Fatigue analysis of ship structures with hinged deck design by finite element method. A case study: Fatigue analysis of the primary supporting members of 4900 PCTC

In the design phase of a 4900 PCTC (Pure Car/Truck Carrier) with hinged deck design, fatigue behavior and fatigue life is investigated for various structural details. The global finite element analysis shows high local stress concentrations at the connections of various details. In this article, the detailed analysis of the investigation of fatigue analysis and fatigue life of the connection between the vertical side web and the main deck (deck 5) of the entire vessel is performed according to Det Norske Veritas (DNV) Rules. In order to achieve more accurate results, three types of finite element analysis (global finite element model, fine-mesh finite element model and stress concentration models) are hierarchically used. The investigation for finite element analysis for fatigue analysis is based on the approach using hot spot stresses.     

Distribution of phytoplankton in the southern Black Sea in summer 1996, spring and autumn 1998

The species composition, abundance, and biomass of micro- (>15 μm) and nano- (<15 μm) phytoplankton were studied along the southern Black Sea during June–July 1996 and March–April and September 1998. A total of 150 species were identified, 50% of them being dinoflagellates. The average total phytoplankton abundance changed from 77×10³ cells l⁻¹ in spring to 110×10³ cells l⁻¹ in autumn and biomass from 250 μg l⁻¹ in summer to 1370 μg l⁻¹ in spring. Based on the extensive sampling grid from June–July 1996, phytoplankton seemed to have a rather homogeneous biomass distribution in the southern Black Sea. In all periods, the coccolithophorid Emiliania huxleyi was the most abundant species, its contribution to the total abundance ranging from 73% in autumn to 43% in spring. However, in terms of biomass, diatoms made up the bulk of phytoplankton in spring (97%, majority being Proboscia alata) and autumn (73%, majority being Pseudosolenia calcar-avis), and dinoflagellates in summer (74%, Gymnodinium sp.). There was a remarkable similarity in the dominant species between the western and eastern regions of the southern Black Sea, indicating transport of phytoplankton within the basin.     

A decomposition method for surrogate models of large scale structures

Analysis is computationally the most expensive part of optimization. Surrogate models, which are approximate but faster statistical models, can be used in place of more precise but more computer-intensive methods like finite element method to improve efficiency. Unfortunately, the surrogate models are limited by the number of model parameters. So large-scale problems cannot be fully defined by a single surrogate model. Furthermore, current domain decomposition methods cannot be used with black-box models. This study presents a novel approach to design thin-walled structures using surrogate models that overcome the curse of dimensionality by a special decomposition method. A parametric panel structure is defined as a building block. An interface is developed to maintain compatibility across the blocks. Finally, an iterative algorithm finds the displaced state using only local information. Three test structures are used to show the convergence of the algorithm for static analysis. In these sample cases, number of steps required for convergence of the error did not change with the number of panels. This approach offers many benefits including automatic design creation and optimization, effective usage of stream processors and model reuse.     

Effects of antenna position on readability of RFID tags in a refrigerated sea container of frozen bread at 433 and 915 MHz

Perishable foods are frequently exposed to temperature abuse during transportation and distribution. The use of traditional data loggers do not permit the instantaneous data transmission that radio frequency technology offers. Temperature has a major impact on food quality and safety, particularly when long transit times are imposed. Consequently, using radio frequency identification (RFID) to track and monitor temperature in perishable shipments will bring significant benefits to the cold chain. The goal of this study was to determine the optimal RF antenna placement to achieve full RFID tag readability inside a sea container. Testing was made at two different frequencies (915 and 433 MHz) while the refrigeration unit was running at −25 °C and the container was fully loaded with frozen bread. The sea container was instrumented with eight RFID antennas, three of which were tuned for 433 MHz and five for 915 MHz. All antenna wires exited the container via the forward drain holes. The RFID readers were outside the container and connected to their respective antennas, one at a time. Thirty eight RFID tags were evenly distributed onto the pallets of frozen bread. All RFID tags were active tags capable of reading and recording temperature. Results at 915 MHz showed readability levels between 47% and 79%, with an average of 68.4%, whereas 433 MHz demonstrated 100% readability at all antenna positions. In conclusion, the 433 MHz RFID system appears suitable for real time temperature monitoring of frozen bread inside a sea container. This technology could be applied to other food items similar to frozen bread.