Parameters affecting laterally loaded piles in frozen soils by an efficient sensitivity analysis method

In this paper, the mean-centered first-order second-moment (FOSM) method is employed to perform probabilistic push-over analysis (POA) of structural and/or soil-structure systems. Approximations of first and second statistical moments (FSSMs) of engineering demand parameters (EDPs) of structural and/or geotechnical systems with random material parameters are computed based on finite-element (FE) response and response sensitivity analysis (RSA) results. The FE RSA is performed accurately and efficiently by using the direct differentiation method (DDM) and is employed to evaluate the relative importance (RI) of the various modeling material parameters in influencing the variability of the EDPs. The proposed approximate methodology is illustrated through probabilistic POA results for nonlinear inelastic FE models of: (1) a three-story reinforced-concrete (RC) frame building and (2) a soil-foundation-structure interaction system consisting of a RC frame structure founded on layered soil. FSSMs of EDPs computed through the FOSM method are compared with the corresponding accurate estimates obtained via Monte Carlo simulation. Results obtained from exact (or local) and averaged (or global) response sensitivities are also compared. The RI of the material parameters describing the systems is studied in both the deterministic and probabilistic sense, and presented in the form of tornado diagrams. Effects of statistical correlation between material parameters are also considered and analyzed by the FOSM method. A simple approximation of the probability density function and cumulative distribution function of EDPs due to a single random parameter at a time (while all the other parameters are fixed to their mean values) is also proposed. Conclusions are drawn on both the appropriateness of using local RSA for simplified probabilistic POA and on the application limits of the FOSM method. It is observed that the FOSM method combined with the DDM provides accurate estimates of FSSMs of EDPs for low-to-moderate level of inelastic structural or system behavior and useful qualitative information on the RI ranking of material parameters on the structural or system response for high level of inelastic behavior.

The calculation of the derivatives of the state variables with respect to material parameters using the direct differentiation method is developed for the case of a finite strain finite element analysis in corotational formulation for material behaviour including hypo-elasticity and non-linear isotropic and kinematic hardening plasticity. The sensitivity analysis for the case of flexible-to-flexible contact, required in indentation testing, has been included. The derivatives obtained in a rotating-stretching bar problem are compared to results obtained by the finite difference method in order to verify the suitability of the corotational formulation in sensitivity analysis for dealing with rigid body rotations. Material parameter identification using a gradient-based numerical optimization procedure is assessed with respect to stability by using pseudo-experimental indentation curves, obtained from modelling with known material parameters, and superposed with artificial noise. The effect of the load history on parameter identification is investigated.

A practical and efficient coupling method for large scale soil–structure interaction problems

Improving the energy efficiency of the buildings is one of the most effective and fastest ways of reduction of the carbon dioxide emission. However, in the assessment of the energy demand of the buildings, numerous factors are uncertain, i.e. layer thickness, material parameters, climatic conditions, etc. In the present study, mathematical model was developed for analyzing temperature distribution and heat flux in the wall with thermal conductivity of insulation as a random parameter. The results obtained employing a stochastic perturbation technique were compared against the results of the Monte Carlo simulation. Stochastic perturbation technique has been implemented using the tenth order Taylor series expansion. The direct differential method was used to determine the values of Taylor’s coefficient. The obtained results indicate good accordance of the stochastic perturbation technique with the Monte Carlo method. Afterwards, the expected value of the heat flux and its variance were studied for the reference year for a city in the Central Europe. Two cases of the external wall were investigated, in which the thermal insulation was localized either on the internal or the external side of the wall. Performed analyses serve as a good method for assessing the reliability of results obtained using standard, deterministic approach.

SummaryResponse sensitivity is an essential component to understanding the complexity of material and geometric nonlinear finite element formulations of structural response. The direct differentiation method (DDM), a versatile approach to computing response sensitivity, requires differentiation of the equations that govern the state determination of an element and it produces accurate and efficient results. The DDM is applied to a force‐based element formulation that utilizes curvature‐shear‐based displacement interpolation (CSBDI) in its state determination for material and geometric nonlinearity in the basic system of the element. The response sensitivity equations are verified against finite difference computations, and a detailed example shows the effect of parameters that control flexure–shear interaction for a stress resultant plasticity model. The developed equations make the CSBDI force‐based element available for gradient‐based applications such as reliability and optimization where efficient computation of response sensitivities is necessary for convergence of gradient‐based search algorithms. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Elementary sensitivity of a chemical reactor described by a quasihomogeneous bidimensional model

Effect of buckling-restrained brace model parameters on seismic structural response

Direct differentiation method for response sensitivity analysis of a bounding surface plasticity soil model

Boundary reaction method for nonlinear analysis of soil–structure interaction under earthquake loads

This paper presents a parametric study on the lateral-torsional coupling behaviours of soil-multistorey bidirectional eccentric structure interaction system from elastic stage to nonlinear inelastic stage. A simplified bidirectional eccentric multistorey dual lateral load-resisting model for the superstructure is proposed to conduct this parametric study. Incorporating the inter-storey restoring force model of the superstructure, the dynamic motion equations and the dynamic stiffness matrix of the soil-multistorey bidirectional eccentric structure interaction system in different loading stages are derived. Based on these, parametric analyses of frequencies and seismic responses for the soil-three storey structure interaction systems from elastic stage to nonlinear inelastic stage are evaluated. Effects of the uncoupled torsion to lateral frequency ratios (Ω) of the corresponding fixed base system, the stiffness eccentricities and different soil types on the frequencies and seismic responses are investigated. Results show that the soil can significantly reduce the lateral-torsional coupling effect and the structural seismic response of the soil-bidirectional eccentric structure interaction system; a smaller Ω value and larger values of the eccentricities lead to a larger reduction in the lateral-torsional coupling effect of the first order mode in nonlinear inelastic stage; the effects of different foundation conditions on the structural seismic responses are weakened by the development of structural inelastic; after considering the soil-structure interaction, the influences of Ω and eccentricities on the structural seismic responses are changed. A softer soil-structure interaction system has a more weaken lateral-torsional coupling effect, and its vibration modes in nonlinear inelastic stage are changed compared with the system situated on other soils.

Fast fragility analysis of plan-asymmetric structures considering soil-structure interaction using flexible base 2 degrees of freedom Modal Pushover Analysis (F2MPA)

Two complete sets of records obtained from a strong-motion accclerograph array in the Gisborne Post Office building during earthquakes of 1982 and 1993 were analyzed by using systems identification techniques to estimate the modal parameters. Nonlinear responses of the soil-structure system in both horizontal and vertical directions were indicated by significant decreases in the estimated first mode frequencies for moderate to strong ground motion in 1993 compared to those for the small amplitude ground motion in 1982. The analysis of second floor and remote site records from a 1985 earthquake indicated that nonlinear responses also occurred then. Soil-structure interaction was found to be significant for both vertical and horizontal responses. Using a numerical model of the foundation-soil system, the foundation rocking frequency and first fixed-base modal frequency were estimated. It was found that frequencies of the building's first fixed-base mode, foundation translation and rocking all were reduced in the 1993 earthquake compared with those of the 1982 earthquake, indicating that nonlinear responses occurred in both the building and the soil in the 1993 earthquake. Possible evidence for a cutoff frequency at the soil site was also identified. Because of soil-structure interaction, the fixed-base horizontal response in the N44E direction was reduced by possibly 40-50% in the 1982 earthquake, and about 30% in the 1993 event, compared with the recorded first modal response of the soil-structure system.

A hyperelastic model to capture the mechanical behaviour and histological aspects of the soft tissues

To maximise power density practical gas turbine combustion systems have several injectors which can lead to complex interactions between flames. However, our knowledge about the effect of flame-flame interactions on the flame response, the essential element to predict the stability of a combustor, is still limited. The present study investigates the effect of hydrogen enrichment, flame-flame interaction, confinement, and asymmetries on the linear and non-linear acoustic response of three premixed flames in a simple can combustor. A parametric study of the linear response, characterised by the flame transfer function (FTF), is performed for swirling and non-swirling flames. Flame-flame interactions were achieved by changing the injector spacing and the level of hydrogen enrichment by power from 10 to 50%. It was found that the latter had the most significant effect on the flame response. Asymmetry effects were investigated by changing one of the flames by using a different bluff-body to alter both the flame shape and flow field. The global flame response showed that the asymmetric cases can be reconstructed using a superposition of the two symmetric cases where all three bluff-bodies and flames are the same. Overall, the linear response characterised by the flame transfer function (FTF) showed that the effect of increasing the level of hydrogen enrichment is more pronounced than the effect of the injector spacing. Increasing hydrogen enrichment results in more compact flames which minimises flame-flame interactions. More compact flames increase the cut-off frequency which can lead to self-excited modes at higher frequencies. Finally, the non-linear response was characterised by measuring the flame describing function (FDF) at a frequency close to a self-excited mode of the combustor for different injector spacings and levels of hydrogen enrichment. It is shown that increasing the hydrogen enrichment leads to higher saturation amplitude whereas the effect of injector spacing has a comparably smaller effect.

Nonlinear optics is generally first presented as an extension of conventional optics. Typically the subject is introduced with reference to a classical oscillatory electric polarization, accommodating correction terms that become significant at high intensities. The material parameters that quantify the extent of the nonlinear response are cast as coefficients in a power series—nonlinear optical susceptibilities signifying a propensity to generate optical harmonics, for example. Taking the subject to a deeper level requires a more detailed knowledge of the structure and properties of each nonlinear susceptibility tensor, the latter differing in form according to the process under investigation. Typically, the derivations involve intricate development based on time-dependent perturbation theory, assisted by recourse to a set of Feynman diagrams. This paper presents a more direct route to the required results, based on photonic rather than semiclassical principles, and offers a significantly clearer perspective on the photophysics underlying nonlinear optical response. The method, here illustrated by specific application to harmonic generation and down-conversion processes, is simple, intuitive and readily amenable for processes of arbitrary photonic order.