WorldWideScience

Sample records for important structural elements

  1. SAFETY CRITERION IN ASSESSING THE IMPORTANCE OF AN ELEMENT IN THE COMPLEX TECHNOLOGICAL SYSTEM RELIABILITY STRUCTURE

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Leszek CHYBOWSKI

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available The paper presents the need to develop a description of the importance of the technological systems reliability structure elements in terms of security of the system. Basic issues related to the exploration of weak links and important elements in the system as well as a proposal to develop the current approach to assessing the importance of the system components have been presented. Moreover, the differences between the unreliability of suitability and unreliability of safety have been pointed out.

  2. Finite element analysis of an inflatable torus considering air mass structural element

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gajbhiye, S. C.; Upadhyay, S. H.; Harsha, S. P.

    2014-01-01

    Inflatable structures, also known as gossamer structures, are at high boom in the current space technology due to their low mass and compact size comparing to the traditional spacecraft designing. Internal pressure becomes the major source of strength and rigidity, essentially stiffen the structure. However, inflatable space based membrane structure are at high risk to the vibration disturbance due to their low structural stiffness and material damping. Hence, the vibration modes of the structure should be known to a high degree of accuracy in order to provide better control authority. In the past, most of the studies conducted on the vibration analysis of gossamer structures used inaccurate or approximate theories in modeling the internal pressure. The toroidal shaped structure is one of the important key element in space application, helps to support the reflector in space application. This paper discusses the finite-element analysis of an inflated torus. The eigen-frequencies are obtained via three-dimensional small-strain elasticity theory, based on extremum energy principle. The two finite-element model (model-1 and model-2) have cases have been generated using a commercial finite-element package. The structure model-1 with shell element and model-2 with the combination of the mass of enclosed fluid (air) added to the shell elements have been taken for the study. The model-1 is computed with present analytical approach to understand the convergence rate and the accuracy. The convergence study is made available for the symmetric modes and anti-symmetric modes about the centroidal-axis plane, meeting the eigen-frequencies of an inflatable torus with the circular cross section. The structural model-2 is introduced with air mass element and analyzed its eigen-frequency with different aspect ratio and mode shape response using in-plane and out-plane loading condition are studied.

  3. Atom-scale depth localization of biologically important chemical elements in molecular layers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schneck, Emanuel; Scoppola, Ernesto; Drnec, Jakub; Mocuta, Cristian; Felici, Roberto; Novikov, Dmitri; Fragneto, Giovanna; Daillant, Jean

    2016-08-23

    In nature, biomolecules are often organized as functional thin layers in interfacial architectures, the most prominent examples being biological membranes. Biomolecular layers play also important roles in context with biotechnological surfaces, for instance, when they are the result of adsorption processes. For the understanding of many biological or biotechnologically relevant phenomena, detailed structural insight into the involved biomolecular layers is required. Here, we use standing-wave X-ray fluorescence (SWXF) to localize chemical elements in solid-supported lipid and protein layers with near-Ångstrom precision. The technique complements traditional specular reflectometry experiments that merely yield the layers' global density profiles. While earlier work mostly focused on relatively heavy elements, typically metal ions, we show that it is also possible to determine the position of the comparatively light elements S and P, which are found in the most abundant classes of biomolecules and are therefore particularly important. With that, we overcome the need of artificial heavy atom labels, the main obstacle to a broader application of high-resolution SWXF in the fields of biology and soft matter. This work may thus constitute the basis for the label-free, element-specific structural investigation of complex biomolecular layers and biological surfaces.

  4. Finite element model updating of natural fibre reinforced composite structure in structural dynamics

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sani M.S.M.

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Model updating is a process of making adjustment of certain parameters of finite element model in order to reduce discrepancy between analytical predictions of finite element (FE and experimental results. Finite element model updating is considered as an important field of study as practical application of finite element method often shows discrepancy to the test result. The aim of this research is to perform model updating procedure on a composite structure as well as trying improving the presumed geometrical and material properties of tested composite structure in finite element prediction. The composite structure concerned in this study is a plate of reinforced kenaf fiber with epoxy. Modal properties (natural frequency, mode shapes, and damping ratio of the kenaf fiber structure will be determined using both experimental modal analysis (EMA and finite element analysis (FEA. In EMA, modal testing will be carried out using impact hammer test while normal mode analysis using FEA will be carried out using MSC. Nastran/Patran software. Correlation of the data will be carried out before optimizing the data from FEA. Several parameters will be considered and selected for the model updating procedure.

  5. Reliability-Based Optimization of Structural Elements

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sørensen, John Dalsgaard

    In this paper structural elements from an optimization point of view are considered, i.e. only the geometry of a structural element is optimized. Reliability modelling of the structural element is discussed both from an element point of view and from a system point of view. The optimization...

  6. Structural elements design manual

    CERN Document Server

    Draycott, Trevor

    2012-01-01

    Gives clear explanations of the logical design sequence for structural elements. The Structural Engineer says: `The book explains, in simple terms, and with many examples, Code of Practice methods for sizing structural sections in timber, concrete,masonry and steel. It is the combination into one book of section sizing methods in each of these materials that makes this text so useful....Students will find this an essential support text to the Codes of Practice in their study of element sizing'.

  7. Experimental evaluation of the structural behaviour of adobe masonry structural elements

    OpenAIRE

    Varum, H.; Costa, A.; Pereira, H.; Almeida, J.; Rodrigues, H.; Silveira, D.

    2007-01-01

    Rehabilitation and strengthening of existing adobe masonry constructions have been neglected during the last decades. In Aveiro, Portugal, many adobe buildings present an important level of structural damage and, in many cases, are even near to ruin, having the majority a high vulnerability to seismic actions. To face the lack of information concerning the mechanical properties and structural behaviour of adobe elements, it was developed an experimental campaign. The composition and mechanica...

  8. Critically Important Object Security System Element Model

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    I. V. Khomyackov

    2012-03-01

    Full Text Available A stochastic model of critically important object security system element has been developed. The model includes mathematical description of the security system element properties and external influences. The state evolution of the security system element is described by the semi-Markov process with finite states number, the semi-Markov matrix and the initial semi-Markov process states probabilities distribution. External influences are set with the intensity of the Poisson thread.

  9. Testing for strategy-structure fit and its importance for performance

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ana Aleksić

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Understanding different organizational elements, their mutual influence and creating congruence among them has been recognized as an important determinant of organizational performance. These complex interrelationships, and necessity of creating a fit between them, raises the question of how to align different organizational elements to contribute to overall organizational performance. In that sense, this paper addresses the issue of fit and, more specifically, analyses the presence and influence of strategy-structure fit on organizational performance. By using Miles and Snow typology, our goal was to capture and determine the pattern of relationships between strategy, structure, and strategy implementation processes and their influence on organizational performance. This paper presents results of a cross-sectional field research on a sample of 113 organizations in order to gain a better understanding of strategy-structure fit and its relation to performance. Results reinforce the existing literature and confirm the importance of fit among strategy, structure and strategy implementation process for higher levels of organizational performance.

  10. The Important Elements of a Science Video

    Science.gov (United States)

    Harned, D. A.; Moorman, M.; McMahon, G.

    2012-12-01

    New technologies have revolutionized use of video as a means of communication. Films have become easier to create and to distribute. Video is omnipresent in our culture and supplements or even replaces writing in many applications. How can scientists and educators best use video to communicate scientific results? Video podcasts are being used in addition to journal, print, and online publications to communicate the relevance of scientific findings of the U.S. Geological Survey's (USGS) National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) program to general audiences such as resource managers, educational groups, public officials, and the general public. In an effort to improve the production of science videos a survey was developed to provide insight into effective science communication with video. Viewers of USGS podcast videos were surveyed using Likert response- scaling to identify the important elements of science videos. The surveys were of 120 scientists and educators attending the 2010 and 2011 Fall Meetings of the American Geophysical Union and the 2012 meeting of the National Monitoring Council. The median age of the respondents was 44 years, with an education level of a Bachelor's Degree or higher. Respondents reported that their primary sources for watching science videos were YouTube and science websites. Video length was the single most important element associated with reaching the greatest number of viewers. The surveys indicated a median length of 5 minutes as appropriate for a web video, with 5-7 minutes the 25th-75th percentiles. An illustration of the effect of length: a 5-minute and a 20-minute version of a USGS film on the effect of urbanization on water-quality was made available on the same website. The short film has been downloaded 3 times more frequently than the longer film version. The survey showed that the most important elements to include in a science film are style elements including strong visuals, an engaging story, and a simple message, and

  11. Assessment of importance of elements for systems that condition depends on the sequence of elements failures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Povyakalo, A.A.

    1996-01-01

    This paper proposes new general formulas for calculation of indices of elements importance for systems whose condition depends on sequence of elements failures. These systems have been called as systems with memory of failures (M-systems). Techniques existing for assessment of importance of elements are based on the Bool's models of system reliability, for which it is significant to suggest, that in every period of time system state depends only on a combination of states of elements at that very moment of time. These systems have been called as combinational systems (C-systems). Reliability of M-systems at any moment of operating time is a functional having distributions of elements time before failure as its arguments. Bool's models and methods of assessment of element importance, based on these models, are not appropriate for these systems. Pereguda and Povyakalo proposed the new techniques for assessment of elements importance for PO-SS systems that includes Protection Object (PO) and Safety System (PO). PO-SS system is an example of M-system. That technique is used at this paper as a basis for more general consideration. It has been shown that technique proposed for assessment of elements importance for M-systems has well-known Birnbaum's method as its particular case. Also the system with double protection is considered as an example

  12. AC power flow importance measures considering multi-element failures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li, Jian; Dueñas-Osorio, Leonardo; Chen, Changkun; Shi, Congling

    2017-01-01

    Quantifying the criticality of individual components of power systems is essential for overall reliability and management. This paper proposes an AC-based power flow element importance measure, while considering multi-element failures. The measure relies on a proposed AC-based cascading failure model, which captures branch overflow, bus load shedding, and branch failures, via AC power flow and optimal power flow analyses. Taking the IEEE 30, 57 and 118-bus power systems as case studies, we find that N-3 analyses are sufficient to measure the importance of a bus or branch. It is observed that for a substation bus, its importance is statistically proportional to its power demand, but this trend is not observed for power plant buses. While comparing with other reliability, functionality, and topology-based importance measures popular today, we find that a DC power flow model, although better correlated with the benchmark AC model as a whole, still fails to locate some critical elements. This is due to the focus of DC-based models on real power that ignores reactive power. The proposed importance measure is aimed to inform decision makers about key components in complex systems, while improving cascading failure prevention, system backup setting, and overall resilience. - Highlights: • We propose a novel importance measure based on joint failures and AC power flow. • A cascading failure model considers both AC power flow and optimal power flow. • We find that N-3 analyses are sufficient to measure the importance of an element. • Power demand impacts the importance of substations but less so that of generators. • DC models fail to identify some key elements, despite correlating with AC models.

  13. Material model for non-linear finite element analyses of large concrete structures

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Engen, Morten; Hendriks, M.A.N.; Øverli, Jan Arve; Åldstedt, Erik; Beushausen, H.

    2016-01-01

    A fully triaxial material model for concrete was implemented in a commercial finite element code. The only required input parameter was the cylinder compressive strength. The material model was suitable for non-linear finite element analyses of large concrete structures. The importance of including

  14. HTGR fuel element structural design consideration

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Alloway, R.; Gorholt, W.; Ho, F.; Vollman, R.; Yu, H.

    1987-01-01

    The structural design of the large HTGR prismatic core fuel elements involve the interaction of four engineering disciplines: nuclear physics, thermo-hydraulics, structural and material science. Fuel element stress analysis techniques and the development of structural criteria are discussed in the context of an overview of the entire design process. The core of the proposed 2240 MW(t) HTGR is described as an example where the design process was used. Probabilistic stress analysis techniques coupled with probabilistic risk analysis (PRA) to develop structural criteria to account for uncertainty are described. The PRA provides a means for ensuring that the proposed structural criteria are consistant with plant investment and safety risk goals. The evaluation of cracked fuel elements removed from the Fort St. Vrain reactor in the U.S.A. is discussed in the context of stress analysis uncertainty and structural criteria development. (author)

  15. HTGR fuel element structural design considerations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Alloway, R.; Gorholt, W.; Ho, F.; Vollman, R.; Yu, H.

    1986-09-01

    The structural design of the large HTGR prismatic core fuel elements involve the interaction of four engineering disciplines: nuclear physics, thermo-hydraulics, structural and material science. Fuel element stress analysis techniques and the development of structural criteria are discussed in the context of an overview of the entire design process. The core of the proposed 2240 MW(t) HTGR is described as an example where the design process was used. Probabalistic stress analysis techniques coupled with probabalistic risk analysis (PRA) to develop structural criteria to account for uncertainty are described. The PRA provides a means for ensuring that the proposed structural criteria are consistent with plant investment and safety risk goals. The evaluation of cracked fuel elements removed from the Fort St. Vrain reactor in the USA is discussed in the context of stress analysis uncertainty and structural criteria development

  16. Fluid-structure finite-element vibrational analysis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Feng, G. C.; Kiefling, L.

    1974-01-01

    A fluid finite element has been developed for a quasi-compressible fluid. Both kinetic and potential energy are expressed as functions of nodal displacements. Thus, the formulation is similar to that used for structural elements, with the only differences being that the fluid can possess gravitational potential, and the constitutive equations for fluid contain no shear coefficients. Using this approach, structural and fluid elements can be used interchangeably in existing efficient sparse-matrix structural computer programs such as SPAR. The theoretical development of the element formulations and the relationships of the local and global coordinates are shown. Solutions of fluid slosh, liquid compressibility, and coupled fluid-shell oscillation problems which were completed using a temporary digital computer program are shown. The frequency correlation of the solutions with classical theory is excellent.

  17. Numerical investigation of soil and buried structures using finite element analysis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Meysam Shirzad Shahrivar

    2017-02-01

    Full Text Available Today the important of studying soil effect on behavior of soil  contacted structures such as foundations, piles,  retaining wall and other similar structures is so much that neglecting of soil-structure interaction effect can cause to untrue results. In this paper soil-structure interaction simulation was done by using Finite element method analysis with ABAQUS version 6.13-14.The results has been presented based on pile function in contact with soil, vertical stresses in soil and structures, pore pressure in drained and undrained condition and underground water level.Final conclusions revealed that pore pressure effect is not uniform on all parts of pile and amount of pore pressure increment in top elements is lower than down elements of  pile.Further it was proven that average amount of vertical stress on end of pile is    of this stress on top of the pile. thus it was concluded that 70% of pile bearing capacity is depend on friction of soil and pile contact surface.

  18. FINITE ELEMENT ANALYSIS OF STRUCTURES

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    PECINGINA OLIMPIA-MIOARA

    2015-05-01

    Full Text Available The application of finite element method is analytical when solutions can not be applied for deeper study analyzes static, dynamic or other types of requirements in different points of the structures .In practice it is necessary to know the behavior of the structure or certain parts components of the machine under the influence of certain factors static and dynamic . The application of finite element in the optimization of components leads to economic growth , to increase reliability and durability organs studied, thus the machine itself.

  19. Finite element analysis of adanced composite structures containing mechanically fastened joints

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Baumann, E.

    1982-01-01

    Although the usual engineering practice is to ignore joint effects in finite element models of overall structures, there are times when the inclusion of fastener effects in a model is necessary for accurate analysis. This paper describes some simple but accurate methods for accommodating this modeling requirement. The approach involves correlation of test results from a few composite mechanically fastened joints with finite element analyses of joints. It is assumed that if the fastener actions in the test articles can be properly predicted by simple finite element techniques, then these same techniques can be applied to large overall structure models. During the course of this test-analysis effort it was determined that it is possible to obtain correct results for overall structure-joint analyses by using simple modeling concepts provided special care is employed. Also, some emphasis is given in this paper to the importance of properly reducing test data in order to obtain meaningful correlations with finite element analysis. Finally, for those interested, the appendix contains brief descriptions of the test results and failure modes explored in the test program. (orig.)

  20. Free vibration of thin axisymmetric structures by a semi-analytical finite element scheme and isoparametric solid elements

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Akeju, T.A.I.; Kelly, D.W.; Zienkiewicz, O.C.; Kanaka Raju, K.

    1981-01-01

    The eigenvalue equations governing the free vibration of axisymmetric solids are derived by means of a semi-analytical finite element scheme. In particular we investigated the use of an 8-node solid element in structures which exhibit a 'shell-like' behaviour. Bathe-Wilson subspace iteration algorithm is employed for the solution of the equations. The element is shown to give good results for beam and shell vibration problems. It is also utilised to solve a complex solid in the form of an internal component of a modern jet engine. This particular application is of considerable practical importance as the dynamics of such components form a dominant design constraint. (orig./HP)

  1. Elemental composition and structural characteristics of as-received TriTaniumTM orthodontic archwire

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ilievska, I.; Petrov, V.; Mihailov, V.; Karatodorov, S.; Andreeva, L.; Zaleski, A.; Mikli, V.; Gueorgieva, M.; Petrova, V.; Stoyanova-Ivanova, A.

    2018-03-01

    Orthodontic archwires are among the most important devices of fixed orthodontic therapy. Many types of archwires are made available on the market by various manufacturers with different elemental composition and structural characteristics. Knowing this information is important when choosing a suitable archwire for a particular stage of orthodontic treatment. The aim of our study is to characterize a new type orthodontic archwires (TriTaniumTM, American Orthodontics) before their placement in the oral cavity. To achieve the aim, we used modern methods for determining their elemental composition and structural characteristics: laser-induced plasma spectroscopy (LIBS), X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD), scanning electronic microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The results obtained from the qualitative elemental analysis by LIBS and the quantitative elemental analysis by EDX showed that Ni and Ti are the main elements in the archwire studied. The room-temperature XRD patterns showed peaks typical for a Ni-Ti alloy with an austenite-type structure. Monitoring the phase transitions by means of DSC measurements in the temperature range from –50 °C to +50 °C, we showed that in TriTaniumTM archwires, besides the austenite to martensite transition, there exists a rhombohedral intermediate phase (R phase). This study will be useful in assisting orthodontists in applying appropriate nickel-titanium orthodontic archwires in the clinical practice.

  2. Structural elements design manual working with Eurocodes

    CERN Document Server

    Draycott, Trevor

    2009-01-01

    Structural Elements Design Manual: Working With Eurocodes is the structural engineers 'companion volume' to the four Eurocodes on the structural use of timber, concrete, masonry and steelwork. For the student at higher technician or first degree level it provides a single source of information on the behaviour and practical design of the main elements of the building structure. With plenty of worked examples and diagrams, it is a useful textbook not only for students of structural and civil engineering, but also for those on courses in related subjects such as

  3. Fuel element structure - design, production and operational behaviour

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pott, G.; Dietz, W.

    1985-01-01

    The lectures held at the meeting of the fuel element section of the Kerntechnische Gesellschaft gives a survey of developments in fuel element structure design for PWR-type, BWR-type and fast breeder reactors. For better utilization of the fuel, concepts have been developed for re-usable, removable and thus repairable fuel elements. Furthermore, the manufacturing methods for fuel element structures were refined to achieve better quality and more efficient manufacturing methods. Statements on the dimensional behaviour and on the mechanical stability of fuel element structures in normal and accident operation could be made on the basis of post-irradiation inspections. Finally, the design, manufacture and irradiation behaviour of graphite reflectors in HTGR-type reactors are described. The 12 lectures have been recorded in the data base separately. (RF) [de

  4. Finite element model updating in structural dynamics using design sensitivity and optimisation

    OpenAIRE

    Calvi, Adriano

    1998-01-01

    Model updating is an important issue in engineering. In fact a well-correlated model provides for accurate evaluation of the structure loads and responses. The main objectives of the study were to exploit available optimisation programs to create an error localisation and updating procedure of nite element models that minimises the "error" between experimental and analytical modal data, addressing in particular the updating of large scale nite element models with se...

  5. Finite Element Reliability Analysis of Chloride Ingress into Reinforced Concrete Structures

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Frier, Christian; Sørensen, John Dalsgaard

    2007-01-01

    For many reinforced concrete structures corrosion of the reinforcement is an important problem since it can result in maintenance and repair actions. Further, a reduction of the load-bearing capacity can occur. In the present paper the Finite Element Reliability Method (FERM) is employed for obta......For many reinforced concrete structures corrosion of the reinforcement is an important problem since it can result in maintenance and repair actions. Further, a reduction of the load-bearing capacity can occur. In the present paper the Finite Element Reliability Method (FERM) is employed...... concentration and reinforcement cover depth are modelled by stochastic fields, which are discretized using the Expansion Optimum Linear Estimation (EOLE) approach. The response gradients needed for FORM analysis are derived analytically using the Direct Differentiation Method (DDM). As an example, a bridge pier...... in a marine environment is considered and the results are given in terms of distributions of time for initiation of corrosion....

  6. On elastic structural elements for nuclear reactors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Povolo, F.

    1978-03-01

    The in-pile stress-relaxation behaviour of materials usually employed for the elastic structural elements, in nuclear reactors, is critically reviewed and the results are compared with those obtained in commercial zirconium alloys irradiated under similar conditions. Finally, it is shown that, under certain conditions, some zirconium alloys may be used as an alternative material for these structural elements. (orig.) [de

  7. Structural modeling techniques by finite element method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kang, Yeong Jin; Kim, Geung Hwan; Ju, Gwan Jeong

    1991-01-01

    This book includes introduction table of contents chapter 1 finite element idealization introduction summary of the finite element method equilibrium and compatibility in the finite element solution degrees of freedom symmetry and anti symmetry modeling guidelines local analysis example references chapter 2 static analysis structural geometry finite element models analysis procedure modeling guidelines references chapter 3 dynamic analysis models for dynamic analysis dynamic analysis procedures modeling guidelines and modeling guidelines.

  8. Finite element analysis of structures through unified formulation

    CERN Document Server

    Carrera, Erasmo; Petrolo, Marco; Zappino, Enrico

    2014-01-01

    The finite element method (FEM) is a computational tool widely used to design and analyse  complex structures. Currently, there are a number of different approaches to analysis using the FEM that vary according to the type of structure being analysed: beams and plates may use 1D or 2D approaches, shells and solids 2D or 3D approaches, and methods that work for one structure are typically not optimized to work for another. Finite Element Analysis of Structures Through Unified Formulation deals with the FEM used for the analysis of the mechanics of structures in the case of linear elasticity. The novelty of this book is that the finite elements (FEs) are formulated on the basis of a class of theories of structures known as the Carrera Unified Formulation (CUF). It formulates 1D, 2D and 3D FEs on the basis of the same ''fundamental nucleus'' that comes from geometrical relations and Hooke''s law, and presents both 1D and 2D refined FEs that only have displacement variables as in 3D elements. It also covers 1D...

  9. On the way to unveiling the atomic structure of superheavy elements

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Laatiaoui, Mustapha

    2016-01-01

    Optical spectroscopy of the transfermium elements (atomic number Z > 100) is nowadays one of the most fascinating and simultaneously challenging tasks in atomic physics. On the one hand, key atomic and even nuclear ground-state properties may be obtained by studying the spectral lines of these heaviest elements. On the other hand, these elements have to be produced “online” by heavy-ion induced fusion-evaporation reactions yielding rates on the order of a few atoms per second at most, which renders their optical spectroscopy extremely difficult. Only recently, a first foray of laser spectroscopy into this heaviest element region was reported. Several atomic transitions in the element nobelium (Z = 102) were observed and characterized, using an ultra-sensitive and highly efficient resonance ionization technique. The findings confirm the predictions and additionally provide a benchmark for theoretical modelling. The work represents an important stepping stone towards experimental studies of the atomic structure of superheavy elements.

  10. Infinte Periodic Structure of Lightweight Elements

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Domadiya, Parthkumar Gandalal; Andersen, Lars Vabbersgaard; Sorokin, Sergey

    2013-01-01

    Lightweight wooden structures have become more popular as a sustainable, environmental- friendly and cost-effective alternative to concrete, steel and masonry buildings. However, there are certain drawbacks regarding noise and vibration due to the smaller weight and stiffness of wooden buildings....... Furthermore, lightweight building elements are typically periodic structures that behave as filters for sound propagation within certain frequency ranges (stop bands), thus only allowing transmission within the pass bands. Hence, traditional methods based on statistical energy analysis cannot be used...... for proper dynamic assessment of lightweight buildings. Instead, this paper discusses and compares the use of finite element analysis and a wave approach based on Floquet theory. The present analysis has focus on the effect of periodicity on vibration transmission within semi-infinite beam structures. Two...

  11. Statistical study on the strength of structural materials and elements

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Blume, J.A.; Dalal, J.S.; Honda, K.K.

    1975-07-01

    Strength data for structural materials and elements including concrete, reinforcing steel, structural steel, plywood elements, reinforced concrete beams, reinforced concrete columns, brick masonry elements, and concrete masonry walls were statistically analyzed. Sample statistics were computed for these data, and distribution parameters were derived for normal, lognormal, and Weibull distributions. Goodness-of-fit tests were performed on these distributions. Most data, except those for masonry elements, displayed fairly small dispersion. Dispersion in data for structural materials was generally found to be smaller than for structural elements. Lognormal and Weibull distributions displayed better overall fits to data than normal distribution, although either Weibull or lognormal distribution can be used to represent the data analyzed. (auth)

  12. Stochastic Finite Elements in Reliability-Based Structural Optimization

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sørensen, John Dalsgaard; Engelund, S.

    Application of stochastic finite elements in structural optimization is considered. It is shown how stochastic fields modelling e.g. the modulus of elasticity can be discretized in stochastic variables and how a sensitivity analysis of the reliability of a structural system with respect to optimi......Application of stochastic finite elements in structural optimization is considered. It is shown how stochastic fields modelling e.g. the modulus of elasticity can be discretized in stochastic variables and how a sensitivity analysis of the reliability of a structural system with respect...

  13. Soil-Framed Structure Interaction Analysis - A New Interface Element

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M. Dalili Shoaei

    Full Text Available AbstractInterfacial behavior between soil and shallow foundation has been found so influential to combined soil-footing performance and redistribution of forces in the superstructure. This study introduces a new thin-layer interface element formulated within the context of finite element method to idealize interfacial behavior of soil-framed structure interaction with new combination of degrees of freedom at top and bottom sides of the interface element, compatible with both isoparametric beam and quadrilateral element. This research also tends to conduct a parametric study on respective parameters of the new joint element. Presence of interface element showed considerable changes in the performance of the framed structure under quasi-static loading.

  14. Prefabricated elements and structures: Developments, tests and experiences

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Goltermann, Per

    2014-01-01

    Danish concrete structures are often built with prefabricated elements, joined together on the site and this provides a large challenge to constantly improve and optimize the elements, the joints and the models. DTU Byg has been active in the development, testing and modelling of new elements...

  15. Structure and representation of data elements on factual database - SIST activity in Japan

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nakamoto, H.; Onodera, N.

    1990-05-01

    A factual database has a variety of forms and types of data structure that produces various kinds of records composed of a great number of data items, which differ from file to file. Second, a factual database needs higher speciality in preparation on content analysis, and users wish to process download-ed data successively for analysis, diagnosis, simulation, projecting, design, linguistic processing and so on. A meaningful quantitative datum can be divided into some consistent sub-elements. In addition to this fine structure of data elements, representation of data elements is also very important to integrate factual data on to public files. In this paper we shall discuss problems and thoughts about the structure and representation of data elements contained in numerical information on a practical basis. The guideline discussed here is under draft by sponsorship of the Government and is being implemented to build database of space experiments. The guideline involves expression, unification, notification and handling of data for numerical information in machine readable form, such as numerical value, numerical formula, graphics, semi-quantitative value, significant figures, ranged data, accuracy and precision, conversion of unit, semi-quantitative values, error information and so on. (author)

  16. Structure and representation of data elements on factual database - SIST activity in Japan

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Nakamoto, H [Integrated Researches for Information Science, Tokyo (Japan); Onodera, N [Japan Information Center of Science and Technology, Tokyo (Japan)

    1990-05-01

    A factual database has a variety of forms and types of data structure that produces various kinds of records composed of a great number of data items, which differ from file to file. Second, a factual database needs higher speciality in preparation on content analysis, and users wish to process download-ed data successively for analysis, diagnosis, simulation, projecting, design, linguistic processing and so on. A meaningful quantitative datum can be divided into some consistent sub-elements. In addition to this fine structure of data elements, representation of data elements is also very important to integrate factual data on to public files. In this paper we shall discuss problems and thoughts about the structure and representation of data elements contained in numerical information on a practical basis. The guideline discussed here is under draft by sponsorship of the Government and is being implemented to build database of space experiments. The guideline involves expression, unification, notification and handling of data for numerical information in machine readable form, such as numerical value, numerical formula, graphics, semi-quantitative value, significant figures, ranged data, accuracy and precision, conversion of unit, semi-quantitative values, error information and so on. (author).

  17. A computer program for structural analysis of fuel elements

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hayashi, I.M.V.; Perrotta, J.A.

    1988-01-01

    It's presented the code ELCOM for the matrix analysis of tubular structures coupled by rigid spacers, typical of PWR's fuel elements. The code ELCOM makes a static structural analysis, where the displacements and internal forces are obtained for each structure at the joints with the spacers, and also, the natural frequencies and vibrational modes of an equivalent integrated structure are obtained. The ELCOM result is compared to a PWR fuel element structural analysis obtained in published paper. (author) [pt

  18. Finite element modeling of fluid/thermal/structural interaction for a gas-cooled fast reactor core

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bennett, J.G.; Ju, F.D.

    1980-01-01

    Two nonlinear finite element formulations for application to a series of experiments in the Gas-Cooled Fast Reactor (GCFR) development program are described. An efficient beam column element for moderately large deformations is combined with a finite element developed for an engineering description of a convecting fluid. Typical results from both elements are illustrated. A combined application for a problem typical of the GCFR loss-of-coolant experiments is illustrated. These problems are not the usual fluid structural interaction problems in that the inertia coupling is negligible while the thermal coupling is very important

  19. Hexahedral connection element based on hybrid-stress theory for solid structures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wu, D; Sze, K Y; Lo, S H

    2010-01-01

    For building structures, high-performance hybrid-stress hexahedral solid elements are excellent choices for modelling joints, beams/columns walls and thick slabs if the exact geometrical representation is required. While it is straight-forward to model beam-column structures of uniform member size with solid hexahedral elements, joining up beams and columns of various cross-sections at a common point proves to be a challenge for structural modelling using hexahedral elements with specified dimensions. In general, the joint has to be decomposed into 27 smaller solid elements to cater for the necessary connection requirements. This will inevitably increase the computational cost and introduce element distortions when elements of different sizes have to be used at the joint. Hexahedral connection elements with arbitrary specified connection interfaces will be an ideal setup to connect structural members of different sizes without increasing the number of elements or introducing highly distorted elements. In this paper, based on the hybrid-stress element theory, a general way to construct hexahedral connection element with various interfaces is introduced. Following this way, a 24-node connection element is presented and discussed in detail. Performance of the 24-node connection element equipped with different number of stress modes will be assessed with worked examples.

  20. Stochastic Finite Elements in Reliability-Based Structural Optimization

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sørensen, John Dalsgaard; Engelund, S.

    1995-01-01

    Application of stochastic finite elements in structural optimization is considered. It is shown how stochastic fields modelling e.g. the modulus of elasticity can be discretized in stochastic variables and how a sensitivity analysis of the reliability of a structural system with respect to optimi......Application of stochastic finite elements in structural optimization is considered. It is shown how stochastic fields modelling e.g. the modulus of elasticity can be discretized in stochastic variables and how a sensitivity analysis of the reliability of a structural system with respect...... to optimization variables can be performed. A computer implementation is described and an illustrative example is given....

  1. Structural Elements Regulating AAA+ Protein Quality Control Machines.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chang, Chiung-Wen; Lee, Sukyeong; Tsai, Francis T F

    2017-01-01

    Members of the ATPases Associated with various cellular Activities (AAA+) superfamily participate in essential and diverse cellular pathways in all kingdoms of life by harnessing the energy of ATP binding and hydrolysis to drive their biological functions. Although most AAA+ proteins share a ring-shaped architecture, AAA+ proteins have evolved distinct structural elements that are fine-tuned to their specific functions. A central question in the field is how ATP binding and hydrolysis are coupled to substrate translocation through the central channel of ring-forming AAA+ proteins. In this mini-review, we will discuss structural elements present in AAA+ proteins involved in protein quality control, drawing similarities to their known role in substrate interaction by AAA+ proteins involved in DNA translocation. Elements to be discussed include the pore loop-1, the Inter-Subunit Signaling (ISS) motif, and the Pre-Sensor I insert (PS-I) motif. Lastly, we will summarize our current understanding on the inter-relationship of those structural elements and propose a model how ATP binding and hydrolysis might be coupled to polypeptide translocation in protein quality control machines.

  2. Nonconforming axisymmetric elements for the analysis of containment structures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Choi, C.K.; Kim, S.Y.

    1989-01-01

    In this study, the behaviors of the conforming isoparametric quadrilateral 4-node and triangular 3-nod axisymmetric solid elements are improved by adding nonconforming displacement modes. The convergence tests and the irregular mesh tests have been established through the analyses of a primary shield wall typed structure. For example study, a containment wall with internal pressure of 60 ksi has been analyzed. It shows that the nonconforming elements behave better than the conforming elements, especially, in the structurally discontinuous regions

  3. The Importance of Linear Landscape Elements for Bats in a Farmland Area: The Influence of Height on Activity

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Toffoli Roberto

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available In the past 50 years, widespread removal of hedges and hedgerows in many European regions, with a consequent reduction in biodiversity, has occurred as a result of farming intensification. Acknowledging the ecological importance of linear farmland landscape elements, many agro-environmental schemes provide financial support for the management, conservation and reconstruction of hedges and hedgerows. The efficacy of such initiatives, also aimed at bat conservation, could be enhanced by including the role of hedges and hedgerows correlated to the variability of their physical structure and to the surrounding landscape context. Linear landscape elements are in fact of great importance to bats, whose flight activity tends to increase in proximity to hedges and hedgerows, used both during foraging and as commuting routes. Nevertheless, information concerning the correlation between various physical structures of hedges and flight and foraging techniques in bats is still lacking. The present study analyses the activity of bats along two different hedge types, with and without trees, and in open spaces, in an area of the Padana plane (North-western Italy as a function of different flight behaviours.

  4. Application of global elements to a reinforced concrete structure

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Morand, O.

    1994-01-01

    The dimensioning of nuclear facilities requires to take into account the possible risk of earthquakes. However such installations are generally complex structures with reinforced concrete poles, walls, beams and porches. In this study, a seismic analysis of such a structure is proposed. The use of the Castem 2000 global element code was attempted to dynamically simulate the behaviour of the reinforced concrete elements. However, no suitable modeling has been found for the storeys, the functioning of which being dominated by carrying walls. Concerning the porch-type storeys, monotonous static loads were simulated and provided information on the local and global behaviour of these structures. Thus, representative global elements could be realized for these structures. Results obtained are satisfactory for these storeys which essentially undergo a bending deformation. (J.S.)

  5. Street as Sustainable City Structural Element

    Science.gov (United States)

    Leyzerova, A. V.; Bagina, E. J.

    2017-11-01

    Sustainability in architecture is nowadays of particular significance in the course of globalization and information density. The technospehere spontaneous development poses a threat to the sustainability of traditional urban forms where a street is one of the essential forming elements in the urban structure. The article proposes to consider formally compositional street features in relation to one of the traditional streets in the historic center of Ekaterinburg. The study examines the street-planning structure, the development of its skeleton elements, silhouette and fabric elevation characteristics as well as the scale characteristics and visual complexity of objects. The study provided architectural and artistic aspects of street sustainability, and limits of the appropriate scale and composition consistency under which the compatibility of alternative compositional forms existing at different times is possible.

  6. Superheavy Element Synthesis and Nuclear Structure

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ackermann, D.

    2009-01-01

    The search for the next closed proton and neutron shells beyond 2 08P b has yielded a number of exciting results in terms of the synthesis of new elements [1,2,3]. The superheavy elements (SHE), however, are a nuclear structure phenomenon. They owe their existence to the quantum mechanical origin of shell correction energies without which they would not be bound. In recent years the development of efficient experimental set-ups including separators and advanced particle and photon detection arrangements allowed for more and more detailed nuclear structure studies for nuclei at and beyond Z=100. A review of those recent achievements is given in ref. [4]. Among the most interesting features is the observation of K-isomeric states. Experimentally about 14 cases have been identified in the region of Z>96 as shown in Fig. 1. K-isomers or indications of their existence have been found for almost all even-Z elements in the region Z=100 to 110. We could recently establish and/or confirm such states in the even-even isotopes 2 52,254N o [5]. The heaviest nucleus where such a state was found is 2 70D s with Z=110 as we reported in 2001 [6]. Those nuclear structure studies lay out the grounds for a detailed understanding of these heavy and high-Z nuclear systems, and contribute at the same time valuable information to preparation of strategies to successfully continue the hunt for the localisation of the next spherical proton and neutron shells after 2 08P b. The recent activities for both SHE synthesis and nuclear structure investigations at GSI will be reported.(author)

  7. Correct use of Membrane Elements in Structural Analysis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rothman Timothy

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Structural analysis of consumer electronic devices such as phones and tablets involves Finite Element Analysis (FEA. Dynamic loading conditions such as device dropping and bending dictate accurate FEA models to reduce design risk in many areas. The solid elements typically used in structural analysis do not have integration points on the surface. The outer surface is of most interest because that is where the cracks start. Analysts employ a post processing trick through using membranes to bring accurate stress/strain results to the surface. This paper explains numerical issues with implementation of membranes and recommends a methodology for accurate structural analysis.

  8. Model calculations of nuclear data for biologically-important elements

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chadwick, M.B.; Blann, M.; Reffo, G.; Young, P.G.

    1994-05-01

    We describe calculations of neutron-induced reactions on carbon and oxygen for incident energies up to 70 MeV, the relevant clinical energy in radiation neutron therapy. Our calculations using the FKK-GNASH, GNASH, and ALICE codes are compared with experimental measurements, and their usefulness for modeling reactions on biologically-important elements is assessed

  9. Numerical model for the analysis of unbounded prestressed structures using the hybrid type finite element method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Barbieri, R.A.; Gastal, F.P.S.L.; Filho, A.C.

    2005-01-01

    Unbounded prestressed concrete has a growing importance all over the world and may be an useful technique for the structures involved in the construction of nuclear facilities. The absence of bonding means no strain compatibility so that equations developed for reinforced concrete are no longer valid. Practical estimates about the ultimate stress in the unbounded tendons may be obtained with empirical or numerical methods only. In order to contribute to the understanding on the behaviour of unbounded prestressed concrete members, a numerical model has been developed using a hybrid type finite element formulation for planar frame structures. Instead of short elements, as in the conventional finite element formulation, long elements may be used, improving computational efficiency. A further advantage is that the curvature variation within the element is obtained with higher accuracy if compared to the traditional formulation. This feature is important for unbounded tendons since its stresses depend on the whole member deformation. Second order effects in the planar frame are considered with either Updated or Partially Updated Lagrangian approaches. Instantaneous and time dependent behaviour as well as cyclic loads are considered too. Comparison with experimental results for prestressed concrete beams shows the adequacy of the proposed model. (authors)

  10. Electronic structures of elements according to ionization energies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zadeh, Dariush H

    2017-11-28

    The electronic structures of elements in the periodic table were analyzed using available experimental ionization energies. Two new parameters were defined to carry out the study. The first parameter-apparent nuclear charge (ANC)-quantified the overall charge of the nucleus and inner electrons observed by an outer electron during the ionization process. This parameter was utilized to define a second parameter, which presented the shielding ability of an electron against the nuclear charge. This second parameter-electron shielding effect (ESE)-provided an insight into the electronic structure of atoms. This article avoids any sort of approximation, interpolation or extrapolation. First experimental ionization energies were used to obtain the two aforementioned parameters. The second parameter (ESE) was then graphed against the electron number of each element, and was used to read the corresponding electronic structure. The ESE showed spikes/peaks at the end of each electronic shell, providing insight into when an electronic shell closes and a new one starts. The electronic structures of elements in the periodic table were mapped using this methodology. These graphs did not show complete agreement with the previously known "Aufbau" filling rule. A new filling rule was suggested based on the present observations. Finally, a new way to organize elements in the periodic table is suggested. Two earlier topics of effective nuclear charge, and shielding factor were also briefly discussed and compared numerically to demonstrate the capability of the new approach.

  11. Origin of the complex crystal structures of elements at intermediate pressure

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ackland, G J; Macleod, I R

    2004-01-01

    We present a unifying theory for the observed complex structures of sp-bonded elements under pressure on the basis of nearly free electron picture. In the intermediate pressure regime, the dominant contribution to crystal structure arises from Fermi-surface Brillouin zone interactions-structures which allow this are favoured. This simple theory explains the observed crystal structures, transport properties and the evolution of internal and unit cell parameters with pressure and appears to hold for elements in groups I-VI. We illustrate it with experimental data for these elements and ab initio calculations for Li

  12. Numerical modeling of the dynamic behavior of structures under impact with a discrete elements / finite elements coupling

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rousseau, J.

    2009-07-01

    That study focuses on concrete structures submitted to impact loading and is aimed at predicting local damage in the vicinity of an impact zone as well as the global response of the structure. The Discrete Element Method (DEM) seems particularly well suited in this context for modeling fractures. An identification process of DEM material parameters from macroscopic data (Young's modulus, compressive and tensile strength, fracture energy, etc.) will first be presented for the purpose of enhancing reproducibility and reliability of the simulation results with DE samples of various sizes. Then, a particular interaction, between concrete and steel elements, was developed for the simulation of reinforced concrete. The discrete elements method was validated on quasi-static and dynamic tests carried out on small samples of concrete and reinforced concrete. Finally, discrete elements were used to simulate impacts on reinforced concrete slabs in order to confront the results with experimental tests. The modeling of a large structure by means of DEM may lead to prohibitive computation times. A refined discretization becomes required in the vicinity of the impact, while the structure may be modeled using a coarse FE mesh further from the impact area, where the material behaves elastically. A coupled discrete-finite element approach is thus proposed: the impact zone is modeled by means of DE and elastic FE are used on the rest of the structure. An existing method for 3D finite elements was extended to shells. This new method was then validated on many quasi-static and dynamic tests. The proposed approach is then applied to an impact on a concrete structure in order to validate the coupled method and compare computation times. (author)

  13. Thermo-mechanical finite element analyses of bolted cask lid structures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wieser, G.; Qiao Linan; Eberle, A.; Voelzke, H.

    2004-01-01

    The analysis of complex bolted cask lid structures under mechanical or thermal accident conditions is important for the evaluation of cask integrity and leak-tightness in package design assessment according to the Transport Regulations or in aircraft crash scenarios. In this context BAM is developing methods based on Finite Elements to calculate the effects of mechanical impacts onto the bolted lid structures as well as effects caused by severe fire scenarios. I n case of fire it might be not enough to perform only a thermal heat transfer analysis. The complex cask design in connection with a severe hypothetical time-temperature-curve representing an accident fire scenario will create a strong transient heating up of the cask body and its lid system. This causes relative displacements between the seals and its counterparts that can be analyzed by a so-called thermo-mechanical calculation. Although it is currently not possible to correlate leakage rates with results from deformation analyses directly an appropriate Finite Element model of the considered type of metallic lid seal has been developed. For the present it is possible to estimate the behaviour of the seal based on the calculated relative displacements at its seating and the behaviour of the lid bolts under the impact load or the temperature field respectively. Except of the lid bolts the geometry of the cask and the mechanical loading is axial-symmetric which simplifies the analysis considerably and a two-dimensional Finite Element model with substitute lid bolts may be used. The substitute bolts are modelled as one-dimensional truss or beam elements. An advanced two-dimensional bolt submodel represents the bolts with plane stress continuum elements. This paper discusses the influence of different bolt modelling on the relative displacements at the seating of the seals. Besides this, the influence of bolt modelling, thermal properties and detail in geometry of the two-dimensional Finite Element models on

  14. Finite element analysis of degraded concrete structures - Workshop proceedings

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1999-09-01

    This workshop is related to the finite element analysis of degraded concrete structures. It is composed of three sessions. The first session (which title is: the use of finite element analysis in safety assessments) comprises six papers which titles are: Historical Development of Concrete Finite Element Modeling for Safety Evaluation of Accident-Challenged and Aging Concrete Structures; Experience with Finite Element Methods for Safety Assessments in Switzerland; Stress State Analysis of the Ignalina NPP Confinement System; Prestressed Containment: Behaviour when Concrete Cracking is Modelled; Application of FEA for Design and Support of NPP Containment in Russia; Verification Problems of Nuclear Installations Safety Software of Strength Analysis (NISS SA). The second session (title: concrete containment structures under accident loads) comprises seven papers which titles are: Two Application Examples of Concrete Containment Structures under Accident Load Conditions Using Finite Element Analysis; What Kind of Prediction for Leak rates for Nuclear Power Plant Containments in Accidental Conditions; Influence of Different Hypotheses Used in Numerical Models for Concrete At Elevated Temperatures on the Predicted Behaviour of NPP Core Catchers Under Severe Accident Conditions; Observations on the Constitutive Modeling of Concrete Under Multi-Axial States at Elevated Temperatures; Analyses of a Reinforced Concrete Containment with Liner Corrosion Damage; Program of Containment Concrete Control During Operation for the Temelin Nuclear Power Plant; Static Limit Load of a Deteriorated Hyperbolic Cooling Tower. The third session (concrete structures under extreme environmental load) comprised five papers which titles are: Shear Transfer Mechanism of RC Plates After Cracking; Seismic Back Calculation of an Auxiliary Building of the Nuclear Power Plant Muehleberg, Switzerland; Seismic Behaviour of Slightly Reinforced Shear Wall Structures; FE Analysis of Degraded Concrete

  15. Valence electron structure of cast iron and graphltization behaviour criterion of elements

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    刘志林; 李志林; 孙振国; 杨晓平; 陈敏

    1995-01-01

    The valence electron structure of common alloy elements in phases of cast iron is calculated- The relationship between the electron structure of alloy elements and equilibrium, non-equilibrium solidification and graphitization is revealed by defining the bond energy of the strongest bond in a phase as structure formation factor S. A criterion of graphitization behaviour of elements is advanced with the critical value of the structure formation factor of graphite and the n of the strongest covalent bond in cementite. It is found that this theory conforms to practice very well when the criterion is applied to the common alloy elements.

  16. Mitigation of Flanking Noise Transmission in Periodic Structures of Lightweight Elements

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Domadiya, Parthkumar Gandalal

    through structural junctions and radiates into neighbouring rooms. To diminish the flanking transmission of sound, frames are usually designed with single or double studs or constructed with layers of foam or another viscoelastic material. This thesis is investigating the behaviour of flanking noise...... transmission in periodic structures of lightweight elements by employing various numerical, analytical and experimental methods. At first, three dimensional finite-element (FE) models of a Z-shaped lightweight panel structure based on various frame designs, inclusion of air and structural coupling between...... elements are considered for describing flanking noise transmission through panels. It is assumed that the ribs are fully fixed to the plates in case of various frame designs, and a parametric study is carried out on the centre panel with regard to various spacing between the ribs. Solid finite elements...

  17. Three dimensional finite element linear analysis of reinforced concrete structures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Inbasakaran, M.; Pandarinathan, V.G.; Krishnamoorthy, C.S.

    1979-01-01

    A twenty noded isoparametric reinforced concrete solid element for the three dimensional linear elastic stress analysis of reinforced concrete structures is presented. The reinforcement is directly included as an integral part of the element thus facilitating discretization of the structure independent of the orientation of reinforcement. Concrete stiffness is evaluated by taking 3 x 3 x 3 Gauss integration rule and steel stiffness is evaluated numerically by considering three Gaussian points along the length of reinforcement. The numerical integration for steel stiffness necessiates the conversion of global coordiantes of the Gaussian points to nondimensional local coordinates and this is done by Newton Raphson iterative method. Subroutines for the above formulation have been developed and added to SAP and STAP routines for solving the examples. The validity of the reinforced concrete element is verified by comparison of results from finite element analysis and analytical results. It is concluded that this finite element model provides a valuable analytical tool for the three dimensional elastic stress analysis of concrete structures like beams curved in plan and nuclear containment vessels. (orig.)

  18. Secbase: database module to retrieve secondary structure elements with ligand binding motifs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Koch, Oliver; Cole, Jason; Block, Peter; Klebe, Gerhard

    2009-10-01

    Secbase is presented as a novel extension module of Relibase. It integrates the information about secondary structure elements into the retrieval facilities of Relibase. The data are accessible via the extended Relibase user interface, and integrated retrieval queries can be addressed using an extended version of Reliscript. The primary information about alpha-helices and beta-sheets is used as provided by the PDB. Furthermore, a uniform classification of all turn families, based on recent clustering methods, and a new helix assignment that is based on this turn classification has been included. Algorithms to analyze the geometric features of helices and beta-strands were also implemented. To demonstrate the performance of the Secbase implementation, some application examples are given. They provide new insights into the involvement of secondary structure elements in ligand binding. A survey of water molecules detected next to the N-terminus of helices is analyzed to show their involvement in ligand binding. Additionally, the parallel oriented NH groups at the alpha-helix N-termini provide special binding motifs to bind particular ligand functional groups with two adjacent oxygen atoms, e.g., as found in negatively charged carboxylate or phosphate groups, respectively. The present study also shows that the specific structure of the first turn of alpha-helices provides a suitable explanation for stabilizing charged structures. The magnitude of the overall helix macrodipole seems to have no or only a minor influence on binding. Furthermore, an overview of the involvement of secondary structure elements with the recognition of some important endogenous ligands such as cofactors shows some distinct preference for particular binding motifs and amino acids.

  19. An efficient structural finite element for inextensible flexible risers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Papathanasiou, T. K.; Markolefas, S.; Khazaeinejad, P.; Bahai, H.

    2017-12-01

    A core part of all numerical models used for flexible riser analysis is the structural component representing the main body of the riser as a slender beam. Loads acting on this structural element are self-weight, buoyant and hydrodynamic forces, internal pressure and others. A structural finite element for an inextensible riser with a point-wise enforcement of the inextensibility constrain is presented. In particular, the inextensibility constraint is applied only at the nodes of the meshed arc length parameter. Among the virtues of the proposed approach is the flexibility in the application of boundary conditions and the easy incorporation of dissipative forces. Several attributes of the proposed finite element scheme are analysed and computation times for the solution of some simplified examples are discussed. Future developments aim at the appropriate implementation of material and geometric parameters for the beam model, i.e. flexural and torsional rigidity.

  20. Advanced finite element method in structural engineering

    CERN Document Server

    Long, Yu-Qiu; Long, Zhi-Fei

    2009-01-01

    This book systematically introduces the research work on the Finite Element Method completed over the past 25 years. Original theoretical achievements and their applications in the fields of structural engineering and computational mechanics are discussed.

  1. Comprehensive Wavelengths, Energy Levels, and Hyperfine Structure Parameters of Singly-Ionized Iron-Group Elements

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nave, Gillian

    We propose to measure wavelengths, energy levels, and hyperfine structure parameters of Ni II, Mn II, Sc II and other singly-ionized iron-group elements, covering the wavelength range 80 nm to 5500 nm. We shall use archival data from spectrometers at NIST and Kitt Peak National Observatory for spectra above 140 nm. Additional experimental observations will be taken if needed using Fourier transform spectrometers at NIST. Spectra will be taken using our normal incidence grating spectrograph to provide better sensitivity than the FT spectra and to extend the wavelength range down to 80 nm. We aim to produce a comprehensive description of the spectra of all singly-ionized iron- group elements. The wavelength uncertainty of the strong lines will be better than 1 part in 10^7. For most singly-ionized iron-group elements available laboratory data have uncertainties an order of magnitude larger than astronomical observations over wide spectra ranges. Some of these laboratory measurements date back to the 1960's. Since then, Fourier transform spectroscopy has made significant progress in improving the accuracy and quantity of data in the UV-vis-IR region, but high quality Fourier transform spectra are still needed for Mn II, Ni II and Sc II. Fourier transform spectroscopy has low sensitivity in the VUV region and is limited to wavelengths above 140 nm. Spectra measured with high-resolution grating spectrographs are needed in this region in order to obtain laboratory data of comparable quality to the STIS and COS spectrographs on the Hubble Space Telescope. Currently, such data exist only for Fe II and Cr II. Lines of Sc II, V II, and Mn II show hyperfine structure, but hyperfine structure parameters have been measured for relatively few lines of these elements. Significant errors can occur if hyperfine structure is neglected when abundances are determined from stellar spectra. Measurements of hyperfine structure parameters will be made using Fourier transform spectroscopy

  2. Computer simulation of radiation damage in HTGR elements and structural materials

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gann, V.V.; Gurin, V.A.; Konotop, Yu.F.; Shilyaev, B.A.; Yamnitskij, V.A.

    1980-01-01

    The problem of mathematical simulation of radiation damages in material and items of HTGR is considered. A system-program complex IMITATOR, intended for imitation of neutron damages by means of charged particle beams, is used. Account of material composite structure and certain geometry of items permits to calculate fields of primary radiation damages and introductions of reaction products in composite fuel elements, microfuel elements, their shells, composite absorbing elements on the base of boron carbide, structural steels and alloys. A good correspondence of calculation and experimental burn-out of absorbing elements is obtained, application of absorbing element as medium for imitation experiments is grounded [ru

  3. PGAA method for control of the technologically important elements at processing of sulfide ores

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kurbanov, B.I.; Aripov, G.A.; Allamuratova, G.; Umaraliev, M.

    2006-01-01

    Full text: Many precious elements (Au, Re, Pt, Pd, Ag, Cu, Ni, Co, Mo) in ores mainly exist in the form of sulfide minerals and the flotation method is often used for processing of such kind of ores. To enhance the efficiency of the process it is very important to carry out the operative control of the elements of interest at various stages of ore processing. In this work the results of studies for developing methods for control of technologically important elements at processing and enrichment sulfide ores, which content the gold, copper, nickel, molybdenum in the ore-processing plants of Uzbekistan. The design of transportable experimental PGAA device on the basis of low-power radionuclide neutron source ( 252 Cf) with neutrons of 2x10 7 neutr/sec allowing to determine element content of the above named ores and their processing products is offered. It is shown that the use of the thermal neutron capture gamma-ray spectrometry in real samples and technological products allows prompt determination of such elements as S, Cu, Ti and others, which are important for flotation of sulfide ores. Efficiency control of the flotation processing of sulfide ores is based on quick determination of the content of sulfur and some other important elements at different stages of the process. It was found that to determine elements the following gamma lines are the most suitable - 840.3 keV for sulfur, 609 keV and 7307 keV for copper and 1381.5 keV, 1498.3 keV and 1585.3 keV for titanium. Based on the measurements of original ores, concentrates of various stages of flotation and flotation slime the possibility for prompt determination of S, Cu and Ti content and thus to get necessary information on the efficiency of the flotation process was shown. (author)

  4. Ageing evaluation model of nuclear reactors structural elements

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ziliukas, A.; Jutas, A.; Leisis, V.

    2002-01-01

    In this article the estimation of non-failure probability by random faults on the structural elements of nuclear reactors is presented. Ageing is certainly a significant factor in determining the limits of nuclear plant lifetime or life extensions. Usually the non failure probability rates failure intensity, which is characteristic for structural elements ageing in nuclear reactors. In practice the reliability is increased incorrectly because not all failures are fixed and cumulated. Therefore, the methodology with using the fine parameter of the failures flow is described. The comparison of non failure probability and failures flow is carried out. The calculation of these parameters in the practical example is shown too. (author)

  5. Multilayer Finite-Element Model Application to Define the Bearing Structure Element Stress State of Launch Complexes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    V. A. Zverev

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available The article objective is to justify the rationale for selecting the multilayer finite element model parameters of the bearing structure of a general-purpose launch complex unit.A typical design element of the launch complex unit, i.e. a mount of the hydraulic or pneumatic cylinder, block, etc. is under consideration. The mount represents a set of the cantilevered axis and external structural cage. The most loaded element of the cage is disk to which a moment is transferred from the cantilevered axis due to actuator effort acting on it.To calculate the stress-strain state of disk was used a finite element method. Five models of disk mount were created. The only difference in models was the number of layers of the finite elements through the thickness of disk. There were models, which had one, three, five, eight, and fourteen layers of finite elements through the thickness of disk. For each model, we calculated the equivalent stresses arising from the action of the test load. Disk models were formed and calculated using the MSC Nastran complex software.The article presents results in the table to show data of equivalent stresses in each of the multi-layered models and graphically to illustrate the changing equivalent stresses through the thickness of disk.Based on these results we have given advice on selecting the proper number of layers in the model allowing a desirable accuracy of results with the lowest run time. In addition, it is concluded that there is a need to use the multi-layer models in assessing the performance of structural elements in case the stress exceeds the allowable one in their surface layers.

  6. Detection of secondary structure elements in proteins by hydrophobic cluster analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Woodcock, S; Mornon, J P; Henrissat, B

    1992-10-01

    Hydrophobic cluster analysis (HCA) is a protein sequence comparison method based on alpha-helical representations of the sequences where the size, shape and orientation of the clusters of hydrophobic residues are primarily compared. The effectiveness of HCA has been suggested to originate from its potential ability to focus on the residues forming the hydrophobic core of globular proteins. We have addressed the robustness of the bidimensional representation used for HCA in its ability to detect the regular secondary structure elements of proteins. Various parameters have been studied such as those governing cluster size and limits, the hydrophobic residues constituting the clusters as well as the potential shift of the cluster positions with respect to the position of the regular secondary structure elements. The following results have been found to support the alpha-helical bidimensional representation used in HCA: (i) there is a positive correlation (clearly above background noise) between the hydrophobic clusters and the regular secondary structure elements in proteins; (ii) the hydrophobic clusters are centred on the regular secondary structure elements; (iii) the pitch of the helical representation which gives the best correspondence is that of an alpha-helix. The correspondence between hydrophobic clusters and regular secondary structure elements suggests a way to implement variable gap penalties during the automatic alignment of protein sequences.

  7. Theoretical Studies of the Electronic Structure of the Compounds of the Actinide Elements

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kaltsoyannis, Nikolas; Hay, P.J.; Li, Jun; Blaudeau, Jean-Philippe; Bursten, Bruce E.

    2006-01-01

    In this chapter, we will present an overview of the theoretical and computational developments that have increased our understanding of the electronic structure of actinide-containing molecules and ions. The application of modern electronic structure methodologies to actinide systems remains one of the great challenges in quantum chemistry; indeed, as will be discussed below, there is no other portion of the periodic table that leads to the confluence of complexity with respect to the calculation of ground- and excited-state energies, bonding descriptions, and molecular properties. But there is also no place in the periodic table in which effective computational modeling of electronic structure can be more useful. The difficulties in creating, isolating, and handling many of the actinide elements provide an opportunity for computational chemistry to be an unusually important partner in developing the chemistry of these elements. The importance of actinide electronic structure begins with the earliest studies of uranium chemistry and predates the discovery of quantum mechanics. The fluorescence of uranyl compounds was observed as early as 1833, a presage of the development of actinometry as a tool for measuring photochemical quantum yields. Interest in nuclear fuels has stimulated tremendous interest in understanding the properties, including electronic properties, of small actinide-containing molecules and ions, especially the oxides and halides of uranium and plutonium. The synthesis of uranocene in 1968 led to the flurry of activity in the organometallic chemistry of the actinides that continues today. Actinide organometallics (or organoactinides) are nearly always molecular systems and are often volatile, which makes them amenable to an arsenal of experimental probes of molecular and electronic structure (Marks and Fischer, 1979). Theoretical and computational studies of the electronic structure of actinide systems have developed in concert with the experimental

  8. PARCS - A pre-stressed and reinforced concrete shell element for analysis of containment structures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Buragohain, D.N.; Mukherjee, A.

    1993-01-01

    Containment structures are designed as pressure vessels against a huge internal pressure build up in the event of a postulated LOCA. In such situations the containment structures experience predominantly in-plane stress in tension. Therefore, pre-stressed concrete has been very frequently used for the construction of containment. For larger plants a dual containment with a pre-stressed concrete inner containment and a reinforced concrete outer containment has been adopted. These structures are required to perform within very stringent safety requirements under extremely severe loading. Naturally, their design has attracted a lot of investigators and a huge volume of literature has been published in previous SMiRT conferences. However, it seems that the structural modeling of the containment has not developed accordingly. It is a common practice to consider the concrete section only in the model and the effects of pre-stress and reinforcements are usually neglected. This is due to the difficulty in including these effects without generating an unduly large model. To include these effects using the existing software, the concrete can be modeled with 3D elements. The reinforcements can be included in the model as bar or cable elements. However, that would require a nodal line along every reinforcement. Therefore, this method would generate a huge model unmanageable even with modern computing facilities. Alternatively, the reinforcements can be assumed to be smeared uniformly within the structure and an average property can be included. This model is acceptable when the reinforcements are very closely spaced. However, for sparsely spaced reinforcements it would result in loss of accuracy, especially in important areas like the vicinity of large openings. In this paper a shell element for the analysis of pre-stressed and reinforced concrete structures has been proposed which alleviates this difficulty. This element can accommodate the reinforcing bars or cables anywhere

  9. Theoretical and experimental investigation of the nonlinear structural dynamics of Fast Breeder Reactor fuel elements

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Liebe, R.

    1978-04-01

    This study describes theoretical and experimental investigations of the dynamic deformation behavior of single and clustered fuel elements under local fault conditions in a Fast Breeder Reactor core. In particular an energetic molten-fuel-coolant-interaction (FCI) is assumed in one subassembly with corresponding pressure pulses, which may rupture the wrapper and load the adjacent fuel elements impulsively. Associated coherent structural deformation may exceed tolerable and damage the control rods. To attack the outlined coupled fluid-structure-interaction problem it is assumed, that the loading at the structures is known in space and time, and that there is no feedback from the deformation response. Then current FCI-knowledge and experience from underwater core model explosion tests is utilized to estimate upper limits of relevant pulse characteristics. As a first step the static carrying capacity of the rigid-plastic hexagonal wrapper tube is calculated using the methods of limit analysis. Then for a general dynamic simulation of the complete elastoplastic subassembly response the concept of a discrete nonlinear hinge is introduced. A corresponding physical lumped parameter hinge model is presented, and general equations of motion are derived using D'Alembert's principle. Application to the static and dynamic analysis of a single complete fuel element includes the semiempirical modelling of the fuel-pin bundle by a homogeneous compressible medium. Most important conclusions are concerning the capability of the theoretical models, the failure modes and threshold load levels of single as well as clustered SNR-300 fuel elements and the safety relevant finding, that only limited deformations are found in the first row around the incident element. This shows in agreement with explosion test results that the structured and closely spaced fuel elements constitute an effective, inherent barrier against extreme dynamic loadings. (orig.) [de

  10. SAFE-PLANE, Stress Analysis of Planar Structure by Finite Elements Method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cornell, D.C.; Reich, Morris

    1967-01-01

    1 - Description of problem or function: SAFE-PLANE is applied to two- dimensional structures of arbitrary geometry under in-plane loads. Either plane stress or plane strain conditions may be imposed. Mechanical and thermal loads are permitted. 2 - Method of solution: The finite-element method is used to construct a mathematical model by assembling discrete elements. The total potential energy of the structure is determined and subsequently minimized by iteration on components of the displacement field until static equilibrium of the structure is attained. Strains and stresses are computed from the resulting displacements. 3 - Restrictions on the complexity of the problem: Multi-material structures with varying rigidities converge very slowly. Not valid for incompressible materials. Maximum number of nodal points = 675. Maximum number of elements = 1350

  11. The investigation about embodiment of vertical isolation structure. An embodiment of the structural plan of damper element

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Somaki, Takahiro; Miyamoto, Akinori; Nakatogawa, Tetsundo

    2003-01-01

    In order to realize the concept of a vertical isolation system (common deck system), research and development on the vertical isolation structure is now underway. In its first step, structure plans of each of the isolation element and the damper element will be drawn up, and in the next step, tests on these elements will be planed, executed, analyzed, and evaluated, to be reflected to the structure plan. In this report, the structure plan and test plan of damper element is reported. At first, it was concluded in the previous work that the steel-materials damper which can be evaluated by Ramberg-Osgood type is applicable to the vertical isolation system required performance. Then, based on this results, the form range of a damper which satisfies was surveyed from both cross section thickness and distribution of strain by analysis. Next, in order to check the performance (limit a damping capability, load carrying capacity, fatigue strength, and deformability) of an actual damper element based on this analysis result, the test plan for actual scale model was drawn up. (author)

  12. Electronic structure and chemical properties of superheavy elements

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Pershina, V [Gesellschaft fuer Schwerionenforschung (GSI), Helmholtzzentrum fuer Schwerionenforschung Gmbh (Germany)

    2009-12-31

    Relativistic electronic structure calculations of superheavy elements (Z>=104) are analyzed. Preference is given to those related to experimental research. The role of relativistic effects is discussed.

  13. Finite element simulation of the welding process and structural behaviour of welded components

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Locci, J.M.; Rouvray, A. de; Barbe, B.; Poirier, J.

    1977-01-01

    In the field of inelastic analysis of nuclear metal structures, the computation of residual stresses in welds, and their effects on the strength of welded components is of major importance. This paper presents an experimentally checked finite element simulation with the general nonlinear program PAM NEP-D, of the electron beam welding of two thick hemispherical shells, and the behaviour of the welded sphere under various additional thermomechanical sollicitations. (Auth.)

  14. [Structural elements of critical thinking of nurses in emergency care].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Crossetti, Maria da Graça Oliveira; Bittencourt, Greicy Kelly Gouveia Dias; Lima, Ana Amélia Antunes; de Góes, Marta Georgina Oliveira; Saurin, Gislaine

    2014-09-01

    The objective of this study was to analyze the structural elements of critical thinking (CT) of nurses in the clinical decision-making process. This exploratory, qualitative study was conducted with 20 emergency care nurses in three hospitals in southern Brazil. Data were collected from April to June 2009, and a validated clinical case was applied from which nurses listed health problems, prescribed care and listed the structural elements of CT. Content analysis resulted in categories used to determine priority structural elements of CT, namely theoretical foundations and practical relationship to clinical decision making; technical and scientific knowledge and clinical experience, thought processes and clinical decision making: clinical reasoning and basis for clinical judgments of nurses: patient assessment and ethics. It was concluded that thinking critically is a skill that enables implementation of a secure and effective nursing care process.

  15. Structural elements of critical thinking of nurses in emergency care

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Maria da Graça Oliveira Crossetti

    Full Text Available The objective of this study was to analyze the structural elements of critical thinking (CT of nurses in the clinical decision-making process. This exploratory, qualitative study was conducted with 20 emergency care nurses in three hospitals in southern Brazil. Data were collected from April to June 2009, and a validated clinical case was applied from which nurses listed health problems, prescribed care and listed the structural elements of CT. Content analysis resulted in categories used to determine priority structural elements of CT, namely theoretical foundations and practical relationship to clinical decision making; technical and scientific knowledge and clinical experience, thought processes and clinical decision making: clinical reasoning and basis for clinical judgments of nurses: patient assessment and ethics. It was concluded that thinking critically is a skill that enables implementation of a secure and effective nursing care process.

  16. Kink structures induced in nickel-based single crystal superalloys by high-Z element migration

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sun, Fei; Zhang, Jianxin [Key Laboratory for Liquid Structure and Heredity of Materials, Ministry of Education, Shandong University, Jinan 250061 (China); Mao, Shengcheng [Institute of Microstructure and Property of Advanced Materials, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124 (China); Jiang, Ying [Center of Electron Microscopy and State Key Laboratory of Silicon Materials, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027 (China); Feng, Qiang [National Center for Materials Service Safety, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083 (China); State Key Laboratory for Advanced Metals and Materials, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083 (China); Shen, Zhenju; Li, Jixue; Zhang, Ze [Center of Electron Microscopy and State Key Laboratory of Silicon Materials, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027 (China); Han, Xiaodong [Institute of Microstructure and Property of Advanced Materials, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124 (China)

    2015-01-05

    Highlights: • Innovative kink structures generate at the γ/γ′ interfaces in the crept superalloy. • Clusters of heavy elements congregate at the apex of the kinks. • Dislocation core absorbs hexagonal structural high-Z elements. - Abstract: Here, we investigate a new type of kink structure that is found at γ/γ′ interfaces in nickel-based single crystal superalloys. We studied these structures at the atomic and elemental level using aberration corrected high-angle annular dark-field scanning transmission electron microscopy (HAADF-STEM). The core of the dislocation absorbs high-Z elements (i.e., Co and Re) that adopt hexagonal arrangements, and it extrudes elements (i.e., Ni and Al) that adopt face centered cubic (fcc) structures. High-Z elements (i.e., Ta and W) and Cr, which is a low-Z element, are stabilized in body centered cubic (bcc) arrangements; Cr tends to behave like Re. High-Z elements, which migrate and adopt a hexagonal structure, induce kink formation at γ/γ′ interfaces. This process must be analyzed to fully understand the kinetics and dynamics of creep in nickel-based single crystal superalloys.

  17. Studies in Korea on ingestion of trace elements of importance in radiological protection

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cho, Seung Yeon

    2005-01-01

    One day representative mixed diet of adult Korean was collected from the data based on the food diary of 77 healthy subjects at the age between 20 to 50. The analytical methods involving both instrumental and radiochemical neutron activation techniques are being developed for the determination of the elements Cs, I, Sr, Th and U in various kinds of biological samples. Concentrations of trace elements including 5 important elements such as U, Th, Cs, Sr and I in Korean total diet and 4 most frequently consuming Korean foodstuffs have been analyzed by neutron activation analysis

  18. Studies in Korea on ingestion of trace elements of importance in radiological protection

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Cho, Seung Yeon [Yonsei University, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

    2005-07-01

    One day representative mixed diet of adult Korean was collected from the data based on the food diary of 77 healthy subjects at the age between 20 to 50. The analytical methods involving both instrumental and radiochemical neutron activation techniques are being developed for the determination of the elements Cs, I, Sr, Th and U in various kinds of biological samples. Concentrations of trace elements including 5 important elements such as U, Th, Cs, Sr and I in Korean total diet and 4 most frequently consuming Korean foodstuffs have been analyzed by neutron activation analysis.

  19. Implementation of advanced finite element technology in structural analysis computer codes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kohli, T.D.; Wiley, J.W.; Koss, P.W.

    1975-01-01

    Advances in finite element technology over the last several years have been rapid and have largely outstripped the ability of general purpose programs in the public domain to assimilate them. As a result, it has become the burden of the structural analyst to incorporate these advances himself. This paper discusses the implementation and extension of specific technological advances in Bechtel structural analysis programs. In general these advances belong in two categories: (1) the finite elements themselves and (2) equation solution algorithms. Improvements in the finite elements involve increased accuracy of the elements and extension of their applicability to various specialized modelling situations. Improvements in solution algorithms have been almost exclusively aimed at expanding problem solving capacity. (Auth.)

  20. Adaptive contact elements for three-dimensional fluid-structure interfaces

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kulak, R.F.

    1985-01-01

    A finite element method is developed for treating the mechanics of contact between two deformable bodies which occurs, for example, at fluid-structure interfaces. The method uses a family of adaptive contact elements, which are based upon the penalty method, to handle all of the possible contact configurations that can occur between the discretized contacting bodies. The contact element's nodal connectivity is allowed to change during the computations in order to accommodate finite sliding. The infusion of these elements in the interface results in satisfying the force equilibrium condition during contact. The methodology has been implemented into the NEPTUNE code. Results are presented for an illustrative problem

  1. Adaptive contact elements for three-dimensional fluid-structure interfaces

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kulak, R.F.

    1985-01-01

    A finite element method is developed for treating the mechanics of contact between two deformable bodies which occurs, for example, at fluid-structure interfaces. The method uses a family of adaptive contact elements, which are based upon the penalty method, to handle all of the possible contact configurations that can occur between the discretized contacting bodies. The contact element's nodal connectivity is allowed to change during the computations in order to accommodate finite sliding. The infusion of these elements in the interface results in satisfying the force equilibrium condition during contact. The methodology has been implemented into the NEPTUNE code. Results are presented for an illustrative problem.

  2. Electronic structure and properties of superheavy elements

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pershina, V.

    2015-01-01

    Spectacular developments in the relativistic quantum theory and computational algorithms in the last few decades allowed for accurate calculations of properties of the superheavy elements (SHE) and their compounds. Often conducted in a close link to the experimental research, these investigations helped predict and interpret an outcome of sophisticated and expensive experiments with single atoms. Most of the works, particularly those related to the experimental studies, are overviewed in this publication. The role of relativistic effects being of paramount importance for the heaviest elements is elucidated.

  3. Essentials of the finite element method for mechanical and structural engineers

    CERN Document Server

    Pavlou, Dimitrios G

    2015-01-01

    Fundamental coverage, analytic mathematics, and up-to-date software applications are hard to find in a single text on the finite element method (FEM). Dimitrios Pavlou's Essentials of the Finite Element Method: For Structural and Mechanical Engineers makes the search easier by providing a comprehensive but concise text for those new to FEM, or just in need of a refresher on the essentials. Essentials of the Finite Element Method explains the basics of FEM, then relates these basics to a number of practical engineering applications. Specific topics covered include linear spring elements, bar elements, trusses, beams and frames, heat transfer, and structural dynamics. Throughout the text, readers are shown step-by-step detailed analyses for finite element equations development. The text also demonstrates how FEM is programmed, with examples in MATLAB, CALFEM, and ANSYS allowing readers to learn how to develop their own computer code. Suitable for everyone from first-time BSc/MSc students to practicing mechanic...

  4. Considerations in the identification of functional RNA structural elements in genomic alignments

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Blencowe Benjamin J

    2007-01-01

    significantly higher for real than shuffled sequence, while the distribution for coding sequences was lower than that of corresponding shuffles. Conclusion Accurate prediction of novel RNA structural elements in genome sequence remains a difficult problem, and development of an appropriate negative-control strategy for multiple alignments is an important practical challenge. Nonetheless, the general trends we observed for the distributions of predicted ncRNAs across genomic features are biologically meaningful, supporting the presence of secondary structural elements in many 3' UTRs, and providing evidence for evolutionary selection against secondary structures in coding regions.

  5. Infinite elements for soil-structure interaction analysis in multi-layered halfspaces

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yun, Chung Bang; Kim, Jae Min; Yang, Shin Chu

    1994-01-01

    This paper presents the theoretical aspects of a computer code (KIESSI) for soil-structure interaction analysis in a multi-layered halfspace using infinite elements. The shape functions of the infinite elements are derived from approximate expressions of the analytical solutions. Three different infinite elements are developed. They are the horizontal, the vertical and the comer infinite elements (HIE, VIE and CIE). Numerical example analyses are presented for demonstrating the effectiveness of the proposed infinite elements

  6. Nuclear structure notes on element 115 decay chains

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rudolph, D.; Sarmiento, L. G.; Forsberg, U.

    2015-01-01

    Hitherto collected data on more than hundred α-decay chains stemming from element 115 are combined to probe some aspects of the underlying nuclear structure of the heaviest atomic nuclei yet created in the laboratory

  7. Nuclear structure notes on element 115 decay chains

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rudolph, D., E-mail: Dirk.Rudolph@nuclear.lu.se; Sarmiento, L. G.; Forsberg, U. [Department of Physics, Lund University, 22100 Lund (Sweden)

    2015-10-15

    Hitherto collected data on more than hundred α-decay chains stemming from element 115 are combined to probe some aspects of the underlying nuclear structure of the heaviest atomic nuclei yet created in the laboratory.

  8. Broadband Acoustic Transmission Enhancement through a Structured Stiff Plate with Locally Resonant Elements

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li Yong; Liang Bin; Zou Xin-Ye; Cheng Jian-Chun

    2012-01-01

    Broadband acoustic transmission enhancement (ATE) is realized for a periodically structured stiff plate without any opening that is conventionally thought to be only capable of supporting narrowband ATE, by introducing locally resonant (LR) elements. This exotic phenomenon is interpreted by analyzing the vibration pattern of the structure-induced LR modes, and is well modeled by a simple 'spring-mass' system which reveals the contribution of the LR effect to the important broadband performance. Our findings should help to better understand the physical mechanism of ATE and may have potential impact on ultrasonic applications such as broadband acoustic filters or compact acoustic devices in subwavelength scale

  9. A study on the nonlinear finite element analysis of reinforced concrete structures: shell finite element formulation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lee, Sang Jin; Seo, Jeong Moon

    2000-08-01

    The main goal of this research is to establish a methodology of finite element analysis of containment building predicting not only global behaviour but also local failure mode. In this report, we summerize some existing numerical analysis techniques to be improved for containment building. In other words, a complete description of the standard degenerated shell finite element formulation is provided for nonlinear stress analysis of nuclear containment structure. A shell finite element is derived using the degenerated solid concept which does not rely on a specific shell theory. Reissner-Mindlin assumptions are adopted to consider the transverse shear deformation effect. In order to minimize the sensitivity of the constitutive equation to structural types, microscopic material model is adopted. The four solution algorithms based on the standard Newton-Raphson method are discussed. Finally, two numerical examples are carried out to test the performance of the adopted shell medel.

  10. A study on the nonlinear finite element analysis of reinforced concrete structures: shell finite element formulation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, Sang Jin; Seo, Jeong Moon

    2000-08-01

    The main goal of this research is to establish a methodology of finite element analysis of containment building predicting not only global behaviour but also local failure mode. In this report, we summerize some existing numerical analysis techniques to be improved for containment building. In other words, a complete description of the standard degenerated shell finite element formulation is provided for nonlinear stress analysis of nuclear containment structure. A shell finite element is derived using the degenerated solid concept which does not rely on a specific shell theory. Reissner-Mindlin assumptions are adopted to consider the transverse shear deformation effect. In order to minimize the sensitivity of the constitutive equation to structural types, microscopic material model is adopted. The four solution algorithms based on the standard Newton-Raphson method are discussed. Finally, two numerical examples are carried out to test the performance of the adopted shell medel

  11. LIGHT-WEIGHT LOAD-BEARING STRUCTURES REINFORCED BY CORE ELEMENTS MADE OF SEGMENTS AND A METHOD OF CASTING SUCH STRUCTURES

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    2009-01-01

    The invention relates to a light-weight load-bearing structure, reinforced by core elements (2) of a strong material constituting one or more compression or tension zones in the structure to be cast, which core (2) is surrounded by or adjacent to a material of less strength compared to the core (2......), where the core (2) is constructed from segments (1) of core elements (2) assembled by means of one or more prestressing elements (4). The invention further relates to a method of casting of light-weight load-bearing structures, reinforced by core elements (2) of a strong material constituting one...... or more compression or tension zones in the structure to be cast, which core (2) is surrounded by or adjacent to a material of less strength compared to the core (2), where the core (2) is constructed from segments (1) of core elements (2) assembled and hold together by means of one or more prestressing...

  12. Testing for change in structural elements of forest inventories

    Science.gov (United States)

    Melinda Vokoun; David Wear; Robert Abt

    2009-01-01

    In this article we develop a methodology to test for changes in the underlying relationships between measures of forest productivity (structural elements) and site characteristics, herein referred to as structural changes, using standard forest inventories. Changes in measures of forest growing stock volume and number of trees for both...

  13. Structural weights analysis of advanced aerospace vehicles using finite element analysis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bush, Lance B.; Lentz, Christopher A.; Rehder, John J.; Naftel, J. Chris; Cerro, Jeffrey A.

    1989-01-01

    A conceptual/preliminary level structural design system has been developed for structural integrity analysis and weight estimation of advanced space transportation vehicles. The system includes a three-dimensional interactive geometry modeler, a finite element pre- and post-processor, a finite element analyzer, and a structural sizing program. Inputs to the system include the geometry, surface temperature, material constants, construction methods, and aerodynamic and inertial loads. The results are a sized vehicle structure capable of withstanding the static loads incurred during assembly, transportation, operations, and missions, and a corresponding structural weight. An analysis of the Space Shuttle external tank is included in this paper as a validation and benchmark case of the system.

  14. Human polyomavirus JCV late leader peptide region contains important regulatory elements

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Akan, Ilhan; Sariyer, Ilker Kudret; Biffi, Renato; Palermo, Victoria; Woolridge, Stefanie; White, Martyn K.; Amini, Shohreh; Khalili, Kamel; Safak, Mahmut

    2006-01-01

    Transcription is a complex process that relies on the cooperative interaction between sequence-specific factors and the basal transcription machinery. The strength of a promoter depends on upstream or downstream cis-acting DNA elements, which bind transcription factors. In this study, we investigated whether DNA elements located downstream of the JCV late promoter, encompassing the late leader peptide region, which encodes agnoprotein, play regulatory roles in the JCV lytic cycle. For this purpose, the entire coding region of the leader peptide was deleted and the functional consequences of this deletion were analyzed. We found that viral gene expression and replication were drastically reduced. Gene expression also decreased from a leader peptide point mutant but to a lesser extent. This suggested that the leader peptide region of JCV might contain critical cis-acting DNA elements to which transcription factors bind and regulate viral gene expression and replication. We analyzed the entire coding region of the late leader peptide by a footprinting assay and identified three major regions (region I, II and III) that were protected by nuclear proteins. Further investigation of the first two protected regions by band shift assays revealed a new band that appeared in new infection cycles, suggesting that viral infection induces new factors that interact with the late leader peptide region of JCV. Analysis of the effect of the leader peptide region on the promoter activity of JCV by transfection assays demonstrated that this region has a positive and negative effect on the large T antigen (LT-Ag)-mediated activation of the viral early and late promoters, respectively. Furthermore, a partial deletion analysis of the leader peptide region encompassing the protected regions I and II demonstrated a significant down-regulation of viral gene expression and replication. More importantly, these results were similar to that obtained from a complete deletion of the late leader

  15. Molecules and Models The molecular structures of main group element compounds

    CERN Document Server

    Haaland, Arne

    2008-01-01

    This book provides a systematic description of the molecular structures and bonding in simple compounds of the main group elements with particular emphasis on bond distances, bond energies and coordination geometries. The description includes the structures of hydrogen, halogen and methyl derivatives of the elements in each group, some of these molecules are ionic, some polar covalent. The survey of molecules whose structures conform to well-established trends is followed byrepresentative examples of molecules that do not conform. We also describe electron donor-acceptor and hydrogen bonded co

  16. Development of efficient finite elements for structural integrity analysis of solid rocket motor propellant grains

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Marimuthu, R.; Nageswara Rao, B.

    2013-01-01

    Solid propellant rocket motors (SRM) are regularly used in the satellite launch vehicles which consist of mainly three different structural materials viz., solid propellant, liner, and casing materials. It is essential to assess the structural integrity of solid propellant grains under the specified gravity, thermal and pressure loading conditions. For this purpose finite elements developed following the Herrmann formulation are: twenty node brick element (BH20), eight node quadrilateral plane strain element (PH8) and, eight node axi-symmetric solid of revolution element (AH8). The time-dependent nature of the solid propellant grains is taken into account utilizing the direct inverse method of Schepary to specify the effective Young's modulus and Poisson's ratio. The developed elements are tested considering various problems prior to implementation in the in-house software package (viz., Finite Element Analysis of STructures, FEAST). Several SRM configurations are analyzed to assess the structural integrity under different loading conditions. Finite element analysis results are found to be in good agreement with those obtained earlier from MARC software. -- Highlights: • Developed efficient Herrmann elements. • Accuracy of finite elements demonstrated solving several known solution problems. • Time dependent structural response obtained using the direct inverse method of Schepary. • Performed structural analysis of grains under gravity, thermal and pressure loads

  17. Electronic structure theory of the superheavy elements

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Eliav, Ephraim, E-mail: ephraim@tau.ac.il [School of Chemistry, Tel Aviv University, 6997801 Tel Aviv (Israel); Fritzsche, Stephan, E-mail: s.fritzsche@gsi.de [Helmholtz-Institut Jena, Fröbelstieg 3, D-07743 Jena (Germany); Theoretisch-Physikalisches Institut, Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena, D-07743 Jena (Germany); Kaldor, Uzi, E-mail: kaldor@tau.ac.il [School of Chemistry, Tel Aviv University, 6997801 Tel Aviv (Israel)

    2015-12-15

    High-accuracy calculations of atomic properties of the superheavy elements (SHE) up to element 122 are reviewed. The properties discussed include ionization potentials, electron affinities and excitation energies, which are associated with the spectroscopic and chemical behavior of these elements, and are therefore of considerable interest. Accurate predictions of these quantities require high-order inclusion of relativity and electron correlation, as well as large, converged basis sets. The Dirac–Coulomb–Breit Hamiltonian, which includes all terms up to second order in the fine-structure constant α, serves as the framework for the treatment; higher-order Lamb shift terms are considered in some selected cases. Electron correlation is treated by either the multiconfiguration self-consistent-field approach or by Fock-space coupled cluster theory. The latter is enhanced by the intermediate Hamiltonian scheme, allowing the use of larger model (P) spaces. The quality of the calculations is assessed by applying the same methods to lighter homologs of the SHEs and comparing with available experimental information. Very good agreement is obtained, within a few hundredths of an eV, and similar accuracy is expected for the SHEs. Many of the properties predicted for the SHEs differ significantly from what may be expected by straightforward extrapolation of lighter homologs, demonstrating that the structure and chemistry of SHEs are strongly affected by relativity. The major scientific challenge of the calculations is to find the electronic structure and basic atomic properties of the SHE and assign its proper place in the periodic table. Significant recent developments include joint experimental–computational studies of the excitation spectrum of Fm and the ionization energy of Lr, with excellent agreement of experiment and theory, auguring well for the future of research in the field.

  18. Finite element modeling of nanotube structures linear and non-linear models

    CERN Document Server

    Awang, Mokhtar; Muhammad, Ibrahim Dauda

    2016-01-01

    This book presents a new approach to modeling carbon structures such as graphene and carbon nanotubes using finite element methods, and addresses the latest advances in numerical studies for these materials. Based on the available findings, the book develops an effective finite element approach for modeling the structure and the deformation of grapheme-based materials. Further, modeling processing for single-walled and multi-walled carbon nanotubes is demonstrated in detail.

  19. Model Reduction in Dynamic Finite Element Analysis of Lightweight Structures

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Flodén, Ola; Persson, Kent; Sjöström, Anders

    2012-01-01

    models may be created by assembling models of floor and wall structures into large models of complete buildings. When assembling the floor and wall models, the number of degrees of freedom quickly increases to exceed the limits of computer capacity, at least in a reasonable amount of computational time...... Hz. Three different methods of model reduction were investigated; Guyan reduction, component mode synthesis and a third approach where a new finite element model was created with structural elements. Eigenvalue and steady-state analyses were performed in order to compare the errors...

  20. Efficient Analysis of Structures with Rotatable Elements Using Model Order Reduction

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    G. Fotyga

    2016-04-01

    Full Text Available This paper presents a novel full-wave technique which allows for a fast 3D finite element analysis of waveguide structures containing rotatable tuning elements of arbitrary shapes. Rotation of these elements changes the resonant frequencies of the structure, which can be used in the tuning process to obtain the S-characteristics desired for the device. For fast commutations of the response as the tuning elements are rotated, the 3D finite element method is supported by multilevel model-order reduction, orthogonal projection at the boundaries of macromodels and the operation called macromodels cloning. All the time-consuming steps are performed only once in the preparatory stage. In the tuning stage, only small parts of the domain are updated, by means of a special meshing technique. In effect, the tuning process is performed extremely rapidly. The results of the numerical experiments confirm the efficiency and validity of the proposed method.

  1. Ab initio random structure search for 13-atom clusters of fcc elements

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chou, J P; Hsing, C R; Wei, C M; Cheng, C; Chang, C M

    2013-01-01

    The 13-atom metal clusters of fcc elements (Al, Rh, Ir, Ni, Pd, Pt, Cu, Ag, Au) were studied by density functional theory calculations. The global minima were searched for by the ab initio random structure searching method. In addition to some new lowest-energy structures for Pd 13 and Au 13 , we found that the effective coordination numbers of the lowest-energy clusters would increase with the ratio of the dimer-to-bulk bond length. This correlation, together with the electronic structures of the lowest-energy clusters, divides the 13-atom clusters of these fcc elements into two groups (except for Au 13 , which prefers a two-dimensional structure due to the relativistic effect). Compact-like clusters that are composed exclusively of triangular motifs are preferred for elements without d-electrons (Al) or with (nearly) filled d-band electrons (Ni, Pd, Cu, Ag). Non-compact clusters composed mainly of square motifs connected by some triangular motifs (Rh, Ir, Pt) are favored for elements with unfilled d-band electrons. (paper)

  2. Using Factor Analysis Tool to Analyze the Important Packaging Elements that Impact Consumer Buying Behavior

    OpenAIRE

    Vjollca Visoka Hasani; Jusuf Zeqiri

    2015-01-01

    The objective of this study is to determine the elements that play an important role on consumer’s buying behavior. The purpose of this research is to find out the main important factors related with the packaging effect. Companies in order to create the right packaging for their products, they must understand the consumer buying process and understand the role and the impact of packaging elements as variables that can influence the purchase decision. So, by understanding what factors influen...

  3. Finite elements for the thermomechanical calculation of massive structures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Argyris, J.H.; Szimmat, J.; Willam, K.J.

    1978-01-01

    The paper examines the fine element analysis of thermal stress and deformation problems in massive structures. To this end compatible idealizations are utilized for heat conduction and static analysis in order to minimize the data transfer. For transient behaviour due to unsteady heat flow and/or inelastics material processes the two computational parts are interwoven in form of an integrated software package for finite element analysis of thermomechanical problems in space and time. (orig.) [de

  4. Crystal structure of the potassium-importing KdpFABC membrane complex

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Huang, Ching-Shin; Pedersen, Bjørn Panyella; Stokes, David L.

    2017-06-21

    Cellular potassium import systems play a fundamental role in osmoregulation, pH homeostasis and membrane potential in all domains of life. In bacteria, the kdp operon encodes a four-subunit potassium pump that maintains intracellular homeostasis, cell shape and turgor under conditions in which potassium is limiting1. This membrane complex, called KdpFABC, has one channel-like subunit (KdpA) belonging to the superfamily of potassium transporters and another pump-like subunit (KdpB) belonging to the superfamily of P-type ATPases. Although there is considerable structural and functional information about members of both superfamilies, the mechanism by which uphill potassium transport through KdpA is coupled with ATP hydrolysis by KdpB remains poorly understood. Here we report the 2.9 Å X-ray structure of the complete Escherichia coli KdpFABC complex with a potassium ion within the selectivity filter of KdpA and a water molecule at a canonical cation site in the transmembrane domain of KdpB. The structure also reveals two structural elements that appear to mediate the coupling between these two subunits. Specifically, a protein-embedded tunnel runs between these potassium and water sites and a helix controlling the cytoplasmic gate of KdpA is linked to the phosphorylation domain of KdpB. On the basis of these observations, we propose a mechanism that repurposes protein channel architecture for active transport across biomembranes.

  5. Importance of Trust Building Elements in Business-To-Business Agri-Food Chains

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Meixner, O.; Ameseder, C.; Haas, R.; Canavari, M.; Fritz, M.; Hofstede, G.J.

    2009-01-01

    In marketing literature, trust is perceived as a pivotal aspect of business transactions. However, trust is still a concept that needs to be clarified. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to measure the importance of trust building elements in establishing a trustful relationship between trading

  6. Structural elements recognized by abacavir-induced T cells

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Yerly, Daniel; Pompeu, Yuri Andreiw; Schutte, Ryan J.

    2017-01-01

    of autoimmune destruction. The structural elements recognized by drug-specific T cell receptors (TCRs) in vivo are poorly defined. Drug-stimulated T cells express TCRs specific for peptide/HLA complexes, but the characteristics of peptides (sequence, or endogenous or exogenous origin) presented in the context...

  7. Using support vector machines to improve elemental ion identification in macromolecular crystal structures

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Morshed, Nader [University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720 (United States); Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720 (United States); Echols, Nathaniel, E-mail: nechols@lbl.gov [Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720 (United States); Adams, Paul D., E-mail: nechols@lbl.gov [Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720 (United States); University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720 (United States)

    2015-05-01

    A method to automatically identify possible elemental ions in X-ray crystal structures has been extended to use support vector machine (SVM) classifiers trained on selected structures in the PDB, with significantly improved sensitivity over manually encoded heuristics. In the process of macromolecular model building, crystallographers must examine electron density for isolated atoms and differentiate sites containing structured solvent molecules from those containing elemental ions. This task requires specific knowledge of metal-binding chemistry and scattering properties and is prone to error. A method has previously been described to identify ions based on manually chosen criteria for a number of elements. Here, the use of support vector machines (SVMs) to automatically classify isolated atoms as either solvent or one of various ions is described. Two data sets of protein crystal structures, one containing manually curated structures deposited with anomalous diffraction data and another with automatically filtered, high-resolution structures, were constructed. On the manually curated data set, an SVM classifier was able to distinguish calcium from manganese, zinc, iron and nickel, as well as all five of these ions from water molecules, with a high degree of accuracy. Additionally, SVMs trained on the automatically curated set of high-resolution structures were able to successfully classify most common elemental ions in an independent validation test set. This method is readily extensible to other elemental ions and can also be used in conjunction with previous methods based on a priori expectations of the chemical environment and X-ray scattering.

  8. Validation of structural design of JHR fuel element

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Brisson, S.; Miras, G.; Le Bourdonnec, L.; Lemoine, P.; Anselmet, M.C.; Marelle, V.

    2010-01-01

    The validation of the structural design of the Jules Horowitz Reactor fuel element was made by the Finite Element Method, starting from the Computer Aided Design. The JHR fuel element is a cylindrical assembly of three sectors composed of eight rolled fuel plates. A roll-swaging process is used to join the fuel plates to three aluminium stiffeners. The hydraulic gap between each plate is 1.95 mm. The JHR fuel assembly is fastened at both ends to the upper and lower endfittings by riveting. The main stresses are essentially thermal loads, imposed on the fuel zone of the plates. These thermal loads result from the nuclear heat flux (W/cm 2 ). The mechanical loads are mainly hydraulic thrust forces. The average coolant velocity is 15 m/s. Seismic effects are also studied. The fuel assembly is entirely modelled by thin shells. The model takes into account asymmetric thermal loads which often appear in Research Reactors. The mechanics of the fuel plates vary in function of the burn up. These mechanical properties are derived from the data sets used in the MAIA code, and the validity of the structure is demonstrable at throughout the life of the fuel. Results concerning displacement are compared to functional criteria, while results concerning stress are compared to RCC-MX criteria. The results of this analysis show that the mechanical and geometrical integrity of the JHR fuel elements is respected for Operating Categories 1 and 2. This paper presents the methodology of this demonstration for the results obtained. (author)

  9. Numerical modeling assistance system in finite element analysis for the structure of an assembly

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nakajima, Norihiro; Nishida, Akemi; Kawakami, Yoshiaki; Suzuki, Yoshio; Sawa, Kazuhiro; Iigaki, Kazuhiko

    2015-01-01

    The objective of structural analysis and seismic response analysis are well recognized and utilized as one of sophisticated analysis tools for design objects in the nuclear engineering. The way to design nuclear facilities is always in compromising with many index, such as costs, performance, robustness and so on, but the most important issues is the safety. It is true the structural analysis and seismic response analysis plays an important role to insure the safety, since it is well known that Japan is always facing to the earthquake. In this paper, a numerical analysis's controlling and managing system is implemented on a supercomputer, which controls the modelling process and data treating for structural robustness, although a numerical analysis's manager only controls a structural analysis by finite element method. The modeling process is described by the list of function ID and its procedures in a data base. The analytical modeling manager executes the process by order of the lists for simulation procedures. The manager controls the intention of an analysis by changing the analytical process one to another. Modeling process was experimentally found that may subject to the intention of designing index. The numerical experiments were carried out with static analyses and dynamic analyses. The results of its experiment introduce reasonable discussion to understand the accuracy of simulation. In the numerical experiments, K, supercomputer is utilized by using parallel computing resource with the controlling and managing system. The structural analysis and seismic response analysis are done by the FIEST, finite element analysis for the structure of an assembly, which carries out the simulation by gathering components. As components are attached to one another to build an assembly, and, therefore, the interactions between the components due to differences in material properties and their connection conditions considerably affect the behavior of an assembly. FIESTA is

  10. Examination of arrangement of alloy structural elements in models of metallographic structures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Radwan, M.; Gibas, K.; Lybacka, K.; Narbantowicz, E.

    1986-01-01

    To verify the structure description method taking the probability of component concentration distributions in alloys into account, it is necessary to answer the following question: do the geometrical shapes of component arrangement which are visible on the autoradiographs as dark spots determine the type and parameters of the probability distribution. To solve the problem, 14 autoradiographic models representing different shapes of labelled compounds have been prepared and measured. The results show that different structures have a different distribution of the same element

  11. Finite element analysis of ARPS structures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ruhkamp, J.D.; McDougal, J.R.; Kramer, D.P.

    1998-01-01

    Algor finite element software was used to determine the stresses and deflections in the metallic walls of Advanced Radioisotope Power Systems (ARPS) designs. The preliminary design review of these systems often neglects the structural integrity of the design which can effect fabrication and the end use of the design. Before finite element analysis (FEA) was run on the canister walls of the thermophotovoltaic (TPV) generator, hand calculations were used to approximate the stresses and deflections in a flat plate. These results compared favorably to the FEA results of a similar size flat plate. The AMTEC (Alkali Metal Thermal-to-Electric Conversion) cells were analyzed by FEA and the results compared to two cells that were mechanically tested. The mechanically tested cells buckled in the thin sections, one at the top and one in the lower section. The FEA predicted similar stress and shape results but the critical buckling load was found to be very shape dependent

  12. Inverse boundary element calculations based on structural modes

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Juhl, Peter Møller

    2007-01-01

    The inverse problem of calculating the flexural velocity of a radiating structure of a general shape from measurements in the field is often solved by combining a Boundary Element Method with the Singular Value Decomposition and a regularization technique. In their standard form these methods sol...

  13. Incommensurate host-guest structures in compressed elements: Hume—Rothery effects as origin

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Degtyareva, V F

    2015-01-01

    Discovery of the incommensurate structure in the element Ba under pressure 15 years ago was followed by findings of a series of similar structures in other compressed elements. Incommensurately modulated structures of the host-guest type consist of a tetragonal host structure and a guest structure. The guest structure forms chains of atoms embedded in the channels of host atoms so that the axial ratio of these subcells along the c axis is not rational. Two types of the host-guest structures have been found so far: with the host cells containing 8 atoms and 16 atoms; in these both types the guest cells contain 2 atoms. These crystal structures contain a non-integer number of atoms in their unit cell: tI11* in Bi, Sb, As, Ba, Sr, Sc and tI19* in Na, K, Rb. We consider here a close structural relationship of these host-guest structures with the binary alloy phase Au 3 Cd 5 -tI32. This phase is related to the family of the Hume-Rothery phases that is stabilized by the Fermi sphere-Brillouin zone interaction. From similar considerations for alkali and alkaline-earth elements a necessary condition for structural stability emerges in which the valence electrons band overlaps with the upper core electrons and the valence electron count increases under compression. (paper)

  14. The state-of-the-art and problems of fuel element structural analysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lassmann, K.

    1980-02-01

    This study of fuel element structural analysis is arranged in two parts: In the first, self-contained, part the general basic principles of deterministic computer programs for structural analysis of fuel elements are reviewed critically and an approach is shown which can be used to expand the system with respect to statistical investigations. The second part contains technical details summarized in 11 publications, all of which appeared in periodicals with reviewer teams. The major aspects of this study are thought to be the following ones: Contributions to the 'philosophy' of fuel element structural analysis. Critical analysis of the basic structure of computer programs. Critical analysis of the mechanical concept of integral fuel rod computer programs. Establishment of a comprehensive computer program system (URANUS). Expansion from purely deterministic information by statistical analyses. Methodological and computer program developments for the analysis of fast accidents. (orig.) 891 HP/orig. 892 MKO [de

  15. Lower bound plane stress element for modelling 3D structures

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Herfelt, Morten Andersen; Poulsen, Peter Noe; Hoang, Linh Cao

    2017-01-01

    In-plane action is often the primary load-carrying mechanism of reinforced concrete structures. The plate bending action will be secondary, and the behaviour of the structure can be modelled with a reasonable accuracy using a generalised three-dimensional plane stress element. In this paper...

  16. Application of ADINA fluid element for transient response analysis of fluid-structure system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sakurai, Y.; Kodama, T.; Shiraishi, T.

    1985-01-01

    Pressure propagation and Fluid-Structure Interaction (FSI) in 3D space were simulated by general purpose finite element program ADINA using the displacement-based fluid element which presumes inviscid and compressible fluid with no net flow. Numerical transient solution was compared with the measured data of an FSI experiment and was found to fairly agree with the measured. In the next step, post analysis was conducted for a blowdown experiment performed with a 1/7 scaled reactor pressure vessel and a flexible core barrel and the code performance was found to be satisfactory. It is concluded that the transient response of the core internal structure of a PWR during the initial stage of LOCA can be analyzed by the displacement-based finite fluid element and the structural element. (orig.)

  17. Language as a renewable resource: Import, dissipation, and absorption of innovations

    OpenAIRE

    Wickström, Bengt-Arne

    2012-01-01

    The structural stability of different languages subject to the import of external elements is analyzed. We focus on the temporal side of the different processes interacting to produce a change in the structure of the language. That is, the rate of import and dissipation of new elements is seen in relation to the rate at which a language absorbs such new elements into its structure. The analysis leads to a model that in the steady state is formally similar to the standard model used to analyze...

  18. Effect of Large Negative Phase of Blast Loading on Structural Response of RC Elements

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Syed Zubair Iman

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Structural response of reinforced concrete (RC elements for analysis and design are often obtained using the positive phase of the blast pressure curve disregarding the negative phase assuming insignificant contribution from the negative phase of the loading. Although, some insight on the effect of negative phase of blast pressure based on elastic single-degree-of-freedom (SDOF analysis was presented before, the influence of negative phase on different types of resistance functions of SDOF models and on realistic finite element analysis has not been explored. In this study, the effects of inclusion of pulse negative phase on structural response of RC elements from SDOF analysis and from more detailed finite element analysis have been investigated. Investigation of SDOF part has been conducted using MATLAB code that utilizes non-linear resistance functions of SDOF model. Detailed numerical investigation using finite element code DIANA was conducted on the significance of the negative phase on structural response. In the FE model, different support stiffness was used to explore the effect of support stiffness on the structural response due to blast negative phase. Results from SDOF and FE analyses present specific situations where the effect of large negative phase was found to be significant on the structural response of RC elements.

  19. Non-linear finite element analysis for prediction of seismic response of buildings considering soil-structure interaction

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    E. Çelebi

    2012-11-01

    Full Text Available The objective of this paper focuses primarily on the numerical approach based on two-dimensional (2-D finite element method for analysis of the seismic response of infinite soil-structure interaction (SSI system. This study is performed by a series of different scenarios that involved comprehensive parametric analyses including the effects of realistic material properties of the underlying soil on the structural response quantities. Viscous artificial boundaries, simulating the process of wave transmission along the truncated interface of the semi-infinite space, are adopted in the non-linear finite element formulation in the time domain along with Newmark's integration. The slenderness ratio of the superstructure and the local soil conditions as well as the characteristics of input excitations are important parameters for the numerical simulation in this research. The mechanical behavior of the underlying soil medium considered in this prediction model is simulated by an undrained elasto-plastic Mohr-Coulomb model under plane-strain conditions. To emphasize the important findings of this type of problems to civil engineers, systematic calculations with different controlling parameters are accomplished to evaluate directly the structural response of the vibrating soil-structure system. When the underlying soil becomes stiffer, the frequency content of the seismic motion has a major role in altering the seismic response. The sudden increase of the dynamic response is more pronounced for resonance case, when the frequency content of the seismic ground motion is close to that of the SSI system. The SSI effects under different seismic inputs are different for all considered soil conditions and structural types.

  20. Structure of nuclear transition matrix elements for neutrinoless ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    Abstract. The structure of nuclear transition matrix elements (NTMEs) required for the study of neutrinoless double- decay within light Majorana neutrino mass mechanism is disassembled in the PHFB model. The NTMEs are calculated using a set of HFB intrinsic wave functions, the reliability of which has been previously ...

  1. Drainage Adits in Upper Silesia - Industrial Technology Heritage and Important Elements of the Hydrotechnical Infrastructure

    Science.gov (United States)

    Duży, Stanisław; Dyduch, Grzegorz; Preidl, Wojciech; Stacha, Grzegorz

    2017-12-01

    Adits played an important role in the hydrotechnical infrastructure for centuries. Initially, they were used mainly to drain wetland and supply water to the population. There were also inherent in the conduct of mining activities. They were used as exploratory, development and supply headings. Their usual function was to drain, ventilate and transport, and after the cessation of mining they became important elements of the hydrotechnical infrastructure in the transformed mining areas. The article presents issues related to the revitalization of the Main Key Hereditary Adit and Friedrich Adit as essential for the areas in which they are located. Both are hydraulic structures with the possibility of adaptation for tourism purposes. The need to consider some technical activities to be undertaken in this type of objects was pointed out, not only including aspects related to their proper protection so that they can continue to safely perform their function, but also to the preservation of their historical values. Due to their age and the method of drilling used in them, those headings are often included in the list of monuments and protected by law.

  2. Similitude and scaling of large structural elements: Case study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M. Shehadeh

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available Scaled down models are widely used for experimental investigations of large structures due to the limitation in the capacities of testing facilities along with the expenses of the experimentation. The modeling accuracy depends upon the model material properties, fabrication accuracy and loading techniques. In the present work the Buckingham π theorem is used to develop the relations (i.e. geometry, loading and properties between the model and a large structural element as that is present in the huge existing petroleum oil drilling rigs. The model is to be designed, loaded and treated according to a set of similitude requirements that relate the model to the large structural element. Three independent scale factors which represent three fundamental dimensions, namely mass, length and time need to be selected for designing the scaled down model. Numerical prediction of the stress distribution within the model and its elastic deformation under steady loading is to be made. The results are compared with those obtained from the full scale structure numerical computations. The effect of scaled down model size and material on the accuracy of the modeling technique is thoroughly examined.

  3. Non-Linear Three Dimensional Finite Elements for Composite Concrete Structures

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    O. Kohnehpooshi

    Full Text Available Abstract The current investigation focused on the development of effective and suitable modelling of reinforced concrete component with and without strengthening. The modelling includes physical and constitutive models. New interface elements have been developed, while modified constitutive law have been applied and new computational algorithm is utilised. The new elements are the Truss-link element to model the interaction between concrete and reinforcement bars, the interface element between two plate bending elements and the interface element to represent the interfacial behaviour between FRP, steel plates and concrete. Nonlinear finite-element (FE codes were developed with pre-processing. The programme was written using FORTRAN language. The accuracy and efficiency of the finite element programme were achieved by analyzing several examples from the literature. The application of the 3D FE code was further enhanced by carrying out the numerical analysis of the three dimensional finite element analysis of FRP strengthened RC beams, as well as the 3D non-linear finite element analysis of girder bridge. Acceptable distributions of slip, deflection, stresses in the concrete and FRP plate have also been found. These results show that the new elements are effective and appropriate to be used for structural component modelling.

  4. SAFE-AXISYM, Stress Analysis of Axisymmetric Composite Structure by Finite Elements Method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cornell, D.C.

    1967-01-01

    1 - Nature of physical problem solved: SAFE-AXISYM is a program for the analysis of multi-material axisymmetric composite structures. It is designed for the analysis of heterogeneous structures such as reinforced and/or prestressed concrete vessels. The structure is assumed to be linearly elastic, and only bodies of revolution subjected to axisymmetric loading can be treated. 2 - Method of solution: SAFE-AXISYM uses a finite element method with a modified Gauss-Seidel iteration scheme. A reference grid subdivides the structure into ring-like small, finite elements, the vertices of which are called nodes. The grid may be generated by hand, by the computer or by a combination of the two methods. Each node has two degrees of freedom, translation in the and in the axial direction. Both zero and non-zero fixed displacement constraints may be assumed, and the loading condition may be mechanical and/or thermal. 3 - Restrictions on the complexity of the problem: Multi-material structures with varying rigidities converge very slowly. Not valid for incompressible materials. Maximum number of nodes = 475. Maximum number of elements = 1100

  5. Structure of nuclear transition matrix elements for neutrinoless ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    Abstract. The structure of nuclear transition matrix elements (NTMEs) required for the study of neutrinoless double-β decay within light Majorana neutrino mass mechanism is disassembled in the PHFB model. The NTMEs are calculated using a set of HFB intrinsic wave functions, the reliability of which has been previously ...

  6. Superheavy Element Synthesis And Nuclear Structure

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ackermann, D.; Block, M.; Burkhard, H.-G.; Heinz, S.; Hessberger, F. P.; Khuyagbaatar, J.; Kojouharov, I.; Mann, R.; Maurer, J.; Antalic, S.; Saro, S.; Venhart, M.; Hofmann, S.; Leino, M.; Uusitalo, J.; Nishio, K.; Popeko, A. G.; Yeremin, A. V.

    2009-01-01

    After the successful progress in experiments to synthesize superheavy elements (SHE) throughout the last decades, advanced nuclear structure studies in that region have become feasible in recent years thanks to improved accelerator, separation and detection technology. The means are evaporation residue(ER)-α-α and ER-α-γ coincidence techniques complemented by conversion electron (CE) studies, applied after a separator. Recent examples of interesting physics to be discovered in this region of the chart of nuclides are the studies of K-isomers observed in 252,254 No and in 270 Ds.

  7. A sliding point contact model for the finite element structures code EURDYN

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Smith, B.L.

    1986-01-01

    A method is developed by which sliding point contact between two moving deformable structures may be incorporated within a lumped mass finite element formulation based on displacements. The method relies on a simple mechanical interpretation of the contact constraint in terms of equivalent nodal forces and avoids the use of nodal connectivity via a master slave arrangement or pseudo contact element. The methodology has been iplemented into the EURDYN finite element program for the (2D axisymmetric) version coupled to the hydro code SEURBNUK. Sample calculations are presented illustrating the use of the model in various contact situations. Effects due to separation and impact of structures are also included. (author)

  8. Role of shell structure in the 2νββ nuclear matrix elements

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nakada, H.

    1998-01-01

    Significance of the nuclear shell structure in the ββ nuclear matrix elements is pointed out. The 2νββ processes are mainly mediated by the low-lying 1 + states. The shell structure also gives rise to concentration or fragmentation of the 2νββ components over intermediate states, depending on nuclide. These roles of the shell structure are numerically confirmed by realistic shell model calculations. Some shell structure effects are suggested for 0νββ matrix elements; dominance of low-lying intermediate states and nucleus-dependence of their spin-parities. (orig.)

  9. Nonlinear finite element analysis of concrete structures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ottosen, N.S.

    1980-05-01

    This report deals with nonlinear finite element analysis of concrete structures loaded in the short-term up until failure. A profound discussion of constitutive modelling on concrete is performed; a model, applicable for general stress states, is described and its predictions are compared with experimental data. This model is implemented in the AXIPLANE-program applicable for axisymmetrick and plane structures. The theoretical basis for this program is given. Using the AXIPLANE-program various concrete structures are analysed up until failure and compared with experimental evidence. These analyses include panels pressure vessel, beams failing in shear and finally a specific pull-out test, the Lok-Test, is considered. In these analyses, the influence of different failure criteria, aggregate interlock, dowel action, secondary cracking, magnitude of compressive strenght, magnitude of tensile strenght and of different post-failure behaviours of the concrete are evaluated. Moreover, it is shown that a suitable analysis of the theoretical data results in a clear insight into the physical behaviour of the considered structures. Finally, it is demonstrated that the AXISPLANE-program for widely different structures exhibiting very delicate structural aspects gives predictions that are in close agreement with experimental evidence. (author)

  10. Engineering computation of structures the finite element method

    CERN Document Server

    Neto, Maria Augusta; Roseiro, Luis; Cirne, José; Leal, Rogério

    2015-01-01

    This book presents theories and the main useful techniques of the Finite Element Method (FEM), with an introduction to FEM and many case studies of its use in engineering practice. It supports engineers and students to solve primarily linear problems in mechanical engineering, with a main focus on static and dynamic structural problems. Readers of this text are encouraged to discover the proper relationship between theory and practice, within the finite element method: Practice without theory is blind, but theory without practice is sterile. Beginning with elasticity basic concepts and the classical theories of stressed materials, the work goes on to apply the relationship between forces, displacements, stresses and strains on the process of modeling, simulating and designing engineered technical systems. Chapters discuss the finite element equations for static, eigenvalue analysis, as well as transient analyses. Students and practitioners using commercial FEM software will find this book very helpful. It us...

  11. Adaptive Crack Modeling with Interface Solid Elements for Plain and Fiber Reinforced Concrete Structures.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhan, Yijian; Meschke, Günther

    2017-07-08

    The effective analysis of the nonlinear behavior of cement-based engineering structures not only demands physically-reliable models, but also computationally-efficient algorithms. Based on a continuum interface element formulation that is suitable to capture complex cracking phenomena in concrete materials and structures, an adaptive mesh processing technique is proposed for computational simulations of plain and fiber-reinforced concrete structures to progressively disintegrate the initial finite element mesh and to add degenerated solid elements into the interfacial gaps. In comparison with the implementation where the entire mesh is processed prior to the computation, the proposed adaptive cracking model allows simulating the failure behavior of plain and fiber-reinforced concrete structures with remarkably reduced computational expense.

  12. Studies in the Philippines on ingestion and organ content of trace elements of importance to radiological protection

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Natera, E.S.

    1998-01-01

    The first Coordinated Research Program on Reference Asian Man (RAM) was conducted for a period of six years. The study dealt with the collection of data in four areas namely: (1) anthropometric measurements, (2) organ mass measurements, (3) nutritional and dietary intake, and (4) pulmonary and water balance studies. Based on the research needs with reference to radiation protection, dietary intake and tissue analysis appear to be important aspects of the RAM. Information to be generated from the elemental analysis of food and tissue would be used to characterize the intake, retention and release of radioactive elements coming from different population groups. This study also aims to establish the elemental composition profile of the average Filipino using simple and accurate methods of measurements. This report will present the protocol which is based to the extent possible on prescribed procedures required for the study. A standardized Protocol to be used in the study is important since stable elements are present only in trace quantities in biological samples of interest. The procedures presented in this document include: collection of one day diet samples and tissue samples (lung, liver, skeletal muscle, thyroid, bone and kidney) from average healthy adult Filipino. The sample treatment and preparation, analytical measurements, data evaluation and reporting will complete said protocol. The elements that are of importance to radiation protection are iodine, cesium, strontium, thorium, and uranium. The essential minor elements are calcium, potassium and sodium. Trace elements like copper. manganese, iron, selenium and zinc will also be included in the analysis. Concentrations of common toxic elements such as mercury, cadmium and lead may likewise be reported in this study. (author)

  13. Multisymplectic Structure-Preserving in Simple Finite Element Method in High Dimensional Case

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    BAI Yong-Qiang; LIU Zhen; PEI Ming; ZHENG Zhu-Jun

    2003-01-01

    In this paper, we study a finite element scheme of some semi-linear elliptic boundary value problems inhigh-dimensional space. With uniform mesh, we find that, the numerical scheme derived from finite element method cankeep a preserved multisymplectic structure.

  14. Finite element analysis of inelastic structural behavior

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Argyris, J.H.; Szimmat, J.; Willam, K.J.

    1977-01-01

    The paper describes recent achievements in the finite element analysis of inelastic material behavior. The main purpose is to examine the interaction of three disciplines; (i) the finite element formulation of large deformation problems in the light of a systematic linearization, (ii) the constitutive modelling of inelastic processes in the rate-dependent and rate-independent response regime and (iii) the numerical solution of nonlinear rate problems via incremental iteration techniques. In the first part, alternative finite element models are developed for the idealization of large deformation problems. A systematic approach is presented to linearize the field equations locally by an incremental procedure. The finite element formulation is then examined for the description of inelastic material processes. In the second part, nonlinear and inelastic material phenomena are classified and illustrated with representative examples of concrete and metal components. In particular, rate-dependent and rate-independent material behavior is examined and representative constitutive models are assessed for their mathematical characterization. Hypoelastic, elastoplastic and endochronic models are compared for the description rate-independent material phenomena. In the third part, the numerial solution of inelastic structural behavior is discussed. In this context, several incremental techniques are developed and compared for tracing the evolution of the inelastic process. The numerical procedures are examined with regard to stability and accuracy to assess the overall efficiency. The 'optimal' incremental technique is then contrasted with the computer storage requirements to retain the data for the 'memory-characteristics' of the constitutive model

  15. Studies in Bangladesh on ingestion and organ content of trace elements of importance in radiological protection

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Begum, M.; Miah, M.F.K.

    1998-01-01

    In order to characterize a Reference Asian Man for radiation protection a study on the ingestion and organ content of trace elements of importance in radiological protection has been taken up by the IAEA/RCA among the Asian Countries. Representative sampling sample collection, appropriate techniques for analysis, quality assurance etc. for the study of this project are important parameters for accurate measurements. Some elemental composition in drinking supply water (Tap water and ground water) in the Dhaka city in Bangladesh has been presented in this paper. (author)

  16. Isogeometric finite element data structures based on Bézier extraction of T-splines

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Scott, M.A.; Borden, M.J.; Verhoosel, C.V.; Sederberg, T.W.; Hughes, T.J.R.

    2011-01-01

    We develop finite element data structures for T-splines based on Bézier extraction generalizing our previous work for NURBS. As in traditional finite element analysis, the extracted Bézier elements are defined in terms of a fixed set of polynomial basis functions, the so-called Bernstein basis. The

  17. Future Launch Vehicle Structures - Expendable and Reusable Elements

    Science.gov (United States)

    Obersteiner, M. H.; Borriello, G.

    2002-01-01

    Further evolution of existing expendable launch vehicles will be an obvious element influencing the future of space transportation. Besides this reusability might be the change with highest potential for essential improvement. The expected cost reduction and finally contributing to this, the improvement of reliability including safe mission abort capability are driving this idea. Although there are ideas of semi-reusable launch vehicles, typically two stages vehicles - reusable first stage or booster(s) and expendable second or upper stage - it should be kept in mind that the benefit of reusability will only overwhelm if there is a big enough share influencing the cost calculation. Today there is the understanding that additional technology preparation and verification will be necessary to master reusability and get enough benefits compared with existing launch vehicles. This understanding is based on several technology and system concepts preparation and verification programmes mainly done in the US but partially also in Europe and Japan. The major areas of necessary further activities are: - System concepts including business plan considerations - Sub-system or component technologies refinement - System design and operation know-how and capabilities - Verification and demonstration oriented towards future mission mastering: One of the most important aspects for the creation of those coming programmes and activities will be the iterative process of requirements definition derived from concepts analyses including economical considerations and the results achieved and verified within technology and verification programmes. It is the intention of this paper to provide major trends for those requirements focused on future launch vehicles structures. This will include the aspects of requirements only valid for reusable launch vehicles and those common for expendable, semi-reusable and reusable launch vehicles. Structures and materials is and will be one of the

  18. Focusing on a Probability Element: Parameter Selection of Message Importance Measure in Big Data

    OpenAIRE

    She, Rui; Liu, Shanyun; Dong, Yunquan; Fan, Pingyi

    2017-01-01

    Message importance measure (MIM) is applicable to characterize the importance of information in the scenario of big data, similar to entropy in information theory. In fact, MIM with a variable parameter can make an effect on the characterization of distribution. Furthermore, by choosing an appropriate parameter of MIM,it is possible to emphasize the message importance of a certain probability element in a distribution. Therefore, parametric MIM can play a vital role in anomaly detection of bi...

  19. SAFE-3D, Stress Analysis of 3-D Composite Structure by Finite Elements Method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cornell, D.C.; Jadhav, K.; Crowell, J.S.

    1969-01-01

    1 - Description of problem or function: SAFE-3D is a finite-element program for the three-dimensional elastic analysis of heterogeneous composite structures. The program uses the following types of finite elements - (1) tetrahedral elements to represent the continuum, (2) triangular plane stress membrane elements to represent inner liner or outer case, and (3) uniaxial tension-compression elements to represent internal reinforcement. The structure can be of arbitrary geometry and have any distribution of material properties, temperatures, surface loadings, and boundary conditions. 2 - Method of solution: The finite-element variational method is used. Equilibrium equations are solved by the alternating component iterative method. 3 - Restrictions on the complexity of the problem - Maxima of: 5000 nodes; 16000 elements. The program cannot be applied to incompressible solids and is not recommended for Poisson's ratio in the range of nu between 0.495 and 0.5

  20. Structural Phenomenon of Cement-Based Composite Elements in Ultimate Limit State

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    I. Iskhakov

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Cement-based composite materials have minimum of two components, one of which has higher strength compared to the other. Such materials include concrete, reinforced concrete (RC, and ferrocement, applied in single- or two-layer RC elements. This paper discusses experimental and theoretical results, obtained by the authors in the recent three decades. The authors have payed attention to a structural phenomenon that many design features (parameters, properties, etc. at ultimate limit state (ULS of a structure are twice higher (or lower than at initial loading state. This phenomenon is evident at material properties, structures (or their elements, and static and/or dynamic structural response. The phenomenon is based on two ideas that were developed by first author: quasi-isotropic state of a structure at ULS and minimax principle. This phenomenon is supported by experimental and theoretical results, obtained for various structures, like beams, frames, spatial structures, and structural joints under static or/and dynamic loadings. This study provides valuable indicators for experiments’ planning and estimation of structural state. The phenomenon provides additional equation(s for calculating parameters that are usually obtained experimentally and can lead to developing design concepts and RC theory, in which the number of empirical design coefficients will be minimal.

  1. Hypersensitive transition spectrum of f-element and coordination structure

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cao Xuan; Song Chongli; Zhu Youngjun

    1992-10-01

    Some f-f transitions of Ln(An) metallic ions have particular super-sensitivity to the change of coordination environments. This is called super-sensitive transitions. Based on the irreducible tensor operator method, a computation model and corresponding computer program for calculating the hypersensitive transition spectrum of f-element were developed. By comparing the theoretical spectra of all possible coordination structures with experimental one, the possible coordination structures of complex can be determined. The coordination structures of Nd 3+ , Er 3 + hydrate and their extraction complex with H(DEHP) were successfully determined by this method, and the experimental spectra were also assigned

  2. Structural damage detection using higher-order finite elements and a scanning laser vibrometer

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jin, Si

    In contrast to conventional non-destructive evaluation methods, dynamics-based damage detection methods are capable of rapid integrity evaluation of large structures and have received considerable attention from aerospace, mechanical, and civil engineering communities in recent years. However, the identifiable damage size using dynamics-based methods is determined by the number of sensors used, level of measurement noise, accuracy of structural models, and signal processing techniques. In this thesis we study dynamics of structures with damage and then derive and experimentally verify new model-independent structural damage detection methods that can locate small damage to structures. To find sensitive damage detection parameters we develop a higher-order beam element that enforces the continuity of displacements, slopes, bending moments, and shear forces at all nodes, and a higher-order rectangular plate element that enforces the continuity of displacements, slopes, and bending and twisting moments at all nodes. These two elements are used to study the dynamics of beams and plates. Results show that high-order spatial derivatives of high-frequency modes are important sensitive parameters that can locate small structural damage. Unfortunately the most powerful and popular structural modeling technique, the finite element method, is not accurate in predicting high-frequency responses. Hence, a model-independent method using dynamic responses obtained from high density measurements is concluded to be the best approach. To increase measurement density and reduce noise a Polytec PI PSV-200 scanning laser vibrometer is used to provide non-contact, dense, and accurate measurements of structural vibration velocities. To avoid the use of structural models and to extract sensitive detection parameters from experimental data, a brand-new structural damage detection method named BED (Boundary-Effect Detection) is developed for pinpointing damage locations using Operational

  3. Stochastic Finite Element Analysis of Non-Linear Structures Modelled by Plasticity Theory

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Frier, Christian; Sørensen, John Dalsgaard

    2003-01-01

    A Finite Element Reliability Method (FERM) is introduced to perform reliability analyses on two-dimensional structures in plane stress, modeled by non-linear plasticity theory. FERM is a coupling between the First Order Reliability Method (FORM) and the Finite Element Method (FEM). FERM can be us...

  4. A simple boundary element formulation for shape optimization of 2D continuous structures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Luciano Mendes Bezerra; Jarbas de Carvalho Santos Junior; Arlindo Pires Lopes; Andre Luiz; Souza, A.C.

    2005-01-01

    For the design of nuclear equipment like pressure vessels, steam generators, and pipelines, among others, it is very important to optimize the shape of the structural systems to withstand prescribed loads such as internal pressures and prescribed or limiting referential values such as stress or strain. In the literature, shape optimization of frame structural systems is commonly found but the same is not true for continuous structural systems. In this work, the Boundary Element Method (BEM) is applied to simple problems of shape optimization of 2D continuous structural systems. The proposed formulation is based on the BEM and on deterministic optimization methods of zero and first order such as Powell's, Conjugate Gradient, and BFGS methods. Optimal characterization for the geometric configuration of 2D structure is obtained with the minimization of an objective function. Such function is written in terms of referential values (such as loads, stresses, strains or deformations) prescribed at few points inside or at the boundary of the structure. The use of the BEM for shape optimization of continuous structures is attractive compared to other methods that discretized the whole continuous. Several numerical examples of the application of the proposed formulation to simple engineering problems are presented. (authors)

  5. Energy Finite Element Analysis Developments for Vibration Analysis of Composite Aircraft Structures

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vlahopoulos, Nickolas; Schiller, Noah H.

    2011-01-01

    The Energy Finite Element Analysis (EFEA) has been utilized successfully for modeling complex structural-acoustic systems with isotropic structural material properties. In this paper, a formulation for modeling structures made out of composite materials is presented. An approach based on spectral finite element analysis is utilized first for developing the equivalent material properties for the composite material. These equivalent properties are employed in the EFEA governing differential equations for representing the composite materials and deriving the element level matrices. The power transmission characteristics at connections between members made out of non-isotropic composite material are considered for deriving suitable power transmission coefficients at junctions of interconnected members. These coefficients are utilized for computing the joint matrix that is needed to assemble the global system of EFEA equations. The global system of EFEA equations is solved numerically and the vibration levels within the entire system can be computed. The new EFEA formulation for modeling composite laminate structures is validated through comparison to test data collected from a representative composite aircraft fuselage that is made out of a composite outer shell and composite frames and stiffeners. NASA Langley constructed the composite cylinder and conducted the test measurements utilized in this work.

  6. Advancements in the behavioral modeling of fuel elements and related structures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Billone, M.C.; Montgomery, R.O.; Rashid, Y.R.; Head, J.L.

    1989-01-01

    An important aspect of the design and analysis of nuclear reactors is the ability to predict the behavior of fuel elements in the adverse environment of a reactor system. By understanding the thermomechanical behavior of the different materials which constitute a nuclear fuel element, analysis and predictions can be made regarding the integrity and reliability of fuel element designs. The SMiRT conference series, through the division on fuel elements and the post-conference seminars on fuel element modeling, provided technical forums for the international participation in the exchange of knowledge concerning the thermomechanical modeling of fuel elements. This paper discusses the technical advances in the behavioral modeling of fuel elements presented at the SMiRT conference series since its inception in 1971. Progress in the areas of material properties and constitutive relationships, modeling methodologies, and integral modeling approaches was reviewed and is summarized in light of their impact on the thermomechanical modeling of nuclear fuel elements. 34 refs., 5 tabs

  7. PLANS; a finite element program for nonlinear analysis of structures. Volume 2: User's manual

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pifko, A.; Armen, H., Jr.; Levy, A.; Levine, H.

    1977-01-01

    The PLANS system, rather than being one comprehensive computer program, is a collection of finite element programs used for the nonlinear analysis of structures. This collection of programs evolved and is based on the organizational philosophy in which classes of analyses are treated individually based on the physical problem class to be analyzed. Each of the independent finite element computer programs of PLANS, with an associated element library, can be individually loaded and used to solve the problem class of interest. A number of programs have been developed for material nonlinear behavior alone and for combined geometric and material nonlinear behavior. The usage, capabilities, and element libraries of the current programs include: (1) plastic analysis of built-up structures where bending and membrane effects are significant, (2) three dimensional elastic-plastic analysis, (3) plastic analysis of bodies of revolution, and (4) material and geometric nonlinear analysis of built-up structures.

  8. Capturing structured, pulmonary disease-specific data elements in electronic health records.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gronkiewicz, Cynthia; Diamond, Edward J; French, Kim D; Christodouleas, John; Gabriel, Peter E

    2015-04-01

    Electronic health records (EHRs) have the potential to improve health-care quality by allowing providers to make better decisions at the point of care based on electronically aggregated data and by facilitating clinical research. These goals are easier to achieve when key, disease-specific clinical information is documented as structured data elements (SDEs) that computers can understand and process, rather than as free-text/natural-language narrative. This article reviews the benefits of capturing disease-specific SDEs. It highlights several design and implementation considerations, including the impact on efficiency and expressivity of clinical documentation and the importance of adhering to data standards when available. Pulmonary disease-specific examples of collection instruments are provided from two commonly used commercial EHRs. Future developments that can leverage SDEs to improve clinical quality and research are discussed.

  9. Applications of a global nuclear-structure model to studies of the heaviest elements

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Moeller, P.; Nix, J.R.

    1993-01-01

    We present some new results on heavy-element nuclear-structure properties calculated on the basis of the finite-range droplet model and folded-Yukawa single-particle potential. Specifically, we discuss calculations of nuclear ground-state masses and microscopic corrections, α-decay properties, β-decay properties, fission potential-energy surfaces, and spontaneous-fission half-lives. These results, obtained in a global nuclear-structure approach, are particularly reliable for describing the stability properties of the heaviest elements

  10. Daily dietary intake of trace elements of radiological and nutritional importance by the adult Indian population

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dang, H.S.; Jaiswal, D.D.; Nair, S.

    2001-01-01

    The concentrations of eleven elements: Ca, Co, Cr, Cs, Fe, I, K, Se, Sr, Th and Zn were determined in total diet samples and also in individual food materials which constitute the typical Indian diet. Instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) and radiochemical neutron activation analysis (RNAA) were employed for the analysis. Whereas the elements Fe, Co, Cr, Se and Zn are important from the view point of their role in nutrition, the elements Cs, K, Sr and Th are of importance in radiation protection, and Ca and I have dual importance: both in nutrition as well as in radiation protection. Based on the analysis of twenty total diet samples, prepared as per the data on the dietary intake pattern of four provinces of India and the data on intake pattern of an average adult Indian, the geometric mean (GM) intake of various elements was estimated to be 0.33 g (0.2-0.67) for Ca, 16.5 μg (8.3-31.1) for Co, 52.3μg (35.1-131) for Cr, 4.7μg (2.79-11.8) for Cs, 94.6μg (60.6-201) for I, 1.90 g (1.25-3.54) for K, 1.13 mg (0.78-2.97) for Sr, 0.76μg (0.45-1.66) for Th, 15.9 mg (10.2-34.3) for Fe, 56.3μg (27.6-105.3) for Se and 8.6 mg (5.1-16.7) for Zn. Some of the important individual food materials, such as cereals, pulses, milk, vegetables etc., were also analysed for these elements to observe the contributions of the individual food materials to their daily dietary intake. The results of the analysis showed that in the case of Cs, K, Sr, Th, Fe, Zn and Co, almost 50% of the daily dietary intake of the above stated elements is contributed by cereals and pulses. In the case of Ca however, significant amount is amount is contributed by milk and in case of I, iodised salt could make significant contribution. The data collected so far, for Se and Cr, was not sufficient to draw any definite conclusion. (author)

  11. Define rules for the exporter and importer of minerals or ores containing nuclear elements

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1969-01-01

    The present resolution establishes regulations for the exporter of minerals or ores containing associated nuclear elements, and for the importer of chemical compounds of technical purity grade, containing a quantity of fissile of fertile materials equal to the existent in the exported material

  12. Influence of coolant motion on structure of hardened steel element

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A. Kulawik

    2008-08-01

    Full Text Available Presented paper is focused on volumetric hardening process using liquid low melting point metal as a coolant. Effect of convective motion of the coolant on material structure after hardening is investigated. Comparison with results obtained for model neglecting motion of liquid is executed. Mathematical and numerical model based on Finite Element Metod is described. Characteristic Based Split (CBS method is used to uncouple velocities and pressure and finally to solve Navier-Stokes equation. Petrov-Galerkin formulation is employed to stabilize convective term in heat transport equation. Phase transformations model is created on the basis of Johnson-Mehl and Avrami laws. Continuous cooling diagram (CTPc for C45 steel is exploited in presented model of phase transformations. Temporary temperatures, phases participation, thermal and structural strains in hardening element and coolant velocities are shown and discussed.

  13. In situ assessment of structural timber elements of a historic building by infrared thermography and ultrasonic velocity

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kandemir-Yucel, A.; Tavukcuoglu, A.; Caner-Saltik, E. N.

    2007-01-01

    The infrared thermography (IRT) and the ultrasonic velocity measurements (UVM) promise to be particularly important to assess the state of deterioration and the adequacy of the boundary and microclimatic conditions for timber elements. These non-destructive methods supported by laboratory analyses of timber samples were conducted on a 13th century monument, Aslanhane Mosque in Ankara, Turkey. The combined interpretation of the results was done to assess the condition of structural timber elements in terms of their state of preservation, the dampness problems and the recent incompatible repairs affecting them. Results indicated that moist areas in the structure were associated with roof drainage problems and the repairs undertaken with cement-based mortars and plasters and oil-based paints. Juxtaposition of the IRT and UVM together with laboratory analyses was found to be useful to assess the soundness of timber, enhanced the accuracy and effectiveness of the survey and facilitated to build up the urgent and long-term conservation programs.

  14. Spectral element method for band-structure calculations of 3D phononic crystals

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shi, Linlin; Liu, Na; Zhou, Jianyang; Zhou, Yuanguo; Wang, Jiamin; Liu, Qing Huo

    2016-01-01

    The spectral element method (SEM) is a special kind of high-order finite element method (FEM) which combines the flexibility of a finite element method with the accuracy of a spectral method. In contrast to the traditional FEM, the SEM exhibits advantages in the high-order accuracy as the error decreases exponentially with the increase of interpolation degree by employing the Gauss–Lobatto–Legendre (GLL) polynomials as basis functions. In this study, the spectral element method is developed for the first time for the determination of band structures of 3D isotropic/anisotropic phononic crystals (PCs). Based on the Bloch theorem, we present a novel, intuitive discretization formulation for Navier equation in the SEM scheme for periodic media. By virtue of using the orthogonal Legendre polynomials, the generalized eigenvalue problem is converted to a regular one in our SEM implementation to improve the efficiency. Besides, according to the specific geometry structure, 8-node and 27-node hexahedral elements as well as an analytic mesh have been used to accurately capture curved PC models in our SEM scheme. To verify its accuracy and efficiency, this study analyses the phononic-crystal plates with square and triangular lattice arrangements, and the 3D cubic phononic crystals consisting of simple cubic (SC), bulk central cubic (BCC) and faced central cubic (FCC) lattices with isotropic or anisotropic scatters. All the numerical results considered demonstrate that SEM is superior to the conventional FEM and can be an efficient alternative method for accurate determination of band structures of 3D phononic crystals. (paper)

  15. Application of an ecosystem model to evaluate the importance of different processes and food web structure for transfer of 13 elements in a shallow lake.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Konovalenko, L; Bradshaw, C; Andersson, E; Kautsky, U

    2017-04-01

    In environmental risk assessments of nuclear waste, there is need to estimate the potential risks of a large number of radionuclides over a long time period during which the environment is likely to change. Usually concentration ratios (CRs) are used to calculate the activity concentrations in organisms. However, CRs are not available for all radionuclides and they are not easily scalable to the varying environment. Here, an ecosystem transport model of elements, which estimates concentrations in organisms using carbon flows and food transfer instead of CR is presented. It is a stochastic compartment model developed for Lake Eckarfjärden at Forsmark in Sweden. The model was based on available data on carbon circulation, physical and biological processes from the site and identifies 11 functional groups of organisms. The ecosystem model was used to estimate the environmental transfer of 13 elements (Al, Ca, Cd, Cl, Cs, I, Ni, Nb, Pb, Se, Sr, Th, U) to various aquatic organisms, using element-specific distribution coefficients for suspended particles (K d PM ) and upper sediment (K d sed ), and subsequent transfer in the foodweb. The modelled CRs for different organism groups were compared with measured CRs from the lake and literature data, and showed good agreement for many elements and organisms, particularly for lower trophic levels. The model is, therefore, proposed as an alternative to measured CR, though it is suggested to further explore active uptake, assimilation and elimination processes to get better correspondence for some of the elements. The benthic organisms (i.e. bacteria, microphytobenthos and macroalgae) were identified as more important than pelagic organisms for transfer of elements to top predators. The element transfer model revealed that most of the radionuclides were channelled through the microbial loop, despite the fact that macroalgae dominated the carbon fluxes in this lake. Thus, element-specific adsorption of elements to the surface of

  16. Informative importance of determination of trace elements in biologocal mediums in patients with endocrine pathology

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ирина Николаевна Андрусишина

    2015-07-01

    Full Text Available Aim. The changes of mineral metabolism in human organism caused by the deficiency or excess of trace elements in environment (air, food stuffs, water can lead to disorder of functional status of organism.An excess or deficiency of the certain metals disturb the balance of metabolic processes in organism that causes the different changes in endocrine system too. That is why the aim of research was to detect the peculiarities of distribution of macro and trace elements in patients with different endocrine pathology and to show the reasonability of the complex approach in assessment of microelementoses at hyperthyroidism and diabetes mellitus.Methods. The balance of 15 macro and trace elements in different biological mediums (hairs, whole blood, blood serum, urine was studied using EAAS and AES-ICP methods.Result. There was demonstrated the high informative importance of determination of K, Mg, Mn, Cr, Zn at pancreas pathology and Cr, Mn, Se, Zn- at thyroid pathology in human. There was detected that endocrine pathology is characterized with the surplus accumulation of Al, As and Pb in organism of examined patients.Conclusions. To increase the reliability and efficiency of the clinical diagnostics of endocrine human pathology there was demonstrated the high informative importance of the complex approach in choice of biological mediums at assessment of the trace elements imbalance. 

  17. Structural evaluation of the John A. Roebling Suspension Bridge : element level analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2008-07-01

    The primary objective of the structural evaluation of the John A. Roebling Bridge is to determine the maximum allowable gross vehicle weight (GVW) that can be carried by the bridge deck structural elements such as the open steel grid deck, channels, ...

  18. A conserved RNA structural element within the hepatitis B virus post-transcriptional regulatory element enhance nuclear export of intronless transcripts and repress the splicing mechanism.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Visootsat, Akasit; Payungporn, Sunchai; T-Thienprasert, Nattanan P

    2015-12-01

    Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a primary cause of hepatocellular carcinoma and liver cirrhosis worldwide. To develop novel antiviral drugs, a better understanding of HBV gene expression regulation is vital. One important aspect is to understand how HBV hijacks the cellular machinery to export unspliced RNA from the nucleus. The HBV post-transcriptional regulatory element (HBV PRE) has been proposed to be the HBV RNA nuclear export element. However, the function remains controversial, and the core element is unclear. This study, therefore, aimed to identify functional regulatory elements within the HBV PRE and investigate their functions. Using bioinformatics programs based on sequence conservation and conserved RNA secondary structures, three regulatory elements were predicted, namely PRE 1151-1410, PRE 1520-1620 and PRE 1650-1684. PRE 1151-1410 significantly increased intronless and unspliced luciferase activity in both HepG2 and COS-7 cells. Likewise, PRE 1151-1410 significantly elevated intronless and unspliced HBV surface transcripts in liver cancer cells. Moreover, motif analysis predicted that PRE 1151-1410 contains several regulatory motifs. This study reported the roles of PRE 1151-1410 in intronless transcript nuclear export and the splicing mechanism. Additionally, these results provide knowledge in the field of HBV RNA regulation. Moreover, PRE 1151-1410 may be used to enhance the expression of other mRNAs in intronless reporter plasmids.

  19. On diversity performance of two-element coupling element based antenna structure for mobile terminal

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Al-Hadi, Azremi Abdullah; Toivanen, Juha; Laitinen, Tommi

    2010-01-01

    .1 and the diversity gain is equal to 10.2 dB at 99% reliability level using selection combining technique across simulation and both measurement methods. The measurement techniques are compared to show how accurately the diversity performance of a mobile terminal antenna can be estimated.......In wireless communication systems, multipath interference has a significant impact on system design and performance. Fast fading is caused by the coherent summation of one or more echoes from many reflection points reaching the receive antenna. Antenna diversity can be used to mitigate multipath...... fading. The main challenge of antenna diversity in practical application is the integration of multiple antennas on a small ground plane. Two-element antenna structure based on coupling element antenna concept for diversity application has been studied in previous work and it has shown to be feasible...

  20. The use of magnetic Barkhausen noise analysis for nondestructive determination of stresses in structural elements

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Silva Junior, Silverio Ferreira da; Mansur, Tanius Rodrigues; Cruz, Julio Ricardo Barreto

    2007-01-01

    The knowledge about the stress state acting in structural elements has significant importance in the structural integrity evaluation of a specific component. The magnetic Barkhausen noise analysis can be used for this purpose. As a nondestructive testing method, it presents the advantage of not promote any changes in the tested component. In this paper, a study about the use of this new nondestructive test method for stress measurements is presented. The test system configuration and the reference standards used for this purpose, as well as the optimum test parameters determination are discussed. The experiments were carried out in ASTM A-36 steel, used for structural components manufacturing. A structure of this material was loaded and the resulting stresses were determined from strain gage measurements and Barkhausen noise analysis. The results obtained have showed a good sensitivity of the magnetic Barkhausen noise to stress changes occurred in the material. The main advantages and limitations of this test method for stress measurements are presented. (author)

  1. Biquartic Finite Volume Element Metho d Based on Lobatto-Guass Structure

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    Gao Yan-ni; Chen Yan-li

    2015-01-01

    In this paper, a biquartic finite volume element method based on Lobatto-Guass structure is presented for variable coefficient elliptic equation on rectangular partition. Not only the optimal H1 and L2 error estimates but also some super-convergent properties are available and could be proved for this method. The numer-ical results obtained by this finite volume element scheme confirm the validity of the theoretical analysis and the effectiveness of this method.

  2. Elasto-viscoplastic finite element model for prestressed concrete structures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Prates Junior, N.P.; Silva, C.S.B.; Campos Filho, A.; Gastal, F.P.S.L.

    1995-01-01

    This paper presents a computational model, based on the finite element method, for the study of reinforced and prestressed concrete structures under plane stress states. It comprehends short and long-term loading situations, where creep and shrinkage in concrete and steel relaxation are considered. Elasto-viscoplastic constitutive models are used to describe the behavior of the materials. The model includes prestressing and no prestressing reinforcement, on situation with pre- and post-tension with and without bond. A set of prestressed concrete slab elements were tested under instantaneous and long-term loading. The experimental data for deflections, deformations and ultimate strength are used to compare and validate the results obtained through the proposed model. (author). 11 refs., 5 figs

  3. Finite Macro-Element Mesh Deformation in a Structured Multi-Block Navier-Stokes Code

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bartels, Robert E.

    2005-01-01

    A mesh deformation scheme is developed for a structured multi-block Navier-Stokes code consisting of two steps. The first step is a finite element solution of either user defined or automatically generated macro-elements. Macro-elements are hexagonal finite elements created from a subset of points from the full mesh. When assembled, the finite element system spans the complete flow domain. Macro-element moduli vary according to the distance to the nearest surface, resulting in extremely stiff elements near a moving surface and very pliable elements away from boundaries. Solution of the finite element system for the imposed boundary deflections generally produces smoothly varying nodal deflections. The manner in which distance to the nearest surface has been found to critically influence the quality of the element deformation. The second step is a transfinite interpolation which distributes the macro-element nodal deflections to the remaining fluid mesh points. The scheme is demonstrated for several two-dimensional applications.

  4. Elemental analysis of some ethnomedicinaly important hydrophytes and marsh plants of India used in traditional medicine

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    Somnath Bhowmik; Badal Kumar Datta

    2012-01-01

    Objective: To study the elemental content of some ethnomedicinaly important hydrophytes and marsh plant of Tripura, India. Methods: With the help of standardize d questionnaires, 10 informants were interviewed on the medicinal use of hydrophytes and marsh plants of Tripura, India during 2009-2010.The elemental content of those plants were determined using Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer. Results: A total of 8 plant species belonging to 8 different genera and 8 family were reported with their ethnomedicinaly uses. Among the different plant part used leaves and young tender shoots are most frequently used for the treatment of different disease. The hydrophytes and marsh plants are mostly used for the treatment of dysentery and other hepatic disorder. Different elemental constituents at trace levels of plants play an effective role in the medicines prepared. Elemental composition of eight ethno-medicinally important hydrophytes and marsh plants of Tripura, India have been determined using Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (AAS). A total of 11 elements K+, Mg+2, Ca+2, Na+ , Fe+2, Mn+2, Cu+3, Mn+2, Cu+3, Cr+3, Zn+2, Pb+4 and Cd+2 have been measured. Their concentrations were found to vary in different samples. Toxic elements Cd and Pb were also found but at very low concentration. Medicinal properties of these plant samples and their elemental distribution have been correlated. These results can be used to set new standards for prescribing the dosage of the herbal drugs prepared from these plant materials in herbal remedies and in pharmaceutical companies. Conclusions: The data obtained in the present work will be useful in synthesis of new herbal drugs with various combinations of plants, which can be used in the treatment of different diseases at global level.

  5. Towards isotope shift and hyperfine structure measurements of the element nobelium

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Chhetri, Premaditya; Lautenschlaeger, Felix; Walther, Thomas [Institut fuer Angewandte Physik, TU Darmstadt, D-64289 Darmstadt (Germany); Laatiaoui, Mustapha [Helmholtz Institut Mainz, D-55099 Mainz (Germany); Block, Michael; Hessberger, Fritz-Peter [Helmholtz Institut Mainz, D-55099 Mainz (Germany); GSI, D-64291 Darmstadt (Germany); Lauth, Werner; Backe, Hartmut [Institut fuer Kernphysik, JGU Mainz, D-55122 Mainz (Germany); Kunz, Peter [TRIUMF, D-V6T2A3 Vancouver (Canada)

    2014-07-01

    Laser spectroscopy on the heaviest elements is of great interest as it allows the study of the evolution of relativistic effects on their atomic structure. In our experiment we exploit the Radiation Detected Resonance Ionization Spectroscopy technique and use excimer-laser pumped dye lasers to search for the first time the {sup 1}P{sub 1} level in {sup 254}No. Etalons will be used in the forthcoming experiments at GSI, Darmstadt, to narrow down the bandwidth of the dye lasers to 0.04 cm{sup -1}, for the determination of the isotope shift and hyperfine splitting of {sup 253,} {sup 255}No. In this talk results from preparatory hyperfine structure studies in nat. ytterbium and the perspectives for future experiments of the heaviest elements are discussed.

  6. Drainage Adits in Upper Silesia – Industrial Technology Heritage and Important Elements of the Hydrotechnical Infrastructure

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Duży Stanisław

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available Adits played an important role in the hydrotechnical infrastructure for centuries. Initially, they were used mainly to drain wetland and supply water to the population. There were also inherent in the conduct of mining activities. They were used as exploratory, development and supply headings. Their usual function was to drain, ventilate and transport, and after the cessation of mining they became important elements of the hydrotechnical infrastructure in the transformed mining areas. The article presents issues related to the revitalization of the Main Key Hereditary Adit and Friedrich Adit as essential for the areas in which they are located. Both are hydraulic structures with the possibility of adaptation for tourism purposes. The need to consider some technical activities to be undertaken in this type of objects was pointed out, not only including aspects related to their proper protection so that they can continue to safely perform their function, but also to the preservation of their historical values. Due to their age and the method of drilling used in them, those headings are often included in the list of monuments and protected by law.

  7. Finite element model updating of concrete structures based on imprecise probability

    Science.gov (United States)

    Biswal, S.; Ramaswamy, A.

    2017-09-01

    Imprecise probability based methods are developed in this study for the parameter estimation, in finite element model updating for concrete structures, when the measurements are imprecisely defined. Bayesian analysis using Metropolis Hastings algorithm for parameter estimation is generalized to incorporate the imprecision present in the prior distribution, in the likelihood function, and in the measured responses. Three different cases are considered (i) imprecision is present in the prior distribution and in the measurements only, (ii) imprecision is present in the parameters of the finite element model and in the measurement only, and (iii) imprecision is present in the prior distribution, in the parameters of the finite element model, and in the measurements. Procedures are also developed for integrating the imprecision in the parameters of the finite element model, in the finite element software Abaqus. The proposed methods are then verified against reinforced concrete beams and prestressed concrete beams tested in our laboratory as part of this study.

  8. Creating a Test-Validated Finite-Element Model of the X-56A Aircraft Structure

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pak, Chan-Gi; Truong, Samson

    2014-01-01

    Small modeling errors in a finite-element model will eventually induce errors in the structural flexibility and mass, thus propagating into unpredictable errors in the unsteady aerodynamics and the control law design. One of the primary objectives of the X-56A Multi-Utility Technology Testbed aircraft is the flight demonstration of active flutter suppression and, therefore, in this study, the identification of the primary and secondary modes for the structural model tuning based on the flutter analysis of the X-56A aircraft. The ground-vibration test-validated structural dynamic finite-element model of the X-56A aircraft is created in this study. The structural dynamic finite-element model of the X-56A aircraft is improved using a model-tuning tool. In this study, two different weight configurations of the X-56A aircraft have been improved in a single optimization run. Frequency and the cross-orthogonality (mode shape) matrix were the primary focus for improvement, whereas other properties such as c.g. location, total weight, and off-diagonal terms of the mass orthogonality matrix were used as constraints. The end result was an improved structural dynamic finite-element model configuration for the X-56A aircraft. Improved frequencies and mode shapes in this study increased average flutter speeds of the X-56A aircraft by 7.6% compared to the baseline model.

  9. Usage of digital image correlation in assessment of behavior of block element pavement structure

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grygierek, M.; Grzesik, B.; Rokitowski, P.; Rusin, T.

    2018-05-01

    In diagnostics of existing road pavement structures deflection measurements have fundamental meaning, because of ability to assess present stiffness (bearing capacity) of whole layered construction. During test loading the reaction of pavement structure to applied load is measured in central point or in a few points located along a straight on a 1.5 ÷ 1.8 m distance (i.e. Falling Weight Deflectometer) in similar spacing equal to 20 ÷ 30 cm. Typical measuring techniques are productive and precise enough for most common pavement structures such as flexible, semi-rigid and rigid. It should be noted that in experimental research as well as in pavements in complex stress state, measurement techniques allowing observation of pavement deformation in 3D would have been very helpful. A great example of that type of pavements is a block element pavement structure consisting of i.e. paving blocks or stone slabs. Due to high stiffness and confined ability of cooperation of surrounding block elements, in that type of pavements fatigue life is strongly connected with displacement distribution. Unfortunately, typical deflection measurement methods forefend displacement observations and rotation of single block elements like paving blocks or slabs. Another difficult problem is to carry out unmistakable analysis of cooperation between neighboring elements. For more precise observations of displacements state of block element pavements under a wheel load a Digital Image Correlation (DIC) was used. Application of this method for assessment of behavior of stone slabs pavement under a traffic load enabled the monitoring of deformations distribution and encouraged to formulate conclusions about the initiation mechanism and development of damages in this type of pavement structures. Results shown in this article were obtained in field tests executed on an exploited pavement structure with a surface course made of granite slabs with dimensions 0.5x1.0x0.14 m.

  10. Studies in China on ingestion and organ content of trace elements of importance in radiological protection. Country report

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang Jixian; Zhu Hongda; Chen Rusong

    2000-01-01

    In order to estimate internal dose and derive annual limits of intake for radionuclides in the field of Radiation Protection, it is necessary to study the parameters of ingestion of radionuclides from diet, deposition in tissues and following metabolism of the radionuclides. But these kinds of parameters may be influenced by intake of nutrients and inorganic constituents of diets, for example, a relatively higher uptake rate and longer retention time of radioiodine in thyroid of person who's diet poor of stable iodine. So there is a need to have accurate knowledge of corresponding stable elements intake and their concentration in organs, especially for some trace elements of importance in radiological protection such as Caesium, Iodine, Strontium, Thorium and Uranium. A IAEA RCA CRP on 'Ingestion and organ content of trace elements of importance in Radiological protection' was formulated in 1995 and initiated after the first RCM CRP on the project, held in Manila, Philippine 1-4 July 1996. This is the progress report for studies in China on ingestion and organ content of trace elements of importance in radiological protection after the first RCM

  11. Daily dietary intake of elements of nutritional and radiological importance by adult Koreans

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cho, S.Y.; Kang, S.H.; Lee, J.K.; Chung, Y.S.; Lee, J.Y.

    2001-01-01

    A one day representative mixed diet of an adult Korean was collected from the data based on the food intake of 108 healthy subjects between the ages 20 and 50. Sampling for the Korean total diet was carried out by using a market basket study based on the Korean standard food consumption scheme reported by the Korean Nutriting Society. Average consumption frequency of different food items for a one day representative mixed diet of an adult Korean and the amount of each item to prepare a one day Korean representative total diet are surveyed. The analytical methods involve both instrumental and radiochemical neutron activation techniques develop for the determination of the elements Cs, I, Sr, Th and U in various kinds of food samples. Concentrations of trace elements including 5 important elements for radiological protection, U, Th, Cs, Sr and I in the Korean total diet and the 4 most frequently consumed Korean foodstuffs have been analyzed by neutron activation analysis. Detection limits for U, Th, Sr and I were improved to ppb levels by radiochemical separation after neutron irradiation. Five biological NIST reference materials were also analyzed for quality control of the analysis. Seventeen trace elements in the Korean total diet and four Korean representative foodstuffs were also analyzed quantitatively by instrumental neutron activation analysis. (author)

  12. Numerical study of viscoelastic polymer flow in simplified pore structures using stabilised finite element model

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Qi, M.; Wegner, J.; Ganzer, L. [Technische Univ. Clausthal, Clausthal-Zellerfeld (Germany). ITE

    2013-08-01

    Polymer flooding, as an EOR method, has become one of the most important driving forces after water flooding. The conventional believe is that polymer flooding can only improve sweep efficiency, but it has no contribution to residual oil saturation reduction. However, experimental studies indicated that polymer solution can also improve displacement efficiency and decrease residual oil saturation. To get a better understanding of the mechanism to increase the microscopic sweep efficiency and the displacement efficiency, theoretical studies are required. In this paper, we studied the viscoelasticity effect of polymer by using a numerical simulator, which is based on Finite Element Analysis. Since it is showed experimentally that the first normal stress difference of viscoelastic polymer solution is higher than the second stress difference, the Oldroyd-B model was selected as the constitutive equation in the simulation. Numerical modelling of Oldroyd-B viscoelastic fluids is notoriously difficult. Standard Galerkin finite element methods are prone to numerical oscillations, and there is no convergence as the elasticity of fluid increases. Therefore, we use a stabilised finite element model. In order to verify our model, we first built up a model with the same geometry and fluid properties as presented in literature and compared the results. Then, with the tested model we simulated the effect of viscoelastic polymer fluid on dead pores in three simplified pore structures, which are contraction structure, expansion structure and expansion-contraction structure. Correspondingly, the streamlines and velocity contours of polymer solution, with different Reynolds numbers (Re) and Weissenberg numbers (We), flowing in these three structures are showed. The simulation results indicate that the viscoelasticity of polymer solution is the main contribution to increase the micro-scale sweep efficiency. With higher elasticity, the velocity of polymer solution is getting bigger at

  13. Handbook of the band structure of elemental solids from Z = 1 to Z = 112

    CERN Document Server

    Papaconstantopoulos, Dimitris A

    2015-01-01

    This handbook presents electronic structure data and tabulations of Slater-Koster parameters for the whole periodic table. This second edition presents data sets for all elements up to Z = 112, Copernicium, whereas the first edition contained only 53 elements. In this new edition, results are given for the equation of state of the elements together with the parameters of a Birch fit, so that the reader can regenerate the results and derive additional information, such as Pressure-Volume relations and variation of Bulk Modulus with Pressure. For each element, in addition to the equation of state, the energy bands, densities of states, and a set of tight-binding parameters is provided. For a majority of elements, the tight-binding parameters are presented for both a two- and three-center approximation. For the hcp structure, new three-center tight-binding results are given. Other new material in this edition include: energy bands and densities of states of all rare-earth metals, a discussion of the McMillan-Gas...

  14. Finite element modeling of temperature load effects on the vibration of local modes in multi-cable structures

    Science.gov (United States)

    Treyssède, Fabien

    2018-01-01

    Understanding thermal effects on the vibration of local (cable-dominant) modes in multi-cable structures is a complicated task. The main difficulty lies in the modification by temperature change of cable tensions, which are then undetermined. This paper applies a finite element procedure to investigate the effects of thermal loads on the linear dynamics of prestressed self-weighted multi-cable structures. Provided that boundary conditions are carefully handled, the discretization of cables with nonlinear curved beam elements can properly represent the thermoelastic behavior of cables as well as their linearized dynamics. A three-step procedure that aims to replace applied pretension forces with displacement continuity conditions is used. Despite an increase in the computational cost related to beam rotational degrees of freedom, such an approach has several advantages. Nonlinear beam finite elements are usually available in commercial codes. The overall method follows a thermoelastic geometrically non-linear analysis and hereby includes the main sources of non-linearities in multi-cable structures. The effects of cable bending stiffness, which can be significant, are also naturally accounted for. The accuracy of the numerical approach is assessed thanks to an analytical model for the vibration of a single inclined cable under temperature change. Then, the effects of thermal loads are investigated for two cable bridges, highlighting how natural frequencies can be affected by temperature. Although counterintuitive, a reverse relative change of natural frequency may occur for certain local modes. This phenomenon can be explained by two distinct mechanisms, one related to the physics intrinsic to cables and the other related to the thermal deflection of the superstructure. Numerical results show that cables cannot be isolated from the rest of the structure and the importance of modeling the whole structure for a quantitative analysis of temperature effects on the

  15. Correlative Imaging of Structural and Elemental Composition of Bacterial Biofilms

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yang, Y; Heine, R; Xu, F; Helfen, L; Baumbach, T; Suhonen, H; Rosenhahn, A; Gorniak, T; Kirchen, S; Schwartz, T

    2013-01-01

    Synchrotron-based phase contrast tomography (holotomography) and scanning hard X-ray fluorescence microscopy (SXFM) are combined to characterize the three-dimensional (3D) structural and corresponding elemental distribution of bacterial biofilms of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Samples were fixed without contrast agents or microtomal sectioning. Within an intact microbial community single bacteria are clearly resolved, and their morphology can be directly visualized together with the elemental content. Such 3D set of complementary information at cellular level is essential for gaining a deeper understanding of biofilm evolution aiming to develop potential strategies on biofilm growth control and prevention

  16. Electrochemical Studies on Important Elements for Zirconium Recovery Form Irradiated Zircaloy-4 Cladding

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Park, J.; Sohn, S.; Hwang, I.S.

    2015-01-01

    Since Zircaloy cladding accounts for about 16 wt. % of used nuclear fuel assembly, decontamination process is required to reduce the final waste volume from spent nuclear fuel. To develop Zircaloy-4 electrorefining process as an irradiated Zircaloy cladding decontamination process, electrochemical studies on Sn, Cr, Fe and Co which are major or important elements in the irradiated cladding were conducted based on cyclic voltammetry in LiCl-KCl at 500 deg. C. Cyclic voltammetry for Sn, Fe, Cr and Co elements that should be eliminated was conducted and revealed that redox reactions of these ions are much simpler than Zr and more reductive than Zr. The reliability of cyclic voltammetry was verified by comparing diffusion coefficients and formal reduction potentials of these ions obtained in this study to previous studies. (authors)

  17. Structural response analysis of very large floating structures in waves using one-dimensional finite element model; Ichijigen yugen yoso model ni yoru choogata futai no harochu kozo oto kaiseki

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Fujikubo, M.; Yao, T.; Oida, H. [Hiroshima University, Hiroshima (Japan). Faculty of Engineering

    1996-12-31

    Formulation was made on a one-dimensional beam finite element which is effective in analyzing structural response of very large floating structures by modeling them on beams on an elastic foundation. This element allows strict solution of vibration response in the beams on the elastic foundation to be calculated efficiently for a case where mass and rigidity change in the longitudinal direction. This analysis method was used to analyze structural response of a large pontoon-type floating structure to investigate mass in the end part for the structural response and the effect of decay while passing the structure. With a pontoon-type floating structure, reduction in bends and bending stress in the end part of the floating structure is important in designing the structure. Reducing the mass in the end part is effective as a means to avoid resonance in these responses and reduce the responses. Increase in rigidity of a floating structure shifts the peak in quasi-static response to lower frequency side, and reduces response in resonance, hence it is advantageous for improving the response. Since incident waves decay while passing through the floating structure, response in the lower wave side decreases. The peak frequency in the quasi-static response also decreases at the end part of the structure in the upper wave side due to decay in wave force. 7 refs., 11 figs., 1 tab.

  18. Structural response analysis of very large floating structures in waves using one-dimensional finite element model; Ichijigen yugen yoso model ni yoru choogata futai no harochu kozo oto kaiseki

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Fujikubo, M; Yao, T; Oida, H [Hiroshima University, Hiroshima (Japan). Faculty of Engineering

    1997-12-31

    Formulation was made on a one-dimensional beam finite element which is effective in analyzing structural response of very large floating structures by modeling them on beams on an elastic foundation. This element allows strict solution of vibration response in the beams on the elastic foundation to be calculated efficiently for a case where mass and rigidity change in the longitudinal direction. This analysis method was used to analyze structural response of a large pontoon-type floating structure to investigate mass in the end part for the structural response and the effect of decay while passing the structure. With a pontoon-type floating structure, reduction in bends and bending stress in the end part of the floating structure is important in designing the structure. Reducing the mass in the end part is effective as a means to avoid resonance in these responses and reduce the responses. Increase in rigidity of a floating structure shifts the peak in quasi-static response to lower frequency side, and reduces response in resonance, hence it is advantageous for improving the response. Since incident waves decay while passing through the floating structure, response in the lower wave side decreases. The peak frequency in the quasi-static response also decreases at the end part of the structure in the upper wave side due to decay in wave force. 7 refs., 11 figs., 1 tab.

  19. Elements of Motivational Structure for Studying Mechanical Engineering

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nikša Dubreta

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available The article presents the findings on students' reasons for studying mechanical engineering. These reasons were covered in terms of extrinsic and intrinsic motivation additionally related to selected independent variables of the sample – students' secondary school Grade Point Average, their gender and the socio-economic status. The research was conducted with the first year students of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Zagreb, Croatia. The sample consisted of 282 students (228 males and 54 females and comprised students of all majors. According to descriptive character of the questionnaire type survey characteristics of the sample are presented. Composite variables of extrinsic and intrinsic motivation were dichotomized to present different levels of the students' overall motivational structure. Results indicate a students' interest in the field of science and technology as the most important element of intrinsic motivation, with no significant relation to any of independent variables. By contrast, extrinsic motivation has manifested as significantly related to the variables of Grade Point Average and to parents' education as one component of the socio-economic status. However, a significant level of indecisive respondents regarding the both intrinsic and extrinsic motivation suggests that the choice of the study programme is not always a consistent and an unambiguous process.

  20. Algorithms and data structures for massively parallel generic adaptive finite element codes

    KAUST Repository

    Bangerth, Wolfgang

    2011-12-01

    Today\\'s largest supercomputers have 100,000s of processor cores and offer the potential to solve partial differential equations discretized by billions of unknowns. However, the complexity of scaling to such large machines and problem sizes has so far prevented the emergence of generic software libraries that support such computations, although these would lower the threshold of entry and enable many more applications to benefit from large-scale computing. We are concerned with providing this functionality for mesh-adaptive finite element computations. We assume the existence of an "oracle" that implements the generation and modification of an adaptive mesh distributed across many processors, and that responds to queries about its structure. Based on querying the oracle, we develop scalable algorithms and data structures for generic finite element methods. Specifically, we consider the parallel distribution of mesh data, global enumeration of degrees of freedom, constraints, and postprocessing. Our algorithms remove the bottlenecks that typically limit large-scale adaptive finite element analyses. We demonstrate scalability of complete finite element workflows on up to 16,384 processors. An implementation of the proposed algorithms, based on the open source software p4est as mesh oracle, is provided under an open source license through the widely used deal.II finite element software library. © 2011 ACM 0098-3500/2011/12-ART10 $10.00.

  1. Parametric Study of Amorphous High-Entropy Alloys formation from two New Perspectives: Atomic Radius Modification and Crystalline Structure of Alloying Elements

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hu, Q.; Guo, S.; Wang, J. M.; Yan, Y. H.; Chen, S. S.; Lu, D. P.; Liu, K. M.; Zou, J. Z.; Zeng, X. R.

    2017-01-01

    Chemical and topological parameters have been widely used for predicting the phase selection in high-entropy alloys (HEAs). Nevertheless, previous studies could be faulted due to the small number of available data points, the negligence of kinetic effects, and the insensitivity to small compositional changes. Here in this work, 92 TiZrHfM, TiZrHfMM, TiZrHfMMM (M = Fe, Cr, V, Nb, Al, Ag, Cu, Ni) HEAs were prepared by melt spinning, to build a reliable and sufficiently large material database to inspect the robustness of previously established parameters. Modification of atomic radii by considering the change of local electronic environment in alloys, was critically found out to be superior in distinguishing the formation of amorphous and crystalline alloys, when compared to using atomic radii of pure elements in topological parameters. Moreover, crystal structures of alloying element were found to play an important role in the amorphous phase formation, which was then attributed to how alloying hexagonal-close-packed elements and face-centered-cubic or body-centered-cubic elements can affect the mixing enthalpy. Findings from this work not only provide parametric studies for HEAs with new and important perspectives, but also reveal possibly a hidden connection among some important concepts in various fields.

  2. Developing a new library of materials and structural elements for the simulative evaluation of buildings' energy performance

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Papadopoulos, Agis M.; Oxizidis, Simos; Papathanasiou, Luciano [Laboratory of Heat Transfer and Environmental Engineering, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Aristotle University Thessaloniki, P.O. Box 483, Thessaloniki 54124 (Greece)

    2008-05-15

    Contemporary building energy simulation programs are not only used by researchers but also are common tools in the hands of engineers and architects. Most of them are using databases of materials and structural elements, with characteristics originating from the country or the broader region where the specific program was developed. Thus, often the particularities met in other countries are not considered. Such a database of materials and constructions systematically used in the Greek building sector was developed for use with the simulation program EnergyPlus, which has become quite popular over the last years. In order to determine the applicability of the database, the energy behaviour of a typical multistory, multifamily building was simulated, having the exact materials and structural elements and patterns used in Greece. Furthermore, different thicknesses of insulation were simulated, corresponding to local climatic conditions and, even more important, to different dates of the building's construction. The results are presented and discussed in this paper. (author)

  3. Application of Foldcore Sandwich Structures in Helicopter Subfloor Energy Absorption Structure

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhou, H. Z.; Wang, Z. J.

    2017-10-01

    The intersection element is an important part of the helicopter subfloor structure. The numerical simulation model of the intersection element is established and the crush simulation is conducted. The simulation results agree well with the experiment results. In order to improve the buffering capacity and energy-absorbing capacity, the intersection element is redesigned. The skin and the floor in the intersection element are replaced with foldcore sandwich structures. The new intersection element is studied using the same simulation method as the typical intersection element. The analysis result shows that foldcore can improve the buffering capacity and the energy-absorbing capacity, and reduce the structure mass.

  4. Transient dynamic finite element analysis of hydrogen distribution test chamber structure for hydrogen combustion loads

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Singh, R.K.; Redlinger, R.; Breitung, W.

    2005-09-01

    Design and analysis of blast resistant structures is an important area of safety research in nuclear, aerospace, chemical process and vehicle industries. Institute for Nuclear and Energy Technologies (IKET) of Research Centre- Karlsruhe (Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe or FZK) in Germany is pursuing active research on the entire spectrum of safety evaluation for efficient hydrogen management in case of the postulated design basis and beyond the design basis severe accidents for nuclear and non-nuclear applications. This report concentrates on the consequence analysis of hydrogen combustion accidents with emphasis on the structural safety assessment. The transient finite element simulation results obtained for 2gm, 4gm, 8gm and 16gm hydrogen combustion experiments concluded recently on the test-cell structure are described. The frequencies and damping of the test-cell observed during the hammer tests and the combustion experiments are used for the present three dimensional finite element model qualification. For the numerical transient dynamic evaluation of the test-cell structure, the pressure time history data computed with CFD code COM-3D is used for the four combustion experiments. Detail comparisons of the present numerical results for the four combustion experiments with the observed time signals are carried out to evaluate the structural connection behavior. For all the combustion experiments excellent agreement is noted for the computed accelerations and displacements at the standard transducer locations, where the measurements were made during the different combustion tests. In addition inelastic analysis is also presented for the test-cell structure to evaluate the limiting impulsive and quasi-static pressure loads. These results are used to evaluate the response of the test cell structure for the postulated over pressurization of the test-cell due to the blast load generated in case of 64 gm hydrogen ignition for which additional sets of computations were

  5. TYPOLOGY OF RECREATIONAL-TOURISM RESOURCES AS AN IMPORTANT ELEMENT OF THE TOURIST OFFER

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Saso Kozuharov

    2013-03-01

    Full Text Available Tourism or the hospitality industry is among those economic activities that apart from realizing direct economic profits, it directly or indirectly impacts on the development of many other industries. Tourism through the tourist movements has a major impact on the geographical space, this effect is manifested on all the elements that make up the space, and these effects can be economic, social, public and environmental. Tourism consists of two basic components: Tourist movement and consumption, tourist movement is a basic spatial element while tourism consumption is the basic element of the tourism industry expressing the economic impact of tourism. Tourist movement necessarily initiate tourism consumption. In this context the question arises: what initiates tourist movement? The answer is: recreational-tourism resources are the main initiators for tourist travel and a very important tourist motive which animates the tourist movement. If the recreational-tourist resources are characterized by greater attractiveness better ambient and greater curiosity value, etc. this will initiate more massive tourist movement and greater tourist consumption. Therefore the necessity of defining, explaining, analyzing, and sharing recreational - tourism resources will be the key factors and subjects of analysis in this paper.

  6. Design of concrete structures important to safety of nuclear facilities

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2001-10-01

    Civil engineering structures in nuclear installations form an important feature having implications to safety performance of these installations. The objective and minimum requirements for the design of civil engineering buildings/structures to be fulfilled to provide adequate assurance for safety of nuclear installations in India (such as pressurised heavy water reactor and related systems) are specified in the Safety standard for civil engineering structures important to safety of nuclear facilities. This standard is written by AERB to specify guidelines for implementation of the above civil engineering safety standard in the design of concrete structures important to safety

  7. Free material stiffness design of laminated composite structures using commercial finite element analysis codes

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Henrichsen, Søren Randrup; Lindgaard, Esben; Lund, Erik

    2015-01-01

    In this work optimum stiffness design of laminated composite structures is performed using the commercially available programs ANSYS and MATLAB. Within these programs a Free Material Optimization algorithm is implemented based on an optimality condition and a heuristic update scheme. The heuristic...... update scheme is needed because commercially available finite element analysis software is used. When using a commercial finite element analysis code it is not straight forward to implement a computationally efficient gradient based optimization algorithm. Examples considered in this work are a clamped......, where full access to the finite element analysis core is granted. This comparison displays the possibility of using commercially available programs for stiffness design of laminated composite structures....

  8. Selective small-molecule inhibition of an RNA structural element

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Howe, John A.; Wang, Hao; Fischmann, Thierry O.; Balibar, Carl J.; Xiao, Li; Galgoci, Andrew M.; Malinverni, Juliana C.; Mayhood, Todd; Villafania, Artjohn; Nahvi, Ali; Murgolo, Nicholas; Barbieri, Christopher M.; Mann, Paul A.; Carr, Donna; Xia, Ellen; Zuck, Paul; Riley, Dan; Painter, Ronald E.; Walker, Scott S.; Sherborne, Brad; de Jesus, Reynalda; Pan, Weidong; Plotkin, Michael A.; Wu, Jin; Rindgen, Diane; Cummings, John; Garlisi, Charles G.; Zhang, Rumin; Sheth, Payal R.; Gill, Charles J.; Tang, Haifeng; Roemer , Terry (Merck)

    2015-09-30

    Riboswitches are non-coding RNA structures located in messenger RNAs that bind endogenous ligands, such as a specific metabolite or ion, to regulate gene expression. As such, riboswitches serve as a novel, yet largely unexploited, class of emerging drug targets. Demonstrating this potential, however, has proven difficult and is restricted to structurally similar antimetabolites and semi-synthetic analogues of their cognate ligand, thus greatly restricting the chemical space and selectivity sought for such inhibitors. Here we report the discovery and characterization of ribocil, a highly selective chemical modulator of bacterial riboflavin riboswitches, which was identified in a phenotypic screen and acts as a structurally distinct synthetic mimic of the natural ligand, flavin mononucleotide, to repress riboswitch-mediated ribB gene expression and inhibit bacterial cell growth. Our findings indicate that non-coding RNA structural elements may be more broadly targeted by synthetic small molecules than previously expected.

  9. GOMESH, Finite Elements Structure Plot with Triangular Mesh

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Draper, J.

    1977-01-01

    1 - Nature of the physical problem solved: Graphical representation of calculations on structures with finite subdivision. 2 - Method of solution: GOMESH treats meshes with triangular basic elements. The program uses the same punched cards as those required for the input to the 'STAG' series of stress analysis codes and can prepare three basic mesh diagrams which differ in their mode of numbering. One objective of using these diagrams is to show up errors in the card deck by making them visually recognisable. Furthermore, digital tests are made within the program to check that certain requirements have been observed in the production of the lattice. The program 'GOMESH', can provide, superimposed in the graphical representation, stress and temperature values in numerical form, can represent the displacement of the mesh before and after a specified irradiation time, and give the directions and sense of the principal stresses occurring in the individual elements, in the form of arrows of varying length

  10. 3-dimensional finite element modelling of reactor building internal structure for static analysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Joshi, M.H.; Reddy, V.J.; Kushwaha, H.S.; Reddy, G.R.; Karandikar, G.V.

    1991-01-01

    a) Thin shell element gives fairly accurate results when compared to 3-D Brick element for the type of structure and loading in Reactor Building. b) The maximum element size is fixed from model 3(c) i.e. 2.0 m. c) Openings with size smaller than 0.5 m can be neglected without affecting the results very much. d) For any such problem, the methodology described in this paper can be used to take rational decisions which will ensure reasonable accuracy. (author)

  11. On using moving windows in finite element time domain simulation for long accelerator structures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, L.-Q.; Candel, Arno; Ng, Cho; Ko, Kwok

    2010-01-01

    A finite element moving window technique is developed to simulate the propagation of electromagnetic waves induced by the transit of a charged particle beam inside large and long structures. The window moving along with the beam in the computational domain adopts high-order finite element basis functions through p refinement and/or a high-resolution mesh through h refinement so that a sufficient accuracy is attained with substantially reduced computational costs. Algorithms to transfer discretized fields from one mesh to another, which are the keys to implementing a moving window in a finite element unstructured mesh, are presented. Numerical experiments are carried out using the moving window technique to compute short-range wakefields in long accelerator structures. The results are compared with those obtained from the normal finite element time domain (FETD) method and the advantages of using the moving window technique are discussed.

  12. Reliability enhancement of portal frame structure by finite element synthesis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nakagiri, S.

    1989-01-01

    The stochastic finite element methods have been applied to the evaluation of structural response and reliability of uncertain structural systems. The structural reliability index of the advanced first-order second moment (AFOSM) method is a candidate of the measure of assessing structural safety and reliability. The reliability index can be evaluated when a baseline design of structures under interest is proposed and the covariance matrix of the probabilistic variables is acquired to represent uncertainties involved in the structure systems. The reliability index thus evaluated is not assured the largest one for the structure. There is left a possibility to enhance the structural reliability for the given covariance matrix by changing the baseline design. From such a viewpoint of structural optimization, some ideas have been proposed to maximize the reliability or to minimize the failure probability of uncertain structural systems. A method of changing the design is proposed to increase the reliability index from its baseline value to another desired value. The reliability index in this paper is calculated mainly by the method of Lagrange multiplier

  13. Finite element formulation for fluid-structure interaction in three-dimensional space

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kulak, R.F.

    1979-01-01

    A development is presented for a three-dimension hexahedral hydrodynamic finite-element. Using trilinear shape functions and assuming a constant pressure field in each element, simple relations were obtained for internal nodal forces. Because the formulation was based upon a rate approach it was applicable to problems involving large displacements. This element was incorporated into an existing plate-shell finite element code. Diagonal mass matrices were used and the resulting discrete equations of motion were solved using explicit temporal integrator. Results for several problems were presented which compare numerical predictions to closed form analytical solutions. In addition, the fluid-structure interaction problem of a fluid-filled, cylindrical vessel containing internal cylinders was studied. The internal cylinders were cantilever supported from the top cover of the vessel and were periodically located circumferentially at a fixed radius. A pressurized cylindrical cavity located at the bottom of the vessel at its centerline provided the loading

  14. Interpretive Structural Analysis of Interrelationships among the Elements of Characteristic Agriculture Development in Chinese Rural Poverty Alleviation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yi Cai

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available Eradicating poverty is a strategic priority in the pursuit of Sustainable Development Goals. This study intends to identify and quantify the elements affecting the Characteristic Agriculture Development (CAD project implemented in area of Chinese poverty and reveals the interrelationships between those elements. First-hand data for the structural modeling were collected through semi-structured interviews with a group of selected experts. As a result, this study has identified seventeen representative elements, and the interrelationships between them have been examined based on the Interpretive Structural Modeling (ISM method. Furthermore, these elements were further categorized into four categories depending on their driving power and dependence power by using the cross-impact matrix multiplication applied to classification (MICMAC analysis. The combination result of the elements identification, ISM modeling and MICMAC analysis provide a conceptual framework for designing, implementing, and managing CAD projects conducted in rural China. Finally, we suggest that an appropriate approach should be applied to empower the poor, promote target group participation, optimize the regional agriculture structure, and increase the agro value chain competiveness in CAD project implementation.

  15. Creating a Test Validated Structural Dynamic Finite Element Model of the X-56A Aircraft

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pak, Chan-Gi; Truong, Samson

    2014-01-01

    Small modeling errors in the finite element model will eventually induce errors in the structural flexibility and mass, thus propagating into unpredictable errors in the unsteady aerodynamics and the control law design. One of the primary objectives of the Multi Utility Technology Test-bed, X-56A aircraft, is the flight demonstration of active flutter suppression, and therefore in this study, the identification of the primary and secondary modes for the structural model tuning based on the flutter analysis of the X-56A aircraft. The ground vibration test-validated structural dynamic finite element model of the X-56A aircraft is created in this study. The structural dynamic finite element model of the X-56A aircraft is improved using a model tuning tool. In this study, two different weight configurations of the X-56A aircraft have been improved in a single optimization run. Frequency and the cross-orthogonality (mode shape) matrix were the primary focus for improvement, while other properties such as center of gravity location, total weight, and offdiagonal terms of the mass orthogonality matrix were used as constraints. The end result was a more improved and desirable structural dynamic finite element model configuration for the X-56A aircraft. Improved frequencies and mode shapes in this study increased average flutter speeds of the X-56A aircraft by 7.6% compared to the baseline model.

  16. Finite element structural study of the VGOT wind turbine

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Otero, A.D. [University of Buenos Aires (Argentina). College of Engineering; Ponta, F.L. [University of Illinois, Urbana, IL (United States). Dept. of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics

    2004-07-01

    We analyse the implementation of the finite element method to simulate the structural behaviour of the blade-wagons of variable-geometry oval-trajectory (VGOT) Darrieus wind turbines. The key feature of a VGOT machine is that each blade, instead of rotating around a central vertical axis, slides over rails mounted on a wagon formed by a tubular reticulated structure supported by standard train bogies. The structure should be designed to absorb the efforts in the vertical and traverse directions of the railroad due to the aerodynamic loads, the weight of the components and the centrifugal acceleration along the curved tracks. We show some results for the tip deflection and the tip torsion of the blade, the frontal and lateral angle variations in the blade bottom and the Von Misses tensions of five sample beams, all of them in function of the trajectory-length parameter; and some examples of the deformed configuration of the reticulated structure. (author)

  17. STIMA DE SINE – ELEMENT IMPORTANT ÎN PROIECTAREA CARIEREI

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Carolina PLATON

    2015-11-01

    Full Text Available Savanţii susţin că doar o persoană cu stimă de sine înaltă are şanse să-şi dea seama de propriul potenţial. În procesul de orientare în carieră stima de sine va ajuta persoana să ia decizii corecte, să se autoevalueze şi să acţioneze în sensul aspiraţiilor sale.SELF-ESTEEM – AN IMPORTANT ELEMENT IN THE CAREER PLANNING PROCESSThe scientists support the idea about the awakening that is happening throughout the world to the fact that a human being cannot realize his potential without a healthy self-esteem. A high self-esteem will help a person to make decisions, self-assessment and to act according to his aspirations in the career planning process.

  18. Analysis of thin composite structures using an efficient hex-shell finite element

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Shiri, Seddik [Universite Bordeaux, Pessac (France); Naceur, Hakim [Universite de valenciennes, Valenciennes (France)

    2013-12-15

    In this paper a general methodology for the modeling of material composite multilayered shell structures is proposed using a Hex-shell finite element modeling. The first part of the paper is devoted to the general FE formulation of the present composite 8-node Hex-shell element called SCH8, based only on displacement degrees of freedom. A particular attention is given to alleviate shear, trapezoidal and thickness locking, without resorting to the classical plane-stress assumption. The anisotropic material behavior of layered shells is modeled using a fully three dimensional elastic orthotropic material law in each layer, including the thickness stress component. Applications to laminate thick shell structures are studied to validate the methodology, and good results have been obtained in comparison with ABAQUS commercial code.

  19. Study in Malaysia on ingestion and organ content of trace elements of importance in radiological protection

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zawiah, H.; Khalik Haji Wood, A.; Shahrom, A.W.; Halim Mansar, A.

    1998-01-01

    Involvement in the Reference Asian man project, Phase 2 began at the project, formulation meeting in Hitachinaka City, Japan in February 1995. The objective of the project is to look into the ingestion and organ content of trace elements of importance in radiological protection. The data on ingestion of radionuclides from diet and deposition in tissues are important for estimating internal dose for radiation protection. The meeting agreed the elements of primary interest are caesium, iodine, strontium, thorium and uranium in samples of representative diets and autopsy specimens of liver, muscle, thyroid, bone, and kidney. This report will highlight the methodology for implementation of the project including defining the study groups, sampling duplicate diet and autopsy specimens and the analytical techniques involved. Emphasis will be given to nuclear-related analytical technique (NAA) together with a complementary technique (AAS) available in our institution. Some data on trace element contents of local marine and fresh water fishes and milk was reported. Included also a brief discussion on drinking water quality in Malaysia and some information on related studies available. The information on drinking water will be very useful to the present study since water is part of daily diet. (author)

  20. Artificial intelligence and finite element modelling for monitoring flood defence structures

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Pyayt, A.L.; Mokhov, I.I.; Kozionov, A.; Kusherbaeva, V.; Melnikova, N.B.; Krzhizhanovskaya, V.V.; Meijer, R.J.

    2011-01-01

    We present a hybrid approach to monitoring the stability of flood defence structures equipped with sensors. This approach combines the finite element modelling with the artificial intelligence for real-time signal processing and anomaly detection. This combined method has been developed for the

  1. 75 FR 50772 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Importation Bond Structure

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-08-17

    ... DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agency Information Collection Activities: Importation Bond Structure AGENCY: U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Department of Homeland... information collection requirement concerning the: Importation Bond Structure. This request for comment is...

  2. Thermomechanical finite element analysis of hot water boiler structure

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Živković Dragoljub S.

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available The paper presents an application of the Finite Elements Method for stress and strain analysis of the hot water boiler structure. The aim of the research was to investigate the influence of the boiler scale on the thermal stresses and strains of the structure of hot water boilers. Results show that maximum thermal stresses appear in the zone of the pipe carrying wall of the first reversing chamber. This indicates that the most critical part of the boiler are weld spots of the smoke pipes and pipe carrying plate, which in the case of significant scale deposits can lead to cracks in the welds and water leakage from the boiler. The nonlinear effects were taken into account by defining the bilinear isotropic hardening model for all boiler elements. Temperature dependency was defined for all relevant material properties, i. e. isotropic coefficient of thermal expansion, Young’s modulus, and isotropic thermal conductivity. The verification of the FEA model was performed by comparing the measured deformations of the hot water boiler with the simulation results. As a reference object, a Viessmann - Vitomax 200 HW boiler was used, with the installed power of 18.2 MW. CAD modeling was done within the Autodesk Inventor, and stress and strain analysis was performed in the ANSYS Software.

  3. Modeling bistable behaviors in morphing structures through finite element simulations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guo, Qiaohang; Zheng, Huang; Chen, Wenzhe; Chen, Zi

    2014-01-01

    Bistable structures, exemplified by the Venus flytrap and slap bracelets, can transit between different configurations upon certain external stimulation. Here we study, through three-dimensional finite element simulations, the bistable behaviors in elastic plates in the absence of terminate loads, but with pre-strains in one (or both) of the two composite layers. Both the scenarios with and without a given geometric mis-orientation angle are investigated, the results of which are consistent with recent theoretical and experimental studies. This work can open ample venues for programmable designs of plant/shell structures with large deformations, with applications in designing bio-inspired robotics for biomedical research and morphing/deployable structures in aerospace engineering.

  4. Electronic structure and properties of disordered alloys of d-elements

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Demidenko, V.S.; Kal'yanov, A.P.

    1983-01-01

    On the basis of coherent potential approximation the fundamental characteristics in which transition element alloys differ have been established. Connection of the characteristics with position of the elements alloyed in the Mendeleev table is considered. It is confirmed by calculations that electronic structure and, consequently, physical properties of the alloys of a certain value potential disturbing matrix, change qualitatively. Results of the calculation of electron energy state density, diagrams of partial and average magnetic momenta in binary and ternary alloys of the first transition period, are presented. Besides, calculation results of bond energy in d-metals and energy of segregation formation in their alloys are also given. Comparison with experiment confirms the efficiency of concepts given in the paper

  5. The KnowRISK project - Know your city, Reduce seISmic risK through non-structural elements

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sousa Oliveria, Carlos; Amaral Ferreira, Mónica; Lopez, Mário; Sousa Silva, Delta; Musacchio, Gemma; Rupakhety, Rajesh; Falsaperla, Susanna; Meroni, Fabrizio; Langer, Horst

    2016-04-01

    Historically, there is a tendency to focus on seismic structural performance of buildings, neglecting the potential for damage of non-structural elements. In particular, non-structural elements of buildings are their architectural parts (i.e. partitions, ceilings, cladding), electrical and mechanical components (i.e., distribution panels, piping, plumbing), and contents (e.g., furniture, bookcases, computers and desktop equipment). Damage of these elements often contributes significantly to earthquake impacts. In the 1999 Izmit Earthquake, Turkey, 50% of the injuries and 3% of human losses were caused by non-structural failures. In the 2010-2011 Christchurch Earthquakes (New Zealand), 40% of building damage was induced by non-structural malfunctions. Around 70%-85% of construction cost goes into these elements, and their damage can strongly influence the ability of communities to cope with and recover from earthquakes. The project Know your city, Reduce seISmic risK through non-structural elements (KnowRISK) aims at facilitating local communities' access to expert knowledge on non-structural seismic protection solutions. The project will study seismic scenarios critical for non-structural damage, produce a portfolio of non-structural protection measures and investigate the level of awareness in specific communities. We will implement risk communication strategies that will take into account the social and cultural background and a participatory approach to raise awareness in local communities. The paradox between the progress of scientific knowledge and the ongoing increase of losses from natural disasters worldwide is a well-identified gap in the UN Hyogo Framework for Action 2005-2015, in which one of the main priorities is the investment on "knowledge use, innovation and education to build a culture of safety and resilience". The KnowRISK is well aligned with these priorities and will contribute to participatory action aimed at: i) transferring expert knowledge

  6. Ufo-element presentation in metamodel structure of triune continuum paradigm

    OpenAIRE

    Ukrayinets, ?.

    2006-01-01

    This paper describes results of UFO-element formal description in metamodel structure of Triune Continuum Paradigm. This can promote the solution of a problem of development of methods of mutual system-object UFO- and UML-models transformation for providing of more effective information systems designing, in particular, for visual modelling CASE-tools Rational Rose and UFO-Toolkit integration.

  7. Experimental verifications of a structural damage identification technique using reduced order finite-element model

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Rui; Zhou, Li; Yang, Jann N.

    2010-04-01

    An objective of the structural health monitoring system is to identify the state of the structure and to detect the damage when it occurs. Analysis techniques for the damage identification of structures, based on vibration data measured from sensors, have received considerable attention. Recently, a new damage tracking technique, referred to as the adaptive quadratic sum-square error (AQSSE) technique, has been proposed, and simulation studies demonstrated that the AQSSE technique is quite effective in identifying structural damages. In this paper, the adaptive quadratic sumsquare error (AQSSE) along with the reduced-order finite-element method is proposed to identify the damages of complex structures. Experimental tests were conducted to verify the capability of the proposed damage detection approach. A series of experimental tests were performed using a scaled cantilever beam subject to the white noise and sinusoidal excitations. The capability of the proposed reduced-order finite-element based adaptive quadratic sum-square error (AQSSE) method in detecting the structural damage is demonstrated by the experimental results.

  8. Important consequences of atomic diffusion inside main-sequence stars: opacities, extra-mixing, oscillations

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Deal M.

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Atomic diffusion, including the effects of radiative accelerations on individual elements, leads to important variations of the chemical composition inside stars. The accumulation of important elements in specific layers leads to a local increase of the average opacity and to hydrodynamic instabilities that modify the internal stellar structure. This can also have important consequences for asteroseismology.

  9. Finite-element method modeling of hyper-frequency structures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang, Min

    1990-01-01

    The modelization of microwave propagation problems, including Eigen-value problem and scattering problem, is accomplished by the finite element method with vector functional and scalar functional. For Eigen-value problem, propagation modes in waveguides and resonant modes in cavities can be calculated in a arbitrarily-shaped structure with inhomogeneous material. Several microwave structures are resolved in order to verify the program. One drawback associated with the vector functional is the appearance of spurious or non-physical solutions. A penalty function method has been introduced to reduce spurious' solutions. The adaptive charge method is originally proposed in this thesis to resolve waveguide scattering problem. This method, similar to VSWR measuring technique, is more efficient to obtain the reflection coefficient than the matrix method. Two waveguide discontinuity structures are calculated by the two methods and their results are compared. The adaptive charge method is also applied to a microwave plasma excitor. It allows us to understand the role of different physical parameters of excitor in the coupling of microwave energy to plasma mode and the mode without plasma. (author) [fr

  10. Advanced damper with negative structural stiffness elements

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dong, Liang; Lakes, Roderic S

    2012-01-01

    Negative stiffness is understood as the occurrence of a force in the same direction as the imposed deformation. Structures and composites with negative stiffness elements enable a large amplification in damping. It is shown in this work, using an experimental approach, that when a flexible flat-ends column is aligned in a post-buckled condition, a negative structural stiffness and large hysteresis (i.e., high damping) can be achieved provided the ends of the column undergo tilting from flat to edge contact. Stable axial dampers with initial modulus equivalent to that of the parent material and with enhanced damping were designed and built using constrained negative stiffness effects entailed by post-buckled press-fit flat-ends columns. Effective damping of approximately 1 and an effective stiffness–damping product of approximately 1.3 GPa were achieved in such stable axial dampers consisting of PMMA columns. This is a considerable improvement for this figure of merit (i.e., the stiffness–damping product), which generally cannot exceed 0.6 GPa for currently used damping layers. (paper)

  11. Measurement of some radiologically and nutritionally important trace elements in human milk and commercially available milk

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nair, Suma; Sathyapriya, R.S.; Nair, M.G.; Ravi, Prabhat; Bhati, Sharda

    2011-01-01

    Milk is considered to be a complete food and an almost indispensable part of the diets of infants and children. In this paper we present the concentration of some radiologically and nutritionally important trace elements such as Th, Cs, Co, Rb, Fe, Ca and Zn present in human milk and commercially available milk. The trace elements in human and other milk samples were determined using instrumental neutron activation analysis technique. The results show that higher concentrations of Th, Cs, Ca and Rb were found in ordinary milk samples in comparison with the human milk samples. Whereas, a higher concentrations of Fe and Co were observed in human milk samples. These data will be useful for the nutritional and biokinetic studies of these elements in infants and children of different age groups. (author)

  12. The Importance of Landscape Elements for Bat Activity and Species Richness in Agricultural Areas.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Olga Heim

    Full Text Available Landscape heterogeneity is regarded as a key factor for maintaining biodiversity and ecosystem function in production landscapes. We investigated whether grassland sites at close vicinity to forested areas are more frequently used by bats. Considering that bats are important consumers of herbivorous insects, including agricultural pest, this is important for sustainable land management. Bat activity and species richness were assessed using repeated monitoring from May to September in 2010 with acoustic monitoring surveys on 50 grassland sites in the Biosphere Reserve Schorfheide-Chorin (North-East Germany. Using spatial analysis (GIS, we measured the closest distance of each grassland site to potentially connecting landscape elements (e.g., trees, linear vegetation, groves, running and standing water. In addition, we assessed the distance to and the percent land cover of forest remnants and urban areas in a 200 m buffer around the recording sites to address differences in the local landscape setting. Species richness and bat activity increased significantly with higher forest land cover in the 200 m buffer and at smaller distance to forested areas. Moreover, species richness increased in proximity to tree groves. Larger amount of forest land cover and smaller distance to forest also resulted in a higher activity of bats on grassland sites in the beginning of the year during May, June and July. Landscape elements near grassland sites also influenced species composition of bats and species richness of functional groups (open, edge and narrow space foragers. Our results highlight the importance of forested areas, and suggest that agricultural grasslands that are closer to forest remnants might be better buffered against outbreaks of agricultural pest insects due to higher species richness and higher bat activity. Furthermore, our data reveals that even for highly mobile species such as bats, a very dense network of connecting elements within the

  13. Elemental concentration analysis in brain structures from young, adult and old Wistar rats by total reflection X-ray fluorescence with synchrotron radiation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Serpa, R.F.B.; Jesus, E.F.O. de; Anjos, M.J.; Carmo, M.G.T. do; Moreira, S.; Rocha, M.S.; Martinez, A.M.B.; Lopes, R.T.

    2006-01-01

    The knowledge of the spatial distribution and the local concentration of trace elements in tissues are of great importance since trace elements are involved in a number of metabolic and physiological processes in the human body, and their deficiency and excess may lead to different metabolic disorders. In this way, the main goal of this work is to compare the elemental concentration in different brain structures, namely temporal cortex, entorhinal cortex, visual cortex and hippocampus, from Wistar female rats (n = 15) with different ages: 2, 8 and 48 weeks. The measurements were performed at the Synchrotron Light Brazilian Laboratory, Campinas, Sao Paulo, Brazil. In the entorhinal cortex, the following elements decreased with age: Zn, S, Cl, K, Ca and Br. In the temporal cortex, Ca, Fe and Br levels increased with aging and on the other hand, P, S, Cl, K and Rb levels decreased with aging. In the visual cortex almost all the elements decreased with aging: Cl, Ca, Fe, Ni and Zn. In the hippocampus, in turn, most of the elements identified, increased with aging: Al, P, S, K, Fe, Cu, Zn and Rb. The increase of Fe with aging in the hippocampus is an important fact that will be studied, since it is involved in oxidative stress. It is believed that oxidative stress is the one of the main causes responsible for neuronal death in Parkinson's disease

  14. Ageing of significant to safety structure elements of nuclear power plants

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Maksimovas, G.; Ramanauskiene, A.; Ziliukas, A.

    1999-01-01

    The paper analyzes the ageing problems of structure elements in nuclear power plants. The standard documents and principal parts of the ageing evaluation program are presented. The ageing evaluation model is being worked out and degradation mechanisms of different atomic reactor materials are being compared. (author)

  15. Study and Optimization of Helicopter Subfloor Energy Absorption Structure with Foldcore Sandwich Structures

    Science.gov (United States)

    HuaZhi, Zhou; ZhiJin, Wang

    2017-11-01

    The intersection element is an important part of the helicopter subfloor structure. In order to improve the crashworthiness properties, the floor and the skin of the intersection element are replaced with foldcore sandwich structures. Foldcore is a kind of high-energy absorption structure. Compared with original structure, the new intersection element shows better buffering capacity and energy-absorption capacity. To reduce structure’s mass while maintaining the crashworthiness requirements satisfied, optimization of the intersection element geometric parameters is conducted. An optimization method using NSGA-II and Anisotropic Kriging is used. A significant CPU time saving can be obtained by replacing numerical model with Anisotropic Kriging surrogate model. The operation allows 17.15% reduce of the intersection element mass.

  16. ON SHEAR BEHAVIOR OF STRUCTURAL ELEMENTS MADE OF STEEL FIBER REINFORCED CONCRETE

    OpenAIRE

    Cuenca Asensio, Estefanía

    2013-01-01

    Cuenca Asensio, E. (2012). ON SHEAR BEHAVIOR OF STRUCTURAL ELEMENTS MADE OF STEEL FIBER REINFORCED CONCRETE [Tesis doctoral no publicada]. Universitat Politècnica de València. doi:10.4995/Thesis/10251/18326. Palancia

  17. Finite element analysis and genetic algorithm optimization design for the actuator placement on a large adaptive structure

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sheng, Lizeng

    The dissertation focuses on one of the major research needs in the area of adaptive/intelligent/smart structures, the development and application of finite element analysis and genetic algorithms for optimal design of large-scale adaptive structures. We first review some basic concepts in finite element method and genetic algorithms, along with the research on smart structures. Then we propose a solution methodology for solving a critical problem in the design of a next generation of large-scale adaptive structures---optimal placements of a large number of actuators to control thermal deformations. After briefly reviewing the three most frequently used general approaches to derive a finite element formulation, the dissertation presents techniques associated with general shell finite element analysis using flat triangular laminated composite elements. The element used here has three nodes and eighteen degrees of freedom and is obtained by combining a triangular membrane element and a triangular plate bending element. The element includes the coupling effect between membrane deformation and bending deformation. The membrane element is derived from the linear strain triangular element using Cook's transformation. The discrete Kirchhoff triangular (DKT) element is used as the plate bending element. For completeness, a complete derivation of the DKT is presented. Geometrically nonlinear finite element formulation is derived for the analysis of adaptive structures under the combined thermal and electrical loads. Next, we solve the optimization problems of placing a large number of piezoelectric actuators to control thermal distortions in a large mirror in the presence of four different thermal loads. We then extend this to a multi-objective optimization problem of determining only one set of piezoelectric actuator locations that can be used to control the deformation in the same mirror under the action of any one of the four thermal loads. A series of genetic algorithms

  18. Electronic structure of ternary hydrides based on light elements

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Orgaz, E. [Departamento de Fisica y Quimica Teorica, Facultad de Quimica, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, CP 04510 Coyoacan, Mexico, D.F. (Mexico)]. E-mail: orgaz@eros.pquim.unam.mx; Membrillo, A. [Departamento de Fisica y Quimica Teorica, Facultad de Quimica, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, CP 04510 Coyoacan, Mexico, D.F. (Mexico); Castaneda, R. [Departamento de Fisica y Quimica Teorica, Facultad de Quimica, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, CP 04510 Coyoacan, Mexico, D.F. (Mexico); Aburto, A. [Departamento de Fisica, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, CP 04510 Coyoacan, Mexico, D.F. (Mexico)

    2005-12-08

    Ternary hydrides based on light elements are interesting owing to the high available energy density. In this work we focused into the electronic structure of a series of known systems having the general formula AMH{sub 4}(A=Li,Na,M=B,Al). We computed the energy bands and the total and partial density of states using the linear-augmented plane waves method. In this report, we discuss the chemical bonding in this series of complex hydrides.

  19. A robust frame element with cyclic plasticity and local joint effects

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Tidemann, Lasse; Krenk, Steen

    2018-01-01

    A robust elasto-plastic element is developed for analysis of frame structures. The element consists of a beam member with end joints with properties permitting representation of the effect of section forces in adjoining members, like axial forces. By use of the equilibrium formulation...... is developed, using a mid-step state to obtain representative information about the return path. The element is implemented in a co-rotational large-deformation computer program for frame structures. The formulation is illustrated by application to a couple of typical offshore frame structures, and comparison...... of different representations of the plastic effects illustrates the importance of a robust element with realistic representation of the cyclic plastic mechanisms....

  20. Finite element analysis of a fluid-structure interaction in flexible pipe ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The obtained mathematical system is constituted of four non-linear hyperbolic partial differential equations describing the wave propagation in both pipe wall and liquid flow. The fluid-structure interaction is found to be governed by Poisson's ratio. In this steady finite element method based on Galerkin formulation is applied.

  1. Experimental study of soil-structure interaction for proving the three dimensional thin layered element method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kuwabara, Y.; Ogiwara, Y.; Suzuki, T.; Tsuchiya, H.; Nakayama, M.

    1981-01-01

    It is generally recognized that the earthquake response of a structure can be significantly affected by the dynamic interaction between the structure and the surrounding soil. Dynamic soil-structure interaction effects are usually analyzed by using a lumped mass model or a finite element model. In the lumped mass model, the soil is represented by springs and dashpots based on the half-space elastic theory. Each model has its advantages and limitations. The Three Dimensional Thin Layered Element Theory has been developed by Dr. Hiroshi Tajimi based on the combined results of the abovementioned lumped mass model and finite element model. The main characteristic of this theory is that, in consideration and can be applied in the analysis of many problems in soil-structure interaction, such as those involving radiation damping, embedded structures, and multi-layered soil deposits. This paper describes test results on a small scale model used to prove the validity of the computer program based on the Thin Layered Element Theory. As a numerical example, the response analysis of a PWR nuclear power plant is carried out using this program. The vibration test model is simplified and the scale is 1/750 for line. The soil layer of the model is made of congealed gelatine. The test soil layer is 80 cm long, 35 cm wide and 10 cm thick. The super structure is a one mass model made of metal sheet spring and solid mass metal. As fixed inputs, sinusoidal waves (10, 20 gal level) are used. The displacements of the top and base of the super structure, and the accelerations and the displacements of the shaking table are measured. The main parameter of the test is the shear wave velocity of the soil layer. (orig./RW)

  2. Program package for calculating matrix elements of two-cluster structures in nuclei

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Krivec, R.; Mihailovic, M.V.; Kernforschungszentrum Karlsruhe G.m.b.H.

    1982-01-01

    Matrix elements of operators between Slater determinants of two-cluster structures must be expanded into partial waves for the purpose of angular momentum projection. The expansion coefficients contain integrals over the spherical angles theta and phi. (orig.)

  3. Importance of intrinsic properties of dense caseinate dispersions for structure formation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Manski, Julita M; van Riemsdijk, Lieke E; van der Goot, Atze J; Boom, Remko M

    2007-11-01

    Rheological measurements of dense calcium caseinate and sodium caseinate dispersions (> or =15%) provided insight into the factors determining shear-induced structure formation in caseinates. Calcium caseinate at a sufficiently high concentration (30%) was shown to form highly anisotropic structures during shearing and concurrent enzymatic cross-linking. In contrast, sodium caseinate formed isotropic structures using similar processing conditions. The main difference between the two types of caseinates is the counterion present, and as a consequence, the size of structural elements and their interactions. The rheological behavior of calcium caseinate and sodium caseinate reflected these differences, yielding non-monotonic and shear thinning flow behavior for calcium caseinate whereas sodium caseinate behaved only slightly shear thinning. It appears that the intrinsic properties of the dense caseinate dispersions, which are reflected in their rheological behavior, affect the structure formation that was found after applying shear. Therefore, rheological measurements are useful to obtain an indication of the structure formation potential of caseinate dispersions.

  4. Text localization using standard deviation analysis of structure elements and support vector machines

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zagoris Konstantinos

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available Abstract A text localization technique is required to successfully exploit document images such as technical articles and letters. The proposed method detects and extracts text areas from document images. Initially a connected components analysis technique detects blocks of foreground objects. Then, a descriptor that consists of a set of suitable document structure elements is extracted from the blocks. This is achieved by incorporating an algorithm called Standard Deviation Analysis of Structure Elements (SDASE which maximizes the separability between the blocks. Another feature of the SDASE is that its length adapts according to the requirements of the application. Finally, the descriptor of each block is used as input to a trained support vector machines that classify the block as text or not. The proposed technique is also capable of adjusting to the text structure of the documents. Experimental results on benchmarking databases demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.

  5. High accuracy electromagnetic field solvers for cylindrical waveguides and axisymmetric structures using the finite element method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nelson, E.M.

    1993-12-01

    Some two-dimensional finite element electromagnetic field solvers are described and tested. For TE and TM modes in homogeneous cylindrical waveguides and monopole modes in homogeneous axisymmetric structures, the solvers find approximate solutions to a weak formulation of the wave equation. Second-order isoparametric lagrangian triangular elements represent the field. For multipole modes in axisymmetric structures, the solver finds approximate solutions to a weak form of the curl-curl formulation of Maxwell's equations. Second-order triangular edge elements represent the radial (ρ) and axial (z) components of the field, while a second-order lagrangian basis represents the azimuthal (φ) component of the field weighted by the radius ρ. A reduced set of basis functions is employed for elements touching the axis. With this basis the spurious modes of the curl-curl formulation have zero frequency, so spurious modes are easily distinguished from non-static physical modes. Tests on an annular ring, a pillbox and a sphere indicate the solutions converge rapidly as the mesh is refined. Computed eigenvalues with relative errors of less than a few parts per million are obtained. Boundary conditions for symmetric, periodic and symmetric-periodic structures are discussed and included in the field solver. Boundary conditions for structures with inversion symmetry are also discussed. Special corner elements are described and employed to improve the accuracy of cylindrical waveguide and monopole modes with singular fields at sharp corners. The field solver is applied to three problems: (1) cross-field amplifier slow-wave circuits, (2) a detuned disk-loaded waveguide linear accelerator structure and (3) a 90 degrees overmoded waveguide bend. The detuned accelerator structure is a critical application of this high accuracy field solver. To maintain low long-range wakefields, tight design and manufacturing tolerances are required

  6. The contribution of nature to people: Applying concepts of values and properties to rate the management importance of natural elements.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Smith, Michael J; Wagner, Christian; Wallace, Ken J; Pourabdollah, Amir; Lewis, Loretta

    2016-06-15

    An important, and yet unresolved question in natural resource management is how best to manage natural elements and their associated values to ensure human wellbeing. Specifically, there is a lack of measurement tools to assess the contribution of nature to people. We present one approach to overcome this global issue and show that the preferred state of any system element, in terms of realising human values, is a function of element properties. Consequently, natural resource managers need to understand the nature of the relationships between element properties and values if they are to successfully manage for human wellbeing. In two case studies of applied planning, we demonstrate how to identify key element properties, quantify their relationships to priority human values, and combine this information to model the contribution of elements to human wellbeing. In one of the two case studies we also compared the modelling outputs with directly elicited stakeholder opinions regarding the importance of the elements for realising the given priority values. The two, largely congruent outputs provide additional support for the approach. The study shows that rating sets of elements on their relative overall value for human wellbeing, or utility, provides critical information for subsequent management decisions and a basis for productive new research. We consider that the described approach is broadly applicable within the domain of natural resource management. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

  7. Structural Analysis of Technical-Tactical Elements in Table Tennis and their Role in Different Playing Zones.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Munivrana, Goran; Petrinović, Lidija Zekan; Kondrič, Miran

    2015-09-29

    For the purpose of determining the overall structure of technical-tactical elements in table tennis and evaluating their role in different playing zones around the table, a new measuring instrument (a questionnaire) was formulated that took advantage of the expert knowledge of top, world class table tennis coaches. The results of the hierarchical taxonomic (cluster) analysis showed that the overall structure of the technical-tactical elements forming the table tennis technique could be divided into three basic groups; a group of technical-tactical elements (A) used in the phase of preparing one's own and disabling the opponent's attack; a group of technical-tactical elements (B) used in the phase of attack and counterattack; and a group of technical-tactical elements (C) used in the phase of defense. The differences among the obtained groups of table tennis elements were determined by applying the Kruskal-Wallis test, while relations between the groups and their role in different playing zones around the table were analyzed by comparing the average values of the experts' scores.

  8. Structural Analysis of Technical-Tactical Elements in Table Tennis and their Role in Different Playing Zones

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Munivrana Goran

    2015-09-01

    Full Text Available For the purpose of determining the overall structure of technical-tactical elements in table tennis and evaluating their role in different playing zones around the table, a new measuring instrument (a questionnaire was formulated that took advantage of the expert knowledge of top, world class table tennis coaches. The results of the hierarchical taxonomic (cluster analysis showed that the overall structure of the technical-tactical elements forming the table tennis technique could be divided into three basic groups; a group of technical-tactical elements (A used in the phase of preparing one’s own and disabling the opponent’s attack; a group of technical-tactical elements (B used in the phase of attack and counterattack; and a group of technical-tactical elements (C used in the phase of defense. The differences among the obtained groups of table tennis elements were determined by applying the Kruskal-Wallis test, while relations between the groups and their role in different playing zones around the table were analyzed by comparing the average values of the experts’ scores.

  9. Investigating the Importance of 3D Structure & Topography in Seismic Deformation Modeling: Case Study of the April 2015 Nepal Earthquake

    Science.gov (United States)

    Langer, L.; Gharti, H. N.; Tromp, J.

    2017-12-01

    In recent years, observations of deformation at plate boundaries have been greatly improved by the development of techniques in space geodesy. However, models of seismic deformation remain limited and are unable to account for realistic 3D structure in topography and material properties. We demonstrate the importance of 3D structure using a spectral-element method that incorporates fault geometry, topography, and heterogeneous material properties in a (non)linear viscoelastic domain. Our method is benchmarked against Okada's analytical technique and the PyLith software package. The April 2015 Nepal earthquake is used as a case study to examine whether 3D structure can affect the predictions of seismic deformation models. We find that the inclusion of topography has a significant effect on our results.

  10. Incorporation of trace elements into hair structure

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Limic, N.; Valkovic, V.

    1985-01-01

    Examining blood and urine provides an immense insight into human diseases. It is natural to hope that the hair studies will be added routinely to the examinations. Human head hair is a recording filament which can reflect metabolic changes of many elements over a long period of time. The idea of hair analysis is very inviting, because hair is easily samples, shipped and analyzed. In this paper the authors propose a method for the determination of some diffusion parameters from experimental data on the distribution of trace element concentrations in hair and then a method for the determination of the radial diffusion constants of Se, Zn and Pb. The authors' model of hair structure with respect to diffusion is based on the supposition of cross-sectional homogeneity as well as the longitudinal homogeneity of hair. This supposition implies nonisotropic diffusion in hair which is described by two diffusion constants. Diffusion constants can be determined by experiment on wetting hair in solvents or by measurements of natural contamination of hair in air. The first type of experiments can be arranged in various ways to separate radial diffusion from the longitudinal one and, consequently, to determine two diffusion constants from various sets of experiments. The authors' aim is to consider only radial diffusion in hair and to determine the radial diffusion constants of Se, Zn and Pb

  11. Some experiences with absorption, phonon Raman, and luminescence spectroscopic probes of crystal structure of f-element compounds

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Peterson, J.R.

    1992-01-01

    Structural information is crucial to the study and understanding of the basic chemical properties of the f elements. X-ray diffraction (XRD) techniques are usually used to obtain crystal structure information. However, the transuranium (5f) elements, because of their radioactivity and limited availability, present problems for standard XRD analysis. For some time now we have been developing and using various spectroscopic probes of crystal structure; an overview of our research in this area is presented here

  12. Non-linear finite element analyses applicable for the design of large reinforced concrete structures

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Engen, M; Hendriks, M.A.N.; Øverli, Jan Arve; Åldstedt, Erik

    2017-01-01

    In order to make non-linear finite element analyses applicable during assessments of the ultimate load capacity or the structural reliability of large reinforced concrete structures, there is need for an efficient solution strategy with a low modelling uncertainty. A solution strategy comprises

  13. Creating a Test Validated Structural Dynamic Finite Element Model of the Multi-Utility Technology Test Bed Aircraft

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pak, Chan-Gi; Truong, Samson S.

    2014-01-01

    Small modeling errors in the finite element model will eventually induce errors in the structural flexibility and mass, thus propagating into unpredictable errors in the unsteady aerodynamics and the control law design. One of the primary objectives of Multi Utility Technology Test Bed, X-56A, aircraft is the flight demonstration of active flutter suppression, and therefore in this study, the identification of the primary and secondary modes for the structural model tuning based on the flutter analysis of X-56A. The ground vibration test validated structural dynamic finite element model of the X-56A is created in this study. The structural dynamic finite element model of the X-56A is improved using a model tuning tool. In this study, two different weight configurations of the X-56A have been improved in a single optimization run.

  14. Curvilinear steel elements in load-bearing structures of high-rise building spatial frames

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ibragimov Alexander

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available The application of curvilinear elements in load-bearing metal structures of high-rise buildings supposes ensuring of their bearing capacity and serviceability. There may exist a great variety of shapes and orientations of such structural elements. In particular, it may be various flat curves of an open or closed oval profile such as circular or parabolic arch or ellipse. The considered approach implies creating vast internal volumes without loss in the load-bearing capacity of the frame. The basic concept makes possible a wide variety of layout and design solutions. The presence of free internal spaces of large volume in "skyscraper" type buildings contributes to resolving a great number of problems, including those of communicative nature. The calculation results confirm the basic assumptions.

  15. Curvilinear steel elements in load-bearing structures of high-rise building spatial frames

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ibragimov, Alexander; Danilov, Alexander

    2018-03-01

    The application of curvilinear elements in load-bearing metal structures of high-rise buildings supposes ensuring of their bearing capacity and serviceability. There may exist a great variety of shapes and orientations of such structural elements. In particular, it may be various flat curves of an open or closed oval profile such as circular or parabolic arch or ellipse. The considered approach implies creating vast internal volumes without loss in the load-bearing capacity of the frame. The basic concept makes possible a wide variety of layout and design solutions. The presence of free internal spaces of large volume in "skyscraper" type buildings contributes to resolving a great number of problems, including those of communicative nature. The calculation results confirm the basic assumptions.

  16. Electronic structure and chemistry of the heaviest elements

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pershina, V.; Fricke, B.

    1998-04-01

    Progress in the development of relativistic molecular codes has allowed for an adequate description of the electronic structure of the very heavy element compounds, and for the interpretation and prediction of their molecular properties. Most of the theoretical investigations for compounds, interesting from the experimental point of view, have been carried out using the LDF methods. The studied species were group 4, 5 and 6 gas-phase compounds of the transactinides along with their lighter homologs, and their complexes in aqueous solutions. As a result of these calculations, trends within the transition-element groups and within the beginning of the transactinide series for molecular properties such as ionicity, covalence, stability towards oxidation or reduction, crystal-field and spin-orbit effects, bonding, and the influence of relativistic effects on them have been established. In combination with some other models, these calculations allowed for predicting properties measured experimentally: volatility of compounds, redox potentials in solutions and complex formation. Especially promising were predictions of equilibria of reaction using the DS-DV method. Agreement between results of the calculations and experiment confirmed the necessity of doing relativistic MO calculations and the unreliability of the straightforward extrapolations of properties within the chemical groups. (orig.)

  17. A Practical Approach to Governance and Optimization of Structured Data Elements.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Collins, Sarah A; Gesner, Emily; Morgan, Steven; Mar, Perry; Maviglia, Saverio; Colburn, Doreen; Tierney, Diana; Rocha, Roberto

    2015-01-01

    Definition and configuration of clinical content in an enterprise-wide electronic health record (EHR) implementation is highly complex. Sharing of data definitions across applications within an EHR implementation project may be constrained by practical limitations, including time, tools, and expertise. However, maintaining rigor in an approach to data governance is important for sustainability and consistency. With this understanding, we have defined a practical approach for governance of structured data elements to optimize data definitions given limited resources. This approach includes a 10 step process: 1) identification of clinical topics, 2) creation of draft reference models for clinical topics, 3) scoring of downstream data needs for clinical topics, 4) prioritization of clinical topics, 5) validation of reference models for clinical topics, and 6) calculation of gap analyses of EHR compared against reference model, 7) communication of validated reference models across project members, 8) requested revisions to EHR based on gap analysis, 9) evaluation of usage of reference models across project, and 10) Monitoring for new evidence requiring revisions to reference model.

  18. Offshore extension of the structural element of Udipi, confirmation from marine magneties

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Subrahmanyam, V.

    wavelength anomalies off Mangalore and relatively smooth zone further south Kasaragod. A prominent WNW-ESE structural element (fault) south off Coondapoor is observed in the three eastern profiles (A-A', B-B' and C-C') which was not reflected in the western...

  19. STRAP-2, Stress Analysis of Structure with Static Loading by Finite Elements Method. STRAP-D, Stress Analysis of Structure with Time-Dependent Loading by Finite Elements Method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dearien, J.A.; Uldrich, E.D.

    1975-01-01

    1 - Description of problem or function: The code STRAP (Structural Analysis Package) was developed to analyze the response of structural systems to static and dynamic loading conditions. STRAP-S solves for the displacements and member forces of structural systems under static loads and temperature gradients. STRAP-D will solve numerically a given structural dynamics problem. 2 - Method of solution: STRAP-S generates the stiffness matrix of a structure by the finite element method and solves the resulting equations for structural displacements and member forces. STRAP-D generates the stiffness matrix, solves for eigenvalues and eigenvectors, uncouples and solves the series of second-order ordinary differential equations, and then calculates and plots the requested member forces. 3 - Restrictions on the complexity of the problem: STRAP-S maxima: 250 degrees of freedom, 100 members; STRAP-D maxima: 100 degrees of freedom, 80 time-steps in the forcing function input

  20. Prediction of elastic-plastic response of structural elements subjected to cyclic loading

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    El Haddad, M.H.; Samaan, S.

    1985-01-01

    A simplified elastic-plastic analysis is developed to predict stress strain and force deformation response of structural metallic elements subjected to irregular cyclic loadings. In this analysis a simple elastic-plastic method for predicting the skeleton force deformation curve is developed. In this method, elastic and fully plastic solutions are first obtained for unknown quantities, such as deflection or local strains. Elastic and fully plastic contributions are then combined to obtain an elastic-plastic solution. The skeleton curve is doubled to establish the shape of the hysteresis loop. The complete force deformation response can therefore be simulated through reversal by reversal in accordance with hysteresis looping and material memory. Several examples of structural elements with various cross sections made from various materials and subjected to irregular cyclic loadings, are analysed. A close agreement is obtained between experimental results found in the literature and present predictions. (orig.)

  1. Fuel elements for high temperature reactors having special suitability for reuse of the structural graphite

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Huschka, H.; Herrmann, F.J.

    1976-01-01

    There are prepared fuel elements for high temperature reactors from which the fuel zone can be removed from the structural graphite after the burnup of the fissile material has taken place so that the fuel element can be filled with new fuel and again placed in the reactor by having the strength of the matrix in the fuel zone sufficient for binding the embedded coated fuel particles but substantially less than the strength of the structural graphite whereby by the action of force it can be easily split up without destroying the particles

  2. Distortional Mechanics of Thin-Walled Structural Elements

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Andreassen, Michael Joachim

    In several industries such as civil, mechanical, and aerospace, thin-walled structures are often used due to the high strength and effective use of the materials. Because of the increased consumption there has been increasing focus on optimizing and more detailed calculations. However, finely...... number of degrees of freedom. This means that the classical Vlasov thin-walled beam theory for open and closed cross sections is generalized as part of a semi-discretization process by including distortional displacement fields. A novel finite-element-based displacement approach is used in combination...... by discretization of the cross section are now solved analytically and the formulation is valid without special attention and approximation also for closed single or multi-cell cross sections. Furthermore, the found eigenvalues have clear mechanical meaning, since they represent the attenuation of the distortional...

  3. Characteristic and analysis of structural elements of corporate social responsibility

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    J. S. Bilonog

    2015-04-01

    Full Text Available In this article attention is focused on social responsibility of business and on necessity to estimate its condition in Ukraine. Materials regarding elements and the principles of corporate social responsibility are structured. On this basis unification of quantitative elements of business social responsibility is offered according to which it is possible to carry out the analysis of the non­financial reporting. It is proposed to use not only quantitative techniques of data analysis but also refer to the qualitative ones. As a result of this, the analysis of social reports will be more productive and would minimize subjectivity of the researcher or representatives of the company which are responsible for presenting the information to the general public. The basic principles by which the companies can realize the strategy of corporate social responsibility are considered. Due to the empirical analysis of corporate reports expediency to use specified elements is proved. Reports of the companies in producing and non­productive sector are analyzed in more detail; features of displaying information on corporate social responsibility are defined. The attention to need of carrying out monitoring researches in the sphere of the corporate social reporting is updated.

  4. Concrete containment tests: Phase 2, Structural elements with liner plates: Interim report

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hanson, N.W.; Roller, J.J.; Schultz, D.M.; Julien, J.T.; Weinmann, T.L.

    1987-08-01

    The tests described in this report are part of Phase 2 of the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) program. The overall objective of the EPRI program is to provide a test-verified analytical method of estimating capacities of concrete reactor containment buildings under internal overpressurization from postulated degraded core accidents. The Phase 2 testing included seven large-scale specimens representing structural elements from reinforced and prestressed concrete reactor containment buildings. Six of the seven test specimens were square wall elements. Of these six specimens, four were used for biaxial tension tests to determine strength, deformation, and leak-rate characteristics of full-scale wall elements representing prestressed concrete containment design. The remaining two square wall elements were used for thermal buckling tests to determine whether buckling of the steel liner plate would occur between anchorages when subjected to a sudden extreme temperature differential. The last of the seven test specimens for Phase 2 represented the region where the wall and the basemat intersect in a prestressed concrete containment building. A multi-directional loading scheme was used to produce high bending moments and shear in the wall/basemat junction region. The objective of this test was to determine if there is potential for liner plate tearing in the junction region. Results presented include observed behavior and extensive measurements of deformations and strains as a function of applied load. The data are being used to confirm analytical models for predicting strength and deformation of containment structures in a separate parallel analytical investigation sponsored by EPRI

  5. A comparison study on the performance of lower order solid finite element for elastic analysis of plate and shell structures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, Young Jung; Lee, Sang Jin; Choun, Young Sun; Seo, Jeong Moon

    2003-05-01

    The objective of this research is to assess the performance of lower order solid finite elements which will be ultimately applied into the safety analysis of nuclear containment building. For the safety analysis of large structures such as nuclear containment building, efficient lower order finite element is necessarily required to calculate the structural response of containment building with low computational cost. In this study, the state of the art formulations of lower order solid finite element are throughly reviewed and the best possible solid finite element is adopted into the development of nuclear containment analysis system. Three 8-node solid finite elements based on standard strain-displacement relationship, B-bar method and EAS method are implemented as computer modules and completely tested with various plate and shell structures. The present results can be directly applied into the analysis code development for general reinforced concrete structures

  6. EXCHANGE RATE PASS-THROUGH, IMPORT PRICES AND INFLATION UNDER STRUCTURAL BREAKS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Arintoko Arintoko

    2011-09-01

    Full Text Available This research estimates the exchange rate pass-through (ERPT into import prices by applying an extension of the basic model of ERPT on Indonesia. It estimates models of cointegration and error-correction mechanism (ECM, with and without structural breaks. It uses the techniques of Zivot-Andrews and of Gregory-Hansen to test for structural breaks and cointegration with the structural breaks, respectively. The results show that with the control variables, inflation affects import prices and lower the pass-through for short term, in a condition of free floating exchange rate. In the short term, with the inclusion of structural breaks, significant inflation affects import prices and lowers the ERPT coefficient.  Keywords:    Exchange rate pass-through, inflation, structural breaks, cointegration, error-correction mechanismJEL classification numbers: C22, C32, E31, F41

  7. Application of trace element analysis to determine trace element concentrations in the field of medicine. [Neutrons

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kasperek, K; Feinendegen, L E

    1976-01-01

    Applied trace elements research in medicine requires a sensitive and efficient technique of trace elements analysis, such as neutron activation analysis. Essential trace elements act as stabilizators (iron in haem), structural elements (silicon in fibrous tissue), in hormones (iodine in thyroid hormone), in vitamins (cobalt in vitamin B 12), and in enzymes. Most of the essential trace elements act as coenzymes or in coenzymes or directly as metabolic catalyzers. For example, selenium deficiency in PKU and maple syrup patients receiving dietary treatment can be detected by determining the selenium content of the serum, while low selenium values in the whole blood indicate liver cirrhosis. Acrodermatitis enteropathica can be diagnosed by determinig zinc in the serum, and pancreatic insufficiency by determining zinc in the pancreatic juice. Zinc also plays a part in disturbances of growth, in the healing of wounds, and in the insulin metabolism. Cobalt is important in some types of anaemia and in myocardiopathies. Trace elements are also necessary in the treatment of diseases, e.g. iron cobalt in some types of anaemia, and zinc in the delayed healing of wounds in the postoperative phase and in acrodermatitis enteropathica. Chromium is now being tested for the treatment of diabetes mellitus, and fluorides may be of interest in the treatment of osteoporosis. Finally, trace elements are important in the aetiology of acute poisoning, in nutrition, and in environmental protection.

  8. Verification of Orthogrid Finite Element Modeling Techniques

    Science.gov (United States)

    Steeve, B. E.

    1996-01-01

    The stress analysis of orthogrid structures, specifically with I-beam sections, is regularly performed using finite elements. Various modeling techniques are often used to simplify the modeling process but still adequately capture the actual hardware behavior. The accuracy of such 'Oshort cutso' is sometimes in question. This report compares three modeling techniques to actual test results from a loaded orthogrid panel. The finite element models include a beam, shell, and mixed beam and shell element model. Results show that the shell element model performs the best, but that the simpler beam and beam and shell element models provide reasonable to conservative results for a stress analysis. When deflection and stiffness is critical, it is important to capture the effect of the orthogrid nodes in the model.

  9. Application of trace element analysis to determine trace element concentrations in the field of medicine

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kasperek, K.; Feinendegen, L.E.

    1976-01-01

    Applied trace elements research in medicine requires a sensitive and efficient technique of trace elements analysis such as, e.g., neutron activation analysis. Essential trace elements act as stabilisators (iron in haem), structural elements (silicium in fibrous tissue), in hormones (iodine in thyroid hormone), in vitamins (cobalt in vitamin B 12), and in enzymes. Most of the essential trace elements act as coenzymes or in coenzymes or directly as metabolic catalysators. For example, selenium deficiency in PKU and maple syrup patients receiving dietary treatment can be detected by determining the selenium content of the serum, while low selenium values in the whole blood indicate liver cirrhosis. Acrodermatitis enteropathica can be diagnosed by determinig zinc in the serum, and pancreatic insufficiency by determining zinc in the pancreatic juice. Zinc also plays a part in disturbances of growth, in the healing of wounds, and in the insulin metabolism. Cobalt is important in some types of anaemia and in myocardiopathies. Trace elements are also necessary in the treatment of diseases, e.g. iron cobalt in some types of anaemia, and zinc in the delayed healing of wounds in the postoperative phase and in acrodermatitis enteropathica. Chromium is now being tested for the treatment of diabetes mellitus, and fluorides may be of interest in the treatment of osteoporosis. Finally, trace elements are important in the aetiology of acute poisoning, in nutrition, and in environmental protection. (orig./AK) [de

  10. Spectral element modelling of wave propagation in isotropic and anisotropic shell-structures including different types of damage

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schulte, R T; Fritzen, C-P; Moll, J

    2010-01-01

    During the last decades, guided waves have shown great potential for Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) applications. These waves can be excited and sensed by piezoelectric elements that can be permanently attached onto a structure offering online monitoring capability. However, the setup of wave based SHM systems for complex structures may be very difficult and time consuming. For that reason there is a growing demand for efficient simulation tools providing the opportunity to design wave based SHM systems in a virtual environment. As usually high frequency waves are used, the associated short wavelength leads to the necessity of a very dense mesh, which makes conventional finite elements not well suited for this purpose. Therefore in this contribution a flat shell spectral element approach is presented. By including electromechanical coupling a SHM system can be simulated entirely from actuator voltage to sensor voltage. Besides a comparison to measured data for anisotropic materials including delamination, a numerical example of a more complex, stiffened shell structure with debonding is presented.

  11. Chalcogenides formed by trivalent rare earth elements with d-elements

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Flao, Zh.; Laruehl', P.; Olitro, R.

    1981-01-01

    Data on ternary compounds formed by trivalent rare earth elements with 3d-, 4d- and 5d-elements of the Periodic system is presented. Compounds of 3d-elements both in bivalent and trivalent states are considered. The main attention is paid to the structure of the compounds. Description of a great number of new structural types of compounds is given. In certain cases the structure has not been deciphered and, besides, structural investigations with monocrystals are not numerous. Attention is drawn to the existence of nonstoichiometric compounds. References to the works on investigation of thermal (melting temperature), magnetic, optical and electric properties as well as Moessbauer effect are presented

  12. Nuclear structure effects in quasifission – understanding the formation of the heaviest elements

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hinde D. J.

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Quasifission is an important process suppressing the fusion of two heavy nuclei in reactions used to create superheavy elements. Quasifission results in rapid separation of the dinuclear system initially formed at contact. Achieving reliable a priori prediction of quasifission probabilities is a very diffcult problem. Through measurements with projectiles from C to Ni, the Australian National University’s Heavy Ion Accelerator Facility and CUBE spectrometer have been used to map out mass-angle distributions (MAD - the fission mass-ratio as a function of centre-of-mass angle. These provide information on quasifission dynamics in the least modeldependent way. Average quasifission time-scales have been extracted, and compared with TDHF calculations of the collisions, with good agreement being found. With the baseline information from the survey of experimental MAD, strong influences of the nuclear structure of the projectile and target nuclei can be clearly determined.

  13. Coupled Finite Volume and Finite Element Method Analysis of a Complex Large-Span Roof Structure

    Science.gov (United States)

    Szafran, J.; Juszczyk, K.; Kamiński, M.

    2017-12-01

    The main goal of this paper is to present coupled Computational Fluid Dynamics and structural analysis for the precise determination of wind impact on internal forces and deformations of structural elements of a longspan roof structure. The Finite Volume Method (FVM) serves for a solution of the fluid flow problem to model the air flow around the structure, whose results are applied in turn as the boundary tractions in the Finite Element Method problem structural solution for the linear elastostatics with small deformations. The first part is carried out with the use of ANSYS 15.0 computer system, whereas the FEM system Robot supports stress analysis in particular roof members. A comparison of the wind pressure distribution throughout the roof surface shows some differences with respect to that available in the engineering designing codes like Eurocode, which deserves separate further numerical studies. Coupling of these two separate numerical techniques appears to be promising in view of future computational models of stochastic nature in large scale structural systems due to the stochastic perturbation method.

  14. Comparison of sample preparation methods for the determination of essential and toxic elements in important indigenous medicinal plant Aloe barbadensis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sahito, S.R.; Kazi, T.G.; Kazi, G.H.; Jakhrani, M.A.; Wattoo, M.H.S.

    2002-01-01

    The role of elements particularly traces elements in health and disease is now well established. In this paper we investigate the presence of various elements in very important herb Aloe barbadensis, it is commonly used in different ailments especially of elementary tract. We used four extraction methods for the determination of total elements in Aloe barbadensis. The procedure, which is found to be more efficient and decompose the biological material, is nitric acid and 30% hydrogen peroxide as compared to other method. The sample of plants was collected from surrounding of Hyderabad; Sindh University and vouches specimens were prepared following the standard herbarium techniques. Fifteen essential, trace and toxic elements such as Zn, Cr, K, Mg, Ca, Na, Fe, Pb, Al, Ba, Mn, Co, Ni and Cd were determined in plant and in its decoction. Using Flame Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer Hitachi Model 180-50. It is noted that, level of essential elements was found high as compare to the level of toxic elements. (author)

  15. Architecture and program structures for a special purpose finite element computer

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Norrie, D.H.; Norrie, C.W.

    1983-01-01

    The development of very large scale integration (VLSI) has made special-purpose computers economically possible. With such a machine, the loss of flexibility compared with a general-purpose computer can be offset by the increased speed which can be obtained by tailoring the architecture to the particular problem or class of problem. The first kind of special-purpose machine has its architecture modelled on the physical structure of the problem and the second kind has its design tailored to the computational algorithm used. The parallel finite element machine (PARFEM) being designed at the University of Calgary for the solution of finite element problems is of the second kind. Its conceptual design is described and progress to date outlined. 14 references.

  16. Multiphase poroelastic finite element models for soft tissue structures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Simon, B.R.

    1992-01-01

    During the last two decades, biological structures with soft tissue components have been modeled using poroelastic or mixture-based constitutive laws, i.e., the material is viewed as a deformable (porous) solid matrix that is saturated by mobile tissue fluid. These structures exhibit a highly nonlinear, history-dependent material behavior; undergo finite strains; and may swell or shrink when tissue ionic concentrations are altered. Give the geometric and material complexity of soft tissue structures and that they are subjected to complicated initial and boundary conditions, finite element models (FEMs) have been very useful for quantitative structural analyses. This paper surveys recent applications of poroelastic and mixture-based theories and the associated FEMs for the study of the biomechanics of soft tissues, and indicates future directions for research in this area. Equivalent finite-strain poroelastic and mixture continuum biomechanical models are presented. Special attention is given to the identification of material properties using a porohyperelastic constitutive law ans a total Lagrangian view for the formulation. The associated FEMs are then formulated to include this porohyperelastic material response and finite strains. Extensions of the theory are suggested in order to include inherent viscoelasticity, transport phenomena, and swelling in soft tissue structures. A number of biomechanical research areas are identified, and possible applications of the porohyperelastic and mixture-based FEMs are suggested. 62 refs., 11 figs., 3 tabs

  17. Political “genotype” as a structural element of political culture

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    N. V. Karpova

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available The article is devoted to the issue of genetic foundations of political culture in the context of the socio-political system changes. The author elaborates the concept of “political genotype” as a sustainable structural element of political culture that determines its content and the possibility of permissible variation. In this paper the main forms of existence of political genotype and its functions are also investigated; and “genetic” mechanism of political culture succession is explored.

  18. A review of electro analytical determinations of some important elements (Zn, Se, As) in environmental samples

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lichiang; James, B.D.; Magee, R.J.

    1991-01-01

    This review covers electro analytical methods reported in the literature for the determination of zinc, cadmium, selenium and arsenic in environmental and biological samples. A comprehensive survey of electro analytical techniques used for the determination of four important elements, i.e. zinc, cadmium, selenium and arsenic is reported herein with 322 references up to 1990. (Orig./A.B.)

  19. Application limits of finite element models for simulation of shock transfer processes in concrete structures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Krutzik, Norbert J.; Eibl, Josef

    2005-01-01

    Shocks on building structures due to impact loads (drop of wreckage and heavy masses from accidents, transport operations, explosions, etc.), especially in case of a postulated aircraft crash, may lead to feasibility problems due to high-induced vibrations and large expenditures at safety-related systems accommodated inside the building structures. A rational and cost-effective qualification of the functionality of such systems requires the prediction of reliable information about the nature of structural responses induced by impact loading in the corresponding regions of the structure. The analytic derivation of realistic and reliable structural responses requires the application of adequate mathematical models and methods as well as a critical evaluation of all factors that influence the entire shock transmission path, from the area of impact to the site of installation of the affected component or system in the structure. Despite extensive studies and computational analyses of impact-induced shocks performed using finite element simulation method, limited and insufficient experimental results to date have precluded a complete investigation and clarification of several 'peculiarities' in the field of shock transmission in finite element models. This refers mainly to the divergence of results observed using FE models when not considering a the required FE element discretization ratio as well as to the attenuation and scatter behavior of the dynamic response results obtained for large building structures and given large distances between the load impact application areas and the component anchoring locations. The cause for such divergences are related to several up to now not clarified 'phenomena' of FE models especially the low-pass filtering effects and dispersion characteristics of FE models

  20. Trace Element Compositions and Defect Structures of High-Purity Quartz from the Southern Ural Region, Russia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jens Götze

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available Quartz samples of different origin from 10 localities in the Southern Ural region, Russia have been investigated to characterize their trace element compositions and defect structures. The analytical combination of cathodoluminescence (CL microscopy and spectroscopy, electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR spectroscopy, and trace-element analysis by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS revealed that almost all investigated quartz samples showed very low concentrations of trace elements (cumulative concentrations of <50 ppm with <30 ppm Al and <10 ppm Ti and low abundances of paramagnetic defects, defining them economically as “high-purity” quartz (HPQ suitable for high-tech applications. EPR and CL data confirmed the low abundances of substitutional Ti and Fe, and showed Al to be the only significant trace element structurally bound in the investigated quartz samples. CL microscopy revealed a heterogeneous distribution of luminescence centres (i.e., luminescence active trace elements such as Al as well as features of deformation and recrystallization. It is suggested that healing of defects due to deformation-related recrystallization and reorganization processes of the quartz lattice during retrograde metamorphism resulted in low concentrations of CL activator and other trace elements or vacancies, and thus are the main driving processes for the formation of HPQ deposits in the investigated area.

  1. Study on the fragility of structure with several elements in its story. Part 2: structure with ductile elements

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kai, Y.; Fukushima, S.

    1995-01-01

    The relationship among the fragility of element, that of story and that of system, is examined using the Monte Carlo simulation. In this study, 2-story models whose stories consist of 2 ductile elements are employed. A method is proposed which includes a nonlinear effect into the evaluation of elements capacities. This method does not require the nonlinear MCS, therefore saving computational efforts. Also, a method to estimate the stories and the system fragilities is proposed. (author). 2 refs., 7 figs., 3 tabs

  2. 3D-finite element impact simulation on concrete structures

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Heider, N.

    1989-12-15

    The analysis of impact processes is an interesting application of full 3D Finite Element calculations. This work presents a simulation of the penetration process of a Kinetic Energy projectile into a concrete target. Such a calculation requires an adequate FE model, especially a proper description of the crack opening process in front of the projectile. The aim is the prediction of the structural survival of the penetrator case with the help of an appropriate failure criterion. Also, the computer simulation allows a detailed analysis of the physical phenomena during impact. (orig.) With 4 refs., 14 figs.

  3. Boundary element inverse analysis for rebar corrosion detection: Study on the 2004 tsunami-affected structure in Aceh

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    S. Fonna

    2018-06-01

    Full Text Available Evaluation of rebar/reinforcing-steel corrosion for the 2004 tsunami-affected reinforced concrete (RC buildings in Aceh was conducted using half-cell potential mapping technique. However, the results only show qualitative meaning as corrosion risk rather than the corrosion itself, such as the size and location of corrosion. In this study, boundary element inverse analysis was proposed to be performed to detect rebar corrosion of the 2004 tsunami-affected structure in Aceh, using several electrical potential measurement data on the concrete surface. One RC structure in Peukan Bada, an area heavily damaged by the tsunami, was selected for the study. In 2004 the structure was submerged more than 5 m by the tsunami. Boundary element inverse analysis was developed by combining the boundary element method (BEM and particle swarm optimization (PSO. The corrosion was detected by evaluating measured and calculated electrical potential data. The measured and calculated electrical potential on the concrete surface was obtained by using a half-cell potential meter and by performing BEM, respectively. The solution candidates were evaluated by employing PSO. Simulation results show that boundary element inverse analysis successfully detected the size and location of corrosion for the case study. Compared with the actual corrosion, the error of simulation result was less than 5%. Hence, it shows that boundary element inverse analysis is very promising for further development to detect rebar corrosion. Keywords: Inverse analysis, Boundary element method, PSO, Corrosion, Reinforced concrete

  4. Local deformation method for measuring element tension in space deployable structures

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Belov Sergey

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available The article describes the local deformation method to determine the tension of cord and thin membrane elements in space deployable structure as antenna reflector. Possible measuring instrument model, analytical and numerical solutions and experimental results are presented. The boundary effects on measurement results of metallic mesh reflector surface tension are estimated. The study case depicting non-uniform reflector surface tension is considered.

  5. Three-dimensionality of space in the structure of the periodic table of chemical elements

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Veremeichik, T. F.

    2006-01-01

    The effect of the dimension of the 3D homogeneous and isotropic Euclidean space, and the electron spin on the self-organization of the electron systems of atoms of chemical elements is considered. It is shown that the finite dimension of space creates the possibility of periodicity in the structure of an electron cloud, while the value of the dimension determines the number of stable systems of electrons at different levels of the periodic table of chemical elements and some characteristics of the systems. The conditions for the stability of systems of electrons and the electron system of an atom as a whole are considered. On the basis of the results obtained, comparison with other hierarchical systems (nanostructures and biological structures) is performed

  6. Studies in Korea on ingestion and organ content of trace elements of importance in radiological protection. December 1996 - April 1998

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Seung Yeon Cho

    2000-01-01

    Concentrations of trace elements including 5 important elements such as U, Th, Cs, Sr and I in Korean total diet and 4 most frequently consuming Korean foodstuffs have been analyzed by neutron activation analysis. One day representative mixed diet of adult Korean was collected from the data based on the food diary of 77 healthy subjects at the age between 20 to 50

  7. Structural elements for fast-neutron reactors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Blin, J.C.; Sainfort, Gerard; Silvent, Alain; Silvestres, Georges.

    1974-01-01

    These elements are characterized in that they are obtained from a nickel-alloy and at least a material M, selected from the group comprising iron and silicon, in proportions, by weight, such that irradiation by fast neutrons leads to the generation of Ni 3 -M with no noticeable swelling of said elements. This can be applied to fuel assembly cladding [fr

  8. Study of Finite Element Number Influence over the Obtained Results in Finite Element Analyses of a Mechanical Structure

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ana-Maria Budai

    2013-05-01

    Full Text Available This paper present the results of a study that was made to establish the influence of finite element number used to determined the real load of a structure. Actually, the study represent a linear static analyze for a link gear control mechanism of a Kaplan turbine. The all analyze was made for the normal condition of functioning having like final scope to determine de life time duration of mentioned mechanism.

  9. Nonlinear finite element modeling of vibration control of plane rod-type structural members with integrated piezoelectric patches

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chróścielewski, Jacek; Schmidt, Rüdiger; Eremeyev, Victor A.

    2018-05-01

    This paper addresses modeling and finite element analysis of the transient large-amplitude vibration response of thin rod-type structures (e.g., plane curved beams, arches, ring shells) and its control by integrated piezoelectric layers. A geometrically nonlinear finite beam element for the analysis of piezolaminated structures is developed that is based on the Bernoulli hypothesis and the assumptions of small strains and finite rotations of the normal. The finite element model can be applied to static, stability, and transient analysis of smart structures consisting of a master structure and integrated piezoelectric actuator layers or patches attached to the upper and lower surfaces. Two problems are studied extensively: (i) FE analyses of a clamped semicircular ring shell that has been used as a benchmark problem for linear vibration control in several recent papers are critically reviewed and extended to account for the effects of structural nonlinearity and (ii) a smart circular arch subjected to a hydrostatic pressure load is investigated statically and dynamically in order to study the shift of bifurcation and limit points, eigenfrequencies, and eigenvectors, as well as vibration control for loading conditions which may lead to dynamic loss of stability.

  10. Fuel element cellular grid structure and procedure to insert and withdraw fuel rods from that structure

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1975-01-01

    A typical embodiment of the invention provides a means for selectively inserting and withdrawing one or more fuel rods from a fuel element cellular grid structure. The transverse stubs on one side of a long, thin bar are turned through 90deg to extend across the gap between mutually perpendicular grid structure plates. The extreme ends of these stubs engage the adhacent portions of the associated plates that form part of the grid cells. Pressing the stubs against the plate portions through the application of appropriate force in a longitudinal direction relative to the bar deflects the engaged plates through a sufficient distance to enable fuel rods to be inserted into or withdrawn from respective cells. After rod insertion, the force applied to the bar is released to enable the plates to relax and engage the fuel rods. The bars are rotated once more through 90deg and withdrawn from the grid structure. A similar procedure is employed to withdraw fuel rods from the grid structure

  11. MAIN LAND USE PLANNING APPROACHES TO STRUCTURAL ELEMENTS LOCAL ECOLOGICAL NETWORK

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    TretiakV.M.

    2016-08-01

    Full Text Available In modern conditions of social development, changes in land eco-system of economic relations in Ukraine, the problem of providing conditions for the creation of sustainable land use and creation of protected areas get the status of special urgency. Ideology establishment of ecological networks became logical continuation of environmental thought in general. Considering the methodological approach to the establishment of ecological networks we can constitute, that it is an environmental frame of spatial infrastructure, land conservation and environmental areas, major part of land is the basis of the structural elements of ecological network. Designing an ecological network is made through developing regional schemes of Econet formation, regional and local schemes for establishing an ecological network areas, settlements and other areas. Land Management uses design of structural elements of the ecological network in the village council, as a rule, begins with ecological and landscape mikrozonationof the village council, held during the preparatory work for the land drafting and finishing the formation of environmentally homogeneous regions, which represents the tied system components of ecological network, environmental measures in the form of local environmental restrictions (encumbrances to use land and other natural resources. Additionally, there are some project organization and territorial measures that increase the sustainability area, such as: key, binders, buffer areas and renewable ecological network. Land management projects on the formation of structural elements of ecological network as territorial restrictions (encumbrances in land are used within the territories Councils determined the location and size of land: - Protection zones around especially valuable natural objects of cultural heritage, meteorological stations, etc. in order to protect them from adverse human impacts; - Protection zones along telecommunication lines, power

  12. Nucleoporins as components of the nuclear pore complex core structure and Tpr as the architectural element of the nuclear basket.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Krull, Sandra; Thyberg, Johan; Björkroth, Birgitta; Rackwitz, Hans-Richard; Cordes, Volker C

    2004-09-01

    The vertebrate nuclear pore complex (NPC) is a macromolecular assembly of protein subcomplexes forming a structure of eightfold radial symmetry. The NPC core consists of globular subunits sandwiched between two coaxial ring-like structures of which the ring facing the nuclear interior is capped by a fibrous structure called the nuclear basket. By postembedding immunoelectron microscopy, we have mapped the positions of several human NPC proteins relative to the NPC core and its associated basket, including Nup93, Nup96, Nup98, Nup107, Nup153, Nup205, and the coiled coil-dominated 267-kDa protein Tpr. To further assess their contributions to NPC and basket architecture, the genes encoding Nup93, Nup96, Nup107, and Nup205 were posttranscriptionally silenced by RNA interference (RNAi) in HeLa cells, complementing recent RNAi experiments on Nup153 and Tpr. We show that Nup96 and Nup107 are core elements of the NPC proper that are essential for NPC assembly and docking of Nup153 and Tpr to the NPC. Nup93 and Nup205 are other NPC core elements that are important for long-term maintenance of NPCs but initially dispensable for the anchoring of Nup153 and Tpr. Immunogold-labeling for Nup98 also results in preferential labeling of NPC core regions, whereas Nup153 is shown to bind via its amino-terminal domain to the nuclear coaxial ring linking the NPC core structures and Tpr. The position of Tpr in turn is shown to coincide with that of the nuclear basket, with different Tpr protein domains corresponding to distinct basket segments. We propose a model in which Tpr constitutes the central architectural element that forms the scaffold of the nuclear basket.

  13. Optimal Layout Design using the Element Connectivity Parameterization Method: Application to Three Dimensional Geometrical Nonlinear Structures

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Yoon, Gil Ho; Joung, Young Soo; Kim, Yoon Young

    2005-01-01

    The topology design optimization of “three-dimensional geometrically-nonlinear” continuum structures is still a difficult problem not only because of its problem size but also the occurrence of unstable continuum finite elements during the design optimization. To overcome this difficulty, the ele......) stiffness matrix of continuum finite elements. Therefore, any finite element code, including commercial codes, can be readily used for the ECP implementation. The key ideas and characteristics of these methods will be presented in this paper....

  14. Structural design of a shipping container of fuel elements, non-irradiated, for research reactors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Morales Uzqueda, Eduardo Mario

    2013-01-01

    This work is part of a project whose ultimate goal the creation and subsequent discharge of a transport container fuel assemblies for use by the Chilean Commission for Energy Nuclear. In principle it is covered in the design stage, considering the materials and methods used, to further develop a stage of checking voltages in the container to be manufactured. To achieve the first phase of the study is necessary to understand and warn the importance, geometry and content of the fuel elements to be transported, for which there are standards that provide fundamental material for proper classification of both content and container design. Once approved the design of the structure is critical examine both in normal operation and in the case of accidents that are established by international bodies. for appropriate analytical methods that seek to achieve is use a appropriate representation of the behavior of the structure. in addition to strengthen the theory computer simulations of the tests used applied, where the results will be contrasted with the first method of calculation. Results are obtained for the stress field and displacement total delivering the information necessary to approve the container

  15. Use of Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis for Determination of Some Trace Elements of Biological Importance in Different Jute(Corchorus Capsularis) Seed Samples

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Metwally, E.; Abd-El-Khalik, H.; El-Sweify, F.H.; El-Sweify, A.H.H.

    2004-01-01

    Instrumental neutron activation analysis technique was used to determine some trace elements in seeds of jute (corchorus capsularis). The seed samples were obtained from Agricultural Research Center (ARC), Giza, (EG). The analyzed seed samples were produced from cultivation of three different strains, namely: St. DC 1105, st. JRC 7447 and St. PADMA. These strains were imported from Bangladesh. The jute plant was cultivated in sandy soil in Ismailaya research station farm at may on two seasons 1999 and 2000. The plant was irrigated with water from Ismailaya canal. The study was carried out to compare the influence of applying different kinds of fertilizers of different rates, i.e. mineral fertilizer and biofertilizer, on the uptake of some biologically important trace elements and to determine their concentration in the analyzed jute seed samples. These elements were; Co,Cr,Fe,Zn and others eight elements were analyzed quantitatively

  16. Grid Generating Automatically Method of Finite Element Analysis for Rotator Structure%旋转体结构有限元网格自动划分法

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    许贤泽

    2000-01-01

    The finite element analysis is applied to structure and freedom-system analysis. Its grid generating method is important to the finite element modeling,which generates the grid automatically by the sectional division method and gets the finite element grid model, thus accomplishing the pre-work of the finite element analysis.%用有限元法对进行结构和自由度体系进行分析,其网格的生成是建立有限元模型的重要技术,利用分块分割法对网格自动划分,从而形成有限元网格模型,完成有限元分析的前处理。

  17. Finite Element Analysis and Die Design of Non-specific Engineering Structure of Aluminum Alloy during Extrusion

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chen, D.-C.; Lu, Y.-Y.

    2010-01-01

    Aluminum extension applies to industrial structure, light load, framework rolls and conveyer system platform. Many factors must be controlled in processing the non-specific engineering structure (hollow shape) of the aluminum alloy during extrusion, to obtain the required plastic strain and desired tolerance values. The major factors include the forming angle of the die and temperature of billet and various materials. This paper employs rigid-plastic finite element (FE) DEFORM 3D software to investigate the plastic deformation behavior of an aluminum alloy (A6061, A5052, A3003) workpiece during extrusion for the engineering structure of the aluminum alloy. This work analyzes effective strain, effective stress, damage and die radius load distribution of the billet under various conditions. The analytical results confirm the suitability of the current finite element software for the non-specific engineering structure of aluminum alloy extrusion.

  18. Modelling optimization involving different types of elements in finite element analysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wai, C M; Rivai, Ahmad; Bapokutty, Omar

    2013-01-01

    Finite elements are used to express the mechanical behaviour of a structure in finite element analysis. Therefore, the selection of the elements determines the quality of the analysis. The aim of this paper is to compare and contrast 1D element, 2D element, and 3D element used in finite element analysis. A simple case study was carried out on a standard W460x74 I-beam. The I-beam was modelled and analyzed statically with 1D elements, 2D elements and 3D elements. The results for the three separate finite element models were compared in terms of stresses, deformation and displacement of the I-beam. All three finite element models yield satisfactory results with acceptable errors. The advantages and limitations of these elements are discussed. 1D elements offer simplicity although lacking in their ability to model complicated geometry. 2D elements and 3D elements provide more detail yet sophisticated results which require more time and computer memory in the modelling process. It is also found that the choice of element in finite element analysis is influence by a few factors such as the geometry of the structure, desired analysis results, and the capability of the computer

  19. Probalistic Finite Elements (PFEM) structural dynamics and fracture mechanics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Wing-Kam; Belytschko, Ted; Mani, A.; Besterfield, G.

    1989-01-01

    The purpose of this work is to develop computationally efficient methodologies for assessing the effects of randomness in loads, material properties, and other aspects of a problem by a finite element analysis. The resulting group of methods is called probabilistic finite elements (PFEM). The overall objective of this work is to develop methodologies whereby the lifetime of a component can be predicted, accounting for the variability in the material and geometry of the component, the loads, and other aspects of the environment; and the range of response expected in a particular scenario can be presented to the analyst in addition to the response itself. Emphasis has been placed on methods which are not statistical in character; that is, they do not involve Monte Carlo simulations. The reason for this choice of direction is that Monte Carlo simulations of complex nonlinear response require a tremendous amount of computation. The focus of efforts so far has been on nonlinear structural dynamics. However, in the continuation of this project, emphasis will be shifted to probabilistic fracture mechanics so that the effect of randomness in crack geometry and material properties can be studied interactively with the effect of random load and environment.

  20. Evolutionary origin of Rosaceae-specific active non-autonomous hAT elements and their contribution to gene regulation and genomic structural variation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Lu; Peng, Qian; Zhao, Jianbo; Ren, Fei; Zhou, Hui; Wang, Wei; Liao, Liao; Owiti, Albert; Jiang, Quan; Han, Yuepeng

    2016-05-01

    Transposable elements account for approximately 30 % of the Prunus genome; however, their evolutionary origin and functionality remain largely unclear. In this study, we identified a hAT transposon family, termed Moshan, in Prunus. The Moshan elements consist of three types, aMoshan, tMoshan, and mMoshan. The aMoshan and tMoshan types contain intact or truncated transposase genes, respectively, while the mMoshan type is miniature inverted-repeat transposable element (MITE). The Moshan transposons are unique to Rosaceae, and the copy numbers of different Moshan types are significantly correlated. Sequence homology analysis reveals that the mMoshan MITEs are direct deletion derivatives of the tMoshan progenitors, and one kind of mMoshan containing a MuDR-derived fragment were amplified predominately in the peach genome. The mMoshan sequences contain cis-regulatory elements that can enhance gene expression up to 100-fold. The mMoshan MITEs can serve as potential sources of micro and long noncoding RNAs. Whole-genome re-sequencing analysis indicates that mMoshan elements are highly active, and an insertion into S-haplotype-specific F-box gene was reported to cause the breakdown of self-incompatibility in sour cherry. Taken together, all these results suggest that the mMoshan elements play important roles in regulating gene expression and driving genomic structural variation in Prunus.

  1. A 3D analysis of reinforced concrete structures by the finite element method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Claure, J.D.; Campos Filho, A.

    1995-01-01

    Fundamental features of a computational model, based on the finite element methods, for the analysis of concrete structure are presented. The study comprehends short and long-term loading situations, where creep and shrinkage in concrete are considered. The reinforcement is inserted in the finite element model using an embedded model. A smeared crack model is used for the concrete cracking, which considers the contribution of concrete between cracks and allows the closing the cracks closing. The computational code MPGS (Multi-Purpose Graphic System) is used, to make easy the analysis and interpretation of the numeric results. (author). 8 refs., 4 figs

  2. Co-simulation coupling spectral/finite elements for 3D soil/structure interaction problems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zuchowski, Loïc; Brun, Michael; De Martin, Florent

    2018-05-01

    The coupling between an implicit finite elements (FE) code and an explicit spectral elements (SE) code has been explored for solving the elastic wave propagation in the case of soil/structure interaction problem. The coupling approach is based on domain decomposition methods in transient dynamics. The spatial coupling at the interface is managed by a standard coupling mortar approach, whereas the time integration is dealt with an hybrid asynchronous time integrator. An external coupling software, handling the interface problem, has been set up in order to couple the FE software Code_Aster with the SE software EFISPEC3D.

  3. Investigation of the Structure and Element Composition of C-Phycocyanin Extracted from the Microalgae Spirulina platensis

    CERN Document Server

    Mosulishvili, L M; Kirkesali, E I; Khizanishvili, A I; Frontasyeva, M V; Pavlov, S S; Gundorina, S F

    2002-01-01

    The structure and element composition of C-phycocyanin (C-PC) extracted from the blue-green alga Spirulina platensis were studied. The behavior of structural subunits forming phycobilisomes in the purification process was studied by capillary electrophoresis. Their proportion in high-purity C-PC was determined. The element composition of C-PC of different purity was studied by means of epithermal neutron activation analysis, and metals which may form macromolecular complexes with C-PC were determined (Zn, Cr, Ni, Co, As, Sr, Mo, Ag, Hg). It was shown that contents of toxic metals did not exceed accepted permissible levels for the human organism.

  4. A Viral RNA Structural Element Alters Host Recognition of Nonself RNA

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hyde, J. L.; Gardner, C. L.; Kimura, T.; White, J. P.; Liu, G.; Trobaugh, D. W.; Huang, C.; Tonelli, M.; Paessler, S.; Takeda, K.; Klimstra, W. B.; Amarasinghe, G. K.; Diamond, M. S.

    2014-01-30

    Although interferon (IFN) signaling induces genes that limit viral infection, many pathogenic viruses overcome this host response. As an example, 2'-O methylation of the 5' cap of viral RNA subverts mammalian antiviral responses by evading restriction of Ifit1, an IFN-stimulated gene that regulates protein synthesis. However, alphaviruses replicate efficiently in cells expressing Ifit1 even though their genomic RNA has a 5' cap lacking 2'-O methylation. We show that pathogenic alphaviruses use secondary structural motifs within the 5' untranslated region (UTR) of their RNA to alter Ifit1 binding and function. Mutations within the 5'-UTR affecting RNA structural elements enabled restriction by or antagonism of Ifit1 in vitro and in vivo. These results identify an evasion mechanism by which viruses use RNA structural motifs to avoid immune restriction.

  5. The reliability of finite element analysis results of the low impact test in predicting the energy absorption performance of thin-walled structures

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Alipour, R.; Nejadx, Farokhi A.; Izman, S. [Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Johor Bahru (Malaysia)

    2015-05-15

    The application of dual phase steels (DPS) such as DP600 in the form of thin-walled structure in automotive components is being continuously increased as vehicle designers utilize modern steel grades and low weight structures to improve structural performance, make automotive light and reinforce crash performance. Preventing cost enhancement of broad investigations in this area can be gained by using computers in structural analysis in order to substitute lots of experiments with finite element analysis (FEA). Nevertheless, it necessitates to be certified that selected method including element type and solution methodology is capable of predicting real condition. In this paper, numerical and experimental studies are done to specify the effect of element type selection and solution methodology on the results of finite element analysis in order to investigate the energy absorption behavior of a DP600 thin-walled structure with three different geometries under a low impact loading. The outcomes indicated the combination of implicit method and solid elements is in better agreement with the experiments. In addition, using a combination of shell element types with implicit method reduces the time of simulation remarkably, although the error of results compared to the experiments increased to some extent.

  6. Experimental research and use of finite elements method on mechanical behaviors of honeycomb structures assembled with epoxy-based adhesives reinforced with nanoparticles

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Akkus, Harun [Technical Sciences Vocational School, Amasya University, Amasya (Turkmenistan); Duzcukoglu, Hayrettin; Sahin, Omer Sinan [Mechanical Engineering Department, Selcuk University, Selcuk (Turkmenistan)

    2017-01-15

    This study utilized experimental and finite element methods to investigate the mechanical behavior of aluminum honeycomb structures under compression. Aluminum honeycomb composite structures were subjected to pressing experiments according to the standard ASTM C365. Resistive forces in response to compression and maximum compressive force values were measured. Structural damage was observed. In the honeycomb structure, the cell width decreased as the compressive force increased. Results obtained with finite element models generated using ANSYS Workbench 15 were validated. Experimental results paralleled the finite element modeling results. The ANSYS results were approximately 85 % reliable.

  7. Degenerated shell element for geometrically nonlinear analysis of thin-walled piezoelectric active structures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Marinković, D; Köppe, H; Gabbert, U

    2008-01-01

    Active piezoelectric thin-walled structures, especially those with a notably higher membrane than bending stiffness, are susceptible to large rotations and transverse deflections. Recent investigations conducted by a number of researchers have shown that the predicted behavior of piezoelectric structures can be significantly influenced by the assumption of large displacements and rotations of the structure, thus demanding a geometrically nonlinear formulation in order to investigate it. This paper offers a degenerated shell element and a simplified formulation that relies on small incremental steps for the geometrically nonlinear analysis of piezoelectric composite structures. A set of purely mechanical static cases is followed by a set of piezoelectric coupled static cases, both demonstrating the applicability of the proposed formulation

  8. Comparative research of finite element methods for perforated structures of nuclear power plant primary equipment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Xiong Guangming; Deng Xiaoyun; Jin Ting

    2013-01-01

    Many perforated structures are used for nuclear power plant primary equipment, and they are complex, and have various forms. In order to explore the analysis and evaluation method, this paper used finite element method and equivalent analytic method to do the comparative analysis of perforated structures. The paper considered the main influence factors (including perforated forms, arrangements, and etc.), obtaining the systematic analysis methods of perforated structures. (authors)

  9. Finite element analysis of structural response of superconducting magnet for a fusion reactor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Reich, M.; Powell, J.; Bezler, P.; Chang, T.Y.; Prachuktam, S.

    1975-01-01

    In the proposal Tokamak fusion reactor, the superconducting unit consists of an assembly of D-shaped magnets standing vertically and arranged in a toroidal configuration. Each magnet is a composite structure comprised of Nb-22%Ti and Nb-48%Ti, and stabilizing metals such as copper and aluminum or stainless steel held together by reinforced epoxies which also serve as insulators and spacers. The magnets are quite large, typically 15-20 meters in diameter with rectangular cross sections around 0.93x2m. Under static loading condition, the magnet is subjected to dead weight and large magnetic field forces, which may induce high stresses in the structure. Furthermore, additional stresses due to earthquake must also be considered for the design of the component. Both static and dynamic analyses of a typical field magnet have been performed by use of the finite element method. The magnet was assumed to be linearly elastic with equivalent homogeneous material properties. Various finite element models have been considered in order to better represent the structure for a particular loading case. For earthquake analysis, the magnet was assumed to be subjected to 50% of the El Centro 1940 earthquake and the dynamic response was obtained by the displacement spectrum analysis procedure. In the paper, numerical results are presented and the structure behavior of the magnet under static and dynamic loading conditions is discussed

  10. Environmental mineralogy - Understanding element behavior in ecosystems; Mineralogie environnementale: comprendre le comportement des elements dans les ecosystemes

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Brown Jr, G.E. [Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305-2115 (United States); Department of Photon Science and Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, CA 94025 (United States); Calas, G. [Institut de mineralogie et de physique des milieux condenses (IMPMC), universite Paris-6 - universite Paris-7, IPGP, CNRS, case 115, 75252 Paris (France)

    2011-02-15

    Environmental Mineralogy has developed over the past decade in response to the recognition that minerals are linked in many important ways with the global ecosystem. Minerals are the main repositories of the chemical elements in Earth's crust and thus are the main sources of elements needed for the development of civilization, contaminant and pollutant elements that impact global and local ecosystems, and elements that are essential plant nutrients. These elements are released from minerals through natural processes, such as chemical weathering, and anthropogenic activities, such as mining and energy production, agriculture and industrial activities, and careless waste disposal. Minerals also play key roles in the biogeochemical cycling of the elements, sequestering elements and releasing them as the primary minerals in crustal rocks undergo various structural and compositional transformations in response to physical, chemical, and biological processes that produce secondary minerals and soils. These processes have resulted in the release of toxic elements such as arsenic in groundwater aquifers, which is having a major impact on the health of millions of people in South and Southeast Asia. The interfaces between mineral surfaces and aqueous solutions are the locations of most chemical reactions that control the composition of the natural environment, including the composition of natural waters. The nuclear fuel cycle, from uranium mining to the disposition of high-level nuclear waste, is also intimately related to minerals. A fundamental understanding of these processes requires molecular-scale information about minerals, their bulk structures and properties such as solubility, their surfaces, and their interactions with aqueous solutions, atmospheric and soil gases, natural organic matter, and biological organisms. Gaining this understanding is further complicated by the presence of natural, incidental, and manufactured nano-particles in the environment

  11. Structure of a conjugative element in Streptococcus pneumoniae

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Vijayakumar, M.N.; Priebe, S.D.; Guild, W.R.

    1986-06-01

    The authors have cloned and mapped a 69-kilobase (kb) region of the chromosome of Streptococcus pneumoniae DP1322, which carries the conjugative Omega(cat-tet) insertion from S. pneumoniae BM6001. This element proved to be 65.5 kb in size. Location of the junctions was facilitated by cloning a preferred target region from the wild-type strain Rx1 recipient genome. This target site was preferred by both the BM6001 element and the cat-erm-tet element from Streptococcus agalactiae B109. Within the BM6001 element cat and tet were separated by 30 kb, and cat was flanked by two copies of a sequence that was also present in the recipient strain Rx1 DNA. Another sequence at least 2.4 kb in size was found inside the BM6001 element and at two places in the Rx1 genome. Its role is unknown. The ends of the BM6001 element appear to be the same as those of the B109 element, both as seen after transfer to S. pneumoniae and as mapped by others in pDP5 after transposition in Streptococcus faecalis. No homology is seen between the ends of the BM6001 element and no evidence found suggesting that it ever circularizes.

  12. Assessment of Structural Behavior of Non-corroded and Corroded RCC Beams Using Finite Element Method

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anand Parande

    2008-09-01

    Full Text Available A three dimensional finite element model is developed to examine the structural behaviour of corroded reinforced concrete beam and non corroded reinforced concrete beam. Non linear finite element analysis is performed using the ANSYS program. SOLID 65, LINK 8 element represent concrete and discrete reinforcing steel bars, based on each component actual characteristics, non linear material properties are defined for both elements. The effect of corrosion in reinforced concrete is studied by finite element analysis; an approach is developed to model the corrosion product expansion causing concrete cover cracking for this, beam has been modeled using ANSYS and using this data the beam has been casted with M20 concrete after 28 days the beam will be tested for flexural strength. The comparison between ANSYS prediction and field data are made in terms of deflection, stress, strain, bond strength and crack pattern of concrete beam.

  13. Semianalytic Design Sensitivity Analysis of Nonlinear Structures With a Commercial Finite Element Package

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, Tae Hee; Yoo, Jung Hun; Choi, Hyeong Cheol

    2002-01-01

    A finite element package is often used as a daily design tool for engineering designers in order to analyze and improve the design. The finite element analysis can provide the responses of a system for given design variables. Although finite element analysis can quite well provide the structural behaviors for given design variables, it cannot provide enough information to improve the design such as design sensitivity coefficients. Design sensitivity analysis is an essential step to predict the change in responses due to a change in design variables and to optimize a system with the aid of the gradient-based optimization techniques. To develop a numerical method of design sensitivity analysis, analytical derivatives that are based on analytical differentiation of the continuous or discrete finite element equations are effective but analytical derivatives are difficult because of the lack of internal information of the commercial finite element package such as shape functions. Therefore, design sensitivity analysis outside of the finite element package is necessary for practical application in an industrial setting. In this paper, the semi-analytic method for design sensitivity analysis is used for the development of the design sensitivity module outside of a commercial finite element package of ANSYS. The direct differentiation method is employed to compute the design derivatives of the response and the pseudo-load for design sensitivity analysis is effectively evaluated by using the design variation of the related internal nodal forces. Especially, we suggest an effective method for stress and nonlinear design sensitivity analyses that is independent of the commercial finite element package is also discussed. Numerical examples are illustrated to show the accuracy and efficiency of the developed method and to provide insights for implementation of the suggested method into other commercial finite element packages

  14. Soil-structure interaction analysis by finite element methods - state-of-the-art

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Seed, H.B.; Lysmer, J.

    1977-01-01

    Analyses of soil-structure interaction effects during earthquakes for nuclear power plant structures are usually made by one of two methods-either by means of an idealized complete interaction analysis involving consideration of a compatible variation of motion in the structure and the adjacent soil, or by means of an inertial interaction analysis in which the motions in the adjacent soil are assumed to be the same at all points above the foundation depth. For embedded structures, consideration of the variation of motions with depth is essential if adequate evaluations of soil and structural response are to be obtained without undue conservatism. The finite element analysis procedure is particularly well suited for evaluating the response of embedded structures since it can readily provide consideration of the variation of soil characteristics with depth, the different non-linear deformation and energy absorbing capacities of the various soil strata, the variation of motions with depth in accordance with the general principles of engineering mechanics, the three-dimensional nature of the problem and the effects of adjacent structures on each other. (Auth.)

  15. Transposable elements and genetic instabilities in crop plants

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Burr, B.; Burr, F.

    1981-04-10

    Transposable elements have long been associated with certain unstable loci in maize and have been intensively studied by McClintock and others. It is known that a transposable element can control the expression of the structural genes at the locus where it resides. These controlling elements in maize are now beginning to be studied at the molecular level. Using recombinant molecular probes we have been able to describe the changes induced by the controlling element Ds at the shrunken locus. Ds elements appear to be large and dissimilar insertions into the wild-type locus - two elements actually map within the transcribed region of the gene. Genetic instabilities have been described in other economically important plants but the bases for these phenomena have not been understood. We believe that it is likely that some of these instabilities are the result of transposable element activity much as in the case of maize.

  16. Concrete model for finite element analysis of structures subjected to severe damages

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jamet, Ph.; Millard, A.; Hoffmann, A.; Nahas, G.; Barbe, B.

    1984-01-01

    A specific concrete model has been developed, in order to perform mechanical analysis of civil engineering structures, when subjected to accidental loadings, leading to severe damages. Its formulation is based on the physical mechanisms, which have been observed on laboratory specimens. The model has been implemented into the CASTEM finite element system, and the case of a concrete slab perforation by a rigid missile has been considered. The qualitative behaviour of the structure is well predicted by the model. Comparison between numerical and experimental results is also performed, using two main curves: missile velocity versus penetration depth; reaction forces versus time. (Author) [pt

  17. Structure and Expression Analyses of SVA Elements in Relation to Functional Genes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yun-Jeong Kwon

    2013-09-01

    Full Text Available SINE-VNTR-Alu (SVA elements are present in hominoid primates and are divided into 6 subfamilies (SVA-A to SVA-F and active in the human population. Using a bioinformatic tool, 22 SVA element-associated genes are identified in the human genome. In an analysis of genomic structure, SVA elements are detected in the 5' untranslated region (UTR of HGSNAT (SVA-B, MRGPRX3 (SVA-D, HYAL1 (SVA-F, TCHH (SVA-F, and ATXN2L (SVA-F genes, while some elements are observed in the 3'UTR of SPICE1 (SVA-B, TDRKH (SVA-C, GOSR1 (SVA-D, BBS5 (SVA-D, NEK5 (SVA-D, ABHD2 (SVA-F, C1QTNF7 (SVA-F, ORC6L (SVA-F, TMEM69 (SVA-F, and CCDC137 (SVA-F genes. They could contribute to exon extension or supplying poly A signals. LEPR (SVA-C, ALOX5 (SVA-D, PDS5B (SVA-D, and ABCA10 (SVA-F genes also showed alternative transcripts by SVA exonization events. Dominant expression of HYAL1_SVA appeared in lung tissues, while HYAL1_noSVA showed ubiquitous expression in various human tissues. Expression of both transcripts (TDRKH_SVA and TDRKH_noSVA of the TDRKH gene appeared to be ubiquitous. Taken together, these data suggest that SVA elements cause transcript isoforms that contribute to modulation of gene regulation in various human tissues.

  18. New functionalities in abundant element oxides: ubiquitous element strategy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hosono, Hideo; Hayashi, Katsuro; Kamiya, Toshio; Atou, Toshiyuki; Susaki, Tomofumi

    2011-01-01

    While most ceramics are composed of ubiquitous elements (the ten most abundant elements within the Earth's crust), many advanced materials are based on rare elements. A 'rare-element crisis' is approaching owing to the imbalance between the limited supply of rare elements and the increasing demand. Therefore, we propose a 'ubiquitous element strategy' for materials research, which aims to apply abundant elements in a variety of innovative applications. Creation of innovative oxide materials and devices based on conventional ceramics is one specific challenge. This review describes the concept of ubiquitous element strategy and gives some highlights of our recent research on the synthesis of electronic, thermionic and structural materials using ubiquitous elements. (topical review)

  19. Implicit three-dimensional finite-element formulation for the nonlinear structural response of reactor components

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kulak, R.F.; Belytschko, T.B.

    1975-09-01

    The formulation of a finite-element procedure for the implicit transient and static analysis of plate/shell type structures in three-dimensional space is described. The triangular plate/shell element can sustain both membrane and bending stresses. Both geometric and material nonlinearities can be treated, and an elastic-plastic material law has been incorporated. The formulation permits the element to undergo arbitrarily large rotations and translations; but, in its present form it is restricted to small strains. The discretized equations of motion are obtained by a stiffness method. An implicit integration algorithm based on trapezoidal integration formulas is used to integrate the discretized equations of motion in time. To ensure numerical stability, an iterative solution procedure with equilibrium checks is used

  20. Immiscible silicate liquids at high pressure: the influence of melt structure on elemental partitioning

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Vicenzi, E [Princeton Materials Laboratory, Princeton, NJ (United States); Green, T H [Macquarie Univ., North Ryde, NSW (Australia); Sie, S H [Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), North Ryde, NSW (Australia). Div. of Exploration Geoscience

    1994-12-31

    Micro-PIXE analyses have been applied to study partitioning of trace elements between immiscible silicate melts stabilised at 0.5 and 1.0 GPa over a temperature range of 1160-1240 deg C in the system SiO{sub 2}-FeO-Al{sub 2}0{sub 3}-K{sub 2}0 (+P{sub 2}0{sub 5}). The system was doped with a suite of trace elements of geochemical interest: Rb, Ba, Pb, Sr, La, Ce, Sm, Ho, Y, Lu, Th, U, Zr, Hf, Nb and Ta at approximately 200 ppm level for all elements except for the REE`s, Ba and Ta (600-1200 ppm). Trace element partitioning was found to be a complex function of cation field strength (charge/radius{sup 2}). Although field strength is important in determining the nature and degree of partitioning, the authors emphasised that it is only one component of the underlying mechanism for the way in which elements distribute themselves between two silicate liquids. 8 refs., 2 figs.

  1. Immiscible silicate liquids at high pressure: the influence of melt structure on elemental partitioning

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Vicenzi, E. [Princeton Materials Laboratory, Princeton, NJ (United States); Green, T.H. [Macquarie Univ., North Ryde, NSW (Australia); Sie, S.H. [Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), North Ryde, NSW (Australia). Div. of Exploration Geoscience

    1993-12-31

    Micro-PIXE analyses have been applied to study partitioning of trace elements between immiscible silicate melts stabilised at 0.5 and 1.0 GPa over a temperature range of 1160-1240 deg C in the system SiO{sub 2}-FeO-Al{sub 2}0{sub 3}-K{sub 2}0 (+P{sub 2}0{sub 5}). The system was doped with a suite of trace elements of geochemical interest: Rb, Ba, Pb, Sr, La, Ce, Sm, Ho, Y, Lu, Th, U, Zr, Hf, Nb and Ta at approximately 200 ppm level for all elements except for the REE`s, Ba and Ta (600-1200 ppm). Trace element partitioning was found to be a complex function of cation field strength (charge/radius{sup 2}). Although field strength is important in determining the nature and degree of partitioning, the authors emphasised that it is only one component of the underlying mechanism for the way in which elements distribute themselves between two silicate liquids. 8 refs., 2 figs.

  2. The Auger-spectroscopic study of the elemental composition of the fracture surface of titanic alloy vt-22 with different structure

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tkachenko, E.A.; Chokin, K.Sh.; Masyagin, V.E.; Chasnikov, A.I.

    2002-01-01

    High titanium alloys belong to a group of materials with high thermal stability and strength-to-weight ratio, which, for example, are widely used in aviation. The structure and properties of this materials strongly depends on variations of their elemental composition. In the dependence on the content of alloying elements the structure after the hardening from β-phase changes that, in its turn, leads to the alteration of the mechanical properties. So, the study of the redistribution of the impurity and alloying elements at straining the alloys with different structures that associated with premature destruction of construction components made of the titanic alloys is of great interest. The present work performs the results of the Auger spectroscopic investigation of the elemental composition of the alloy VT-22 fraction surface. This investigation was fulfilled for the alloy samples with different structure: laminated (L), globular (G), and laminated-globular ones with the plasticity level 1280-1350 MPa. The alterations of the elemental concentrations on the fracture surface have been estimated with the special Auger-spectrometer (OSIPR-1). The analysis of the fracture surface for samples with L- and G-structures right after the destruction at different velocities have shown the enrichment of the surface with aluminium, oxygen, and carbon in bound state as titan carbide (TiC). At this, the content of these elements decreases with the growth of the test velocity. The impurities in the samples with different structures behave as follows. In the sample with L-structure sulphur, phosphorus, and calcium on the fracture surface have been detected. At this, with the growth of the test velocity their concentration increases, but not significantly. In the samples with G-structure sulphur presents on the surface only at great straining velocities, and phosphorus is absent. At the analysis of the obtained results, one should note that the fracture surface is being enriched

  3. Engineered, highly reactive substrates of microbial transglutaminase enable protein labeling within various secondary structure elements.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rachel, Natalie M; Quaglia, Daniela; Lévesque, Éric; Charette, André B; Pelletier, Joelle N

    2017-11-01

    Microbial transglutaminase (MTG) is a practical tool to enzymatically form isopeptide bonds between peptide or protein substrates. This natural approach to crosslinking the side-chains of reactive glutamine and lysine residues is solidly rooted in food and textile processing. More recently, MTG's tolerance for various primary amines in lieu of lysine have revealed its potential for site-specific protein labeling with aminated compounds, including fluorophores. Importantly, MTG can label glutamines at accessible positions in the body of a target protein, setting it apart from most labeling enzymes that react exclusively at protein termini. To expand its applicability as a labeling tool, we engineered the B1 domain of Protein G (GB1) to probe the selectivity and enhance the reactivity of MTG toward its glutamine substrate. We built a GB1 library where each variant contained a single glutamine at positions covering all secondary structure elements. The most reactive and selective variants displayed a >100-fold increase in incorporation of a recently developed aminated benzo[a]imidazo[2,1,5-cd]indolizine-type fluorophore, relative to native GB1. None of the variants were destabilized. Our results demonstrate that MTG can react readily with glutamines in α-helical, β-sheet, and unstructured loop elements and does not favor one type of secondary structure. Introducing point mutations within MTG's active site further increased reactivity toward the most reactive substrate variant, I6Q-GB1, enhancing MTG's capacity to fluorescently label an engineered, highly reactive glutamine substrate. This work demonstrates that MTG-reactive glutamines can be readily introduced into a protein domain for fluorescent labeling. © 2017 The Protein Society.

  4. Design, fabrication and erection of steel structures important to safety of nuclear facilities

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2001-10-01

    Civil engineering structures in nuclear installations form an important feature having implications to safety performance of these installations. The objective and minimum requirements for the design of civil engineering buildings/structures to be fulfilled to provide adequate assurance for safety of nuclear installations in India (such as pressurised heavy water reactor and related systems) are specified in the Safety Standard for Civil Engineering Structures Important to Safety of Nuclear Facilities. This standard is written by AERB to specify guidelines for implementation of the above civil engineering safety standard in the design, fabrication and erection of steel structures important to safety

  5. The importance of building construction materials relative to other factors affecting structure survival during wildfire

    Science.gov (United States)

    Syphard, Alexandra D.; Brennan, Teresa J.; Keeley, Jon E.

    2017-01-01

    Structure loss to wildfire is a serious problem in wildland-urban interface areas across the world. Laboratory experiments suggest that fire-resistant building construction and design could be important for reducing structure destruction, but these need to be evaluated under real wildfire conditions, especially relative to other factors. Using empirical data from destroyed and surviving structures from large wildfires in southern California, we evaluated the relative importance of building construction and structure age compared to other local and landscape-scale variables associated with structure survival. The local-scale analysis showed that window preparation was especially important but, in general, creating defensible space adjacent to the home was as important as building construction. At the landscape scale, structure density and structure age were the two most important factors affecting structure survival, but there was a significant interaction between them. That is, young structure age was most important in higher-density areas where structure survival overall was more likely. On the other hand, newer-construction structures were less likely to survive wildfires at lower density. Here, appropriate defensible space near the structure and accessibility to major roads were important factors. In conclusion, community safety is a multivariate problem that will require a comprehensive solution involving land use planning, fire-safe construction, and property maintenance.

  6. [Effects of rare earth elements on soil fauna community structure and their ecotoxicity to Holotrichia parallela].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Guiting; Jiang, Junqi; Chen, Jie; Zou, Yunding; Zhang, Xincai

    2006-01-01

    By the method of OECD filter paper contact, this paper studied the effects of applied rare earth elements on soil fauna community structure and their ecological toxicity to Holotrichia parallela in bean field. The results showed that there were no significant differences between the treatments and the control in soil fauna species, quantity of main species, and diversity index. Urgent and chronic toxic test showed that the differences between the treatments and the control were not significant. It was suggested that within the range of test dosages, rare earth elements had little ecological toxicity to Holotrichia parallela, and did not change the soil fauna community structure.

  7. The finite element structural analysis code SAP IV conversion from CDC to IBM

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Harrop, L.P.

    1977-02-01

    SAP IV is a general three dimensional, linear, static and dynamic finite element structural analysis program. The program which was obtained from the Earthquake Engineering Research Center, University of California, Berkeley, was written in FORTRAM for a CDC 6400. Its main use was anticipated to be the seismic analysis of reactor structures. SAP IV may also prove useful for fracture mechanics studies as well as the usual elastic stress analysis of structures. A brief description of SAP IV and a more detailed account of the FORTRAN conversion required to make SAP IV run successfully on the UKAEA Harwell IBM 370/168 are given. (author)

  8. Assessment of longitudinal modulus of elasticity in structural elements of Pinus Caribaea timber beams

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    André Luis Christoforo

    2012-05-01

    Full Text Available The current standard NBR 7190/1997 (Project of Timber Structures makes no reference to tests for determining the stiffness and strength in parts of structural lumber; restricting the analysis to bodies-of-tests with small dimensions and without defects. This paper presents an alternative method to determine the longitudinal modulus of elasticity in timber beams, based on the Finite Element Method, as well as the Inverse Analysis Method with an optimization technique. Results show that the methodology proposed by the Brazilian standard can also be applied to pieces of structural dimensions.

  9. The Integration of Geotechnologies in the Evaluation of a Wine Cellar Structure through the Finite Element Method

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alberto Villarino

    2014-11-01

    Full Text Available This paper presents a multidisciplinary methodology to evaluate an underground wine cellar structure using non-invasive techniques. In particular, a historical subterranean wine cellar that presents a complex structure and whose physical properties are unknown is recorded and analyzed using geomatics and geophysics synergies. To this end, an approach that integrates terrestrial laser scanning and ground penetrating radar is used to properly define a finite element-based structural model, which is then used as a decision tool to plan architectural restoration actions. The combination of both techniques implies the registration of external and internal information that eases the construction of structural models. Structural simulation for both stresses and deformations through FEM allowed identifying critical structural elements under great stress or excessive deformations. In this investigation, the ultimate limit state of cracking was considered to determine allowable loads due to the brittle nature of the material. This allowed us to set limit values of loading on the cellar structure in order to minimize possible damage.

  10. Structure to self-structuring: infrastructures and processes in neurobehavioural rehabilitation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jackson, Howard F; Hague, Gemma; Daniels, Leanne; Aguilar, Ralph; Carr, Darren; Kenyon, William

    2014-01-01

    The importance of structure in post-acute brain injury rehabilitation is repeatedly mentioned in clinical practice. However, there has been little exploration of the key elements of structure that promote greater levels of functioning and emotional/behavioural stability and how these elements are optimally integrated within the infrastructure of a rehabilitation service. The nature of structure and why it is helpful is explored initially. Thereafter, the processes involved in transition from externally supported structure to the client 'self-structuring' are described. The infrastructure for facilitating these transitional processes are considered in terms of the design of services for systemic neurorehabilitation encompassing environmental factors (e.g. living environments, vocational and recreational options, step-up services and social milieus), therapeutic alliances (rehabilitation professionals, family, friends), organisational structures (service delivery, rehabilitation coaching, transdisciplinary teams) and rehabilitation philosophies and practice. It is concluded that the process of supporting individuals to transition from the 'structure' of the environment and other people towards self-structuring skills is a critical process in rehabilitation. This is reliant upon a comprehensive and robust organisational infrastructure that can successfully and flexibly integrate the core elements of structure across a transitional pathway towards increased independence and self-structuring.

  11. Metal cluster compounds - chemistry and importance; clusters containing isolated main group element atoms, large metal cluster compounds, cluster fluxionality

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Walther, B.

    1988-01-01

    This part of the review on metal cluster compounds deals with clusters containing isolated main group element atoms, with high nuclearity clusters and metal cluster fluxionality. It will be obvious that main group element atoms strongly influence the geometry, stability and reactivity of the clusters. High nuclearity clusters are of interest in there own due to the diversity of the structures adopted, but their intermediate position between molecules and the metallic state makes them a fascinating research object too. These both sites of the metal cluster chemistry as well as the frequently observed ligand and core fluxionality are related to the cluster metal and surface analogy. (author)

  12. Studies in Japan on ingestion and organ content of trace elements of importance in radiological protection

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kawamura, H.; Shiraishi, K.; Yukawa, M.

    1998-01-01

    Data on intake of elements through foods, water and air, and concentration or Content of such elements in body tissues are essential part of the ICRP Reference Man recommended by ICRP for use in setting body composition and also deriving essential parameters for internal dose assessment models particularly for biokinetics or metabolism of radionuclides and their stable elements (1). However, in the RCA region, these data are comparatively scarce and it has been felt necessary to accumulate relevant data of high quality, reflecting the progress in analytical and related methods. In the present CRP (Phase 2), ingestion and organ content of elements of importance in internal dose assessment for the general public, i.e. Sr, Cs, I, Th and U as of the primary priority, are to be studied by performing chemical analysis following collecting representative samples in each participating country under proper quality control and assurance program (2). The data to be accumulated will enrich our knowledge in metabolic characteristics on the national, regional and global basis, after the large amount of data accumulated particularly on the physical characteristics and organ measurements in the first phase of Reference Asian Man CRP. The National Institute of Radiological Sciences (NIRS) of Japan will participate the present phase of CRP following the current concepts on the 'Reference Man'-oriented studies in the RCA region (3). The CRP will supplement the already existing data in Japan and extend them for some elements for which our data are to be further accumulated in ingestion and tissue content in normal and healthy Japanese adult males and females. The NIRS is requested to function as a Central Reference Laboratory (CRL) to promote the CRP in co-operation with the IAEA and the NIST as well as participating laboratories (2)

  13. Sierra Nevada serpentinites. An important element in the architectonic heritage of Granada (Spain).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Navarro, Rafael; Pereira, Dolores; Rodríguez-Navarro, Carlos; Sebastián-Pardo, Eduardo

    2013-04-01

    Serpentinites are widely used in historic buildings in the whole world, from Ancient Greek or Egypt to more recent colonial buildings in the USA. Serpentinites from Sierra Nevada (S of Spain) have been traditionally used as ornamental elements in historic buildings of Granada city, both indoors and outdoors. The Cathedral, Carlos V Palace, Royal Chancery and some others are good examples of their use. Some other important cases can be found outside Granada, like El Escorial monastery, Las Salesas Reales convent, etc… all of them part of Madrid architectonic heritage. There are two quarries located in Sierra Nevada that supplied all the material to make the different elements in the cited buildings. In this work, a thorough characterization of the main serpentinites from Sierra Nevada, their uses, and their state of conservation in selected buildings from Granada has been performed. Samples from the main original quarry and from one historical building (Real Chancillería) have been analysed, determining the mineralogical and geochemical composition, texture, water parameters (absorption, porosity, density) and possible alteration by salt formation. It has been observed that the mineralogical and geochemical compositions are similar in both sets of samples, although the ones coming from the historical building show a highly advanced state of alteration. Regarding physical and mechanical parameters, samples from the quarry have very low water absorption values, while the porosity of serpentinites sampled from the Real Chancillería is comparatively much higher. We explain this difference as due to the weathering of the emplaced serpentinites by salt crystallization processes (mainly gypsum or epsomite), that generate strong internal pressures causing the disintegration of the whole natural stone. In addition, the increase of the porosity can be caused by dissolution processes related to the presence of acid solutions related to oxidation and hydrolysis of iron

  14. Synthesis of new thermoelectrics using modulated elemental reactants

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hornbostel, M D; Sellinschegg, H; Johnson, D C

    1997-07-01

    A series of new, metastable ternary crystalline compounds with the skutterudite crystal structure have been synthesized using modulated elemental reactants. The initial reactants are made up of multiple repeats of a {approximately}25 {angstrom} thick unit containing elemental layers of the desired ternary metal, iron and antimony. Low temperature annealing (150 C) results in interdiffusion of the elemental layers to form amorphous reaction intermediates. Annealing these intermediates at temperatures between 200 C and 250 C results in exothermic crystallization of the desired skutterudite crystal structure. Most of the new compounds prepared are only kinetically stable, decomposing exothermically to form thermodynamically more stable mixtures of binary compounds and elements. Low angle x-ray diffraction studies show that the resulting films are exceedingly smooth. These films have an ideal geometry for measuring properties of importance for thermoelectric devices--the Seebeck coefficient and the electrical conductivity. Thermal conductivity can be measured using a modification of the 3{omega} technique of Cahill. Samples can be produced rapidly, allowing for systematic screening and subsequent optimization as a function of composition and doping levels.

  15. Structural Organization of Muscular Elements of a Skin-Muscular Sac of Trematodes: Literature Survey

    OpenAIRE

    Kanat Kambarovich Akhmetov; Irina Yurievna Chidunchi

    2015-01-01

    The issue of structural organization of muscular elements of a trematodes’ skin-muscular sac is considered in the study. Special attention is paid to an analysis of materials of preceding researches, study of foreign authors and also to additional literature reflecting peculiarities of structure of a trematodes’ body muscular system. The stated issue is insufficiently studied and calls for further researches. A comparative analysis of places of trematodes’ localization, taking into considerat...

  16. Finite Element Model for Thermal-Structural analysis of CLIC Lab Module type 0#2

    CERN Document Server

    Moilanen, Antti; Vamvakas, Alex; Vainola, Jukka Ilmari; Doebert, Steffen

    2017-01-01

    Temperature changes lead to unwanted thermo-mechanical deformations in the components of the Compact Linear Collider (CLIC) module. There are several sources and sinks of heat around the CLIC two-beam module. Heat is generated in the components that produce, transfer, and extract radio frequency (RF) power. Excess heat is removed from the components by cooling water as well as dissipated to air by convection from the outer surfaces of the components. The ambient temperature might also vary along the tunnel during the operation of CLIC. Due to tight assembling and alignment tolerances, it is necessary to minimize the thermo-mechanical deformations in the components. In this paper, the steps of thermal-structural Finite Element Analysis (FEA) of CLIC lab module type 0#2 are described from geometry model simplification to setting up the simulation. The description is accompanied by useful hints for CATIA and ANSYS users performing similar modelling tasks. A reliable computer simulation is important for studying ...

  17. Structure of an RNA dimer of a regulatory element from human thymidylate synthase mRNA

    OpenAIRE

    Dibrov, Sergey; McLean, Jaime; Hermann, Thomas

    2011-01-01

    An oligonucleotide representing a regulatory element of human thymidylate synthase mRNA has been crystallized as a dimer. The structure of the asymmetric dimer has been determined at 1.97 Å resolution.

  18. Impact of band structure and transition matrix elements on polarization properties of the photoluminescence of semipolar and nonpolar InGaN quantum wells

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Schade, L.; Schwarz, U.T. [Department of Microsystems Engineering, University of Freiburg, Georges-Koehler-Allee 103, 79108 Freiburg (Germany); Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Solid State Physics (IAF), Tullastrasse 72, 79108 Freiburg (Germany); Wernicke, T. [Institute of Solid State Physics, Technical University, Hardenbergstrasse 36, 10623 Berlin (Germany); Weyers, M. [Ferdinand-Braun-Institut fuer Hoechstfrequenztechnik, Gustav-Kirchhoff-Strasse 4, 12489 Berlin (Germany); Kneissl, M. [Institute of Solid State Physics, Technical University, Hardenbergstrasse 36, 10623 Berlin (Germany); Ferdinand-Braun-Institut fuer Hoechstfrequenztechnik, Gustav-Kirchhoff-Strasse 4, 12489 Berlin (Germany)

    2011-03-15

    Partial or full linear polarization is characteristic for the spontaneous emission of light from semipolar and nonpolar InGaN quantum wells. This property is an implication of the crystalline anisotropy as a basic property of the wurtzite structure. The influence of this anisotropy on the band structure and the transition matrix elements was calculated by a k.p-method for arbitrary quantum well orientations with respect to the c-axis; results are shown here in detail. Optical polarization is a direct consequence of a broken symmetry, mainly affecting the transition matrix elements from the conduction to the valence bands. Furthermore, the strain of the InGaN quantum well strongly depends on the crystal orientation of the substrate, resulting in a valence band mixing. The composition of the eigenfunctions has emerged to be most important for the polarization dependence of strained semipolar and nonpolar InGaN QW. The matrix elements, in combination with the thermal occupation of the bands, determine the polarization of the spontaneously emitted light. Our photoluminescence measurements of nonpolar QW match well with this model. However, in contrast to calculations with standard band parameters, the two topmost subbands show a larger separation in the emitted energy. (Copyright copyright 2011 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

  19. SPECIFIC DEGRADATION STRUCTURE FEATURES AND MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF FURNACE AND HEAT POWER EQUIPMENT ELEMENTS AFTER LONG-TERM OPERATION

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    F. I. Panteleenko

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available The paper presents results of investigations on structure and mechanical properties of technological equipment elements made of heat-resistant steels. A scale of chrome and molybdenum steel microstructure degradation based on evaluation of  coagulated carbide size and material mechanical properties (a point from 0-operation without time limits, up to 4-operation prohibition has been proposed in the paper. It has been  established that an analysis of  steel microstructure directly on equipment elements by means of a portable microscope is an efficient express method for evaluation of equipment condition and structures due to control of material structure degradation rate of a diagnosed object.

  20. Structure and magnetism in novel group IV element-based magnetic materials

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tsui, Frank [Univ. of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC (United States)

    2013-08-14

    The project is to investigate structure, magnetism and spin dependent states of novel group IV element-based magnetic thin films and heterostructures as a function of composition and epitaxial constraints. The materials systems of interest are Si-compatible epitaxial films and heterostructures of Si/Ge-based magnetic ternary alloys grown by non-equilibrium molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) techniques, specifically doped magnetic semiconductors (DMS) and half-metallic Heusler alloys. Systematic structural, chemical, magnetic, and electrical measurements are carried out, using x-ray microbeam techniques, magnetotunneling spectroscopy and microscopy, and magnetotransport. The work is aimed at elucidating the nature and interplay between structure, chemical order, magnetism, and spin-dependent states in these novel materials, at developing materials and techniques to realize and control fully spin polarized states, and at exploring fundamental processes that stabilize the epitaxial magnetic nanostructures and control the electronic and magnetic states in these complex materials. Combinatorial approach provides the means for the systematic studies, and the complex nature of the work necessitates this approach.

  1. Evaluation of the kinematic structure of indicators key elements of sports equipment exercise by postural orientation movements

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Y.V. Litvinenko

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available Purpose : Examine the kinematic structure of indicators key elements of sports equipment exercise (difficult to coordinate. The method of postural orientation movements. Material : The study involved acrobats jumpers on the path of high qualification (n = 7. The method used video - computer recording the movements of the athlete. Results : Identified nodal elements of sports equipment double back somersault tuck. Exercise performed after rondat and double back flip and stretch after rondat - flick (coup ago. In the preparatory phase of motor actions acrobatic exercises isolated and studied central element of sports equipment - starting posture of the body; in the phase of the main motor action - animation poses of the body; in the final phase - the final body posture (stable landing. Conclusions : The method of video - computer registration allowed to perform a biomechanical analysis and evaluation of key elements of sports equipment double back somersault tuck and a double back flip and stretch. Also gain new knowledge about the mechanism of the phase structure of movements when performing double somersaults.

  2. Micromagnetic simulation on the dynamic permeability spectrum of micrometer sized magnetic elements

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Liu, Huanhuan; Wang, Qi; Zhang, Huaiwu; Zhong, Zhiyong

    2014-01-01

    The inductance of a thin film inductor with magnetic core is much less than μ'(magnetic core's permeability) times that of inductor without magnetic core due to the complicated magnetic structure in the scaled-down magnetic elements. Therefore, it is very important to optimize the micro-scale magnetic structure for improving the inductance value of the thin film inductor with magnetic core. In this paper, the magnetization dynamics and magnetic structure have been investigated using micromagnetic simulation method, in which the additional internal boundaries are considered. The simulated results show that the permeability of structured micromagnetic core is promoted 32.5% than that of magnetic element without slits. It opens a new way to improve the dynamic high frequency characteristics of micro-scale magnetic element, which can be used in a thin film inductor. - Highlights: • Simulate the magnetic element with dimensions of 2 μm×1 μm×100 nm with slits using micromagnetic simulation method. • The dynamic characteristics of micro-scale magnetic element can be improved when adding appropriate slits. • Give the corresponding area for different resonance frequency

  3. Super-Light Prefabricated Deck Element Integrated in Traditional Concrete Prefabricated Element Construction

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Christensen, Jacob Ellehauge; Hertz, Kristian Dahl

    Super-light structures in form of deck elements have been used for the first time in a building to construct indoor pedestrian bridges. Examples of connections to external structures and other super-light deck elements are given along with other details. Other examples on the great versatility...

  4. Probing of RNA structures in a positive sense RNA virus reveals selection pressures for structural elements

    Science.gov (United States)

    Watters, Kyle E; Choudhary, Krishna; Aviran, Sharon; Perry, Keith L

    2018-01-01

    Abstract In single stranded (+)-sense RNA viruses, RNA structural elements (SEs) play essential roles in the infection process from replication to encapsidation. Using selective 2′-hydroxyl acylation analyzed by primer extension sequencing (SHAPE-Seq) and covariation analysis, we explore the structural features of the third genome segment of cucumber mosaic virus (CMV), RNA3 (2216 nt), both in vitro and in plant cell lysates. Comparing SHAPE-Seq and covariation analysis results revealed multiple SEs in the coat protein open reading frame and 3′ untranslated region. Four of these SEs were mutated and serially passaged in Nicotiana tabacum plants to identify biologically selected changes to the original mutated sequences. After passaging, loop mutants showed partial reversion to their wild-type sequence and SEs that were structurally disrupted by mutations were restored to wild-type-like structures via synonymous mutations in planta. These results support the existence and selection of virus open reading frame SEs in the host organism and provide a framework for further studies on the role of RNA structure in viral infection. Additionally, this work demonstrates the applicability of high-throughput chemical probing in plant cell lysates and presents a new method for calculating SHAPE reactivities from overlapping reverse transcriptase priming sites. PMID:29294088

  5. Stress analysis of disconnected structures in contact through finite element gaps

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Stadter, J.T.; Weiss, R.O.

    1976-07-01

    A numerical procedure is presented for analyzing thermal stress problems of disconnected structures in contact across separations or gaps. The new procedure is called SAASGAPS, an adaptation of the basic SAAS III computer program. The SAAS program uses the finite element method and allows analyses of plane and axisymmetric bodies with temperature dependent material properties, subject to thermal and mechanical loads. A secant modulus approach with a bilinear stress-strain curve is used for elastic-plastic problems. The SAASGAPS version contains all of the features of the original SAAS program. A special gap element is used together with a stress invariance principle to model the contact process. The iterative procedure implemented in SAASGAPS is described. Results are discussed for five problems involving frictionless contact. Two of these problems are associated with the thermal stress analysis of the heat shield for the Multi-Hundred Watt Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator. Input instructions for the program are described in an appendix

  6. A structurally detailed finite element human head model for simulation of transcranial magnetic stimulation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Ming; Mogul, David Jeffery

    2009-04-30

    Computational studies of the head utilizing finite element models (FEMs) have been used to investigate a wide variety of brain-electromagnetic (EM) field interaction phenomena including magnetic stimulation of the head using transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), direct electric stimulation of the brain for electroconvulsive therapy, and electroencephalography source localization. However, no human head model of sufficient complexity for studying the biophysics under these circumstances has been developed which utilizes structures at both the regional and cellular levels and provides well-defined smooth boundaries between tissues of different conductivities and orientations. The main barrier for building such accurate head models is the complex modeling procedures that include 3D object reconstruction and optimized meshing. In this study, a structurally detailed finite element model of the human head was generated that includes details to the level of cerebral gyri and sulci by combining computed tomography and magnetic resonance images. Furthermore, cortical columns that contain conductive processes of pyramidal neurons traversing the neocortical layers were included in the head model thus providing structure at or near the cellular level. These refinements provide a much more realistic model to investigate the effects of TMS on brain electrophysiology in the neocortex.

  7. Identification and detection of a novel human endogenous retrovirus-related gene, and structural characterization of its related elements

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Qiaoyi Liang

    2009-01-01

    Full Text Available Up-regulation of human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs is associated with many diseases, including cancer. In this study, an H family HERV (HERV-H-related gene was identified and characterized. Its spliced transcript lacks protein-coding capacity and may belong to the emerging class of noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs. The 1.3-kb RNA consisting of four exons is transcribed from an Alu element upstream of a 5.0-kb structurally incomplete HERV-H element. RT-PCR and quantitative RT-PCR results indicated that expression of this HERV-related transcript was negatively associated with colon, stomach, and kidney cancers. Its expression was induced upon treatment with DNA methylation and histone deacetylation inhibitors. A BLAT search using long terminal repeats (LTRs identified 50 other LTR homogenous HERV-H elements. Further analysis of these elements revealed that all are structurally incomplete and only five exert transcriptional activity. The results presented here recommend further investigation into a potentially functional HERV-H-related ncRNA.

  8. Environmental mineralogy - Understanding element behavior in ecosystems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Brown Jr, G.E.; Calas, G.

    2011-01-01

    Environmental Mineralogy has developed over the past decade in response to the recognition that minerals are linked in many important ways with the global ecosystem. Minerals are the main repositories of the chemical elements in Earth's crust and thus are the main sources of elements needed for the development of civilization, contaminant and pollutant elements that impact global and local ecosystems, and elements that are essential plant nutrients. These elements are released from minerals through natural processes, such as chemical weathering, and anthropogenic activities, such as mining and energy production, agriculture and industrial activities, and careless waste disposal. Minerals also play key roles in the biogeochemical cycling of the elements, sequestering elements and releasing them as the primary minerals in crustal rocks undergo various structural and compositional transformations in response to physical, chemical, and biological processes that produce secondary minerals and soils. These processes have resulted in the release of toxic elements such as arsenic in groundwater aquifers, which is having a major impact on the health of millions of people in South and Southeast Asia. The interfaces between mineral surfaces and aqueous solutions are the locations of most chemical reactions that control the composition of the natural environment, including the composition of natural waters. The nuclear fuel cycle, from uranium mining to the disposition of high-level nuclear waste, is also intimately related to minerals. A fundamental understanding of these processes requires molecular-scale information about minerals, their bulk structures and properties such as solubility, their surfaces, and their interactions with aqueous solutions, atmospheric and soil gases, natural organic matter, and biological organisms. Gaining this understanding is further complicated by the presence of natural, incidental, and manufactured nano-particles in the environment, which

  9. Calculation of the Cholesky factor directly from the stiffness matrix of the structural element

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Prates, C.L.M.; Soriano, H.L.

    1978-01-01

    The analysis of the structures of nuclear power plants requires the evaluation of the internal forces. This is attained by the solution of a system of equations. This solution takes most of the computing time and memory. One of the ways it can be achieved is based on the Cholesky factor. The structural matrix of the coeficients is transformed into an upper triangular matrix by the Cholesky decomposition. Cholesky factor can be obtained directly from the stiffness matrix of the structural element. The result can thus be obtained in a more precise and quick way. (Author)

  10. Sieve element occlusion (SEO) genes encode structural phloem proteins involved in wound sealing of the phloem.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ernst, Antonia M; Jekat, Stephan B; Zielonka, Sascia; Müller, Boje; Neumann, Ulla; Rüping, Boris; Twyman, Richard M; Krzyzanek, Vladislav; Prüfer, Dirk; Noll, Gundula A

    2012-07-10

    The sieve element occlusion (SEO) gene family originally was delimited to genes encoding structural components of forisomes, which are specialized crystalloid phloem proteins found solely in the Fabaceae. More recently, SEO genes discovered in various non-Fabaceae plants were proposed to encode the common phloem proteins (P-proteins) that plug sieve plates after wounding. We carried out a comprehensive characterization of two tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) SEO genes (NtSEO). Reporter genes controlled by the NtSEO promoters were expressed specifically in immature sieve elements, and GFP-SEO fusion proteins formed parietal agglomerates in intact sieve elements as well as sieve plate plugs after wounding. NtSEO proteins with and without fluorescent protein tags formed agglomerates similar in structure to native P-protein bodies when transiently coexpressed in Nicotiana benthamiana, and the analysis of these protein complexes by electron microscopy revealed ultrastructural features resembling those of native P-proteins. NtSEO-RNA interference lines were essentially devoid of P-protein structures and lost photoassimilates more rapidly after injury than control plants, thus confirming the role of P-proteins in sieve tube sealing. We therefore provide direct evidence that SEO genes in tobacco encode P-protein subunits that affect translocation. We also found that peptides recently identified in fascicular phloem P-protein plugs from squash (Cucurbita maxima) represent cucurbit members of the SEO family. Our results therefore suggest a common evolutionary origin for P-proteins found in the sieve elements of all dicotyledonous plants and demonstrate the exceptional status of extrafascicular P-proteins in cucurbits.

  11. INVESTIGATION OF DYNAMIC CHARACTERISTICS OF ELEMENTS OF AUTOMATICS OF A SMART HOUSE IN PARAMETRICAL STRUCTURAL SCHEMES

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Petrova Irina Yur’evna

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Subject: automation of calculation of dynamic characteristics of the device being designed in the system of conceptual design of sensor equipment, structurally-parametric models of dynamic processes and algorithms for the automated calculation of the qualitative characteristics of elements of the information-measuring and control systems (IMCS. The stage of conceptual design most fully determines the operational characteristics of technical systems. However, none of the information support systems of this stage provides an opportunity to evaluate the performance characteristics of the element being designed taking into account its dynamic characteristics. Research objectives: increasing the effectiveness of the evaluation of dynamic characteristics of sensitive elements of the information-measuring and control systems of a smart house. Materials and methods: when solving the problems posed, the mathematical apparatus of system modeling was used (in particular, the energy-information method of modeling processes of various physical nature that occur in the sensor equipment; the main provisions of the theory of automatic control, the theory of constructing computer-aided design systems, the theory of operational calculus; basics of conceptual design of elements of the information-measuring and control systems. Results: we compared the known automated systems for conceptual design of sensors, highlighted their advantages and disadvantages and we showed that none of these systems allows us to investigate dynamic characteristics of the element being designed in a simple and understandable for engineer form. The authors proposed using energy-information method of modeling for the synthesis of operation principles of sensors and analysis of their dynamic characteristics. We considered elementary dynamic chains and issues of synthesis of parametrical structural schemes that reflect the dynamics of the process with the use of mathematical apparatus of

  12. Lateral strength force of URM structures based on a constitutive model for interface element

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A.H. Akhaveissy

    Full Text Available This paper presents the numerical implementation of a new proposed interface model for modeling the behavior of mortar joints in masonry walls. Its theoretical framework is fully based on the plasticity theory. The Von Mises criterion is used to simulate the behavior of brick and stone units. The interface laws for contact elements are formulated to simulate the softening behavior of mortar joints under tensile stress; a normal linear cap model is also used to limit compressive stress. The numerical predictions based on the proposed model for the behavior of interface elements correlate very highly with test data. A new explicit formula based on results of proposed interface model is also presented to estimate the strength of unreinforced masonry structures. The closed form solution predicts the ultimate lateral load of unreinforced masonry walls less error percentage than ATC and FEMA-307. Consequently, the proposed closed form solution can be used satisfactorily to analyze unreinforced masonry structures.

  13. Efficient finite element modelling for the investigation of the dynamic behaviour of a structure with bolted joints

    Science.gov (United States)

    Omar, R.; Rani, M. N. Abdul; Yunus, M. A.; Mirza, W. I. I. Wan Iskandar; Zin, M. S. Mohd

    2018-04-01

    A simple structure with bolted joints consists of the structural components, bolts and nuts. There are several methods to model the structures with bolted joints, however there is no reliable, efficient and economic modelling methods that can accurately predict its dynamics behaviour. Explained in this paper is an investigation that was conducted to obtain an appropriate modelling method for bolted joints. This was carried out by evaluating four different finite element (FE) models of the assembled plates and bolts namely the solid plates-bolts model, plates without bolt model, hybrid plates-bolts model and simplified plates-bolts model. FE modal analysis was conducted for all four initial FE models of the bolted joints. Results of the FE modal analysis were compared with the experimental modal analysis (EMA) results. EMA was performed to extract the natural frequencies and mode shapes of the test physical structure with bolted joints. Evaluation was made by comparing the number of nodes, number of elements, elapsed computer processing unit (CPU) time, and the total percentage of errors of each initial FE model when compared with EMA result. The evaluation showed that the simplified plates-bolts model could most accurately predict the dynamic behaviour of the structure with bolted joints. This study proved that the reliable, efficient and economic modelling of bolted joints, mainly the representation of the bolting, has played a crucial element in ensuring the accuracy of the dynamic behaviour prediction.

  14. Underground Parking structure built with deep foundations and vault precast elements in Spain

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fernández-Ordóñez, D.

    2012-09-01

    Full Text Available In many cases the only places available for the construction of a new car park are the existing streets or roads. These streets may also have important or historic buildings very close to the structure, which means that they cannot be disturbed in any way during the construction of the parking structure. In this particular case, the novelty is that the top deck is solved with a unique structure: a vault that interacts with the pile wall not only for vertical but also for horizontal loads due to the arch mechanism. The construction of the vault is solved as a large precast element of one piece of more than 16 in length and 2.40m in width, which is built in the factory, transported with the help of trucks and erected on site with large cranes.

    En muchos casos las únicas localizaciones para construir aparcamientos son las calles o carreteras. Estas calles también suelen tener alrededor importantes edificios históricos muy cercanos a la propia estructura. En este caso particular la novedad reside en que el forjado superior está resuelto con una estructura especial: una bóveda que interacciona con la pantalla de pilotes no solo en el sentido vertical sino también en el horizontal formando un verdadero mecanismo de arco. La construcción de la bóveda se ha resuelto con grandes elementos prefabricados de una pieza de más de 16m de longitud y de 2,40m de ancho. Se han fabricado en una factoría, transportados y montados en obra con grandes grúas.

  15. On the structure of heavy metals; Sur la structure des metaux lourds

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Friedel, J [Commissariat a l' Energie Atomique, Saclay (France). Centre d' Etudes Nucleaires; Faculte des Sciences de l' Universite de Paris, 75 (France)

    1958-07-01

    The properties of the last series of Mendeleef's table are compared with those of the elements of the preceding series. This comparison suggests an electronic structure of the 'transition metal' type, with narrow bands, at the beginning of this series (up to certain phases at least of plutonium); then of the rare earth metal type, with independent non-saturated internal layers, further on in the series. The 5 f orbits seem to play an important part in these two types of structure, from uranium on. A more detailed study of the very heavy elements (americium and beyond) and alloys would allow these conclusions to be confirmed. Certain general points, concerning the nature of homopolar connections and paramagnetism in the transition metals, are developed in an additional section. (author) [French] Les proprietes des elements de la derniere serie du tableau de Mendeleef sont comparees a celles des elements des series precedentes. Cette comparaison suggere une structure electronique du type 'metal de transition', a bandes etroites, au debut de cette serie (jusqu'a certaines phases au moins du plutonium); puis du type d'un metal des terres rares, a couches internes non saturees independantes, au-dela dans la serie. Les orbitales 5 f semblent jouer un r e important, dans ces deux types de structures, a partir de l'uranium. Une etude plus poussee des elements tres lourds (americium et au-dela) et des alliages permettrait de confirmer ces conclusions. Certains points generaux, concernant la nature des liaisons homopolaires et le paramagnetisme dans les metaux de transition, sont developpes en annexe. (auteur)

  16. Radiation damage to DNA: The importance of track structure

    CERN Document Server

    Hill, M A

    1999-01-01

    A wide variety of biological effects are induced by ionizing radiation, from cell death to mutations and carcinogenesis. The biological effectiveness is found to vary not only with the absorbed dose but also with the type of radiation and its energy, i.e., with the nature of radiation tracks. An overview is presented of some of the biological experiments using different qualities of radiation, which when compared with Monte Carlo track structure studies, have highlighted the importance of the localized spatial properties of stochastic energy deposition on the nanometer scale at or near DNA. The track structure leads to clustering of damage which may include DNA breaks, base damage etc., the complexity of the cluster and therefore its biological repairability varying with radiation type. The ability of individual tracks to produce clustered damage, and the subsequent biological response are important in the assessment of the risk associated with low-level human exposure. Recent experiments have also shown that...

  17. Nanohairs and nanotubes: Efficient structural elements for gecko-inspired artificial dry adhesives

    KAUST Repository

    Jeong, Hoon Eui

    2009-08-01

    An overview of the recent progress in the development of gecko-inspired synthetic dry adhesives is presented, with particular emphasis on two major structural elements of nanohairs and nanotubes. With the advance of nanofabrication techniques, recently developed dry adhesives made of nanohairs and nanotubes show excellent adhesion strength, smart directional adhesion as well as rough surface adaptability by better mimicking gecko foot hairs. After a brief description of the requirements for high-performance artificial dry adhesives, a variety of synthetic adhesives are described based on materials and structural features of the gecko-inspired nanostructures. In addition, current challenges and future directions towards an optimized synthetic dry adhesive are presented. © 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  18. Nanohairs and nanotubes: Efficient structural elements for gecko-inspired artificial dry adhesives

    KAUST Repository

    Jeong, Hoon Eui; Suh, Kahp Y.

    2009-01-01

    An overview of the recent progress in the development of gecko-inspired synthetic dry adhesives is presented, with particular emphasis on two major structural elements of nanohairs and nanotubes. With the advance of nanofabrication techniques, recently developed dry adhesives made of nanohairs and nanotubes show excellent adhesion strength, smart directional adhesion as well as rough surface adaptability by better mimicking gecko foot hairs. After a brief description of the requirements for high-performance artificial dry adhesives, a variety of synthetic adhesives are described based on materials and structural features of the gecko-inspired nanostructures. In addition, current challenges and future directions towards an optimized synthetic dry adhesive are presented. © 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  19. A finite element method for a time dependence soil-structure interactions calculations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ni, X.M.; Gantenbein, F.; Petit, M.

    1989-01-01

    The method which is proposed is based on a finite element modelisation for the soil and the structure and a time history calculation. It has been developed for plane and axisymmetric geometries. The principle of this method will be presented, then applications will be given, first to a linear calculation for which results will be compared to those obtained by standard methods. Then results for a non linear behavior will be described [fr

  20. Semantic Elements in Deep Structures as Seen from a Modernist Definition of Clarity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lemke, Alan

    Typically, teachers approach ambiguity in student writing by suggesting that students focus on diction, syntax, and writing format; however, the works of modernists (including T.S. Eliot, Ludwig Wittgenstein, Karl Marx, and Pablo Picasso) suggest the importance of conceptions of semantic clarity. Transformational models for syntactic elements in…

  1. Visual inspection as one of the important elements of the quality control

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Paweł Szklarzyk

    2014-06-01

    Full Text Available Quality control of the production process allows to detect incompatibilities. One of the key elements of quality control is a visual inspection. The object of the research is to determine the essential elements having an impact on visual inspections. Research was carried out according to the BOST method designed at the Institute of Production Engineering, Technical University of Czestochowa

  2. Grab structure of a lifting structure in particular for use in a nuclear reactor for lifting and lowering of fuel elements and fuel rods

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dose, G.

    1979-01-01

    A guide tower projects perpendicularly downward from the carriage of the charging machine. It can be rotated about its perpendicular axis. The tower is used to displace a hollow grab structure with two grabs. They can be opened and closed, the closed position being retained as long as they carry the fuel elements or rods. The power and interlocking equipment is installed one unit above the other in the joint grab housing. The tower with the integrated fuel element grab and the rod grab is rotated about its perpendicular axis for inspection of the fuel elements or rods. (DG) [de

  3. Soil-structure interaction analysis by finite element methods state-of-the-art

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Seed, H.B.; Lysmer, J.

    1977-01-01

    Analyses of soil-structure interaction effects during earthquakes for nuclear power plant structures are usually made by one of two methods - either by means of an idealized complete interaction analysis involving consideration of a compatible variation of motions in the structure and the adjacent soil, or by means of an inertial interaction analysis in which the motions in the adjacent soil are assumed to be the same at all points above the foundation depth. For surface structures, the distribution of free-field motions with depth in the underlying soils has no influence on the structural response and thus, provided the analyses are made in accordance with good practice, good results may be obtained by either method of approach. For embedded structures, however, consideration of the variation of motions with depth is essential if adequate evaluations of soil and structural response are to be obtained without undue conservatism. The finite element analysis procedure is particularly well suited for evaluating the response of embedded structures since it can readily provide consideration of the variation of soil characteristics with depth, the different non-linear deformation and energy absorbing capacities of the various soil strata, the variation of motions with depth in accordance with the general principles of engineering mechanics, the three-dimensional nature of the problem and the effects of adjacent structures on each other

  4. Structural analysis of reactor fuel elements

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Weeks, R.W.

    1977-01-01

    An overview of fuel-element modeling is presented that traces the development of codes for the prediction of light-water-reactor and fast-breeder-reactor fuel-element performance. It is concluded that although the mathematical analysis is now far advanced, the development and incorporation of mechanistic constitutive equations has not kept pace. The resultant reliance on empirical correlations severely limits the physical insight that can be gained from code extrapolations. Current efforts include modeling of alternate fuel systems, analysis of local fuel-cladding interactions, and development of a predictive capability for off-normal behavior. Future work should help remedy the current constitutive deficiencies and should include the development of deterministic failure criteria for use in design

  5. Commensal E. coli as an Important Reservoir of Resistance Encoding Genetic Elements

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Azam Mahmoudi-Aznaveh

    2013-11-01

    Full Text Available Background: Diarrheagenic E. coli is the most important cause of diarrhea in children and is a public health concern in developing countries. A major public problem is acquisition and transmission of antimicrobial resistance via mobile genetic elements including plasmids, conjugative transposons, and integrons which may occur through horizontal gene transfer. Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the distribution of class 1 and 2 integrons among commensal and enteropathogenic E. coli isolates and assess the role of commensal E. coli population as a reservoir in the acquisition and transmission of antimicrobial resistance. Materials and Methods: Swabs were collected directly from stool samples of the children with diarrhea admitted to three hospitals in Tehran, Iran during July 2012 through October 2012. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing and PCR analysis were performed for analysis of the resistance pattern and integron content of isolates. Results: A total of 20 enteropathogenic E.coli (identified as eae+stx1-stx2- and 20 commensal E.coli were selected for analysis. The resistance pattern in commensal and pathogenic E.coli was very similar. In both groups a high rate of resistance was seen to tetracycline, streptomycin, cotrimoxazole, nalidixic acid, and minocycline. Of 20 EPEC strains, 3 strains (15 % and 1 strain (5% had positive results for int and hep genes, respectively. Among 20 commensal, 65% (13 strains and 10% (2 strains had positive results for int and hep genes, respectively. Conclusions: The higher rate of class 1 integron occurrence among commensal population proposes the commensal intestinal organisms as a potential reservoir of mobile resistance gene elements which could transfer the resistance gene cassettes to other pathogenic and/or nonpathogenic organisms in the intestinal lumen at different occasions.

  6. Shape Effect of Electrochemical Chloride Extraction in Structural Reinforced Concrete Elements Using a New Cement-Based Anodic System

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jesús Carmona

    2015-05-01

    Full Text Available This article shows the research carried out by the authors focused on how the shape of structural reinforced concrete elements treated with electrochemical chloride extraction can affect the efficiency of this process. Assuming the current use of different anode systems, the present study considers the comparison of results between conventional anodes based on Ti-RuO2 wire mesh and a cement-based anodic system such as a paste of graphite-cement. Reinforced concrete elements of a meter length were molded to serve as laboratory specimens, to closely represent authentic structural supports, with circular and rectangular sections. Results confirm almost equal performances for both types of anode systems when electrochemical chloride extraction is applied to isotropic structural elements. In the case of anisotropic ones, such as rectangular sections with no uniformly distributed rebar, differences in electrical flow density were detected during the treatment. Those differences were more extreme for Ti-RuO2 mesh anode system. This particular shape effect is evidenced by obtaining the efficiencies of electrochemical chloride extraction in different points of specimens.

  7. Shape Effect of Electrochemical Chloride Extraction in Structural Reinforced Concrete Elements Using a New Cement-Based Anodic System

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carmona, Jesús; Climent, Miguel-Ángel; Antón, Carlos; de Vera, Guillem; Garcés, Pedro

    2015-01-01

    This article shows the research carried out by the authors focused on how the shape of structural reinforced concrete elements treated with electrochemical chloride extraction can affect the efficiency of this process. Assuming the current use of different anode systems, the present study considers the comparison of results between conventional anodes based on Ti-RuO2 wire mesh and a cement-based anodic system such as a paste of graphite-cement. Reinforced concrete elements of a meter length were molded to serve as laboratory specimens, to closely represent authentic structural supports, with circular and rectangular sections. Results confirm almost equal performances for both types of anode systems when electrochemical chloride extraction is applied to isotropic structural elements. In the case of anisotropic ones, such as rectangular sections with no uniformly distributed rebar, differences in electrical flow density were detected during the treatment. Those differences were more extreme for Ti-RuO2 mesh anode system. This particular shape effect is evidenced by obtaining the efficiencies of electrochemical chloride extraction in different points of specimens.

  8. Finite element analysis of rotating beams physics based interpolation

    CERN Document Server

    Ganguli, Ranjan

    2017-01-01

    This book addresses the solution of rotating beam free-vibration problems using the finite element method. It provides an introduction to the governing equation of a rotating beam, before outlining the solution procedures using Rayleigh-Ritz, Galerkin and finite element methods. The possibility of improving the convergence of finite element methods through a judicious selection of interpolation functions, which are closer to the problem physics, is also addressed. The book offers a valuable guide for students and researchers working on rotating beam problems – important engineering structures used in helicopter rotors, wind turbines, gas turbines, steam turbines and propellers – and their applications. It can also be used as a textbook for specialized graduate and professional courses on advanced applications of finite element analysis.

  9. Generic structure and promotional elements in best-selling online book blurbs: a cross-cultural study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Neslihan Önder

    2013-04-01

    Full Text Available This study investigates the generic structure and promotional elements of the online fiction blurbs accompanying the 95 best-selling books from Amazon United Kingdom and Okuoku Turkey (1999-2011, a company that sells books online that are written in Turkish or translated into Turkish, and adds to the growing number of investigations into this genre (Kathpalia, 1997; Bhatia, 2004; Cacchiani, 2007; Gea-Valor, 2007; Gesuato, 2007; Basturkmen, 2009. Based on the findings, a two-level schematic structure (moves and steps is proposed for the blurbs following Swales (1990. The findings suggest that Amazon UK book blurbs have a six-move schematic structure: complimenting the author, book description, justifying the book by establishing a niche, book promotion, author’s background and author’s website/blog being the second, fourth and fifth obligatory moves. However, Okuoku book blurbs feature a five-move schematic structure with complimenting the author, book description, involving the reader in the text, book promotion and author’s background, the second and fourth being obligatory. Analysis of promotional elements in the corpora reveals that online fiction book blurbs employ the art of advertising through the use of favorable expressions (Bhatia, 2005 and innovative uses of rhetorical strategies to persuade the reader to read the book.

  10. Nuclear structure studies towards superheavy elements and perspectives with AGATA

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Korichi, A.

    2005-01-01

    A variety of theoretical approaches have been used to calculate the shell closure of spherical Super Heavy Elements (SHE) but the predictions of the location of the 'island of stability' vary from Z=114 to 120 and 126, with neutron numbers around N=172 or N=184 depending on the model employed. A deformed minimum around Z=108 and N=162 is predicted and an increase of the half-life of Hassium (Z=108) is experimentally observed when approaching the neutron number N=162. Super heavy nuclei are produced with very low cross-section (a few picobarns) and this makes their spectroscopic study impossible with today's beam intensities and detectors. However, important information can be obtained from the structure of mid-shell deformed nuclei (Z∼104) where selected single particle orbitals, which lie close to the spherical shell gap in SHE, are close to the Fermi level. The information will come from decay and in-beam spectroscopy. A promising area of progress, using the state-of-the art instruments, is represented by the observation of rotational gamma-ray transitions in No and Fm isotopes showing the deformed character of these nuclei. One of the objectives and focus of the nuclear structure community is related to the investigation of Single particle excitations beyond the N=152 neutron gap and collective properties of heavier systems towards Z∼104. The IN2P3-JINR collaboration has launched a project of electron and gamma-ray spectroscopy studies of heavy nuclei at the FLNR. This project benefits from the radioactive actinide targets uniquely available at Dubna and from the very intense stable beams provided by the U400 cyclotron. This offers a unique opportunity for the study of nuclei above Z=100 along an isotopic chain approaching N=162. In this contribution, the emphasis will be on the GABRIELA project and its issues. I will finally point out the perspectives with the new generation of gamma detectors such as AGATA

  11. The importance of mealtime structure for reducing child food fussiness.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Powell, Faye; Farrow, Claire; Meyer, Caroline; Haycraft, Emma

    2017-04-01

    The aim of this study was to explore how the structure of mealtimes within the family setting is related to children's fussy eating behaviours. Seventy-five mothers of children aged between 2 and 4 years were observed during a typical mealtime at home. The mealtimes were coded to rate mealtime structure and environment as well as the child's eating behaviours (food refusal, difficulty to feed, eating speed, positive and negative vocalisations). Mealtime structure emerged as an important factor which significantly distinguished children with higher compared with lower levels of food fussiness. Children whose mothers ate with their child and ate the same food as their child were observed to refuse fewer foods and were easier to feed compared with children whose mothers did not. During mealtimes where no distractors were used (e.g. no TV, magazines or toys), or where children were allowed some input into food choice and portioning, children were also observed to demonstrate fewer fussy eating behaviours. Findings of this study suggest that it may be important for parents to strike a balance between structured mealtimes, where the family eats together and distractions are minimal, alongside allowing children some autonomy in terms of food choice and intake. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  12. Finite Elements Based on Strong and Weak Formulations for Structural Mechanics: Stability, Accuracy and Reliability

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Francesco Tornabene

    2017-07-01

    Full Text Available The authors are presenting a novel formulation based on the Differential Quadrature (DQ method which is used to approximate derivatives and integrals. The resulting scheme has been termed strong and weak form finite elements (SFEM or WFEM, according to the numerical scheme employed in the computation. Such numerical methods are applied to solve some structural problems related to the mechanical behavior of plates and shells, made of isotropic or composite materials. The main differences between these two approaches rely on the initial formulation – which is strong or weak (variational – and the implementation of the boundary conditions, that for the former include the continuity of stresses and displacements, whereas in the latter can consider the continuity of the displacements or both. The two methodologies consider also a mapping technique to transform an element of general shape described in Cartesian coordinates into the same element in the computational space. Such technique can be implemented by employing the classic Lagrangian-shaped elements with a fixed number of nodes along the element edges or blending functions which allow an “exact mapping” of the element. In particular, the authors are employing NURBS (Not-Uniform Rational B-Splines for such nonlinear mapping in order to use the “exact” shape of CAD designs.

  13. Validity of M-3Y force equivalent G-matrix elements for calculations of the nuclear structure in heavy mass region

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cheng Lan; Huang Weizhi; Zhou Baosen

    1996-01-01

    Using the matrix elements of M-3Y force as the equivalent G-matrix elements, the spectra of 210 Pb, 206 Pb, 206 Hg and 210 Po are calculated in the framework of the Folded Diagram Method. The results show that such equivalent matrix elements are suitable for microscopic calculations of the nuclear structure in heavy mass region

  14. Finite-element formulations for the thermal stress analysis of two- and three-dimensional thin ractor structures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kulak, R.F.; Kennedy, J.M.; Belytschko, T.B.; Schoeberle, D.F.

    1977-01-01

    This paper describes finite-element formulations for the thermal stress analysis of LMFBR structures. The first formulation is applicable to large displacement rotation problems in which the strains are small. For this formulation, a general temperature-dependent constituent relationship is derived from a Gibbs potential function and a temperature dependent yield surface. The temperature dependency of the yield surface is based upon a temperature-dependent, material-hardening model. The model uses a temperature-equivalent stress-plastic strain diagram which is generated from isothermal uniaxial stress-strain data. A second formulation is presented for problems characterized by both large displacement-rotations and large strains. Here a set of large strain hypoelastic-plastic relationships are developed to linearly relate the rate of stress to the rate of deformation. The temperature field is described through time-dependent values at mesh node points; the temperature fields in each element are then obtained by interpolation formulas. Hence, problems with both spatial and temporal dependent temperature fields can easily be treated. The above developments were incorporated into two ANL developed finite-element computer codes: the implicit version of STRAW and the 3D Implicit Structural Analysis Code. STRAW is a two-dimensional code with a plane stress/plane strain beam element. The 3D Implicit code has a triangular flat plate element which is capable of sustaining both membrane and bending loads. To insure numerical stability both codes are based on an iterative-incremental solution procedure with equilibrium checks based on an error in energy

  15. Earthquake analysis of structures including structure-soil interaction by a substructure method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chopra, A.K.; Guttierrez, J.A.

    1977-01-01

    A general substructure method for analysis of response of nuclear power plant structures to earthquake ground motion, including the effects of structure-soil interaction, is summarized. The method is applicable to complex structures idealized as finite element systems and the soil region treated as either a continuum, for example as a viscoelastic halfspace, or idealized as a finite element system. The halfspace idealization permits reliable analysis for sites where essentially similar soils extend to large depths and there is no rigid boundary such as soil-rock interface. For sites where layers of soft soil are underlain by rock at shallow depth, finite element idealization of the soil region is appropriate; in this case, the direct and substructure methods would lead to equivalent results but the latter provides the better alternative. Treating the free field motion directly as the earthquake input in the substructure method eliminates the deconvolution calculations and the related assumption -regarding type and direction of earthquake waves- required in the direct method. The substructure method is computationally efficient because the two substructures-the structure and the soil region- are analyzed separately; and, more important, it permits taking advantage of the important feature that response to earthquake ground motion is essentially contained in the lower few natural modes of vibration of the structure on fixed base. For sites where essentially similar soils extend to large depths and there is no obvious rigid boundary such as a soil-rock interface, numerical results for earthquake response of a nuclear reactor structure are presented to demonstrate that the commonly used finite element method may lead to unacceptable errors; but the substructure method leads to reliable results

  16. Finite-element-model updating using computational intelligence techniques applications to structural dynamics

    CERN Document Server

    Marwala, Tshilidzi

    2010-01-01

    Finite element models (FEMs) are widely used to understand the dynamic behaviour of various systems. FEM updating allows FEMs to be tuned better to reflect measured data and may be conducted using two different statistical frameworks: the maximum likelihood approach and Bayesian approaches. Finite Element Model Updating Using Computational Intelligence Techniques applies both strategies to the field of structural mechanics, an area vital for aerospace, civil and mechanical engineering. Vibration data is used for the updating process. Following an introduction a number of computational intelligence techniques to facilitate the updating process are proposed; they include: • multi-layer perceptron neural networks for real-time FEM updating; • particle swarm and genetic-algorithm-based optimization methods to accommodate the demands of global versus local optimization models; • simulated annealing to put the methodologies into a sound statistical basis; and • response surface methods and expectation m...

  17. Trace and ultratrace level elemental and speciation analysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Arunachalam, J.

    2012-01-01

    Accurate determination of elements present at parts per million and billion levels in various matrices is a growing requirement in different fields. In environmental sciences various trace elements need to be analyzed so as establish the dispersal models of pollutants or the adequacy of effluent treatment prior to discharge into water bodies. The issues of bioaccumulation and magnification are important in aquatic systems. In nutrition and biochemistry one has to establish the bio-availability of essential and toxic elemental species as toxic elements prevent assimilation of essential elements. Fission and fusion technologies use a variety of structural materials requiring many trace elements to be present at levels strictly below the specified levels. Ultra-pure bulk semiconductor materials are required for fabrication devices. In metallurgy and materials sciences too, various trace elements are known to influence the properties. In the emerging fields like nanotechnology, it is necessary to understand the passage and accumulation of nano-particles inside the cells, through trace analysis. Many analytical techniques exist which can provide the concentration information in the bulk materials with good accuracy. They include ICP-AES, FAAS, and ICP-MS, which are solution based techniques. Direct solid state analytical techniques are Glow Discharge Mass Spectrometry (GDMS) and XRF. Accelerator based ion-beam analysis techniques can provide information on concentration and depth profiles of different elements in layered structures. Hyphenated techniques such as HPLC/lC-ICPMS, are helpful in identifying various chemical oxidation states in which a given element might be present in a matrix, which is termed as speciation analysis. This presentation will include the existing analytical competencies and the laboratory requirements for trace and ultra trace element elemental and speciation analyses and their applications. (author)

  18. Institutional and structural barriers to HIV testing: elements for a theoretical framework.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Meyerson, Beth; Barnes, Priscilla; Emetu, Roberta; Bailey, Marlon; Ohmit, Anita; Gillespie, Anthony

    2014-01-01

    Stigma is a barrier to HIV health seeking, but little is known about institutional and structural expressions of stigma in HIV testing. This study examines evidence of institutional and structural stigma in the HIV testing process. A qualitative, grounded theory study was conducted using secondary data from a 2011 HIV test site evaluation data in a Midwestern, moderate HIV incidence state. Expressions of structural and institutional stigma were found with over half of the testing sites and at three stages of the HIV testing visit. Examples of structural stigma included social geography, organization, and staff behavior at first encounter and reception, and staff behavior when experiencing the actual HIV test. Institutional stigma was socially expressed through staff behavior at entry/reception and when experiencing the HIV test. The emerging elements demonstrate the potential compounding of stigma experiences with deleterious effect. Study findings may inform future development of a theoretical framework. In practice, findings can guide organizations seeking to reduce HIV testing barriers, as they provide a window into how test seekers experience HIV test sites at first encounter, entry/reception, and at testing stages; and can identify how stigma might be intensified by structural and institutional expressions.

  19. Magnetic alginate microfibers as scaffolding elements for the fabrication of microvascular-like structures.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sun, Tao; Shi, Qing; Huang, Qiang; Wang, Huaping; Xiong, Xiaolu; Hu, Chengzhi; Fukuda, Toshio

    2018-01-15

    Traditional cell-encapsulating scaffolds may elicit adverse host responses and inhomogeneity in cellular distribution. Thus, fabrication techniques for cellular self-assembly with micro-scaffold incorporation have been used recently to generate toroidal cellular modules for the bottom-up construction of vascular-like structures. The micro-scaffolds show advantage in promoting tissue formation. However, owing to the lack of annular cell micro-scaffolds, it remains a challenge to engineer micro-scale toroidal cellular modules (micro-TCMs) to fabricate microvascular-like structures. Here, magnetic alginate microfibers (MAMs) are used as scaffolding elements, where a winding strategy enables them to be formed into micro-rings as annular cell micro-scaffolds. These micro-rings were investigated for NIH/3T3 fibroblast growth as a function of surface chemistry and MAM size. Afterwards, micro-TCMs were successfully fabricated with the formation of NIH/3T3 fibroblasts and extracellular matrix layers on the three-dimensional micro-ring surfaces. Simple non-contact magnetic assembly was used to stack the micro-TCMs along a micro-pillar, after which cell fusion rapidly connected the assembled micro-TCMs into a microvascular-like structure. Endothelial cells or drugs encapsulated in the MAMs could be included in the microvascular-like structures as in vitro cellular models for vascular tissue engineering, or as miniaturization platforms for pharmaceutical drug testing in the future. Magnetic alginate microfibers functioned as scaffolding elements for guiding cell growth in micro-scale toroidal cellular modules (micro-TCMs) and provided a magnetic functionality to the micro-TCMs for non-contact 3D assembly in external magnetic fields. By using the liquid/air interface, the non-contact spatial manipulation of the micro-TCMs in the liquid environment was performed with a cost-effective motorized electromagnetic needle. A new biofabrication paradigm of construct of microvascular

  20. Study in Vietnam on ingestion and organ content of trace elements of importance in radiological protection (I, Cr, Sr, Th, U etc.)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nguyen Mong Sinh

    1998-01-01

    To study on ingestion and organ content of trace elements of importance in Radiological Protection for population in Vietnam we need to select representative population groups. This can be done using some basic information about relevant ethnic, socioeconomic and geographical factors of Vietnam. It is also very importance to know the average food consumption, a characteristics and nutritive value of Vietnamese diet and the daily nutritional intake for this population groups. A general discussion have been made on proposal of sample collection, using analytical techniques to determine the elements of interest. There are also some primary results of analysis of iodine content in different kinds of foodstuffs in natural water and human urine. (author)

  1. Trace element distribution in the rat cerebellum

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kwiatek, W.M.; Long, G.J.; Pounds, J.G.; Reuhl, K.R.; Hanson, A.L.; Jones, K.W.

    1989-10-01

    Spatial distributions and concentrations of trace elements (TE) in the brain are important because TE perform catalytic structural functions in enzymes which regulate brain function and development. We have investigated the distributions of TE in rat cerebellum. Structures were sectioned and analyzed by the Synchrotron Radiation Induced X-ray Emission (SRIXE) method using the NSLS X-26 white-light microprobe facility. Advantages important for TE analysis of biological specimens with x-ray microscopy include short time of measurement, high brightness and flux, good spatial resolution, multielemental detection, good sensitivity, and non-destructive irradiation. Trace elements were measured in thin rat brain sections of 20-micrometers thickness. The analyses were performed on sample volumes as small as 0.2 nl with Minimum Detectable Limits (MDL) of 50 ppb wet weight for Fe, 100 ppb wet weight for Cu, and Zn, and 1 ppM wet weight for Pb. The distribution of TE in the molecular cell layer, granule cell layer and fiber tract of rat cerebella was investigated. Both point analyses and two-dimensional semi-quantitative mapping of the TE distribution in a section were used

  2. Elements of Organizational Culture Superintendents Perceive as Important to Create and Maintain a Successful Organization in Times of Crisis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wilson, Marylou K.

    2012-01-01

    Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify and describe the elements of culture public school superintendents perceive to be most important in creating and sustaining successful organizations in times of crisis. In addition, it was the purpose of this study to identify and describe the leadership strategies superintendents use to create…

  3. A Dual Super-Element Domain Decomposition Approach for Parallel Nonlinear Finite Element Analysis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jokhio, G. A.; Izzuddin, B. A.

    2015-05-01

    This article presents a new domain decomposition method for nonlinear finite element analysis introducing the concept of dual partition super-elements. The method extends ideas from the displacement frame method and is ideally suited for parallel nonlinear static/dynamic analysis of structural systems. In the new method, domain decomposition is realized by replacing one or more subdomains in a "parent system," each with a placeholder super-element, where the subdomains are processed separately as "child partitions," each wrapped by a dual super-element along the partition boundary. The analysis of the overall system, including the satisfaction of equilibrium and compatibility at all partition boundaries, is realized through direct communication between all pairs of placeholder and dual super-elements. The proposed method has particular advantages for matrix solution methods based on the frontal scheme, and can be readily implemented for existing finite element analysis programs to achieve parallelization on distributed memory systems with minimal intervention, thus overcoming memory bottlenecks typically faced in the analysis of large-scale problems. Several examples are presented in this article which demonstrate the computational benefits of the proposed parallel domain decomposition approach and its applicability to the nonlinear structural analysis of realistic structural systems.

  4. A refined element-based Lagrangian shell element for geometrically nonlinear analysis of shell structures

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Woo-Young Jung

    2015-04-01

    Full Text Available For the solution of geometrically nonlinear analysis of plates and shells, the formulation of a nonlinear nine-node refined first-order shear deformable element-based Lagrangian shell element is presented. Natural co-ordinate-based higher order transverse shear strains are used in present shell element. Using the assumed natural strain method with proper interpolation functions, the present shell element generates neither membrane nor shear locking behavior even when full integration is used in the formulation. Furthermore, a refined first-order shear deformation theory for thin and thick shells, which results in parabolic through-thickness distribution of the transverse shear strains from the formulation based on the third-order shear deformation theory, is proposed. This formulation eliminates the need for shear correction factors in the first-order theory. To avoid difficulties resulting from large increments of the rotations, a scheme of attached reference system is used for the expression of rotations of shell normal. Numerical examples demonstrate that the present element behaves reasonably satisfactorily either for the linear or for geometrically nonlinear analysis of thin and thick plates and shells with large displacement but small strain. Especially, the nonlinear results of slit annular plates with various loads provided the benchmark to test the accuracy of related numerical solutions.

  5. Radiation damage to DNA: The importance of track structure

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hill, M.A.

    1999-01-01

    A wide variety of biological effects are induced by ionizing radiation, from cell death to mutations and carcinogenesis. The biological effectiveness is found to vary not only with the absorbed dose but also with the type of radiation and its energy, i.e., with the nature of radiation tracks. An overview is presented of some of the biological experiments using different qualities of radiation, which when compared with Monte Carlo track structure studies, have highlighted the importance of the localized spatial properties of stochastic energy deposition on the nanometer scale at or near DNA. The track structure leads to clustering of damage which may include DNA breaks, base damage etc., the complexity of the cluster and therefore its biological repairability varying with radiation type. The ability of individual tracks to produce clustered damage, and the subsequent biological response are important in the assessment of the risk associated with low-level human exposure. Recent experiments have also shown that biological response to radiation is not always restricted to the 'hit' cell but can sometimes be induced in 'un-hit' cells near by

  6. Structural assessment of aerospace components using image processing algorithms and Finite Element models

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Stamatelos, Dimtrios; Kappatos, Vassilios

    2017-01-01

    Purpose – This paper presents the development of an advanced structural assessment approach for aerospace components (metallic and composites). This work focuses on developing an automatic image processing methodology based on Non Destructive Testing (NDT) data and numerical models, for predicting...... the residual strength of these components. Design/methodology/approach – An image processing algorithm, based on the threshold method, has been developed to process and quantify the geometric characteristics of damages. Then, a parametric Finite Element (FE) model of the damaged component is developed based...... on the inputs acquired from the image processing algorithm. The analysis of the metallic structures is employing the Extended FE Method (XFEM), while for the composite structures the Cohesive Zone Model (CZM) technique with Progressive Damage Modelling (PDM) is used. Findings – The numerical analyses...

  7. Lagrangian finite element formulation for fluid-structure interaction and application

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hautfenne, M.H.

    1983-01-01

    The aim of this communication is to present a new finite element software (FLUSTRU) for fluid-structure interaction in a lagrangian formulation. The stiffness and damping matrices of the fluid are computed from the governing laws of the medium: the fluid is supposed to be viscous and compressible (Stokes' equations). The main problem stated by the lagrangian formulation of the fluid is the presence of spurious free-vibration modes (zero energy modes) in the fluid. Those modes are generated by the particular form of the matrix. These spurious modes have been examined and two particular methods to eliminate them have been developed: industrial applications prove the efficiency of the proposed methods. (orig./GL)

  8. Structural plasticity of Barley yellow dwarf virus-like cap-independent translation elements in four genera of plant viral RNAs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Zhaohui; Kraft, Jelena J; Hui, Alice Y; Miller, W Allen

    2010-06-20

    The 3' untranslated regions (UTRs) of many plant viral RNAs contain cap-independent translation elements (3' CITEs). Among the 3' CITEs, the Barley yellow dwarf virus (BYDV)-like translation elements (BTEs) form a structurally variable and widely distributed group. Viruses in three genera were known to harbor 3' BTEs, defined by the presence of a 17-nt consensus sequence. To understand BTE function, knowledge of phylogenetically conserved structure is essential, yet the secondary structure has been determined only for the BYDV BTE. Here we show that Rose spring dwarf-associated luteovirus, and two viruses in a fourth genus, Umbravirus, contain functional BTEs, despite deviating in the 17nt consensus sequence. Structure probing by selective 2'-hydroxyl acylation and primer extension (SHAPE) revealed conserved and highly variable structures in BTEs in all four genera. We conclude that BTEs tolerate striking evolutionary plasticity in structure, while retaining the ability to stimulate cap-independent translation. Copyright (c) 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  9. Nuclear Structure of the Heaviest Elements – Investigated at SHIP-GSI

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Heßberger Fritz Peter

    2014-03-01

    Full Text Available The quest for the heaviest nuclei that can exist is a basic topic in natural science as their stability is characterized by a delicate interplay of short range nuclear forces acting between the nucleons (protons and neutrons and long-range Coulomb forces acting solely between charged particles, i.e. the protons. As the stability of a nucleus is strongly correlated to its structure, understanding the nuclear structure of heaviest nuclei is presently a main challenge of experimental and theoretical investigations concerning the field of Superheavy Elements. At the velocity filter SHIP at GSI Darmstadt an extensive program on nuclear structure investigations has been started about a decade ago. The project covered both as well systematic investigations of single particle levels in odd-mass isotopes populated by α-decay as investigation of two- or fourquasi-particle states forming K isomers and was supplemented by direct mass measurements at SHIPTRAP and investigation of spontaneous fission properties. Recent experimental studies allowed to extend the systematics of low lying levels in N = 151 and N = 153 up to 255Rf and 259Sg, investigation of possible relations between nuclear structure and fission properties of odd-mass nuclei and investigation of shell strengths at N = 152 and towards N = 162.

  10. New advances in the forced response computation of periodic structures using the wave finite element (WFE) method

    OpenAIRE

    Mencik , Jean-Mathieu

    2014-01-01

    International audience; The wave finite element (WFE) method is investigated to describe the harmonic forced response of onedimensional periodic structures like those composed of complex substructures and encountered in engineering applications. The dynamic behavior of these periodic structures is analyzed over wide frequency bands where complex spatial dynamics, inside the substructures, are likely to occur.Within theWFE framework, the dynamic behavior of periodic structures is described in ...

  11. An automatic granular structure generation and finite element analysis of heterogeneous semi-solid materials

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sharifi, Hamid; Larouche, Daniel

    2015-01-01

    The quality of cast metal products depends on the capacity of the semi-solid metal to sustain the stresses generated during the casting. Predicting the evolution of these stresses with accuracy in the solidification interval should be highly helpful to avoid the formation of defects like hot tearing. This task is however very difficult because of the heterogeneous nature of the material. In this paper, we propose to evaluate the mechanical behaviour of a metal during solidification using a mesh generation technique of the heterogeneous semi-solid material for a finite element analysis at the microscopic level. This task is done on a two-dimensional (2D) domain in which the granular structure of the solid phase is generated surrounded by an intergranular and interdendritc liquid phase. Some basic solid grains are first constructed and projected in the 2D domain with random orientations and scale factors. Depending on their orientation, the basic grains are combined to produce larger grains or separated by a liquid film. Different basic grain shapes can produce different granular structures of the mushy zone. As a result, using this automatic grain generation procedure, we can investigate the effect of grain shapes and sizes on the thermo-mechanical behaviour of the semi-solid material. The granular models are automatically converted to the finite element meshes. The solid grains and the liquid phase are meshed properly using quadrilateral elements. This method has been used to simulate the microstructure of a binary aluminium–copper alloy (Al–5.8 wt% Cu) when the fraction solid is 0.92. Using the finite element method and the Mie–Grüneisen equation of state for the liquid phase, the transient mechanical behaviour of the mushy zone under tensile loading has been investigated. The stress distribution and the bridges, which are formed during the tensile loading, have been detected. (paper)

  12. Symmetry structure of the periodic system of elements

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kitagawara, Y.

    1983-01-01

    Two different, exactly soluble, quantum mechanical many-body problems are presented and their symmetry properties are analyzed. One is based on the Demkov-Ostrovskii problem which models the (n + 1)-filling rule of the atomic Aufbau principle. The invariance properties of the model differential equation are studied in detail. Contrary to commonly known quantum problems, the degeneracy structure within the quantum number (n + 1) is not described by the representation of a Lie algebra. However, it is described by a symmetry algebra which does not quite close under the commutation relations. The properties of this new algebra are closely examined. It is shown that the characteristic 'period doubling' in Aufbau chart is due to the structure of this algebra. To attain a better physical understanding of the symmetry of the periodic system of elements, the Demkov-Ostrovskii equation is transformed into a new equation, without changing some of its symmetry properites. It is found that the quantum states of the transformed equation provide reasonable approximations to the correspinding Hartree-Fock-Slater atomic orbitals. Thus the symmetry of the periodic system is approximately described by the degeneracy algebra which is obtained in this thesis. In the second part of this work, a group theoretical investigation is developed for a class of Coulomb-type N-body quantum systems in three dimensions. The dynamical algebra for these systems is found to be SO(3N + 1,2)

  13. SoyTEdb: a comprehensive database of transposable elements in the soybean genome

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zhu Liucun

    2010-02-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Transposable elements are the most abundant components of all characterized genomes of higher eukaryotes. It has been documented that these elements not only contribute to the shaping and reshaping of their host genomes, but also play significant roles in regulating gene expression, altering gene function, and creating new genes. Thus, complete identification of transposable elements in sequenced genomes and construction of comprehensive transposable element databases are essential for accurate annotation of genes and other genomic components, for investigation of potential functional interaction between transposable elements and genes, and for study of genome evolution. The recent availability of the soybean genome sequence has provided an unprecedented opportunity for discovery, and structural and functional characterization of transposable elements in this economically important legume crop. Description Using a combination of structure-based and homology-based approaches, a total of 32,552 retrotransposons (Class I and 6,029 DNA transposons (Class II with clear boundaries and insertion sites were structurally annotated and clearly categorized, and a soybean transposable element database, SoyTEdb, was established. These transposable elements have been anchored in and integrated with the soybean physical map and genetic map, and are browsable and visualizable at any scale along the 20 soybean chromosomes, along with predicted genes and other sequence annotations. BLAST search and other infrastracture tools were implemented to facilitate annotation of transposable elements or fragments from soybean and other related legume species. The majority (> 95% of these elements (particularly a few hundred low-copy-number families are first described in this study. Conclusion SoyTEdb provides resources and information related to transposable elements in the soybean genome, representing the most comprehensive and the largest manually

  14. Finite element analysis of CFRP reinforced silo structure design method

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yuan, Long; Xu, Xinsheng

    2017-11-01

    Because of poor construction, there is a serious problem of concrete quality in the silo project, which seriously affects the safe use of the structure. Concrete quality problems are mainly seen in three aspects: concrete strength cannot meet the design requirements, concrete cracking phenomenon is serious, and the unreasonable concrete vibration leads to a lot of honeycombs and surface voids. Silos are usually reinforced by carbon fiber cloth in order to ensure the safe use of silos. By the example of an alumina silo in a fly ash plant in Binzhou, Shandong Province, the alumina silo project was tested and examined on site. According to filed test results, the actual concrete strength was determined, and the damage causes of the silo was analysed. Then, a finite element analysis model of this silo was established, the CFRP cloth reinforcement method was adopted to strengthen the silo, and other technology like additional reinforcement, rebar planting, carbon fiber bonding technology was also expounded. The research of this paper is of great significance to the design and construction of silo structure.

  15. Selfish genetic elements, genetic conflict, and evolutionary innovation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Werren, John H

    2011-06-28

    Genomes are vulnerable to selfish genetic elements (SGEs), which enhance their own transmission relative to the rest of an individual's genome but are neutral or harmful to the individual as a whole. As a result, genetic conflict occurs between SGEs and other genetic elements in the genome. There is growing evidence that SGEs, and the resulting genetic conflict, are an important motor for evolutionary change and innovation. In this review, the kinds of SGEs and their evolutionary consequences are described, including how these elements shape basic biological features, such as genome structure and gene regulation, evolution of new genes, origin of new species, and mechanisms of sex determination and development. The dynamics of SGEs are also considered, including possible "evolutionary functions" of SGEs.

  16. Polymorphism in Elemental Silicon: Probabilistic Interpretation of the Realizability of Metastable Structures

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Stevanovic, Vladan [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Jones, Eric [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)

    2017-11-03

    With few systems of technological interest having been studied as extensively as elemental silicon, there currently exists a wide disparity between the number of predicted low-energy silicon polymorphs and those that have been experimentally realized as metastable at ambient conditions. We put forward an explanation for this disparity wherein the likelihood of formation of a given polymorph under near-equilibrium conditions can be estimated on the basis of mean-field isothermal-isobaric (N,p,T) ensemble statistics. The probability that a polymorph will be experimentally realized is shown to depend upon both the hypervolume of that structure's potential energy basin of attraction and a Boltzmann factor weight containing the polymorph's potential enthalpy per particle. Both attributes are calculated using density functional theory relaxations of randomly generated initial structures. We find that the metastable polymorphism displayed by silicon can be accounted for using this framework to the exclusion of a very large number of other low-energy structures.

  17. Modeling of a fluid-loaded smart shell structure for active noise and vibration control using a coupled finite element–boundary element approach

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ringwelski, S; Gabbert, U

    2010-01-01

    A recently developed approach for the simulation and design of a fluid-loaded lightweight structure with surface-mounted piezoelectric actuators and sensors capable of actively reducing the sound radiation and the vibration is presented. The objective of this paper is to describe the theoretical background of the approach in which the FEM is applied to model the actively controlled shell structure. The FEM is also employed to model finite fluid domains around the shell structure as well as fluid domains that are partially or totally bounded by the structure. Boundary elements are used to characterize the unbounded acoustic pressure fields. The approach presented is based on the coupling of piezoelectric and acoustic finite elements with boundary elements. A coupled finite element–boundary element model is derived by introducing coupling conditions at the fluid–fluid and fluid–structure interfaces. Because of the possibility of using piezoelectric patches as actuators and sensors, feedback control algorithms can be implemented directly into the multi-coupled structural–acoustic approach to provide a closed-loop model for the design of active noise and vibration control. In order to demonstrate the applicability of the approach developed, a number of test simulations are carried out and the results are compared with experimental data. As a test case, a box-shaped shell structure with surface-mounted piezoelectric actuators and four sensors and an open rearward end is considered. A comparison between the measured values and those predicted by the coupled finite element–boundary element model shows a good agreement

  18. Cross-Sectional Information on Pore Structure and Element Distribution of Sediment Particles by SEM and EDS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Minghong Chen

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available The interaction between pollutants and sediment particles often occurs on the particle surface, so surface properties directly affect surface reaction. The physical and chemical processes occurring on sediment particle surfaces are microscopic processes and as such need to be studied from a microscopic perspective. In this study, field emission scanning electron microscopy (SEM and energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer (EDS were adopted to observe and analyze the pore structure and element distribution of sediment particles. In particular, a special method of sample preparation was used to achieve the corresponding cross-sectional information of sediment particles. Clear images of a particle profile and pore microstructure were obtained by high-resolution SEM, while element distribution maps of sediment particles were obtained by EDS. The results provide an intuitive understanding of the internal microenvironment and external behavior of sediment particles, in addition to revealing a significant role of pore microstructure in the adsorption and desorption of pollutants. Thus, a combination of different experimental instruments and observation methods can provide real images and information on microscopic pore structure and element distribution of sediment particles. These results should help to improve our understanding of sediment dynamics and its environmental effects.

  19. Structural Elements in a Persistent Identifier Infrastructure and Resulting Benefits for the Earth Science Community

    Science.gov (United States)

    Weigel, T.; Toussaiant, F.; Stockhause, M.; Höck, H.; Kindermann, S.; Lautenschlager, M.; Ludwig, T.

    2012-12-01

    We propose a wide adoption of structural elements (typed links, collections, trees) in the Handle System to improve identification and access of scientific data, metadata and software as well as traceability of data provenance. Typed links target the issue of data provenance as a means to assess the quality of scientific data. Data provenance is seen here as a directed acyclic graph with nodes representing data and vertices representing derivative operations (Moreau 2010). Landing pages can allow a human user to explore the provenance graph back to the primary unprocessed data, thereby also giving credit to the original data producer. As in Earth System Modeling no single infrastructure with complete data lifecycle coverage exists, we propose to split the problem domain in two parts. Project-specific infrastructures such as the German project C3-Grid or the Earth System Grid Federation (ESGF) for CMIP5 data are aware of data and data operations (Toussaint et al. 2012) and can thus detect and accumulate single nodes and vertices in the provenance graph, assigning Handles to data, metadata and software. With a common schema for typed links, the provenance graph is established as downstream infrastructures refer incoming Handles. Data in this context is for example hierarchically structured Earth System model output data, which receives DataCite DOIs only for the most coarse-granular elements. Using Handle tree structures, the lower levels of the hierarchy can also receive Handles, allowing authors to more precisely identify the data they used (Lawrence et al. 2011). We can e.g. define a DOI for just the 2m-temperature variable of CMIP5 data across many CMIP5 experiments or a DOI for model and observational data coming from different sources. The structural elements should be implemented through Handle values at the Handle infrastructure level for two reasons. Handle values are more durable than downstream websites or databases, and thus the provenance chain does not

  20. Investigation of deformation of elements of three-dimensional reinforced concrete structures located in the soil, interacting with each other through rubber gaskets

    Science.gov (United States)

    Berezhnoi, D. V.; Balafendieva, I. S.; Sachenkov, A. A.; Sekaeva, L. R.

    2017-06-01

    In work the technique of calculation of elements of three-dimensional reinforced concrete substructures located in a soil, interacting with each other through rubber linings is realized. To describe the interaction of deformable structures with the ground, special “semi-infinite” finite elements are used. A technique has been implemented that allows one to describe the contact interaction of three-dimensional structures by means of a special contact finite element with specific properties. The obtained numerical results are compared with the experimental data, their good agreement is noted.

  1. Translocation and gross deletion breakpoints in human inherited disease and cancer II: Potential involvement of repetitive sequence elements in secondary structure formation between DNA ends.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chuzhanova, Nadia; Abeysinghe, Shaun S; Krawczak, Michael; Cooper, David N

    2003-09-01

    Translocations and gross deletions are responsible for a significant proportion of both cancer and inherited disease. Although such gene rearrangements are nonuniformly distributed in the human genome, the underlying mutational mechanisms remain unclear. We have studied the potential involvement of various types of repetitive sequence elements in the formation of secondary structure intermediates between the single-stranded DNA ends that recombine during rearrangements. Complexity analysis was used to assess the potential of these ends to form secondary structures, the maximum decrease in complexity consequent to a gross rearrangement being used as an indicator of the type of repeat and the specific DNA ends involved. A total of 175 pairs of deletion/translocation breakpoint junction sequences available from the Gross Rearrangement Breakpoint Database [GRaBD; www.uwcm.ac.uk/uwcm/mg/grabd/grabd.html] were analyzed. Potential secondary structure was noted between the 5' flanking sequence of the first breakpoint and the 3' flanking sequence of the second breakpoint in 49% of rearrangements and between the 5' flanking sequence of the second breakpoint and the 3' flanking sequence of the first breakpoint in 36% of rearrangements. Inverted repeats, inversions of inverted repeats, and symmetric elements were found in association with gross rearrangements at approximately the same frequency. However, inverted repeats and inversions of inverted repeats accounted for the vast majority (83%) of deletions plus small insertions, symmetric elements for one-half of all antigen receptor-mediated translocations, while direct repeats appear only to be involved in mediating simple deletions. These findings extend our understanding of illegitimate recombination by highlighting the importance of secondary structure formation between single-stranded DNA ends at breakpoint junctions. Copyright 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

  2. Finite-element formulations for the thermal stress analysis of two- and three-dimensional thin reactor structures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kulak, R.F.; Kennedy, J.M.; Belytschko, T.B.; Schoeberle, D.F.

    1977-01-01

    This paper describes finite-element formulations for the thermal stress analysis of LMFBR structures. The first formulation is applicable to large displacement rotation problems in which the strains are small. For this formulation, a general temperature-dependent constituent relationship is derived from a Gibbs potential and a temperature dependent surface. A second formulation is presented for problems characterized by both large displacement-rotations and large strains. Here a set of large strain hypoelastic-plastic relationships are developed to linearly relate the rate of stress to the rate of deformation. These developments were incorporated into two ANL developed finite-element computer codes: the implicit version of STRAW and the 3D Implicit Structural Analaysis code. A set of problems is presented to validate both the 3D and 2D programs and to illustrate their applicability to a variety of problems. (Auth.)

  3. Ingestion and organ content of trace elements of importance in radiological protection. Country report, Bangladesh

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2000-01-01

    The main elements of radiological importance to be studied under the CRP are Strontium, Cesium, Iodine, Uranium and Thorium. Total diets for daily intake of human consisting of eleven common food samples were collected from the local market of Dhaka, the central part of the Country. The food samples were collected on market basket basis and according to the statistical dietary survey for the people of age ranging from 20-50 years. The number of frequency for the sample collection for the total daily diets was eleven, five for man and six for women. After collection, the food items were washed, cleaned and dried at room temperature and weighed and then cooked as is normally eaten in the Bangladeshi style. The cooked samples were then homogenized using commercial blender, mortar and pestle. The samples were then dried at 100-110 deg. C in an electric oven. Before drying a pail of the cooked samples was kept separately in polyethylene bottles with screw caps for iodine determination. Percentage of moisture content of these samples was calculated which varied from max 55.5% to min 40.4%. Ile dried samples were then kept in polyethylene bottles and tight with screw caps and then stored in refrigerator for elemental analysis. (author)

  4. Multidisciplinary Simulation of Graphite-Composite and Cermet Fuel Elements for NTP Point of Departure Designs

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stewart, Mark E.; Schnitzler, Bruce G.

    2015-01-01

    This paper compares the expected performance of two Nuclear Thermal Propulsion fuel types. High fidelity, fluid/thermal/structural + neutronic simulations help predict the performance of graphite-composite and cermet fuel types from point of departure engine designs from the Nuclear Thermal Propulsion project. Materials and nuclear reactivity issues are reviewed for each fuel type. Thermal/structural simulations predict thermal stresses in the fuel and thermal expansion mis-match stresses in the coatings. Fluid/thermal/structural/neutronic simulations provide predictions for full fuel elements. Although NTP engines will utilize many existing chemical engine components and technologies, nuclear fuel elements are a less developed engine component and introduce design uncertainty. Consequently, these fuel element simulations provide important insights into NTP engine performance.

  5. Blood lead: Its effect on trace element levels and iron structure in hemoglobin

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jin, C.; Li, Y.; Li, Y.L.; Zou, Y.; Zhang, G.L.; Normura, M.; Zhu, G.Y.

    2008-01-01

    Lead is a ubiquitous environmental pollutant that induce a broad range of physiological and biochemical dysfunctions. The purpose of this study was to investigate its effects on trace elements and the iron structure in hemoglobin. Blood samples were collected from rats that had been exposed to lead. The concentration of trace elements in whole blood and blood plasma was determined by ICP-MS and the results indicate that lead exists mainly in the red blood cells and only about 1-3% in the blood plasma. Following lead exposure, the concentrations of zinc and iron in blood decrease, as does the hemoglobin level. This indicates that the heme biosynthetic pathway is inhibited by lead toxicity and that lead poisoning-associated anemia occurs. The selenium concentration also decreases after lead exposure, which may lead to an increased rate of free radical production. The effect of lead in the blood on iron structure in hemoglobin was determined by EXAFS. After lead exposure, the Fe-O bond length increases by about 0.07 A and the Fe-Np bond length slightly increases, but the Fe-N ε bond length remains unchanged. This indicates that the blood content of Hb increases, but that the content of HbO 2 decreases

  6. 75 FR 68809 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Importation Bond Structure

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-11-09

    ... DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY U.S. Customs And Border Protection Agency Information Collection Activities: Importation Bond Structure AGENCY: U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Department of Homeland... collection: 1651-0050. SUMMARY: U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) of the Department of Homeland...

  7. Atypical RNA Elements Modulate Translational Readthrough in Tobacco Necrosis Virus D.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Newburn, Laura R; White, K Andrew

    2017-04-15

    Tobacco necrosis virus, strain D (TNV-D), is a positive-strand RNA virus in the genus Betanecrovirus and family Tombusviridae The production of its RNA-dependent RNA polymerase, p82, is achieved by translational readthrough. This process is stimulated by an RNA structure that is positioned immediately downstream of the recoding site, termed the readthrough stem-loop (RTSL), and a sequence in the 3' untranslated region of the TNV-D genome, called the distal readthrough element (DRTE). Notably, a base pairing interaction between the RTSL and the DRTE, spanning ∼3,000 nucleotides, is required for enhancement of readthrough. Here, some of the structural features of the RTSL, as well as RNA sequences and structures that flank either the RTSL or DRTE, were investigated for their involvement in translational readthrough and virus infectivity. The results revealed that (i) the RTSL-DRTE interaction cannot be functionally replaced by stabilizing the RTSL structure, (ii) a novel tertiary RNA structure positioned just 3' to the RTSL is required for optimal translational readthrough and virus infectivity, and (iii) these same activities also rely on an RNA stem-loop located immediately upstream of the DRTE. Functional counterparts for the RTSL-proximal structure may also be present in other tombusvirids. The identification of additional distinct RNA structures that modulate readthrough suggests that regulation of this process by genomic features may be more complex than previously appreciated. Possible roles for these novel RNA elements are discussed. IMPORTANCE The analysis of factors that affect recoding events in viruses is leading to an ever more complex picture of this important process. In this study, two new atypical RNA elements were shown to contribute to efficient translational readthrough of the TNV-D polymerase and to mediate robust viral genome accumulation in infections. One of the structures, located close to the recoding site, could have functional

  8. Trace element structure of the most widespread plants of genus PulmonariaFNx01

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dmitriy Kruglov

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Aim: The aim of this work was a comparative research of trace element structure of various organs of three Pulmonaria species. Materials and Methods: The aerial parts of the most widespread plants of genus Pulmonaria such as Pulmonaria officinalis L., Pulmonaria obscura Dumort. and Pulmonaria mollis Wulf. ex Hornem., which were collected in ending of flowering and were used as the research objects. The amount of trace elements (B, K, P, V, Ca, Co, Cu, Fe, Mg, Mn, Mo, Na, Si, Zn, Ag, Al, Ba, Br, Cr, I, Ni, Se, Sr, and Ti was determined by means of mass spectroscopy with inductively coupled plasma. Results: The data clustering has shown that floral shoots and rosellate leaves possess essentially various trace element status. At the same time, the trace elements′ status of organs of researched plants poorly depends on a taxonomic position of the plant. Thereupon, it is obvious that pharmacological activity is defined by organs of plants from which medicines were made, but not by a species of the used plant. Conclusions: The significant distinction in pharmacological activity of preparations depends on the trace elements′ status of used medicinal vegetative raw materials.

  9. Utilization of radiographic and ultrasonic testing for an evaluation of plate type fuel elements during manufacturing stages

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Brito, Mucio Jose Drummond de; Silva Junior, Silverio Ferreira da; Messias, Jose Marcos; Braga, Daniel Martins; Paula, Joao Bosco de

    2005-01-01

    Structural discontinuities can be introduced in the plate type fuel elements during the manufacturing stages due to mechanical processing conditions. The use of nondestructive testing methods to monitoring the fuel elements during the manufacturing stages presents a significant importance, contributing for manufacturing process improvement and cost reducing. This paper describes a procedure to be used detection and evaluation of structural discontinuities in plate type fuel elements during the manufacturing stages using the ultrasonic testing method and the radiographic testing method. The main results obtained are presented and discussed. (author)

  10. Elements of organizational culture leading to business excellence

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Andrej Bertoncelj

    2010-12-01

    Full Text Available The main aim of this research was to define the development of a conceptual frame to understand the impact of organizational culture on business excellence in medium-sized and large Slovenian enterprises. In our research the focus was on the importance of the role of communication structure, interpersonal relationships, motivation, and stimulation as part of knowledge management among 825 managers working in medium-sized and large Slovenian enterprises. The aim was to find out if these elements lead or contribute to business excellence. To analyse our data we applied analysis of variance as research methods. Our proposed thesis was supported since significant differences in business excellence between enterprises, different in the above mentioned elements. We can conclude that an appropriate communication structure, interpersonal relationships, motivation, stimulation and values as part of organizational culture positively affect business excellence in enterprises

  11. Different secondary structure elements as scaffolds for protein folding transition states of two homologous four-helix bundles.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Teilum, Kaare; Thormann, Thorsten; Caterer, Nigel R; Poulsen, Heidi I; Jensen, Peter H; Knudsen, Jens; Kragelund, Birthe B; Poulsen, Flemming M

    2005-04-01

    Comparison of the folding processes for homologue proteins can provide valuable information about details in the interactions leading to the formation of the folding transition state. Here the folding kinetics of 18 variants of yACBP and 3 variants of bACBP have been studied by Phi-value analysis. In combination with Phi-values from previous work, detailed insight into the transition states for folding of both yACBP and bACBP has been obtained. Of the 16 sequence positions that have been studied in both yACBP and bACBP, 5 (V12, I/L27, Y73, V77, and L80) have high Phi-values and appear to be important for the transition state formation in both homologues. Y31, A34, and A69 have high Phi-values only in yACBP, while F5, A9, and I74 have high Phi-values only in bACBP. Thus, additional interactions between helices A2 and A4 appear to be important for the transition state of yACBP, whereas additional interactions between helices A1 and A4 appear to be important for the transition state of bACBP. To examine whether these differences could be assigned to different packing of the residues in the native state, a solution structure of yACBP was determined by NMR. Small changes in the packing of the hydrophobic side-chains, which strengthen the interactions between helices A2 and A4, are observed in yACBP relative to bACBP. It is suggested that different structure elements serve as scaffolds for the folding of the 2 ACBP homologues. (c) 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

  12. Sampling procedure in a willow plantation for chemical elements important for biomass combustion quality

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Liu, Na; Nielsen, Henrik Kofoed; Jørgensen, Uffe

    2015-01-01

    clone ‘Tordis’, and to reveal the relationship between sampling position, shoot diameters, and distribution of elements. Five Tordis willow shoots were cut into 10–50 cm sections from base to top. The ash content and concentration of twelve elements (Al, Ca, Cd, Cu, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, Na, P, Si, and Zn......Willow (Salix spp.) is expected to contribute significantly to the woody bioenergy system in the future, so more information on how to sample the quality of the willow biomass is needed. The objectives of this study were to investigate the spatial variation of elements within shoots of a willow......) in each section were determined. The results showed large spatial variation in the distribution of most elements along the length of the willow shoots. Concentrations of elements in 2-year old shoots of the willow clone Tordis were fairly stable within the range of 100–285 cm above ground and resembled...

  13. A combined multibody and finite element approach for dynamic interaction analysis of high-speed train and railway structure including post-derailment behavior during an earthquake

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tanabe, M; Wakui, H; Sogabe, M; Matsumoto, N; Tanabe, Y

    2010-01-01

    A combined multibody and finite element approach is given to solve the dynamic interaction of a Shinkansen train (high-speed train in Japan) and the railway structure including post-derailment during an earthquake effectively. The motion of the train is expressed in multibody dynamics. Efficient mechanical models to express interactions between wheel and track structure including post-derailment are given. Rail and track elements expressed in multibody dynamics and FEM are given to solve contact problems between wheel and long railway components effectively. The motion of a railway structure is modeled with various finite elements and rail and track elements. The computer program has been developed for the dynamic interaction analysis of a Shinkansen train and railway structure including post derailment during an earthquake. Numerical examples are demonstrated.

  14. Geotechnical information as an important element when planning and designing civil engineering work Bogotá

    OpenAIRE

    Denisse Cangrejo Aljure; Carlos Gustavo Infante

    2010-01-01

    The city of Bogota provides a dynamic scenario re civil construction work; it is thereby essential to have relevant information available for the suitable planning and evaluation of engineering work from both the structural and budgetary points of view. The moisture content of soil has become a most important variable, given its great impact on placing structures in Bogota. This is why this work on city zoning aimed at orientating planning and designing civil engineering work has been done a...

  15. Finite element modeling of piezoelectric elements with complex electrode configuration

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Paradies, R; Schläpfer, B

    2009-01-01

    It is well known that the material properties of piezoelectric materials strongly depend on the state of polarization of the individual element. While an unpolarized material exhibits mechanically isotropic material properties in the absence of global piezoelectric capabilities, the piezoelectric material properties become transversally isotropic with respect to the polarization direction after polarization. Therefore, for evaluating piezoelectric elements the material properties, including the coupling between the mechanical and the electromechanical behavior, should be addressed correctly. This is of special importance for the micromechanical description of piezoelectric elements with interdigitated electrodes (IDEs). The best known representatives of this group are active fiber composites (AFCs), macro fiber composites (MFCs) and the radial field diaphragm (RFD), respectively. While the material properties are available for a piezoelectric wafer with a homogeneous polarization perpendicular to its plane as postulated in the so-called uniform field model (UFM), the same information is missing for piezoelectric elements with more complex electrode configurations like the above-mentioned ones with IDEs. This is due to the inhomogeneous field distribution which does not automatically allow for the correct assignment of the material, i.e. orientation and property. A variation of the material orientation as well as the material properties can be accomplished by including the polarization process of the piezoelectric transducer in the finite element (FE) simulation prior to the actual load case to be investigated. A corresponding procedure is presented which automatically assigns the piezoelectric material properties, e.g. elasticity matrix, permittivity, and charge vector, for finite element models (FEMs) describing piezoelectric transducers according to the electric field distribution (field orientation and strength) in the structure. A corresponding code has been

  16. Restitic or not? Insights from trace element content and crystal - Structure of spinels in African mantle xenoliths

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lenaz, Davide; Musco, Maria Elena; Petrelli, Maurizio; Caldeira, Rita; De Min, Angelo; Marzoli, Andrea; Mata, Joao; Perugini, Diego; Princivalle, Francesco; Boumehdi, Moulay Ahmed; Bensaid, Idris Ali Ahmadi; Youbi, Nasrrddine

    2017-05-01

    The lithospheric architecture of Africa consists of several Archean cratons and smaller cratonic fragments, stitched together and flanked by polycyclic fold belts. Here we investigate the structure and chemistry of spinels from lithospheric mantle xenoliths from distinct tectonic settings, i.e. from the Saharan metacraton in Libya (Waw-En-Namus) which could show archaic chemical features, Cameroon (Barombi Koto and Nyos Lakes) where the Sub Continental Lithospheric Mantle was modified during the Pan-African event and fluxed by asthenospheric melts of the Tertiary Cameroon Volcanic Line and Morocco (Tafraoute, Bou-Ibalrhatene maars) in the Middle Atlas where different metasomatic events have been recorded. From a structural point of view it is to notice that the Libyan spinels can be divided into two groups having different oxygen positional parameter (u > 0.2632 and u Morocco spinels show a Tc in the range 630-760 °C. About 150 different spinels have been studied for their trace element content and it can be seen that many of them are related to Cr content, while Zn and Co are not and clearly distinguish the occurrences. Differences in the trace element chemistry, in the structural parameters and in the intracrystalline closure temperatures suggest that a different history should be considered for Cameroon, Morocco and LB I and LB II spinels. Even if it was not considered for this purpose, we tentatively used the Fe2 +/Fe3 + vs. TiO2 diagram that discriminate between peridotitic and the so-called "magmatic" spinels, i.e. spinel crystallized from melts. LB I and LB II spinels plot in the peridotitic field while Cameroon and Morocco spinels fall in the magmatic one. Consequently, the xenoliths sampled from a probably juvenile SCLM at the edge of the most important lithospheric roots (i.e. Cameroon and Morocco) apparently have spinels possibly fractionated in situ from percolating melts and do not represent a real spinel-peridotite facies. On the contrary mantle

  17. Spectral finite element method wave propagation, diagnostics and control in anisotropic and inhomogeneous structures

    CERN Document Server

    Gopalakrishnan, Srinivasan; Roy Mahapatra, Debiprosad

    2008-01-01

    The use of composites and Functionally Graded Materials (FGMs) in structural applications has increased. FGMs allow the user to design materials for a specified functionality and have many uses in structural engineering. However, the behaviour of these structures under high-impact loading is not well understood. This book is the first to apply the Spectral Finite Element Method (SFEM) to inhomogeneous and anisotropic structures in a unified and systematic manner. It focuses on some of the problems with this media which were previously thought unmanageable. Types of SFEM for regular and damaged 1-D and 2-D waveguides, solution techniques, methods of detecting the presence of damages and their locations, and methods for controlling the wave propagation responses are discussed. Tables, figures and graphs support the theory and case studies are included. This book is of value to senior undergraduates and postgraduates studying in this field, and researchers and practicing engineers in structural integrity.

  18. Toxic Elements

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hajeb, Parvaneh; Shakibazadeh, Shahram; Sloth, Jens Jørgen

    2016-01-01

    Food is considered the main source of toxic element (arsenic, cadmium, lead, and mercury) exposure to humans, and they can cause major public health effects. In this chapter, we discuss the most important sources for toxic element in food and the foodstuffs which are significant contributors to h...

  19. Fatigue assessment for selected connections of structural steel bridge components using the finite elements method

    Science.gov (United States)

    Śledziewski, Krzysztof

    2018-01-01

    Material fatigue it is one of the most frequent causes of steel bridge failures, particularly the bridges already existing. Thus, the procedure of fatigue life assessment is one of the most relevant procedures in a comprehensive assessment of load-carrying capacity and service life of the structure. A reliable assessment of the fatigue life is predominantly decisive for estimation of the remaining service life. Hitherto, calculation methods of welded joints took into account only stresses occurring in cross sections of whole elements and did not take into account stress concentration occurring in the vicinity of the weld, caused by geometrical aspects of the detail. At present, use of the Finite Element Analysis, makes possible looking for more accurate approach to the fatigue design of steel structures. The method of geometrical stresses is just such approach which is based on definition of stresses which take into account geometry of the detail. The study presents fatigue assessment of a representative type of welded joint in welded bridge structures. The testing covered longitudinal attachments. The main analyses were carried out on the basis of FEM and the method of local stresses, so-called "hot-spot" stresses. The obtained values of stresses were compared with the values obtained in accordance with the method of nominal stress.

  20. Finite element method calculations of GMI in thin films and sandwiched structures: Size and edge effects

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Garcia-Arribas, A.; Barandiaran, J.M.; Cos, D. de

    2008-01-01

    The impedance values of magnetic thin films and magnetic/conductor/magnetic sandwiched structures with different widths are computed using the finite element method (FEM). The giant magneto-impedance (GMI) is calculated from the difference of the impedance values obtained with high and low permeability of the magnetic material. The results depend considerably on the width of the sample, demonstrating that edge effects are decisive for the GMI performance. It is shown that, besides the usual skin effect that is responsible for GMI, an 'unexpected' increase of the current density takes place at the lateral edge of the sample. In magnetic thin films this effect is dominant when the permeability is low. In the trilayers, it is combined with the lack of shielding of the central conductor at the edge. The resulting effects on GMI are shown to be large for both kinds of samples. The conclusions of this study are of great importance for the successful design of miniaturized GMI devices

  1. Wave propagation properties of frame structures. Formulation for three-dimensional frame structures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nishida, Akemi

    2006-01-01

    Since it is generally difficult to predict the occurrence of natural disasters such as earth-quakes, a performance management system that constantly maintains the safety and functionality of structures is required, particularly for critical structures like nuclear power plants. In order to realize such a system, it is becoming important to carry out detailed modeling procedures and analyses to better understand actual phenomena. The aim of our research is to determine the dynamic behavior - especially the wave propagation phenomena - of piping systems in nuclear power plants, which are complicated assemblages of parts. The spectral element method is adopted in this study, and the formulation considering a shear deformation independently for a frame element is described. The Timoshenko beam theory is introduced for the purpose of this formulation. The validity of the presented element will be shown through comparisons with the conventional beam element. (author)

  2. Coupled electromagnetic and structural finite element analysis of a superconducting dipole model

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hirtenfelder, F.

    1996-01-01

    Many devices contain parts that undergo motion due to electromagnetic forces. The motion causes the electromagnetic fields to change. Thus the electromagnetic fields must be computed along with the structural motion. In many cases the motion produced by electromagnetic forces is desired motion. However, in many devices, some undesired motion can occur due to electromagnetic forces. The motion creases motion-induced eddy currents which in turn affect the electromagnetic fields and forces. A finite element technique is described that fully couples structural and electromagnetic analysis in the time domain. The code is applied to a superconducting dipole model in order to study deformations and stresses during ramp and quench. The results of this coupled analysis enables the designer to visualize deformations, vibrations, displacements and all electromagnetic field quantities of the device and to try different solutions to enhance its performance

  3. Planing of land use of structural elements of ecological network at local level

    OpenAIRE

    Tretiak V.; Hun'ko L.

    2016-01-01

    and Management projecting of structural elements of land use of the ecological network on the territory of the village council begins with ecological and landscape micro zoning of the territory of village council, held during the preparatory work for the drafting of land and are finished by the formation of environmentally homogeneous regions, to which the system components of ecological network are tied, as well as environmental measures in the form of local environmental restrictions (encum...

  4. Testing the Big Bang: Light elements, neutrinos, dark matter and large-scale structure

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schramm, David N.

    1991-01-01

    Several experimental and observational tests of the standard cosmological model are examined. In particular, a detailed discussion is presented regarding: (1) nucleosynthesis, the light element abundances, and neutrino counting; (2) the dark matter problems; and (3) the formation of galaxies and large-scale structure. Comments are made on the possible implications of the recent solar neutrino experimental results for cosmology. An appendix briefly discusses the 17 keV thing and the cosmological and astrophysical constraints on it.

  5. Automatic X-ray inspection for the HTR-PM spherical fuel elements

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yi, DU, E-mail: duyi11@mails.tsinghua.edu.cn [Institute of Nuclear and New Energy Technology (INET), Tsinghua University, Energy Science Building A309, Haidian District, Beijing 100084 (China); Xiangang, WANG, E-mail: wangxiangang@tsinghua.edu.cn [Institute of Nuclear and New Energy Technology (INET), Tsinghua University, Energy Science Building A309, Haidian District, Beijing 100084 (China); Xincheng, XIANG, E-mail: inetxxc@tsinghua.edu.cn [Institute of Nuclear and New Energy Technology (INET), Tsinghua University, Energy Science Building, Haidian District, Beijing 100084 (China); Bing, LIU, E-mail: bingliu@tsinghua.edu.cn [Institute of Nuclear and New Energy Technology (INET), Tsinghua University, Energy Science Building, Haidian District, Beijing 100084 (China)

    2014-12-15

    Highlights: • An automatic X-ray inspection method is established to characterize HTR pebbles. • The method provides physical characterization and the inner structure of pebbles. • The method can be conducted non-destructively, quickly and automatically. • Sample pebbles were measured with this AXI method for validation. • The method shows the potential to be applied in situ. - Abstract: Inefficient quality assessment and control (QA and C) of spherical fuel elements for high temperature reactor-pebblebed modules (HTR-PM) has been a long-term problem, since conventional methods are labor intensive and cannot reveal the inside information nondestructively. Herein, we proposed a nondestructive, automated X-ray inspection (AXI) method to characterize spherical fuel elements including their inner structures based on X-ray digital radiography (DR). Briefly, DR images at different angles are first obtained and then the chosen important parameters such as spherical diameters, geometric and mass centers, can be automatically extracted and calculated via image processing techniques. Via evaluating sample spherical fuel elements, we proved that this AXI method can be conducted non-destructively, quickly and automatically. This method not only provides accurate physical characterization of spherical fuel elements but also reveals their inner structure with good resolution, showing great potentials to facilitate fast QA and C in HTM-PM spherical fuel element development and production.

  6. Automatic X-ray inspection for the HTR-PM spherical fuel elements

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yi, DU; Xiangang, WANG; Xincheng, XIANG; Bing, LIU

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • An automatic X-ray inspection method is established to characterize HTR pebbles. • The method provides physical characterization and the inner structure of pebbles. • The method can be conducted non-destructively, quickly and automatically. • Sample pebbles were measured with this AXI method for validation. • The method shows the potential to be applied in situ. - Abstract: Inefficient quality assessment and control (QA and C) of spherical fuel elements for high temperature reactor-pebblebed modules (HTR-PM) has been a long-term problem, since conventional methods are labor intensive and cannot reveal the inside information nondestructively. Herein, we proposed a nondestructive, automated X-ray inspection (AXI) method to characterize spherical fuel elements including their inner structures based on X-ray digital radiography (DR). Briefly, DR images at different angles are first obtained and then the chosen important parameters such as spherical diameters, geometric and mass centers, can be automatically extracted and calculated via image processing techniques. Via evaluating sample spherical fuel elements, we proved that this AXI method can be conducted non-destructively, quickly and automatically. This method not only provides accurate physical characterization of spherical fuel elements but also reveals their inner structure with good resolution, showing great potentials to facilitate fast QA and C in HTM-PM spherical fuel element development and production

  7. Study in Vietnam on ingestion and organ content of trace elements of importance in radiological protection (Cs, I, Sr, U, Th etc.)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nguyen Mong Sinh

    2000-01-01

    This report presents results of our investigation work carried out from November 1996 to April 1998 in the field of 'Study in Vietnam on ingestion and organ content of trace elements of importance in Radiological Protection'. This work related to the Co-ordinated Research Programme for Reference Asian Man Project, Phase 2. The data reported are the daily individual intake of the elements of interest for some different socio-economic groups of Vietnamese population living in Hanoi, Hochiminh city Vinh Phu and Dalat areas. The obtained results showed that the average content for four elements (Cs, I, U, Th) in Vietnamese dietary intakes slightly changes from area to area in dependence on geographical, natural and socio-economical conditions, on type and composition of foods. (author)

  8. Discrimination of wine from grape cultivated in Japan, imported wine, and others by multi-elemental analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shimizu, Hideaki; Akamatsu, Fumikazu; Kamada, Aya; Koyama, Kazuya; Okuda, Masaki; Fukuda, Hisashi; Iwashita, Kazuhiro; Goto-Yamamoto, Nami

    2018-04-01

    Differences in mineral concentrations were examined among three types of wine in the Japanese market place: Japan wine, imported wine, and domestically produced wine mainly from foreign ingredients (DWF), where Japan wine has been recently defined by the National Tax Agency as domestically produced wine from grapes cultivated in Japan. The main objective of this study was to examine the possibility of controlling the authenticity of Japan wine. The concentrations of 18 minerals (Li, B, Na, Mg, Si, P, S, K, Ca, Mn, Co, Ni, Ga, Rb, Sr, Mo, Ba, and Pb) in 214 wine samples were determined by inductively coupled-plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and ICP-atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES). In general, Japan wine had a higher concentration of potassium and lower concentrations of eight elements (Li, B, Na, Si, S, Co, Sr, and Pb) as compared with the other two groups of wine. Linear discriminant analysis (LDA) models based on concentrations of the 18 minerals facilitated the identification of three wine groups: Japan wine, imported wine, and DWF with a 91.1% classification score and 87.9% prediction score. In addition, an LDA model for discrimination of wine from four domestic geographic origins (Yamanashi, Nagano, Hokkaido, and Yamagata Prefectures) using 18 elements gave a classification score of 93.1% and a prediction score of 76.4%. In summary, we have shown that an LDA model based on mineral concentrations is useful for distinguishing Japan wine from other wine groups, and can contribute to classification of the four main domestic wine-producing regions of Japan. Copyright © 2017 The Society for Biotechnology, Japan. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  9. Fabrication of synthetic diffractive elements using advanced matrix laser lithography

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Škeren, M; Svoboda, J; Kveton, M; Fiala, P

    2013-01-01

    In this paper we present a matrix laser writing device based on a demagnified projection of a micro-structure from a computer driven spatial light modulator. The device is capable of writing completely aperiodic micro-structures with resolution higher than 200 000 DPI. An optical system is combined with ultra high precision piezoelectric stages with an elementary step ∼ 4 nm. The device operates in a normal environment, which significantly decreases the costs compared to competitive technologies. Simultaneously, large areas can be exposed up to 100 cm2. The capabilities of the constructed device will be demonstrated on particular elements fabricated for real applications. The optical document security is the first interesting field, where the synthetic image holograms are often combined with sophisticated aperiodic micro-structures. The proposed technology can easily write simple micro-gratings creating the color and kinetic visual effects, but also the diffractive cryptograms, waveguide couplers, and other structures recently used in the field of optical security. A general beam shaping elements and special photonic micro-structures are another important applications which will be discussed in this paper.

  10. Fabrication of synthetic diffractive elements using advanced matrix laser lithography

    Science.gov (United States)

    Škereň, M.; Svoboda, J.; Květoň, M.; Fiala, P.

    2013-02-01

    In this paper we present a matrix laser writing device based on a demagnified projection of a micro-structure from a computer driven spatial light modulator. The device is capable of writing completely aperiodic micro-structures with resolution higher than 200 000 DPI. An optical system is combined with ultra high precision piezoelectric stages with an elementary step ~ 4 nm. The device operates in a normal environment, which significantly decreases the costs compared to competitive technologies. Simultaneously, large areas can be exposed up to 100 cm2. The capabilities of the constructed device will be demonstrated on particular elements fabricated for real applications. The optical document security is the first interesting field, where the synthetic image holograms are often combined with sophisticated aperiodic micro-structures. The proposed technology can easily write simple micro-gratings creating the color and kinetic visual effects, but also the diffractive cryptograms, waveguide couplers, and other structures recently used in the field of optical security. A general beam shaping elements and special photonic micro-structures are another important applications which will be discussed in this paper.

  11. Ingestion and organ content of trace elements of importance in radiological protection. Reference Asian man, phase-2

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Akhter, P.; Aslam, M.; Akram, M.; Rashid, A.; Orfi, S.D.

    2000-01-01

    The Second Phase of Reference Asian Man Project is in progress with the collaboration of IAEA under Regional Co-operative Agreement to strengthen the radiation protection infrastructure of the country. In this regard dietary samples are being collected from various ecological areas of Pakistan on market basket method. During this Project year, twenty two (22) diet samples were collected, prepared and stored for Neutron Activation Analysis. The stable radionuclides of our primary interest are Sr, Cs, Th, U, I, Ca and K whereas other essential and toxic elements have secondary importance. (author)

  12. Impact interaction of shells and structural elements of spacecrafts with the particles of space debris and micrometeoroids

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gerasimov, A. V.; Pashkov, S. V.; Khristenko, Yu. F.

    2017-10-01

    Space debris formed during the launch and operation of spacecrafts in the circumterrestrial space, and the flows of micrometeoroids from the depths of space pose a real threat to manned and automatic vehicles. Providing the fracture resistance of aluminum, glass and ceramic spacecraft elements is an important practical task. These materials are widely used in spacecraft elements such as bodies, tanks, windows, glass in optical devices, heat shields, etc.

  13. Location and orientation of panel on the screen as a structural visual element to highlight text displayed

    Science.gov (United States)

    Léger, Laure; Chevalier, Aline

    2017-07-01

    Searching for information on the internet has become a daily activity. It is considered to be a complex cognitive activity that involves visual attention. Many studies have demonstrated that users' information search are affected both by the spatial configuration of words and the elements displayed on the screen: elements that are used to structure web pages. One of these elements, the web panel, contains information. Web panel is a rectangular area with a colored background that was used to highlighting content presented in this specific rectangular area. Our general hypothesis was that the presence of a panel on a web page would affect the structure of a word display, as a result, information search accuracy. We carried out an experiment in which we manipulated the presence vs. the absence of a panel, as well as its orientation on the screen (vertical vs. horizontal). Twenty participants were asked to answer questions while their eye movements were recorded. Results showed that the presence of a panel resulted in reduced accuracy and shorter response times. Panel orientation affected scanpaths, especially when they were orientated vertically. We discuss these findings and suggest ways in which this research could be developed further in future.

  14. Analysis of frame structure of medium and small truck crane

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cao, Fuyi; Li, Jinlong; Cui, Mengkai

    2018-03-01

    Truck crane is an important part of hoisting machinery. Frame, as the support component of the quality of truck crane, determines the safety of crane jib load and the rationality of structural design. In this paper, the truck crane frame is a box structure, the three-dimensional model is established in CATIA software, and imported into Hyperworks software for finite element analysis. On the base of doing constraints and loads for the finite element model of the frame, the finite element static analysis is carried out. And the static stress test verifies whether the finite element model and the frame structure design are reasonable; then the free modal analysis of the frame and the analysis of the first 8 - order modal vibration deformation are carried out. The analysis results show that the maximum stress value of the frame is greater than the yield limit value of the material, and the low-order modal value is close to the excitation frequency value, which needs to be improved to provide theoretical reference for the structural design of the truck crane frame.

  15. Maintenance of civil engineering structures important to safety of Nuclear Power Plants

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2002-03-01

    Civil engineering structures in nuclear installations form an important feature having implications to safety performance of these installations. This safety standard is written to specify the objectives and minimum requirements for the design of civil engineering buildings/structures that are to be fulfilled to provide adequate assurance for safety of nuclear installations in India

  16. Design and operational behaviour of the SNR-reactor fuel element structure

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dietz, W.; Toebbe, H.

    1985-01-01

    The fuel element and core concept of a fast breeder reactor is described by the example of the SNR 300 (1st core), and the requirements made on the fuel elements with respect to burnup and neutron dose are listed for existing and projected plants. Irradiation experiments carried out and operational experience gained with fuel elements show that the residence time of the fuel elements is influenced mainly by the stability of shape of the fuel element components. The requirements made with reference to neutron loading for future advanced high-performance fuel elements can not be anticipated from the present state of experience. Besides optimization of fuel element design and checking-out of the limits of operation by PFADFINDERELEMENTE elements, R and D work for the improvement of fuel element materials is also necessary. (orig.) [de

  17. Hierarchical structures of correlations networks among Turkey’s exports and imports by currencies

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kocakaplan, Yusuf; Deviren, Bayram; Keskin, Mustafa

    2012-12-01

    We have examined the hierarchical structures of correlations networks among Turkey’s exports and imports by currencies for the 1996-2010 periods, using the concept of a minimal spanning tree (MST) and hierarchical tree (HT) which depend on the concept of ultrametricity. These trees are useful tools for understanding and detecting the global structure, taxonomy and hierarchy in financial markets. We derived a hierarchical organization and build the MSTs and HTs during the 1996-2001 and 2002-2010 periods. The reason for studying two different sub-periods, namely 1996-2001 and 2002-2010, is that the Euro (EUR) came into use in 2001, and some countries have made their exports and imports with Turkey via the EUR since 2002, and in order to test various time-windows and observe temporal evolution. We have carried out bootstrap analysis to associate a value of the statistical reliability to the links of the MSTs and HTs. We have also used the average linkage cluster analysis (ALCA) to observe the cluster structure more clearly. Moreover, we have obtained the bidimensional minimal spanning tree (BMST) due to economic trade being a bidimensional problem. From the structural topologies of these trees, we have identified different clusters of currencies according to their proximity and economic ties. Our results show that some currencies are more important within the network, due to a tighter connection with other currencies. We have also found that the obtained currencies play a key role for Turkey’s exports and imports and have important implications for the design of portfolio and investment strategies.

  18. Structural evolution of Ni-20Cr alloy during ball milling of elemental powders

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lopez B, I.; Trapaga M, L. G.; Martinez F, E.; Zoz, H.

    2011-01-01

    The ball milling (B M) of blended Ni and Cr elemental powders was carried out in a Simoloyer performing on high-energy scale mode at maximum production to obtain a nano structured Ni-20Cr alloy. The phase transformations and structural changes occurring during mechanical alloying were investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and optical microscopy (Om). A gradual solid solubility of Cr and the subsequent formation of crystalline metastable solid solutions described in terms of the Avrami-Ero fe ev kinetics model were calculated. The XRD analysis of the structure indicates that cumulative lattice strain contributes to the driving force for solid solution between Ni and Cr during B M. Microstructure evolution has shown, additionally to the lamellar length refinement commonly observed, the folding of lamellae in the final processing stage. Om observations revealed that the lamellar spacing of Ni rich zones reaches a steady value near 500 nm and almost disappears after 30 h of milling. (Author)

  19. Structural evolution of Ni-20Cr alloy during ball milling of elemental powders

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lopez B, I.; Trapaga M, L. G. [IPN, Centro de Investigacion y de Estudios Avanzados, Unidad Queretaro, Libramiento Norponiente No. 2000, Juriquilla, 76230 Queretaro (Mexico); Martinez F, E. [Centro de Investigacion e Innovacion Tecnologica, Cerrada de Cecati s/n, Col. Santa Catarina Azcapotzalco, 02250 Mexico D. F. (Mexico); Zoz, H., E-mail: israelbaez@gmail.co [Zoz GmbH, D-57482, Wenden (Germany)

    2011-07-01

    The ball milling (B M) of blended Ni and Cr elemental powders was carried out in a Simoloyer performing on high-energy scale mode at maximum production to obtain a nano structured Ni-20Cr alloy. The phase transformations and structural changes occurring during mechanical alloying were investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and optical microscopy (Om). A gradual solid solubility of Cr and the subsequent formation of crystalline metastable solid solutions described in terms of the Avrami-Ero fe ev kinetics model were calculated. The XRD analysis of the structure indicates that cumulative lattice strain contributes to the driving force for solid solution between Ni and Cr during B M. Microstructure evolution has shown, additionally to the lamellar length refinement commonly observed, the folding of lamellae in the final processing stage. Om observations revealed that the lamellar spacing of Ni rich zones reaches a steady value near 500 nm and almost disappears after 30 h of milling. (Author)

  20. Computational contact and impact mechanics fundamentals of modeling interfacial phenomena in nonlinear finite element analysis

    CERN Document Server

    Laursen, Tod A

    2003-01-01

    This book comprehensively treats the formulation and finite element approximation of contact and impact problems in nonlinear mechanics. Intended for students, researchers and practitioners interested in numerical solid and structural analysis, as well as for engineers and scientists dealing with technologies in which tribological response must be characterized, the book includes an introductory but detailed overview of nonlinear finite element formulations before dealing with contact and impact specifically. Topics encompassed include the continuum mechanics, mathematical structure, variational framework, and finite element implementations associated with contact/impact interaction. Additionally, important and currently emerging research topics in computational contact mechanics are introduced, encompassing such topics as tribological complexity, conservative treatment of inelastic impact interaction, and novel spatial discretization strategies.

  1. Study of trace elements distribution in various tissues structures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kwiatek, W.M.; Marczewska, E.

    1994-01-01

    Many papers have been written during the past ten years about TE study in cancer and normal tissues describing the use of different methods for detection of trace elements. Concentration of TE depends strongly on the sample measured. However, according to our knowledge, the role of TE in cancerous tissue is still known. Therefore, we propose to perform an experiment which will hopefully given us more information about the relationship between the concentration of elements in different tissues. The developing industry localised near Cracow becomes a serious danger for health of it's inhabitants. The negative influence of the air pollution to the living organisms is seen not only in the nature but also in humans. Therefore we want to analyse the trace element contents in the air. Such investigation will give the information about the pollution level in the City. The pollution has its obvious negative influence to health and toxic element concentration level in blood. It is interesting to check if placenta plays an effective role in foetus protection against toxic metals. In order to study this problem, the trace element analysis of placenta tissues will be done by means of synchrotron microbeam. (author). 1 ref

  2. Structural elements of collapses in shallow water flows with horizontally nonuniform density

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Goncharov, V. P., E-mail: v.goncharov@rambler.ru [Russian Academy of Sciences, Obukhov Institute of Atmospheric Physics (Russian Federation); Pavlov, V. I., E-mail: Vadim.Pavlov@univ-lille1.fr [Universite de Lille 1, UFR de Mathematiques Pures et Appliquees-LML UMR 8107 (France)

    2013-10-15

    The mechanisms and structural elements of instability whose evolution results in the occurrence of the collapse are studied in the scope of the rotating shallow water model with a horizontally nonuniform density. The diagram stability based on the integral collapse criterion is suggested to explain system behavior in the space of constants of motion. Analysis of the instability shows that two collapse scenarios are possible. One scenario implies anisotropic collapse during which the contact area of a collapsing drop-like fragment with the bottom contracts into a rotating segment. The other implies isotropic contraction of the area into a point.

  3. Post-hoc principal component analysis on a largely illiterate elderly population from North-west India to identify important elements of mini-mental state examination.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Raina, Sunil Kumar; Chander, Vishav; Raina, Sujeet; Grover, Ashoo

    2016-01-01

    Mini-mental state examination (MMSE) scale measures cognition using specific elements that can be isolated, defined, and subsequently measured. This study was conducted with the aim to analyze the factorial structure of MMSE in a largely, illiterate, elderly population in India and to reduce the number of variables to a few meaningful and interpretable combinations. Principal component analysis (PCA) was performed post-hoc on the data generated by a research project conducted to estimate the prevalence of dementia in four geographically defined habitations in Himachal Pradesh state of India. Questions on orientation and registration account for high percentage of cumulative variance in comparison to other questions. The PCA conducted on the data derived from a largely, illiterate population reveals that the most important components to consider for the estimation of cognitive impairment in illiterate Indian population are temporal orientation, spatial orientation, and immediate memory.

  4. Post-hoc principal component analysis on a largely illiterate elderly population from North-west India to identify important elements of mini-mental state examination

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sunil Kumar Raina

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Background: Mini-mental state examination (MMSE scale measures cognition using specific elements that can be isolated, defined, and subsequently measured. This study was conducted with the aim to analyze the factorial structure of MMSE in a largely, illiterate, elderly population in India and to reduce the number of variables to a few meaningful and interpretable combinations. Methodology: Principal component analysis (PCA was performed post-hoc on the data generated by a research project conducted to estimate the prevalence of dementia in four geographically defined habitations in Himachal Pradesh state of India. Results: Questions on orientation and registration account for high percentage of cumulative variance in comparison to other questions. Discussion: The PCA conducted on the data derived from a largely, illiterate population reveals that the most important components to consider for the estimation of cognitive impairment in illiterate Indian population are temporal orientation, spatial orientation, and immediate memory.

  5. Asynchronous Communication: Investigating the Influences of Relational Elements and Background on the Framing Structure of Emails

    Science.gov (United States)

    AlAfnan, Mohammad Awad

    2015-01-01

    This study explored the influences of relational elements and the background of communicators on the framing structure of email messages that were exchanged in an educational Institute in Malaysia. The investigation revealed that social distance played a more significant role than power relations as Malaysian respondents are, generally, more…

  6. Application of the Recursive Finite Element Approach on 2D Periodic Structures under Harmonic Vibrations

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Reem Yassine

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available The frequency response function is a quantitative measure used in structural analysis and engineering design; hence, it is targeted for accuracy. For a large structure, a high number of substructures, also called cells, must be considered, which will lead to a high amount of computational time. In this paper, the recursive method, a finite element method, is used for computing the frequency response function, independent of the number of cells with much lesser time costs. The fundamental principle is eliminating the internal degrees of freedom that are at the interface between a cell and its succeeding one. The method is applied solely for free (no load nodes. Based on the boundary and interior degrees of freedom, the global dynamic stiffness matrix is computed by means of products and inverses resulting with a dimension the same as that for one cell. The recursive method is demonstrated on periodic structures (cranes and buildings under harmonic vibrations. The method yielded a satisfying time decrease with a maximum time ratio of 1 18 and a percentage difference of 19%, in comparison with the conventional finite element method. Close values were attained at low and very high frequencies; the analysis is supported for two types of materials (steel and plastic. The method maintained its efficiency with a high number of forces, excluding the case when all of the nodes are under loads.

  7. DESIGN OF STRUCTURAL ELEMENTS IN THE EVENT OF THE PRE-SET RELIABILITY, REGULAR LOAD AND BEARING CAPACITY DISTRIBUTION

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tamrazyan Ashot Georgievich

    2012-10-01

    Full Text Available Accurate and adequate description of external influences and of the bearing capacity of the structural material requires the employment of the probability theory methods. In this regard, the characteristic that describes the probability of failure-free operation is required. The characteristic of reliability means that the maximum stress caused by the action of the load will not exceed the bearing capacity. In this paper, the author presents a solution to the problem of calculation of structures, namely, the identification of reliability of pre-set design parameters, in particular, cross-sectional dimensions. If the load distribution pattern is available, employment of the regularities of distributed functions make it possible to find the pattern of distribution of maximum stresses over the structure. Similarly, we can proceed to the design of structures of pre-set rigidity, reliability and stability in the case of regular load distribution. We consider the element of design (a monolithic concrete slab, maximum stress S which depends linearly on load q. Within a pre-set period of time, the probability will not exceed the values according to the Poisson law. The analysis demonstrates that the variability of the bearing capacity produces a stronger effect on relative sizes of cross sections of a slab than the variability of loads. It is therefore particularly important to reduce the coefficient of variation of the load capacity. One of the methods contemplates the truncation of the bearing capacity distribution by pre-culling the construction material.

  8. Finite-Element Investigation of the Structural Behavior of Basalt Fiber Reinforced Polymer (BFRP- Reinforced Self-Compacting Concrete (SCC Decks Slabs in Thompson Bridge

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lingzhu Zhou

    2018-06-01

    Full Text Available The need for a sustainable development and improved whole life performance of concrete infrastructure has led to the requirement of more durable and sustainable concrete bridges alongside accurate predictive analysis tools. Using the combination of Self-Compacting Concrete (SCC with industrial by-products and fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP, reinforcement is anticipated to address the concerns of high carbon footprint and corrosion in traditional steel-reinforced concrete structures. This paper presents a numerical investigation of the structural behavior of basalt fiber-reinforced polymer (BFRP-reinforced SCC deck slabs in a real bridge, named Thompson Bridge, constructed in Northern Ireland, U.K. A non-linear finite element (FE model is proposed by using ABAQUS 6.10 in this study, which is aimed at extending the previous investigation of the field test in Thompson Bridge. The results of this field test were used to validate the accuracy of the proposed finite element model. The results showed good agreement between the test results and the numerical results; more importantly, the compressive membrane action (CMA inside the slabs could be well demonstrated by this FE model. Subsequently, a series of parametric studies was conducted to investigate the influence of different parameters on the structural performance of the deck slabs in Thompson Bridge. The results of the analyses are discussed, and conclusions on the behavior of the SCC deck slabs reinforced by BFRP bars are presented.

  9. Structural boundary perception in popular music.

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Bruderer, M.J.; McKinney, M.F.; Kohlrausch, A.G.

    2006-01-01

    The automatic extraction of musical structure from audio is an important aspect for many music information retrieval (MIR) systems. The criteria on which structural elements in music are defined in MIR systems is often not clearly stated but typically stem from (music) theoretical or signal-based

  10. Dynamics of water around the complex structures formed between the KH domains of far upstream element binding protein and single-stranded DNA molecules

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Chakraborty, Kaushik; Bandyopadhyay, Sanjoy, E-mail: sanjoy@chem.iitkgp.ernet.in [Molecular Modeling Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur 721302 (India)

    2015-07-28

    Single-stranded DNA (ss-DNA) binding proteins specifically bind to the single-stranded regions of the DNA and protect it from premature annealing, thereby stabilizing the DNA structure. We have carried out atomistic molecular dynamics simulations of the aqueous solutions of two DNA binding K homology (KH) domains (KH3 and KH4) of the far upstream element binding protein complexed with two short ss-DNA segments. Attempts have been made to explore the influence of the formation of such complex structures on the microscopic dynamics and hydrogen bond properties of the interfacial water molecules. It is found that the water molecules involved in bridging the ss-DNA segments and the protein domains form a highly constrained thin layer with extremely retarded mobility. These water molecules play important roles in freezing the conformational oscillations of the ss-DNA oligomers and thereby forming rigid complex structures. Further, it is demonstrated that the effect of complexation on the slow long-time relaxations of hydrogen bonds at the interface is correlated with hindered motions of the surrounding water molecules. Importantly, it is observed that the highly restricted motions of the water molecules bridging the protein and the DNA components in the complexed forms originate from more frequent hydrogen bond reformations.

  11. Photoelectron spectra and electronic structure of β-diketonates of p- and d-elements

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vovna, V.I.; Andreev, V.A.; Cherednichenko, A.I.

    1990-01-01

    Consideration is given to results of studying electronic structure of β-diketonates of metals and β-diketones by the method of gas-phase photoelectron spectroscopy. Manifestation of covalence of metal-ligand bonds in PE spectra and change of covalence in series and groups of d-elements of the periodic table are analysed. It is shown that ionization energy of outer valence electrons doesn't reflect in all cases effective charges of ligands, due to the influence of molecular potential. 35 refs.; 7 figs.; 12 tabs

  12. Random lock-in intervals for tubular structural elements subject to simulated natural wind

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Christensen, Claus F.; Ditlevsen, Ove Dalager

    1999-01-01

    The paper reports on wind tunnel experiments with an elastically suspended circular cylinder vibrating under the excitation of natural wind of high turbulence degree. The natural wind turbulence was simulated bysuperposing the low frequency part of the natural wind turbulence on the background high...... structural elements subject to thenatural wind. The engineering relevance of the investigation is supported by comparing with the unrealistic highlyconservative rules of wind induced fatique commonly given in codes of practice. The stochastic lock-in model aswell as the related fatigue calculation procedure...

  13. The Associative Structure of Memory for Multi-Element Events

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-01-01

    The hippocampus is thought to be an associative memory “convergence zone,” binding together the multimodal elements of an experienced event into a single engram. This predicts a degree of dependency between the retrieval of the different elements comprising an event. We present data from a series of studies designed to address this prediction. Participants vividly imagined a series of person–location–object events, and memory for these events was assessed across multiple trials of cued retrieval. Consistent with the prediction, a significant level of dependency was found between the retrieval of different elements from the same event. Furthermore, the level of dependency was sensitive both to retrieval task, with higher dependency during cued recall than cued recognition, and to subjective confidence. We propose a simple model, in which events are stored as multiple pairwise associations between individual event elements, and dependency is captured by a common factor that varies across events. This factor may relate to between-events modulation of the strength of encoding, or to a process of within-event “pattern completion” at retrieval. The model predicts the quantitative pattern of dependency in the data when changes in the level of guessing with retrieval task and confidence are taken into account. Thus, we find direct behavioral support for the idea that memory for complex multimodal events depends on the pairwise associations of their constituent elements and that retrieval of the various elements corresponding to the same event reflects a common factor that varies from event to event. PMID:23915127

  14. The importance of asking "how and why?" in natural product structure elucidation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brown, Patrick D; Lawrence, Andrew L

    2017-10-18

    Covering: up to 2017This review highlights why careful consideration of the biosynthetic origin (the how) and the biological function (the why) of a natural product can be so useful during the determination of its structure. Recent examples of structural reassignments inspired by biosynthetic and functional insights will be presented. This review will demonstrate the importance of viewing the origin, structure and function of a natural product as intertwined threads of a single story, best viewed as a whole rather than as discrete topics.

  15. Investigation of the two-element airfoil with flap structure for the vertical axis wind turbine

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wei, Y; Li, C

    2013-01-01

    The aerodynamic performance of Vertical axis wind turbine (VAWT) is not as simple as its structure because of the large changing range of angle of attack. We have designed a new kind of two-element airfoil for VAWT on the basis of NACA0012. CFD calculation has been confirmed to have high accuracy by comparison with the experiment data and Xfoil result. The aerodynamic parameter of two-element airfoil has been acquired by CFD calculation in using the Spalart-Allmaras (S-A) turbulence model and the Simple scheme. The relationship between changings of angle of attack and flap's tilt angle has been found and quantified. The analysis will lay the foundation for further research on the control method for VAWT

  16. Use of molybdenum as a structural material of fuel elements for improving nuclear reactors safety

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Shmelev, Anatoly N.; Kulikov, Gennady G.; Kozhahmet, Bauyrzhan K.; Kulikov, Evgeny G.; Apse, Vladimir A. [National Research Nuclear Univ., Moscow (Russian Federation). Moscow Engineering Physics Institute (MEPhI)

    2016-12-15

    Main purpose of the study is justifying the use of molybdenum as a structural material of fuel elements for improving the safety of nuclear reactors. Particularity of the used molybdenum is that its isotopic composition corresponds to molybdenum, which is obtained as tailing during operation of the separation cascade for producing a material for medical diagnostics of cancer. The following results were obtained: A method for reducing the thermal constant of fuel elements for light water and fast reactors by using dispersion fuel in cylindrical fuel rods containing, for example, granules of metallic U-Mo-alloy into Mo-matrix was proposed; the necessity of molybdenum enrichment by weakly absorbing isotopes was shown; total use of isotopic molybdenum will be more than 50 %.

  17. ON ASSESSMNENT OF PHYSICAL WEAR IN ELEMENTS OF TECHNICAL DEVICES

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    S. N. Osipov

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Real assessment of wear in technical devices, construction structures, minings, their elements and connections is of great importance for provision of operational security and efficiency. Natural properties of the overwhelming majority of materials follow to probabilistic (stochastic laws due to various reasons (external influence, processing technologies and others. An assessment of physical wear rate of buildings and structures and their elements is carried out in the former republics of the USSR mainly in accordance with external physical signs (deflections, cracks, layer separations, etc. but wear percentage is often calculated on the basis of replacement cost in comparison with the initial one even without taking into account inflation which did not officially exist in the USSR. In this case destruction or failure of structure or their elements are considered as 100 % wear.The paper proposes a new methodology for assessment of physical wear rate in accordance with probability ratio of nofailure operation (reliability, minimum ratio is assigned to admissible limit value in conformity with technical requirements for the technical devices, construction structures, minings in question, their elements and connections. In this context minimum permissible wear probability (reliability is taken as 100 % wear rate and its initial index is considered as 0 % wear rate. That is why wear intensity in time depends on type of value probability distribution while determining the rate of physical property. The proposed methodology is intended for probabilistic wear assessment in case of relatively simple changes in strength properties of materials (for example, within the elastic limit.

  18. Nonlinear dynamics of solitary and optically injected two-element laser arrays with four different waveguide structures: a numerical study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Nianqiang; Susanto, H; Cemlyn, B R; Henning, I D; Adams, M J

    2018-02-19

    We study the nonlinear dynamics of solitary and optically injected two-element laser arrays with a range of waveguide structures. The analysis is performed with a detailed direct numerical simulation, where high-resolution dynamic maps are generated to identify regions of dynamic instability in the parameter space of interest. Our combined one- and two-parameter bifurcation analysis uncovers globally diverse dynamical regimes (steady-state, oscillation, and chaos) in the solitary laser arrays, which are greatly influenced by static design waveguiding structures, the amplitude-phase coupling factor of the electric field, i.e. the linewidth-enhancement factor, as well as the control parameter, e.g. the pump rate. When external optical injection is introduced to one element of the arrays, we show that the whole system can be either injection-locked simultaneously or display rich, different dynamics outside the locking region. The effect of optical injection is to significantly modify the nature and the regions of nonlinear dynamics from those found in the solitary case. We also show similarities and differences (asymmetry) between the oscillation amplitude of the two elements of the array in specific well-defined regions, which hold for all the waveguiding structures considered. Our findings pave the way to a better understanding of dynamic instability in large arrays of lasers.

  19. The frequency-dependent elements in the code SASSI: A bridge between civil engineers and the soil-structure interaction specialists

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tyapin, Alexander

    2007-01-01

    After four decades of the intensive studies of the soil-structure interaction (SSI) effects in the field of the NPP seismic analysis there is a certain gap between the SSI specialists and civil engineers. The results obtained using the advanced SSI codes like SASSI are often rather far from the results obtained using general codes (though match the experimental and field data). The reasons for the discrepancies are not clear because none of the parties can recall the results of the 'other party' and investigate the influence of various factors causing the difference step by step. As a result, civil engineers neither feel the SSI effects, nor control them. The author believes that the SSI specialists should do the first step forward (a) recalling 'viscous' damping in the structures versus the 'material' one and (b) convoluting all the SSI wave effects into the format of 'soil springs and dashpots', more or less clear for civil engineers. The tool for both tasks could be a special finite element with frequency-dependent stiffness developed by the author for the code SASSI. This element can represent both soil and structure in the SSI model and help to split various factors influencing seismic response. In the paper the theory and some practical issues concerning the new element are presented

  20. Investigation of the overconsolidation and structural behavior of Shanghai clays by element testing and constitutive modeling

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Guan-lin Ye

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available The mechanical properties and constitutive modeling of Shanghai clays are very important for numerical analysis on geotechnical engineering in Shanghai, where continuous layers of soft clays run 30–40 m deep. The clays are divided into 5 major layers. A series of laboratory tests are carried out to investigate their mechanical properties. The top and bottom layers are overconsolidated hard clays, and the middle layers are normally consolidated or lightly overconsolidated sensitive marine clays. A constitutive model, which can describe the overconsolidation and structure of soils using only 8 parameters, is modified to simulate the test results. A rational procedure to determine the values of the material parameters and initial conditions is also proposed. The model is able to effectively reproduce both one-dimensional (1D consolidation and drained/undrained triaxial test results of Shanghai clays, with one set of parameters for each layer. From element testing and constitutive modeling, two findings are obtained. First, the decay rates of overconsolidation are smaller in overconsolidated layers than in normally consolidated layers. Second, the natural microstructure of layer 4 is relatively stable, that is, a large degree of structure is still maintained in the specimen even after 1D consolidation and drained triaxial tests. The modified model and obtained parameter values can be used for numerical analysis of geotechnical projects in Shanghai.

  1. Deciphering complex dynamics of water counteraction around secondary structural elements of allosteric protein complex: Case study of SAP-SLAM system in signal transduction cascade.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Samanta, Sudipta; Mukherjee, Sanchita

    2018-01-28

    The first hydration shell of a protein exhibits heterogeneous behavior owing to several attributes, majorly local polarity and structural flexibility as revealed by solvation dynamics of secondary structural elements. We attempt to recognize the change in complex water counteraction generated due to substantial alteration in flexibility during protein complex formation. The investigation is carried out with the signaling lymphocytic activation molecule (SLAM) family of receptors, expressed by an array of immune cells, and interacting with SLAM-associated protein (SAP), composed of one SH2 domain. All atom molecular dynamics simulations are employed to the aqueous solutions of free SAP and SLAM-peptide bound SAP. We observed that water dynamics around different secondary structural elements became highly affected as well as nicely correlated with the SLAM-peptide induced change in structural rigidity obtained by thermodynamic quantification. A few instances of contradictory dynamic features of water to the change in structural flexibility are explained by means of occluded polar residues by the peptide. For βD, EFloop, and BGloop, both structural flexibility and solvent accessibility of the residues confirm the obvious contribution. Most importantly, we have quantified enhanced restriction in water dynamics around the second Fyn-binding site of the SAP due to SAP-SLAM complexation, even prior to the presence of Fyn. This observation leads to a novel argument that SLAM induced more restricted water molecules could offer more water entropic contribution during the subsequent Fyn binding and provide enhanced stability to the SAP-Fyn complex in the signaling cascade. Finally, SLAM induced water counteraction around the second binding site of the SAP sheds light on the allosteric property of the SAP, which becomes an integral part of the underlying signal transduction mechanism.

  2. Deciphering complex dynamics of water counteraction around secondary structural elements of allosteric protein complex: Case study of SAP-SLAM system in signal transduction cascade

    Science.gov (United States)

    Samanta, Sudipta; Mukherjee, Sanchita

    2018-01-01

    The first hydration shell of a protein exhibits heterogeneous behavior owing to several attributes, majorly local polarity and structural flexibility as revealed by solvation dynamics of secondary structural elements. We attempt to recognize the change in complex water counteraction generated due to substantial alteration in flexibility during protein complex formation. The investigation is carried out with the signaling lymphocytic activation molecule (SLAM) family of receptors, expressed by an array of immune cells, and interacting with SLAM-associated protein (SAP), composed of one SH2 domain. All atom molecular dynamics simulations are employed to the aqueous solutions of free SAP and SLAM-peptide bound SAP. We observed that water dynamics around different secondary structural elements became highly affected as well as nicely correlated with the SLAM-peptide induced change in structural rigidity obtained by thermodynamic quantification. A few instances of contradictory dynamic features of water to the change in structural flexibility are explained by means of occluded polar residues by the peptide. For βD, EFloop, and BGloop, both structural flexibility and solvent accessibility of the residues confirm the obvious contribution. Most importantly, we have quantified enhanced restriction in water dynamics around the second Fyn-binding site of the SAP due to SAP-SLAM complexation, even prior to the presence of Fyn. This observation leads to a novel argument that SLAM induced more restricted water molecules could offer more water entropic contribution during the subsequent Fyn binding and provide enhanced stability to the SAP-Fyn complex in the signaling cascade. Finally, SLAM induced water counteraction around the second binding site of the SAP sheds light on the allosteric property of the SAP, which becomes an integral part of the underlying signal transduction mechanism.

  3. A finite-element for the analysis of shell intersections

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Koves, W.J.; Nair, S.

    1994-01-01

    The analysis of discontinuity stresses at shell intersections is a problem of great importance in several major industries. Some of the major areas of interest are pressure-containing equipment, such as reactors and piping, in the nuclear and fossil power industry; pressure vessels and heat exchangers in the petrochemical industry; bracing in offshore oil platforms; and aerospace structures. A specialized shell-intersection finite element, which is compatible with adjoining shell elements, has been developed that has the capability of physically representing the complex three-dimensional geometry and stress state at shell intersections. The element geometry is a contoured shape that matches a wide variety of practical nozzle configurations used in ASME Code pressure vessel construction, and allows computational rigor. A closed-form theory of elasticity solution was used to compute the stress state and strain energy in the element. The concept of an energy-equivalent nodal displacement and force vector set was then developed to allow complete compatibility with adjoining shell elements and retain the analytical rigor within the element. This methodology provides a powerful and robust computation scheme that maintains the computational efficiency of shell element solutions. The shell-intersection element was then applied to the cylinder-sphere and cylinder-cylinder intersection problems

  4. On constitutive modelling in finite element analysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bathe, K.J.; Snyder, M.D.; Cleary, M.P.

    1979-01-01

    This compact contains a brief introduction to the problems involved in constitutive modeling as well as an outline of the final paper to be submitted. Attention is focussed on three important areas: (1) the need for using theoretically sound material models and the importance of recognizing the limitations of the models, (2) the problem of developing stable and effective numerical representations of the models, and (3) the necessity for selection of an appropriate finite element mesh that can capture the actual physical response of the complete structure. In the final paper, we will be presenting our recent research results pertaining to each of these problem areas. (orig.)

  5. Multilayer photosensitive structures based on porous silicon and rare-earth-element compounds: Study of spectral characteristics

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kirsanov, N. Yu.; Latukhina, N. V., E-mail: natalat@yandex.ru; Lizunkova, D. A.; Rogozhina, G. A. [Samara National Research University (Russian Federation); Stepikhova, M. V. [Russian Academy of Sciences, Institute for Physics of Microstructures (Russian Federation)

    2017-03-15

    The spectral characteristics of the specular reflectance, photosensitivity, and photoluminescence (PL) of multilayer structures based on porous silicon with rare-earth-element (REE) ions are investigated. It is shown that the photosensitivity of these structures in the wavelength range of 0.4–1.0 μm is higher than in structures free of REEs. The structures with Er{sup 3+} ions exhibit a luminescence response at room temperature in the spectral range from 1.1 to 1.7 μm. The PL spectrum of the erbium impurity is characterized by a fine line structure, which is determined by the splitting of the {sup 4}I{sub 15/2} multiplet of the Er{sup 3+} ion. It is shown that the structures with a porous layer on the working surface have a much lower reflectance in the entire spectral range under study (0.2–1.0 μm).

  6. Testing the big bang: Light elements, neutrinos, dark matter and large-scale structure

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Schramm, D.N. (Chicago Univ., IL (United States) Fermi National Accelerator Lab., Batavia, IL (United States))

    1991-06-01

    In this series of lectures, several experimental and observational tests of the standard cosmological model are examined. In particular, detailed discussion is presented regarding nucleosynthesis, the light element abundances and neutrino counting; the dark matter problems; and the formation of galaxies and large-scale structure. Comments will also be made on the possible implications of the recent solar neutrino experimental results for cosmology. An appendix briefly discusses the 17 keV thing'' and the cosmological and astrophysical constraints on it. 126 refs., 8 figs., 2 tabs.

  7. Accounting for China's import growth : a structural decomposition for 1997-2005

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Pei, Jiansuo; Dietzenbacher, Erik; Oosterhaven, Jan; Yang, Cuihong

    2011-01-01

    This paper applies structural decomposition analysis to Chinese input-output tables in order to disentangle and quantify the sources of China's import growth and China's growth in vertical specialization: that is, China's incorporation into the global supply chain. China's exports and the role of

  8. Variable ordering structures in vector optimization

    CERN Document Server

    Eichfelder, Gabriele

    2014-01-01

    This book provides an introduction to vector optimization with variable ordering structures, i.e., to optimization problems with a vector-valued objective function where the elements in the objective space are compared based on a variable ordering structure: instead of a partial ordering defined by a convex cone, we see a whole family of convex cones, one attached to each element of the objective space. The book starts by presenting several applications that have recently sparked new interest in these optimization problems, and goes on to discuss fundamentals and important results on a wide ra

  9. Analysis of the Toxic Element Concentrations in the Mesozoic Siliceous Rocks in Terms of the Raw Material Importance

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pękala, Agnieszka

    2017-10-01

    increased concentration of cadmium and arsenic should be considered as an important information in resource research of the studied rocks. The both elements belong to the easily soluble elements as a result of weathering processes. Cadmium is one of the most dangerous toxicological environmental elements. It is easily absorbed and relatively long stopped in humans and animal’s organism. It also seems that the increased concentration in the siliceous rocks results from the nature of the lignite from the Bełchatów lignite deposit, outstanding higher cadmium content in relation to the observed lignite of the world.

  10. Estimation of suppliers as an important element of the rationalization of supply processes – case study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    2011-06-01

    Full Text Available To increase the efficiency of the business in times of the globalization and increasing competition, the management of the companies looks for opportunities to achieve higher incomes or to reduce the costs of inputs. One of possible methods to obtain higher efficiency is to put the emphasize on the relationships with suppliers. This is very important element of an effective management of the company, because by determining the economical conditions of the cooperation, it is possibly to reduce the cost of business activities. The reliable classification of the suppliers is depended on the level of the detail of an assessment criteria and the scoring method. The main problem is the risk of the objective estimation of individual offers received from the suppliers. For this reason, the classification of suppliers is one of the key problems of the logistics controlling. Based on practical example, this paper presents the complexity of the problem of the classifications and the selection of suppliers according to different hierarchy of the importance of various criteria.

  11. Exploration of multi-fold symmetry element-loaded superconducting radio frequency structure for reliable acceleration of low- & medium-beta ion species

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Huang, Shichun; Geng, Rongli

    2015-09-01

    Reliable acceleration of low- to medium-beta proton or heavy ion species is needed for future high-current superconducting radio frequency (SRF) accelerators. Due to the high-Q nature of an SRF resonator, it is sensitive to many factors such as electron loading (from either the accelerated beam or from parasitic field emitted electrons), mechanical vibration, and liquid helium bath pressure fluctuation etc. To increase the stability against those factors, a mechanically strong and stable RF structure is desirable. Guided by this consideration, multi-fold symmetry element-loaded SRF structures (MFSEL), cylindrical tanks with multiple (n>=3) rod-shaped radial elements, are being explored. The top goal of its optimization is to improve mechanical stability. A natural consequence of this structure is a lowered ratio of the peak surface electromagnetic field to the acceleration gradient as compared to the traditional spoke cavity. A disadvantage of this new structure is an increased size for a fixed resonant frequency and optimal beta. This paper describes the optimization of the electro-magnetic (EM) design and preliminary mechanical analysis for such structures.

  12. The importance of landscape and spatial structure for hymenopteran-based food webs in an agro-ecosystem.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fabian, Yvonne; Sandau, Nadine; Bruggisser, Odile T; Aebi, Alex; Kehrli, Patrik; Rohr, Rudolf P; Naisbit, Russell E; Bersier, Louis-Félix

    2013-11-01

    1. Understanding the environmental factors that structure biodiversity and food webs among communities is central to assess and mitigate the impact of landscape changes. 2. Wildflower strips are ecological compensation areas established in farmland to increase pollination services and biological control of crop pests and to conserve insect diversity. They are arranged in networks in order to favour high species richness and abundance of the fauna. 3. We describe results from experimental wildflower strips in a fragmented agricultural landscape, comparing the importance of landscape, of spatial arrangement and of vegetation on the diversity and abundance of trap-nesting bees, wasps and their enemies, and the structure of their food webs. 4. The proportion of forest cover close to the wildflower strips and the landscape heterogeneity stood out as the most influential landscape elements, resulting in a more complex trap-nest community with higher abundance and richness of hosts, and with more links between species in the food webs and a higher diversity of interactions. We disentangled the underlying mechanisms for variation in these quantitative food web metrics. 5. We conclude that in order to increase the diversity and abundance of pollinators and biological control agents and to favour a potentially stable community of cavity-nesting hymenoptera in wildflower strips, more investment is needed in the conservation and establishment of forest habitats within agro-ecosystems, as a reservoir of beneficial insect populations. © 2013 The Authors. Journal of Animal Ecology © 2013 British Ecological Society.

  13. Effect of elemental composition of ion beam on the phase formation and surface strengthening of structural materials

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Avdienko, K.I.; Avdienko, A.A.; Kovalenko, I.A.

    2001-01-01

    The investigation results are reported on the influence of ion beam element composition on phase formation, wear resistance and microhardness of surface layers of titanium alloys VT-4 and VT-16 as well as stainless steel 12Kh18N10T implanted with nitrogen, oxygen and boron. It is stated that ion implantation into structural materials results in surface hardening and is directly dependent on element composition of implanted ion beam. The presence of oxygen in boron or nitrogen ion beams prevents the formation of boride and nitride phases thus decreasing a hardening effect [ru

  14. Electrical engineering design using characterized elements; Conception en genie electrique a l'aide d'elements caracterises

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Demni, H.E.

    2004-10-15

    This work treats systematic design of energy transformation structures used in Electrical Engineering. We propose an approach dedicated to design by association of characterized elements. Starting from a set of specifications, the designer has to define a coherent structure by assembling predefined elements. Within this framework, we adopt a characterization approach that takes into account various criteria necessary for design. Then, this approach allowed us to develop methodologies for designing electric energy transformation structures. These methodologies were used to implement a software application based on three tools: a data base as an elements library, a graphic tool allowing the construction of energy transformation structures, an expert module which helps the designer in his work. (author)

  15. NIH Common Data Elements Repository

    Data.gov (United States)

    U.S. Department of Health & Human Services — The NIH Common Data Elements (CDE) Repository has been designed to provide access to structured human and machine-readable definitions of data elements that have...

  16. Ulysses transposable element of Drosophila shows high structural similarities to functional domains of retroviruses.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Evgen'ev, M B; Corces, V G; Lankenau, D H

    1992-06-05

    We have determined the DNA structure of the Ulysses transposable element of Drosophila virilis and found that this transposon is 10,653 bp and is flanked by two unusually large direct repeats 2136 bp long. Ulysses shows the characteristic organization of LTR-containing retrotransposons, with matrix and capsid protein domains encoded in the first open reading frame. In addition, Ulysses contains protease, reverse transcriptase, RNase H and integrase domains encoded in the second open reading frame. Ulysses lacks a third open reading frame present in some retrotransposons that could encode an env-like protein. A dendrogram analysis based on multiple alignments of the protease, reverse transcriptase, RNase H, integrase and tRNA primer binding site of all known Drosophila LTR-containing retrotransposon sequences establishes a phylogenetic relationship of Ulysses to other retrotransposons and suggests that Ulysses belongs to a new family of this type of elements.

  17. The analytical solution to the problem on the temperature field in a structural element of rectangular profile for third kind boundary conditions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kulich, N.V.; Nemtsev, V.A.

    1986-01-01

    The analytical solution to the problem on the stationary temperature field in an infinite structural element of rectangular profile characteristic of the conjugation points of a vessel and a tube sheet of a heat exchanger (or of a finned surface) at the third-kind boundary conditions has been obtained by the methods of the complex variable function theory. With the help of the obtained analytical dependences the calculations of the given element of the design and the comparison with the known data have been conducted. The proposed analytical solution can be effectively used in calculations of temperature fields in finned surfaces and structural elements of the power equipment of the considered profile and the method is applied for solution of the like problems

  18. Sacroiliac joint pain as an important element of psoriatic arthritis diagnosis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Krawczyk-Wasielewska, Agnieszka; Skorupska, Elżbieta; Samborski, Włodzimierz

    2013-04-01

    Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is a chronic inflammatory disease characterized by the coexistence of arthritis with psoriasis of the skin and nails. The sacroiliac joints were observed in 34-78% of patients with psoriatic arthritis. Due to such a high prevalence of SIJ dysfunction, understanding pathophysiology of pain and the associated pain pattern becomes a very important aspect of PsA diagnosis. As far as the etiology of SI joint dysfunction is concerned, it has not been disambiguated yet. Among the main causative factors, injuries and strains of the structures surrounding the joint are noted. Joint pathology usually manifests itself by pain occurring within the area of the joint. The causes of pain may be divided into two categories: intra-articular and extra-articular. Pain caused by the SI joint may be nociceptive or neural in nature, whereas the pain pattern characteristic of the joint correlates with its innervation and is consistent with S2 dorsal rami.

  19. Elemental and structural studies at the bone-cartilage interface

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kaabar, W., E-mail: w.kaabar@surrey.ac.uk [Department of Physics, University of Surrey, Guildford GU2 7XH (United Kingdom); Daar, E. [Department of Physics, University of Surrey, Guildford GU2 7XH (United Kingdom); Bunk, O. [Swiss Light Source, Paul Scherrer Institute, 5232 Villigen (Switzerland); Farquharson, M.J. [Department of Medical Physics and Applied Radiation Sciences, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, Ontario, L8S 4K1 (Canada); Laklouk, A. [Al-Fateh University, Tripoli (Libya); Bailey, M.; Jeynes, C. [Surrey Ion Beam Centre, University of Surrey, Guildford GU2 7XH (United Kingdom); Gundogdu, O. [Umuttepe Campus, University of Kocaeli, 41380 Kocaeli (Turkey); Bradley, D.A. [Department of Physics, University of Surrey, Guildford GU2 7XH (United Kingdom)

    2011-10-01

    Micro-Proton Induced X-ray Emission ({mu}-PIXE) and Proton Induced Gamma-ray Emission (PIGE) techniques were employed in the investigation of trace and essential elements distribution in normal and diseased human femoral head sections affected by osteoarthritis (OA). PIGE was exploited in the determination of elements of low atomic number z<15 such as Na and F whereas elements with z>15 viz Ca, Z, P and S were determined by PIXE. Accumulations of key elements in the bone and cartilage sections were observed, significant S and Na concentrations being found in the cartilage region particularly in normal tissues. Zn showed enhanced concentrations at the bone-cartilage interface. At a synchrotron facility, small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) was utilized on a decalcified human femoral head section affected by OA, direct measurements being made of spatial alterations of collagen fibres. The SAXS results showed a slight decrease in the axial periodicity between normal collagen type I and that in diseased tissue in various sites, in contrast with the findings of others.

  20. Preliminary estimates of the quantities of rare-earth elements contained in selected products and in imports of semimanufactured products to the United States, 2010

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bleiwas, Donald I.; Gambogi, Joseph

    2013-01-01

    Rare-earth elements (REEs) are contained in a wide range of products of economic and strategic importance to the Nation. The REEs may or may not represent a significant component of that product by mass, value, or volume; however, in many cases, the embedded REEs are critical for the device’s function. Domestic sources of primary supply and the manufacturing facilities to produce products are inadequate to meet U.S. requirements; therefore, a significant percentage of the supply of REEs and the products that contain them are imported to the United States. In 2011, mines in China produced roughly 97 percent of the world’s supply of REEs, and the country’s production of these elements will likely dominate global supply until at least 2020. Preliminary estimates of the types and amount of rare-earth elements, reported as oxides, in semimanufactured form and the amounts used for electric vehicle batteries, catalytic converters, computers, and other applications were developed to provide a perspective on the Nation’s use of these elements. The amount of rare-earth metals recovered from recycling, remanufacturing, and reuse is negligible when the tonnage of products that contain REEs deposited in landfills and retained in storage is considered. Under favorable market conditions, the recovery of REEs from obsolete products could potentially displace a portion of the supply from primary sources.

  1. Improving Stiffness-to-weight Ratio of Spot-welded Structures based upon Nonlinear Finite Element Modelling

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Shengyong

    2017-07-01

    Spot welding has been widely used for vehicle body construction due to its advantages of high speed and adaptability for automation. An effort to increase the stiffness-to-weight ratio of spot-welded structures is investigated based upon nonlinear finite element analysis. Topology optimization is conducted for reducing weight in the overlapping regions by choosing an appropriate topology. Three spot-welded models (lap, doubt-hat and T-shape) that approximate “typical” vehicle body components are studied for validating and illustrating the proposed method. It is concluded that removing underutilized material from overlapping regions can result in a significant increase in structural stiffness-to-weight ratio.

  2. Essential elements of an early intervention service for psychosis: the opinions of expert clinicians

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lewis Shôn

    2004-07-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Early intervention teams attempt to improve outcome in schizophrenia through earlier detection and the provision of phase-specific treatments. Whilst the number of early intervention teams is growing, there is a lack of clarity over their essential structural and functional elements. Methods A 'Delphi' exercise was carried out to identify how far there was consensus on the essential elements of early intervention teams in a group of 21 UK expert clinicians. Using published guidelines, an initial list was constructed containing 151 elements from ten categories of team structure and function. Results Overall there was expert consensus on the importance of 136 (90% of these elements. Of the items on which there was consensus, 106 (70.2% were rated essential, meaning that in their absence the functioning of the team would be severely impaired. Conclusion This degree of consensus over essential elements suggests that it is reasonable to define a model for UK early intervention teams, from which a measure of fidelity could be derived.

  3. Full scale seismic simulation of a nuclear reactor with parallel finite element analysis code for assembled structure

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yamada, Tomonori

    2010-01-01

    The safety requirement of nuclear power plant attracts much attention nowadays. With the growing computing power, numerical simulation is one of key technologies to meet this safety requirement. Center for Computational Science and e-Systems of Japan Atomic Energy Agency has been developing a finite element analysis code for assembled structure to accurately evaluate the structural integrity of nuclear power plant in its entirety under seismic events. Because nuclear power plant is very huge assembled structure with tens of millions of mechanical components, the finite element model of each component is assembled into one structure and non-conforming meshes of mechanical components are bonded together inside the code. The main technique to bond these mechanical components is triple sparse matrix multiplication with multiple point constrains and global stiffness matrix. In our code, this procedure is conducted in a component by component manner, so that the working memory size and computing time for this multiplication are available on the current computing environment. As an illustrative example, seismic simulation of a real nuclear reactor of High Temperature engineering Test Reactor, which is located at the O-arai research and development center of JAEA, with 80 major mechanical components was conducted. Consequently, our code successfully simulated detailed elasto-plastic deformation of nuclear reactor and its computational performance was investigated. (author)

  4. Linking advanced fracture models to structural analysis

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Chiesa, Matteo

    2001-07-01

    Shell structures with defects occur in many situations. The defects are usually introduced during the welding process necessary for joining different parts of the structure. Higher utilization of structural materials leads to a need for accurate numerical tools for reliable prediction of structural response. The direct discretization of the cracked shell structure with solid finite elements in order to perform an integrity assessment of the structure in question leads to large size problems, and makes such analysis infeasible in structural application. In this study a link between local material models and structural analysis is outlined. An ''ad hoc'' element formulation is used in order to connect complex material models to the finite element framework used for structural analysis. An improved elasto-plastic line spring finite element formulation, used in order to take cracks into account, is linked to shell elements which are further linked to beam elements. In this way one obtain a global model of the shell structure that also accounts for local flexibilities and fractures due to defects. An important advantage with such an approach is a direct fracture mechanics assessment e.g. via computed J-integral or CTOD. A recent development in this approach is the notion of two-parameter fracture assessment. This means that the crack tip stress tri-axiality (constraint) is employed in determining the corresponding fracture toughness, giving a much more realistic capacity of cracked structures. The present thesis is organized in six research articles and an introductory chapter that reviews important background literature related to this work. Paper I and II address the performance of shell and line spring finite elements as a cost effective tool for performing the numerical calculation needed to perform a fracture assessment. In Paper II a failure assessment, based on the testing of a constraint-corrected fracture mechanics specimen under tension, is

  5. Analysis of wave motion in one-dimensional structures through fast-Fourier-transform-based wavelet finite element method

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shen, Wei; Li, Dongsheng; Zhang, Shuaifang; Ou, Jinping

    2017-07-01

    This paper presents a hybrid method that combines the B-spline wavelet on the interval (BSWI) finite element method and spectral analysis based on fast Fourier transform (FFT) to study wave propagation in One-Dimensional (1D) structures. BSWI scaling functions are utilized to approximate the theoretical wave solution in the spatial domain and construct a high-accuracy dynamic stiffness matrix. Dynamic reduction on element level is applied to eliminate the interior degrees of freedom of BSWI elements and substantially reduce the size of the system matrix. The dynamic equations of the system are then transformed and solved in the frequency domain through FFT-based spectral analysis which is especially suitable for parallel computation. A comparative analysis of four different finite element methods is conducted to demonstrate the validity and efficiency of the proposed method when utilized in high-frequency wave problems. Other numerical examples are utilized to simulate the influence of crack and delamination on wave propagation in 1D rods and beams. Finally, the errors caused by FFT and their corresponding solutions are presented.

  6. Assessment of Slope Stability and Interference of Structures Considering Seismity in Complex Engineering-Geological Conditions Using the Method of Finite Elements

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Menabdishvili, Papuna; Eremadze, Nelly

    2008-01-01

    There is elaborated the calculation model of slope deformation mode stability and the methodic of calculation considering the interference of structures to be built on it using the method of finite elements. There is examined the task of slope stability using the soil physically nonlinear finite element considering the seismicity 8. The deformation mode and field of coefficients of stability are obtained and slope supposed sliding curve is determined. The elaborated calculation methodic allows to determine the slope deformation mode, stability and select the optimum version of structure foundation at any slant and composition of slope layers

  7. Study of structural attachments of a pool type LMFBR vessel through seismic analysis of a simplified three dimensional finite element model

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ahmed, H.; Ma, D.

    1979-01-01

    A simplified three dimensional finite element model of a pool type LMFBR in conjunction with the computer program ANSYS is developed and scoping results of seismic analysis are produced. Through this study various structural attachments of a pool type LMFBR like the reactor vessel skirt support, the pump support and reactor shell-support structure interfaces are studied. This study also provides some useful results on equivalent viscous damping approach and some improvements to the treatment of equivalent viscous damping are recommended. This study also sets forth pertinent guidelines for detailed three dimensional finite element seismic analysis of pool type LMFBR

  8. ABOUT SOLUTION OF MULTIPOINT BOUNDARY PROBLEMS OF TWO-DIMENSIONAL STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS WITH THE USE OF COMBINED APPLICATION OF FINITE ELEMENT METHOD AND DISCRETE-CONTINUAL FINITE ELEMENT METHOD PART 2: SPECIAL ASPECTS OF FINITE ELEMENT APPROXIMATION

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pavel A. Akimov

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available As is well known, the formulation of a multipoint boundary problem involves three main components: a description of the domain occupied by the structure and the corresponding subdomains; description of the conditions inside the domain and inside the corresponding subdomains, the description of the conditions on the boundary of the domain, conditions on the boundaries between subdomains. This paper is a continuation of another work published earlier, in which the formulation and general principles of the approximation of the multipoint boundary problem of a static analysis of deep beam on the basis of the joint application of the finite element method and the discrete-continual finite element method were considered. It should be noted that the approximation within the fragments of a domain that have regular physical-geometric parameters along one of the directions is expedient to be carried out on the basis of the discrete-continual finite element method (DCFEM, and for the approximation of all other fragments it is necessary to use the standard finite element method (FEM. In the present publication, the formulas for the computing of displacements partial derivatives of displacements, strains and stresses within the finite element model (both within the finite element and the corresponding nodal values (with the use of averaging are presented. Boundary conditions between subdomains (respectively, discrete models and discrete-continual models and typical conditions such as “hinged support”, “free edge”, “perfect contact” (twelve basic (basic variants are available are under consideration as well. Governing formulas for computing of elements of the corresponding matrices of coefficients and vectors of the right-hand sides are given for each variant. All formulas are fully adapted for algorithmic implementation.

  9. Reference Asian man phase-2 entitled 'Ingestion and organ content of trace elements of importance in radiological protection'

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Akhter, P.; Hussain, M.; Orfi, S.D.; Atta, M.A.; Zaidi, J.H.; Arif, M.; Fatima, I.

    1998-01-01

    The second phase of Reference Asian Man project was started with the collaboration of IAEA to strengthen the radiation protection infra-structure of the country. In this regard dietary samples are being collected from various ecological areas of Pakistan. The sample collection is being made on market basket method. Four diet samples were collected, prepared and stored in the refrigerator for analysis with the help of Neutron Activation Analysis (NAA) . The stable radio nuclide of our interest are Sr, Cs, Th, U, I. The other minor, essential trace and toxic elements are Ca, K, Mg, Na, Cu, Fe, Mn, Sc, Zn, Cd, Hg, and Pb. (author)

  10. Directions for nuclear research in the transplutonium elements

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wilhelmy, J.B.; Chasman, R.R.; Friedman, A.M.; Ahmad, I.

    1983-01-01

    The study of the heavy nuclides has played a vital role in our understanding of the alpha decay process, nuclear fission, nuclear binding energies and the limits of nuclear stability. This study has led to the understanding of novel shape degrees of freedom, such as the very large quadrupole deformations associated with the fission isomer process, and the very recently discovered octupole deformation. The existence of these unique phenomena in the heavy element region is not accidental. Fission isomerism is due to the delicate balance between nuclear forces holding the nucleus together and Coulomb forces causing nuclear fission. Octupole deformation arises from the increasing strength of matrix elements with increasing oscillator shell. Both illustrate the unique features of the heavy element region. Fission studies have given us information about large collective aspects in nuclei and the importance that nuclear structural effects can play in altering these macro properties. A new class of atomic studies has become possible with the availability of heavy elements. With these isotopes, we are now able to produce electric fields of such magnitude that it becomes possible to spontaneously create positron-electron pairs in the vacuum. We have organized this presentation into three major sections: nuclear structure, fission studies and atomic studies of supercritical systems. In each we will try to emphasize the new directions which can benefit from the continued availability of isotopes supplied by the Trans-plutonium Production Program. 117 references

  11. Industry and agriculture: Elements of the economic profile of Kladovo municipality

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Miletić Radmila

    2006-01-01

    Full Text Available On the basis of spatial differentiation of the natural and socio-economic factors of development, we have seen the structural characteristics of the local industry and local agriculture, as two elements of the economy of Kladovo municipality, and the importance and role of these two elements in the spatial structure of the municipality. Particular attention was devoted in the course of this research, to the possibilities of intensifying the development of the less developed parts of the area. Activation of developmental potentials is directed towards a demographic revitalization and towards the establishment of a stable and progressive social-economic-ecological area, with an identity recognizable in the region. In that sense, we examine the inter-dependence of potentials limitations and risks for a more rapid future development of the municipality of Kladovo.

  12. Ecological System on Internet Learning:Elements and Structure%网络学习生态系统:要素与结构

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    郑绍红; 黄贵英

    2014-01-01

    The view of ecology has been an important analyzed vision field in the current scientific research.It is an important standpoint and starting point for education research to regard the education and its existing environment as an organic ecologic system and emphasize the re-lation and mutual function between education and environment.Ecological system on internet learning covers such four basic elements as physical environment,producer,consumer and decomposer.On the specific structural form,the ecological system on internet learning main-ly shows the spatial structure,time structure as well as nutrition structure.%生态学的视角已经成为当前科学研究中一个重要的分析视域,把教育与其存在环境视为一个有机的生态系统,强调教育与环境之间的联系和相互作用,是教育研究的一个重要立场和出发点。网络学习生态系统包含物质环境、生产者、消费者和分解者四个基本要素。在具体的结构形式上,网络学习生态系统的结构主要表现为空间结构、时间结构以及营养结构。

  13. Finite element random vibration method for soil-structure interaction analysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Romo-Organista, M.P.; Lysmer, J.; Seed, H.B.

    1977-01-01

    The authors present a method in which the seismic environment is defined directly in terms of the given design response spectrum. Response spectra cannot be used directly for random analysis, thus using extreme value theory a new procedure has been developed for converting the design response spectrum into a design power spectrum. This procedure is reversible and can also be used to compute response spectra the distribution of which can be expressed in terms of Confidence limits. Knowing the design power spctrum the resulting output power spectra and their statistical distribution can be computed by a response analysis of the soil-structure system in the frequency domain. Due to the complexity of soil structure systems, this is most conveniently done by the finite element method. Having obtained the power spectra for all motions in the system, these spectra can be used to determine other statistical information about the response such as maximum accelerations, stresses, bending moments, etc, all with appropriate confidence limits. This type of information is actually more useful for design than corresponding deterministic values. The authors have developed a computer program, PLUSH, which can perform the above procedures. Results obtained by the new method are in excellent agreement with the results of corresponding deterministic analysis. Furthermore, the probabilistic results can be obtained at a fraction of the cost of deterministic results

  14. Integrated non-destructive assessment of relevant structural elements of an Italian heritage site: the Carthusian monastery of Trisulti

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rainieri, C; Marra, A; Gargaro, D; Fabbrocino, G; Rainieri, G M; Pepe, M

    2015-01-01

    The analysis of historical structures in need of preservation and restoration interventions is a very complex task due to the large uncertainties in the characterization of structural properties and detailing in view of the structural response. Moreover, the predictive performance of numerical analyses and simulations depend on the availability of information about the constructional properties of the architectural complex, crack patterns and active degradation phenomena. In particular, local changes in material properties or damage due to past events (such as earthquakes) can affect individual structural elements. They can be hardly detected as a result of the maintenance interventions carried out over the centuries and the possibility to carry out limited or even no destructive investigations due to the historical relevance of the structure. Thus, non-destructive investigations play a fundamental role in the assessment of historical structures minimizing, at the same time, the invasiveness of interventions. The present paper deals with an explanatory case study concerning the structural investigations carried out in view of the seismic assessment of an Italian historical monument, the Carthusian monastery of Trisulti in Collepardo, erected in 1204 under Pope Innocenzo HI. The relevance of the case study is due to the application, in combination, of different NDT methods, such as sonic tests, and active and passive infrared thermography, in order to characterize relevant masonry elements. Moreover, an advanced system for the in-situ nondestructive vibration-based estimation of the tensile loads in ancient tie-rods is described and the main results obtained from its application for the characterization of the tie-rods of the cloister are presented. (paper)

  15. Precise colocalization of interacting structural and pigmentary elements generates extensive color pattern variation in Phelsuma lizards

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-01-01

    Background Color traits in animals play crucial roles in thermoregulation, photoprotection, camouflage, and visual communication, and are amenable to objective quantification and modeling. However, the extensive variation in non-melanic pigments and structural colors in squamate reptiles has been largely disregarded. Here, we used an integrated approach to investigate the morphological basis and physical mechanisms generating variation in color traits in tropical day geckos of the genus Phelsuma. Results Combining histology, optics, mass spectrometry, and UV and Raman spectroscopy, we found that the extensive variation in color patterns within and among Phelsuma species is generated by complex interactions between, on the one hand, chromatophores containing yellow/red pteridine pigments and, on the other hand, iridophores producing structural color by constructive interference of light with guanine nanocrystals. More specifically, we show that 1) the hue of the vivid dorsolateral skin is modulated both by variation in geometry of structural, highly ordered narrowband reflectors, and by the presence of yellow pigments, and 2) that the reflectivity of the white belly and of dorsolateral pigmentary red marks, is increased by underlying structural disorganized broadband reflectors. Most importantly, these interactions require precise colocalization of yellow and red chromatophores with different types of iridophores, characterized by ordered and disordered nanocrystals, respectively. We validated these results through numerical simulations combining pigmentary components with a multilayer interferential optical model. Finally, we show that melanophores form dark lateral patterns but do not significantly contribute to variation in blue/green or red coloration, and that changes in the pH or redox state of pigments provide yet another source of color variation in squamates. Conclusions Precisely colocalized interacting pigmentary and structural elements generate extensive

  16. Nonlinear soil-structure interaction analysis based on the boundary-element method in time domain with application to embedded foundation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wolf, J.P.; Darbre, G.R.

    1985-01-01

    The computational procedure of the so-called truncated indirect boundary-element method is derived. The latter, which is non-local in space and time, represents a rigorous generally applicable procedure for taking into account a layered halfspace in a non-linear soil-structure interaction analysis. As an example, the non-linear soil-structure interaction analysis of a structure embedded in a halfspace with partial uplift of the basement and separation of the side wall is investigated. (orig.)

  17. Automated finite element updating using strain data for the lifetime reliability assessment of bridges

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Okasha, Nader M.; Frangopol, Dan M.; Orcesi, André D.

    2012-01-01

    The importance of improving the understanding of the performance of structures over their lifetime under uncertainty with information obtained from structural health monitoring (SHM) has been widely recognized. However, frameworks that efficiently integrate monitoring data into the life-cycle management of structures are yet to be developed. The objective of this paper is to propose and illustrate an approach for updating the lifetime reliability of aging bridges using monitored strain data obtained from crawl tests. It is proposed to use automated finite element model updating techniques as a tool for updating the resistance parameters of the structure. In this paper, the results from crawl tests are used to update the finite element model and, in turn, update the lifetime reliability. The original and updated lifetime reliabilities are computed using advanced computational tools. The approach is illustrated on an existing bridge.

  18. Macro-Elements and Trace Elements in Cereal Grains Cultivated in Latvia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jākobsone Ida

    2015-09-01

    Full Text Available Cereal-based foods have great importance in the compensation of micro- and trace element deficiency, because 50% of the foods produced worldwide are made up of cereal grains. The aim of the research was to determine the concentration of macro-elements and trace elements in different cereals cultivated in Latvia. Various cereals were used in the research: rye (n = 45, barley (n = 54, spring wheat (n = 27, winter wheat (n = 53, triticale (n = 45 and oats (n = 42. Thirteen macro- and trace elements (Cd, Pb, Ni, Cr, Al, Cu, K, Na, Mn, Fe, Zn, Mg, Ca were determined in cereal grain samples (n = 266. Macro-elements and trace elements varied significantly (p < 0.01 or p < 0.001. The highest concentrations of macro- and trace elements were found in oats and the lowest in rye. The obtained data will expand the opportunity for food and nutrition scientists to evaluate content of the examined elements in grain products, and dietary consumption (bioavailability of the examined macro-elements and trace elements.

  19. Analytic matrix elements with shifted correlated Gaussians

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Fedorov, D. V.

    2017-01-01

    Matrix elements between shifted correlated Gaussians of various potentials with several form-factors are calculated analytically. Analytic matrix elements are of importance for the correlated Gaussian method in quantum few-body physics.......Matrix elements between shifted correlated Gaussians of various potentials with several form-factors are calculated analytically. Analytic matrix elements are of importance for the correlated Gaussian method in quantum few-body physics....

  20. Guided Waves in Structures for SHM The Time - domain Spectral Element Method

    CERN Document Server

    Ostachowicz, Wieslaw; Krawczuk, Marek; Zak, Arkadiusz

    2011-01-01

    Presents the state of the art in the modelling, analysis and experimental investigation of elastic wave propagation using a technique of rapidly increasing interest and development Addressing an important issue in the field of guided-wave-based damage identification and structural health monitoring,Guided Waves in Structures for SHM presents the modelling, analysis and experimental investigation of elastic wave propagation in engineering structures made of isotropic or composite materials. The authors begin by summarising present-day knowledge on elastic wave propagation in solids, focusing on

  1. Estimations of impact strength on reinforced concrete structures by the discrete element method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Morikawa, H.; Kusano, N.; Koshika, N.; Aoyagi, T.; Hagiwara, Y.; Sawamoto, Y.

    1993-01-01

    There has been a rising interest in the response of reinforced concrete structures to impact loading, from the point of view in particular of disaster prevention at nuclear power facilities, and there is an urgent requirement for establishment of design methods against such type of loads. Structural damage on reinforced concrete structures under impact load includes local damage and global damage. The behavior of local damage, such as penetration into the structures, rear face scabbing, perforation, or spalling, has been difficult to estimate by numerical analysis, but over recent years research has advantaged and various analytical methods have been tried. The authors proposed a new approach for assessing local damage characteristics by applying the discrete element method (DEM), and verified that the behavior of a concrete slab suffering local damage may be qualitatively expressed. This was followed by the discussion of the quantitative evaluation of various constants used in the DEM analysis in reference. The authors apply the DEM to the simulation analysis of impact tests on reinforced concrete panels and analytical investigations are made on the local damage characteristics and response values that are difficult to assess through tests, in an attempt to evaluate the mechanism of local damage according to the hardness of the missiles

  2. Approach to Operational Experimental Estimation of Static Stresses of Elements of Mechanical Structures

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sedov, A. V.; Kalinchuk, V. V.; Bocharova, O. V.

    2018-01-01

    The evaluation of static stresses and strength of units and components is a crucial task for increasing reliability in the operation of vehicles and equipment, to prevent emergencies, especially in structures made of metal and composite materials. At the stage of creation and commissioning of structures to control the quality of manufacturing of individual elements and components, diagnostic control methods are widely used. They are acoustic, ultrasonic, X-ray, radiation methods and others. The using of these methods to control the residual life and the degree of static stresses of units and parts during operation is fraught with great difficulties both in methodology and in instrumentation. In this paper, the authors propose an effective approach of operative control of the degree of static stresses of units and parts of mechanical structures which are in working condition, based on recording the changing in the surface wave properties of a system consisting of a sensor and a controlled environment (unit, part). The proposed approach of low-frequency diagnostics of static stresses presupposes a new adaptive-spectral analysis of a surface wave created by external action (impact). It is possible to estimate implicit stresses of structures in the experiment due to this approach.

  3. The Importance of Pressure Sampling Frequency in Models for Determination of Critical Wave Loadingson Monolithic Structures

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Burcharth, Hans F.; Andersen, Thomas Lykke; Meinert, Palle

    2008-01-01

    This paper discusses the influence of wave load sampling frequency on calculated sliding distance in an overall stability analysis of a monolithic caisson. It is demonstrated by a specific example of caisson design that for this kind of analyses the sampling frequency in a small scale model could...... be as low as 100 Hz in model scale. However, for design of structure elements like the wave wall on the top of a caisson the wave load sampling frequency must be much higher, in the order of 1000 Hz in the model. Elastic-plastic deformations of foundation and structure were not included in the analysis....

  4. Communication elements supporting patient safety in psychiatric inpatient care.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kanerva, A; Kivinen, T; Lammintakanen, J

    2015-06-01

    Communication is important for safe and quality health care. The study provides needed insight on the communication elements that support patient safety from the psychiatric care view. Fluent information transfer between the health care professionals and care units is important for care planning and maintaining practices. Information should be documented and implemented accordingly. Communication should happen in an open communication culture that enables discussion, the opportunity to have debriefing discussions and the entire staff can feel they are heard. For effective communication, it is also important that staff are active themselves in information collecting about the essential information needed in patient care. In mental health nursing, it is important to pay attention to all elements of communication and to develop processes concerning communication in multidisciplinary teams and across unit boundaries. The study aims to describe which communication elements support patient safety in psychiatric inpatient care from the viewpoint of the nursing staff. Communication is an essential part of care and one of the core competencies of the psychiatric care. It enables safe and quality patient care. Errors in health care are often connected with poor communication. The study brings needed insight from the psychiatric care view to the topic. The data were gathered from semi-structured interviews in which 26 nurses were asked to describe the elements that constitute patient safety in psychiatric inpatient care. The data were analysed inductively from the viewpoint of communication. The descriptions connected with communication formed a main category of communication elements that support patient safety; this main category was made up of three subcategories: fluent information transfer, open communication culture and being active in information collecting. Fluent information transfer consists of the practical implementation of communication; open communication

  5. Anisotropic damping of Timoshenko beam elements

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hansen, M.H.

    2001-05-01

    This report contains a description of a structural damping model for Timoshenko beam elements used in the aeroelastic code HawC developed at Risoe for modeling wind turbines. The model has been developed to enable modeling of turbine blades which often have different damping characteristics for flapwise, edgewise and torsional vibrations. The structural damping forces acting on the beam element are modeled by viscous damping described by an element damping matrix. The composition of this matrix is based on the element mass and stiffness matrices. It is shown how the coefficients for the mass and stiffness contributions can be calibrated to give the desired modal damping in the complete model of a blade. (au)

  6. Finite element modeling of Balsa wood structures under severe loadings

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Toson, B.; Pesque, J.J.; Viot, P.

    2014-01-01

    In order to compute, in various situations, the requirements for transporting packages using Balsa wood as an energy absorber, a constitutive model is needed that takes into account all of the specific characteristics of the wood, such as its anisotropy, compressibility, softening, densification, and strain rate dependence. Such a model must also include the treatment of rupture of the wood when it is in traction. The complete description of wood behavior is not sufficient: robustness is also necessary because this model has to work in presence of large deformations and of many other external nonlinear phenomena in the surrounding structures. We propose such a constitutive model that we have developed using the commercial finite element package ABAQUS. The necessary data were acquired through an extensive compilation of the existing literature with the augmentation of personal measurements. Numerous validation tests are presented that represent different impact situations that a transportation cask might endure. (authors)

  7. On the production of heavy elements by cold fusion

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Armbruster, P.

    1985-01-01

    After a short historical introduction (Section 1), this article presents new insights into the mechanism limiting the fusion of heavy nuclides (Section 2). Fusion is finally limited by the increasing Coulomb forces in the formation process of a compound system, as well as in its deexcitation. Moreover, nuclear structure effects in all stages of evaporation residue (EVR) formation are shown to be of importance. The wide field of fusion reaction studies and possible experimental techniques is projected onto the task of element synthesis, and only those aspects that are of relevance here are covered. The better understanding of EVR formation (Section 2) and the new experimental techniques (Section 3) that enabled the production of elements 107-109 (Section 4) are also discussed. In Section 5 ground-state properties and the nuclear structure of the heaviest isotopes, together with their production cross sections, are discussed. Finally, an outlook on how eventually to go beyond Z = 109 is given

  8. Memory effects in MIS structures based on silicon and polymethylmethacrylate with nanoparticle charge-storage elements

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mabrook, M.F. [School of Engineering and Centre for Molecular and Nanoscale Electronics, Durham University, South Road, Durham DH1 3LE (United Kingdom)], E-mail: m.f.mabrook@durham.ac.uk; Jombert, A.S. [School of Engineering and Centre for Molecular and Nanoscale Electronics, Durham University, South Road, Durham DH1 3LE (United Kingdom); Department of Chemistry, Durham University, South Road, Durham DH1 3LE (United Kingdom); Machin, S.E.; Pearson, C.; Kolb, D. [School of Engineering and Centre for Molecular and Nanoscale Electronics, Durham University, South Road, Durham DH1 3LE (United Kingdom); Coleman, K.S. [Department of Chemistry, Durham University, South Road, Durham DH1 3LE (United Kingdom); Zeze, D.A.; Petty, M.C. [School of Engineering and Centre for Molecular and Nanoscale Electronics, Durham University, South Road, Durham DH1 3LE (United Kingdom)

    2009-03-15

    We report on the electrical behaviour of metal-insulator-semiconductor (MIS) structures fabricated on p-type silicon substrates and using polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) as the dielectric. Gold nanoparticles, single-wall carbon nanotubes and C{sub 60}, deposited at room temperature, were used as charge-storage elements. In all cases, the MIS devices containing the nanoparticles exhibited hysteresis in their capacitance versus voltage characteristics, with a memory window depending on the range of the voltage sweep. This hysteresis was attributed to the charging and discharging of the nanoparticles from the gate electrode. A relatively large memory window of about 2.2 V was achieved by scanning the applied voltage of an Al/PMMA/C{sub 60}/SiO{sub 2}/Si structure between 4 and -4 V. Gold nanoparticle-based memory devices produced the best charge retention behaviour compared to the other MIS structures investigated.

  9. Proteome-wide Structural Analysis of PTM Hotspots Reveals Regulatory Elements Predicted to Impact Biological Function and Disease*

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dewhurst, Henry; Sundararaman, Niveda

    2016-01-01

    Post-translational modifications (PTMs) regulate protein behavior through modulation of protein-protein interactions, enzymatic activity, and protein stability essential in the translation of genotype to phenotype in eukaryotes. Currently, less than 4% of all eukaryotic PTMs are reported to have biological function - a statistic that continues to decrease with an increasing rate of PTM detection. Previously, we developed SAPH-ire (Structural Analysis of PTM Hotspots) - a method for the prioritization of PTM function potential that has been used effectively to reveal novel PTM regulatory elements in discrete protein families (Dewhurst et al., 2015). Here, we apply SAPH-ire to the set of eukaryotic protein families containing experimental PTM and 3D structure data - capturing 1,325 protein families with 50,839 unique PTM sites organized into 31,747 modified alignment positions (MAPs), of which 2010 (∼6%) possess known biological function. Here, we show that using an artificial neural network model (SAPH-ire NN) trained to identify MAP hotspots with biological function results in prediction outcomes that far surpass the use of single hotspot features, including nearest neighbor PTM clustering methods. We find the greatest enhancement in prediction for positions with PTM counts of five or less, which represent 98% of all MAPs in the eukaryotic proteome and 90% of all MAPs found to have biological function. Analysis of the top 1092 MAP hotspots revealed 267 of truly unknown function (containing 5443 distinct PTMs). Of these, 165 hotspots could be mapped to human KEGG pathways for normal and/or disease physiology. Many high-ranking hotspots were also found to be disease-associated pathogenic sites of amino acid substitution despite the lack of observable PTM in the human protein family member. Taken together, these experiments demonstrate that the functional relevance of a PTM can be predicted very effectively by neural network models, revealing a large but testable

  10. Proteome-wide Structural Analysis of PTM Hotspots Reveals Regulatory Elements Predicted to Impact Biological Function and Disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Torres, Matthew P; Dewhurst, Henry; Sundararaman, Niveda

    2016-11-01

    Post-translational modifications (PTMs) regulate protein behavior through modulation of protein-protein interactions, enzymatic activity, and protein stability essential in the translation of genotype to phenotype in eukaryotes. Currently, less than 4% of all eukaryotic PTMs are reported to have biological function - a statistic that continues to decrease with an increasing rate of PTM detection. Previously, we developed SAPH-ire (Structural Analysis of PTM Hotspots) - a method for the prioritization of PTM function potential that has been used effectively to reveal novel PTM regulatory elements in discrete protein families (Dewhurst et al., 2015). Here, we apply SAPH-ire to the set of eukaryotic protein families containing experimental PTM and 3D structure data - capturing 1,325 protein families with 50,839 unique PTM sites organized into 31,747 modified alignment positions (MAPs), of which 2010 (∼6%) possess known biological function. Here, we show that using an artificial neural network model (SAPH-ire NN) trained to identify MAP hotspots with biological function results in prediction outcomes that far surpass the use of single hotspot features, including nearest neighbor PTM clustering methods. We find the greatest enhancement in prediction for positions with PTM counts of five or less, which represent 98% of all MAPs in the eukaryotic proteome and 90% of all MAPs found to have biological function. Analysis of the top 1092 MAP hotspots revealed 267 of truly unknown function (containing 5443 distinct PTMs). Of these, 165 hotspots could be mapped to human KEGG pathways for normal and/or disease physiology. Many high-ranking hotspots were also found to be disease-associated pathogenic sites of amino acid substitution despite the lack of observable PTM in the human protein family member. Taken together, these experiments demonstrate that the functional relevance of a PTM can be predicted very effectively by neural network models, revealing a large but testable

  11. A New Approach to Identify Optimal Properties of Shunting Elements for Maximum Damping of Structural Vibration Using Piezoelectric Patches

    Science.gov (United States)

    Park, Junhong; Palumbo, Daniel L.

    2004-01-01

    The use of shunted piezoelectric patches in reducing vibration and sound radiation of structures has several advantages over passive viscoelastic elements, e.g., lower weight with increased controllability. The performance of the piezoelectric patches depends on the shunting electronics that are designed to dissipate vibration energy through a resistive element. In past efforts most of the proposed tuning methods were based on modal properties of the structure. In these cases, the tuning applies only to one mode of interest and maximum tuning is limited to invariant points when based on den Hartog's invariant points concept. In this study, a design method based on the wave propagation approach is proposed. Optimal tuning is investigated depending on the dynamic and geometric properties that include effects from boundary conditions and position of the shunted piezoelectric patch relative to the structure. Active filters are proposed as shunting electronics to implement the tuning criteria. The developed tuning methods resulted in superior capabilities in minimizing structural vibration and noise radiation compared to other tuning methods. The tuned circuits are relatively insensitive to changes in modal properties and boundary conditions, and can applied to frequency ranges in which multiple modes have effects.

  12. Probabilistic Structural Analysis Methods (PSAM) for select space propulsion system structural components

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cruse, T. A.

    1987-01-01

    The objective is the development of several modular structural analysis packages capable of predicting the probabilistic response distribution for key structural variables such as maximum stress, natural frequencies, transient response, etc. The structural analysis packages are to include stochastic modeling of loads, material properties, geometry (tolerances), and boundary conditions. The solution is to be in terms of the cumulative probability of exceedance distribution (CDF) and confidence bounds. Two methods of probability modeling are to be included as well as three types of structural models - probabilistic finite-element method (PFEM); probabilistic approximate analysis methods (PAAM); and probabilistic boundary element methods (PBEM). The purpose in doing probabilistic structural analysis is to provide the designer with a more realistic ability to assess the importance of uncertainty in the response of a high performance structure. Probabilistic Structural Analysis Method (PSAM) tools will estimate structural safety and reliability, while providing the engineer with information on the confidence that should be given to the predicted behavior. Perhaps most critically, the PSAM results will directly provide information on the sensitivity of the design response to those variables which are seen to be uncertain.

  13. Probabilistic Structural Analysis Methods for select space propulsion system structural components (PSAM)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cruse, T. A.; Burnside, O. H.; Wu, Y.-T.; Polch, E. Z.; Dias, J. B.

    1988-01-01

    The objective is the development of several modular structural analysis packages capable of predicting the probabilistic response distribution for key structural variables such as maximum stress, natural frequencies, transient response, etc. The structural analysis packages are to include stochastic modeling of loads, material properties, geometry (tolerances), and boundary conditions. The solution is to be in terms of the cumulative probability of exceedance distribution (CDF) and confidence bounds. Two methods of probability modeling are to be included as well as three types of structural models - probabilistic finite-element method (PFEM); probabilistic approximate analysis methods (PAAM); and probabilistic boundary element methods (PBEM). The purpose in doing probabilistic structural analysis is to provide the designer with a more realistic ability to assess the importance of uncertainty in the response of a high performance structure. Probabilistic Structural Analysis Method (PSAM) tools will estimate structural safety and reliability, while providing the engineer with information on the confidence that should be given to the predicted behavior. Perhaps most critically, the PSAM results will directly provide information on the sensitivity of the design response to those variables which are seen to be uncertain.

  14. Binding energy, phonon spectra and thermodynamic properties of elements with type structures A1 (Al, Cu), A2 (V, Ti2), A3 (Mg, Tiβ), A4 (Si, Sn)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sirota, N.N.; Soshnina, T.M.; Sirota, I.M.; Sokolovskij, T.D.

    2001-01-01

    One calculated dependences of binding energy on spacing between the nearest atoms of Al and Cu elements with A 1 type structure, of V and Ti α elements with A 2 type structure, of Mg and Ti β elements with A 3 type structure, Si and Sn elements with A 4 type structure. To calculate one applied the methods based on the Thomas-Fermi statistic theory of atom. The derived dependences were approximated using the expression in the form of the Mie-Grueneisen potential. On the basis of the Born-von-Karman model of solid body one calculated the phonon spectra using which one determined temperature dependences of specific heat, free and internal energy of the investigated elements. The calculated values of energy of atomization, equilibrium closest interatomic spacing and temperature dependences of specific heat are in compliance with the experimental data [ru

  15. Discrete element modeling of microstructure of nacre

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chandler, Mei Qiang; Cheng, Jing-Ru C.

    2018-04-01

    The microstructure of nacre consists of polygon-shaped aragonite mineral tablets bonded by very thin layers of organic materials and is organized in a brick-mortar morphology. In this research, the discrete element method was utilized to model this structure. The aragonite mineral tablets were modeled with three-dimensional polygon particles generated by the Voronoi tessellation method to represent the Voronoi-like patterns of mineral tablets assembly observed in experiments. The organic matrix was modeled with a group of spring elements. The constitutive relations of the spring elements were inspired from the experimental results of organic molecules from the literature. The mineral bridges were modeled with simple elastic bonds with the parameters based on experimental data from the literature. The bulk stress-strain responses from the models agreed well with experimental results. The model results show that the mineral bridges play important roles in providing the stiffness and yield strength for the nacre, while the organic matrix in providing the ductility for the nacre. This work demonstrated the suitability of particle methods for modeling microstructures of nacre.

  16. Modeling and Analysis of Size-Dependent Structural Problems by Using Low- Order Finite Elements with Strain Gradient Plasticity

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Park, Moon Shik; Suh, Yeong Sung; Song, Seung

    2011-01-01

    An elasto-plastic finite element method using the theory of strain gradient plasticity is proposed to evaluate the size dependency of structural plasticity that occurs when the configuration size decreases to micron scale. For this method, we suggest a low-order plane and three-dimensional displacement-based elements, eliminating the need for a high order, many degrees of freedom, a mixed element, or super elements, which have been considered necessary in previous researches. The proposed method can be performed in the framework of nonlinear incremental analysis in which plastic strains are calculated and averaged at nodes. These strains are then interpolated and differentiated for gradient calculation. We adopted a strain-gradient-hardening constitutive equation from the Taylor dislocation model, which requires the plastic strain gradient. The developed finite elements are tested numerically on the basis of typical size-effect problems such as micro-bending, micro-torsion, and micro-voids. With respect to the strain gradient plasticity, i.e., the size effects, the results obtained by using the proposed method, which are simple in their calculation, are in good agreement with the experimental results cited in previously published papers

  17. The Importance of Interior Design Elements as They Relate to Student Outcomes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tanner, C. Kenneth; Langford, Ann

    This study investigated the following questions: (1) "What are the perceptions that elementary school principals have concerning the influence of interior design elements such as floor and wall coverings, lighting, flexibility, acoustics, color, texture, patterns, cleanliness, and maintenance on student achievement, teacher retention, and student…

  18. The structure of floral elements of Anchusa officinalis L. creating attractants for insects

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mirosława Chwil

    2012-12-01

    Full Text Available The present study involved the measurement of size and the micromorphology of the floral elements of Anchusa officinalis L. which are attractants for insects. The structure of the epidermis on the surface of the calyx, petals, throat scales, pistil and nectary were analysed using light and scanning electron microscopy (SEM. For light microscopy observations, semi-permanent slides were prepared, which were treated with Lugol's iodine solution, Sudan III and fluoroglucine. The dark violet lobes of the corolla of Anchusa officinalis, with a velvety surface, and the throat scales, contrasting with them, belong to the most important optical attractants which lure insects from large distances. The dark pink colouring of the sepals additionally increases the attractiveness of the flowers. The epidermis covering the calyx formed different-sized non-glandular trichomes as well as glandular trichomes. The glandular trichomes were composed of a uni - or bicellular leg and a unicellular head. The colour of the corolla petals was determined by anthocyanins accumulated in the epidermal cells and in the more deeply situated parenchyma. The velvety surface was formed by the conical papillae, densely growing from the adaxial epidermis. The pink-violet throat scales with white hairs, covering the inlet to the tube of the corolla, were found at the inlet to the corolla throat. The longest trichomes on the surface of the scales were located in their lower and middle parts, whereas the shortest ones at their tips. The epidermis of the central part of the throat scales formed small papillae. The trichomes had thin cell walls, large vacuoles, numerous plastids and lipid droplets. The two-parted stigma of the pistil was covered by characteristic expanded outgrowths with wavy edges which performed the functions of structures facilitating the capture of pollen grains. As a result of the present study it was found that the structures affecting the attractiveness of the

  19. Sensitivity analysis of bridge health index to element failure and element conditions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2009-11-01

    Bridge Health Index (BHI) is a bridge performance measure based on the condition of the bridge elements. It : is computed as the ratio of remaining value of the bridge structure to the initial value of the structure. Since it : is expressed as a perc...

  20. DNA is structured as a linear "jigsaw puzzle" in the genomes of Arabidopsis, rice, and budding yeast.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Yun-Hua; Zhang, Meiping; Wu, Chengcang; Huang, James J; Zhang, Hong-Bin

    2014-01-01

    Knowledge of how a genome is structured and organized from its constituent elements is crucial to understanding its biology and evolution. Here, we report the genome structuring and organization pattern as revealed by systems analysis of the sequences of three model species, Arabidopsis, rice and yeast, at the whole-genome and chromosome levels. We found that all fundamental function elements (FFE) constituting the genomes, including genes (GEN), DNA transposable elements (DTE), retrotransposable elements (RTE), simple sequence repeats (SSR), and (or) low complexity repeats (LCR), are structured in a nonrandom and correlative manner, thus leading to a hypothesis that the DNA of the species is structured as a linear "jigsaw puzzle". Furthermore, we showed that different FFE differ in their importance in the formation and evolution of the DNA jigsaw puzzle structure between species. DTE and RTE play more important roles than GEN, LCR, and SSR in Arabidopsis, whereas GEN and RTE play more important roles than LCR, SSR, and DTE in rice. The genes having multiple recognized functions play more important roles than those having single functions. These results provide useful knowledge necessary for better understanding genome biology and evolution of the species and for effective molecular breeding of rice.