Efficient Earthquake Inversion using the Finite Element Method

A vital component in the management of seismic hazard is the study of past seismic events. Classically, this has been the domain of seismology, which studies the dynamic manifestations of the event to infer properties such as epicenter and moment magnitude. More recently it has become possible to perform similar analyses on the basis of the...

Surface Crack Growth in Metallic Pipes Reinforced with Composite Repair System

Surface cracks are serious threats to the structural integrity of offshore metallic pipes. This dissertation proposes a protocol of composite reinforcement on surface cracked metallic pipes subjected to cyclic loads, aiming to decrease the crack growth rate and prolong the residual fatigue life. The main objective of this dissertation is to...

A Numerical Investigation of an Abnormal Phenomenon of Stress Intensity Factor (SIF) in a Cracked T-Butt Joint Accounting for Welding Effect

Industry design standards such as BS 7910 deployed some empirical formulas for the prediction of stress intensity factor (SIF) based on simulation results from traditional finite element method (FEM). However, such FEM simulation occasionally failed to convince people due to the large discrepancies compared with engineering practice. As a...

Magnetorheological elastomer composites: Modeling and dynamic finite element analysis

Magnetorheological elastomers (MREs) are polymers reinforced by ferromagnetic particles that show magnetic dependent behavior. Mixing MREs with reinforcing fibers can create a new class of material so-called “MRE composites, MRECs” with additional functionalities and properties. Here, using a Generalized Maxwell model, we proposed a new...

Measurement, Assessment, Analysis and Improvement of Transition Zones in Railway Track

Transition zones in railway tracks are locations with considerable changes in the vertical stiffness of the track support, which can be found near bridges, culverts and tunnels. In such locations, the stiffness variation and the differential settlement of tracks (uneven settlement of the track on the embankment and of the engineering structure)...