Optimal shape design of structural elements based on boundary variations results in final designs that are topologically equivalent to the initial choice of design, and general, stable computational schemes for this approach often require some kind of remeshing of the finite element approximation of the analysis problem. This paper presents a methodology for optimal shape design where both these drawbacks can be avoided. The method is related to modern production techniques and consists of computing the optimal distribution in space of an anisotropic material that is constructed by introducing an infimum of periodically distributed small holes in a given homogeneous, i~otropic material, with the requirement that the resulting structure can carry the given loads as well as satisfy other design requirements. The computation of effective material properties for the anisotropic material is carried out using the method of homogenization. Computational results are presented and compared with results obtained by boundary variations.

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Generating optimal topologies in structural design using a homogenization method

Shape optimization in a general setting requires the determination of the optimal spatial material distribution for given loads and boundary conditions. Every point in space is thus a material point or a void and the optimization problem is a discrete variable one. This paper describes various ways of removing this discrete nature of the problem by the introduction of a density function that is a continuous design variable. Domains of high density then define the shape of the mechanical element. For intermediate densities, material parameters given by an artificial material law can be used. Alternatively, the density can arise naturally through the introduction of periodically distributed, microscopic voids, so that effective material parameters for intermediate density values can be computed through homogenization. Several examples in two-dimensional elasticity illustrate that these methods allow a determination of the topology of a mechanical element, as required for a boundary variations shape optimization technique.

Optimal shape design as a material distribution problem

Some of the greatest scientists including Poisson, Faraday, Maxwell, Rayleigh, and Einstein have contributed to the theory of composite materials Mathematically, it is the study of partial differential equations with rapid oscillations in their coefficients Although extensively studied for more than a hundred years, an explosion of ideas in the last five decades (and particularly in the last three decades) has dramatically increased our understanding of the relationship between the properties of the constituent materials, the underlying microstructure of a composite, and the overall effective (electrical, thermal, elastic) moduli which govern the macroscopic behavior This renaissance has been fueled by the technological need for improving our knowledge base of composites, by the advance of the underlying mathematical theory of homogenization, by the discovery of new variational principles, by the recognition of how important the subject is to solving structural optimization problems, and by the realization of the connection with the mathematical problem of quasiconvexification This 2002 book surveys these exciting developments at the frontier of mathematics

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The Theory of Composites

Following an idea of G. Nguetseng, the author defines a notion of “two-scale” convergence, which is aimed at a better description of sequences of oscillating functions. Bounded sequences in $L^2 (\Omega )$ are proven to be relatively compact with respect to this new type of convergence. A corrector-type theorem (i.e., which permits, in some cases, replacing a sequence by its “two-scale” limit, up to a strongly convergent remainder in $L^2 (\Omega )$) is also established. These results are especially useful for the homogenization of partial differential equations with periodically oscillating coefficients. In particular, a new method for proving the convergence of homogenization processes is proposed, which is an alternative to the so-called energy method of Tartar. The power and simplicity of the two-scale convergence method is demonstrated on several examples, including the homogenization of both linear and nonlinear second-order elliptic equations.

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Homogenization and two-scale convergence

This tutorial/survey paper: (1) provides a concise point of departure for researchers and practitioners alike wishing to assess the current state of the art in the control and monitoring of civil engineering structures; and (2) provides a link between structural control and other fields of control theory, pointing out both differences and similarities, and points out where future research and application efforts are likely to prove fruitful. The paper consists of the following sections: section 1 is an introduction; section 2 deals with passive energy dissipation; section 3 deals with active control; section 4 deals with hybrid and semiactive control systems; section 5 discusses sensors for structural control; section 6 deals with smart material systems; section 7 deals with health monitoring and damage detection; and section 8 deals with research needs. An extensive list of references is provided in the references section.

Structural control: past, present, and future

In this paper exact steady state solutions are constructed for a class of non-linear systems subjected to stochastic excitation. The results are then applied to both classical and non-classical oscillator problems.

The exact steady-state solution of a class of non-linear stochastic systems

The interaction between impeller blades and diffuser vanes in a diffuser
pump was investigated. Steady and unsteady pressure measurements were
taken on the diffuser vanes, and the shroud wall of a vaned and a vane less
diffuser. Steady, unsteady, and ensemble averaged unsteady data, as well as
frequency spectra are presented. The measurements were made for different
flow coefficients, shaft speeds, and radial gaps between impeller blade
trailing and diffuser vane leading edge (1.5% and 4.5% based on impeller
discharge radius). The resulting lift on the vane, both steady and unsteady,
was computed from the pressure measurements at mid vane height. The
magnitude of the fluctuating lift was found to be greater than the steady
lift. The pressure fluctuations were larger on the suction side than on the
pressure side attaining their maximum value, of the same order of magnitude
as the total pressure rise across the pump, near the leading edge. Pressure
fluctuations were also measured across the span of the vane. and those near
the shroud were significantly smaller than those near the hub. The pressure
fluctuations on the shroud wall itself were larger for the vaned diffuser than
a vaneless diffuser. Lift, vane pressure, and shroud wall pressure fluctuations
decreased strongly with increasing radial gap.

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Rotor-stator interaction in a diffuser pump

A general technique for computing the power spectrum of nonlinear systems is presented, and the method is applied to the Brownian motion of a particle with idealized Coulomb damping. In this method the transition probability is obtained by solving the appropriate Fokker‐Planck equation. Then the autocorrelation function is calculated by an appropriate integration, and finally the power spectrum is found by means of the Wiener‐Khintchine relation. Comparison is made with the method of equivalent linearization, which is applicable to a wide class of nonlinear problems.

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Analysis of a Nonlinear First‐Order System with a White Noise Input

Building on the basic idea behind the Restoring Force Method for the non-parametric identification of non-linear systems, a general procedure is presented for the direct identification of the state equation of complex non-linear systems. No information about the system mass is required, and only the applied excitation(s) and resulting acceleration are needed to implement the procedure. Arbitrary non-linear phenomena spanning the range from polynomial non-linearities to the noisy Duffing–van der Pol oscillator (involving product-type non-linearities and multiple excitations) or hysteretic behavior such as the Bouc–Wen model can be handled without difficulty. In the case of polynomial-type non-linearities, the approach yields virtually exact results for sufficiently rich excitations. For other types of non-linearities, the approach yields the optimum (in least-squares sense) representation in non-parametric form of the dominant interaction forces induced by the motion of the system. Several examples involving synthetic data corresponding to a variety of highly non-linear phenomena are presented to demonstrate the utility as well as the range of validity of the proposed approach.

Identification of the state equation in complex non-linear systems

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Thomas K. Caughey

Papers

The exact steady-state solution of a class of non-linear stochastic systems

Rotor-stator interaction in a diffuser pump

Analysis of a Nonlinear First‐Order System with a White Noise Input

Identification of the state equation in complex non-linear systems

Stabilität und Matrizen