Damage Effect of Space Proton Irradiation with the Low Energy of 50-200 keV on Methyl Silicone Rubber

The damage effects and mechanisms of proton irradiation with 50-200 keV energy to space-grade methyl silicone rubber was performed using a ground-based simulator for space irradiation environment. The changes in surface morphology, mechanicai properties, cross-linking density, glass temperature, infrared attenuated total reflection spectrum, mass spectrum and pyrolysis gas chromatography-mass spectrum indicated that, under lower energy, the proton irradiation would induce cross-linking effect, resulting in an increase in tensile strengths and hardness of the methyl silicon rubber. However, after the irradiation of protons for more than 150 keV, the irradiation induced degradation, which decreased the tensile strengths and hardness, became a dominant effect. A macromolecular network destruction modei for the silicone rubber radiated vvith the protons was proposed.     

氟化钡晶体质子辐照损伤分布的计算

根据经典辐射理论，描述质子辐照BaF2晶体的能量损失，讨论受照晶体的辐照损伤分布，用Monte Carlo方法模拟碰撞过程，具体用TRIM程序分别计算出能量为1．5Mev和2．0Mev质子辐照BaF2晶体所产生的辐照损伤，对计算结果进行讨论，将这两种能量情况下的BaF2晶体辐照损伤分布进行比较。得到的结论与实验结果基本相符。     

鄂尔多斯分地西缘延安组层序地层划分

利用层序地层学基本原理，对小(准)层序进行了重新定义，它既可以是向上变浅的层序，也可以是向上变深的层序；根据构造作用面、煤层或煤组具有的等时性，对鄂尔多斯地盆地西缘侏罗纪延安组进行了层序地层研究，划分为21个小层序，5个小层序组，组成了三个体系域；初始充填体系域主要由辫状河沉积体系组成，超覆充填体系域由曲流河——三角洲——浅湖沉积体系组成，退覆充填体系域由曲流河——三角洲沉积体系组成．表明它是一个完整的三级层序，经历了盆地形成、发展、萎缩的过程．     

Fracture mechanisms and failure processes at stiffener run-outs in polymer matrix composite stiffened elements

This paper describes the fractographic analyses of three stringer run-out designs which had been loaded to failure in tension. The main aims of the investigation were to deduce the failure processes in the elements, and to characterise the effect of local geometry of the stringer run-out on the failure process. The analysis showed that the critical failure mechanism in the elements was the development of +45° ply splitting at the skin surface, initially under mode I dominated intralaminar fracture. However, as these splits grew beneath the stringer foot, the mode II component increased. This led to mixed-mode delamination growth, extending parallel to the +45° ply, at the skin/adhesive interface. Subsequently, the delamination migrated through the skin via ply splits, ultimately reaching the interface between the second and third (−45°/0°) plies, in which it remained until catastrophic failure.

Extending and tapering the stringer foot led to shifting of the site of the +45° ply splitting; this was attributed to in-plane tensile stresses in the skin being inhibited in the modified designs. The reduced out-of-plane support on the stiffener foot in the modified designs led to an increase in the mode I component at the delamination from the stringer tip. It also led to an increase in the degree of multi-plane delamination growth. Based on the fractographic observations, recommendations for modelling the elements were suggested.     

Ductile rupture in thin sheets of two grades of 2024 aluminum alloy

The damage and rupture mechanisms of thin sheets of 2024 aluminum alloy (Al containing Cu, Mn, and Mg elements) are investigated. Two grades are studied: a standard alloy and a high damage tolerance alloy. The microstructure of each material is characterized to obtain the second phase volume content, the dimensions of particles and the initial void volume fraction. The largest particles consist of intermetallics. Mechanical tests are carried out on flat specimens including U-notched (with various notch radii), sharply V-notched and smooth tensile samples. Stable crack growth was studied using “Kahn samples” and pre-cracked large center-cracked tension panels M(T). The macroscopic fracture surface of the different specimens is observed using scanning electron microscopy. Smooth and moderately notched samples exhibit a slant fracture surface, which has an angle of about 45° with respect to the loading direction. With increasing notch severity, the fracture mode changes significantly. Failure initiates at the notch root in a small triangular region perpendicular to the loading direction. Outside this zone, slant fracture is observed. Microscopic observations show two failure micromechanisms. Primary voids are first initiated at intermetallic particles in both cases. In flat regions, i.e. near the notch root of severely notched samples, void growth is promoted and final rupture is caused by “internal necking” between the large cavities. In slanted regions these voids tend to coalesce rapidly according to a “void sheet mechanism” which leads to the formation of smaller secondary voids in the ligaments between the primary voids. These observations can be interpreted using finite element simulations. In particular, it is shown that crack growth occurs under plane strain conditions along the propagation direction.     

Structural Damage Detection Using Empirical Mode Decomposition: Experimental Investigation

This paper presents an experimental investigation on the applicability of the empirical mode decomposition (EMD) for identifying structural damage caused by a sudden change of structural stiffness. A three-story shear building model was constructed and installed on a shaking table with two springs horizontally connected to the first floor of the building to provide additional structural stiffness. Structural damage was simulated by suddenly releasing two pretensioned springs either simultaneously or successively. Various damage severities were produced using springs of different stiffness. A series of free vibration, random vibration, and earthquake simulation tests were performed on the building with sudden stiffness changes. Dynamic responses including floor accelerations and displacements, column strains, and spring releasing time instants were measured. The EMD was then applied to measured time histories to identify damage time instant and damage location for various test cases. The comparison of identified results with measured ones showed that damage time instants could be accurately detected in terms of damage spikes extracted directly from the measurement data by EMD. The damage location could be determined by the spatial distribution of the spikes along the building. The influence of damage severity, sampling frequency, and measured quantities on the performance of EMD for damage detection was also discussed.     

Damage Detection Utilizing the Damage Index Method to a Benchmark Structure

This paper addresses the first generation benchmark problem on structural health monitoring developed by the ASCE Task Group on Structural Health Monitoring. The focus of the problem is a four-story model of an existing physical model at the University of British Columbia where simulated data are used for the system identification. Modal parameters were extracted using the frequency domain decomposition method. Rather than relying on data from the undamaged structure, a new proposed methodology based on ratios between stiffness and mass values from the eigenvalue problem is presented to identify the undamaged state of the structure. Once the structural identification is complete, the damage index method is used to detect the location and severity of damage. By not relying on undamaged structure information, this approach may be applicable to existing structures that may already incorporate some amount of damage.     

Element Level System Identification with Unknown Input with Rayleigh Damping

A novel system identification procedure is proposed for nondestructive damage evaluation of structures. It is a finite element-based time-domain linear system identification technique capable of identifying structures at the element level. The unique features of the algorithm are that it can identify a structure without using any input excitation information and it can consider both viscous and Rayleigh-type proportional damping in the dynamic models. The consideration of proportional damping introduces a source of nonlinearity in the otherwise linear dynamic algorithm. However, it will also reduce the total number of damping coefficients to be identified, reducing the size of the problem. The Taylor series approximation is used to transform a nonlinear set of equations to a linear set of equations. The proposed algorithm, denoted as the modified iterative least square with unknown input algorithm, is verified with several examples considering various types of structures including shear-type building, truss, and beams. The algorithm accurately identified the stiffness of structures at the element level for both viscous (linear) and proportional (nonlinear) damping cases. It is capable of identifying a structure even with noise-contaminated response information. An example shows how the algorithm could be used in detecting the exact location of a defect in a defective element. The algorithm is being developed further and is expected to provide an economical, simple, efficient, and robust system identification technique that can be used as a nondestructive defect detection procedure in the near future.     

Experimentally Validated Added Mass Identification Algorithm Based on Frequency Response Functions

A methodology is presented for detecting added mass in structural systems maintaining a linear response. A single frequency response function measured at several frequencies along with a correlated analytical model of the structure in its original state are used to detect and quantify the added mass. A computationally efficient method of recalculating a single frequency response function is utilized in the identification algorithm. Experimental results from a frame structure are presented to validate and assess the proposed approach.