Harmonic settlement effects on uniform and tapered tank shells

For economic reasons, foundations of large tanks for fluid storage tend to be shallow and may consequently suffer differential settlement under load. But these tanks are ductile and are able to tolerate limited settlement without distress. For an economic limitation of settlement, the structure should be analyzed rationally. In this paper, the effects of peripheral differential settlement on the shell are evaluated for the practical case of a tapering wall thickness in floating roof tanks which have a relatively flexible response to warping displacements. Previous research has centred on walls of uniform thickness, and is therefore of more limited relevance. Settlement of harmonic form is imposed at the base, and shell deformations and stresses determined in accurate finite element analysis. The significance of stresses in the primary wind girder, adjoining shell and at the bottom is assessed in relation to radial displacement at the top arising from the warping displacement. Results of recent laboratory tests particularly relevant to stress distribution are reported.     

Hydrostatic, wind and non-uniform lateral pressure solutions for containment vessels

The governing Flügge stability equations in coupled form are used for cylinders subjected to external pressure that varies circumferentially. Three cases are considered: fluid (hydrostatic) pressure, wind pressure and partial (patch) circumferential pressure. The wind load follows the Australian Standard AS 1170.2 (1989). Longitudinal variation of the load is not considered. The numerical process gives the stagnation buckling pressure for different shell geometry and simple support conditions at each end. The Galerkin method is employed to orthogonalize the error made with the introduction of the finite series into the governing equations. The solutions are compared with a few published solutions in the literature.     

General method of analysis for composite beams with longitudinal and transverse partial interaction

This paper presents an analytical formulation for the analysis of two-layered composite beams with longitudinal and vertical partial interaction. The particularity of this model is its ability to incorporate an interface connection deforming both longitudinally, i.e., along the beam length, and vertically, i.e., transverse to the connection interface, which is modelled by means of a uniformly distributed spring. The novel formulation is based on the principle of virtual work expressed in terms of the displacement field consisting of the vertical and axial displacements of the two layers; for completeness, the proposed model is presented in both its weak and strong forms. The partial interaction problem is then solved by means of the finite element method. A parametric study is presented to investigate the effects of different combinations of longitudinal and transverse connection rigidities on the overall structural response. For the purpose of these simulations, a bi-linear constitutive model has been specified for the transverse interface connection to reflect the more realistic case in which two different responses are observed in the transverse interaction, one in which one layer is bearing against the other one, one when the two layers are separating. An iterative procedure has been proposed to obtain the convergence to the final solution.     

Autoregressive spectral estimation of fetal breathing movement

Fetal breathing movement (FBM) in utero may be an indicator of fetal health. This paper provides a second-by-second estimate of FBM rate. In the absence of a statistical model for the fetal breathing movement, block data structured autoregressive spectral estimation is used. The optimum tapered Burg algorithm provides a minimum variance breathing rate estimate from a short block of data. The data were recorded using a PVDF (PolyVinyliDeneFluoride) transducer which picks up maternal abdominal wall movements. A peak tracking algorithm is used to extract the fetal breathing rate. Results from these signals are presented in graphical form. Further analysis of the fetal breathing rate has revealed periodicities, similar to that observed in the fetal heart rate.