Non-linear fe modelling of seismic pounding and damped-mitigating interconnection between a r/c tower and a masonry church

The finite element analysis of pounding represents one of the most critical issues for the assessment of the seismic performance of R/C structures built at poor distance from adjacent buildings. The effects of pounding can be particularly severe in slender R/C heritage structures, including civic or bell towers. An emblematic case study falling in this class of structures, i.e. a monumental R/C bell tower constructed in the early 1960s in Florence, is analyzed in this paper. Pounding collisions are simulated with a multi-link viscoelastic contact model originally implemented in this study. The results of the non-linear dynamic enquiry carried out with this model show that pounding affects the seismic response of the bell tower and the adjacent church as early as an input seismic action scaled at the amplitude of the normative basic design earthquake level. A retrofit hypothesis to prevent pounding is then proposed, which consists in linking the two structures by means of a pair of fluid-viscous dissipaters. Thanks to the supplemental damping action produced by these devices, the impacts are totally annulled, bringing the structural members of the tower to safe levels

Phase equilibria of polydisperse hydrocarbons: moment free energy method analysis

We analyze the phase equilibria of systems of polydisperse hydrocarbons by means of the recently introduced moment method. Hydrocarbons are modelled with the Soave-Redlick-Kwong and Peng-Robinson equations of states. Numerical results show no particular qualitative difference between the two equations of states. Furthermore, in general the moment method proves to be an excellent method for solving phase equilibria of polydisperse systems, showing excellent agreement with previous results and allowing a great improvement in generality of the numerical scheme and speed of computation.Comment: 12 pages, 2 figure

Comparing Virtual Reality to Conventional Simulator Visuals: Effects of Peripheral Visual Cues in Roll-Axis Tracking Tasks

This paper compares the effects of peripheral visual cues on manual control between a conventional fixed-base simulator and virtual reality. The results were also compared with those from a previous experiment conducted in a motion-base simulator. Fifteen participants controlled a system with second-order dynamics in a disturbance-rejection task. Tracking performance, control activity, simulator sickness questionnaire answers, and biometrics were collected. Manual control behavior was modeled for the first time in a virtual reality environment. Virtual reality did not degrade participants manual control performance or alter their control behavior. However, peripheral cues were significantly more effective in virtual reality. Control activity decreased for all conditions with peripheral cues. The trends introduced by the peripheral visual cues from the previous experiment were replicated. Finally, VR was not more nauseogenic than the conventional simulator. These results suggest that virtual reality might be a good alternative to conventional fixed-base simulators for training manual control skills

Rotational and Translational Velocity and Acceleration Thresholds for the Onset of Cybersickness in Virtual Reality

This paper determined rotational and translational velocity and acceleration thresholds for the onset of cybersickness. Cybersickness causes discomfort and discourages the widespread use of virtual reality systems for both recreational and professional use. Visual motion or optic flow is known to be one of the main causes of cybersickness due to the sensory conflict it creates with the vestibular system. The aim of this experiment is to detect rotational and translational velocity and acceleration thresholds that cause the onset of cybersickness. Participants were exposed to a moving particle field in virtual reality for a few seconds per run. The field moved in different directions (longitudinal, lateral, roll, and yaw), with different velocity profiles (steady and accelerating), and different densities. Using a staircase procedure, that controlled the speed or acceleration of the field, we detected the threshold at which participant started to feel temporary symptoms of cybersickness. The optic flow was quantified for each motion type and by modifying the number of features, the same amount of optic flow was present in each scene. Having the same optic flow in each scene allows a direct comparison of the thresholds. The results show that the velocity and acceleration thresholds for rotational optic flow were significantly lower than for translational optic flow. The thresholds suggestively decreased with the decreasing particle density of the scene. Finally, it was found that all the rotational and translational thresholds strongly correlate with each other. While the mean values of the thresholds could be used as guidelines to develop virtual reality applications, the high variability between individuals implies that the individual tuning of motion controls would be more effective to reduce cybersickness while minimizing the impact on the experience of immersion