Complex Loading Research Articles

Characterization on the impact load of a local corner region of a liquid tank entering water

This study conducts a detailed examination of the characteristics of impact loads in complex triangular areas within liquid tanks via the volume of fluids (VOF) method, with a general understanding of impact loads. By comparing the numerical results with previous experimental data of oblique wedge impacts on water surfaces, the effectiveness of the VOF method was confirmed. Complex dynamic phenomena such as fluid climbing, jet impact, and air cavity effects in corner areas were analyzed through 3D flow characteristics. By examining two types of impacts (a structure impacting fluid and a fluid impacting structure), the equivalence between them is verified. An in-depth exploration of the load characteristics in different areas is conducted by combining the free surface evolution. The multipeak characteristics of the load and synchronicity of the peak loads at different parts are closely related to the phenomenon of the climbing fluid being obstructed. Bubble flow also plays a crucial role in affecting the load characteristics. Further exploration of the effects of structural motion on load characteristics reveals complex load variability. These findings provide a valuable reference for understanding the impact loads in complex corner areas of liquid tanks.

Behaviour of yielding mechanical hybrid rockbolts under complex loading conditions

The original “hybrid bolt” was a pragmatic solution to address installation issues in the use of resin grouted rockbolts in heavily fractured ground and the inadequate capacity of friction rock stabilisers. The original hybrid rockbolt involved installing a resin rebar in a friction rock stabiliser. The development of Yielding Mechanical Hybrid Rockbolts has been driven by efforts to eliminate the use of resin in heavily fractured ground. A typical Yielding Mechanical Hybrid Rockbolt consists of a steel tendon mechanically anchored within a friction unit. The bolt is percussion driven by the rock drill and the mechanical anchor is subsequently activated using rotation. This installation process improves the rockbolt resilience to hole closures and avoids issues associated with the use of resin. Yielding Mechanical Hybrid Rockbolts are used in both squeezing and rockburst prone ground conditions.This paper addresses a significant knowledge gap related to the behaviour of Yielding Mechanical Hybrid Rockbolts under multiple quasi-static conditions. A comprehensive experimental program investigated the complete load displacement performance of Yielding Mechanical Hybrid Rockbolts under axial, shear, and a combination of tensile and shear loads. It was observed that the load capacity increases from axial (0°), combined axial and shear (30°), combined axial and shear (60°), and pure shear (90°). The displacement capacity, however, decreases under the same testing conditions. The results are consistent but there is a slightly greater variability as the loading angle increases from 0° to 90°. It was observed that beyond 60° loading angle there is greater variability in the results as the influence of the shear component manifests itself in greater disintegration of the concrete blocks at the shear interface.

In‐Plane Crashworthiness of Gradient Curved‐Walled Honeycombs: Experimental, Numerical Simulation, and Theoretical Analysis

Honeycombs are widely used in engineering protection, while the gap between peak and mean stresses remains to be narrowed, and the interaction effects among walls are weak. To break these limits, gradient curved‐walled honeycombs have been proposed recently. However, their in‐plane crashworthiness has never been studied, which restricts the actual applications in complex load environment. For this purpose, this article adopts experiments, finite‐element simulations, and theoretical analysis to reveal in‐plane crash performance of gradient curved‐walled honeycombs. Quasistatic and dynamic experiments are carried out for 3D‐printed honeycomb specimens made of 316L stainless steel, and numerical simulations are conducted by ABAQUS/Explicit. Compared to traditional straight‐ and curved‐walled honeycombs, gradient curved‐walled honeycombs display stabler deformation mode and more efficient mechanical response. Their EA and SEA are respectively 25.5% and 6.4% larger than straight‐walled honeycombs, and their energy absorption and force efficiencies are nearly 2.4 and 5.3 times larger, respectively. On this basis, plastic hinge model with high accuracy has been established, to derive the analytical solutions of their force–displacement relations. This work extends the comprehensive properties and application prospects of gradient curved‐walled honeycombs and sets an example to develop plastic hinge analysis with effective simplification and desirable accuracy on complex‐shaped structures.

Prediction method for re-damage behavior of the repaired CFRP bolted joint

Composite materials are widely used in various aircraft due to their high specific strength, stiffness, corrosion resistance, and robust design flexibility. However, when subjected to complex loading conditions, composite structures are susceptible to damage, necessitating prompt repair upon aircraft return. Analyzing the re-damage process of repaired structures is crucial for assessing aircraft structural reliability, lifespan, and determining whether a repeat flight is warranted. In this study, a prediction method was proposed for re-damage behavior through meso-modeling and energy analysis of the repaired composite bolted joint. First, this article established a meso-mechanical model for composite laminates, analyzed force transfer characteristics at the fiber − matrix interface, and derived equations for stress field. Additionally, a strain energy distribution model was developed for composite bolted repaired joint near fibers and repaired area, proposing a damage prediction method based on the strain energy criterion. This method could anticipate the location, type, sequence, and magnitude of damage. Finally, simulation calculations yielded mechanical characteristics of the repaired area under typical load conditions, while loading tests verified the feasibility of the prediction method. This study offered an effective means of predicting performance degradation in composite structures and provided a vital direction for optimal spacecraft structure repairing methods and parameters.

Minoxidil cyclodextrin complexes and their inclusion in transfersomes for the enhancement of therapeutic effect on androgenic alopecia

To further increase the drug loading (DL) of minoxidil (MXD) in transfersomes and fully utilize its role in the treatment of androgen alopecia (AGA), a strategy of drug in-cyclodextrin (CD)-in transfersomes was adopted and investigated. The sulfobutyl-substituted β-CDs (SBE-β-CD) with highest optimal binding energy was selected as the most suitable CD for MXD through molecular docking, which had high solubilization effect on MXD verified by phase solubility study. The transfersomes bearing inclusion complexes of MXD/SBE-β-CD was prepared by thin film hydration method, and the MXD/SBE-β-CD transfersomes (MXD/SCD@TFs) with the mass ratio of 10: 3: 2.5: 6 for phosphatidylcholine, cholesterol, Tween80 and MXD was selected as the optimal prescription through single factor screening, which had particle size of less than 100 nm, zeta potential of (−36.4 ± 0.11) mV. The DL of MXD/SCD@TFs was (44.02 ± 0.16)% (n = 3), which was increased nearly 3 times of MXD@TFs, resulting higher stability, in vitro skin permeation activity and drug skin retention. Importantly, the length of newborn hair and the length and number of hair follicles after 21 days of administration of MXD/SCD@TFs on AGA model C57BL/6 mice were significantly higher than those of MXD@TFs and commercial tincture (p < 0.01). Obviously, improving DL is an effective means to improve the therapeutic effect of MXD transfersoms on AGA, the screening of suitable CD for MXD and the loading of inclusion complex in transfersomes provide promising strategy to achieve it.

A New Cu-Alloyed Precipitation-Hardening Hot-Work Tool Steel

Abstract Hot-work tools for hot forming processes, such as die forging, are subject to complex loads that can often lead to premature tool failure. The present study attempts to reduce the main cause of failure of high-speed hot working tools, i. e., wear due to surface breakdown, with the aid of damage-tolerant microstructures. For this purpose, a hot-work tool steel is specifically alloyed with copper in order to form copper precipitations during the subsequent heat treatment, which increase the strength of the material and contribute to the reduction of dislocation movements. The aim is to close the property gap between the standardized direct-hardening and secondary-hardening hot-work tool steels.

Performance and mechanism of adaptive pitch control in a floating vertical axis wind turbine with a surge motion

Floating vertical axis wind turbines are bearing complex aerodynamic fatigue loads due to the movement of the platform and the reciprocating variations in the angle of attack and the blade relative wind speed. To explore the effect of the surge motion of the platform and verify the performance and acting mechanism of adaptive pitch control on reducing the fatigue loads and improving the power coefficient, a floating vertical axis wind turbine with three motion forms (non-surge, pure surge, and surge-adaptive pitch) is investigated in the condition of a low tip speed ratio with a high incoming wind speed. The results show that the surge motion enhances the fatigue loads, with the power coefficient less affected. The adaptive pitch control reduces the enhanced fatigue loads and improves the power coefficient by nearly twice. Vorticity and pressure distributions verify that the fluctuation ranges of the angle of attack and the blade relative wind speed are expanded by the surge motion, and the angle of attack is reduced by the adaptive pitch control especially in the upwind section, with the flow separation mitigated. However, the effects of the surge motion and the pitch variation are also influenced by the shedding vortex and the flow separation reattachment. For the upwind part of the blade aerodynamic forces, with the surge amplitude increase or the surge period decrease, the global amplitudes are increased gradually by the surge motion and then reduced by the pitch control, with the load reduction performance enhanced gradually.

Fatigue assessment of structural components through the Effective Critical Plane factor

The integrity assessment of structural components under complex loading conditions relies on the evaluation of the fatigue damage typically arising from stress concentrations, such as geometric irregularities, notches, weld beads, grooves etc.. Various methodologies, including the Notch Stress Approach (NSA), the Theory of Critical Distances (TCD), the Strain Energy Density (SED), and the Critical Plane (CP) concept, have been pivotal in assessing fatigue strength for notched and welded components. Recent works combine some of the above mentioned methodologies, while other works propose to vary the embedded parameters accounting for the loading type or the fatigue lives, trying to improve the accuracy of the fatigue assessment process. This paper introduces a novel approach, the Effective Critical Plane (ECP), which is founded on the critical plane concept. The CP factor is, however, calculated starting from an averaged, over a small volume, stress–strain field. The size of the averaging volume is assumed to be a material parameter and is determined by a best fitting procedure over different experimental data sets. The novel approach is illustrated by means of the Fatemi-Socie and the Smith-Watson-Topper CP damage factors. Its potential application to other CP formulations is straightforward, as well. Literature experimental data for low carbon steel specimens possessing different notches and loading conditions are used to validate the method’s capability in accurately determining the fatigue life and to set the radius of the averaging volume for the given material and CP parameter. A spherical volume or circular area are used in case of fully 3D or 2D numerical models, respectively. Results are compared to those of some of already existing methods, namely SED, TCD and the Modified Wöhler Curve Method.

Model-free chemomechanical interfaces: History-dependent damage under transient mass diffusion

This paper presents a data-driven framework based on distance functional for chemo-mechanical cohesive interfaces to capture transient diffusion and resulting interfacial damage evolution. The framework eliminates reliance on complex constitutive models and phenomenological assumptions, especially avoiding the coupling tangent terms with a given material database. The interfacial chemical potential and its jumps are used to expand the phase space for describing the chemical states of interfaces. Subsequently, a novel chemo-mechanical distance norm, including traction-separation pair, interfacial chemical potential-concentration pair and corresponding chemical potential jump-flux pair, is presented. Momentum conservation law for interfacial tractions and mass conservation law for interfacial concentration are enforced via Lagrange multipliers. For tracking the history-dependent state of the interface damage, an internal variable, termed interface integrity, is introduced to condition the interfacial database and manage the subsets mapping strategies, following physically motivated evolution constraints. Numerical examples are conducted to investigate the efficiency and capability of the present framework. A monotonic loading test validates a good numerical convergence relative to the number of data points. Subsequent cyclic loading simulations, compared with the reference solutions, show that the algorithm is well suitable to predict the history-dependent interface damage evolution under complex loading paths. Finally, the chemo-mechanically coupled examples capture phenomena such as interfacial swelling and interface degradation induced by transient diffusion and stress-driven diffusion. The current work provides a promising tool for understanding chemo-mechanical behaviors of interfaces within heterogeneous composites.

3‐Arylcoumarin Scaffolds From 3‐Chlorocoumarin and Arylboronic Acids via Site‐Selective CCl Bond Activation With Palladium Complexes of N∩O Chelating Hydrazones

ABSTRACTUsing palladium hydrazone complex as a homogeneous catalyst for SMC, we synthesized a library of 15 variant 3‐arylcoumarins. In this context, we report a set of four coordinated palladium(II) hydrazone complexes 1 and 2 having the general formula [Pd(L)(Cl)(PPh3)] by reacting the precursor complex [PdCl2(PPh3)2] with the hydrazone ligands HL1 or HL2. Single crystal XRD and conventional spectroscopic techniques were employed to characterize both complexes. From the catalytic application point of view, the new complexes 1 and 2 were tested as homogeneous catalysts towards the conversion of 3‐chlorocoumarins into 3‐arylcoumarins by activating the challenging CCl functionality. A minimal catalyst loading of complex 2 (0.01 mol%), afforded a series of 3‐arylcoumarins with a maximum of 92% yield and reusability up to five cycles. The present methodology is simple and easy to carry out at room temperature utilizing a green solvent (ethanol) in an open flask with a spectrum of aryl boronic acids.

Multi-Load Topology Optimization Design for the Structural Safety Maintenance of Low- and Intermediate-Level Radioactive Waste Packaging Containers in the Case of a Collision.

This paper presents an optimized design approach using nonlinear dynamic analysis and finite element methods to ensure the structural integrity of square-shaped containers made from ductile cast iron for intermediate- and low-level radioactive waste packaging. Ductile cast iron, with its spherical graphite structure, effectively distributes stress throughout the material, leading to a storage capacity increase of approximately 18%. Considering the critical need for containers that maintain integrity under extreme conditions like earthquakes, the design focuses on mitigating stress concentrations at the corners of square structures. Nonlinear dynamic analyses were conducted in five drop directions: three specified by ASTM-D5276 standards and two additional directions to account for different load patterns. Fractures were observed in four out of the five scenarios. For each direction where fractures occurred, equivalent loads causing similar displacement fields were applied to linear static models, which were then used for multi-load topology optimization. Three optimized models were derived, each increasing the volume by 1.4% to 1.6% compared to the original model, and the design that best met the structural integrity requirements during drop scenarios was selected. To further enhance the optimization process, weights were assigned to different load conditions based on numerical analysis results, balancing the impact of maximum stress, average stress, and plastic deformation energy. The final model, with its increased storage capacity and enhanced structural integrity, offers a practical solution for radioactive waste management, overcoming limitations in previous designs by effectively addressing complex load conditions.

Research on ground mobile robot trajectory tracking control based on MPC and ANFIS

This study focuses on the control strategy for a ground mobile robot (GMR) with independent three-axis six-wheel drive and four-wheel independent steering, performing double lane change trajectory tracking in complex scenarios. Initially, a dynamic model of the six-wheel independent drive and steering GMR was constructed. Utilizing Model Predictive Control (MPC) technology, the challenge of trajectory tracking at low speeds was effectively addressed. For high-speed conditions, by thoroughly analyzing the impact of the predictive time-domain, this study innovatively introduced an Adaptive Neuro-Fuzzy Inference System (ANFIS) to dynamically adjust the prediction horizon of the MPC. A novel trajectory tracking algorithm integrating MPC and ANFIS was developed, with the network structure being trained using backpropagation (BP) method and the least squares method. Compared to traditional MPC, this hybrid strategy significantly improves trajectory tracking accuracy and stability at high speeds, with computational efficiency increased by 48.65%. Additionally, the algorithm demonstrated excellent adaptability and control effectiveness in various rigorous tests, including different speed levels, complex steering paths, load changes, sudden obstacles, and variable terrain. A 70 km/h trajectory tracking experiment on a physical vehicle yielded a root mean square (RMS) error of 0.1904 m, verifying its superior tracking performance and practical reliability. This provides a pioneering solution for high-performance trajectory control of ground mobile robots.

Optimizing Multi-Row Cam Roller Bearing for Long Fatigue Life of Hydraulic Motors

Cam-lobe radial-piston hydraulic motors are widely used as rotation driving units for various marine machinery owing to their ultrahigh output torque (more than 100 kN m). A multi-row cam roller bearing (MCRB) is the key component that directly determines the fatigue life of a cam-lobe radial-piston hydraulic motor. However, compact geometry and complex loads render MCRB susceptible to fatigue failure, highlighting the need for an optimized MCRB to achieve longer fatigue life and higher reliability. Therefore, this study proposes an innovative geometry optimization method for an MCRB to improve its fatigue life. In this method, a quasi-static model was developed to calculate the load distribution, with the fatigue life of the MCRB calculated using both basic dynamic loading and load distribution. Subsequently, a genetic algorithm was used to obtain the optimized geometry parameters, which significantly improved the fatigue life of the MCRB. Finally, a loading test was conducted on a hydraulic motor installed with both the initial and optimized MCRB to validate the effectiveness of the proposed optimization method. This study provides a theoretical guideline for optimizing the design of MCRB, thereby increasing the fatigue life of hydraulic motors.

Multi-energy load forecasting for integrated energy system based on sequence decomposition fusion and factors correlation analysis

Considering the seasonal and cyclical fluctuation of loads and the complexity of multi-energy coupling, this paper proposes a novel load forecasting model based on sequence decomposition fusion and factors correlation analysis. Firstly, the variational mode decomposition (VMD) is used to decompose the highly complex load sequences and the novel influencing factors correlation analysis (ICA) is proposed to select strong factors and remove weak feature variables to construct the input and output set. Secondly, this paper proposes the combined forecasting framework MTL-CNN-BiGRU-Attention to simultaneously forecast the cooling, heat, and electricity loads, along with BiGRU used as the hard sharing layer to deeply explore the coupling information between different types of loads. Meanwhile, the gray wolf algorithm (GWO) is improved to accurately and quickly search for the optimal hyperparameters of the model. Finally, the dataset of a comprehensive energy station in Shanghai is used to test our model, and the results show that the MAPE of the cooling and electricity loads forecasting achieve 5.501% and 5.821% in summer and 5.921%, 7.899% and 7.541% for the cooling, heat and electricity loads in transition season and winter, which confirms the effectiveness and superiority of our model.

Numerical study on dynamic response of a novel ribbed thin-walled UHPC box-type utility tunnel under gas explosion

At present, RC utility tunnels are widely used in urban utility tunnels. As a typical confined space, the complex load effect generated by the internal gas explosion of the gas tank of utility tunnel may lead to local damage or overall destruction of the structure of RC utility tunnel. Therefore, it is an important topic to improve the anti-explosion capability of the utility tunnel and ensure the normal operation of the utility tunnel after gas explosion. UHPC structure is considered to have excellent anti-explosion performance, so a ribbed thin-walled UHPC utility tunnel structure was proposed, which improved the overall stiffness and anti-explosion performance of the UHPC utility tunnel through the ribbed section. In view of the shortcomings of fluid-solid coupling method in gas simulation, Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) was used to calculate the overpressure distribution after gas explosion in UHPC utility tunnel. The accuracy of UHPC constitutive model and prestress simulation method was verified by testing results from the gas explosion on unbonded prestressed UHPC slab. The gas explosion damage mechanism of ribbed thin-walled UHPC utility tunnel, UHPC-NC combined utility tunnel and RC utility tunnel were comparatively analyzed. And the pre-fabricated stiffener height, UHPC slab thickness and UHPC strength were investigated on the anti-explosion performance of ribbed thin-walled UHPC utility tunnel against gas explosion. It is found that the UHPC strength needs to be enhanced dramatically to improve the blast resistance. The anti-explosion capability of utility tunnel can be effectively increased by increasing the rib height or increasing the thickness of the UHPC utility tunnel structure, and the damage pattern of the utility tunnel can also be changed from flexure-shear failure to bending failure. The results of the study can provide a reference for the damage analysis and anti-explosion design of ribbed thin-walled UHPC utility tunnels.

Deep learning model for the deformation prediction of concrete dams under multistep and multifeature inputs based on an improved autoformer

The long-term prediction of deformation in concrete dams is a critical requirement for maintaining their structural integrity over time in practical management scenarios. While most existing models predominantly address short-term and medium-term predictions, there remains a significant challenge in establishing reliable correlations within complex long-term temporal patterns and varying environmental factors. Consequently, there is limited research on multistep prediction. To solve these problems, an Autoformer-based model for multistep and multifeature dam deformation prediction is proposed. In the proposed model, the sequence decomposition of dam monitoring data is used as the basic construction module inside the depth model. Then, Deep Automatic Correlation (Deep-AutoCorrelation) mechanism is employed to obtain the long-term dependence between dam deformation and environmental load. The encoder-decoder structure integrates time series decomposition and the Deep-AutoCorrelation to predict the multistep deformation of the dam. In the multistep deformation prediction of the dam, the improved Autoformer model demonstrates state-of-the-art performance, resulting in a 48% increase in prediction accuracy across five monitoring point datasets when compared to six benchmark models. Experimental results indicate that this method effectively addresses the challenge of predicting long-term deformation of dams subjected to complex environmental loads. It demonstrates robust capabilities in extracting long-term temporal features and avoids the increase of computational complexity caused by deeper time extraction.

Size-Dependent Finite Element Analysis of Functionally Graded Flexoelectric Shell Structures Based on Consistent Couple Stress Theory

The functionally graded (FG) flexoelectric material is a potential material to determine the structural morphing of aircrafts. This work proposes the penalty 20-node element based on the consistent couple stress theory for analyzing the FG flexoelectric plate and shell structures with complex geometric shapes and loading conditions. Several numerical examples are examined and prove that the new element can predict the size-dependent behaviors of FG flexoelectric plate and shell structures effectively, showing good convergence and robustness. Moreover, the numerical results reveal that FG flexoelectric material exhibits better bending performance and higher flexoelectric effect compared to homogeneous materials. Moreover, the increase in the material length scale parameter leads to a gradual increase in the natural frequencies of the out-of-plane modes of FG flexoelectric plate/shell, while the natural frequencies of the in-plane modes change minimally, resulting in the occurrence of mode-switching phenomena.

A simulation strategy for fatigue modeling of delamination in composite structures under multiple loading conditions considering loading history and [formula omitted]-curve effects

This work evaluates the ability of cohesive zone modeling-based approaches to predict delamination in composite materials that develop large process zones under complex loading conditions. The R-curve effects subjected to static and fatigue loading under multiple loading modes, considering the loading history, are analyzed. To this end, the delamination predictions of a state-of-the-art CZM-based simulation strategy are evaluated by blind simulation of a validation benchmark test. The validation test promotes a non-self-similar delamination scenario, including a process zone that evolves under different loading mode conditions with a non-straight leading delamination front. Good delamination prediction accuracy is achieved. In addition, insights into the relationship between the features of the simulation strategy and the physics of the delamination process are discussed. With regard to the limitations of the simulation strategy, particular attention should be paid to modeling the contribution of an evolving process zone based on the loading mode history.

Seismic response of the composite bucket foundation supported offshore wind turbines under marine environmental loadings

Many offshore wind turbine (OWT) foundations are situated in earthquake-prone areas, where complex environmental loads intensified the seismic responses of the OWTs. In response to this situation, the composite bucket foundations is proposed and extensively applied due to its reliable installation and high seismic resistance. To analyze the seismic response of composite bucket foundations subjected to environmental loads, refined numerical models of the 6.45 MW OWT system are established, and parametric analyses are conducted, considering the influence of seismic frequency contents and intensities, the soil layer distributions and wind velocities. The results show that the composite bucket foundations undergo cumulative rotational deformation around a point biased toward the windward side of the foundation under the seismic and environmental loads. The increasing mean wind velocity significantly enlarges the displacement response envelope, while has limited influence of the acceleration response envelope of OWTs. Increasing the bucket diameter enhances the deformation resistance of the OWT, while the efficiency of this improvement diminishes as the diameter increases. Greater bucket skirt length also enhances its deformation resistance, but may lead to increased lateral acceleration response of the OWT.

Concurrent Multifrequency Complex to Real Impedance Matching Network for RF Applications

This paper presents a novel technique for matching complex loads to a real source concurrently at uncorrelated frequencies under any load conditions. In the proposed method, a branched stub adds susceptances to the load admittances such that the adjusted loads for all the frequencies can be shifted to g = 1 circle using a single series transmission line; hence matching the real part of the admittances. The left-over susceptance is cancelled through another branched stub. Its adaptability allows it to increase the number of bands by adding transmission lines to the branched stubs. The structure is not subject to any fabrication-related limitations because all the transmission lines used in the design have a characteristic impedance of 50 Ohms. The concept has been validated by designing a prototype matching network for N = 3 and extending it to N = 4, and N = 5 by adding elements to the branched stubs. All the structures are fabricated on ROGERS RO4003 substrate with a dielectric constant, er = 3.38 and height, h = 20 mils. The simulated and the measured results are in good accordance.