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Flexibility Method
In structural engineering, the flexibility method, also called the method of consistent deformations, is the traditional method for computing member forces and displacements in structural systems. Its modern version formulated in terms of the members' flexibility matrices also has the name the matrix force method due to its use of member forces as the primary unknowns. Member flexibility Flexibility is the inverse of stiffness. For example, consider a spring that has ''Q'' and ''q'' as, respectively, its force and deformation: * The spring stiffness relation is ''Q = k q'' where ''k'' is the spring stiffness. * Its flexibility relation is ''q = f Q'', where ''f'' is the spring flexibility. * Hence, ''f'' = 1/''k''. A typical member flexibility relation has the following general form: where :''m'' = member number ''m''. :\mathbf^m = vector of member's characteristic deformations. :\mathbf^m = member flexibility matrix which characterises the member's susceptibility to deform u ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Structural Engineering
Structural engineering is a sub-discipline of civil engineering in which structural engineers are trained to design the 'bones and muscles' that create the form and shape of man-made structures. Structural engineers also must understand and calculate the stability, strength, rigidity and earthquake-susceptibility of built structures for buildings and nonbuilding structures. The structural designs are integrated with those of other designers such as architects and building services engineer and often supervise the construction of projects by contractors on site. They can also be involved in the design of machinery, medical equipment, and vehicles where structural integrity affects functioning and safety. See glossary of structural engineering. Structural engineering theory is based upon applied physical laws and empirical knowledge of the structural performance of different materials and geometries. Structural engineering design uses a number of relatively simple structural c ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Redundancy (engineering)
In engineering, redundancy is the intentional duplication of critical components or functions of a system with the goal of increasing reliability of the system, usually in the form of a backup or fail-safe, or to improve actual system performance, such as in the case of GNSS receivers, or multi-threaded computer processing. In many safety-critical systems, such as fly-by-wire and hydraulic systems in aircraft, some parts of the control system may be triplicated, which is formally termed triple modular redundancy (TMR). An error in one component may then be out-voted by the other two. In a triply redundant system, the system has three sub components, all three of which must fail before the system fails. Since each one rarely fails, and the sub components are expected to fail independently, the probability of all three failing is calculated to be extraordinarily small; it is often outweighed by other risk factors, such as human error. Redundancy may also be known by the terms "m ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Structural Analysis
Structural analysis is a branch of Solid Mechanics which uses simplified models for solids like bars, beams and shells for engineering decision making. Its main objective is to determine the effect of loads on the physical structures and their components. In contrast to theory of elasticity, the models used in structure analysis are often differential equations in one spatial variable. Structures subject to this type of analysis include all that must withstand loads, such as buildings, bridges, aircraft and ships. Structural analysis uses ideas from applied mechanics, materials science and applied mathematics to compute a structure's deformations, internal forces, stresses, support reactions, velocity, accelerations, and stability. The results of the analysis are used to verify a structure's fitness for use, often precluding physical tests. Structural analysis is thus a key part of the engineering design of structures. [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Finite Element Method In Structural Mechanics
The finite element method (FEM) is a powerful technique originally developed for numerical solution of complex problems in structural mechanics, and it remains the method of choice for complex systems. In the FEM, the structural system is modeled by a set of appropriate finite elements interconnected at discrete points called nodes. Elements may have physical properties such as thickness, coefficient of thermal expansion, density, Young's modulus, shear modulus and Poisson's ratio. History The origin of finite method can be traced to the matrix analysis of structures where the concept of a displacement or stiffness matrix approach was introduced. Finite element concepts were developed based on engineering methods in 1950s. The finite element method obtained its real impetus in the 1960s and 1970s by John Argyris, and co-workers; at the University of Stuttgart, by Ray W. Clough; at the University of California, Berkeley, by Olgierd Zienkiewicz, and co-workers Ernest Hinton, Br ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
System Identification
The field of system identification uses statistical methods to build mathematical models of dynamical systems from measured data. System identification also includes the optimal design of experiments for efficiently generating informative data for fitting such models as well as model reduction. A common approach is to start from measurements of the behavior of the system and the external influences (inputs to the system) and try to determine a mathematical relation between them without going into many details of what is actually happening inside the system; this approach is called black box system identification. Overview A dynamical mathematical model in this context is a mathematical description of the dynamic behavior of a system or process in either the time or frequency domain. Examples include: * physical processes such as the movement of a falling body under the influence of gravity; * economic processes such as stock markets that react to external influences. One ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Finite Element Method
The finite element method (FEM) is a popular method for numerically solving differential equations arising in engineering and mathematical modeling. Typical problem areas of interest include the traditional fields of structural analysis, heat transfer, fluid flow, mass transport, and electromagnetic potential. The FEM is a general numerical method for solving partial differential equations in two or three space variables (i.e., some boundary value problems). To solve a problem, the FEM subdivides a large system into smaller, simpler parts that are called finite elements. This is achieved by a particular space discretization in the space dimensions, which is implemented by the construction of a mesh of the object: the numerical domain for the solution, which has a finite number of points. The finite element method formulation of a boundary value problem finally results in a system of algebraic equations. The method approximates the unknown function over the domain. The sim ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gauss–Jordan Elimination
In mathematics, Gaussian elimination, also known as row reduction, is an algorithm for solving systems of linear equations. It consists of a sequence of operations performed on the corresponding matrix of coefficients. This method can also be used to compute the rank of a matrix, the determinant of a square matrix, and the inverse of an invertible matrix. The method is named after Carl Friedrich Gauss (1777–1855) although some special cases of the method—albeit presented without proof—were known to Chinese mathematicians as early as circa 179 AD. To perform row reduction on a matrix, one uses a sequence of elementary row operations to modify the matrix until the lower left-hand corner of the matrix is filled with zeros, as much as possible. There are three types of elementary row operations: * Swapping two rows, * Multiplying a row by a nonzero number, * Adding a multiple of one row to another row. (subtraction can be achieved by multiplying one row with -1 and adding ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Unit Dummy Force Method
The Unit dummy force method provides a convenient means for computing displacements in structural systems. It is applicable for both linear and non-linear material behaviours as well as for systems subject to environmental effects, and hence more general than Castigliano's second theorem. Discrete systems Consider a discrete system such as trusses, beams or frames having members interconnected at the nodes. Let the consistent set of members' deformations be given by \mathbf_ , which can be computed using the member flexibility relation. These member deformations give rise to the nodal displacements \mathbf_ , which we want to determine. We start by applying ''N'' virtual nodal forces \mathbf^*_ , one for each wanted ''r'', and find the virtual member forces \mathbf^*_ that are in equilibrium with \mathbf^*_ : In the case of a statically indeterminate system, matrix B is not unique because the set of \mathbf^*_ that satisfies nodal equilibrium is infinite. It can be computed a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Statically Indeterminate
In statics and structural mechanics, a structure is statically indeterminate when the static equilibrium equations force and moment equilibrium conditions are insufficient for determining the internal forces and reactions on that structure. Mathematics Based on Newton's laws of motion, the equilibrium equations available for a two-dimensional body are: : \sum \mathbf F = 0 : the vectorial sum of the forces acting on the body equals zero. This translates to: :: \sum \mathbf H = 0 : the sum of the horizontal components of the forces equals zero; :: \sum \mathbf V = 0 : the sum of the vertical components of forces equals zero; : \sum \mathbf M = 0 : the sum of the moments (about an arbitrary point) of all forces equals zero. In the beam construction on the right, the four unknown reactions are , , , and . The equilibrium equations are: : \begin \sum \mathbf V = 0 \quad & \implies \quad \mathbf V_A - \mathbf F_v + \mathbf V_B + \mathbf V_C = 0 \\ \sum \mathbf H = 0 \quad & \im ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Deformation (mechanics)
In physics, deformation is the continuum mechanics transformation of a body from a ''reference'' configuration to a ''current'' configuration. A configuration is a set containing the positions of all particles of the body. A deformation can occur because of external loads, intrinsic activity (e.g. muscle contraction), body forces (such as gravity or electromagnetic forces), or changes in temperature, moisture content, or chemical reactions, etc. Strain is related to deformation in terms of ''relative'' displacement of particles in the body that excludes rigid-body motions. Different equivalent choices may be made for the expression of a strain field depending on whether it is defined with respect to the initial or the final configuration of the body and on whether the metric tensor or its dual is considered. In a continuous body, a deformation field results from a stress field due to applied forces or because of some changes in the temperature field of the body. The rel ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Degrees Of Freedom (engineering)
In physics, the degrees of freedom (DOF) of a mechanical system is the number of independent parameters that define its configuration or state. It is important in the analysis of systems of bodies in mechanical engineering, structural engineering, aerospace engineering, robotics, and other fields. The position of a single railcar (engine) moving along a track has one degree of freedom because the position of the car is defined by the distance along the track. A train of rigid cars connected by hinges to an engine still has only one degree of freedom because the positions of the cars behind the engine are constrained by the shape of the track. An automobile with highly stiff suspension can be considered to be a rigid body traveling on a plane (a flat, two-dimensional space). This body has three independent degrees of freedom consisting of two components of translation and one angle of rotation. Skidding or drifting is a good example of an automobile's three independent degrees ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Statically Determinate
In statics and structural mechanics, a structure is statically indeterminate when the static equilibrium equations force and moment equilibrium conditions are insufficient for determining the internal forces and Reaction (physics), reactions on that structure. Mathematics Based on Newton's laws of motion, the equilibrium equations available for a two-dimensional body are: : \sum \mathbf F = 0 : the vectorial sum of the forces acting on the body equals zero. This translates to: :: \sum \mathbf H = 0 : the sum of the horizontal components of the forces equals zero; :: \sum \mathbf V = 0 : the sum of the vertical components of forces equals zero; : \sum \mathbf M = 0 : the sum of the moment (physics), moments (about an arbitrary point) of all forces equals zero. In the beam (structure), beam construction on the right, the four unknown reactions are , , , and . The equilibrium equations are: : \begin \sum \mathbf V = 0 \quad & \implies \quad \mathbf V_A - \mathbf F_v + \mathbf V_ ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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