Collapase analysis of ship hulls

This paper presents an efficient finite element procedure for the collapse analysis of ship hulls under complicated loads. A set of finite elements, such as beam-column elements, stiffened plate elements, and shear panel elements are developed, directly accounting for the geometrical and material non-linearities and initial imperfections.

Elastic-plastic stiffness matrices for elements have been derived by combining elastic large displacement analysis theories with a plastic hinge model. The buckling and post-buckling behaviour of plates is included using an effective width concept. The procedure is effective, since few mode-points are necessary and numerical integration for evaluating stiffness matrices is avoided. Fracture mechanics criteria are introduced in order to account for tension tearing rupture and brittle failure of the material.

Practical applications to ultimate longitudinal strength analysis of ship hulls and tanker collision analysis are presented. The procedure can also be used for collapse analysis of offshore and onshore structures.     

High speed driving stability of passenger car under crosswind effects

The driving stability of a passenger car at high-speed and under crosswind conditions is affected by aerodynamic characteristics as well as their dynamic characteristics, suspension, and weight distribution. In this study, the total measuring system was thought up to understand the transient vehicle dynamics and aerodynamics with driver’s control inputs all together. The test results were taken from a full-scale wind tunnel test, a crosswind generator test and an on-road test. We investigated major aerodynamic parameters that affect the driving stability of passenger cars under crosswind effects such as overtaking, passing each other, natural crosswind, etc. The reaction rate of high-speed stability will be improved when we minimize the total lift, side force and especially the yawing moment.     

In-situ measurement of loading stresses with X-ray diffraction for yield locus determination

The application of the X-ray diffraction method is introduced to solve the problem of inhomogeneous deformation fields in the specimens used for sheet metal characterization. In this method, strains are measured on one side of a specimen with optical measurement systems. On the other side, loading stresses on a specimen are captured with an X-ray diffractometer mounted on a universal testing machine. By this way, the whole stress-strain history of a material point is tracked during testing. The method was first applied to uniaxial tension tests, whereby the applicability of the theory of stress factors and effective X-ray elastic constants were tested. The relaxation behavior of a sheet material which shows itself as stress drops during in-situ experimentation was characterized and compensated by a visco-plastic material model for different stress states. The proposed method was applied to characterize aluminum alloy AA5182 under plane strain tension and shear conditions and the results were compared with the conventionally obtained yield locus. Numerical analyses of a workpiece with the Vegter and Yld2000-2D material models show that the enriched yield locus definition with accurate plane strain tension and shear stresses captures the experimentally obtained surface strains more precisely.     

Innovative design optimization strategy for the automotive industry

In order to effectively solve modern automotive design problems including the results of nonlinear FEA and multi-body dynamics, a progressive meta-model based design optimization is presented. To reduce the number of initial sample points, two sampling methods are introduced. Then, for efficient and stable construction of meta-models, three metamodel methods are newly introduced which are numerically based on the singular value decomposition technique. To design a practical system considering manufacturing tolerances and optimizing multiple performances, a robust design optimization, 6-sigma constraints and multi-objective strategies are implemented when solving the approximate optimization problem constructed from the meta-models. Until the convergence criteria are satisfied, the initially developed meta-models are progressively improved by adding only one point that minimizes the approximate Lagrangian in the consecutive optimization iterations. Finally, one validation sample and four automotive applications are solved to show the effectiveness of the proposed approach.     

Bumper optimum design using the dynamically equivalent beam under various impact conditions

Nowadays it is required for the bumper system to meet the various impact conditions simultaneously; barrier impact, IIHS (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety) bumper impact and pedestrian impact. Firstly, dynamically equivalent bumper beam models were developed for each impact condition and its accuracy was verified by nonlinear finite element analysis result. Dynamically equivalent pedestrian impact beam model was developed by using the equivalent forces of bumper beam and stiffeners. Pedestrian bending angle was obtained by using this equivalent pedestrian beam model. By combining these equivalent beam models, bumper optimum design program was developed. In this optimum design program, direct search method was used for the optimization algorithm. To verify the accuracy of this optimum design program, a nonlinear finite element result was used. By using this optimum design program, it can be secured the bumper impact performances in an early design stage and it will be also contributed to reduce the design time and test costs.     

The missing link: bicycle infrastructure networks and ridership in 74 US cities

Cities promote strong bicycle networks to support and encourage bicycle commuting. However, the application of network science to bicycle facilities is not very well studied. Previous work has found relationships between the amount of bicycle infrastructure in a city and aggregate bicycle ridership, and between microscopic network structure and individual tripmaking patterns. This study fills the missing link between these two bodies of literature by developing a standard methodology for measuring bicycle facility network quality at the macroscopic level and testing its association with bicycle commuting. Bicycle infrastructure maps were collected for 74 Unites States cities and systematically analyzed to evaluate their network structure. Linear regression models revealed that connectivity and directness are important factors in predicting bicycle commuting after controlling for demographic variables and the size of the city. These findings provide a framework for transportation planners and policymakers to evaluate their local bicycle facility networks and set regional priorities that support nonmotorized travel behavior, and for continued research on the structure and quality of bicycle infrastructure and behavior.     

Unloading facilities at an iron-ore terminal

In this paper a project undertaken by the author is described to illustrate modifications which may be necessary to the type of analysis given in an earlier paper [1] when difficulties arise from various practical considerations. The problem examined deals with the installation of unloading facilities at a purpose-built iron ore terminal at a steelworks. However, some of the data quoted has been coded to preserve confidentiality. The project was bedevilled by an unusual number of uncertainties; to appreciate these it is necessary to view them in relation to the situation existing at that time.     

The delimitation of exclusive economic zones

In this paper Admiral Kapoor examines some of the problems relating to the delimitation of maritime boundaries, particularly that of exclusive economic zones, as they affect the hydrographic surveyor.     

Maritime commercial malpractices and piracy under international law

The term ‘Piracy’ tends to be used in a loose, popular sense to refer to various acts of violence or lawlessness at sea which are not, strictly speaking, acts of piracy in law. In this article, the author examines the concept of piracy under international law and related notions such as hijacking and mutiny. In this context, he shows that the ‘malpractices’ of robber bands in such places as the inshore waters of Nigeria and The Philippines are not acts of piracy jure gentium.