Equivalent Linearization for the Nonstationary Response Analysis of Nonlinear Systems with Random Parameters

This paper presents an approach for analyzing nonlinear systems with parameter uncertainty subjected to stochastic excitation. The uncertain parameters are modeled as time-independent random variables. A general solution procedure based on equivalent linearization is presented. The set of orthogonal polynomials associated with the probability density function is used as the solution basis for the response moments. In addition, the instantaneous equivalent stiffness and damping matrices are approximated as quadratic random functions. The resulting Liapunov system with explicit random coefficients can then be converted into a deterministic system using the method of weighted residuals. Applications to single-degree-of-freedom uncertain systems are given and the accuracy of the results is validated.     

Doubly Spectral Stochastic Finite-Element Method for Linear Structural Dynamics

Uncertainties in complex dynamic systems play an important role in the prediction of a dynamic response in the mid- and high-frequency ranges. For distributed parameter systems, parametric uncertainties can be represented by random fields leading to stochastic partial differential equations. Over the past two decades, the spectral stochastic finite-element method has been developed to discretize the random fields and solve such problems. On the other hand, for deterministic distributed parameter linear dynamic systems, the spectral finite-element method has been developed to efficiently solve the problem in the frequency domain. In spite of the fact that both approaches use spectral decomposition (one for the random fields and the other for the dynamic displacement fields), very little overlap between them has been reported in literature. In this paper, these two spectral techniques are unified with the aim that the unified approach would outperform any of the spectral methods considered on their own. An exponential autocorrelation function for the random fields, a frequency-dependent stochastic element stiffness, and mass matrices are derived for the axial and bending vibration of rods. Closed-form exact expressions are derived by using the Karhunen-Loève expansion. Numerical examples are given to illustrate the unified spectral approach.     

Stochastic Response of a Random Mass Structure

This paper proposes a polynomial approximation approach for the estimation of the stochastic response of a random mass structure subjected to an evolutionary random excitation. A bounded, monopeak, and symmetrically distributed probability density function, called λ-PDF, together with the Gegenbauer polynomial approximation, is introduced to deal with stochastic dynamic response problems of the random mass structures. The λ-PDF model is used to describe the random parameters in the engineering random structures. And then the Gegenbauer polynomial approximation method is used to reduce the random structures into its deterministic equivalent one. The numerical example shows the effectiveness of the proposed method to explore dynamic phenomena in random structures.     

Response of an Earth Dam to Spatially Varying Earthquake Ground Motion

The stochastic response of the Santa Felicia earth dam, in southern California, to spatially varying earthquake ground motion (SVEGM) is analyzed. An SVEGM model that accounts for both incoherence and propagation of seismic waves is used, the results are compared with those for various simplified excitations, and the sensitivity of the responses to coherency models proposed by different researchers is investigated. A 3D inhomogeneous finite-element model is used to represent the dam. Finite element-based random vibration analysis is performed and the statistical moments of Cartesian displacement, stress, and strain responses are computed. Statistical moments of the maximum shear stress are computed using Monte Carlo simulation that utilizes results from the random vibration analysis. The results indicate that the stress response of stiff material near the base of the dam can be significantly increased due to SVEGM, and that the increase is sensitive to the low-frequency variation of ground motion coherency.     

Comparison of Static and Dynamic Lateral Stiffnesses of a Driven Pile

Accurate modeling of support conditions is important in the analysis of bridges for seismic loading. To address the problem of modeling the soil-structure interface of bridges supported by piles driven in loess in West Tennessee, a series of quick-release (“pluck”) tests were performed. In the process of performing the pluck tests, sufficient static lateral load was applied to a large mass supported by a single pile to achieve a prechosen lateral displacement. This load was released; dynamic response was monitored; dynamic stiffness coefficients were calculated. A static stiffness was also calculated as simply the applied load divided by the prechosen deflection. The “secant” stiffness values thus obtained were compared to the dynamic stiffness values, and the two stiffness values were found in all cases to be essentially equal. This fact suggests the use of static lateral load tests to determine appropriate values of stiffness to use in modeling the pier-pile interface for purposes of dynamic analysis of a bridge.     

Spectral Analysis and Parametric Study of Stochastic Pavement Loads

This paper investigates the effects of vehicle parameters, speed, and surface roughness on the power spectral density (PSD) of stochastic pavement loads. Pavement surface roughness is modeled as a zero-mean stationary random field. A quarter-vehicle model is established to simulate the vibrations of heavy and passenger vehicles with typical parameters. Tire damping is also included in the consideration of stochastic pavement loads; this was assumed to be zero in many previous investigations. The PSD roughness proposed by the ISO is adopted in the simulation of the loads. An important indicator of the stochastic loads, the so-called energy cumulative distribution function, is introduced to describe the frequency distribution of load energy. The results show that passenger vehicles produce more high-frequency loads than heavy vehicles, while more of the loads generated by heavy vehicle are primarily distributed in the low-frequency region. It is also found that the effect of tire damping on stochastic pavement loads is not negligible especially if the loads of interest are concentrated in the high-frequency region. The results of the study may be useful in optimum design of vehicle suspensions and prediction of dynamic pavement response.     

Vibration Analysis of an Elastic Beam Subjected to a Moving Beam with Flexible Connections

The vibration problem of a simply supported beam subjected to a moving elastic structure is investigated. The model consists of two Euler-Bernoulli beams which are assumed to be connected by flexible springs at two discrete points. The dynamic response of the simply supported beam subjected to the moving elastic beam at a constant speed is studied by the modal superposition method. The elastic stiffness and the inertial effect of the moving beam are included in the analysis. By solving the ordinary differential equations governing the motion of the model, some approximate analytical results are derived and influence factors on the dynamic response of the simply supported beam are discussed in details, including the stiffness ratio, which is defined as the stiffness of the moving beam to that of the simply supported beam, the moving velocity and the connection spring stiffness between the two beams. Results of the study imply that the connection stiffness has an apparent influence on the dynamic behavior of the simply supported beam.     

Substructure Simulation of Inhomogeneous Track and Layered Ground Dynamic Interaction under Train Passage

The vibrations in track and ground induced by train passages are investigated by the substructure method with due consideration to dynamic interaction between an inhomogeneous track system comprising continuous rails and discrete sleepers, and the underlying viscoelastic layered half space ground. Initially, the total system is divided into two separately formulated substructures, i.e., the track and the ground. The rail is described by introducing the Green function for an infinite long Euler beam both for moving axle loads action from a train and for reactions from sleepers. The ground is formulated by the layer transfer matrix approach for wave propagation along the depth. Subsequently, these substructures are integrated to meet the displacement compatibility and force equilibrium via inertia of sleepers and stiffness of railpad springs. The dynamic equations are solved in the frequency–wave-number domain by applying the Fourier transform procedure. Based on the assumption of a constant train speed, the time domain response is evaluated from the inverse Fourier transform computation. The dispersive characteristics of the layered ground and the moving axle loads lead to significantly different response features, depending on the train speed. The response is classified as quasistatic for a low speed, whereas it is dynamic for a high-speed situation. An illustrative case study is presented for Swedish X-2000 train track properties and ground profile.     

Dynamic Response of Closed-Loop System with Uncertain Parameters Using Interval Finite-Element Method

Using the interval finite-element method, the vibration control problem of structures with interval parameters is discussed, which is approximated by a deterministic one. Based on the first-order Taylor expansion, a method to solve the interval dynamic response of the closed-loop system is presented. The expressions of the interval stiffness and interval mass matrix are developed directly with the interval parameters. With matrix perturbation and interval extension theory, the algorithm for estimating the upper and lower bounds of dynamic responses is developed. The results are derived in terms of eigenvalues and left and right eigenvectors of the second-order systems. The present method is applied to a vibration system to illustrate the application. The effect of the different levels of uncertainties of interval parameters on responses is discussed. The comparison of the present method with the classical random perturbation is given, and the numerical results show that the present method is valid when the parameter uncertainties are small compared with the corresponding mean values.     

Dynamic Characteristics and Effective Stiffness Properties of Honeycomb Composite Sandwich Structures for Highway Bridge Applications

In this paper, a combined analytical and experimental study of dynamic characteristics of honeycomb composite sandwich structures in bridge systems is presented, and a relatively simple and reliable dynamic experimental procedure to estimate the beam bending and transverse shear stiffness is proposed. This procedure is especially practicable for estimating the beam transverse shear stiffness, which is primarily contributed by the core and is usually difficult to measure. The composite sandwich beams are made of E-glass fiber and polyester resins, and the core consists of the corrugated cells in a sinusoidal configuration. Based on the modeling of equivalent properties for the face laminates and core elements, analytical predictions of effective flexural and transverse shear stiffness properties of sandwich beams along the longitudinal and transverse to the sinusoidal core wave directions are first obtained. Using piezoelectric sensors, the dynamic response data are collected, and the dynamic characteristics of the sandwich structures are analyzed, from which the flexural and transverse shear stiffness properties are reduced. The experimental stiffness results are then compared to the analytical stiffness properties, and relatively good correlations are obtained. The proposed dynamic tests using piezoelectric sensors can be used effectively to evaluate the dynamic characteristics and stiffness properties of large sandwich structures suitable for highway bridge applications.     

地下煤火燃空区冒落岩体孔隙率随机分布规律

本文经随机实验统计分析得出孔隙率函数（3lnφ-2ln（1-φ））近似服从正态分布,在实验的粒径范围内（30~180 mm）,其期望值和方差都随着岩块粒径的增大而增大.在推导出岩层二维下沉曲面方程的基础上,先后推演出燃空区冒落岩体孔隙率的连续非均质分布模型和随机离散化非均质分布模型.依据模型计算矩形煤火空间得出以下结果：燃空区浅部及边缘侧冒落岩体的孔隙率大,而中间区域孔隙率小;孔隙率等值线在x-y平面上的投影呈侧躺的＂U＂形分布;沿x轴,随着深入燃空区距离的增加,孔隙率呈类负指数形式衰减.此外,孔隙率连续分布和随机离散化分布,在整体的变化趋势上是相同的,区别之处在于后者所表示的孔隙率具有一定的随机波动性.将上述随机离散化模型应用在某火区温度场的数值模拟中,并经现场红外测温验证了模拟的准确性和孔隙率模型的适用性.     

Vertical Excitation of Stochastic Soil-Structure Interaction Systems

This paper considers two stochastic models for a soil-structure interaction problem with vertical propagation of P waves during strong earthquake motion. These models include the horizontal and vertical spatial variability of stiffness of the soil medium. The first model involves a two-dimensional stochastic Winkler foundation, which takes into account the horizontal variability of the soil. This model elucidates some experimental results obtained on a nuclear power station physical model built in Hualien (Taiwan). The second model is developed as a continuum system of random columns involving, this time, horizontal and vertical random characteristics of the soil medium. For both models a statistical analysis was performed with respect to determining probabilistic properties resonance frequencies and amplitudes of the corresponding transfer functions. The theoretical development and numerical results demonstrate the importance of considering soil variability for geotechnical design applications.     

Nonstationary Random Critical Excitation for Acceleration Response

The critical excitation method is promising as a robust method for accounting for inherent uncertainties in predicting forthcoming earthquake events and for constructing design earthquake ground motions in a reasonable way. Most of the proposed theories are based on deterministic approaches and deal with displacement responses. A stochastic acceleration response index is treated here as the objective function to be maximized. The power (area of power spectral density function) and the intensity (magnitude of power spectral density function) are fixed and the critical excitation is found under these restrictions. It is shown that the original idea for stationary random inputs can be utilized effectively in the procedure for finding a critical excitation for nonstationary acceleration responses of nonproportionally damped structural systems. Several numerical examples are presented to demonstrate the characteristics of generalized time-varying frequency response functions for models with various stiffness and damping distributions.     

Galerkin Solution for Linear Stochastic Algebraic Equations

Algebraic equations with random coefficients, referred to as stochastic algebraic equations, are used extensively to solve approximately differential equations describing mechanics problems with uncertain material properties and applied loads. This paper (1) constructs optimal and suboptimal Galerkin solutions for linear stochastic algebraic equations, (2) reviews current procedures for deriving stochastic algebraic equations from stochastic differential equations and proposes alternative methods, (3) demonstrates the implementation of the proposed Galerkin method by numerical examples, and (4) calculates statistics of the displacement field for a plate on random elastic foundation. The optimal Galerkin solution coincides with the conditional expectation of the exact solution with respect to a σ-field coarser than the σ-field relative to which the exact solution is measurable, and is unbiased. Generally, suboptimal Galerkin solutions are biased but may provide approximations for the tails of the distribution of the exact solution that are superior to those by the optimal Galerkin solution.     

Cable Modal Parameter Identification. II: Modal Tests

The cable dynamic stiffness describes the load–deformation behavior that reflects the cable intrinsic dynamic characteristics. It is defined as a ratio of response to excitation and represents a very similar frequency response property to the frequency response function (FRF). Therefore, by fitting both analytical cable dynamic stiffness and measured frequency response function, the modal parameters of cables can be identified. Based on the simplified cable dynamic stiffness proposed in the first part of the two-part paper, this paper presents a cable dynamic stiffness based procedure to identify the cable modal parameters (natural frequencies and damping ratios) by modal tests. To carry out the curve fitting, a nonlinear least-squares approach is used. A numerical simulation example is first introduced to illustrate the feasibility of the proposed method. Further, a series of cable modal tests are conducted in the laboratory with different cable tensions and the frequency response functions are measured accordingly. A number of issues related to the cable modal tests have been discussed, such as accelerometer arrangement and excitation placement, frequency resolution, windowing, and averaging. It is demonstrated that the cable modal parameters can be effectively identified by using the proposed method through the cable modal tests.     

Coupled Surge-Heave Motions of a Moored System. II: Stochastic Analysis and Simulations

Analyses and simulations of the coupled surge-and-heave motions of a nonlinear, moored, experimental, submerged structure subjected to random waves are presented here. The random wave excitations examined include periodic waves with additive noise and narrow-band random waves. Characteristic experimental results include noisy subharmonic and superharmonic responses, and transition behaviors among multiple coexisting responses. This investigation applies a systematic, stochastic analysis procedure to further the deterministic study presented in Part I. Good agreement between the analytical predictions and experimental results is shown. Effects of random perturbations in waves on nonlinear response phenomena are examined, especially for the cases of multiple responses coexisting with chaos. It is found that chaotic responses are sensitive and of weak strength compared to other coexisting responses, and the system response trajectories mainly stay in the stronger, periodic attracting domains. Numerical results indicate perturbation-induced response transitions leading to very large-amplitude response beyond the experimental model limitations.     

Probability Density and Excursions of Structural Response to Imperfectly Periodic Excitation

A single-degree-of-freedom system under periodic excitation with random phase modulation is considered. Probability density functions (PDF) of the response are obtained numerically using the path integration method. Basic results are presented in the form of expected number of excursions over a given displacement level. They clearly illustrate the transformation of the response PDF with increasing excitation/system bandwidth ratio from one corresponding to the sinusoid with random phase at small values to asymptotically Gaussian PDF at high values of the above ratio. While this qualitative trend is known from previous analysis of the response excess factor by the method of moments, the present quantitative results may be of direct use for reliability predictions. An analytical study is also made for reduced stochastic differential equations of motion, as obtained by stochastic averaging, by the method of moments resulting in a simple explicit expression for the mean square amplitude.     

The deformation of discontinuously reinforced MMCs—II. The elastic response

Various methods for quantifying the elastic stiffness of discontinuously reinforced MMCs are examined in order to determine the approach providing the best approximation to the true elastic response for this type of inhomogeneous system. The manner in which the loading and unloading curves deviate from elastic behaviour is examined as a function of plastic deformation. The results are shown to be interpretable in terms of the evolution of the different alloy microstructures studied and the degree of accumulated internal damage.     

Short-Term Structural Instability under Random Dynamic Loads

In the technical note a single-degree-of-freedom system with stationary random temporal variations of its stiffness is considered. The problem of short-term instability is studied. The analysis is based on a parabolic approximation of the randomly varying apparent stiffness within the negative domain achieved by invoking a Slepian process model