This research investigates the seismic behavior of continuous-span base-isolated bridges integrated with fluid inerter damper (FID) through a linear analytical framework under recorded earthquake excitations. The resisting mechanism of the FID is modelled as a combination of inertial and viscous forces, which are functions of the relative acceleration and velocity between connected nodes. Linear time-history simulations and a series of parametric analyses are conducted to examine how variations in inertance, damping ratio, and installation location affect key seismic response parameters, including deck acceleration, bearing displacement, and substructure base shear. Comparative analyses with conventional viscous dampers and isolation alone establish the relative effectiveness of FID. Analysis indicates that FID effectively reduces deck accelerations through apparent mass amplification, suppresses bearing displacements via viscous damping, and redistributes seismic forces depending on placement strategies. An optimum inertance range is identified that minimizes accelerations without amplifying base shear, with abutment-level placement proving most effective for pier shear control, while intermediate placement provides balanced reductions. Overall, FID consistently outperforms viscous dampers and conventional isolation, underscoring their potential as an advanced inerter-based solution for both new bridge design and retrofit applications.

We derive a new exactly solvable multi-component system of non-linear evolution equations (NLEEs). The system consists of three 1+1-dimensional evolution equations—one first-order and two second-order in the spatial variable. We review their Lax representation, formulate the scattering problem, and derive the soliton-like solutions of the system.

Mid-altitude sounding rockets are essential for atmospheric research and suborbital experimentation, where aerodynamic optimization and structural integrity are crucial for achieving targeted apogees. This study uses OpenRocket v23.09 for preliminary flight performance prediction and SolidWorks 2024 to integrate aerodynamic and structural analyses through Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) and Finite Element Analysis (FEA). SolidWorks Flow Simulation and SolidWorks Simulation are used to assess how nose cone and fin geometries, as well as thermal deformation, influence flight performance. Among nine tested configurations, the ogive nose cone with trapezoidal fins achieved the highest simulated apogee of 2639 m, with drag coefficients of 0.480 (OpenRocket) and 0.401 (SolidWorks Flow Simulation). Thermal–structural analysis revealed a maximum nose tip displacement of 0.7249 mm for the rocket with the ogive nose cone, leading to an increasing drag coefficient of 0.404. However, thermal deformation of the ellipsoid nose cone led to a reduction in the drag coefficient from 0.419 to 0.399, even though it exhibited a slightly higher maximum displacement of 0.7443 mm. Mesh independence was confirmed with outlet velocity deviations below 1% across refinements. These results highlight the importance of integrated CFD–FEA approaches, geometric optimization, and material resilience for enhancing the aerodynamic performance of subsonic sounding rockets.

This research explores how RC columns respond to blast-induced dynamic effects, with a novel focus on partially submerged scenarios, bridging a gap between air blast and underwater explosion (UNDEX) research. Using advanced finite element modeling in LS-DYNA, the study captures the unique behavior of RC columns under mixed-media conditions, where shockwaves propagate through water and air interfaces. Comprehensive parametric analyses explore the influence of charge size, blast stand-off, and depth of water, revealing distinct dampening mechanisms and structural responses. Key findings include a measurable reduction in peak displacement of partially submerged explosions compared to fully submerged explosions, attributed to the moderating effects of the water–air interface. A total of 60 simulation cases were conducted to systematically analyze partially submerged scenarios, providing robust insights into energy transmission and damage mechanisms. The numerical models, validated against published experimental data by others, demonstrate the accuracy of computational modeling in simulating damage profiles, displacement histories, and energy dissipation trends. This research offers practical implications for designing resilient RC structures in coastal and maritime environments. The results contribute significantly to the field of blast mechanics, advancing our understanding of mixed-media shockwave dynamics and their impact on critical infrastructure.

Solving nonlinear oscillations is challenging, as solutions to the corresponding differential equations do not exist in most cases. Therefore, numerical methods are usually employed to calculate the precise oscillation frequency. In addition, many interesting mathematical approaches leading to approximate solutions have also been developed. This paper focuses on a classic case of a nonlinear oscillator: the oscillator with an odd-power polynomial restoring force. This case encompasses nearly all scenarios of undamped nonlinear oscillations. The idea is to combine two well-known strategies from the literature: He’s approximation, which is simple to apply and valid for small amplitudes, and the analytical solutions for oscillations with power-law restoring forces. It is shown that by combining these approaches, a universal equation accurate for any amplitude is derived. Many tests of the proposed method’s accuracy are presented using polynomials of various degrees and classic examples, such as the rotating pendulum, cubic–quintic Duffing oscillators, and oscillators with cubic and harmonic restoring forces. In addition, a novel ‘electrical analogue’ of the oscillation with a polynomial-type restoring force is introduced to demonstrate that the methods presented in this paper can be applied in real industrial applications.

A novel method to measure dynamic flow stress and corresponding strain rates obtained from Taylor tests using profiled samples with a reduced cylindrical head part was applied to study the dynamic characteristics of similar commercial 7075 and V95T1 aluminum alloys. The measured dynamic flow stress is verified using a classical Taylor’s approach with uniform cylinders and compared with the literature data. Our study shows that the dynamic flow stress of 7075 alloy, which is 786 MPa at strain rates of (4–8) × 103 s−1, exceeds the value of 624 MPa for V95T1 alloy at strain rates of (2–6) × 103 s−1 by 25%. The threshold impact velocity resulting in fracture of the 4 mm head part of the profiled samples is 116–130 m/s for 7075 alloy and only 108 m/s for V95T1 alloy. The fracture pattern is also different between the alloys with characteristic shear-induced cracks oriented at 45° to the impact direction in the case of V95T1 alloy and perpendicular to the breaking off head part in the case of 7075 alloy. On the other hand, the compressive fracture strain of V95T1 alloy, which is 0.29–0.36, exceeds that of 7075 alloy, which is 0.27–0.33, by approximately 8%. Thus, V95T1 aluminum alloy exhibits less strength but is more ductile, while 7075 aluminum alloy exhibits more strength but is simultaneously more brittle.

Regular damped oscillatory structures from the “effective” electromagnetic form factors of the hadrons h=π±,K±,K0,p,n were investigated. The “effective” electromagnetic form factor behaviors were calculated from the experimental data on the total cross-sections σtot(e+e−→hh¯) with errors. The apparent oscillations were observed for the first time for the proton, and we show, also taking other hadrons into consideration, that they are an arbitrary artifact resulting from a very simplistic theoretical description based on an elementary three-parameter model. If the data are described by a more appropriate and physically well-founded Unitary and Analytic model, then the oscillations disappear. In spite of this, if the three-parameter model is used to describe the “effective” electromagnetic form factor data, an interesting phenomenon is observed. The oscillations are opposite for particles which form an isospin doublet. By using the physically well-founded Unitary and Analytic model, it is demonstrated that this feature originates from the special transformation properties of the electromagnetic current of the corresponding particles in the isotopic space.

In this study, a novel non-cooperative two-player game for minimizing static (Player 1) and dynamic (Player 2) compliances is introduced, implemented, and demonstrated using a multi-scale topology optimization framework for triply periodic minimal surface (TPMS)-based lattice structures. Player 1 determines the optimal macro-layout by minimizing the static compliance based on a micro-layout provided by Player 2. Conversely, player 2 identifies the optimal micro-layout (grading of the TPMS-based lattice structure) by minimizing the dynamic compliance given a macro-layout from Player 1. The multi-scale topology optimization formulations are derived using two density variables in each finite element. The first variable is the standard density, which dictates whether the finite element is void or contains the graded lattice structure and is governed by the rational approximation of material properties (RAMP) model. The second density variable represents the local relative density of the TPMS-based lattice structure, determining the effective orthotropic elastic properties of the finite element. The multi-scale game is implemented for three-dimensional problems, and solved using a Gauss–Seidel algorithm with sequential linear programming. It is numerically demonstrated for several benchmarks that the proposed multi-scale game generates equilibrium designs with strong performance for both static and harmonic load cases, effectively avoiding resonance at harmonic load frequencies. Validation is achieved through modal analyses of finite element models of the optimal designs.

The distribution of oil and gas phases around ball–raceway local regions is an important basis and foundation for determining whether a bearing is sufficiently lubricated. To obtain the oil phase distribution law in the inner raceway–ball contact local region (IBCR) and outer raceway–ball contact local region (OBCR) of the ball bearing with under-race lubrication, the numerical simulation method is used. The effects of bearing rotation speed, oil flow rate, oil viscosity, and oil density on these two regions are studied. The results indicate that the oil phase exhibited significant periodic changes in both time and space. Compared with that in the IBCR, the oil phase distribution in the OBCR is more uniform. Increasing the bearing rotation speed and reducing the oil flow rate made the IBCR and OBCR more uniform. Changing the oil viscosity only alters the distribution pattern of the OBCR. The oil density may not affect the fluid flow state or the oil phase distribution in the bearing.

High-pressure gas quenching is widely used in the metals industry during the heat treatment processing of steel specimens to improve their material properties. In a gas quenching process, a preheated austenised metal specimen is rapidly cooled with a gas such as nitrogen, helium, etc. The resulting microstructure relies on the temporal and spatial thermal history during the quenching. As a result, the corresponding material properties such as hardness are achieved. Challenges reside with the selection of the proper process parameters. This research focuses on the heat treatment of steel sample batches. The gas quenching process is fundamentally investigated in experiments and numerical simulations. Experiments are carried out to determine the heat transfer coefficient and the cooling curves as well as the local flow fields. Quenched samples are analyzed to derive the material hardness. CFD and FEM models numerically determine the conjugate heat transfer, flow behavior, cooling curve, and material hardness. In a novel approach, the experimental and simulation results are adopted to train artificial neural networks (ANNs), which allow us to predict the required process parameters for a targeted material property. The steels 42CrMo4 (1.7225) and 100Cr6 (1.3505) are investigated, nitrogen is the quenching gas, and geometries such as a disc, disc with a hole and ring are considered for batch series production.