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This study investigates the effects of palm fibers on the seismic behavior of adobe walls. Towards this, six wall panels, with dimensions of 1000 × 900 × 200 mm3 were constructed with different fiber contents. Seismic loading was simulated through incrementally increasing cyclic loading reversals combined with a constant vertical stress of 0.3 MPa. The results are described in terms of failure mechanism, load-displacement hysteretic curves, and other prominent structural factors. It was found that adding palm fibers can increase the peak load and displacement ductility by up to 37 and 39%, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the fracture behavior of notched concrete beams produced with concrete strength from 25 to 100 MPa and steel fiber volume ratio from 0 to 1.5% were experimentally investigated under three-point loading. The digital image correlation method was adopted to determine the full-field deformation map on the beam surface. Test results were evaluated concerning vertical deflection versus CMOD, peak load fracture energy, effective crack length and unstable fracture toughness. Based on the characteristic length of specimen, an empirical relation was developed for the estimation of effective crack length, which yielded results close to those of two parameter model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a highly efficient dual-mode HV (high voltage) buck converter which operates at both light and heavy load currents. To improve the conversion efficiency at two different load conditions, a dual-mode design composed of pulse width modulation (PWM) and pulse frequency modulation (PFM) were implemented using TSMC 0.5- $\mu $ μ m HV CMOS process. The chip area is 2038.05 $ \times $ × 1689.85 $\mu $ μ m2, while the input voltage ranges from 12 V to 15 V. A 92.95% peak efficiency at a load current of 10 mA was achieved based on on-silicon measurement results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With cores of the hexagonal honeycomb (HH), staggered corrugated lattice (SCL), bidirectional corrugated lattice (BCL), reinforced hexagonal honeycomb (RHH), and reinforced staggered corrugated lattice (RSCL) made by cutting, bonding, arranging and weaving the trapezoidal corrugation (TC) formed by mold hot pressing, six types of composite sandwich panels of the same macro size were proposed. The failure processes of the six sandwich panels in three-point bending experiments were compared and analyzed, and the effects of core configuration and reinforced stiffener on the bending response were evaluated. A general analytical model was established to predict the bending stiffness and failure mode of six sandwich panels, which was also visually presented by a three-dimensional numerical model. The numerical and experimental results validated the effectiveness of the analytical model. The effects of ply parameters and corrugated sizes on bending responses were studied by a combing application of experiment, analytical and numerical models. The three-dimensional failure mechanism maps were displayed to evaluate the failure mode and failure load. The longitudinal discontinuity of the bonding zone of the core could significantly weaken the bending performance and bonding strength of BCL, SCL, RSCL, and HH. The peak load of SCL and HH was enhanced by 45.97% and 60.29%, respectively, by setting stiffeners. Both RHH and TC could achieve bending stiffness of more than 3.5 kN·mm−1, while the failure load of the latter could be up to 25 kN. The design parameter space of bending stiffness, failure load with respect to ply orientation angle, core wall thickness, corrugated web angle, and horizontal segment length was provided intuitively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interlayer hybrid foldcore sandwich structures have been introduced in this study. Both facesheets and foldcores were hybridized in the same ply sequence with two layers of plain woven carbon (C) and two layers of satin woven glass (G) fiber prepregs (Carbon-to-Glass ratio 1:1). Foldcore sandwich structures with six-ply combinations were designed including two symmetric layups (GCCG and CGGC) and four asymmetric layups (CGCG, GCGC, CCGG, and GGCC). The static compression and low-velocity impact performance of foldcore sandwich structures of different ply sequences were investigated. A user-defined material subroutine (VUMAT) was employed to characterize the damage evolution of composite materials based on selected failure criteria. The findings revealed that hybridization was effective in enhancing its energy absorption value of pure carbon fiber foldcore sandwich structures in terms of static compression performance. The damage degree of the interlayer hybrid foldcore sandwich structures increased gradually with the increasing impact energy. Moreover, the damage of facesheet was mainly caused by fiber tensile, matrix tensile damage and delamination, and damage of foldcore was mainly delamination. GCGC sandwich panel with asymmetrical cross-ply sequence has the optimal load bearing capacity, and CGGC sandwich panel with symmetrical layup has a strong energy absorption capacity under high-energy impact load. The foldcore sandwich structure showed smaller peak load, longer crushing distance, and more energy absorption value under larger oblique impact angle. The simulation and experimental results show good agreement in peak force, maximum energy absorption, and damage mode. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To achieve the goals of high energy dissipation, a low initial peak, and small load fluctuation, a differentiated combination design of multitube combined structure was developed. Based on a combination of experiment, simulation, and theory, the influences of height and fold distribution on the peak-formation time sequence were investigated, and the combined method of two configurations in the multitube combination was determined. The results show that the initial peak and load fluctuation of the combined structure with variable tube heights and different fold distributions are reduced by 18.42% and 67.77%, respectively, compared with the multitube structure of the same configuration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, a numerical study is conducted to investigate the improvement of in-plane behavior of weak brick masonry walls through assimilation of partially confining horizontal and vertical reinforced concrete (RC) bands. The bands are considered to be assimilated with the existing walls by cutting grooves over the partial thickness of the wall in a easy-to-construct manner. For numerical modeling of the wall width and without partially confining elements, a three-dimensional (3D) macro-modeling approach is utilized as it is computationally efficient compared to other modeling approaches while representing the global behavior reasonably well. The components of macro-models are discretely modeled. The concrete damage plasticity (CDP) model is considered to describe the non-linear behavior of the concrete and masonry for crushing and cracking failures. Steel reinforcements are considered as bilinear with hardening and modeled with perfect adhesion with the surrounding concrete using embedded constraints. Experimental results obtained from the full-scale tests at the Structural Engineering laboratory of IIT Kanpur have been utilized to validate the numerical model. The responses obtained from the numerical model of both with and without RC bands demonstrate that the models reasonably capture the experimental behavior such as initial stiffness, peak loads and post-peak behavior. The initial peak load from the numerical model of without and with RC bands was found to be 3.2% and 6.9% lower than the experimental value, respectively. Although post-yield trends of numerical and experimental results show similar behavior for walls without and with RC bands, the numerical model underestimates the post-yield strength for the wall without RC bands. This deviation can be attributed to the masonry dominated post-peak behavior coupled with modeling assumptions and values of model parameters used for the numerical analysis. Finally, to understand the influence of various parameters on lateral strength, a parametric study has been conducted. From the parametric study, it has been found that the compressive strength of masonry and band aspect ratio are the two most important parameters governing the strength of the wall. Finally, it is noted that a wall with band aspect ratio close to unity provides superior ductile behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, a new model of a conical absorber with an inversion mechanism in form of a telescope is introduced. The purpose of this article is to decrease the initial peak load and improve drawbacks and limitations in the inversion mechanism. When the tube is subjected to axial loading, each component is inverted and moves toward the next component. Therefore, the dissipation of energy is occurred due to the curling of edges and circumferential contraction in the tube wall. The inversion process of tubes under axial compression is simulated using the ABAQUS nonlinear finite element code. To verify the numerical simulation, some experimental tests are carried out. Moreover, a parametric study has been conducted to investigate the geometric effects of tube including end-capped, numbers of conical components, semi-apical angle and edge length of components. The results show that with appropriate selection of geometric dimensions of the new conical absorber has a significant role in reducing the initial peak load without a noticeable change in the specific energy absorption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the ice loads on a scaled four-legged semi-submersible in a broken ice field were measured in a wave tank. Artificial ice models made of paraffin were applied in the experiment. The influence of ice floe properties, type of platform, incident velocity, and incident angle on ice loads was investigated. Shelter effect were observed most effective at a 0° incident angle, followed by a 45° incident angle. A sensitive analysis showed that a square-shaped platform with a narrow column spacing resulted in reduced ice loads in the broken ice field. The shape of floe has limited influence on the ice load under low incident velocity. Additionally, based on the Kolmogorov–Smirnov test, the lognormal distribution model best fit the experimental data of the ice load peak values (at a 5% significance level). The numerical simulation based on Ice-MAS was validated with experimental results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Compared to traditional fuel vehicles, electric vehicles (EVs) can use energy efficiently without polluting the environment, which is why environmental experts are pushing the switch to EVs. When a large number of EVs are connected to the present power grid, negative impacts to the power system dynamics may happen. Implantation of demand response (DR) programming may avoid unplanned demand peaks, and support grid voltage. The objective of this article is to minimize the cost of charging the EVs while also utilizing their battery storage capacities to support grid voltage. Price-based DR programming is used to control the EVs' charging. A study of an 8-bus distribution system with three EVs connected during charging/discharging periods, and different scenarios are simulated and compared with the grid response without any EV. New distribution tariffs have been developed to encourage small electricity users toward peak load restriction. The proposed scheduling method is valuable for the utility to estimate the capability of different control strategies for EV charging. It can also be extended to more complicated systems with large number of EVs and hence applied to a real network. MATLAB environment is used to test the suggested control scheme's robustness and efficacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As electric hot water cylinders (HWCs) have a large capacity for thermal storage, they are well-suited for Demand Side Management (DSM). This paper compares different methods of HWC temperature control and presents a methodology to assess the amount of thermal storage available in HWCs for demand side management based on use behaviour in different household types. Simple stochastic methods for domestic hot water (DHW) demand prediction were employed to design a smart controller that produced lower rates of unmet DHW demand and higher available storage than setpoint and ripple controllers. The average storage available for DSM from the use of this smart controller is predicted to be between 3.63 and 7.20 kWh per household. These results indicate the use of HWCs for thermal storage is a low-cost viable option for peak-shaving of power system load and could decrease power system greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in countries such as Aotearoa New Zealand, where GHG-emitting electricity generation is primarily used to meet peak loads. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this research is to analyze the emission, combustion, and performance parameters of a CRDI diesel engine fueled by waste cooking oil (WCO) biodiesel (B20%), diesel (80%), and their blend with two distinct metal-based nanoparticles cerium oxide (CeO2) and aluminum oxide (Al2O3). Transesterification was used to produce biodiesel from waste cooking oil (WCO). An ultrasonication procedure was used to gradually mingle the nanoparticles with a B20-diesel fuel blend in mass fractions of 50 and 100 ppm. The developed nanoparticle fuel samples were designated as (B20 + 50 Al2O3, B20 + 100 Al2O3, B20 + 50 CeO2, B20 + 100 CeO2). The CRDI engine was run at a constant speed with four different engine loads: 3 kg, 6 kg, 9 kg, and 12 kg. The result showed that the presence of Al2O3 in the blended fuel improved the BTE by 11.39%, reduced the SFC by 13.74%, and increased the cylinder pressure and heat release rate (HRR) by 16.77% and 21.48% respectively compared to B20 fuel at peak load condition. Regarding harmful emissions, CO emissions decreased by 15.06% for B20 + 50 Al2O3 than B20 and HC emissions decreased by 50% for B20 + 50 CeO2 than diesel at peak load. Further, NOx is reduced by 18.29% for B20 + 50 CeO2 than B20 at peak loads. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the potential of using Square Dome-shaped Kirigami (SDK) structures as a core component in cladding systems for blast mitigation. The study aims to assess the effectiveness of the SDK foldcore in reducing the impact of blast loading and to determine the optimal geometry of the SDK foldcore for enhanced blast mitigation using High Dimensional Model Representations (HDMR). A nonlinear finite element analysis with the ABAQUS software package has been carried out to investigate the blast mitigation capacity. The model is subjected to a quasi-static compression test to simulate the crushing effect, and the results are used to calibrate the simulation with the experimental data from the literature. Four different levels of blast loading conditions are applied to evaluate the blast resistance of the system. The structural response of the SDK foldcore is compared to that of a traditional Square Honey Comb (SHC) core with the same relative density under the same blast loading conditions. The peak load transmitted by the SDK foldcore is much more consistent than the SHC core, even under different blast loading conditions. SDK foldcore significantly improves energy absorption, resulting in better performance in mitigating the effects of blast loading. Additionally, a mathematical model using HDMR is created to assess the performance of the SDK foldcore using geometric parameters as input variables. The HDMR model enables the generation of numerous alternative design solutions, allowing designers to select the most optimal geometry for the SDK foldcore. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Kuwait's policy of achieving 15% renewable energy by 2030, announced in 2012, has been diverted from its original intent. Today, Kuwait's renewable energy goal is to meet 15% of its projected peak load by 2030. To examine the actual outcomes, a comparison is offered between the original policy: annual energy share, the current policy: peak capacity share, and two other policies: installed capacity share and peak load share. The results demonstrate how these policies lead to drastically different outcomes. The total installed renewable energy capacity ranges from 4 GW to 27 GW; the total produced energy from renewables ranges from 8 TWh to 44 TWh; and the flexibility requirements ranges from 1.6 GW to 20 GW per hour. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Occurrence of progressive collapse events invariably leads to significant economic and human-life losses. Progressive collapse analysis and design of building structures have become a research hotspot worldwide. Existing studies have proved that development of extra load-carrying mechanisms could significantly improve the resistance of structures to progressive collapse. However, limited research has been conducted to quantitatively analyze these mechanisms. This study proposed a new and unified division method for mechanisms for resisting progressive collapse; furthermore, it provides a basis for their quantitative analysis. In addition, the progressive collapse behavior of a 1/3-scaled two-story, one-bay-by-two-bay reinforced concrete (beam–slab–column) frame with an edge column lost was experimentally investigated. Additionally, a 3 D solid finite element model was established and validated based on the test results. The effects of different extensive parameters, including ideal lateral constraints, slab thickness, and beam–slab interaction, on each resisting mechanism were quantitatively investigated. Finally, a new simple method for predicting the first peak load was proposed based on the contribution of each mechanism. The results from the simple method were in agreement with the simulation results of beam–slab–column structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explored a new simple monotonic Marshall rutting test (Marshall-RT) to evaluate the rutting resistance of asphalt mixtures. The Marshall-RT test setup combines the Marshall fixture (at the bottom) and the IDT fixture (at the top). The rutting resistance of asphalt mixtures was evaluated using peak load (Pmax) and work done for the deformation damage obtained from the load-displacement curve. Nine plant-produced asphalt mixtures having different types of binders (unmodified, crumb rubber modified binder (CRMB)), and polymer modified binder (PMB)) and gradations having different nominal maximum aggregate sizes (NMAS) were evaluated. The Marshall-RT test parameters (i.e. Pmax and $W_{P_{{\rm max}}}$ W P m a x ) have shown a strong correlation with fundamental (i.e. Flow Number (FN)), simulative (i.e. Hamburg wheel tracking test (HWTT)), and simple monotonic (i.e. Ideal rutting test (IDEAL-RT)) rutting tests. Moreover, the Marshall-RT test has shown good repeatability, the highest differentiation potential, and consistent ranking with other rutting tests. Furthermore, for high traffic levels (i.e. 100 MSA (Million Standard Axle)), at 50°C preliminary minimum threshold criteria were proposed for Marshall-RT (Pmax and $W_{P_{{\rm max}}}$ W P m a x ), and IDEAL-RT (RTIndex) as 5 kN, 14 kN-mm, and 90, respectively, to avoid premature rutting failure. Thus, the newly developed monotonic Marshall-RT test can also be used as a surrogate simple performance test to estimate the rutting potential of asphalt mixtures during the mix design and plant production phases as quality control (QC)/quality assurance (QA). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The primary objective of this paper was to develop a combined model that incorporates moisture diffusion and a cohesive zone model, addressing anisotropic and loading-rate dependent cracking within partially saturated asphalt. Utilising X-ray CT scan, cross-sectional slices of asphalt were acquired and converted into vector images through Matlab and AutoCAD, forming a digital asphalt sample. Moisture concentration in the asphalt, after different immersion durations, was quantified by Fick's law. A sequentially coupled model of moisture diffusion and fracture investigated the effect of immersion duration, anisotropy, and loading rate on cracking performance of the asphalt during a digital indirect tensile strength test (DITST) at 5°C. Findings revealed that moisture evolution in partially saturated asphalt proceeds through two or three stages: near-zero growth (only applicable for locations far from the initial moisture-asphalt interface), rapid growth, and a plateau. Peak load, stiffness, and fracture work in DITST exponentially reduced with immersion duration, predominantly within the first four weeks. Anisotropy led to differential DITST results when varying loading direction. Moisture damage decreased crack resistance across all directions, while increasing loading rate enhanced it. Fracture stiffness and strength exhibited comparable impacts on cracking performance at a specific loading rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Renewable microgrids are sustainable, resilient solutions to mitigate and adapt to climate change. Making electric loads nearly 100% available (i.e., power remains on) during outages increases cost. Near 100% availability is required when human life or high-cost assets are involved, but availability can be reduced for less consequential loads leading to lower costs. This study analyses costs for photo-voltaic and lithium-ion battery microgrids with availability ranging from 0–99%. We develop a methodology to analyse three Puerto Rican coastal communities. We consider power outage effects for hurricanes, earthquakes, and everyday outages. The results show cost versus availability from 0–99%. There is 27–31% cost reduction at 80% availability in comparison to 99% availability. A regression model of microgrid availability versus three ratios: 1) the annual generation to demand ratio, 2) storage to interruption energy ratio, and 3) peak storage to load ratio produced a coefficient of determination of 0.99949 with 70% of the data used for training and 30% for testing. The results can therefore be extended to other coastal Puerto Rican communities of varying sizes that have ratios within the ranges analysed in this study. This can empower decision makers to rapidly analyse designs that have availabilities well below 100%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There has been discovered that the freestanding hybrid renewable resource, which combines energy sources like solar, wind, etc., is an efficient substitute for supplying electricity to isolated places that are not connected to utility grids. The appropriate supply of electricity is subject to several restrictions, including variations in peak load, power outage supply, and other factors like swings. This study suggests an effective strategy for managing and sizing hybrid renewable energy resources to get around the drawbacks. First, the prediction of weather and loading demand is carried out using Bi-Directional Gated Recurrent Unit (Bi-GRU) network, in which past data are utilized to predict the uncertainties in load. This is done to assist the right sizing of resources for that purpose, a Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) is used. Furthermore, the Search and Rescue Optimization Algorithm (SRO) employed for optimizing the parameter of power management. Utilizing MATLAB R2020a, the proposed model is tested by simulating it and comparing its performance to that of other models using metrics like variation rate, battery energy, Loss of Power Supply Probability (LPSP), forecasting error, net present cost, and cost of energy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The optimization of mining vehicle rear axle weld joints is a complex procedure. The designs for low-cycle fatigue with peak loads were analyzed using computational models and rig testing. On-road evaluation of high-cycle fatigue was performed with the entire vehicle. The iterative analysis is used in design optimization to minimize design cycle time. In sophisticated fatigue calculations with all affecting factors, FEM is utilized. In fatigue failures using road load data, the present deterministic method yields up to 80% correlations. Some critical failure spots were most likely missed owing to operational variations caused by the randomness and multiaxiality of load transfer in link mechanisms with non-linear elements. The fabricated rear axle housing joints are optimized by comparing damage state estimates using stochastic type and multiaxial equivalent loads obtained using Multibody Simulation. The damage state analysis as MBS input stimulus in FE weld models and bolted designs were compared. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Supply-and-demand-side resource management and demand-side load management (DSLM) are important techniques for addressing power system uncertainties. Demand-side load management allows the load profile to be reshaped to reduce the peak demand and overall cost. Many demand-side load management problems have been solved using different demand response programmesprograms as well as conventional numeric and metaheuristic methods. However, it can be applied only toonly to a limited number of devices of certain types. Of the six direct load control demand response techniques for demand-side load management, the performance of the day-ahead load-shifting and flexible load curve DSLM techniques are compared in this study. These techniques can be used for a larger number of devices of more types. The demand-side load management problem is formulated as a minimization problem to achieve peak demand reduction and cost minimization. Novel metaheuristic optimizers are used to perform demand-side load management, and comparative analysis is conducted for the cost and peak load reduction. The simulation results are verified using the fmincon function of MATLAB. The simulation results indicate that the aforementioned algorithms can be applied to a larger number of devices of more types to achieve considerable savings by minimizing the cost and peak load demand. Moreover, the load-shifting demand-side load management technique is more beneficial from the system operator's perspective than from the customer's perspective. In contrast, the flexible load curve demand-side load management technique is more beneficial from the customer's perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heatwaves are becoming more frequent and severe, intensifying cooling demand and reducing air conditioner efficiencies. This causes peaks in electricity demand that pose operational challenges to power grids. This paper provides methods to mitigate demand peaks and heat stress under heatwaves by jointly adjusting fan speeds and thermostat setpoints in buildings. The methods involve (1) learning baseline models to predict load and thermal comfort, (2) fitting perturbation models that relate fan speed and thermostat setpoint adjustments to perturbations in load and thermal comfort, and (3) optimizing peak load and thermal comfort. The methods are implementable in real buildings, providing fast, accurately predicted optimized solutions that flatten demand peaks and mitigate personal heat stress. This paper demonstrates the methodology through simulation-based case studies of a single building and a six-building neighbourhood. In case studies, the methods reduce peak load by 8–10% while maintaining occupants' thermal comfort within safe and comfortable ranges. Highlights This paper develops data-driven methods to reduce peak demand and mitigate heat stress during heatwaves. The methods are designed for straightforward implementation in the field. In case studies, the methods reduce peak demand by 8–10% while maintaining thermal comfort within safe and comfortable ranges. To achieve the same level of peak load reduction, jointly adjusting fan speed, rather than solely thermostat setpoint, improves thermal comfort by 5% in the test case. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When compared to all-air systems, radiant cooling systems can improve chiller efficiency by using a higher refrigerant evaporation temperature. However, the details on differences in heat transfer and building cooling load between all-air and radiant systems are not well defined. This study uses experimental data and numerical modeling to examine the dynamics of cooling load and overall heat transfer for both radiant panel and all-air systems under various operating conditions. This study investigates the effect of: (a) heat gains (transmitted solar, internal radiative, convective), (b) set-point temperature control (air vs operative), (c) building thermal mass, (d) air circulation and surface convection, (e) panel surface area, (f) radiant system configuration (ceiling vs floor panels), and (g) intermittent system operation on the space cooling load of radiant cooling panels. Results show that for the same set-point air temperature radiant systems have slightly larger peak load than an all-air system regardless of dominant heat gain type. When considering set-point, control by operative temperature provides better performance for radiant systems. When air mixing and convection are enhanced, radiant panels allow for operational cost savings for space cooling as well as shifting building peak load to off-peak hours. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a novel prestressed glulam beam-column bolted connection was proposed. The novel prestressed connections were tensioned by prestressing devices, with excellent integral behavior and self-centering function. After an earthquake, prestressing devices could rapidly repair the deformation of connections to reduce structural damage. To analyze the influence of steel wires on the seismic performance of the connections, three groups of the connections were tested through reversed cyclic loading. The results showed that the proposed connections occurred ductile failure. When the number of the steel wires increased from 2 to 4 and 6, the peak load and the initial stiffness were enhanced, the energy dissipation capacity was enhanced by 29.9% and 25.9%, respectively, and the ductility performance was enhanced by 29.2% and 44.6%, respectively. Although increasing the number of the steel wires had no significant effect on strength degradation, it could slow down the stiffness degradation. Compared with conventional connections, the seismic performance of the novel prestressed connections was greatly improved, and the results of this paper could offer reference for relevant designs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The increasing electric vehicles (EVs) and their integration with the electrical networks to achieve the charging demands has highly affected the operation of the power system. These effects are due to the increased and variable amount of electricity consumption caused by the irregular charging patterns of EVs. As the EV penetration level increases with such irregular charging patterns, the overall load profile in a network will increase resulting in load peaks. To overcome this, a well-planned charging-discharging algorithm is needed for the EV users and the power suppliers. In light of the above issues and requirements, this paper proposes a Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) simulation-based EV charging (EVC) behavior models and charging-discharging power prediction models. The proposed methods analyze the traveling behavior of EVs, and their charging patterns to make EV a flexible load. This helps in understanding the variable electricity consumption and mitigating the peak loads and load variations. Further, to assess the operation of the proposed methods, the charging-discharging power prediction is carried out for a large EV fleet based on the historical data. The power predictions are carried out for 100 days and the convergence of the proposed algorithm is targeted to be kept below 0.5% to achieve optimal power prediction. The results showed the credibility of the proposed approach in identifying the daily average charging-discharging load curves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Radiant cooling systems have the potential for efficient chiller operation by using a higher chilled water temperature when compared to all-air systems. This affects the system efficiency, but it is not clear how the cooling load for these two systems is different. The present experimental study investigates differences between (i) room cooling load and (ii) overall heat transfer for (a) radiant and (b) all-air systems. It compares the thermal performance of these two systems for identical rooms considering different heat gains: (1) solar heat gain, (2) internal convective gains, and (3) internal radiative gains. Results show that for the same indoor air temperature the peak load is slightly higher for radiant systems (10% or smaller), regardless of the type of space heat gain. When considering thermal sensation, the performance of the two systems can be compared instead at the same operative temperature. The results also show that the cooling load for a radiant system depends greatly on the temperature control strategy (air vs operative temperatures). When operative temperature is used for the system control, the design load for radiant panels is almost the same as that of all-air systems, regardless of the type of the dominant space heat gain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Demand for electricity, due to the fast growth in urbanization and industrialization, is on the rapid rise. Load shift is a basic method for demand side management (DSM) that can be used by the central controller in buildings and can lead to the maximum use of renewable energy sources, maximum economic benefits, and reduction of peak demand. This paper proposes an algorithm for shifting the flexible loads of four selected appliances with respect to boundary limits for each appliance. A standalone four-story building with different number of occupants is considered to evaluate this algorithm. The algorithm was trained on Richardson model to minimize two objectives including aggregated demand, and the scheduling discomfort. The proposed algorithm led to significant reduction in aggregated peak demand and thereby savings in standalone system investment. The results demonstrated a major reduction in peak demand from 37% to 44% for winter and summer seasons, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three RC beam-column subassemblages, in which the concrete columns were reinforced by multiple composite central reinforcements and multiple-steel stirrups, were tested under reversed cyclic loading. The test results show that the increase in axial compression ratio (increased from 0.2 to 0.35) had little effect on the energy dissipation, but increased the peak load by 60.5% and decreased the ultimate deformation by 34.4%. The increase in shear span ratio of the column (increased from 2.6 to 3.7) improved the energy dissipation and deformation capacity, but decreased the peak load by 17.6%. In addition, the stress–strain relationships of the concrete confined by multiple stirrups were represented by functions with different levels of confinement, and an equivalent coefficient was proposed to simplify the computation. Finally, the analytical methods to predict the yielding response and deformation constitution of the specimen were developed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many scientists have utilized acetylene as a renewable fuel in the dual-fuel engine without considering the significance of induction length. This paper aims to study and analyze the effect of induction length for acetylene fueled CI engine. In this present study, the author has conducted an experimental investigation on a modified diesel engine in which acetylene is being inducted at different induction length of 25 cm, 50 cm, 75 cm and 100 cm away from the cylinder head. The results show that when acetylene is introduced with a constant flow rate of 1 LPM at 50 cm induction length, BTE is marginally lesser than neat diesel by 0.8%. BSEC increases during acetylene induction under lower loads due to the higher flame velocity of acetylene and minimum value i.e. 10.8 MJ/kWh is observed at full load when induction length is 50 cm for DFE. EGT is slightly lower than diesel for entire loading conditions for acetylene DFE. From the several trials which were conducted, the highest obtained value of peak cylinder pressure is 77.34 bar and the HRR is 51.9 J/°CA when the fuel is inducted at 50 cm. Moreover, CO value is 0.0087%, and HC is 0.024 g/kWh for 50 cm induction length, which is also lower than baseline diesel at full load. However, there is a slight increase in oxides of nitrogen at peak loads, which may be due to the higher combustion temperature. Overall, it can be concluded that the optimum length for acetylene induction is 50 cm. Abbreviation: BMEP: Brake Mean Effective Pressure; BP: Brake Power; BTE: Brake Thermal Efficiency; BSEC: Brake Specific Energy Consumption; CA: Crank Angle; CI: Compression-Ignition; CO: Carbon mono oxide; CV: Calorific Value; DFE: Dual Fuel Engine; DI: Direct Injection; EGT: Exhaust Gas Temperature; HC: Hydrocarbon; IC : Internal Combustion; ID: Ignition Delay; LPM: Liters Per Minute; NOx: Oxides of Nitrogen [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The reliability assessment helps to determine the existing power system reliability. Equipment failures may decrease reliability and the major contributory factors for power system unreliability. Therefore, the objective of this study was reliability assessment for distribution with distribution generation units and without distribution generation units, Dangila substation from 2020 to 2021. The base case reliability indices were 774.93, 1231.48, 1.589, 85.96%, and 14.04 for system average interruption frequency index, system average interruption duration index, customer average interruption duration index, average service availability index and average service unavailability index respectively. These indices are below the standards of Ethiopian Electric power set indices values of 20 system average in terruption frequency index and 25 system average interruption duration index. Therefore, the system needs improvement to achieve the minimum system reliability standard. Distribution generation was used to improve the system reliability in this paper. Distribution generation was placed at five suggested locations of feeder seven from substation, 66kilometer, 80kilometer, 100kilometer, 113.3kilometer, and 146kilometer distances. The results shows that as distribution gene ration was placed further from Supply point the reliability of the power system will be improved more. The assessment result of feeder seven shows that the feeder had more outages with the base cases of 636, 833, and 1.311 system average interruption frequency index, system average interruption duration index, customer average interruption duration index respectively. The size of distribution generation for feeder seven was 3.13 MW to supply 50% of feeder peak load. After distribution generation placed at feeder seven the system average interruption frequency index, system average interruption duration index, customer average interruption duration index, and average service unavailability index indices were 20.0868, 25.109, 1.25, and 99.71%. This shows that the system reliability is improved as compared to the base case and the reliability standards of the country were achieved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Short-beam shear test has been used to evaluate the fatigue strength of round curved pultruded carbon fiber – epoxy matrix composite specimens in three point bending test of a convex-beam. The specimens were cyclically loaded at peak stresses from 50 to 80% of the quasi-static short-beam strength, and load ratios of 0.1 to 0.5, and damage evolution was monitored using the apparent stiffness method. Basquins' law was used to fit the experimental S-N data. The results showed that the fatigue strength of curved pultruded composites is lower than for conventional thin flat unidirectional laminates, and less sensitive to load-ratio effects. Residual strength of pre-fatigued specimens was determined by quasi-static short-beam tests, and it sometimes exceeded the pristine material performance due to fatigue-induced strengthening phenomenon. Stress redistribution and residual manufacturing-induced stress relief due to the previous cyclic loading were found the main responsible for mitigating damage growth under quasi-static loading. Fractographic survey indicated that stress redistribution and stress relief governed the strengthening process under high-cycle and low-cycle fatigue regime, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work overviews the axial crushing behaviour of tube in absorbing kinetic energy produced due to impact collision. Key insights on crash mechanics of crumple zone are provided to understand the crashworthiness characteristics of crash tubes. Parameters like peak collapse load, energy absorption capacity (EAC) and deformation modes are studied comprehensively to strengthen the understanding in improvement of crashworthiness of these tubes. Failure mechanism and the factors controlling the force displacement behaviour of tubes have been discussed in detail. Further, the role of geometrical modifications and foam filling in tubes to optimise the force displacement profile is explained. Testing equipment and finite element software packages pertaining to investigate the characteristics of tubes and used to analyse their behaviour under crash are also discussed. The overview is concluded with the limitations of current research and future scope of work in this area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a strong nonlocal hydromechanical model formulated based on state-based peridynamics for simulating strain localisation in unsaturated geomaterials. The governing equations are integro-differential equations in which length scales are assumed for both the skeleton deformation and pore fluid flow. Recently proposed hydromechanical correspondence principle is adopted to implement the classical local constitutive model for the solid skeleton, and the generalised Darcy's law for unsaturated water flow into the nonlocal hydromechanical model. Numerical simulations of shear bands in unsaturated geomaterials were conducted to investigate the effect of the hydromechanical length scale and the mechanical loading rate on the formation of shear bands. The numerical results have shown that both the deformation and pore water pressure are concentrated in the shear bands with a finite thickness. The numerical results have demonstrated that both the hydromechanical length scale and the mechanical loading rate affect the formation of shear bands in unsaturated geomaterials and the peak value of the load capacity of unsaturated geomaterials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Steel plate-concrete joints are often applied in strengthening of engineering structures. Eighteen steel plate-concrete joints (connection length of 260–520 mm, width of 80 mm) were tested, which were classified into three types: (a) anchor-connected specimens (BC specimens), in which the steel plates and concrete were connected with anchors; (b) adhesive-connected specimens (AC specimens), in which the steel plates and concrete were connected with adhesive; (c) anchor- and adhesive-connected specimens (BAC specimens), in which the steel plates and concrete were connected with both anchors and adhesive. The following conclusions were drawn. (1) For the same connection length, the ultimate loads of the BAC specimens (e.g. 127 kN) were approximately 78% of the sum of those BC and AC specimens (e.g. 112 and 53 kN). (2) For the BAC specimens, almost all of the load was borne by the adhesive and the anchor hardly shared any load before the specimens reached the peak load. (3) A modified semi-theoretical and semi-empirical formula (C-T model) has been used, which was used to predict the ultimate load of the BAC and AC specimen with satisfactory precision. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In removal and replacement technique, yielded hoops from the damaged joint core are not removed for practical difficulties, and it remains inside the joint core after rehabilitation. An attempt has been made in the present article to study the effect of yielding of hoops on cyclic performance of seismically detailed beam-column joint. It was observed that in case of specimens with pre-yielded hoops peak load, ductility and energy dissipation reduced by 12–23%, 31–49% and 24–55%, respectively, compared to control specimen. Stiffness degradation and damage index were higher in specimens with pre-yielded joint hoops. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ability to control equilibrium trajectory to buckling via uniform/non-uniform prebuckling stresses introduced using piezoelectric actuators creates interesting possibilities for designing smart structures. Recent innovative applications consider buckling as a favorable phenomenon in contrast to the conventional wisdom that considers the peak load carrying capacity as the sole design consideration. A circular-cylindrical shell under axial compression can be effectively used in many such applications if active tailoring of its buckling response is demonstrated. The effect of localized as well as distributed placement of piezoelectric patch actuators is analyzed in the present study based on the mechanics of deformation of a cylindrical shell under axial compression. The study establishes the possibility of active tailoring of buckling parameters such as peak load carrying capacity, initial stiffness, and first critical load. The results indicate that the principal curvatures of the cylindrical shell surface play a significant role in dictating the inter-actuator gap for the effective placement of discrete actuators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbonized ramosissima nanoparticles (CRN) were prepared from ramosissima, a special plant in Ningxia, using a tube furnace and a ball mill. 0 wt%, 0.25 wt%, 0.5 wt%, 0.75 wt% and 1 wt% CRN were added to the resin. The composite was prepared by vacuum assisted resin perfusion (VARI) process. The effects of CRN content on the tensile, shear and low-speed impact properties of bamboo fiber epoxy resin composites were studied. The results showed that the tensile strength increased by 18.35% when CRN was 0.5 wt%.When CRN was 0.25 wt%, the short strength was the highest and increased by 38.96%. When CRN was 0.5 wt%, the plate peak load was the highest, the absorption energy was the lowest and the stiffness was the highest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, thin-walled energy-absorbing structures have attracted more and more attention due to their excellent structural mechanical properties. In this article, one new kind of multi-cell bionic intersecting thin-walled tube inspired by the structure of the pine cone was designed. In order to fully study the crashworthiness of this new multi-cell tube under axial impact, the effectiveness of the simulation analysis is verified by the verification test of the circular thin-walled tube. Then, the crashworthiness of the circular tube and a series of multi-cell tubes were compared by means of simulation analysis. The simulation results show that the new multi-cell tube can effectively improve the efficiency of energy absorption, specific energy absorption, and crushing force efficiency under the premise of sacrificing part of the peak load. Finally, the response surface method was used to find the optimal design parameters. Response surface model (RSM) was used to represent specific energy absorption (SEA), peak force (PF), crushing force efficiency (CFE), and mass (M). Optimisation results show that the overall impact performance of the three-cell bionic tube under the axial impact load is better than that of the ordinary circular tube and several other multi-cell tubes. Therefore, the three-cell bionic tube can be used as an excellent absorption structure of collision energy under axial impact. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The axial crushing of thin-walled metal circular tubes was addressed in this work for its importance in many engineering applications especially when failed in concertina mode. Theoretical estimates of the peak load were formulated for lower and upper bounds based on Rankine-Gordon principle and the elastic-plastic criterion of buckling, respectively. Numerical simulations were also made to validate these estimates using ABAQUS 14-2 finite element software. Previous findings were compared with both the theoretical and numerical results of the present work. It is found that the peak load is unique for a particular specimen, while the lower bound stress can be equal for different values of D, t and L, as long as the D/t ratio is the same. Moreover, the upper bound stress requires both D/t and L/D ratios. It was also found that all numerical results agree favorably with the theoretical predictions, but not with all of the experimental findings. This partial disagreement was proved to be attributed to the questionable data extracted from one of the cited work. Empirical relations for the available experimental findings were established to confirm the source of disagreement as well as to afford a unified relation which might represent data of different materials, and finally to offer an alternative prediction of experimental peak load. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, uniaxial tensile tests of Inconel-718 (IN718) sheets were performed at elevated temperature domain of 773-1023K and a deformation rate between 0.001-1s-1. A substantial reduction in maximum stress was observed at 923K indicating a decrease in peak load by approximately 75.6% and 8.5% in contrast to room temperature (303K) and 773K respectively. Further, different constitutive models, namely Cowper-Symonds (CS), Mechanical Threshold Stress (MTS), and Johnson-Cook (JC), were established to envisage the stress-strain behaviour. The CS model predicted flow stress response better with the correlation coefficient, average absolute error, and standard deviation of 0.98, 4.09% and 6.14% respectively. Also, formability experiments were performed at higher temperatures of 773K and 923K using stretch forming test facility. The highest dome height was noted at 923K signifying an improvement in limiting dome height (LDH) by 32% with respect to 303K. Further, thermo-mechanical numerical simulations of the process were successfully carried out, integrating established constitutive models independently. The predicted formability parameters, such as maximum attained load and surface strain distribution, were validated with the experimental data. The CS constitutive equation predicted the deformation behaviour close to the experimental results and, therefore, was considered as the appropriate model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study is to investigate the mechanical behaviours of sandwich structures containing embedded batteries that are the simplest approach of multifunctional energy storage composite structures. Parametric studies were performed using finite element analysis to learn how the embedded batteries affect mechanical properties of five different sandwich cores (honeycomb, semi-reentrant A, semi-reentrant B, reentrant A and reentrant B). Two types of batteries (A76 button battery and 18650 rechargeable battery) and three different loading conditions (three-point bending, compression, and shear) are adopted for this parametric study. It is found that the stiffnesses of the sandwich structures are not affected by filling the cores with batteries but there is a slight increase in the peak loads regardless of sandwich core and battery types used in this study. Experimental validation of the finite element results was conducted on some selected cases and a good agreement between them are noted. From this numerical and experimental efforts, it is concluded that embedding batteries within sandwich cores is a simple approach of realising multifunctional energy storage composite structures that offers space efficiency without degradation in mechanical properties of the structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adequate lubricity and energy content play a significant role in fuel injection and performance in the diesel engine. The major challenge with ultra-low sulfur diesel (ULSD) is lower lubricity. This study aims to perform experimental analysis to investigate the wear behavior of commercial diesel with biodiesel-based sulfur (BBS) solution as an additive and examine the engine characteristics. BBS is a novel solution with higher ester and sulfur content (500 ppm). By doping this novel solution, two test fuels, BS6D1 and BS6D2 were prepared with a sulfur concentration between BS4 and BS6 commercial diesels. Compared to BS6 commercial diesel, the BS6D2 sample showed a significant reduction in mean wear scar diameter (MWSD) and coefficient of friction (COF) by 43.97% and 33%, respectively. At peak load, BS6D2 had 4.13% higher brake thermal efficiency than BS6 diesel. Due to enhanced ignition quality, the brake-specific energy consumption (BSEC) for the BS6D2 sample was found to be the lowest, i.e., 3.85% less than BS6 diesel. Furthermore, a significant reduction in exhaust pollutants for BS6D2 sample compared to BS6 diesel at maximum loads, such as smoke opacity (14.06%), unburnt hydrocarbon (8.82%), and carbon monoxide (20.45%). In conclusion, the BS6D2 sample produces the best results of all the tested fuel samples evaluated on the unmodified diesel engine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The exponential decay of crude oil and environmental degradation forced researchers to investigate alternative sustainable fuels. One of the promising alternatives to petroleum oil is orange peel oil. Orange peel oil has characteristics that are similar to diesel, and it is also simple to blend. In this paper, performance and emission parameters are investigated, and using an artificial neural network (ANN), its prediction and validation have been made. The blend shows the best results for 30% orange peel oil by vol. and 70% diesel. At peak load, the brake thermal efficiency (BTE) of this blend is 17.5% higher than diesel, and the brake-specific energy consumption (BSEC) is 20% lower. These experimental results were used to perform prediction and validation. The prediction of data is made employing the Quasi- newton method algorithm, and it is found that it best fits the linear regression analysis. The value of R2 for BTE and BSEC is 0.994 and 0.986, respectively. The suggested ANN model performance and accuracy were totally satisfactory. There is a noticeable reduction in the emission parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a new vibration-based hybrid anomaly detection model to prevent high-power generator failures in power plants. This idea was conceived as it causes large amounts of energy and economic losses once the generator remains in turn-off positions for a long time due to malfunctions. Furthermore, the failures in high-power generators, especially during peak load demanded time, can even cause systemic shortcomings. To overcome these limitations, multivariate linear regression, response surface methodology, and multi-layer perceptron-based hybrid anomaly detection model were designed to detect anomaly cases. The real-time vibration data collected by 20 distinctive sensors on powerful generators of each 360 MW from the Afşin-Elbistan B Thermal Power Plant were used. The hybrid model succeeded in determining the impact degrees of the sensors on the anomaly, and the number of effective sensors was reduced from 28 to 9. The most effective sensor for anomaly cases was determined as Pedastal 3 Vibration (x-axis), whereas the sensor with the most negligible impact was determined as Rotor 6 Vibration (y-axis). The model performance evaluation metric (R2) of the designed hybrid model was calculated over 0.92. The performance results were presented in graphs and tables. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper investigates the addition of Nano-Al2O3 powder (alumina, Average Particle Size: 20 nm) on the characteristics of the Medium Density Fibreboards (MDF) made by the forest fibers. Some important physical, mechanical and quasi-static properties of the panels were measured according to the standard test methods and apparatus. Different percentages of alumina powder (0, 1, 2, and 3 weight percentage (wt.) based on the solid content of resin) were used and panels were made in three thicknesses (5, 10 and 14 mm). The experiments showed that the resultant properties of the new composites were improved. The greatest increase in Modulus of Elasticity (MOE) was achieved when 1% wt. alumina was added to the samples. Addition of alumina up to 1% wt. in 5 and 10 mm panels amplified energy absorption by 17% and 24%, respectively. The greatest increase in peak load and energy absorption was observed in samples with 2 and 1% wt. alumina, respectively. Finite element modeling was also used to validate the experimental results. The numerical modeling was in good agreement with the experimental results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Concentrating on merely the behavior of 2D joints, most researchers ignored the effect of lateral beam on joint behavior; that is, they failed to determine the contribution of a lateral beam to joint performance through its confinement. In the current research, half-scale 2D and 3D beam-column joints were experimentally investigated under reversal cyclic loading. For a comprehensive comparison, a 3D corner joint with no shear reinforcement in its joint zone was also studied. The results showed that the lateral beam connected to the joint significantly improved the joint's cyclic behavior. In addition, the transverse reinforcement in the joint zone improved the connection performance. Compared to two-dimensional control specimen (CS-2D), the three-dimensional control specimen (CS-3D) exhibited an average increase of 12% in its peak load. The improved load capacity of the CS-3D joint was attributed to the better confinement provided by its 1.2 m lateral beam. The 3D joint constantly enjoyed a greater stiffness than did its 2D counterpart as evidenced by the increases of 16, 25, 36 and 50% in CS-3D stiffness relative to that of CS-2D at drift ratios of 2.2, 2.75, 3.5, and 50%, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Campus district energy (DE) systems present opportunities to reduce energy costs, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, manage peak loads, and increase the share of renewable energy. We investigate the opportunities and barriers to expanding campus DE systems off-campus through surveys and interviews with 18 campus DE managers and providers, and a case study modeling heat demand near campus. The impact of DEs on buildings' energy consumption reductions are estimated at around 33%. Expanding the campus DE systems to nearby buildings may yield similar energy efficiency gains off-campus. However, about half the survey respondents do not see off-campus DE expansions as currently possible. Barriers to extension include high infrastructure installation costs, stringent utility regulations, insufficient financial and institutional incentives, and individualistic mentalities whereby building owners prefer to control their energy systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A shock absorber based on the progressive failure of a composite tube was developed. The composite tube is subjected to axial compression from the pressing cap at one end and folds inward at the other end under the effect of the crush cap without debris overflow. The crushed composite is compacted into a hollow tube and increases the resisting force once it reaches the pressing cap. For larger strokes without a load increase, a hole is made in the pressing cap for the crushed composite. Three crush caps with different curvatures of the inward-folding surface and two composite tubes were evaluated through static and dynamic tests. The crush cap lowered the initial peak load and varied the specific energy absorption (SEA). We also investigated the effects of connection rivets. Aluminum rivets were severed and had little effect on the load curve while steel rivets did not shear but cut the composite tube into strips, resulting in a lower sustained load because failure was induced. A set of shock absorbers with larger strokes was tested for use in the legged landing gear of a drone assumed to crash with a speed of 10 m/s, energy of 5000 J, and overload of less than 25 g. The maximum SEA of the absorbers, including the two caps, was 20 kJ/kg. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of partial replacement of coarse aggregate by plastic waste on the performance of concrete under impact three-point bending loading was investigated experimentally and numerically. Specimens were prepared for 5%, 10% and 20 % replacements by volume of coarse aggregate. For each case, three beams of 100 mm wide, 50 mm deep and 400 mm long were loaded to failure in a drop-weight impact machine by subjecting it to 30 N weight from 400 mm height, while another three beams of the same size were tested under static load. The load-displacement of beams of concrete with plastic waste subjected to static and impact loads were studied. The dynamic beam behaviour was also analysed numerically using the finite-element method (FEM) based LUSAS software. In general, the experimental results reveal that the impact tup, inertial load and bending load increase with the increase in the percentage of coarse aggregate replacement by plastic waste, while the static peak bending load always decreases. The concrete with plastic waste is stronger and more energy-absorbing under impact loading, than under static loading. The predicted load against displacement behaviours of both ordinary concrete and concrete with plastic waste, are well matched with the experimental results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of adhesive thickness and adherent overlap on behavior of composite single-lap joints (SLJ) under tensile load is studied by using a 3D finite-element model. A bilinear Cohesive Zone Model (CZM) law is used to represent the adhesive behavior and its parameters are determined as a function of adhesive thickness by carrying out Double Cantilever Beam and End-Notched Flexure tests. The performance of SLJ is defined by peak load, maximum shear, and peel stresses. For the range of adhesive thicknesses considered, both maximum shear and peel stresses decrease with increasing adhesive thickness, while they increase with increasing overlap length. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]