Calculation of strain amplification matrix for strain invariant failure theory based on representative volume element models with periodical boundary condition

Strain invariant failure theory (SIFT) is a micro-mechanics-based failure theory for multi-scale failure analysis of composite materials originally proposed by Gosse and Christensen. In this paper, the approach for obtaining strain amplification matrix which is a key step for the execution of SIFT is improved by adopting representative volume element (RVE) finite element models considering periodical boundary condition, based on which more actual deformation mode is reflected. The deformation modes and strain data at the characteristic points of the centroid cell of multi-cell RVE model are analyzed and taken as a reference. It can be concluded that more reasonable deformation mode and relationship between the micro-mechanical and macro-mechanical strain states are obtained by employing the new model. Finally, numerical examples are provided to illustrate the determination of strain amplification factors within the RVEs considering periodical boundary condition at the characteristic points.     

柔性靠船桩簇的设计与分析计算

以金润码头为例,介绍码头平台前沿设置的柔性靠船桩簇设计形式,并对柔性靠船桩簇的靠船吸收能量进行分析计算.提出了合理的柔性靠船桩簇的结构形式及相应的计算方法.     

Home-to-work commuting,urban form and potential energy savings: A local scale approach to regional statistics

The link between transport energy consumption and land use patterns has been the focus of a considerable amount of academic works over the past decades. While many empirical researches are backed up with solid statistical techniques, most of them do not fully consider the influence of scale underlying empirical quantitative investigations. Using fine-scale home-to-work commuting data for Wallonia (Belgium), this paper re-evaluates Breheny’s (1995) assertion that urban structure should hold the characteristics of major cities if substantial energy savings are to be achieved. A local scale approach highlights efficient settlements in terms of transport energy consumption not only within major towns, but also within remote rural areas. Furthermore, results suggest that influencing the urban form following local energy efficient examples rather than regional ones could also yield significant gains, without an extreme policy stance of re-urbanisation in major cities.     

3D brush model to predict longitudinal tyre characteristics

A 3D tyre brush model, which aims to predict the longitudinal tyre characteristic under steady-state conditions by modelling the occurring physical effects in the tyre–road contact patch, is presented. The model includes an analytical method to describe the tyre footprint geometry, the pressure distribution, the slip due to the lateral tyre contour, the slip due to braking or traction and the longitudinal as well as the lateral shear stresses on a flattened tyre. The presented development tool offers a method to investigate different rubber friction data (caused by different tread compounds and/or surface textures) and to analyse its influence on longitudinal tyre characteristics. The tyre design is fixed (same casing, dimension and pattern). The results include the shear stresses as well as the different sliding velocities in the contact patch for different slip conditions. The model was developed for a standard summer pattern design and a standard tyre dimension (205/55R16). It can also be adapted to other tread designs and tyre dimensions. To offer a good comparability between model results and test bench measurements, the surface curvature of an internal test rig is considered.     

Route choice of cyclists in Zurich

This paper presents the first route choice model for bicyclists estimated from a large sample of GPS observations and overcomes the limitations inherent in the generally employed stated preference approach. It employs an improved mode detection algorithm for GPS post-processing to determine trips made by bicycle, which are map matched to an enriched street network. The alternatives are generated as a random sample from an exhaustive, but constrained search. Accounting for the similarity between the alternatives with the path-size factor the MNL estimates show that the elasticity with regards to trip length is nearly four times larger than that with respect to the share of bike paths. The elasticity with respect to the product of length and maximum gradient of the route is small. No other variable describing the routes had an impact. The heterogeneity of the cyclists is captured through interaction terms formulated on their average behaviour.     

Ship, port and supply chain security concepts interlinking maritime with hinterland transport chains

As maritime processes do no stop at sea ports, hinterland operations have to be considered and addressed as well. This becomes obviously on designing and managing seamless cargo and information flows from/to hinterland regions via sea ports from/to transcontinental markets. Nowadays, also security-related aspects need to be tackled in order to enable continuous flows corresponding to security legislations and technical requirements set up in the field of maritime and intermodal hinterland transport. Ensuring transport security within the European transport market requires both adequate security legislations and innovative concepts. While for the maritime sector, including sea ports, security regulations are already in force, hinterland operations (road, rail and Inland Waterway Transport) are only indirectly affected today, either on carrying out transports from/to sea ports or exporting commodities to overseas territories. This results in the need for innovative security strategies and concepts combining maritime with hinterland transport enabling seamless security processes.     

考虑稳健性的汽车结构耐撞性优化设计

本文中基于C-NCAP中40%重叠度的偏置碰撞工况对某轿车进行结构耐撞性优化。为提高输出响应的预测精度,使用基于粒子群算法优化的支持向量回归模型来拟合设计变量与输出响应之间的关系,并利用非支配排序多目标遗传算法Ⅱ获得该优化问题的Pareto前沿。在确定性优化的基础上,并考虑产品性能在不确定因素影响下的波动,对其进行稳健性优化设计。最后,对优化结果进行有限元仿真验证。结果表明:优化后,结构质量减轻,耐撞性能明显提升,同时保障了稳定的产品性能。     

Particularly Sensitive Sea Areas: Past,present and future

Particularly Sensitive Sea Areas (PSSAs) are sea areas which need special protection on environmental grounds. In this respect coastal States, through IMO, can take some measures which may result in restrictions on the traditional freedom of passage. The aim of this paper is to explain the IMO guidelines on PSSA and the questions raised by the proposal of West European Particularly Sensitive Sea Areas (WE PSSA). This paper will also examine the legal grounds of the PSSA concept and look at UNCLOS in this respect.     

Direct resolution of the pitch of DNA on positively charged lipid bilayers by frequency-modulation AFM

High resolution structural studies of DNA and DNA binding proteins by atomic force microscopy (AFM) require well-bound samples on suitably flat substrates. Adsorbing the DNA onto a positively charged supported lipid bilayer has previously been shown to be a potentially effective strategy for structural studies with AFM. Here, using our home-built frequency-modulation AFM (FM-AFM), we show that these bilayer substrates are only maximally effective for high resolution AFM when the samples are short, linear DNA, compared with circular plasmid DNA. We find that, with the former sample, the measured width of the DNA is about 2 nm, the known DNA diameter, and there is a clear height modulation along the length of the DNA with a periodicity of about 3.4 nm, in excellent agreement with the known pitch of the double helix. This sample preparation strategy is expected to enable higher resolution studies of DNA and DNA binding proteins with FM-AFM than that can presently be achieved.