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The behaviour of a SiC-fibre-reinforced composite with a graded matrix was investigated in an arc jet facility. The graded matrix was comprised of several layers of silicon carbide that transition to a mixed SiC-HfB2 top layer and was sealed with an HfB2-SiC coating. Samples were exposed to maximum specific total enthalpy hypersonic flow between 14 and 17 MJ kg−1 under stagnation pressures between 2700 and 3050 Pa for hold times of between 137 and 395 s. The resulting sample surface temperatures ranged between 1600 and 1950°C. Spectral emissivity at about 1 μm was calculated using a pyrometer capable of switching between one and two color modes and was shown to decrease with oxidation and removal of SiO2 from the surface. The impacts of the surface chemistry changes during oxidation and of active oxidation were investigated.

The paper presents results of a study on mechanical characterization of the historical masonry walls in L’Aquila region (central Italy), heavily damaged by the 2009 earthquake. Five recurrent types of wall textures are identified and characterized by the stonework sections, and flat-jack tests were carried out on representative walls in order to investigate the mechanical properties. Experimental results showed a good agreement with the estimation determined through a method for the assessment of masonry quality based on a Masonry Quality Index. The study permitted the collection of data useful for designing the seismic improvement of historical masonry buildings.

The seismic assessment of existing buildings is an essential issue of seismic engineering. This work is focused on the evaluation of the seismic performance of existing RC buildings according to the current Italian Technical Code, which almost coincides with the European Eurocode 8. Alternative types of analyses, all consistent to the Code provisions, have been performed with reference to a case-study, that is a real RC hospital building. An accurate knowledge of the building has been achieved, as a result of a collaboration between the University of Florence and the Regional Government. Both elastic and inelastic modeling, as well as static and dynamic ones, have been adopted in the analysis. The global response—with special attention to torsional effects—and the seismic performance of each single member have been found with all the performed analyses. The comparison among the analyses has been performed in terms of both global and local response parameters, and the reliability of each analysis has been pointed out.

Existing building structures can easily present material mechanical properties which can largely vary even within a single structure. The current European Technical Code, Eurocode 8, does not provide specific instructions to account for high variability in mechanical properties. As a consequence of the high strength variability, at the occurrence of seismic events, the structure may evidence unexpected phenomena, like torsional effects, with larger experienced deformations and, in turn, with reduced seismic performance. This work is focused on the torsional effects related to the irregular stiffness and strength distribution due to the concrete strength variability. The analysis has been performed on a case-study, i.e., a 3D RC framed 4 storey building. A Normal distribution, compatible to a large available database, has been taken to represent the concrete strength domain. Different plan layouts, representative of realistic stiffness distributions, have been considered, and a statistical analysis has been performed on the induced torsional effects. The obtained results have been compared to the standard analysis as provided by Eurocode 8 for existing buildings, showing that the Eurocode 8 provisions, despite not allowing explicitly for material strength variability, are conservative as regards the estimation of structural demand.

A key problem associated with structural health monitoring (SHM) is the placement of sensors upon a structure to detect the existence, location, and the extent of any damage. Because input data coming from the sensors are groups of measurements, it is arguable that the most widely used approach to SHM nowadays is to consider it as a statistical pattern recognition problem. Artificial neural networks have made a great impact on pattern recognition practice. A problem associated with this monitoring strategy is to find a good compromise between the quality of information achieved by the sensor network, increasing with the sensor density, and the need to keep the minimum weight and instrumentation cost. Thus, the number of sensors must be kept under control, and a search of the optimal location of such sensors needs to be performed. All these aspects have been taken into account in the present work, dealing with the problem of optimum sensor placement for impact location on a multilayered composite structure. Multilayered composite structures may suffer particularly relevant trauma when subject to low-velocity impacts, as they may produce non-visible or barely visible damage on the structure surface, while remarkable subsurface delaminations may be present. Such hidden damage, when remaining undetected, may grow to catastrophic failure. To overcome this issue, a neural network approach has been used here to predict the impact locations on a composite panel from time-dependent data recorded on a set of surface-mounted piezoelectric sensors during an experimental impact test. A genetic algorithm has been used to find the optimal sensor layout that minimised the error in predicting the impact location. A new approach, based on trilateration, is discussed and compared with the traditional one and is shown to provide the same degree of accuracy at reduced computational cost.

Mechanical properties of concrete can consistently affect the seismic performance of RC buildings. A proper determination of the concrete strength is therefore essential for a reliable modeling of the structure. The current European Technical Code, Eurocode 8, provides a criterion for the strength assumption related to the knowledge level of the structure, which does not take into account the variability of the strength. If the concrete strength is affected by a large variability, the conventional strength value suggested by Eurocode 8 can be not conservative, since it does not consider the possible torsional effects due to a not homogeneous strength distribution and the reduced capacity of the weaker members. In this paper the effects of the concrete strength variability on the seismic performance are investigated with a case study, that is a 4-storeys 3D framed building. The seismic response of the case study by assuming different amounts of strength variability has been compared with the Eurocode 8 previsions, both in terms of possible torsional effects and seismic performance.

A proper assumption of the concrete strength is essential to model existing RC structures; their seismic performance, in fact, can be affected by the poor quality of materials, both in terms of low strength and high variability. This paper considers the effects of the variability of concrete strength within buildings. Due to the high variability of concrete strength, in fact, buildings can experience irregular seismic responses, both in plan and in elevation. This research investigates the effects of irregularity in elevation due to the strength variability of concrete in a case study, namely a four-storey RC framed building, designed for vertical loads only. The variability of the concrete strength has been evaluated on the basis of an extensive survey carried out by the REGIONE TOSCANA (Tuscany Regional Government) on a large sample of RC framed buildings. Special attention has been paid to the adequacy of current codes provisions (Eurocodes, FEMA) on how to quantify concrete strength.

A proper characterization of concrete strength is essential to correctly model existing RC structures, whose seismic performance is affected by the poor quality of materials. The purpose of this work is to evaluate the effect of incorrect assumptions for concrete strength and the adequacy of current Codes provisions (Eurocodes, FEMA). Even the effects of the non homogeneity of concrete strength within the building is considered due to its high variability; in fact, buildings can experience an irregular seismic response, both in plan and in elevation. In this work the effects of irregularity in plan due to the strength variability of concrete is analyzed on a case study, a four storey RC framed building, designed for vertical loads only. The variability of concrete strength has been evaluated using the data of an extensive investigation developed by REGIONE TOSCANA on a large sample of RC framed buildings.

It is well known that the axial load plays an important role in the evaluation of the structural capacity of RC columns. In existing buildings this problem can be even more significant than in new ones, since the material can easily present poor mechanical properties. The paper is aimed at the investigation of the role of the axial load variation on the seismic performance of RC columns of a case-study, i.e. a doubly symmetric 4-storey RC building. The effects of the axial load variation have been checked on the first storey columns, by comparing the seismic response, measured in terms of chord rotation and shear force, with the corresponding capacity. The sensitivity of the seismic performance to the axial load is evaluated with special attention on the type of analysis adopted to determine the seismic response and on considering a wide range of values for the concrete strength. The study points out a non-negligible effect of the axial load variation on the seismic response of the case-study building, especially when combined to concrete strength variability.

This paper proposes a torque controller for dynamic visual servoing taking into account the time delay resulting from the image processing and the frame rate of the camera. The method identifies the sources of intrinsic instability and reacts to their destabilizing effect using the passivity criteria. The behavior of the proposed controller is evaluated in a simulation study for the scenario of approaching the grasping frame on a moving target satellite by a 7-DoF manipulator mounted on a free-floating base as part of an on-orbit servicing manoeuvre. The results show the increase in performance while maintaining stability.

The seismic response of single storey asymmetric structures modelled as two-degree-of-freedom elastic-perfectly plastic oscillators and designed using the design eccentricity formula of the present Uniform Building Code (UBC) torsional provisions, which first appeared in the 1988 edition, is compared with designs based on the earlier UBC 1979. Changes in the total strength requirement and its distribution among the resisting elements are examined, and the effects of these changes on the ductility demand of three-and five-element systems are evaluated. Jt is shown that for two levels of the strength reduction factor R (= 4;1) the ductility demands predicted for systems designed according to the UBC 79 provisions are in most cases similar to those for UBC 88 systems, with the exception of torsionally flexible systems - mainly mass eccentric and, to a much lesser extent, stiffness eccentric systems. In view of the relative complexity of the UBC 88 provisions, a modification of the simpler UBC 79 ones is proposed which results in the UBC 79 torsionally flexible systems behaving in a similar and often better manner than their UBC 88 counterparts.

This paper explores the influence of spectrum-matched and amplitude-scaled ground motions on the development of fragility functions for structures. The quantification of the influence of these two types of ensembles on ground motions in predicting demands of structural and nonstructural systems is addressed. Moreover, the paper investigates the sensitivity of number of accelerograms in the ensembles, which produces consistent results in the nonlinear analyses. A multidegree-of-freedom (MDOF) inelastic shear-type building is used in the evaluations. The median and the dispersion of different types of damage measures are evaluated at each story and the effect of different levels of nonlinearity is investigated. Fragility functions are developed for structural and nonstructural components using the maxi- mum likelihood method from the response generated with the selected ground motions. The sufficient number of ground motions necessary in the estimation of the response parameters and on the evaluation of the fragility functions is presented herein. DOI: 10.1061/(ASCE)ST.1943- 541X.0000115. © 2011 American Society of Civil Engineers. CE Database subject headings: Damage; Nonlinear analysis; Simulation; Earthquakes; Inelasticity. Author keywords: Damage; Fragility functions; Intensity measure; Nonlinear analysis; Record selection; Uniform hazard spectrum; Spec- trum matching; Stationary simulation; Synthetic earthquakes; Acceleration scaling; Accelerograms matching; Inelastic demand.

In recent years, the moment-rotation response of double angle shear connections has been examined in depth. However, the response of these connections to applied axial force has not been studied so extensively. This paper presents two models of the behavior of double angle shear connections subjected to axial load, which are based on the physical behavior of test specimens that were subjected to axial force until failure. The proposed models, which map design characteristics of double angle connections into actual behavior, yielded good correlation with the experimental results.

In the framework of the Unmanned Space Vehicles programme, the Italian Aerospace Research Centre is conducting a dedicated research project aimed at developing key technologies for future reusable launch vehicles. The main focus of the Unmanned Space Vehicles programme is primarily centred on aerodynamic and aerostructural behaviour and on advanced guidance navigation and control systems for transonic, supersonic, and hypersonic flights. To this end, the Italian Aerospace Research Centre is carrying out a concept study of a re-entry mission using a winged technology demonstrator that will be launched and inserted into LEO orbit using VEGA, the newly born European launcher. Starting from previous studies carried out on a similar vehicle configuration, the flight mechanics of the unmanned space vehicle FTB3 have been analyzed with reference to the reentry phase of flight, i.e. from orbital conditions down to the Terminal Area Energy Management interface, by investigating a preliminary guidance strategy based on the modulation of both the AoA and the bank angle. The objective of this preliminary study was to assess mission versatility in terms of minimum and maximum achievable downrange, with a given vehicle configuration in order to guarantee adaptivity of the trajectory to offnominal conditions at entry interface and/or to possible changes of landing site. Additional analyses have been performed in order to evaluate the feasibility of a conventional landing using this vehicle configuration.

The static design requirements of some seismic codes, such as the Eurocode 8 and-in most cases-the Uniform Building Code, to allow for the effects of earthquake excitation acting in a direction other than the principal axes of the structure do not apply to one-way asymmetric systems. Therefore, with some exceptions, no specific provisions are considered for such systems to cover effects of structural asymmetry on the behaviour of elements located along the symmetric system direction. Aimed towards fulfilling this need, in this paper, a wide parametric study of the inelastic response of one-way asymmetric systems designed according to Uniform Building Code is carried out, considering two-component earthquake excitations. The analyses show that the maximum ductility demands on elements aligned along the asymmetric system direction are very close to, and even lower than, those obtained for symmetric reference systems. Conversely, the symmetric direction elements undergo significantly larger inelasticity than if they were located in symmetric reference systems. Subsequently, the overstrength needed by the symmetric direction elements to prevent such additional ductility demands for several stiffness and plan configurations is quantified. II is concluded that one-way asymmetry should be considered by seismic codes as an intrinsic system property, thus implying that specific provisions should be included for designing elements located along the symmetric system direction, in addition to those currently subscribed to design the asymmetric direction elements. (C) 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

It is well known that axial force – bending moment interaction (N–M interaction) affects to a large extent the cyclic inelastic behaviour of structural elements, especially columns in framed structures, with reduction in bending capacity and loss of available ductility. A few studies have also shown that significant inelastic axial shortening affects the response of column elements subjected to medium–high levels of axial loads and cyclic bending. This paper is primarily aimed at evaluating the effects of column N–M interaction on the inelastic seismic response of steel frames. By considering the contemporaneous action of vertical loads, due to gravity, and of horizontal seismic excitation, it is shown that the progressive axial shortening of adjacent columns may differ substantially, thus inducing significant relative settlements at the ends of the connecting beams and, then, remarkable amplifications in beam plastic rotations. An evaluation of additional beam plastic rotations induced by column N–M interaction is carried out for real structures by investigating the inelastic response of steel frames designed according to European standards under horizontal and vertical earthquake excitations. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

This paper deals with the aerothemodynamic analysis of an advanced concept of hot structure to be investigated in the Expert flight test programme.Three-dimensional fluid dynamic computations have been carried out at the flight conditions of the reference Expert trajectory to evaluate the aerothermodynamic field and the thermal loads on the winglet. The physical model includes viscous effects, real gas properties, non equilibrium chemical reactions and surface catalytic effects. The unsteady aerothermal analysis has been carried out considering different thermal boundary conditions (adiabatic wall or thermal coupling with the capsule metallic skin).The results are discussed with particular attention to the temperature distributions in the Ultra High Temperature Ceramics (UHTC) and in the structural support.