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Wind loads have great impact on many engineering structures. Wind storms often cause irreparable damage to the buildings which are exposed to it. Along with the earthquakes, wind represents one of the most common environmental load on structures and is relevant for limit state design. Modern wind codes indicate calculation procedures allowing engineers to deal with structural systems, which are susceptible to conduct wind-excited oscillations. In the codes approximate formulas for wind buffeting are specified which relate the dynamic problem to rather abstract parameter functions. The complete theory behind is not visible in order to simplify the applicability of the procedures. This chapter derives the underlying basic relations of the spectral method for wind buffeting and explains the main important applications of it in order to elucidate part of the theoretical background of computations after the new codes. The stochasticity of the wind processes is addressed, and the analysis of analytical as well as measurement based power spectra is outlined. Short MATLAB codes are added to the Appendix 3 which carry out the computation of a single sided auto-spectrum from a statistically stationary, discrete stochastic process. Two examples are presented.
Digital Shadows as the aggregation, linkage and abstraction of data relating to physical objects are a central vision for the future of production. However, the majority of current research takes a technocentric approach, in which the human actors in production play a minor role. Here, the authors present an alternative anthropocentric perspective that highlights the potential and main challenges of extending the concept of Digital Shadows to humans. Following future research methodology, three prospections that illustrate use cases for Human Digital Shadows across organizational and hierarchical levels are developed: human-robot collaboration for manual work, decision support and work organization, as well as human resource management. Potentials and challenges are identified using separate SWOT analyses for the three prospections and common themes are emphasized in a concluding discussion.
The future of industrial manufacturing and production will increasingly manifest in the form of cyber-physical production systems. Here, Digital Shadows will act as mediators between the physical and digital world to model and operationalize the interactions and relationships between different entities in production systems. Until now, the associated concepts have been primarily pursued and implemented from a technocentric perspective, in which human actors play a subordinate role, if they are considered at all. This paper outlines an anthropocentric approach that explicitly considers the characteristics, behavior, and traits and states of human actors in socio-technical production systems. For this purpose, we discuss the potentials and the expected challenges and threats of creating and using Human Digital Shadows in production.
Non-nuclear and non-fossil energy resources and their possibilities for future power generation
(1975)
It must be stressed that the assessment of the exploitation possibilities of the energy resources discussed in this paper requires further studies. With this proviso, the situation can be provisionally summarised as follows: The total potential of known geothermal steam sources is only 64 GW. Geothermal energy could therefore only make a significant contribution to covering the worldwide power needs if we succeed in exploiting dry geothermal reservoirs. Exploitation of tidal energy is limited to a few geographically favourable locations. The power generation potential at these locations is only about 64 GW. An important drawback of tidal power is discontinuous power generation. Large scale exploitation of wind, wave and glacier energy, and of ocean heat, requires solution of a number of technological problems. The environmental effects of exploitation of these energy resources are to some extent of a qualitatively different nature from those of operation of fossil-fuel-fired and of nuclear power plants. The scanty knowledge in this area often results in these effects being underestimated. In any case, however, it would be deliberately misleading to postulate that any form of power generation is possible without some detrimental effects on the environment. It may be stated in conclusion that, owing to their small potential or to the as yet insufficiently advanced technological development, none of the energy resources discussed in this paper can make a significant contribution to the solution of middle-term energy supply problems, i.e., to a rapid replacement of mineral oil and natural gas.
This study analyses the expected utilization of an urban distribution grid under high penetration of photovoltaic and e-mobility with charging infrastructure on a residential level. The grid utilization and the corresponding power flow are evaluated, while varying the control strategies and photovoltaic installed capacity in different scenarios. Four scenarios are used to analyze the impact of e-mobility. The individual mobility demand is modelled based on the largest German studies on mobility “Mobilität in Deutschland”, which is carried out every 5 years. To estimate the ramp-up of photovoltaic generation, a potential analysis of the roof surfaces in the supply area is carried out via an evaluation of an open solar potential study. The photovoltaic feed-in time series is derived individually for each installed system in a resolution of 15 min. The residential consumption is estimated using historical smart meter data, which are collected in London between 2012 and 2014. For a realistic charging demand, each residential household decides daily on the state of charge if their vehicle requires to be charged. The resulting charging time series depends on the underlying behavior scenario. Market prices and mobility demand are therefore used as scenario input parameters for a utility function based on the current state of charge to model individual behavior. The aggregated electricity demand is the starting point of the power flow calculation. The evaluation is carried out for an urban region with approximately 3100 residents. The analysis shows that increased penetration of photovoltaics combined with a flexible and adaptive charging strategy can maximize PV usage and reduce the need for congestion-related intervention by the grid operator by reducing the amount of kWh charged from the grid by 30% which reduces the average price of a charged kWh by 35% to 14 ct/kWh from 21.8 ct/kWh without PV optimization. The resulting grid congestions are managed by implementing an intelligent price or control signal. The analysis took place using data from a real German grid with 10 subgrids. The entire software can be adapted for the analysis of different distribution grids and is publicly available as an open-source software library on GitHub.
The magnetic forces of fringe magnetic fields of MR systems on ferromagnetic components can impose a severe patient, occupational health and safety hazard. MRI accidents are listed as number 9 of the top 10 risks in modern medicine. With the advent of ultrahigh field MR systems including passively shielded magnet versions, this risk, commonly known as the missile or projectile effect is even more pronounced. A strategy employing magnetic field sensors which can be attached to ferromagnetic objects that are commonly used in a clinical environment is conceptually appealing for the pursuit of reducing the risk of ferromagnetic projectile accidents.
Masonry infill walls are commonly used in reinforced concrete (RC) frame structures, also in seismically active areas, although they often experience serious damage during earthquakes. One of the main reasons for their poor behaviour is the connection to the frame, which is usually constructed using mortar. This paper describes the novel solution for infill/frame connection based on application of elastomeric material between them. The system called INODIS (Innovative Decoupled Infill System) has the aim to postpone the activation of infill in in-plane direction and at the same time to provide sufficient out-of-plane support. First, experimental tests on infilled frame specimens are presented and the comparison of the results between traditionally infilled frames and infilled frames with the INODIS system are given. The results are then used for calibration and validation of numerical model, which can be further employed for investigating the influence of some material parameters on the behaviour of infilled frames with the INODIS system.
Masonry is used in many buildings not only for load-bearing walls, but also for non-load-bearing enclosure elements in the form of infill walls. Many studies confirmed that infill walls interact with the surrounding reinforced concrete frame, thus changing dynamic characteristics of the structure. Consequently, masonry infills cannot be neglected in the design process. However, although the relevant standards contain requirements for infill walls, they do not describe how these requirements are to be met concretely. This leads in practice to the fact that the infill walls are neither dimensioned nor constructed correctly. The evidence of this fact is confirmed by the recent earthquakes, which have led to enormous damages, sometimes followed by the total collapse of buildings and loss of human lives. Recently, the increasing effort has been dedicated to the approach of decoupling of masonry infills from the frame elements by introducing the gap in between. This helps in removing the interaction between infills and frame, but raises the question of out-of-plane stability of the panel. This paper presents the results of the experimental campaign showing the out-of-plane behavior of masonry infills decoupled with the system called INODIS (Innovative decoupled infill system), developed within the European project INSYSME (Innovative Systems for Earthquake Resistant Masonry Enclosures in Reinforced Concrete Buildings). Full scale specimens were subjected to the different loading conditions and combinations of in-plane and out-of-plane loading. Out-of-plane capacity of the masonry infills with the INODIS system is compared with traditionally constructed infills, showing that INODIS system provides reliable out-of-plane connection under various loading conditions. In contrast, traditional infills performed very poor in the case of combined and simultaneously applied in-plane and out-of-plane loading, experiencing brittle behavior under small in-plane drifts followed by high out-of-plane displacements. Decoupled infills with the INODIS system have remained stable under out-of-plane loads, even after reaching high in-plane drifts and being damaged.
Because of simple construction process, high energy efficiency, significant fire resistance and excellent sound isolation, masonry infilled reinforced concrete (RC) frame structures are very popular in most of the countries in the world, as well as in seismic active areas. However, many RC frame structures with masonry infills were seriously damaged during earthquake events, as the traditional infills are generally constructed with direct contact to the RC frame which brings undesirable infill/frame interaction. This interaction leads to the activation of the equivalent diagonal strut in the infill panel, due to the RC frame deformation, and combined with seismically induced loads perpendicular to the infill panel often causes total collapses of the masonry infills and heavy damages to the RC frames. This fact was the motivation for developing different approaches for improving the behaviour of masonry infills, where infill isolation (decoupling) from the frame has been more intensively studied in the last decade. In-plane isolation of the infill wall reduces infill activation, but causes the need for additional measures to restrain out-of-plane movements. This can be provided by installing steel anchors, as proposed by some researchers. Within the framework of European research project INSYSME (Innovative Systems for Earthquake Resistant Masonry Enclosures in Reinforced Concrete Buildings) the system based on a use of elastomers for in-plane decoupling and steel anchors for out-of-plane restrain was tested. This constructive solution was tested and deeply investigated during the experimental campaign where traditional and decoupled masonry infilled RC frames with anchors were subjected to separate and combined in-plane and out-of-plane loading. Based on a detailed evaluation and comparison of the test results, the performance and effectiveness of the developed system are illustrated.
Damage of reinforced concrete (RC) frames with masonry infill walls has been observed after many earthquakes. Brittle behaviour of the masonry infills in combination with the ductile behaviour of the RC frames makes infill walls prone to damage during earthquakes. Interstory deformations lead to an interaction between the infill and the RC frame, which affects the structural response. The result of this interaction is significant damage to the infill wall and sometimes to the surrounding structural system too. In most design codes, infill walls are considered as non-structural elements and neglected in the design process, because taking into account the infills and considering the interaction between frame and infill in software packages can be complicated and impractical. A good way to avoid negative aspects arising from this behavior is to ensure no or low-interaction of the frame and infill wall, for instance by decoupling the infill from the frame. This paper presents the numerical study performed to investigate new connection system called INODIS (Innovative Decoupled Infill System) for decoupling infill walls from surrounding frame with the aim to postpone infill activation to high interstory drifts thus reducing infill/frame interaction and minimizing damage to both infills and frames. The experimental results are first used for calibration and validation of the numerical model, which is then employed for investigating the influence of the material parameters as well as infill’s and frame’s geometry on the in-plane behaviour of the infilled frames with the INODIS system. For all the investigated situations, simulation results show significant improvements in behaviour for decoupled infilled RC frames in comparison to the traditionally infilled frames.
Reinforced concrete (RC) structures with masonry infills are widely used for several types of buildings all over the world. However, it is well known that traditional masonry infills constructed with rigid contact to the surrounding RC frame performed rather poor in past earthquakes. Masonry infills showed severe in-plane damages and failed in many cases under out-of-plane seismic loading. As the undesired interactions between frames and infills changes the load transfer on building level, complete collapses of buildings were observed. A possible solution is uncoupling of masonry infills to the frame to reduce the infill contribution activated by the frame deformation under horizontal loading. The paper presents numerical simulations on RC frames equipped with the innovative decoupling system INODIS. The system was developed within the European project INSYSME and allows an effective uncoupling of frame and infill. The simulations are carried out with a micro-modelling approach, which is able to predict the complex nonlinear behaviour resulting from the different materials and their interaction. Each brick is modelled individually and connected taking into account nonlinearity of a brick mortar interface. The calibration of the model is based on small specimen tests and experimental results for one bay one storey frame are used for the validation. The validated model is further used for parametric studies on two storey and two bay infilled frames. The response and change of the structural stiffness are analysed and compared to the traditionally infilled frame. The results confirm the effectiveness of the INODIS system with less damage and relatively low contribution of the infill at high drift levels. In contrast to the uncoupled system configurations, traditionally infilled frames experienced brittle failure at rather low drift levels.
Technical assessment of Brayton cycle heat pumps for the integration in hybrid PV-CSP power plants
(2022)
The hybridization of Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) and Photovoltaics (PV) systems is a promising approach to reduce costs of solar power plants, while increasing dispatchability and flexibility of power generation. High temperature heat pumps (HT HP) can be utilized to boost the salt temperature in the thermal energy storage (TES) of a Parabolic Trough Collector (PTC) system from 385 °C up to 565 °C. A PV field can supply the power for the HT HP, thus effectively storing the PV power as thermal energy. Besides cost-efficiently storing energy from the PV field, the power block efficiency of the overall system is improved due to the higher steam parameters. This paper presents a technical assessment of Brayton cycle heat pumps to be integrated in hybrid PV-CSP power plants. As a first step, a theoretical analysis was carried out to find the most suitable working fluid. The analysis included the fluids Air, Argon (Ar), Nitrogen (N2) and Carbon dioxide (CO2). N2 has been chosen as the optimal working fluid for the system. After the selection of the ideal working medium, different concepts for the arrangement of a HT HP in a PV-CSP hybrid power plant were developed and simulated in EBSILON®Professional. The concepts were evaluated technically by comparing the number of components required, pressure losses and coefficient of performance (COP).
This paper describes the procedure on the evaluation of the masonry chapter for the next generation of Eurocode 8, the European Standard for earthquake-resistant design. In CEN, TC 250/SC8, working group WG 1 has been established to support the subcommittee on the topic of masonry on both design of new structures (EN1998-1) and assessment of existing structures (EN1998-3). The aim is to elaborate suggestions for amendments which fit the current state of the art in masonry and earthquake-resistant design. Focus will be on modelling, simplified methods, linear-analysis (q-values, overstrength-values), nonlinear procedures, out-of-plane design as well as on clearer definition of limit states. Beside these, topics related to general material properties, reinforced masonry, confined masonry, mixed structures and non-structural infills will be covered too. This paper presents the preliminary work and results up to the submission date.
Future engineers are increasingly confronted with the so-called Megatrends which are the big social challenges society has to cope with. These Megatrends, such as “Silver Society”, “Globalization”, “Mobility” and “Female Shift” require an application-oriented perspective on Diversity especially in the engineering field. Therefore, it is necessary to enable future engineers not only to look at the technical perspectives of a problem, but also to be able to see the related questions within societies they are developing their artefacts for. The aim of teaching engineering should be to prepare engineers for these requirements and to draw attention to the diverse needs in a globalized world.
Bringing together technical knowledge and social competences which go beyond a mere training of the so-called “soft skills”, is a new approach followed at RWTH Aachen University, one of the leading technical universities in Germany. RWTH Aachen University has established the bridging professorship “Gender and Diversity in Engineering” (GDI) which educates engineers with an interdisciplinary approach to expand engineering limits. In the frame of a sustainable teaching concept the research group under the leadership of Prof. Carmen Leicht-Scholten has developed an approach which imparts a supplication-specific Gender and Diversity expertise to engineers. In workshops students gain theoretical knowledge about Gender and Diversity and learn how to transfer their knowledge in their special field of study and later work. To substantiate this, the course participants have to solve case studies from real life. The cases which are developed in collaboration with non-profit organizations and enterprises from economy rise the students to challenges which are inspired by professional life. Evaluation shows the success of this approach as well as an increasing demand for such teaching formats.
There is a broad international discussion about rethinking engineering education in order to educate engineers to cope with future challenges, and particularly the sustainable development goals. In this context, there is a consensus about the need to shift from a mostly technical paradigm to a more holistic problem-based approach, which can address the social embeddedness of technology in society. Among the strategies suggested to address this social embeddedness, design thinking has been proposed as an essential complement to engineering precisely for this purpose. This chapter describes the requirements for integrating the design thinking approach in engineering education. We exemplify the requirements and challenges by presenting our approach based on our course experiences at RWTH Aachen University. The chapter first describes the development of our approach of integrating design thinking in engineering curricula, how we combine it with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) as well as the role of sustainability and social responsibility in engineering. Secondly, we present the course “Expanding Engineering Limits: Culture, Diversity, and Gender” at RWTH Aachen University. We describe the necessity to theoretically embed the method in social and cultural context, giving students the opportunity to reflect on cultural, national, or individual “engineering limits,” and to be able to overcome them using design thinking as a next step for collaborative project work. The paper will suggest that the successful implementation of design thinking as a method in engineering education needs to be framed and contextualized within Science and Technology Studies (STS).
Future evolution of risk management for structures : Advancement for the future IEC 62305-2 Ed3
(2011)
Residential and commercial buildings account for more than one-third of global energy-related greenhouse gas emissions. Integrated multi-energy systems at the district level are a promising way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by exploiting economies of scale and synergies between energy sources. Planning district energy systems comes with many challenges in an ever-changing environment. Computational modelling established itself as the state-of-the-art method for district energy system planning. Unfortunately, it is still cumbersome to combine standalone models to generate insights that surpass their original purpose. Ideally, planning processes could be solved by using modular tools that easily incorporate the variety of competing and complementing computational models. Our contribution is a vision for a collaborative development and application platform for multi-energy system planning tools at the district level. We present challenges of district energy system planning identified in the literature and evaluate whether this platform can help to overcome these challenges. Further, we propose a toolkit that represents the core technical elements of the platform. Lastly, we discuss community management and its relevance for the success of projects with collaboration and knowledge sharing at their core.
Investigation Of The Seismic Behaviour Of Infill Masonry Using Numerical Modelling Approaches
(2017)
Masonry is a widely spread construction type which is used all over the world for different types of structures. Due to its simple and cheap construction, it is used as non-structural as well as structural element. In frame structures, such as
reinforced concrete frames, masonry may be used as infill. While the bare frame itself is able to carry the loads when it comes to seismic events, the infilled frame is not able to warp freely due to the constrained movement. This restraint results in a complex interaction between the infill and the surrounding frame, which may lead to severe damage to the infill as well as the surrounding frame. The interaction is studied in different projects and effective approaches for the description of the behavior are still lacking. Experimental programs are usually quite expensive, while numerical models, once validated, do offer an efficient approach for the investigation of the interaction when horizontally loaded. In order to study the numerous parameters influencing the seismic load bearing behavior, numerical models may be used. Therefore, this contribution presents a numerical approach for the simulation of infill masonry in reinforced concrete frames. Both parts, the surrounding frame as well as the infill are represented by micro modelling approaches to correctly take into account the different types of failure. The adopted numerical model describes the inelastic behavior of the system, as indicated by the obtained results of the overall structural response as well as the formation of damage in the infilled wall. Comparison of the numerical and experimental results highlights the valuable contribution of numerical simulations in the study and design of infilled frames. As damage of the infill masonry may occur in-plane due to the interaction as well as out-of-plane due to the low vertical load, both directions of loading are investigated.
Control of Aharonov-Bohm oscillations in a AlGaAs/GaAs ring by asymmetric and symmetric gate biasing
(2001)
Shielding effectiveness of reinforced concrete cable ducts carrying partial lightning currents
(1998)
Comparison of single point and equipotential bonding for I&C systems of large-area industrial sites
(1994)
Planning the air-terminations for a structure to be protected the use of the rolling-sphere method (electro-geometrical model) is the best way from the physics of lightning point-of-view. Therefore, international standards prefer this method. However, using the rolling-sphere method only results in possible point-of-strikes on a structure without giving information about the probability of strikes at the individual points compared to others.
The longitudinal voltage of cable tubes with a screening mesh caused by partial lightning currents
(1989)
Lightning protection design of a renewable energy hybrid-system without power mains connection
(2001)
Lightning protection design of a renewable energy hybrid-system without power mains connection
(2001)
In the year 2000 a direct lightning strike to the hybridsystem without power mains connection VATALI on the Greek island Crete results in the destruction and damage of some mechanical and electrical components. The hybrid-system VATALI was not lightning protected at that time. The hardware damage costs are approx. 60,000 €. The exposed site of the hybrid-system on top of a mountain was and still is the reason for a high risk of lightning strikes. Also in the future further lightning strikes have to be taken into consideration. In the paper a fundamental lightning protection design concept for renewable energy hybrid-systems without power mains connection and protection measures against direct strikes and overvoltages are shown in detail. The design concept was realized exemplarily for the hybrid-system VATALI. The hardware costs for the protection measures were about 15,000 €. About 50% of the costs are due to protection measures against direct strikes, 50% are due to overvoltage protection. Future extensions, new installations, or modifications have to be included into the lightning protection design concept of the hybrid-system.
In the paper a lightning protection design concept for renewable energy hybrid-systems without power mains connection is described. Based on a risk analysis protection measures against direct strikes and overvoltages are shown in an overview. The design concept is realized exemplarily for the hybrid-system VATALI on the Greek island Crete. VATALI, not lightning protected at that time, was a victim of a lightning strike in the year 2000 causing destructions and damages of some mechanical and electrical components with costs of approx. 60.000 €. The hardware costs for the protection measures were about 15.000 €: about 50% of the costs are due to protection measures against direct strikes, 50% are due to overvoltage protection.
For typical cases of non-isolated lightning protection systems (LPS) the impulse currents are investigated which may flow through a human body directly touching a structural part of the LPS. Based on a basic LPS model with conventional down-conductors especially the cases of external and internal steel columns and metal façades are considered and compared. Numerical simulations of the line quantities voltages and currents in the time domain are performed with an equivalent circuit of the entire LPS.
As a result it can be stated that by increasing the number of conventional down-conductors and external steel columns the threat for a human being can indeed be reduced, but not down to an acceptable limit. In case of internal steel columns used as natural down-conductors the threat can be reduced sufficiently, depending on the low-resistive connection of the steel columns to the lightning equipotential bonding or the earth termination system, resp. If a metal façade is used the threat for human beings touching is usually very low, if the façade is sufficiently interconnected and multiply connected to the lightning equipotential bonding or the earth termination system, resp.
In the paper the results obtained from experiments at a modelled reinforced building in case of a direct lightning strike are compared with calculations. The comparison includes peak values of the magnetic field Hmax, its derivative (dH/dt)max and of induced voltages umax in typical cable routings. The experiments are performed at a 1:6 scaled building and the results are extrapolated using the similarity relations theory. The calculations are based on the approximate formulae given in IEC 62305-4 and have to be supplemented by a rough estimation of the additional shielding effect of a second reinforcement layer. The comparison shows, that the measured peak values of the magnetic field and its derivative are mostly lower than the calculated. The induced voltages are in good agreement. Hence, calculations of the induced voltages based on IEC 62305-4 are a good method for lightning protection studies of buildings, where the reinforcement is used as a grid-like electromagnetic shield.
Large power plants can be endangered by lightning strikes with possible consequences regarding their safety and availability. A special scenario is a lightning strike to the HV overhead transmission line close to the power plant's connection to the power grid. If then additionally a so-called shielding failure of the overhead ground wire on top of the overhead transmission line is assumed, i.e. the lightning strikes directly into a phase conductor, this is an extreme electromagnetic disturbance. The paper deals with the numerical simulation of such a lightning strike and the consequences on the components of the power plant's auxiliary power network connected to different voltage levels.
In the presented paper data collected from the field related to damage statistics of electrical and electronic apparatus in household are reported and investigated. These damages (total number approx. 74000 cases), registered by five German insurance companies in 2005 and 2006, were adviced by customers as caused by lightning overvoltages. With the use of stochastical methods it is possible, to reasses the collected data and to distinguish between cases, which are with high probability caused by lightning overvoltages, and those, which are not. If there was an indication for a direct strike, this case was excluded, so the focus was only on indirect lightning flashes, i.e. only flashes to ground near the structure and flashes to or nearby an incoming service line were investigated. The data from the field contain the location of damaged apparatus (residence of the policy holder) and the distances of the nearest cloud-to-ground stroke to the location of the damage registered by the German lightning location network BLIDS at the date of damage. The statistical data along with some complementary numerical simulations allow to verify the correspondence of the Standards rules used for IEC 62305-2 with the field data and to define some correction needs. The results could lead to a better understanding whether a damage reported to an insurance company is really caused by indirect lightning, or not.
Risk management for structures with a risk of explosion should be considered very carefully when performing a risk analysis according to IEC 62305-2. In contrast to the 2006 edition of the standard, the 2010 edition describes the topic “Structures with a risk of explosion” in more detail. Moreover, in Germany separate procedures and parameters are defined for the risk analysis of structures with a risk of explosion (Supplement 3 of the German DIN EN 62305-2 standard). This paper describes the contents and the relevant calculations of this Supplement 3, together with a numerical example.
Simulation and measurement of melting effects on metal sheets caused by direct lightning strikes
(1991)
SHEMAT-Suite: An open-source code for simulating flow, heat and species transport in porous media
(2020)
SHEMAT-Suite is a finite-difference open-source code for simulating coupled flow, heat and species transport in porous media. The code, written in Fortran-95, originates from geoscientific research in the fields of geothermics and hydrogeology. It comprises: (1) a versatile handling of input and output, (2) a modular framework for subsurface parameter modeling, (3) a multi-level OpenMP parallelization, (4) parameter estimation and data assimilation by stochastic approaches (Monte Carlo, Ensemble Kalman filter) and by deterministic Bayesian approaches based on automatic differentiation for calculating exact (truncation error-free) derivatives of the forward code.
With proven impact of statistical fracture analysis on fracture classifications, it is desirable to minimize the manual work and to maximize repeatability of this approach. We address this with an algorithm that reduces the manual effort to segmentation, fragment identification and reduction. The fracture edge detection and heat map generation are performed automatically. With the same input, the algorithm always delivers the same output. The tool transforms one intact template consecutively onto each fractured specimen by linear least square optimization, detects the fragment edges in the template and then superimposes them to generate a fracture probability heat map.
We hypothesized that the algorithm runs faster than the manual evaluation and with low (< 5 mm) deviation. We tested the hypothesis in 10 fractured proximal humeri and found that it performs with good accuracy (2.5 mm ± 2.4 mm averaged Euclidean distance) and speed (23 times faster). When applied to a distal humerus, a tibia plateau, and a scaphoid fracture, the run times were low (1–2 min), and the detected edges correct by visual judgement. In the geometrically complex acetabulum, at a run time of 78 min some outliers were considered acceptable. An automatically generated fracture probability heat map based on 50 proximal humerus fractures matches the areas of high risk of fracture reported in medical literature.
Such automation of the fracture analysis method is advantageous and could be extended to reduce the manual effort even further.
Simulating the electromagnetic‐thermal treatment of thin aluminium layers for adhesion improvement
(2015)
A composite layer material used in packaging industry is made from joining layers of different materials using an adhesive. An important processing step in the production of aluminium-containing composites is the surface treatment and consequent coating of adhesive material on the aluminium surface. To increase adhesion strength between aluminium layer and the adhesive material, the foil is heat treated. For efficient heating, induction heating was considered as state-of-the-art treatment process. Due to the complexity of the heating process and the unpredictable nature of the heating source, the control of the process is not yet optimised. In this work, a finite element analysis of the process was established and various process parameters were studied. The process was simplified and modelled in 3D. The numerical model contains an air domain, an aluminium layer and a copper coil fitted with a magnetic field concentrating material. The effect of changing the speed of the aluminium foil (or rolling speed) was studied with the change of the coil current. Statistical analysis was used for generating a general control equation of coil current with changing rolling speed.
The performance and biomass yield of the perennial energy plant Sida hermaphrodita (hereafter referred to as Sida) as a feedstock for biogas and solid fuel was evaluated throughout one entire growing period at agricultural field conditions. A Sida plant development code was established to allow comparison of the plant growth stages and biomass composition. Four scenarios were evaluated to determine the use of Sida biomass with regard to plant development and harvest time: (i) one harvest for solid fuel only; (ii) one harvest for biogas production only; (iii) one harvest for biogas production, followed by a harvest of the regrown biomass for solid fuel; and (iv) two consecutive harvests for biogas production. To determine Sida's value as a feedstock for combustion, we assessed the caloric value, the ash quality, and melting point with regard to DIN EN ISO norms. The results showed highest total dry biomass yields of max. 25 t ha⁻¹, whereas the highest dry matter of 70% to 80% was obtained at the end of the growing period. Scenario (i) clearly indicated the highest energy recovery, accounting for 439 288 MJ ha⁻¹; the energy recovery of the four scenarios from highest to lowest followed this order: (i) ≫ (iii) ≫ (iv) > (ii). Analysis of the Sida ashes showed a high melting point of >1500 °C, associated with a net calorific value of 16.5–17.2 MJ kg⁻¹. All prerequisites for DIN EN ISO norms were achieved, indicating Sida's advantage as a solid energy carrier without any post-treatment after harvesting. Cell wall analysis of the stems showed a constant lignin content after sampling week 16 (July), whereas cellulose had already reached a plateau in sampling week 4 (April). The results highlight Sida as a promising woody, perennial plant, providing biomass for flexible and multipurpose energy applications.