Rozprawy doktorskie na temat „Impact Dynamic Loads”

In this study the dynamic response of a ship structure to impact loads is investigated. The ship motion is fully three-dimensional and the ship structure is modeled as a three-dimensional elastic beam. Finite element methods are used to digitize the equations of motion of the system. The forces on the ship are interactive with the ship motion and position so that a full dynamic analysis is essential. Two main problems are considered: i) Estimation of hull damage when a ship collides with another ship, floating structure or fixed installation. A particular aspect of this analysis which has not previously been examined analytically involves estimating damage to the bottom of ship when it runs aground. Depending on the nature of the ground the ship may be pierced and significant amounts of steel may be torn, or the ship may ride over a sand bar without tearing but with noticeable denting and bending. In such grounding studies it has been necessary to introduce certain strength coefficients, realistic values of which have not been determined, but for which sensible estimates have been made. The results of a numerical study into grounding and collision damage illustrate clearly that ship speed is the major variable in the damage process. In particular the effect of subsequent angular motions incurred during a high speed collision can cause secondary but also significant collisions further aft. It is believed that these aspects of collision and grounding, and the related problems associated with collision whilst maneuvering, have not been investigated previously. ii) Bending stresses induced in ice-breaking ships during operation in ice. In this second class of problems two modes of operations are considered; continuous operation in level ice without loss of speed, and high speed ramming of ice ridges in which the ship is brought to rest. In the continuous ice breaking mode, the impulse loads are relatively low but periodic. The period of the impulse loads varies linearly with ship speed and also depends on the hardness and thickness of the ice. Since the ship is an elastic system with natural frequencies of the same order as impact frequency, some interesting response conditions have been identified leading to large flexural bending stresses in the ship. In the ramming mode,' two response states are of importance., The initial impulse at the bow of the ship, when contact is first made, causes the ship to respond primarily in its first flexural mode with possibly large bending stresses developing during the first second after impact. The ship then rides onto the ice in a "beaching mode" causing large quasi-static bending stresses in the hull which reach a peak after five seconds or so. Both of these peak bending situations have been investigated and their dependence on speed, hull" stiffness, bow angle, and ship speed has been established. In the past few years some data obtained from ships operating in the Beaufort sea has been released, both for continuous ice-breaking and for ramming. Whenever possible those data have been compared with the results predicted by the numerical method developed here. The agreement is shown to be very good.
Applied Science, Faculty of
Mechanical Engineering, Department of
Graduate

This thesis performs analytical, numerical and experimental studies to investigate the influences of various parameters that affect the drop-weight impact tests, and the impact responses of monolithic and precast reinforced concrete beams, and beam-to-column joints. Influences of the drop weight test setup configurations and measurement methods on impact force and impact response of beams are examined. Performances of precast concrete beams and beam-to-column joints subjected to impact loads and their impact resistance capacities are investigated.

The dynamic responses of monolithic and segmental concrete bridge columns under impact loads were numerically and analytically investigated in this study. Theoretical models to predict the vehicle impact loading profile on reinforced concrete columns and to determine the dynamic capacity of the columns were developed. A practical procedure for engineers to design reinforced concrete columns against vehicle collisions, as well as an effective strengthening method to increase the dynamic capacity of the columns was proposed.

The Rollover of heavy vehicles operating in the construction, mining and agricultural sectors is a common occurrence that may result in death or severe injury for the vehicle occupants. Safety frames called ROPS (Rollover Protective Structures) that enclose the vehicle cabin, have been used by heavy vehicle manufacturers to provide protection to vehicle occupants during rollover accidents. The design of a ROPS requires that a dual criteria be fulfilled that ensures that the ROPS has sufficient stiffness to offer protection, whilst possessing an appropriate level of flexibility to absorb some or most of the impact energy during a roll. Over the last four decades significant research has been performed on these types of safety devices which has resulted in the generation of performance standards that may be used to assess the adequacy of a ROPS design for a particular vehicle type. At present these performance standards require that destructive full scale testing methods be used to assess the adequacy of a ROPS. This method of ROPS certification can be extremely expensive given the size and weight of many vehicles that operate in these sectors. The use of analytical methods to assess the performance of a ROPS is currently prohibited by these standards. Reasons for this are attributed to a lack of available fundamental research information on the nonlinear inelastic response of safety frame structures such as this. The main aim of this project was to therefore generate fundamental research information on the nonlinear response behaviour of ROPS subjected to both static and dynamic loading conditions that could be used to contribute towards the development of an efficient analytical design procedure that may lessen the need for destructive full scale testing. In addition to this, the project also aspired to develop methods for promoting increased levels of operator safety during vehicle rollover through enhancing the level of energy absorbed by the ROPS. The methods used to fulfil these aims involved the implementation of an extensive analytical modelling program using Finite Element Analysis (FEA) in association with a detailed experimental testing program. From these studies comprehensive research information was developed on both the dynamic impact response and energy absorption capabilities of these types of structures. The established finite element models were then used to extend the investigation further and to carry out parametric studies. Important parameters such as ROPS post stiffness, rollslope inclination and impact duration were identified and their effects quantified. The final stage of the project examined the enhancement of the energy absorption capabilities of a ROPS through the incorporation of a supplementary energy absorbing device within the frame work of the ROPS. The device that was chosen for numerical evaluation was a thin walled tapered tube known as frusta that was designed to crush under a sidewards rollover and hence lessen the energy absorption demand placed upon the ROPS. The inclusion of this device was found to be beneficial in absorbing energy and enhancing the level of safety afforded to the vehicle occupants.

The Rollover of heavy vehicles operating in the construction, mining and agricultural sectors is a common occurrence that may result in death or severe injury for the vehicle occupants. Safety frames called ROPS (Rollover Protective Structures) that enclose the vehicle cabin, have been used by heavy vehicle manufacturers to provide protection to vehicle occupants during rollover accidents. The design of a ROPS requires that a dual criteria be fulfilled that ensures that the ROPS has sufficient stiffness to offer protection, whilst possessing an appropriate level of flexibility to absorb some or most of the impact energy during a roll. Over the last four decades significant research has been performed on these types of safety devices which has resulted in the generation of performance standards that may be used to assess the adequacy of a ROPS design for a particular vehicle type. At present these performance standards require that destructive full scale testing methods be used to assess the adequacy of a ROPS. This method of ROPS certification can be extremely expensive given the size and weight of many vehicles that operate in these sectors. The use of analytical methods to assess the performance of a ROPS is currently prohibited by these standards. Reasons for this are attributed to a lack of available fundamental research information on the nonlinear inelastic response of safety frame structures such as this. The main aim of this project was to therefore generate fundamental research information on the nonlinear response behaviour of ROPS subjected to both static and dynamic loading conditions that could be used to contribute towards the development of an efficient analytical design procedure that may lessen the need for destructive full scale testing. In addition to this, the project also aspired to develop methods for promoting increased levels of operator safety during vehicle rollover through enhancing the level of energy absorbed by the ROPS. The methods used to fulfil these aims involved the implementation of an extensive analytical modelling program using Finite Element Analysis (FEA) in association with a detailed experimental testing program. From these studies comprehensive research information was developed on both the dynamic impact response and energy absorption capabilities of these types of structures. The established finite element models were then used to extend the investigation further and to carry out parametric studies. Important parameters such as ROPS post stiffness, rollslope inclination and impact duration were identified and their effects quantified. The final stage of the project examined the enhancement of the energy absorption capabilities of a ROPS through the incorporation of a supplementary energy absorbing device within the frame work of the ROPS. The device that was chosen for numerical evaluation was a thin walled tapered tube known as frusta that was designed to crush under a sidewards rollover and hence lessen the energy absorption demand placed upon the ROPS. The inclusion of this device was found to be beneficial in absorbing energy and enhancing the level of safety afforded to the vehicle occupants.

Дисертація на здобуття наукового ступеня кандидата технічних наук за спеціальністю 05.02.09 – динаміка та міцність машин. – Національний технічний університет "Харківський політехнічний інститут" Міністерства освіти і науки України, Харків, 2017 В дисертації вирішена актуальна науково-технічна задача визначення динамічного напружено-деформованого стану захисних елементів машинобудівних конструкцій при імпульсному та ударному навантаженнях для забезпечення їх міцності та ефективного використання при експлуатації. На основі тривимірної моделі швидкісного деформування елементів конструкцій, з урахуванням пружно-пластичних скінченних деформацій і динамічних властивостей матеріалів отримані залежності розподілу напружень від швидкості удару за просторовими та часовими координатами в елементах конструкцій. Виявлені нові особливості процесу швидкісного деформування елементів при локальних навантаженнях, що відрізняються визначенням розмірів обмеженої зони напружень з великими градієнтами, утворенням кратерів тощо. Отримані залежності між напруженнями та швидкостями удару в тришаровому елементі для окремих шарів та деформаціями в шарах в залежності від швидкості ударника.
The thesis for a candidate of technical science degree in speciality 05.02.09 – Dynamics and Strength of Machines (engineering sciences) – Kharkov National University "Kharkov Polytechnic Institute", Kharkiv, 2017. In the thesis, the actual scientific and technical problem of determining the dynamic stress-strain state of the protective elements of machine-building structures under impulse and shock loads solved to ensure their strength and effective use during operation. The thesis proposes an improved three-dimensional model of high-rate deformation of structural elements, which is different by taking into account elastic-plastic finite deformations and dynamic properties of materials. Based on the proposed model, the dependences of the distribution of stresses on the speed of impact on spatial and temporal coordinates in structural elements made of various materials obtained. New features of the process of high-rate deformation of elements under local loads detected, differing in the definition of the size of a restricted stress zone with large gradients, the formation of craters and the process of unloading with the appearance of residual stresses and damages. Dependencies between stresses and impact speeds in a three-layer element for individual layers and deformations in layers depending on the speed of the impactor obtained. The dynamic stress-strain state changes significantly both in space coordinates and in time. Therefore, even for thin-walled constructions, the use of the theory of plates and shells is undesirable, since in this case the law of stress distribution over the thickness is preliminarily assumed, and part of the stresses perpendicular to the middle surface are not taken into account at all. The processes of high-speed deformation occur both in the elastic and in the plastic stage and partially accompanied by rather large deformations. Therefore, the work uses three-dimensional models, even for thin-walled structures. From a mathematical point of view, such problems are essentially non-linear and require analysis of a three-dimensional dynamic stress-strain state. The problems of high-rate elastic-plastic deformation of elements of cylindrical structures are considered. It is shown, that the largest displacements and stresses develop in local zones and in the case when the speed is increase up to V ≥ 150 m/s, the area of intense displacements and stresses is R ≤ (10-12) r, where r is the radius of the zone load. These features of the dynamic stress-strain state make it possible to isolate the corresponding region of the element and to make refined calculations for it using a denser grid. A number of practical problems of analyzing the stress-strain state of the elements of the gas turbine engine corps under shock loading considered which differ in the purpose, geometric characteristics and properties of the materials. It is shown, that the largest displacements and stresses develop in bounded zones and rapidly decrease in spatial coordinates both in time and in unloading. It is shown, that when the blade fragment is detached, as well as the foreign particles fall into the flow at the working speeds of the gas turbine engine rotation, the stress intensities do not exceed the prescribed boundaries. In some cases, preference is given to two-layer structures, since they resist shock loads better, than single-layer ones with a larger thickness of the same material.

Дисертація на здобуття наукового ступеня кандидата технічних наук за спеціальністю 05.02.09 – динаміка та міцність машин. – Національний технічний університет "Харківський політехнічний інститут" Міністерства освіти і науки України, Харків, 2017 В дисертації вирішена актуальна науково-технічна задача визначення динамічного напружено-деформованого стану захисних елементів машинобудівних конструкцій при імпульсному та ударному навантаженнях для забезпечення їх міцності та ефективного використання при експлуатації. На основі тривимірної моделі швидкісного деформування елементів конструкцій, з урахуванням пружно-пластичних скінченних деформацій і динамічних властивостей матеріалів отримані залежності розподілу напружень від швидкості удару за просторовими та часовими координатами в елементах конструкцій. Виявлені нові особливості процесу швидкісного деформування елементів при локальних навантаженнях, що відрізняються визначенням розмірів обмеженої зони напружень з великими градієнтами, утворенням кратерів тощо. Отримані залежності між напруженнями та швидкостями удару в тришаровому елементі для окремих шарів та деформаціями в шарах в залежності від швидкості ударника.
The thesis for a candidate of technical science degree in speciality 05.02.09 – Dynamics and Strength of Machines (engineering sciences) – Kharkov National University "Kharkov Polytechnic Institute", Kharkiv, 2017. In the thesis, the actual scientific and technical problem of determining the dynamic stress-strain state of the protective elements of machine-building structures under impulse and shock loads solved to ensure their strength and effective use during operation. The thesis proposes an improved three-dimensional model of high-rate deformation of structural elements, which is different by taking into account elastic-plastic finite deformations and dynamic properties of materials. Based on the proposed model, the dependences of the distribution of stresses on the speed of impact on spatial and temporal coordinates in structural elements made of various materials obtained. New features of the process of high-rate deformation of elements under local loads detected, differing in the definition of the size of a restricted stress zone with large gradients, the formation of craters and the process of unloading with the appearance of residual stresses and damages. Dependencies between stresses and impact speeds in a three-layer element for individual layers and deformations in layers depending on the speed of the impactor obtained. The dynamic stress-strain state changes significantly both in space coordinates and in time. Therefore, even for thin-walled constructions, the use of the theory of plates and shells is undesirable, since in this case the law of stress distribution over the thickness is preliminarily assumed, and part of the stresses perpendicular to the middle surface are not taken into account at all. The processes of high-speed deformation occur both in the elastic and in the plastic stage and partially accompanied by rather large deformations. Therefore, the work uses three-dimensional models, even for thin-walled structures. From a mathematical point of view, such problems are essentially non-linear and require analysis of a three-dimensional dynamic stress-strain state. The problems of high-rate elastic-plastic deformation of elements of cylindrical structures are considered. It is shown, that the largest displacements and stresses develop in local zones and in the case when the speed is increase up to V ≥ 150 m/s, the area of intense displacements and stresses is R ≤ (10-12) r, where r is the radius of the zone load. These features of the dynamic stress-strain state make it possible to isolate the corresponding region of the element and to make refined calculations for it using a denser grid. A number of practical problems of analyzing the stress-strain state of the elements of the gas turbine engine corps under shock loading considered which differ in the purpose, geometric characteristics and properties of the materials. It is shown, that the largest displacements and stresses develop in bounded zones and rapidly decrease in spatial coordinates both in time and in unloading. It is shown, that when the blade fragment is detached, as well as the foreign particles fall into the flow at the working speeds of the gas turbine engine rotation, the stress intensities do not exceed the prescribed boundaries. In some cases, preference is given to two-layer structures, since they resist shock loads better, than single-layer ones with a larger thickness of the same material.

The objective of the present research was to establish the biomechanical, physiological and perceptual responses of male operators to dynamic pushing tasks. The pushing tasks were performed using an industrial pallet jack with varying load/frequency combinations, in a controlled laboratory environment. Thirty healthy male subjects comprised the sample. Experimental procedures were conducted utilising the Chatillon ™ Dynamometer to measure force output in the initial, sustained and ending phases. The K4b2 Ergospirometer was used to assess physiological responses (heart rate and oxygen consumption [V02])' Nine recorded forces and nine experimental conditions formed the basis of this study, with subjects required to push three loads (200kg, 350kg, 500kg) at three frequencies (1120 sec, 1/40 sec, 1/60 sec) at a speed of 3.6km.h-1 over 14 metres on a co-efficient of friction controlled walkway for six minutes. Gait analysis, along with perceptions of exertion (,Central ' and 'Local' RPE) were collected during the third and sixth minutes of each condition . Body discomfort and contribution were identified upon completion of each condition. The results demonstrated that load and frequency interacted to influence responses within each domain. Increasing loads required increased force output during each stage of the push, which had a concomitant effect on physiological and perceptual responses. Significant differences arose between the initial, sustained and ending forces for each load, showing the direct relationship between load and force exertion. The combination of heaviest load/quickest frequency required the greatest physiological output, exceeding recommended guidelines for heart rate, V02 and energy expenditure responses. Intermediate combinations required moderate and acceptable energy cost. Linear relationships were established between heart rate and oxygen consumption , as well as between load and V02 , thus providing industrial practitioners an opportunity to evaluate task demands in situ. The combination of high forces and elevated physiological responses increased the subjective rating of the condition. The results emphasise the need to holistically consider all contributing factors in a dynamic pushing task. Dynamic pushing tasks place biomechanical, physiological and perceptual demands on the human operator, which must be minimised in order to ensure that this form of manual materials handling becomes sustainable in the long term.

Recent advances in manufacturing of multifunctional materials have provided opportunities to develop structures that possess superior mechanical properties with other concurrent capabilities such as sensing, self-healing, electromagnetic and heat functionality. The idea is to fabricate components that can integrate multiple capabilities in order to develop lighter and more efficient structures. In this regard, due to their combined structural and electrical functionalities, electrically conductive carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) matrix composites have been used in a wide variety of applications in most of which they are exposed to unwanted impact-like mechanical loads. Experimental data have suggested that the application of an electromagnetic field at the moment of the impact can significantly reduce the damage in CFRP composites. However, the observations still need to be investigated carefully for practical applications. Furthermore, as the nature of the interactions between the electro-magneto-thermo-mechanical fields is very complicated, no analytical solutions can be found in the literature for the problem. In the present thesis, the effects of coupling between the electromagnetic and mechanical fields in electrically conductive anisotropic composite plates are studied. In particular, carbon fiber polymer matrix (CFRP) composites subjected to an impact-like mechanical load, pulsed electric current, and immersed in the magnetic field of constant magnitude are considered. The analysis is based on simultaneous solving of the system of nonlinear partial differential equations, including equations of motion and Maxwell's equations. Physics-based hypotheses for electro-magneto-mechanical coupling in transversely isotropic composite plates and dimension reduction solution procedures for the nonlinear system of the governing equations have been used to reduce the three-dimensional system to a two-dimensional (2D) form. A numerical solution procedure for the resulting 2D nonlinear mixed system of hyperbolic and parabolic partial differential equations has been developed, which consists of a sequential application of time and spatial integrations and quasilinearization. Extensive computational analysis of the response of the CFRP composite plates subjected to concurrent applications of different electromagnetic and mechanical loads has been conducted. The results of this work verify the results of the previous experimental studies on the subject and yield some suggestions for the characteristics of the electromagnetic load to create an optimum impact response of the composite.

Because little was known about how the masonry lighthouses constructed during the 19th century at exposed locations around the British Isles were responding to wave action, the dynamic response of the Eddystone lighthouse under wave impacts was investigated. Like other so called 'rock lighthouses', the Eddystone lighthouse was built on top of a steep reef at a site that is fully submerged at most states of the tide. Consequently, the structure is exposed to loading by unbroken, breaking and broken waves. When the breaking occurs, wave loading leads to complex phenomena that cannot be described theoretically due to the unknown mixture of air and water involved during the wave-structure interaction. In addition, breaking waves are generally distinguished from unbroken and broken wave due to the fact that they cause impulsive loads. As a consequence, the load effects on the structural response require a dynamic analysis. In this investigation the dynamic response of the Eddystone lighthouse is investigated both in the field and by means of a small-scale model mounted in a laboratory wave channel. In particular, field data obtained by the use of geophones, cameras and a wave buoy are presented together with wave loading information obtained during the laboratory tests under controlled conditions. More than 3000 structural events were recorded during the exceptional sequence of winter storms that hit the South-West of England in 2013/2014. The geophone signals, which provide the structural response in terms of velocity data, are differentiated and integrated in order to obtain accelerations and displacements respectively. Dynamic responses show different behaviours and higher structural frequencies, which are related to more impulsive loads, tend to exhibit a predominant sharp peak in velocity time histories. As a consequence, the structural responses have been classified into four types depending on differences of ratio peaks in the time histories and spectra. Field video images indicate that higher structural frequencies are usually associated with loads caused by plunging waves that break on or just in front of the structure. However, higher structural velocities and accelerations do not necessarily lead to the largest displacements of around a tenth of mm. Thus, while the impulsive nature of the structural response depends on the type of wave impact, the magnitude of the structural deflections is strongly affected by both elevation of the wave force on the structure and impact duration, as suggested by structural numerical simulations and laboratory tests respectively. The latter demonstrate how the limited water depth strongly affects the wave loading. In particular, only small plunging waves are able to break on or near the structure and larger waves that break further away can impose a greater overall impulse due to the longer duration of the load. As a consequence of the depth limited conditions, broken waves can generate significant deflections in the case of the Eddystone lighthouse. However, maximum accelerations of about 0.1g are related to larger plunging waves that are still able to hit the lighthouse with a plunging jet. When compared to the Iribarren number, the dimensionless irregular momentum flux proposed by Hughes is found to be a better indicator concerning the occurrence of the structural response types. This is explained by the fact that the Iribarren number does not to take into account the effects of the wide tidal range at the Eddystone reef, which has a strong influence on the location of the breaking point with respect to the lighthouse. Finally, maximum run up were not able to rise up to the top of the lighthouse model during the laboratory tests, despite this having been observed in the field. As a consequence, the particular configuration of the Eddystone reef and the wind could have a considerable bearing and exceptional values of the run up, greater than 40 m, cannot be excluded in the field.

Studies regarding the development of a new hydropower plant exploiting the water resources offered by the upper Tinguiririca river, located about 150 km south-east of the capital Santiago in Chile, has been done by Pacific Hydro Ltd from Australia and Lahmeyer International from Germany. These studies have resulted in proposals to construct two Hydropower Stations, �La Higuera� and �Confluencia�. Both hydropower stations will have a total installed capacity of 300 MW. When setting up a new hydropower plant, it is important to foresee how the hydropower plant would affect the existing transmission grid in different situations during operation as well as how events in the grid may affect the La Higuera and/or Confluencia hydropower stations. In this report three kind of analysis are highlighted, which are static analysis, large signal stability and rotor angle stability. To perform these analyses a simulation tool named DigSilent is used. DigSilent is used to perform these analyses in a simulated network of the studied transmission system. These two hydropower stations as shown in the results will improve the existing transmission system by enhancing the stability margins in the presence of a fault. When performing the simulation of the existing transmission system with the newly installed hydropower plant we could see that it had a poor damping after a disturbance; this might be due to the large distance between production plants and the existing loads. This phenomenon can be alleviated if a power system stabilizer (PSS) is integrated in the hydropower plant. The final conclusion is that the integration of the two hydropower plants will improve the existing transmission system in Chile.

Thesis (MSc)--Stellenbosch University, 2011.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Substance abuse is an imminent danger on the health of both substance users and nonusers. In general, abuse of psychoactive substances is associated with high risk behaviour, mortality and morbidity. The drug use cycle involves inextricably intertwined variants such as production, trading and usage of both licit and illicit addictive substances. The dynamics of substance use involve initiation, addiction, rehabilitation/treatment and quitting/ recovery. In response to supply and abuse of monster drugs, control strategies such as law enforcement and rehabilitation have been stepped up to reduce access to drugs by targeting drug kingpins and harm reduction respectively. In this thesis, we model the factors affecting the prevalence of substance abuse, the effect of drug lords on the prevalence of substance abuse, and the impact of substance abuse on the prevalence of HIV/AIDS. We formulate mathematical models based on systems of autonomous differential equations describing the dynamics of the sub- populations involved in the drug using cycle. We examine the effects of amelioration, rehabilitation/treatment and re- initiation on the prevalence of substance abuse. Our results suggest that, recruitment into rehabilitation and amelioration in the presence of quitting for light users reduce the prevalence of substance abuse; re-initiation and amelioration without quitting for light users increase the prevalence of substance abuse. Our assessment of the impact of drug lords and the effect of law enforcement on drug epidemics shows that, the presence of drug lords seriously constraints the efforts to reduce substance abuse since they increase access to drugs. However, law enforcement if stepped up in response to the population of drug lords, greatly reduces the prevalence of substance abuse. Given the associated influence of drugs on high risky behaviour, as a cofactor for sexually transmitted infections, we assess the influence of substance abuse on the prevalence of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). Our results show that dissemination of information regarding HIV and drug use reduces HIV prevalence whereas, there is faster spread of the epidemic and high prevalence with increased sexual contact.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Dwelmmisbruik is ’n dreigende gevaar vir die gesondheid van beide dwelm gebruikers en nie-gebruikers. In die algemeen, word die misbruik van psigoaktiewe dwelms verbind met hoë risiko gedrag, mortaliteit en morbiditeit. Die dwelmgebruikskringloop behels onlosmaaklik vervlegde variante soos vervaardiging, handel en gebruik van beide wettige en onwettige verslawende middels. Die dinamika van dwelms behels aanvang, verslawing, rehabilitasie/ behandeling en staking/herstel. In reaksie op die misbruik en verskaffing van monster dwelms, is beheer strategieë soos wetstoepassing en rehabilitasie verskerp, om die toegang tot dwelms te verminder, deur onderskeidelik te fokus op dwelmspilfigure en skadebeperking. Die belangrikste doel van hierdie verhandeling is om die faktore te modelleer wat die voorkoms van dwelmmisbruik beïnvloed, die uitwerking van dwelmbase op die voorkoms van dwelmmisbruik, en die trefkrag van dwelmmisbruik op die voorkoms van MIV / VIGS. Ons formuleer wiskundige modelle gegrond op stelsels van outonome differensiaalvergelykings, wat die dinamika beskryf van die sub-bevolkinge wat in die dwelmgebruikskringloop betrokke is. Ons ondersoek die effekte van verbetering, rehabilitasie/behandeling en heraanvang op die voorkoms van dwelmmisbruik. Ons resultate dui dat, werwing tot rehabilitasie en verbetering in die teenwoordigheid van stakende tydelike verbruikers, die voorkoms van dwelmmisbruik verminder; heraanvang en verbetering sonder dat tydelike verbruikers staak, verhoog die voorkoms van dwelmmisbruik. Ons raming van die invloed van dwelmbase en die uitwerking van wetstoepassing op dwelm-epidemies toon dat, die teenwoordigheid van dwelmbase belemmer grotendeels die pogings om dwelmmisbruik te verminder, aangesien hulle toegang tot dwelms verhoog. Nietemin, as die wetstoepassing verskerp word in reaksie op die dwelmbaasbevolking, word die voorkoms van dwelmmisbruik aansienlik verminder. Gegewe die gepaardgaande invloed van dwelms op hoë risiko gedrag as ’n kofaktor vir seksueel oordraagbare infeksies, beraam ons die invloed van dwelmmisbruik op die voorkoms van die Menslike Immunogebreksvirus (MIV). Ons resultate toon dat inligtingverspreiding rakende MIV en dwelmgebruik, MIV-voorkoms verlaag, terwyl daar ’n vinniger verspreiding van die epidemie en hoë voorkoms is, met verhoogde seksuele kontak.

Sabe-se que à inevitÃvel a ocorrÃncia de acidentes de trÃnsito em rodovias, onde centenas de milhares de veÃculos transitam a cada dia e que, alÃm de gerarem fatalidades, geram danos materiais, fÃsicos e morais Ãs pessoas envolvidas. Quando os acidentes envolvem colisÃes com um poste de distribuiÃÃo de energia elÃtrica, estes sÃo responsÃveis por deixar, em mÃdia, cinco mil residÃncias sem fornecimento de energia de forma imediata. Nestes casos, essa interrupÃÃo no fornecimento pode durar atà quatro horas para os moradores prÃximos ao local da colisÃo devido ao trabalho de substituiÃÃo, bem como gerar altos custos com a reposiÃÃo dos postes. Portanto, faz-se necessÃrio o estudo de um sistema de defensa de postes visando à proteÃÃo destes, bem como salvaguardar os motoristas de veÃculos em caso de colisÃo. O objetivo deste trabalho consiste em avaliar o comportamento do poste e do sistema poste-defensa devido ao choque de veÃculos. Para tanto, sÃo realizadas duas anÃlises paramÃtricas. A primeira consiste na anÃlise modal numÃrica a fim de se determinar a influÃncia de componentes tais como cabos e defensas nos parÃmetros naturais do poste. A segunda consiste na anÃlise transiente paramÃtrica do poste e do conjunto poste-defensa. Neste caso, sÃo variadas a massa do veÃculo, sua velocidade e o tempo de impacto. Estas anÃlises sÃo realizadas no programa comercial, baseado no MÃtodo dos Elementos Finitos, SAP2000 V.14.0. A histÃria no tempo do deslocamento da extremidade livre do poste à comparada entre os diversos modelos, bem como com os resultados das amplitudes das cargas dinÃmicas aplicadas de forma estÃtica. Dos resultados observa-se que a defensa cumpre seu papel diminuindo a possibilidade de colapso devido aumentar as frequÃncias naturais e afastando-as das frequÃncias de excitaÃÃo das cargas de impacto. Da anÃlise transiente conclui-se que a defensa aumenta a rigidez do sistema reduzindo os deslocamentos.
It is known that is inevitable the incidence of traffic accidents in highways, where hundreds of thousands of vehicles pass daily. These accidents can cause material damages, physical and moral injuries to involved persons, besides fatalities. When collisions are into an electric distribution pole, these are responsible by five thousand residences without electric power immediately. In this case, the stop in supplying can take four hours to residents who live close to accident site due to replacement work, as well as to generating high costs to replace the poles. So, it is necessary to study a system that protects the pole, as well as safeguards the vehicles drivers in case of collision. The objective of this work is to evaluate the behavior of pole and of system pole-defence due to the vehicles shock. Two parametric analyses are carried out. The first one is the numerical modal analysis in order to determine the influence of components like cables and defence in the pole natural parameters. The second one is the transient parametric analysis of pole and of pole-defence system. In this case, the vehicle mass and his impact time are varied. These analyses are executed in the commercial program based on the Finite Elements Method, SAP2000 V.14.0. The displacement history of pole free end is compared between the several models, as well as with the results obtained when the dynamic load maximum value is applied statically. From results it is noticed that defence carries out his paper reducing the possibility of collapse due to increasing the natural frequencies and making away from excitation frequencies of impact loads. From transient analysis it is concluded that defence raises the rigidity of the system by reducing the displacements.

Railway is one of the most important, reliable and widely used means of transportation, carrying freight, passengers, minerals, grains, etc. Thus, research on railway tracks is extremely important for the development of railway engineering and technologies. The safe operation of a railway track is based on the railway track structure that includes rails, fasteners, pads, sleepers, ballast, subballast and formation. Sleepers are very important components of the entire structure and may be made of timber, concrete, steel or synthetic materials. Concrete sleepers were first installed around the middle of last century and currently are installed in great numbers around the world. Consequently, the design of concrete sleepers has a direct impact on the safe operation of railways. The "permissible stress" method is currently most commonly used to design sleepers. However, the permissible stress principle does not consider the ultimate strength of materials, probabilities of actual loads, and the risks associated with failure, all of which could lead to the conclusion of cost-ineffectiveness and over design of current prestressed concrete sleepers. Recently the limit states design method, which appeared in the last century and has been already applied in the design of buildings, bridges, etc, is proposed as a better method for the design of prestressed concrete sleepers. The limit states design has significant advantages compared to the permissible stress design, such as the utilisation of the full strength of the member, and a rational analysis of the probabilities related to sleeper strength and applied loads. This research aims to apply the ultimate limit states design to the prestressed concrete sleeper, namely to obtain the load factors of both static and dynamic loads for the ultimate limit states design equations. However, the sleepers in rail tracks require different safety levels for different types of tracks, which mean the different types of tracks have different load factors of limit states design equations. Therefore, the core tasks of this research are to find the load factors of the static component and dynamic component of loads on track and the strength reduction factor of the sleeper bending strength for the ultimate limit states design equations for four main types of tracks, i.e., heavy haul, freight, medium speed passenger and high speed passenger tracks. To find those factors, the multiple samples of static loads, dynamic loads and their distributions are needed. In the four types of tracks, the heavy haul track has the measured data from Braeside Line (A heavy haul line in Central Queensland), and the distributions of both static and dynamic loads can be found from these data. The other three types of tracks have no measured data from sites and the experimental data are hardly available. In order to generate the data samples and obtain their distributions, the computer based simulations were employed and assumed the wheel-track impacts as induced by different sizes of wheel flats. A valid simulation package named DTrack was firstly employed to generate the dynamic loads for the freight and medium speed passenger tracks. However, DTrack is only valid for the tracks which carry low or medium speed vehicles. Therefore, a 3-D finite element (FE) model was then established for the wheel-track impact analysis of the high speed track. This FE model has been validated by comparing its simulation results with the DTrack simulation results, and with the results from traditional theoretical calculations based on the case of heavy haul track. Furthermore, the dynamic load data of the high speed track were obtained from the FE model and the distributions of both static and dynamic loads were extracted accordingly. All derived distributions of loads were fitted by appropriate functions. Through extrapolating those distributions, the important parameters of distributions for the static load induced sleeper bending moment and the extreme wheel-rail impact force induced sleeper dynamic bending moments and finally, the load factors, were obtained. Eventually, the load factors were obtained by the limit states design calibration based on reliability analyses with the derived distributions. After that, a sensitivity analysis was performed and the reliability of the achieved limit states design equations was confirmed. It has been found that the limit states design can be effectively applied to railway concrete sleepers. This research significantly contributes to railway engineering and the track safety area. It helps to decrease the failure and risks of track structure and accidents; better determines the load range for existing sleepers in track; better rates the strength of concrete sleepers to support bigger impact and loads on railway track; increases the reliability of the concrete sleepers and hugely saves investments on railway industries. Based on this research, many other bodies of research can be promoted in the future. Firstly, it has been found that the 3-D FE model is suitable for the study of track loadings and track structure vibrations. Secondly, the equations for serviceability and damageability limit states can be developed based on the concepts of limit states design equations of concrete sleepers obtained in this research, which are for the ultimate limit states.

Solitamente le tamponature vengono trascurate nella modellazione delle strutture a telaio in cemento armato e solamente il loro contributo in termini di massa viene preso in considerazione, assumendo che la resistenza e la rigidezza delle stesse non influiscano sulla risposta strutturale. Questa pratica è supportata dal fatto che (i) generalmente allo stato limite ultimo le tamponature si considerano completamente danneggiate e, quindi, il loro contributo in termini di rigidezza è trascurabile, mentre (ii) allo stato limite di danno il valore dello spostamento di interpiano, ottenuto trascurando il contributo di rigidezza delle tamponature, può essere considerato a favore di sicurezza. Tuttavia, per edifici di importanza strategica, quali scuole, ospedali, caserme delle forze dell’ordine e dei Vigili del Fuoco, è cruciale preservare le tamponature da qualsiasi danno, anche per terremoti di entità severa, in modo da garantire il normale utilizzo dell’edificio durante la gestione dell’emergenza. Inoltre, questi edifici a volte sono sismicamente protetti con sistemi e dispositivi (smorzatori, isolatori, ecc…) il cui progetto richiede che sia tenuto in considerazione il reale comportamento dinamico della struttura (in termini di frequenze e/o spostamenti e/o velocità). Per questo diventa cruciale modellare accuratamente l’intera struttura, includendo le tamponature, e validare questo modello così ottenuto sulla base dell’evidenza sperimentale. La tipologia delle pareti e le loro procedure costruttive sono fonte di incertezze nella modellazione delle interazioni tra la struttura e gli elementi non strutturali. Quindi, una valutazione sperimentale delle proprietà di rigidezza dei pannelli di tamponatura potrebbe essere molto utile per valutare, all’interno del modello strutturale adottato per il progetto, il contributo in termini di rigidezza fornito alla struttura in c.a. da questi elementi non strutturali. In questa tesi viene presentata una procedura per realizzare modelli globali agli elementi finiti accurati di edifici a telaio in c.a. tamponati, basandosi su risultati ottenuti da analisi modali sperimentali e operative sviluppate rispettivamente su elementi non strutturali e sull’intero edificio. In particolare, sono stati eseguiti test di impatto con martello strumentato su pareti omogenee per identificarne i parametri modali (frequenze e forme modali) e per stimarne le proprietà meccaniche. Dopo di che, le tamponature sono state inserite nel modello strutturale globale agli elementi finiti, i cui parametri modali vengono confrontati con quelli derivanti da analisi modali operative basate su misurazioni di vibrazioni ambientali per valutarne l’accuratezza. In seguito, è stata condotta una campagna sperimentale su tre provini di tamponatura costruiti all’interno del Laboratorio di Prove di Materiali e Strutture della Facoltà di Ingegneria dell’Università Politecnica delle Marche. Questi provini sono stati realizzati con l’intento di riprodurre le caratteristiche di alcune delle tamponature testate in sito e su di essi vengono svolte prove sia dinamiche che statiche. Innanzi tutto, sono stati effettuati test ad impatto con martello strumentato per investigarne il comportamento dinamico fuori dal piano; successivamente sono state svolte prove di spinta laterale per investigare il comportamento statico nel piano dei pannelli soggetti a bassi livelli di forze orizzontali. I risultati sperimentali ottenuti sono stati utilizzati per calibrare modelli agli elementi finiti dei provini al fine di valutare l’esattezza delle proprietà meccaniche delle tamponature stimate in precedenza e secondo diversi approcci.
Infill walls are commonly disregarded in the modelling of reinforced concrete (r.c.) frame structures and only their contribution in terms of mass is taken into account assuming that resistance and stiffness do not affect the structural response. This practice is supported by the fact that (i) at ultimate limit state infill walls are usually considered to be completely damaged, so that their contribution is negligible in terms of stiffness, while (ii) at the damage limitation limit state the value of the interstorey drift, obtained by neglecting the infill walls stiffness contribution, is commonly considered to be conservative. However, for strategic buildings, such as schools, hospitals, police and fire stations, it is crucial to preserve the infill walls from any damage, even for severe earthquake, in order to guarantee the building occupancy during the emergency management. Furthermore, these buildings are sometimes seismically protected with system and devices (dampers, isolators, etc…) whose design requires the real dynamic behaviour of the structure (in terms of frequencies and/or displacements and/or velocities) to be considered. To this purpose, it becomes crucial to accurately model the entire structure, including infill walls, and to validate this model on the basis of experimental evidences. The wall typology and the construction procedures are source of uncertainties in modelling interactions between structural and non-structural components. Thus, an experimental evaluation of the stiffness properties of the wall infill panel could be very useful to assess the stiffening contribution added by the infill masonry walls to the concrete frame in the structural model adopted for the design. In this thesis is presented a procedure for developing accurate global finite element (f.e.) models of infilled r.c. frame buildings based on results of experimental an operational modal analysis of non-structural components and of the whole buildings. In particular, impact load tests with an instrumented hammer are performed on homogeneous wall panels to identify the modal parameters (frequency and mode shapes) and to estimate the mechanical properties of the masonry walls. Afterwards, the infill walls are included in the f.e. structural model, whose modal parameters are compared with those derived with operational modal analysis based on ambient vibration measurements. Furthermore, an experimental campaign on three specimens of infill masonry walls built in the Laboratory of Materials and Structures of the Faculty of Engineering at the Università Politecnica delle Marche is conducted. These specimens are built with the target to reproduce the features of some of the in situ investigated infill walls and are tested both dynamically and statically. First of all, impact load tests with an instrumented hammer are performed to investigate the out of plane dynamic behaviour of these walls; then, lateral load tests are carried out to investigate the in plane static behaviour of the panel under low level of lateral forces. The experimental results obtained are used to calibrate f.e. models of the specimens with the aim to evaluate the reliability of the masonry mechanical properties estimated through different approaches.

One method to increase efficiency, robustness and accuracy of automatic control, is to introduce mathematical models of the system in question to increase performance. With these models, it is possible to predict the behavior of the system, which enables control according to the predictions. The problem here is that if these models do not describe the dynamics of the system well enough, this method could fail to increase performance. To address this problem, one idea is to estimate the dynamics of the system during operation, using methods for system identification, signal processing and sensor fusion. In this thesis, the possibilities of estimating a ship's dynamics during operation have been investigated. The mathematical model describing the dynamics of the ship is a graybox model, which is based on the physical and mechanical relations. This model's properties are therefore described by physical quantities such as mass and moment of inertia, all of which are unknown. This means that, when estimating the model, these physical properties will be estimated. For a systematic approach, first a simulation environment with a 4-degrees-of-freedom ship model has been developed. This environment has been used for validation of system identification methods. A model of a podded propulsion system has also been derived and validated. The methods for estimating the properties of the ship have been analyzed using the data collected from the simulations. For system identification and estimation of ship properties, the influence of measurement noise and potential of detecting a change in dynamics has been analyzed. This has been done through Monte Carlo simulations of the estimation method with different noise realizations in the simulations, to analyze how the measurement noise affects the variance and bias for the estimates. The results show that variance and bias vary a lot between the parameters and that even a small change in dynamics is visible in some parameter estimates when only ten minutes of data have been used. A method based on cumulative summation (CUSUM) has been proposed and validated to analyze if such a method could yield fast and effective detection of system deviations. The results show that the method is rather effective a with robust detection of changes in the dynamics after about four minutes of data collection. Finally, the methods have been validated on data collected on a real ship to analyze the potential of the methods under actual circumstances. The results show that the particular data is not appropriate for this kind of application along with some additional problems that can yield impaired results.
Genom att inkludera matematiska modeller som beskriver ett systems dynamik i styrningsalgoritmer, kan man åstadkomma en automatisk styrning med förbättrad effektivitet, robusthet och noggrannhet. Med dessa modeller går det att förutsäga beteendet hos systemet och därmed öppnas också möjligheten att använda sig av detta i styrningen. Problemet är att om dessa modeller inte beskriver systemets dynamik tillräckligt bra kan prestandan istället sänkas genom dessa metoder. Den här sortens problem kan man lösa genom att aktivt skatta systemets dynamik under körning, med hjälp av metoder för systemidentifiering, signalbehandling och sensorfusion. I denna exjobbsrapport har möjligheterna att skatta ett skepps girdynamik undersökts. Den matematiska modell som beskriver skeppets dynamik är en grålådemodell som baserar sig på fysikaliska och mekaniska samband. Denna modells egenskaper beskrivs därför av fysikaliska storheter så som massa, tröghetsmoment och tyngdpunkt, vilka alla är okända. Detta innebär att vid modellskattning skattas dessa fysikaliska storheter, vilka kan vara av stort intresse. En simuleringsmiljö med en skeppsmodell med fyra frihetsgrader har skapats och använts för att validera metoder för systemidentifiering. En modell av ett roterbart framdrivningssystem har också härletts och inkluderats i simuleringsmodellen. Vid systemidentifiering och skattning av skeppets egenskaper har dels inverkan av mätbrus analyserats samt även möjligheter till att detektera skillnader i dynamik. Detta har gjorts med Monte Carlo-simuleringar av skattningsmetoden med olika brusrealiseringar för att analysera hur mätbrus påverkar variansen och metodfelet hos skattningarna. Resultaten visar att vissa parametrar skattas med större noggrannhet och hos dessa kan därmed en förändring i dynamik identifieras när endast tio minuter av data har använts. En metod baserad på kumulativ summering av residualer har formulerats och validerats, detta för att undersöka om en sådan metod kan ge snabb och effektiv detektion av systemförändringar. Resultat visar på robusthet i att detektera skillnader i dynamik efter ungefär fyra minuter av datainsamling. Slutligen har metoderna validerats på data insamlad på ett riktigt skepp för att undersöka potentialen under verkliga omständigheter. Resultaten visar att just denna data inte är lämplig för denna applikation samt några problem som kan leda till försämrade resultat.

Дисертація на здобуття наукового ступеня кандидата технічних наук за спеціальністю 05.15.04 «Шахтне та підземне будівництво». – ДВНЗ «Національ-ний гірничий університет», Дніпропетровськ, 2012.
Диссертация на соискание ученой степени кандидата технических наук по специальности 05.15.04 «Шахтное и подземное строительство». – ГВУЗ «Национальный горный университет», Днепропетровск, 2012.
Thesis for obtaining scientific degree of candidate of technical sciences by speciality 05.15.04 – «Mining and underground construction». – State Institution of Higher Education «National Mining University», Dnipropetrovs’k, 2012.
Дисертацію присвячено розв’язанню актуального науково-технічного завдання обґрунтування параметрів прогонових будов поверхні шахт з урахуванням переходу на полегшені огороджувальні конструкції на підставі закономірностей зміни динамічних характеристик. Результати комп’ютерного моделювання методом скінченних елементів та теоретичних розрахунків дозволили проаналізувати динамічні процеси у прогонових будовах галерей і встановити закономірності порушення їх міцності. Отримані експериментальним шляхом динамічні характеристики прогонових будов використано для оцінювання міцності, стійкості та витривалості динамічно навантажених конструкцій прогонових будов. Закономірності, отримані в результаті комп’ютерного моделювання динамічних процесів галерей, використано для розробки рекомендацій з визначення ширини резонансної зони та величини коефіцієнта динамічності прогонових будов у комплексі будівель і споруд поверхні шахт гірничодобувних підприємств Криворізького басейну за умови переходу на полегшені огороджувальні конструкції.
Диссертация посвящена решению актуальной научно-технической задачи обоснования параметров пролетных строений поверхности шахт с учетом перехода на облегченные ограждающие конструкции на основе закономерностей изменения динамических характеристик. В работе выполнен системный анализ современного состояния и основных тенденций развития проектирования пролетных строений на поверхности горнодобывающих предприятий. Для моделирования напряженно-деформированного состояния пролетных строений был использован вычислительный комплекс SCAD, широко используемый в практике инженерного анализа как в Украине, так и за рубежом. Проверка аналитических методов расчета методом конечных элементов в программе SCAD для ряда математических моделей показал, что принятые допущения, используемые в моделях в аналитическом методе, не оказывают значительного влияния на характер поведения и численные значения амплитудно-частотных характеристик. Результаты компьютерного моделирования методом конечных элементов и теоретических расчетов позволили проанализировать динамические процессы в пролетных строениях галерей и установить закономерности нарушения их прочности. Выполнены экспериментальные исследования напряженно-деформированного состояния пролетных строений в комплексе зданий и сооружений поверхности шахт горнодобывающих предприятий Криворожского бассейна. Полученные экспериментальным путем динамические характеристики пролетных строений использованы для оценки прочности, устойчивости и выносливости динамично нагруженных конструкций пролетных строений. Закономерности, полученные в результате компьютерного моделирования динамических процессов, использованы для разработки рекомендаций по определению ширины резонансной зоны и величины коэффициента динамичности пролетных строений в условиях перехода на облегченные ограждающие конструкции. На основании впервые установленных закономерностей изменения амплитудно-частотных характеристик пролетных строений от различного характера внешних нагрузок и геометрических параметров ограждающих конструкций решена актуальная научная задача установления закономерностей изменения жесткости и частот собственных колебаний галерей при условии перехода на облегченные ограждающие конструкции. Сопоставление теоретических и экспериментальных результатов производилось на основании сравнения частот колебаний, максимальных перемещений. Установленное удовлетворительное соответствие этих факторов является достаточным для вывода о достоверности математической модели. Внедрение эффективных ограждающих конструкций пролетных строений на основе использования разработанных рекомендаций по определению рациональной массы пролетного строения позволяет получить экономический эффект на одной транспортерной галереи 299 тыс. грн.
Thesis is devoted to the urgent scientific and technical problem explanation analysis of span structures on the mines surface characteristics with account of transition to eased cladding structures on the basis of dynamic characteristic principles. Computer simulations results by finite elements and theoretical calculation methods allowed analyzing the dynamic processes in span structures galleries and establishing principles of its strength defection. Experimentally obtained dynamic processes in span structures are used for strength, resistibility, endurance evaluation of dynamically loaded span structures. Obtained results based on the results of dynamic processes in galleries structures are used for recommendation formulation to determine the resonance zone width and dynamic index value of span structures under conditions of transition to eased cladding structures. Implementation of effective cladding structures of span structures allows reducing the cost of span structures reconstruction an average of 10…20 %.

Etude experimentale sur les alliages al-li soumis a des essais de traction et de compression pour des vitesses de deformation comprises entre 10**(-4) et 310**(3) s**(-1) et de 10**(-3) a 210**(3) s**(-1) respectivement. Auparavant ces alliages ont ete traites thermiquement. Analyse de la sensibilite a la vitesse de deformation. Influence du mecanisme d'activation thermique sur le processus de deformation. Determination du mode de rupture. Analyse des facies de rupture pour les echantillons deformes en traction et de la formation des cellules de dislocation dans ceux deformes en compression. Simulation numerique du processus de penetration a grande vitesse d'une cible mince par un projectile circulaire en utilisant un modele de fluide elasto-plastique. Comparaison avec des resultats experimentaux

碩士
國立臺灣海洋大學
系統工程暨造船學系
93
The airbag has been widely used as a cushioning device in the automobile industry. In this study an approach is proposed to design an airbag in isolating the impact load by varying outlet area of the exiting gas. The physical model for analyzing the airbag’s system is proposed. The governing equations of the impact load on airbag and airbag isolating system are derived by using the conservation of mass, the momentum equation and the energy equation. Results of numerical simulation of the governing equations of the airbag system show that an airbag behaves like a spring mass system as the gas outlet area becomes smaller. As the gas outlet area increases, the behavior of the mass spring system is rapidly diminished. Results of numerical simulation show that the influence of the gas outlet area is the most parameter of the airbag system. If the time rate of change of the outlet area is designed properly, the airbag can be used to decelerate an impact load within a desired time and way of motion. The most significant contribution of the present study is that a method for controlling the outlet area of an airbag for efficiently reducing the impact load to a small terminal velocity is obtained.

A procedure for improved nonlinear analysis of reinforced concrete (RC) slab and shell structures is presented. The finite element program developed employs a layered thick-shell formulation which considers out-of-plane (through-thickness) shear forces, a feature which makes it notably different from most shell analysis programs. Previous versions were of limited use due to their inabilities to accurately capture out-of-plane shear failures, and because analyses were restricted to force-controlled monotonic loading conditions. The research comprising this thesis focuses on addressing these limitations, and implementing new analysis features extending the range of structures and loading conditions that can be considered. Contributions toward the redevelopment of the program include: i) a new solution algorithm for out-of-plane shear, ii) modelling of cracked RC in accordance with the Disturbed Stress Field Model, iii) the addition of fibre-reinforced concrete (FRC) modelling capabilities, and iv) the addition of cyclic and dynamic analysis capabilities. The accuracy of the program was verified using test specimens presented in the literature spanning various member types and loading conditions. The new program features are shown to enhance modelling capabilities and provide accurate assessments of shear-critical structures. An experimental program consisting of RC and FRC slab specimens under dynamic loading conditions was performed. Eight intermediate-scale slabs were constructed and tested to failure under sequential high-mass low-velocity impact. The data from the testing program were used to verify the dynamic and FRC modelling procedures developed, and to contribute to a research area which is currently limited in the database of literature: the global response of RC and FRC elements under impact. Test results showed that the FRC was effective in increasing capacity, reducing crack widths and spacings, and mitigating local damage under impact. Analyses of the slabs showed that high accuracy estimates can be obtained for RC and FRC elements under impact using basic modelling techniques and simple finite element meshes.

Evaluation of the performance of a product and its components under impact loading is one of the key considerations in design. In order to assess resistance to damage or ability to absorb energy through plastic deformation of a structural component, impact testing is often carried out to obtain the 'Force - Displacement' response of the deformed component. In this context, it may be noted that load cells and accelerometers are commonly used as sensors for capturing impact responses. A drop-weight impact testing set-up consisting of a moving impactor head with a lightweight piezoresistive accelerometer and a strain gage based compression load cell mounted on it is used to carry out the impact tests. The basic objective of the present study is to assess the accuracy of responses recorded by the said transducers, when these are mounted on a moving impactor head. In the present work, a novel approach of theoretically evaluating the responses obtained from this drop-weight impact testing set-up for different axially loaded specimen has been executed with the formulation of an equivalent lumped parameter model (LPM) of the test set-up. For the most common configuration of a moving impactor head mounted load cell system in which dynamic load is transferred from the impactor head to the load cell, a quantitative assessment is made of the possible discrepancy that can result in load cell response. Initially, a 3-DOF (degrees-of-freedom) LPM is considered to represent a given impact testing set-up with the test specimen represented with a nonlinear spring. Both the load cell and the accelerometer are represented with linear springs, while the impacting unit comprising an impactor head (hammer) and a main body with the load cell in between are modelled as rigid masses. An experimentally obtained force-displacement response is assumed to be a nearly true behaviour of a specimen. By specifying an impact velocity to the rigid masses as an initial condition, numerical solution of the governing differential equations is obtained using Implicit (Newmark-beta) and Explicit (Central difference) time integration techniques. It can be seen that the model accurately reproduces the input load-displacement behaviour of the nonlinear spring corresponding to the tested component, ensuring the accuracy of these numerical methods. The nonlinear spring representing the test specimen is approximated in a piecewise linear manner and the solution strategy adopted and implemented in the form of a MATLAB script is shown to yield excellent reproduction of the assumed load-displacement behaviour of the test specimen. This prediction also establishes the accuracy of the numerical approach employed in solving the LPM system. However, the spring representing the load cell yields a response that qualitatively matches the assumed input load-displacement response of the test specimen with a lower magnitude of peak load. The accelerometer, it appears, may be capable of predicting more closely the load experienced by a specimen provided an appropriate mass of the impactor system i.e. impacting unit, is chosen as the multiplier for the acceleration response. Error between input and computed (simulated) responses is quantified in terms of root mean square error (RMSE). The present study additionally throws light on the dependence of time step of integration on numerical results. For obtaining consistent results, estimation of critical time step (increment) is crucial in conditionally stable central difference method. The effect of the parameters of the impact testing set-up on the accuracy of the predicted responses has been studied for different combinations of main impactor mass and load cell stiffness. It has been found that the load cell response is oscillatory in nature which points out to the need for suitable filtering for obtaining the necessary smooth variation of axial impact load with respect to time as well as deformation. Accelerometer response also shows undulations which can similarly be observed in the experimental results as well. An appropriate standard SAE-J211 filter which is a low-pass Butterworth filter has been used to remove oscillations from the computed responses. A load cell is quite capable of predicting the nature of transient response of an impacted specimen when it is part of the impacting unit, but it may substantially under-predict the magnitudes of peak loads. All the above mentioned analysis for a 3 DOF model have been performed for thin-walled tubular specimens made of mild steel (hat-section), an aluminium alloy (square cross-section) and a glass fibre-reinforced composite (circular cross-section), thus confirming the generality of the inferences drawn on the computed responses. Further, results obtained using explicit and implicit methodologies are compared for three specimens, to find the effect, if any, on numerical solution procedure on the conclusions drawn. The present study has been further used for investigating the effects of input parameters (i.e. stiffness and mass of the system components, and impact velocity) on the computed results of transducers. Such an investigation can be beneficial in designing an impact testing set-up as well as transducers for recording impact responses. Next, the previous 3 DOF model representing the impact testing set-up has been extended to a 5 DOF model to show that additional refinement of the original 3 DOF model does not substantially alter the inferences drawn based on it. In the end, oscillations observed in computed load cell responses are analysed by computing natural frequencies for the 3 DOF lumped parameter model. To conclude the present study, a 2 DOF LPM of the given impact testing set-up with no load cell has been investigated and the frequency of oscillations in the accelerometer response is seen to increase corresponding to the mounting resonance frequency of the accelerometer. In order to explore the merits of alternative impact testing set-ups, LPMs have been formulated to idealize test configurations in which the load cell is arranged to come into direct contact with the specimen under impact, although the accelerometer is still mounted on the moving impactor head. One such arrangement is to have the load cell mounted stationary on the base under the specimen and another is to mount the load cell on the moving impactor head such that the load cell directly impacts the specimen. It is once again observed that both these models accurately reproduce the input load-displacement behaviour of the nonlinear spring corresponding to the tested component confirming the validity of the model. In contrast to the previous set-up which included a moving load cell not coming into contact with the specimen, the spring representing the load cell in these present cases yields a response that more closely matches the assumed input load-displacement response of a test specimen suggesting that the load cell coming into direct contact with the specimen can result in a more reliable measurement of the actual dynamic response. However, in practice, direct contact of the load cell with the specimen under impact loading is likely to damage the transducer, and hence needs to be mounted on the moving head, resulting in a loss of accuracy, which can be theoretically estimated and corrected by the methodology investigated in this work.

Evaluation of the performance of a product and its components under impact loading is one of the key considerations in design. In order to assess resistance to damage or ability to absorb energy through plastic deformation of a structural component, impact testing is often carried out to obtain the 'Force - Displacement' response of the deformed component. In this context, it may be noted that load cells and accelerometers are commonly used as sensors for capturing impact responses. A drop-weight impact testing set-up consisting of a moving impactor head with a lightweight piezoresistive accelerometer and a strain gage based compression load cell mounted on it is used to carry out the impact tests. The basic objective of the present study is to assess the accuracy of responses recorded by the said transducers, when these are mounted on a moving impactor head. In the present work, a novel approach of theoretically evaluating the responses obtained from this drop-weight impact testing set-up for different axially loaded specimen has been executed with the formulation of an equivalent lumped parameter model (LPM) of the test set-up. For the most common configuration of a moving impactor head mounted load cell system in which dynamic load is transferred from the impactor head to the load cell, a quantitative assessment is made of the possible discrepancy that can result in load cell response. Initially, a 3-DOF (degrees-of-freedom) LPM is considered to represent a given impact testing set-up with the test specimen represented with a nonlinear spring. Both the load cell and the accelerometer are represented with linear springs, while the impacting unit comprising an impactor head (hammer) and a main body with the load cell in between are modelled as rigid masses. An experimentally obtained force-displacement response is assumed to be a nearly true behaviour of a specimen. By specifying an impact velocity to the rigid masses as an initial condition, numerical solution of the governing differential equations is obtained using Implicit (Newmark-beta) and Explicit (Central difference) time integration techniques. It can be seen that the model accurately reproduces the input load-displacement behaviour of the nonlinear spring corresponding to the tested component, ensuring the accuracy of these numerical methods. The nonlinear spring representing the test specimen is approximated in a piecewise linear manner and the solution strategy adopted and implemented in the form of a MATLAB script is shown to yield excellent reproduction of the assumed load-displacement behaviour of the test specimen. This prediction also establishes the accuracy of the numerical approach employed in solving the LPM system. However, the spring representing the load cell yields a response that qualitatively matches the assumed input load-displacement response of the test specimen with a lower magnitude of peak load. The accelerometer, it appears, may be capable of predicting more closely the load experienced by a specimen provided an appropriate mass of the impactor system i.e. impacting unit, is chosen as the multiplier for the acceleration response. Error between input and computed (simulated) responses is quantified in terms of root mean square error (RMSE). The present study additionally throws light on the dependence of time step of integration on numerical results. For obtaining consistent results, estimation of critical time step (increment) is crucial in conditionally stable central difference method. The effect of the parameters of the impact testing set-up on the accuracy of the predicted responses has been studied for different combinations of main impactor mass and load cell stiffness. It has been found that the load cell response is oscillatory in nature which points out to the need for suitable filtering for obtaining the necessary smooth variation of axial impact load with respect to time as well as deformation. Accelerometer response also shows undulations which can similarly be observed in the experimental results as well. An appropriate standard SAE-J211 filter which is a low-pass Butterworth filter has been used to remove oscillations from the computed responses. A load cell is quite capable of predicting the nature of transient response of an impacted specimen when it is part of the impacting unit, but it may substantially under-predict the magnitudes of peak loads. All the above mentioned analysis for a 3 DOF model have been performed for thin-walled tubular specimens made of mild steel (hat-section), an aluminium alloy (square cross-section) and a glass fibre-reinforced composite (circular cross-section), thus confirming the generality of the inferences drawn on the computed responses. Further, results obtained using explicit and implicit methodologies are compared for three specimens, to find the effect, if any, on numerical solution procedure on the conclusions drawn. The present study has been further used for investigating the effects of input parameters (i.e. stiffness and mass of the system components, and impact velocity) on the computed results of transducers. Such an investigation can be beneficial in designing an impact testing set-up as well as transducers for recording impact responses. Next, the previous 3 DOF model representing the impact testing set-up has been extended to a 5 DOF model to show that additional refinement of the original 3 DOF model does not substantially alter the inferences drawn based on it. In the end, oscillations observed in computed load cell responses are analysed by computing natural frequencies for the 3 DOF lumped parameter model. To conclude the present study, a 2 DOF LPM of the given impact testing set-up with no load cell has been investigated and the frequency of oscillations in the accelerometer response is seen to increase corresponding to the mounting resonance frequency of the accelerometer. In order to explore the merits of alternative impact testing set-ups, LPMs have been formulated to idealize test configurations in which the load cell is arranged to come into direct contact with the specimen under impact, although the accelerometer is still mounted on the moving impactor head. One such arrangement is to have the load cell mounted stationary on the base under the specimen and another is to mount the load cell on the moving impactor head such that the load cell directly impacts the specimen. It is once again observed that both these models accurately reproduce the input load-displacement behaviour of the nonlinear spring corresponding to the tested component confirming the validity of the model. In contrast to the previous set-up which included a moving load cell not coming into contact with the specimen, the spring representing the load cell in these present cases yields a response that more closely matches the assumed input load-displacement response of a test specimen suggesting that the load cell coming into direct contact with the specimen can result in a more reliable measurement of the actual dynamic response. However, in practice, direct contact of the load cell with the specimen under impact loading is likely to damage the transducer, and hence needs to be mounted on the moving head, resulting in a loss of accuracy, which can be theoretically estimated and corrected by the methodology investigated in this work.

In the present work, experimental and numerical investigations into the load-displacement responses of a human lumbar Truncated Vertebral Unit (TVU) under quasi-static and impact loading conditions have been carried out for aiding in the design of orthopaedic implants and countermeasures for vehicle occupant and pedestrian safety. TVU samples obtained from the lumbar spinal column of an adult human male cadaver were initially subjected to quasi-static compressive tests. Impact tests were then conducted on a similar TVU sample in a drop-weight testing device instrumented with a piezoelectric load cell and a high-speed data acquisition system. An explicit nonlinear finite element model of the TVU was developed for predicting the experimental quasi-static and impact dynamic responses. Using the validated modelling approach mentioned, insights have been generated on adjoining vertebral stresses due to disc arthroplasty, and single and multi-level disc fusions as well as posterior fusions with and without posterior instrumentation. The numerical study is further extended to another crucial orthopaedic domain i.e. the assessment of the performance of variants of TKR (Total Knee Replacement) implants under ISO-specified dynamic gait cycle. In the latter investigation, a detailed and realistic finite element model of a representative human knee complex was developed by capturing relevant tissues such as femoral and tibial bones, medial and lateral collateral ligaments, and the components of a typical TKR implant including femoral component, tibial tray and UHMWPE (Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene) insert. Substantive contribution has been made in the current research work towards assessment of vehicle occupant and pedestrian safety by applying the previously mentioned advanced finite element modelling approaches for representing complex vehicle structures, anthropomorphic test devices (commonly called as “dummies”), and pedestrian leg-forms. To this end, keeping in mind computational efficiency and need for optimization, a truncated finite element modelling approach capable of predicting the occupant response for a passenger car subject to a full-frontal US-NCAP test has been developed. Using the modelling tools mentioned and a nonlinear explicit LS-DYNA solver, it has been shown that meeting pedestrian safety standards need not be an isolated exercise of designing the front bumper of a vehicle only but can be combined with meeting NCAP occupant safety requirements leading to weight reduction of the front structure of a vehicle with gages of parts such as front rails in addition to bumper parts being included as design variables. For the first time, with the help of a comparative study carried out with a Hybrid 3 dummy and detailed biomechanical models of human lower extremity, the susceptibility of knees with TKR implants to periprosthetic injuries during frontal collisions has been demonstrated pointing out to a need for higher knee-protection countermeasures in vehicles.

碩士
逢甲大學
土木工程學系
102
Transportation construction is a crucial indicator of the economic development of a country. Excellent transportation system planning enhances the convenience of transportation and substantially benefits national economy. All processes involving material logistics, supplying resources, and product delivery rely on a comprehensive transportation system. Therefore, bridge construction is essential in transportation construction projects, and bridge designs are the crucial basis of bridge constructions. In this study, we examined the impact load of various factors on bridge girders and investigated five factors, namely the structural system of bridges (simply supported single-span beams and two-span continuous beams), span distance, wheelbase between the central and rear wheels of a standard HS20-44 truck, truck speed, and damping ratio. Subsequently, finite element analysis software (SAP2000) was adopted to establish a series of bridge girder models. Finally, the impact coefficients obtained in this study were used to investigate the impact load of dynamic vehicles on bridge girders. The results indicated that the impact coefficients were proportional to span distance and the wheelbase and speed of the truck. Furthermore, the models developed in this study conformed to the impact coefficient regulations stipulated in the bridge design specification for highways.

This paper identifies the role of exchange rate movements as well as exchange rate volatility as determinants of non-performing loans (NPLs) using panel data across 62 countries from 2000 to 2014. Dynamic panel data estimations suggest that a depreciation of the domestic currency has a negative effect on NPLs: The results indicate that negative balance sheet effects generally outweigh gains in competitiveness in international markets. Exchange rate volatility, as a measure of uncertainty towards exchange rate movements, has a statistically significant and strong impact on default ratios. The estimation technique accounts for possible concerns of endogeneity, reverse causality and omitted variable bias. The results are robust to various specifications and a subsample of emerging markets only.

Foreign aid has been used on the one hand by donors as an important international relations policy tool and on the other hand by developing countries as a source of funds for development. Since its inception in the 1940s, foreign aid has been one of the most researched topics in development economics. This study adds to this growing aid effectiveness literature, with a particular focus on the under-researched relationship between foreign aid and extreme poverty. The main empirical assessment is based on a sample of 120 developing countries from 1981 to 2013. The study had two main objectives, namely: (i) to estimate the impact of foreign aid on poverty reduction and (ii) to examine the direction of causality between foreign aid and poverty in developing countries. From these two broad objectives, there are six specific objectives, which include to: (i) examine the overall impact of foreign aid (total official development assistance) on extreme poverty, (ii) investigate the impact of different proxies of foreign aid on the three proxies of extreme poverty, (iii) assess whether political freedom (democracy) or economic freedom enhances the effectiveness of foreign aid, (iv) compare the impact of foreign aid on extreme poverty by developing country income groups, and (v) examine the direction of causality between extreme poverty and foreign aid. To achieve these objectives, the study employed two main dynamic panel data econometric estimation methods, namely the systemgeneralised method of moments (SGMM) technique and the panel vector error correction model (VECM) Granger causality framework. While the SGMM was used to assess the impact of foreign aid on extreme poverty, the panel VECM Granger causality was used to examine the direction of causality between foreign aid poverty. The SGMM was used because of its ability to deal with endogeneity by controlling for simultaneity and unobserved heterogeneity, whereas the panel VECM was preferred because the variables were stationary and cointegrated.
Economics
D. Phil. (Economics)

Rotating blades, which are the most critical components of any turbo-machinery, need to be designed to withstand forced vibrations due to accidental tip rub impact against inner surface of casing. These vibrations are typically dependent on operating conditions and geometric parameters. In the current study, a rotor test rig with a maximum tip speed capability of 144 km/hr has been developed for studying the dynamic behavior of representative jet engine compressor blades actuated by the closure of clearance between the tip of a given rotating blade and a sector of the inner lining of the casing. Ten different blade profiles are chosen in the present research. The blades are obtained by lofting NACA GOE123 airfoil cross-section along different stacking axes. Rotor test rigs which simulate transient dynamic events require high frequency data acquisition systems like slip ring arrangement or telemetric transmission. While slip rings introduce noise into the signal, the telemetric transmission works out to be rather expensive. To circumvent the stated shortcomings of data acquisition systems, a novel rotor-mounted data acquisition system has been implemented here which captures dynamic strains in vibrating blades during operation. The current data acquisition system can store data for duration of five seconds with a sampling rate of 35 kHz. It has been calibrated with four standard tests, and provides a simple and efficient mode of data capturing. Three blades with airfoil sections (a flat beam-type blade of uniform rectangular cross-section, a blade with twisted cross-sections stacked along a straight line, and a blade similar to the latter but with a curved stacking axis) are tested under controlled rub conditions at four different speeds. The maximum test speed is restricted to 800 rpm for reasons of safety although the set-up is designed to operate up to a maximum speed of 2000 rpm. For each of the rotor speeds, a blade is tested for three to four different stagger angles in the range of 0o-30o. By plotting the RMS values of measured dynamic responses with respect to stagger angle for a given rotor speed, it has been observed, perhaps for the first time in published literature, that a stagger angle of around 20o yields the maximum RMS value of strain response. A major objective of the current study has been to utilize the data generated in the tip rub impact tests for validating a predictive numerical model of the test set-up using explicit finite element analysis. To this end, a finite element model of the rotor rig inclusive of a rotor with two blades and the static frame structure is developed and analyzed using an explicit LS-DYNA solver. This model is calibrated with the test results of the three blade designs described above. In particular, it has been shown that the frequency contents of the measured dynamic strain responses agree quite well with frequencies obtained from the numerically computed responses. It has been found in the experimental responses that a given blade vibrates with two main frequencies: one corresponding to the first natural frequency of the rotor-blade system during the tip-rubbing phase (which lasts until the blade tip is in contact with the rub element which is a sector of the circular casing), and another corresponding to the first natural frequency of the blade when it vibrates freely without its tip being in contact with the rub-liner of the casing. A shortcoming of the current modeling approach is its inability to realistically represent the damping behaviors observed in the tests. For reasons of computational efficiency and consistent with the fact that there was no perceptible damage in the tested blades, an elastic constitutive behavior is specified for the blades, while the sacrificial PVC rub-liner is assumed to behave elasto-plastically. A limited study has also been carried out by assigning an elasto-plastic constitutive model to one of the blades previously represented with elastic properties only, and although incipient yielding is observed in a highly localized region at the tip of a blade (which can also be a numerical artifact), the responses under the two material behavior considerations (i.e. elastic and elasto-plastic) are found to be nearly same. Finally, this validated modeling approach is applied to the study of blades of ten distinct geometric profiles (including the three configurations already considered) at a speed of 800 rpm and the resonant speed of a given blade. Comparisons are made between the relevant responses (such as time-histories of root strain, shaft torque, blade axial displacement, bearing load and rub force) of nine blades with airfoil cross-sections (leaving aside the results for the first blade of rectangular cross-section which is only of academic interest). Based on this study, of all the blade designs, it has been found that the curve-stacked airfoils exhibit better ‘Rub-tolerant’ behavior. Both experimental and simulation results have predominantly proven the fact that adding curvature to a straight stacked blade through curve-stacked or bow result in reducing the rub induced vibration. While sweep and bow provide some aerodynamic advantages, they are not much helpful in containing the vibrations to a sustainable extent.

Rotating blades, which are the most critical components of any turbo-machinery, need to be designed to withstand forced vibrations due to accidental tip rub impact against inner surface of casing. These vibrations are typically dependent on operating conditions and geometric parameters. In the current study, a rotor test rig with a maximum tip speed capability of 144 km/hr has been developed for studying the dynamic behavior of representative jet engine compressor blades actuated by the closure of clearance between the tip of a given rotating blade and a sector of the inner lining of the casing. Ten different blade profiles are chosen in the present research. The blades are obtained by lofting NACA GOE123 airfoil cross-section along different stacking axes. Rotor test rigs which simulate transient dynamic events require high frequency data acquisition systems like slip ring arrangement or telemetric transmission. While slip rings introduce noise into the signal, the telemetric transmission works out to be rather expensive. To circumvent the stated shortcomings of data acquisition systems, a novel rotor-mounted data acquisition system has been implemented here which captures dynamic strains in vibrating blades during operation. The current data acquisition system can store data for duration of five seconds with a sampling rate of 35 kHz. It has been calibrated with four standard tests, and provides a simple and efficient mode of data capturing. Three blades with airfoil sections (a flat beam-type blade of uniform rectangular cross-section, a blade with twisted cross-sections stacked along a straight line, and a blade similar to the latter but with a curved stacking axis) are tested under controlled rub conditions at four different speeds. The maximum test speed is restricted to 800 rpm for reasons of safety although the set-up is designed to operate up to a maximum speed of 2000 rpm. For each of the rotor speeds, a blade is tested for three to four different stagger angles in the range of 0o-30o. By plotting the RMS values of measured dynamic responses with respect to stagger angle for a given rotor speed, it has been observed, perhaps for the first time in published literature, that a stagger angle of around 20o yields the maximum RMS value of strain response. A major objective of the current study has been to utilize the data generated in the tip rub impact tests for validating a predictive numerical model of the test set-up using explicit finite element analysis. To this end, a finite element model of the rotor rig inclusive of a rotor with two blades and the static frame structure is developed and analyzed using an explicit LS-DYNA solver. This model is calibrated with the test results of the three blade designs described above. In particular, it has been shown that the frequency contents of the measured dynamic strain responses agree quite well with frequencies obtained from the numerically computed responses. It has been found in the experimental responses that a given blade vibrates with two main frequencies: one corresponding to the first natural frequency of the rotor-blade system during the tip-rubbing phase (which lasts until the blade tip is in contact with the rub element which is a sector of the circular casing), and another corresponding to the first natural frequency of the blade when it vibrates freely without its tip being in contact with the rub-liner of the casing. A shortcoming of the current modeling approach is its inability to realistically represent the damping behaviors observed in the tests. For reasons of computational efficiency and consistent with the fact that there was no perceptible damage in the tested blades, an elastic constitutive behavior is specified for the blades, while the sacrificial PVC rub-liner is assumed to behave elasto-plastically. A limited study has also been carried out by assigning an elasto-plastic constitutive model to one of the blades previously represented with elastic properties only, and although incipient yielding is observed in a highly localized region at the tip of a blade (which can also be a numerical artifact), the responses under the two material behavior considerations (i.e. elastic and elasto-plastic) are found to be nearly same. Finally, this validated modeling approach is applied to the study of blades of ten distinct geometric profiles (including the three configurations already considered) at a speed of 800 rpm and the resonant speed of a given blade. Comparisons are made between the relevant responses (such as time-histories of root strain, shaft torque, blade axial displacement, bearing load and rub force) of nine blades with airfoil cross-sections (leaving aside the results for the first blade of rectangular cross-section which is only of academic interest). Based on this study, of all the blade designs, it has been found that the curve-stacked airfoils exhibit better ‘Rub-tolerant’ behavior. Both experimental and simulation results have predominantly proven the fact that adding curvature to a straight stacked blade through curve-stacked or bow result in reducing the rub induced vibration. While sweep and bow provide some aerodynamic advantages, they are not much helpful in containing the vibrations to a sustainable extent.