses results from MSC/NASTRAN or ANSYS finite-element analysis programs to evaluate how inherent surface and/or volume type flaws component reliability. CARES utilizes the Batdorf model and the two-parameter Weibull cumulative distribution function to describe the effects of multiaxial stress states on material strength. The principle of independent action (PIA) and the Weibull normal stress averaging models are also included. Weibull material strength parameters, the Batdorf crack density coefficient, and other related statistical quantities are estimated from four-point bend bar or uniform uniaxial tensile specimen fracture strength data. Parameter estimation can be performed for a single or multiple failure modes by using a least-squares analysis or a maximum likelihood method. Kolmogorov-Smirnov and Anderson-Darling goodness-to-fit-tests, 90 percent confidence intervals on the Weibull parameters, and Kanofsky-Srinivasan 90 percent confidence band values are also provided. Examples are provided to illustrate the various features of CARES

Ceramics Analysis and Reliability Evaluation of Structures (CARES). Users and programmers manual

This manual describes how to use the Ceramics Analysis and Reliability Evaluation of Structures (CARES) computer program. The primary function of the code is to calculate the fast fracture reliability or failure probability of macroscopically isotropic ceramic components. These components may be subjected to complex thermomechanical loadings, such as those found in heat engine applications. The program uses results from MSC/NASTRAN or ANSYS finite element analysis programs to evaluate component reliability due to inherent surface and/or volume type flaws. CARES utilizes the Batdorf model and the two-parameter Weibull cumulative distribution function to describe the effect of multiaxial stress states on material strength. The principle of independent action (PIA) and the Weibull normal stress averaging models are also included. Weibull material strength parameters, the Batdorf crack density coefficient, and other related statistical quantities are estimated from four-point bend bar or unifrom uniaxial tensile specimen fracture strength data. Parameter estimation can be performed for single or multiple failure modes by using the least-square analysis or the maximum likelihood method. Kolmogorov-Smirnov and Anderson-Darling goodness-of-fit tests, ninety percent confidence intervals on the Weibull parameters, and Kanofsky-Srinivasan ninety percent confidence band values are also provided. The probabilistic fast-fracture theories used in CARES, along with the input and output for CARES, are described. Example problems to demonstrate various feature of the program are also included. This manual describes the MSC/NASTRAN version of the CARES program

Characterisation of the Etching Quality in Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems by Thermal Transient Methodology

Our paper presents a non-destructive thermal transient measurement method that is able to reveal differences even in the micron size range of MEMS structures. Devices of the same design can have differences in their sacrificial layers as consequence of the differences in their manufacturing processes e.g. different etching times. We have made simulations examining how the etching quality reflects in the thermal behaviour of devices. These simulations predicted change in the thermal behaviour of MEMS structures having differences in their sacrificial layers. The theory was tested with measurements of similar MEMS devices prepared with different etching times. In the measurements we used the T3Ster thermal transient tester equipment. The results show that deviations in the devices, as consequence of the different etching times, result in different temperature elevations and manifest also as shift in time in the relevant temperature transient curves.Comment: Submitted on behalf of TIMA Editions (http://irevues.inist.fr/tima-editions

Improved Design Formulae for Buckling of Orthotropic Plates under Combined Loading

Simple, accurate buckling interaction formulae are presented for long orthotropic plates with either simply supported or clamped longitudinal edges and under combined loading that are suitable for design studies. The loads include 1) combined uniaxial compression (or tension) and shear, 2) combined pure inplane bending and 3) shear and combined uniaxial compression (or tension) and pure inplane bending. The interaction formulae are the results of detailed regression analysis of buckling data obtained from a very accurate Rayleigh-Ritz method

Stress Analysis of Composite Cylindrical Shells with an Elliptical Cutout

A special-purpose, semi-analytical solution method for determining the stress and deformation fields in a thin laminated-composite cylindrical shell with an elliptical cutout is presented. The analysis includes the effects of cutout size, shape, and orientation; non-uniform wall thickness; oval-cross-section eccentricity; and loading conditions. The loading conditions include uniform tension, uniform torsion, and pure bending. The analysis approach is based on the principle of stationary potential energy and uses Lagrange multipliers to relax the kinematic admissibility requirements on the displacement representations through the use of idealized elastic edge restraints. Specifying appropriate stiffness values for the elastic extensional and rotational edge restraints (springs) allows the imposition of the kinematic boundary conditions in an indirect manner, which enables the use of a broader set of functions for representing the displacement fields. Selected results of parametric studies are presented for several geometric parameters that demonstrate that analysis approach is a powerful means for developing design criteria for laminated-composite shells

Bounds on Flexural Properties and Buckling Response for Symmetrically Laminated Plates

Nondimensional parameters and equations governing the buckling behavior of rectangular symmetrically laminated plates are presented that can be used to represent the buckling resistance, for plates made of all known structural materials, in a very general, insightful, and encompassing manner. In addition, these parameters can be used to assess the degree of plate orthotropy, to assess the importance of anisotropy that couples bending and twisting deformations, and to characterize quasi-isotropic laminates quantitatively. Bounds for these nondimensional parameters are also presented that are based on thermodynamics and practical laminate construction considerations. These bounds provides insight into potential gains in buckling resistance through laminate tailoring and composite-material development. As an illustration of this point, upper bounds on the buckling resistance of long rectangular orthotropic plates with simply supported or clamped edges and subjected to uniform axial compression, uniform shear, or pure inplane bending loads are presented. The results indicate that the maximum gain in buckling resistance for tailored orthotropic laminates, with respect to the corresponding isotropic plate, is in the range of 26-36% for plates with simply supported edges, irrespective of the loading conditions. For the plates with clamped edges, the corresponding gains in buckling resistance are in the range of 9-12% for plates subjected to compression or pure inplane bending loads and potentially up to 30% for plates subjected to shear loads

Revised Coordinates and Proper Motions of the Stars in the Luyten Half-Second Catalogue

We present refined coordinates and proper motion data for the high proper motion (HPM) stars in the Luyten Half-Second (LHS) catalogue. The positional uncertainty in the original Luyten catalogue is typically >10" and is often >30". We have used the digital scans of the Palomar Observatory Sky Survey (POSS) I and POSS II plates to derive more accurate positions and proper motions of the objects. Out of the 4470 candidates in the LHS catalogue, 4323 objects were manually re-identified in the POSS I and POSS II scans. A small fraction of the stars were not found due to the lack of finder charts and digitized POSS II scans. The uncertainties in the revised positions are typically ~2", but can be as high as ~8" in a few cases; this is a large improvement over the original data. Cross-correlation with the Tycho-2 and Hipparcos catalogues yielded 819 candidates (with m_R < 12). For these brighter sources, the position and proper motion data have been replaced with the more accurate Tycho/Hipparcos data. In total, we have revised proper motion measurements and coordinates for 4040 stars and revised coordinates for 4330 stars, which are presented here.Comment: 108 pages. Accepted for Publication in ApJ Suppl. Some errors caused by the transcription errors in the original LHS catalogue have been corrected in this resubmission. The most current version of the catalogue is also available online at http://www.stsci.edu/~ksahu/lh