Pressure-assisted CU sintering for SiC Die-attachment application

SHM of Vibrating Stay-Cables by Microwave Remote Sensing

A radar equipment was used to measure the deflection response of bridge stay-cables induced by ambient and traffic excitation. After a concise description of the radar equipment and a summary of advantages and potential issues of the microwave technology, the paper focuses on the experimental tests performed on all stay-cables of the curved...

Effect of corrosion on the fatigue service-life on steel and reinforced concrete beams

Chloride-induced corrosion is a point of big concern in reinforced concrete (RC) structures. To monitor the actual health and to predict the remaining service-life of structures, it is important to understand the structural behaviour and the failure mechanism of structures exposed to chlorides under fatigue loading conditions. A beam test,...

Fatigue and healing performance of bituminous binders and mixtures for road pavement: Results of re-road project

An asphalt mixture is believed to be a partial self-healing material. For asphalt pavement design, this characteristic is taken into account as a shift healing factor. Healing during rest periods will result in a longer structural design life for the mixture in situ, compared to the fatigue life determined with a continuous sinusoidal test in...

Dynamics of the human pelvis: Identification methodology for low back pain diagnosis

This project finds its justification in the vast economic and social impact that musculoskeletal disorders have at a global level. Many cases of low back pain, which is the most relevant disorder among them, remain a mystery as far as their pathology is concerned. The assumption underlying this work is that, for those mysterious cases, the...

The effect of loading rate on pile bearing capacity of saturated sand

Pile load tests are commonly used by engineers to determine its bearing capacity. At present, there are three methods of pile load tests: the static, the dynamic and the quasi-static test. The static pile load test is done by applying an axial load on the pile with a long duration. The dynamic and quasi-static tests are done with an impact load...

Operational Modal Analysis in the Presence of Harmonic Excitations

The dynamic behavior of structures is a primordial factor determining its structural stability, reliability and lifespan. Therefore, in many advanced engineering applications, it has become essential to predict the dynamics of new designs through simulations, to identify the dynamic characteristics of prototypes and finally to monitor systems in...

The orbital-platform concept for nonplanar dynamic testing

A new concept is introduced for large-amplitude nonplanar testing at high incidence. The dynamic test apparatus is characterized by an annular, orbital platform on which the model support and secondary drive mechanisms are mounted. The device can be used as a rotary apparatus, while arbitrary epicyclic motions (including fixed-plane, orbital...

Testing of spacecraft attitude and orbit control systems

The testing of Spacecraft Attitude and Orbit Control Subsystems is described from the early design up to in-flight, inclusive. Main topics dealt with are: description of three generic AOCS test classes, model philosophy, standardization, subsystem static test methods, subsystem dynamic test methods, generic test equipment and test facilities....

Some investigations on the notching procedtire used in shaker tests on satellites

The notching procedure as used in the shaker test on a satellite is critically examined. In stead of the notching procedure an alternative test set-up, in which the dynamic interaction between launcher and spacecraft is taken into account, has been proposed and investigated for a simple model of launcher and satellite. Using this test set-up the...