Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Thin-walled structures Design and construction'

The objective of this research project, is to investigate if the current design practice of rectangular ducts with thin walls is adequate and if it can be improved. In order to achieve this goal, the following steps were taken: 1. Investigation of the available background research relevant to this topic. 2. Development of a finite element analysis model representative of the duct behaviour for the cases in which the most suitable theories have a preponderant experimental basis, taking in consideration the limitations of the available software (MSC/fAL 2). 3. Evaluation of the possibility of design improvement based on the previous work.

Thin-walled sheetmetal enclosures house high power equipment in non-hazardous, nongassy areas of underground coal mines. They are generally situated close to the electrical supply and are thus susceptible to higher power internal arcing faults. Arcing faults occurring inside sheetsteel enclosures expose operators to safety risks through bursting of enclosures, resulting in personnel injury due to the expulsion of hot gases and molten material from these enclosures. In coal mines, there is an added risk that hot material expelled during an internal arcing fault may cause a mine fire due to external coal dust ignition. The following thesis is a study of the safety aspects, in terms of protection by using pressure relief vents, of thin-walled sheetmetal enclosures subjected to internal three-phase fault arcing. Heat absorbing baffles placed within the vent and used to cool hot gases and molten particles expelled from the vent are introduced. Results from arc fault tests incorporating these baffles are used to determine if the prevention of external coal dust ignition is possible. A method of predicting internal pressure and temperature rise resulting from an internal three-phase arc fault was produced and results from this model have shown good correlation with experimental results. High temperature plasma was seen emanating from the vent in arc fault tests where baffles were not used. Measured internal peak pressure reduced considerably as relief areas increased. The inclusion of heat arresting baffles within the vent reduced the quantity and temperature of plasma expelled, while still maintaining a low internal peak pressure. The most effective baffle design required the use of a primary baffle followed by a secondary baffle. Primary baffles absorb the brunt of the internal arcing fault pressure and temperature rise while reducing the amount of transmitted molten particles. Secondary baffles reduce the plasma temperature and amount of molten particles even further. The most important conclusions emanating from this thesis are: • The protection of thin-walled enclosures from internal three-phase fault arc pressure rises can be achieved when vents of appropriate relief area are used • Enclosure strengthening, mainly for door fasteners (handles and hinges), may be required if the enclosure is to withstand an internal arcing fault. • It is likely that the risk of coal dust ignition by expelled molten particles and hot gases, may be reduced by using heat arresting baffles • There is a need for Australian Standards to provide appropriate type tests that enable testing of vents with heat absorbing baffles. From experimental results, it was not possible to prove conclusively that any baffle combination would successfully halt an external coal dust ignition. Further research is required to understand the effects of expelled hot gases and molten particles, resulting from internal arcing faults, on coal dust ignition.

The considerable progress in the research and development of thin-walled beam structures responds to their growing use in engineering construction and to their increased need for efficiency in strength and cost. The result is a structure that exhibits large shear strains and important non uniform warping under different loadings, such as non uniform torsion, shear bending and distortion.

A unified approach is formulated in this thesis for 3D thin walled beam structures with arbitrary profile geometries, loading cases and boundary conditions. A single warping function, defined by a linear combination of longitudinal displacements at cross sectional nodes (derived from Prokic work), is enhanced and adapted in order to qualitatively and quantitatively reflect and capture the nature of a widest possible range of behaviors. Constraints are prescribed at the kinematics level in order to enable the study of arbitrary cross sections for general loading. This approach, differing from most published theories, has the advantage of enabling the study of arbitrary cross sections (closed/opened or mixed) without any restrictions or distinctions related to the geometry of the profile. It generates automatic data and characteristic computations from a kinematical discretization prescribed by the profile geometry. The amount of shear bending, torsional and distortional warping and the magnitude of the shear correction factor is computed for arbitrary profile geometries with this single formulation.

The proposed formulation is compared to existing theories with respect to the main assumptions and restrictions. The variation of the location of the torsional center, distortional centers and distortional rotational ratio of a profile is discussed in terms of their dependency on the loading cases and on the boundary conditions.

A 3D beam finite element model is developed and validated with several numerical applications. The displacements, rotations, amount of warping, normal and shear stresses are compared with reference solutions for general loading cases involving stretching, bending, torsion and/or distortion. Some examples concern the case of beam assemblies with different shaped profiles where the connection type determines the nature of the warping transmission. Other analyses –for which the straightness assumption of Timoshenko theory is relaxed– investigate shear deformation effects on the deflection of short and thin beams by varying the aspect ratio of the beam. Further applications identify the cross sectional distortion and highlight the importance of the distortion on the stresses when compared to bending and torsion even in simple loading cases.

Finally, a non linear finite element based on the updated lagrangian formulation is developed by including torsional warping degrees of freedom. An incremental iterative method using the arc length and the Newton-Raphson methods is used to solve the non linear problem. Examples are given to study the flexural, torsional, flexural torsional and lateral torsional buckling problems for which a coupling between the variables describing the flexural and the torsional degrees of freedom occurs. The finite element results are compared to analytical solutions based on different warping functions and commonly used in linear stability for elastic structures having insufficient lateral or torsional stiffnesses that cause an out of plane buckling.

Doctorat en sciences appliquées
info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished

Thesis: M. Eng., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, 2017.
Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (pages 53-54).
This thesis studies two major thin-shell concrete structures by Pier Luigi Nervi (1891- 1979) - the Leverone Field House and Thompson Arena. These two similar parabolic vaults are two of the few international structures he has completed in the United States. Situated across the street from each other at Dartmouth College, these two thin-shell concrete structures designed only a few years apart and in a such mature stage of Nervi's engineering career deserve a closer look. Access to Nervi's original calculations, specifications, and correspondences with Dartmouth College reveal a new level of refinement in his design methods and decisions. This study analyzes his structural design methods and compares them with approximated hand calculations assuming an asymmetric load on a 3-hinged parabolic arch. The maximum moment was calculated to be within 7% of Nervi's results. An arch was also explored by building a Finite Element (FE) model in SAP2000, however, the results proved the model to be an unreliable representation of the behavior of the funicular concrete arch. Furthermore, never before published construction photos give clues to the construction of the first structure built with the "Nervi System" in the United States. Slight changes were made to the construction method from his previous structures with the Nervi System in Rome. The types of different precast panels were reduced to increase repetition and refinement was made to the multi-step formwork system to reduce the amount of wooden formwork while keeping a high level of accuracy for the shape of the precast panels.
by Momo T. Sun.
M. Eng.

Yes
Here the design and functional optimisation of thermoformed thin-walled structures made from plastics is considered. Such objects are created in great numbers especially in the food packaging industry. In fact these objects are produced in such vast numbers each year, that one important task in the design of these objects is the minimisation of the amount of plastic used, subject to functional constraints. In this paper a procedure for achieving this is described, which involves the automatic optimisation of the mold shape taking into account the strength of the final object and its thickness distribution, thus reducing the need to perform inefficient and expensive `trial and error¿ experimentation using physical prototypes. An efficient technique for parameterising geometry is utilised here, enabling to create a wide variety of possible mold shapes on which appropriate analysis can be performed. The results of the analysis are used within an automatic optimisation routine enabling to find a design which satisfies user requirements. Thus, the paper describes a rational means for the automatic optimal design of composite thermoformed thin-walled structures.

Recent applications in the use of light gauge steel members have been concerned with developing large scale systems built entirely from cold-formed steel members. An explicit analysis of such structures is complicated by the different phenomena that the structure may be prone to during loading. In particular, elastic buckling phenomena is an important consideration in the design of such structures since the load at which buckling occurs often provides a close upper bound to the carrying capacity of the structure. The first part of this two-part thesis (Part I, Chaptersl-8) has been devoted to general methods of analysis of the torsional-flexural buckling of thin-walled structures. A review of previous investigations and the available methods of solution is presented. A general finite element formulation of the torsional-flexural buckling of thin-walled structures has been derived. The resulting elastic geometric matrix can be used to analyse structures with monosymmetrical members. It also includes the effect of sectorial-monosymmetry for cross-sections without any axis of symmetry. A general transformation matrix has been developed to allow for the application of the finite element method to the three-dimensional elastic stability analysis of space and portal frames. The validity and accuracy of the new finite element formulation have been checked by analysing a number of different elastic lateral buckling problems for which exact or highly accurate solutions by other techniques are available. An experimental program was carried out on simply supported cold-formed steel z-beams. The first part of this program was undertaken to check the validity of the finite element calculations of the bimoments caused by nonuniform torsion. The second part was devoted to elastic lateral buckling of z-beams under combined bending and torsion. The second part of this thesis (Part II, Chapter 9) deals with the analysis of hipped roof structures with corrugated steel roof sheeting. A simple theoretical model has been suggested. The model has been used to perform an elastic linear analysis of the behaviour of two types of the hipped roof structures. The theoretical results are compared with previous experimental results for these two structures.

This DEng thesis consists of 83 articles containing research material on the stability of thin-walled structural members and systems with emphasis on metal structures. Metal structures are used widely in the construction industry. They include structural members and frames made from rolled and fabricated steel, cold-formed steel, stainless steel and aluminium. Common to these products is the desire to minimise the cross-sectional area to reduce weight and cost. Structural cross-sections are therefore thin-walled and prone to buckling, and an overriding consideration in the design of metal structures is to account for buckling in determining the strength of sections, members and frames. Specifically, the thesis is concerned with determining the reduction in buckling capacity and strength of structural members and frames caused by cross-sectional buckling and material softening. The thesis presents research under the headings Stainless Steel Structures - Hollow Sections, covering tubular columns, beams and welded connections; Stainless Steel Structures - Open Sections, addressing the effect of distortional buckling and interaction buckling on the design of stainless steel columns and beams; Analysis of Locally Buckled Members and Frames, describing a theory to determine the buckling loads of locally and/or distortionally buckled members and frames; Behaviour and Design of Members and Sections Composed Solely or Predominantly from Unstiffened Elements, outlining analytical, numerical and experimental research to advance the understanding of the behaviour and design of singly symmetric cross-sections made up entirely or predominantly from plate elements, including angle sections, T-sections and plain channel sections; Cold-formed Steel Structural Systems, describing numerical and experimental investigations of steel storage racks including selective and drive-in racking systems; and System-based Design of Steel Structures, developing a general framework for designing steel structural framing systems by advanced analysis, termed the Direct Design Method. The thesis also highlights the implementation of the research outcomes in national and international specifications for the design of steel, cold-formed steel and stainless steel structures.

In this paper the parametric design and functional optimisation of thin-walled structures made from plastics for food packaging is considered. These objects are produced in such vast numbers each year that one important task in the design of these objects is to minimise the amount of plastic used, subject to functional constraints, to reduce the costs of production and to conserve raw materials. By means of performing an automated optimisation on the possible shapes of the food containers, where the geometry is parametrised succinctly, a strategy to create the optimal design of the containers subject to a given set of functional constraints is demonstrated.

Milling of thin-walled aerospace structures is a critical process due to the high flexibility of the workpiece. Available models for the prediction of the effect of the fixture on the dynamic response of the workpiece are computationally demanding and fail to represent practical cases for milling of thin-walled structures. Based on the analysis of typical structural components encountered in the aerospace industry, a generalized unit-element, with the shape of an asymmetric pocket, was identified to represent the dynamic response of these components. Accordingly, two computationally efficient dynamic models were developed to predict the dynamic response of typical thin-walled aerospace structures. These models were formulated using Rayleigh's energy and the Rayleigh-Ritz methods. In the first model, the dynamics of multi-pocket thin-walled structures is represented by a plate with torsional and translational springs. A methodology was proposed and implemented for an off-line calibration of the stiffness of the springs using Genetic Algorithms. In the second model, the dynamics of a 3D pocket is represented by an equivalent 2D multi-span plate. Through a careful examination of the milling of thin-walled structures, a new formulation was developed to represent the continuous change of thickness of the workpiece due to the material removal action. Two formulations, based on holonomic constraints and springs with finite stiffness, were also developed and implemented to take into account the effect of perfectly rigid and deformable fixture supports. All the developed models and formulations were validated numerically and experimentally for different workpiece geometries and
Le fraisage des structures aérospatiales à parois minces est un processus critique dû à la flexibilité élevée de la pièce. Les modèles disponibles pour la prévision de l'effet du système de fixation sur la réponse dynamique de la pièce sont basés sur des méthodes numériques très lentes et n'arrivent pas à représenter les cas pratiques du fraisage des structures à parois minces. Basé sur une analyse des composants structurels typiques produits dans l'industrie aérospatiale, un élément généralisé de base avec la forme d'une poche asymétrique, a été identifié pour représenter la réponse dynamique de ces composants. En conséquence, deux modèles dynamiques efficaces ont été développés pour prévoir la réponse dynamique des structures aérospatiales types à parois minces. Ces modèles ont été formulés en utilisant les méthodes de Rayleigh et Rayleigh-Ritz. Dans le premier modèle, les réponses dynamiques des structures de poches multiples à parois minces sont représentées par des plaques avec des ressorts de torsion et de translation. Une méthodologie a été proposée et mise en application pour calibrer la rigidité des ressorts en utilisant les algorithmes génétiques. Dans le deuxième modèle, la réponse dynamique d'une poche en 3D est représentée par une plaque équivalente de multi-travées en 2D. À travers une étude approfondie du fraisage des structures à parois minces, une nouvelle formulation a été développée pour représenter le changement continu de l'épaisseur de la pièce durant l'usinage. Deux formulations, basées sur des contraintes holonomes et des ressorts avec des rigidités finies, ont été$

Crashworthiness design is one of the most critical areas of automotive design. It is really demanding for the structure and can therefore have a large influence on the final design. It is also difficult to model accurately and costly to simulate which has an important impact on the design process. Most car companies have now stopped addressing crashworthiness design with trial and error approaches, in favour of more advanced automated structural optimisation methods. While most relevant applications so far use size or shape optimisation, the ultimate way to achieve significant mass reduction is to use topology optimisation. However, topology optimisation methods for crashworthiness design are still a work in progress. Due to the high non-linearity of crash simulations, well-established classic topology optimisation methods cannot be applied directly to crashworthiness design. Alternative methods have been and keep being developed such as the Equivalent Static Loads method, the Ground Structure Approach or the Hybrid Cellular Automata (HCA). This thesis introduces an adapted version of Hybrid Cellular Automata using thin-walled ground structures. It combines the advantages of computing a real crash simulation while producing as an output a thin walled based topology needing minimal post-processing effort to be translated into a realistic design. In this method, the topology optimisation domain is filled up with a ground structure of thin walls which constitutes the elementary cells of the HCA method. These macro-elements replace the solid mesh elements used in the classic HCA approach. The details and implementation of the method are presented and discussed. Different application examples are detailed, including defining reinforcement patterns within extruded beams. Enriched space fillings patterns are studied and industrial application examples are presented. Eventually, recommendations for further studies and applications of the method are given.

Deployable structures made from ultra-thin composite materials can be folded elastically and are able to self-deploy by releasing the stored strain energy. Their lightness, low cost due to smaller number of components, and friction insensitive behaviour are key attractions for space applications. This dissertation presents a design methodology for lightweight composite booms with multiple tape-spring hinges. The whole process of folding and deployment of the tape-spring hinges under both quasi-static and dynamic loading has been captured in detail through finite element simulations, starting from a micro-mechanical model of the laminate based on the measured geometry and elastic properties of the woven tows. A stress-resultant based six-dimensional failure criterion has been developed for checking if the structure would be damaged. A detailed study of the quasi-static folding and deployment of a tape-spring hinge made from a two-ply plain-weave laminate of carbon-fibre reinforced plastic has been carried out. A particular version of this hinge was constructed and its moment-rotation profile during quasi-static deployment was measured. Folding and deployment simulations of the tape-spring hinge were carried out with the commercial finite element package Abaqus/Explicit, starting from the as-built, unstrained structure. The folding simulation includes the effects of pinching the hinge in the middle to reduce the peak moment required to fold it. The deployment simulation fully captures both the steady-state moment part of the deployment and the final snap back to the deployed configuration. An alternative simulation without pinching the hinge provides an estimate of the maximum moment that could be carried by the hinge during operation. This moment is about double the snap-back moment for the particular hinge design that was considered. The dynamic deployment of a tape-spring hinge boom has been studied both experimentally and by means of detailed finite-element simulations. It has been shown that the deployment of the boom can be divided into three phases: deployment; latching, which may involve buckling of the tape springs and large rotations of the boom; and vibration of the boom in the latched configuration. The second phase is the most critical as the boom can fold backwards and hence interfere with other spacecraft components. A geometric optimisation study was carried out by parameterising the slot geometry in terms of slot length, width and end circle diameter. The stress-resultant based failure criterion was then used to analyse the safety of the structure. The optimisation study was focused on finding a hinge design that can be folded 180 degrees with the shortest possible slot length. Simulations have shown that the strains can be significantly reduced by allowing the end cross-sections to deform freely. Based on the simulations a failure-critical design and a failure-safe design were selected and experimentally verified. The failure-safe optimised design is six times stiffer in torsion, twice stiffer axially and stores two and a half times more strain energy than the previously considered design. Finally, an example of designing a 1 m long self-deployable boom that could be folded around a spacecraft has been presented. The safety of this two-hinge boom has been evaluated during both stowage and dynamic deployment. A safe design that latches without any overshoot was selected and validated by a dynamic deployment experiment.

This thesis gives a comprehensive study on the effect of using different structural idealizations on the design, analysis and optimization of thin walled semi-monocoque wing structures in the preliminary design phase. In the design part, wing structures are designed by employing two different structural idealizations that are typically used in the preliminary design phase. In the structural analysis part, finite element analysis of one of the designed wing configurations is performed using six different one and two dimensional element pairs which are typically used to model the sub-elements of semi-monocoque wing structures. The effect of using different finite element types on the analysis results of the wing structure is investigated. During the analysis study, depending on the mesh size used, conclusions are also inferred with regard to the deficiency of certain element types in handling the true external load acting on the wing structure. Finally in the optimization part, wing structure is optimized for minimum weight by using finite element models which have the same six different element pairs used in the analysis phase. The effect of using different one and two dimensional element pairs on the final optimized configurations of the wing structure is investigated, and conclusions are inferred with regard to the sensitivity of the optimized wing configurations with respect to the choice of different element types in the finite element model. Final optimized wing structure configurations are also compared with the simplified method based designs which are also optimized iteratively. Based on the results presented in the thesis, it is concluded that with the simplified methods, preliminary sizing of the wing structures can be performed with enough confidence, as long as the simplified method based designs are also optimized. Results of the simplified method of analysis showed that simplified method is applicable to be used as an analysis tool in performing the preliminary sizing of the wing structure before moving on to more refined finite element based analysis.

This thesis presents a comprehensive study of long-span cold-formed steel single C-section portal frames. The study includes the formulation of a nonlinear beam finite element for thin-walled sections, a series of full-scale frame tests and component tests, finite element modelling and advanced analysis followed by the formulation of design guidelines. The study was aimed at exploring the structural behaviour through experiment and numerical analysis towards developing provisions for the design of cold-formed steel portal frames using Advanced Analysis. A nonlinear thin-walled beam element for general open cross-sections was formulated, incorporating warping effect and non-coincident location of the shear centre and the centroid. It was successfully implemented in the geometric nonlinear analysis framework of the OpenSees finite element software. Towards investigating the behaviour and determining the ultimate strength, six full-scale tests on cold-formed steel single C-section portal frames were conducted. Separate tests were performed on frame connections, point-fastener connections and coupons to obtain the material parameters required for numerical modelling. Advanced shell finite element models of the full-scale frames and frame connections were created and validated against experimental results. The bolts and screws used for the connections between components were represented by point-based deformable fasteners. The force-deformation characteristics of the deformable fasteners were incorporated and successfully implemented in the Advanced Analysis. The strength of cold-formed steel single C-section portal frames determined by the Direct Strength Method and the Direct Design Method were compared. To account for inherent uncertainties in the strength of CFS portal frames, system resistance factors were derived. It was concluded that the Direct Design Method using Advanced Analysis is the likely future method for the design of cold-formed steel portal frames.

This thesis looks at the capabilities of cutting thin webs on Wire EDM machines that are difficult or impossible to machine using conventional methods. Covered is an investigation of how different material and web thickness affect the capability of machining thin-walled parts. Five different metals are used for the test; Aluminum 6061 T6, Yellow Brass SS360, 420 Stainless Steel, D2 unheat-treated tool steel 25-30 RC, and D2 heat-treated tool steel 60-65 RC. The small parts were cut to a 6mm (0.2362 inch) height with six different wall thicknesses: 0.30mm (0.0118 inch), 0.25mm (0.0098 inch), 0.20mm (0.0078 inch), 0.15mm (0.0059 inch), 0.10mm (0.0039 inch), and 0.05mm (0.0020 inch). A Sodick AQ325L Wire EDM machine was utilized for testing. The methods employed during the study include the following: • Machine settings and offsets were limited to the default setting selected from the Sodick AQ325L database. • Two different pre-test cuts were taken on the material to check for web bending during the cutting process. • Hardness was tested for comparison of the web heights. This thesis shows that bending increased as webs became thinner and that bending occurred toward the wire as the second side of the web was cut. Bending does affect the height of the web. Physical properties of materials also impacted the height of the web with the hardest material staying intact during the cutting process. This study shows that two factors, physical properties of materials and web thickness, significantly affect cutting results for thin web parts.

High wind events such as tropical cyclones, severe storms and tornadoes are more likely to impact the Australian coastal regions due to possible climate changes. Such events can be extremely destructive to building structures, in particular, low-rise buildings with lightweight roofing systems that are commonly made of thin steel roof sheeting and battens. Large wind suction loads that act on the roofs during high wind events cause premature failures of roof connections (fixings), leading to complete roof failures. Past wind damage investigations showed that the roof sheeting to batten connection failed frequently during high wind events. These local connection failures have been extensively investigated by many researchers and suitable recommendations to eliminate such failures have been proposed. However, this meant the weakest point has now shifted to the batten to truss/rafter connection. These connections are predominantly subjected to localised pull-through failures in which the screw fastener head pulls through the bottom flanges of thin steel roof battens. However, these failures have not been investigated adequately despite the many roof batten pull-through failures and eventual losses of both roof sheeting and battens observed after recent high wind events. Currently available design rules for the pull-through capacity of cold-formed steel screw fastener connections do not address the specific pull-through failures in thin steel roof battens under wind uplift loading. Current design practice of roof battens is based on using the design wind uplift capacity tables published by their manufacturers. However, it is unclear whether these design capacity tables developed for specific roof battens adequately included the effects of pull-through failures. As for the roof sheeting to batten connections, batten to rafter/truss connections are also subjected to both static and fatigue failures due to static and cyclic wind uplift loads, respectively. Although some experimental studies were conducted in the past using simulated static and cyclic wind loading, they were incomplete and no design rules were developed. Since the climate predictions indicate the likelihood of severe storm events with increased intensity in the future, they are more likely to cause static pull-through failures of roof battens. In addition, a thorough understanding of the static behaviour is first needed to evaluate the fatigue behaviour in depth. Hence this research was aimed at investigating the localised pull-through failures of thin steel roof battens under simulated static wind uplift loads, using laboratory experiments and finite element modelling. A preliminary and detailed experimental study was first conducted using industrial roof battens and full scale air-box tests and three small scale tests such as two-span batten tests, cantilever batten tests and short batten tests. Suitable small scale test methods were identified to accurately simulate the localised pull-through failures of roof battens. The applicability of the proposed small scale test methods for other roof battens was verified using two-span and short batten tests undertaken using roof battens made at the university workshop. Based on the test results, a suitable modification factor was recommended for use with the pull-through capacity equation presented in the current Australian (AS/NZS 4600: 2005) and American (AISI S100: 2012) cold-formed steel standards to accurately determine the pullthrough failure loads of roof battens. The main and extensive experimental study was then undertaken using two-span and short batten tests to examine the pull-through failures of roof battens. The tests were conducted to investigate the effects of many critical parameters such as screw fastener tightening, batten height, web angle, steel grade, batten thickness, screw fastener head size, screw fastener location, batten bottom flange width, underside and edge details of the screw fastener head, and screw fastener types on the roof batten pull-through failure behaviour and capacity. Since the test results showed that the pull-through failure behaviour of high strength and low strength steel roof battens significantly differed from each other due to the differences in ductility, two new design rules and relevant capacity reduction factors were developed to accurately determine the design pull-through capacities of roof battens. The finite element models of both two-span batten and short batten test specimens were modelled and analysed using ABAQUS software. A suitable failure criterion was developed based on constitutive model inputs and employed in the finite element analyses to accurately predict the initiation of pull-through failures of thin steel roof battens associated with the tearing fracture of bottom flange around the screw fastener head edge. The finite element models were validated using the test results, and additional parametric studies were conducted to investigate the parameters which were not considered in the experimental study due to their lower importance on pullthrough failure behaviour and capacity of roof battens. A large pull-through capacity data base was developed using the pull-through failure loads obtained from the tests and finite element analyses. Suitable design rules were then developed using them and finally recommended with suitable capacity reduction factors for the accurate determination of the design pull-through capacities of thin-walled steel roof battens. This study also investigated the strengthening methods recommended by the roof batten manufacturers and builders and showed that they are inadequate to provide a significant improvement based on the governing pull-through failures of roof battens. A reliable strengthening method using overlapping short battens as brackets at the supports was recommended and a series of roof batten tests was conducted using two-span batten tests and two types of industrial roof battens. The test results confirmed the adequacy of the proposed strengthening method. Suitable fragility curves were developed using detailed probabilistic analyses and Monte Carlo simulations based on the governing pull-through failures of thin steel roof battens to predict the likely level of roof damages to a large community for a given wind speed. The pull-through failure behaviour of roof battens was examined by defining eight different cases that are likely to occur during high wind events (for example, with and without dominant openings) and developing relevant fragility curves. The effects of using different batten span and spacing were also investigated using fragility curves. Fragility curves were also used to evaluate the enhancement level that could be achieved with the proposed strengthening method. In summary, this research study has developed suitable test, design and strengthening methods and fragility curves for thin steel roof battens subject to localised pullthrough failures under high wind uplift loads.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI)
Crashworthiness design is gaining more importance in the automotive industry due to high competition and tight safety norms. Further there is a need for light weight structures in the automotive design. Structural optimization in last two decades have been widely explored to improve existing designs or conceive new designs with better crashworthiness and reduced mass. Although many gradient based and heuristic methods for topology and topometry based crashworthiness design are available these days, most of them result in stiff structures that are suitable only for a set of vehicle components in which maximizing the energy absorption or minimizing the intrusion is the main concern. However, there are some other components in a vehicle structure that should have characteristics of both stiffness and flexibility. Moreover, the load paths within the structure and potential buckle modes also play an important role in efficient functioning of such components. For example, the front bumper, side frame rails, steering column, and occupant protection devices like the knee bolster should all exhibit controlled deformation and collapse behavior. This investigation introduces a methodology to design dynamically crushed thin-walled tubular structures for crashworthiness applications. Due to their low cost, high energy absorption efficiency, and capacity to withstand long strokes, thin-walled tubular structures are extensively used in the automotive industry. Tubular structures subjected to impact loading may undergo three modes of deformation: progressive crushing/buckling, dynamic plastic buckling, and global bending or Euler-type buckling. Of these, progressive buckling is the most desirable mode of collapse because it leads to a desirable deformation characteristic, low peak reaction force, and higher energy absorption efficiency. Progressive buckling is generally observed under pure axial loading; however, during an actual crash event, tubular structures are often subjected to oblique impact loads in which Euler-type buckling is the dominating mode of deformation. This undesired behavior severely reduces the energy absorption capability of the tubular structure. The design methodology presented in this paper relies on the ability of a compliant mechanism to transfer displacement and/or force from an input to desired output port locations. The suitable output port locations are utilized to enforce desired buckle zones, mitigating the natural Euler-type buckling effect. The problem addressed in this investigation is to find the thickness distribution of a thin-walled structure and the output port locations that maximizes the energy absorption while maintaining the peak reaction force at a prescribed limit. The underlying design for thickness distribution follows a uniform mutual potential energy density under a dynamic impact event. Nonlinear explicit finite element code LS-DYNA is used to simulate tubular structures under crash loading. Biologically inspired hybrid cellular automaton (HCA) method is used to drive the design process. Results are demonstrated on long straight and S-rail tubes subject to oblique loading, achieving progressive crushing in most cases.

This thesis investigates the behaviour of hollow and concrete filled steel columns fabricated from thin steel plates. The columns are investigated under axial, uniaxial and biaxial loading. The currently available international standards for composite structures are limited to the design of concrete filled steel columns with compact sections and yield stress of steel up to 460 N/mm2. This thesis consists of both experimental and analytical studies and design recommendations for future use. Three comprehensive series of experimental tests are conducted on hollow and concrete filled steel columns. The principal parameters that have been considered in the test programmes are the slenderness of the component plates, the yield stress of the steel and the loading conditions. In the first test series, three slender hollow steel columns and three slender composite columns are tested under uniaxial loading. The steel utilised is mild steel. High strength steel is utilised in the second test programme. In this test series four stub columns, eight short columns and eight slender columns are tested, each set consists of four hollow and four composite columns. Short columns are tested under axial loading to investigate the confinement effect provided by the steel casing. Slender columns are tested under uniaxial loading to investigate the coupled instability of local and global buckling. The third test programme is quite novel and considers the behaviour of hollow and concrete filled steel columns fabricated with high strength structural steel plate and subjected to biaxial bending. In this test eight short columns and ten slender columns each of them consisting of hollow and composite columns are investigated under biaxial loading. Analytical models are developed herein to elucidate the behaviour of the hollow and composite columns considering cross section slenderness, yield stress and loading conditions. An iterative model considering the coupled global and local buckling in the elastic and plastic range incorporating material nonlinearities is developed to investigate the behaviour of slender columns fabricated from mild steel. An improved deformation control model is developed to investigate the behaviour of slender high strength steel columns considering the confinement effect and local and post-local buckling in the elastic and plastic range. Then a numerical model for biaxial bending is developed to study the behaviour of short and slender concrete filled high strength steel columns under biaxial loading incorporating interaction buckling considering material and geometric nonlinearities. The scope of the thesis presents a wide range of experimental and theoretical studies of an extremely novel nature. It demonstrates the benefit of confinement and the consideration of local and post-local buckling in the elastic and plastic range. It is hoped that this research will contribute to the area of composite steel-concrete structural applications.

In this study, an efficient, accurate and robust methodology for nonlinear finite element analysis and design optimization of thin-walled structures is presented. Main parts of this research are: formulation and development of an accurate and efficient shell element, a robust nonlinear finite element analysis technique, and an efficient optimization methodology. In the first part, a new three-node triangular shell element is developed by combining the optimal membrane element and discrete Kirchhoff triangle (DKT) plate bending element, and is then modified for laminated composite plates and shells so as to include the membrane-bending coupling effect. Also, a moderately thick shell element is developed in a similar manner by combining the discrete Kirchhoff-Mindlin triangular (DKMT) plate bending element and the optimal membrane element. Using appropriate shape functions for the bending and membrane modes of the element, the "inconsistent" stress stiffness matrix is formulated and the tangent stiffness matrix is determined. In the second part, a robust nonlinear finite element analysis program based on the corotational technique is developed to analyze thin-walled structures with geometric nonlinearity. The new element is thoroughly tested by solving few popular benchmark problems. The results of the analyses are compared with those obtained based on other membrane elements. In the third part, optimization algorithms based on the optimality criteria are developed and then combined with the nonlinear finite element analysis to optimize different types of thin-walled structures with geometric nonlinearity. The optimization problem considers the thickness or geometry design variables, and aims to maximize the critical load of the structure subject to constant total mass, or minimize the total mass subject to constant applied loads. The optimization results based on the developed design optimization algorithm are compared with those based on the gradient-based sequential quadratic programming method to demonstrate the efficiency and accuracy of the developed procedure. An application of the thickness optimization for locating the potential places to add the stiffeners in stiffened panels is also presented. Also a method is presented to efficiently incorporate the effects of local buckling and mode switching during optimization process for stiffened panels.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI)
Thin-walled structures find wide applications in the automotive industry as energy absorption devices. A great deal of research has been conducted to design thin-walled structures, where the main objective is to reduce peak crushing forces and increase energy absorption capacity. With the advancement of computers and mathematics, it has been possible to develop 2D patterns which when folded turn into complex 3D structures. This technology can be used to develop patterns for getting structures with desired properties. In this study, square origami tubes with folding pattern (Yoshimura pattern) is designed and studied extensively using numerical analysis. An accurate Finite Element Model (FEM) is developed to conduct the numerical analysis. A parametric study was conducted to study the influence of geometric parameters on the mechanical properties like peak crushing force, mean crushing force, load uniformity and maximum intrusion, when subjected to dynamic loading. The results from this analysis are studied and various conclusions are drawn. It is found that, when the tube is folded with the pattern having specific dimensions, the performance is enhanced significantly, with predictable and stable collapse. It is also found that the stiffness of the module varies with geometrical parameters. With a proper study it is possible to develop origami structures with functionally graded stiffness, the performance of which can be tuned as per requirement, hence, showing promising capabilities as an energy absorption device where progressive collapse from near to end impact end is desired.

Powder injection molding (PIM) is a net fabrication technique that combines the complex shape-forming ability of plastic injection molding, the precision of die-casting, and the material selection flexibility of powder metallurgy. For this study, the design issues related to PIM for fabrication of thin-walled high-aspect ratio geometries were investigated. These types of geometries are typical to the field of microtechnology-based energy and chemical systems (MECS). MECS are multi-scale (sizes in at least two or more different length scale regimes) fluidic devices working on the principle of heat and mass transfer through embedded micro and nanoscale features. Stainless steel was the material chosen for the investigations because of its high-thermal resistance and chemical inertness necessary for typical microfluidic applications. The investigations for the study were performed using the state-of-the-art computer aided engineering (CAE) design tool, PIMSolver��. The effect of reducing part thickness, on the process parameters including melt temperature, mold temperature, fill time and switch over position, during the mold-filling stage of the injection molding cycle were investigated. The design of experiments was conducted using the Taguchi method. It was seen that the process variability generally increased with reduction in thickness. Mold temperature played the most significant role in controlling the mold filling behavior as the part thickness reduced. The effects of reducing part thickness, process parameters, microscale surface geometry and delivery system design on the occurrence of defects like short shots were also studied. The operating range, in which the mold cavity was completely filled, was greatly reduced as the part thickness was reduced. The single edge gated delivery system designs, with single or branched runners, resulted in a completely formed part. The presence of microchannel features on the part surface increased the possibility of formation of defects like short shots and weld-lines when compared to a featureless part. The study explored some typical micro-fluidic geometries for fabrication using PIM. The final aspect of this study was the PIM experiments performed using a commercial stainless steel feedstock. Experiments were performed to study the mold-filling behavior of a thin, high aspect ratio part and also to study the effect of varying processing conditions on the mold-filling behavior. These experiments also provided correspondence to the mold filling behavior simulated using PIMSolver��. The PIMSolver�� closely predicted the mold-filling patterns as seen in the experiments performed under similar molding conditions. The study was successful in laying down a quantitative framework for using PIM to fabricate micro-fluidic devices.
Graduation date: 2005

This thesis explores colloidal semiconductor nanocrystal solutions as a feedstock for creating thin film semiconductor materials through printing processes. This thesis will span the synthesis of nanocrystals, ligand exchange chemistry, solution phase characterization methods, thin film device fabrication, thin film characterization methods, and device characteristics. We will focus extensively relating the structure of nanocrystals in solution and in thin films to their chemistry, optical properties and electronic properties. By way of introduction, the origin and nature of semiconductor nanocrystals will be explored. This discussion will place semiconductor nanocrystals in their historical context, namely the oil-shocks of the 1970s. The interest in II-VI semiconductor materials stemmed from a desire find photochemical synthetic routes to reduce the use of fossil fuels. As a result, II-VI semiconductor nanocrystal are far more developed synthetically. Additionally, our understanding of II-VI semiconductor nanocrystals is couched in the language of solid state physics rather than chemistry. This will lead into a discussion of their electronic structure and the iterative nature of nanocrystal synthetic development and our theoretical understanding of nanocrystals. The first chapter will discuss nanocrystal synthetic methods in a broad context, finally narrowing in on the synthesis chosen for this work. Following a description of the synthesis, we will then describe the ligand chemistry and the reactions which may be performed in the ligand shell. The final sections of the chapter will describe the synthetic routes to the three nanocrystal materials used in the rest of this work, namely CdSe-CdCl2/PBu3, CdSe-CdCl2/NH2Bu, and CdSe/NH2Bu. The second chapter will introduce the crystal structure of II-VI semiconductor nanocrystals and describe how the structure is measured. This will lead in to a discussion of pair distribution function analysis of X-ray data and examples of its application to the solution phase structure of semiconductor nanocrystals. Some size dependent structural properties, namely stain, will be demonstrated by PDF. At the end evidence for surface reconstruction in solution as ligands are removed will be presented. In the final chapter, techniques for film formation and ligand dissolution with be presented. Annealing of films produces electronic and structural changes which can be observed in the absorbance spectrum, electron microscopy, and X-ray scattering. I propose a three phase annealing model which includes 1) reversible desorption of the organic ligands, 2) irreversible particle fusion, and 3 ripening of grains. The temperature at which ripening occurs depends sensitively on the sample content, which increase chloride concentration decreasing the temperature at which ripening occurs. The ripening process is found to correlate with a phase transition from zinc blende to wurtzite, which indicates that grain boundary mobility is an important part of the ripening process. Finally thin film transistors are characterized electronically. Fused grains show superior electron mobility as high as 25 cm2/(Vs) and on/off ratios of 10\up5 and less than 0.5 V hysteresis in threshold voltage without the addition of indium. Surprisingly, the ripened grains show poorer transport characteristics. The manuscript concludes by noting the importance of the sintering process in achieving conductivity in thin films and discussing future directions to build upon this work.

A new approach to the discovery of high absorbing semiconductors for solar cells was taken by working under a set of design principles and taking a systemic methodology. Three transition metal chalcogenides at varying states of development were evaluated within this framework. Iron pyrite (FeS���) is well known to demonstrate excellent absorption, but the coexistence with metallic iron sulfides was found to disrupt its semiconducting properties. Manganese diselenide (MnSe���), a material heavily researched for its magnetic properties, is proposed as a high absorbing alternative to iron pyrite that lacks destructive impurity phases. For the first time, a MnSe��� thin film was synthesized and the optical properties were characterized. Finally, CuTaS���, a known but never characterized material, is also proposed as a high absorbing semiconductor based on the design principles and experimental results.
Graduation date: 2013