44,438 research outputs found
Analytical reliability calculation of linear dynamical systems in higher dimensions
The recent application of reliability analysis to controller synthesis has created the need for a
computationally efficient method for the estimation of the first excursion probabilities for linear dynamical
systems in higher dimensions. Simulation methods cannot provide an adequate solution to this specific application,
which involves numerical optimization of the system reliability with respect to the controller parameters,
because the total computational time needed is still prohibitive. Instead, an analytical approach is presented
in this paper. The problem reduces to the calculation of the conditional upcrossing rate at each surface
of the failure boundary. The correlation between upcrossings of the failure surface for the different failure
events may be addressed by the introduction of a multi-dimensional integral. An efficient algorithm is
adopted for the numerical calculation of this integral. Also, the problem of approximation of the conditional
upcrossing rate is discussed. For the latter there is no known theoretical solution. Three of the semi-empirical
corrections that have been proposed previously for scalar processes are compared and it is shown that the correction
should be based on the bandwidth characteristics of the system. Finally, examples that verify the validity
of the analytical approximations for systems in higher dimensions are discussed
Dynamic Characteristics of Woodframe Buildings
The dynamic properties of wood shearwall buildings were evaluated, such as modal frequencies, damping and mode shapes of the structures. Through analysis of recorded earthquake response and by forced vibration testing, a database of periods and damping ratios of woodframe buildings was developed. Modal identification was performed on strong-motion records obtained from five buildings, and forced vibration tests were performed on a two-story house and a three-story apartment building, among others. A regression analysis is performed on the database to obtain a period formula specific for woodframe buildings. It should be noted that all test results, including the seismic data, are at small drift ratios (less than 0.1%), and the periods would be significantly longer for stronger shaking of these structures. Despite these low amplitudes, the equivalent viscous dampings for the fundamental modes were usually more than 10% of critical during earthquake shaking
Testing of reciprocating seals for application in a Stirling cycle engine
Six single stage reciprocating seal configurations to the requirements of the Stirling cycle engine were evaluated. The seals tested were: the Boeing Footseal, NASA Chevron polyimide seal, Bell seal, Quad seal, Tetraseal, and Dynabak seal. None of these seal configurations met the leakage goals of .002 cc/sec at helium gas pressure of 1.22 x 10 to the 7th power PA, rod speed of 7.19 m/sec peak, and seal environmental temperature of 408 K for 1500 hours. Most seals failed due to high temperatures. Catastrophic failures were observed for a minimum number of test runs characterized by extremely high leakage rates and large temperature rises. The Bell seal attained 63 hours of run time at significantly lowered test conditions
Accounting for Seismic Risk in Financial Analysis of Property Investment
A methodology is presented for making property investment decisions using loss
analysis and the principles of decision analysis. It proposes that the investor choose among
competing investment alternatives on the basis of the certainty equivalent of their net asset value
which depends on the uncertain discounted future net income, uncertain discounted future
earthquake losses, initial equity and the investor’s risk tolerance. The earthquake losses are
modelled using a seismic vulnerability function, the site seismic hazard function, and an
assumption that strong shaking at a site follows a Poisson process. A building-specific
vulnerability approach, called assembly-based vulnerability, or ABV, is used. ABV involves a
simulation approach that includes dynamic structural analyses and damage analyses using
fragility functions and probability distributions on unit repair costs and downtimes for all
vulnerable structural and nonstructural components in a building. The methodology is
demonstrated using some results from a seven-storey reinforced-concrete hotel in Los Angeles
Application of pushbroom altimetry from space using large space antennas
The capabilities of multibeam altimetry are discussed and an interferometric multibeam technique for doing precision altimetry is described. The antenna feed horn arrangement and the resulting footprint lube pattern are illustrated. Plans for a shuttle multibeam altimetry mission are also discussed
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