Italian Group Fracture (IGF): E-Journals / Gruppo Italiano Frattura
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Damage identification in RC bridges by confronting two approaches: visual inspection and numerical analysis
Get PDFThe present article aims to summarize the research study that was conducted the efficiency of methods and techniques designed for the detection and localization of faults in civil engineering structures, particularly in bridge structures. The diagnosis of a real reinforced concrete bridge by a visual inspection is presented. Then, three numerical damage detection and localization methods, namely the eigenfrequency change method, the eigenstrain change method (Coordinate Modal Assurance Criterion – CO-MAC), and the strain energy change method, are explicitly presented. Furthermore, the modeling of the bridge, before and after damage, using the Ansys software was carried out in order to identify all possible bridge defects. Afterward, the numerical results are graphically represented using the above mentioned methods. This made it possible to confirm the initial diagnosis and hence assess the damages observed on site and also in other zones
Evaluating the Safety and the Effect of Blast Loading on the Shotcrete together with lattice girder Support of Tunnels
Get PDFDamage to tunnels caused by explosions may damage the support structure and the stability. This damage is due to either blasting the working face for drilling progress or an explosion inside the tunnel. The present study investigates the dynamic parameters resulting from the blasting pattern on the temporary support structure of the tunnel considered as a lattice girder and shotcrete equivalent cross-section. For this purpose, LS-DYNA finite element software was used to assess the dynamic response of the structure to the vibration of the blasting-induced explosion. The peak particle velocity (PPV) was considered to evaluate the safety of the tunnel under dynamic loads. According to the results of this study, by exceeding the velocity of 0.9 m/s in the elements, some levels of destruction will occur. Regarding the elements of the temporary support structure of the tunnel, it is found that the damage occurs near the face and 2 m from the tunnel
Experimental and numerical investigations of masonry beams performance under bending loads
No full textAn experimental and numerical study was achieved to investigate the behavior of masonry beams internally reinforced using carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) and hybrid steel/CFRP reinforcements. In addition, the use of masonry equivalent material characteristics in the numerical modeling instead of modeling the blocks and mortar was evaluated. Three beams were built using cement bricks and tested in three-point bending with an effective simply supported span of 840 mm. The bricks were designed with a hole that was filled with grout before placing the rebar inside. Material characterization tests were performed to evaluate the mechanical properties of the brick, mortar, and masonry blocks. The beam samples were tested under static loads and the load deformation and failure load were monitored. Finite element methods were built for the beams and validated using the experimental results. The model was used to study more parameters such as the distance between the stirrups and the hybrid reinforcement configuration. Results showed that hybrid reinforcement is the best reinforcement configuration. It can be concluded that the reinforced masonry systems were able to achieve flexural resistance with maximum resistance when using the hybrid reinforcement
Analysis of damage control of thin plate with piezoelectric actuators using finite element and machine learning approach
Get PDFIn recent studies, piezoelectric actuators have been recognized as a practical and effective material for repairing cracks in thin-walled structures, such as plates that are adhesively bonded with piezoelectric patches due to their electromechanical effects. In this study, we used the finite element method through the ANSYS commercial code to determine the stress intensity factor (SIF) at the crack tip of a cracked plate bonded with a piezoelectric actuator under a plane stress model. By running various simulations, we were able to examine the impact of different aspects that affect this component, such as the size and characteristics of the plate, actuator, and adhesive bond. To optimize performance, we utilized machine learning algorithms to examine how these characteristics affect the repair process. This study represents the first-time machine learning has been used to examine bonded PZT actuators in damaged structures, and we found that it had a significant impact on the current problem. As a result, we were able to determine which of these parameters were most helpful in achieving our goal and which ones should be adjusted to improve the actuator's quality and reduce significant time and costs
Prediction of Mechanical Behavior of Epoxy Polymer Using Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) And response Surface Methodology (RSM)
Get PDFThe aim of this study is to analyze the effect of different geometries and sections on the mechanical properties of epoxy specimens. Five tensile tests were carried out on three types of series. The experimental results obtained were 1812.21 MPa, 3.90% and 41.91 MPa for intact specimens, 1450.41 MPa, 2.16% and 21.28 MPa for specimens with hole and 750.77 MPa, 2.77% and 11.89 MPa for specimens with elliptical -notched for Young's modulus, strain and stress respectively. In addition, the experimental results indicated that the mechanical properties of both (Young's modulus value and stress value) were higher in an intact specimen. Afterwards, the nonlinear functional relationship of input parameters between epoxy sample geometries and sections was established using the response surface model (RSM) and the artificial neural network (ANN) to predict the output parameters of mechanical properties (Young's modulus and stress). In addition, the design of experiment was developed by the Analysis of the Application of Variance (ANOVA). The results showed the superiority of the ANN model over the RSM model, where the correlation coefficient values for the model datasets exceed ANN (R2 = 0.984 for Young's modulus and R2 = 0.981 for the constraint)
Towards Long-Term Monitoring of the Structural Health of Deep Rock Tunnels with Remote Sensing Techniques
Get PDFDue to the substantial need to continuously ensure safe excavations and sustainable operation of deep engineering structures, structural health monitoring based on remote sensing techniques has become a prominent research topic in this field. Indeed, throughout their lifetime, deep tunnels are usually exposed to many complex situations which inevitably affect their structural health. Therefore, appropriate and effective monitoring systems are required to provide real-time information that can be used as a true basis for efficient and timely decision-making. Since sensors are at the heart of any monitoring system, their selection and conception for deep rock tunnels necessitates special attention. This work identifies and describes relevant structural health problems of deep rock tunnels and the applicability of sensors employed in monitoring systems, based on in-depth searches performed on pertinent research. The outcomes and challenges of monitoring are discussed as well. Results show that over time, deep rock tunnels suffer several typical structural diseases namely degradation of the excavation damaged areas, corrosion of rock bolts and cable bolts, cracks, fractures and strains in secondary lining, groundwater leaks in secondary lining, convergence deformation and damage provoked by the triggering of fires. Various types of remote sensors are deployed to monitor such diseases. For deep rock tunnels, it is suggested to adopt comprehensive monitoring systems with adaptive and robust sensors for their reliable and long-lasting performance
Investigation of Impact Energy Absorption of AA6061 and Composites: Role of Post-Aging Cooling Methods
Get PDFAl6061 and its composites are widely employed in applications requiring high strength and impact resistance. Heat treatment, particularly ageing, is a well-established method for enhancing the mechanical properties of these composites. However, the influence of post-ageing cooling methods on the impact energy absorption capacity of Al6061 and its composites remains inadequately understood. This investigation aims to examine the impact energy absorption of Al6061 and its composites after ageing at 460°C for 2 hours, employing different cooling methods, including furnace cooling, air cooling, and water cooling. The composites were produced using the stir casting technique with varying weight fractions of graphite and SiC particles based on Taguchi's design of experiments. Charpy impact tests were conducted using a specialised testing machine. The results reveal that the impact energy absorption capacity of the composites is influenced by the cooling method employed after the ageing treatment. Furnace cooling demonstrated the highest impact energy absorption capacity compared to the other cooling methods, exhibiting a 28% increase compared to the monolithic aluminium alloy. Furthermore, it was observed that the impact energy absorption capacity of the composites did not improve with an increase in the weight fraction of SiC particles, while the addition of graphite negatively impacted the absorption capacity
Revisiting classical concepts of Linear Elastic Fracture Mechanics - Part I: The closing ‘mathematical’ crack in an infinite plate and the respective Stress Intensity Factors
Get PDFThis is the first part of a short three-paper series, aiming to revisit some classical concepts of Linear Elastic Fracture Mechanics. The motive of this first paper is to highlight some controversial issues, related to the unnatural overlapping of the lips of a ‘mathematical’ crack in an infinite plate loaded by specific combinations of principal stresses at infinity (predicted by the classical solution of the respective first fundamental problem), and the closely associated issue of negative mode-I Stress Intensity Factor. The problem is confronted by superimposing to the first fundamental problem of Linear Elastic Fracture Mechanics for an infinite cracked plate (with stress-free crack lips) an ‘inverse’ mixed fundamental problem. This superposition provides naturally acceptable stress and displacement fields, prohibiting overlapping of the lips (by means of contact stresses generated along the crack lips, which force the overlapped lips back to naturally accepted position) and, also, non-negative mode-I Stress Intensity Factors. The solutions of this first paper form the basis for the next two papers of the series, dealing with the respective problems in finite domains (recall, for example, the cracked Brazilian disc configuration) weakened by artificial notches (rather than ‘mathematical’ cracks), by far more interesting for practical engineering applications
Fatigue life investigation of notched TC4 specimens subjected to different patterns of laser shock peening
Get PDFThe exhaustion of constructive ways for increasing the service life of parts has led to the development of new methods which can improve their material properties during operation under various loading conditions. Laser shock peening (LSP) induces compressive residual stress field which prevents fatigue crack initiation and propagation in components. Characteristics of laser impact and treatment patterns play an important role in efficiency of LSP application for improvement of fatigue properties. This work is devoted to the experimental examination of two LSP patterns to reveal the most optimal scheme from fatigue live improvement point of view. Proposed LSP pattern allowed one to increase the fatigue life of specimens with semi-circular notch by an order of magnitude. The numerical simulation of the LSP was performed to visualize the residual stress field of treated specimen after loading and to give the interpretation of the experimentally observed improvement of fatigue life
Impacts of nano-clay particles and heat-treating on out-of-phase thermo-mechanical fatigue characteristics in piston aluminum-silicon alloys
Get PDFAbstract. In this article, the effect of nano-clay particles and heat-treating on thermo-mechanical fatigue (TMF) behaviors and failures of piston aluminum-silicon (AlSi) alloys was investigated. For this purpose, thermo-mechanical fatigue tests were conducted under out-of-phase (OP) loading conditions. Two loading conditions were checked based on different maximum temperatures (250, 300, and 350 °C) and various thermo-mechanical loading factors (100, 125, and 150%). The minimum temperature was constant in all tests at 50 °C under a heating/cooling rate of 10 °C/s and a dwell time of 5 s. Results showed that the nano-composites had a longer fatigue lifetime, at least 2 times higher, compared to the Al alloy, when the maximum temperature was 250 °C and the thermo-mechanical loading factor was 100%. However, no effective change was seen for the stress value and the plastic strain. At higher maximum temperatures, the change in the material behavior was lower. The fracture analysis by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) demonstrated that both materials had a brittle behavior due to cleavage and quasi-cleavage marks. The damage mechanism was also due to the Si-rich phase and intermetallics, respectively for the crack propagation and the micro-crack initiation