1,462 research outputs found

    Numerical predictions of the fatigue life of aluminium welded joints

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    The fatigue life of arc welded joints made of aluminium alloy has been investigated by means of the implicit gradient method. This approach is suitable for estimating the fatigue life of welded joints characterised by different opening angles of the fillet weld and different thicknesses. The main fatigue data are related to cruciform joints, rectangular hollow section T-joints and bead removed joints. Using the principal stress as the local equivalent stress and a notch tip of the weld toe radius equal to zero, the paper analyses about two hundred experimental data taken from the literature and proposes a universal scatter band in the range of 104 to 5·106 cycles. This scatter band has an inverse slope around 4 and, at high cycle fatigue, the strength is about half that of steel joints. However, the scatter band is similar to welded joints made of steel previously analyse

    Non-destructive evaluation of cement-based materials from pressure-stimulated electrical emission - Preliminary results

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    This is the post-print version of the final paper published in Construction and Building Materials. The published article is available from the link below. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. Copyright @ 2010 Elsevier B.V.This paper introduces the possibility of in situ assessment of loading and remaining strength in concrete structures by means of measuring discharge of electric current from loaded specimens. The paper demonstrates that the techniques have been applied to other rock-like materials, but that for the first time they are applied to cement-based materials and a theoretical model is proposed in relation to the appearance of electrical signals during sample loading and up to fracture. A series of laboratory experiments on cement mortar specimens in simple uniaxial compression, and subsequently in bending – hence displaying both tension and compression – are described and show clear correlations between resulting strains and currents measured. Under uniaxial loading there is a well-defined relationship between the pressure-stimulated current (PSC) as a result of a monotonic mechanical loading regime. Similar results are observed in the three-point bending tests where a range of loading regimes is studied, including stepped changes in loading. While currents can be measured at low strains, best results seem to be obtained when strains approach and exceed yield stress values. This technique clearly has immense potential for structural health monitoring of cement-based structures. Both intermittent and continuous monitoring becomes possible, and given an ongoing campaign of monitoring, remaining strength can be estimated

    High-power CMOS current driver with accurate transconductance for electrical impedance tomography

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    Current drivers are fundamental circuits in bioimpedance measurements including electrical impedance tomography (EIT). In the case of EIT, the current driver is required to have a large output impedance to guarantee high current accuracy over a wide range of load impedance values. This paper presents an integrated current driver which meets these requirements and is capable of delivering large sinusoidal currents to the load. The current driver employs a differential architecture and negative feedback, the latter allowing the output current to be accurately set by the ratio of the input voltage to a resistor value. The circuit was fabricated in a 0.6- μm high-voltage CMOS process technology and its core occupies a silicon area of 0.64 mm (2) . It operates from a ± 9 V power supply and can deliver output currents up to 5 mA p-p. The accuracy of the maximum output current is within 0.41% up to 500 kHz, reducing to 0.47% at 1 MHz with a total harmonic distortion of 0.69%. The output impedance is 665 k Ω at 100 kHz and 372 k Ω at 500 kHz

    Optimal Incentive Contracts under Moral Hazard When the Agent is Free to Leave

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    We characterize optimal incentive contracts in a moral hazard framework extended in two directions. First, after effort provision, the agent is free to leave and pursue some ex-post outside option. Second, the value of this outside option is increasing in effort, and hence endogenous. Optimal contracts may entail properties such as inducing first-best effort and surplus, or non-responsiveness with respect to changes in verifiable parameters. Moreover, while always socially inefficient, separation might occur in equilibrium. Except for the latter, these findings are robust to renegotiation. When the outside option is exogenous instead, the standard results obtain.moral hazard; limited commitment; ex-post outside option; limited liability

    Optimal Incentive Contracts under Moral Hazard When the Agent is Free to Leave

    No full text
    We characterize optimal incentive contracts in a moral hazard framework extended in two directions. First, after effort provision, the agent is free to leave and pursue some ex-post outside option. Second, the value of this outside option is increasing in effort, and hence endogenous. Optimal contracts may entail properties such as inducing first-best effort and surplus, or non-responsiveness with respect to changes in verifiable parameters. Moreover, while always socially inefficient, separation might occur in equilibrium. Except for the latter, these findings are robust to renegotiation. When the outside option is exogenous instead, the standard results obtain

    Correlation of pressure stimulated currents in rocks with the damage parameter

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    Pressure Stimulated Current (PSC) experiments were conducted on marble samples to correlate PSC with the damage parameter, D. The phenomena and procedures taking place in the vicinity of the fracture limit were observed and analytically described. PSC recordings were conducted by application of uniaxial compressional stress, both at a constant stress rate and at a constant deformation rate. A linear relationship was shown to exist between the emitted PSC and the damage parameter which quantifies the deviation from linear elasticity and the concentration of microcracks.JCR Journalope
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