Building a user model implicitly from a cooperative advisory dialog

This paper reviews existing methods for building user models to support adaptive, interactive systems, identifies sigificant problems with these approaches, and describes a new method for implicitly acquiring user models from an ongoing user-system dialog. Existing explicit user model acquisition methods, such as user edited models or model building dialogs put additional burden on the user and introduce artificial model acquisition dialogs. Hand coding stereotypes, another explicit acquisition method, is a tedious and error-prone process. On the other hand, implicit acquisition techniques such as computing presuppositions or entailments either draw too few inferences to be generally useful, or too many to be trusted.In contrast, this paper describes GUMAC, a General User Model Acquisition Component that uses heuristic rules to make default inferences about users' beliefs from their interaction with an advisory expert system. These rules are based on features of human action and conversation that constrain people's behavior and establish expectations about their knowledge. The application of these rules is illustrated with two examples of extended dialogs between users and an investment advisory system. During the course of these conversations, GUMAC is able to acquire an extensive model of the users' beliefs about the aspects of the domain considered in the dialog. These models, in turn, provide the sort of information needed by an explanation generator to tailor explanations the advisory system gives to its users.     

Buckling experiments on steel silo transition junctions: I: Experimental results

Large elevated steel silos for the storage of bulk solids generally consist of a cylindrical vessel above a conical discharge hopper supported on a cylindrical skirt. The cone–cylinder–skirt transition junction is subject to a large circumferential compressive force which is derived from the horizontal component of the meridional tension in the conical hopper, so either a ring is provided or the shell walls are locally thickened to strengthen the junction. Extensive theoretical studies have examined the buckling and collapse strengths of these junctions, leading to theoretically based design proposals. However, no previous experimental study on steel silo transition junctions has been reported due to the considerable difficulties associated with testing these thin-shell junctions at model scale. This paper presents the results of a series of tests on cone–cylinder–skirt–ring junctions in steel silos under simulated bulk solid loading. In addition to the presentation of test results including geometric imperfections and failure behavior, the determination of buckling modes and loads based on displacement measurements is examined in detail.     

Form finding of shells by structural optimization

Shell structures are known to be extremely parameter sensitive; even small changes of the initial design, e.g., to the shape of the shell, may drastically change the internal stress state. The ideal case for concrete shells is a pure membrane stress state in compression for all loading conditions. Since in many realistic situations the solution for an optimal shape is not obvious, the need for form finding methods is evident. This paper presents computational methods of structural optimization as a general tool for the form finding of shells. The procedure as a synthesis of design modelling, structural analysis and mathematical optimization is discussed with special emphasis on the modelling stage. Several examples show the power of the approach and the similarities to experimental solutions.     

The effect of boundary conditions on the dynamic stability of orthotropic cylinders using a modified exact analysis

A calculation of overall dynamic response of thin orthotropic cylindrical shells is presented. Due to the obvious importance of the effects of transverse shear deformation and rotary inertia, these terms are included in the analysis. The exact method is modified to predict the dynamic behavior of an orthotropic circular cylindrical shell. The modal forms are assumed to have the axial dependence in the form of a simple Fourier series. By using the present modified exact analysis various aspects such as influence of boundary conditions, changes in shell geometrical parameters, changes in the directions of orthotropy, etc., on the frequencies, mode shapes and modal forces are studied. Analytical results are shown to be in good agreement with some available experimental and theoretical results.     

Free Vibration Analysis of Laminated Stiffened Shells

The free vibration of the laminated composite anticlastic doubly curved stiffened shells is investigated using the finite element method. The stiffened shell element is obtained by appropriate combination of the nine-node doubly curved isoparametric thin shallow shell element with the three-node curved isoparametric beam element. The shell forms include the hyperbolic paraboloid, hypar, and conoidal shells. The accuracy of the formulation is validated by comparing the authors’ results of specific problems with those available in the literature. The additional problems are taken up for parametric studies to include the effects of fiber orientation and lamina stacking sequence of shells and stiffeners. Moreover, the effects of number, types, and orientations of stiffeners, and stiffener depth to shell thickness ratio on the fundamental frequency are also included in the present study. Further, mode shapes corresponding to the fundamental frequency for typical cases are obtained to verify the parametric trend of the results of the fundamental frequency.     

Recycling von marinen Sekundärrohstoffen

As a waste product, oyster shells pose a major environmental pollution problem and the reuse of the material is becoming increasingly important. Since the comminution process in the recycling of secondary raw materials defines the properties of the material, oyster shells were grinded using a planetary ball mill and an impact mill and the fractions obtained were analyzed in terms of size and shape and compared with each other. A comminuted material from the impact mill was used for a series of wetting experiments, which helped to demonstrate the surface free energy of the material.     

Wind buckling of tanks with conical roof considering shielding by another tank

Oil storage tanks are usually arranged in groups in tank farms, and this configuration may affect their buckling and postbuckling strength under wind loads. The assessment of wind action on tank structures is performed in this work by means of wind tunnel experiments to evaluate the pattern of pressure distribution for a tank which is shielded by another tank under various configurations and separation between them. The experimental results show significant changes in pressures due to shielding effects. In a second stage the structural response under the pressures previously evaluated is performed by finite element analysis using both linear bifurcation and geometrically nonlinear analysis. Results of two-tank interaction are compared with those of an isolated tank. Based on the results, it is concluded that the changes in wind pressures due to group effects induce changes in buckling loads and in the associated deflected patterns.     

Natural Vibrations of Open-Variable Thickness Circular Cylindrical Shells in High Temperature Field

The feasibility of using the transfer matrix method (TMM) to analyze open-variable thickness circular cylindrical shells exposed to a high-temperature field is explored theoretically. In the approach to the problem, the thermal degradation (TG) of thermoelastic characteristics of the material is considered. Natural frequencies and mode shapes for the cylindrical shells are investigated in detail by combining the vibration theory with the TMM. The governing equations of vibration for this system are expressed by the matrix differential equations, and the coefficient matrices are derived. After the relationship between the transfer matrix and the coefficient matrix is established, the fourth-order Runge-Kutta method is used numerically to solve the matrix equation. Once the transfer matrix of single component has been obtained, the product of each component matrix can compose the matrix of the entire structure. The frequency equations and mode shape are formulated in terms of the elements of the structural matrices. Finite-element numerical simulation has validated the present formulas of natural frequencies. Numerical illustrations, supplying pertinent information on the implications of the TG, are presented for various curvatures, aspect ratios, boundary conditions, and thickness ratios, and the pertinent conclusions are outlined.     

力学分析中应用的特殊函数

在考虑横向剪切变形的壳体应力分析中，遇到一类变系数的四阶线性方程，这类方程难以直接求解．文中将其等价地变换成二个二阶方程，引入新的特殊函数，求得方程的实数解，并由Ｂｅｓｓｅｌ函数的性质导出了新定义函数的表达式及有关性质．为求解这类方程的解析解，分析考虑横向剪切变形的壳体问题，提供了理论基础．     

复合材料无人增音机井的应力分析

本文对FVJ—1型复合材料无人增音机井进行了应力分析。使用了有限元法,并引入了若干简化假设,同时进行了实验测试。通过计算结果与实验结果的比较,说明文中所用的计算方法是可行的。