Tsinghua Science and Technology

Efficient Procedure for Seismic Analysis of Soil-Structure Interaction System

Jingbo Liu, Yin Gu, Yan Wang, Bin Li

2006, 11(6): 625-631. doi:10.1016/S1007-0214(06)70244-9

Abstract ( 179 ) ( 239 )

A simplified and efficient procedure, based on the viscous-spring artificial boundary and the modal superposition method, is developed to analyze the dynamic soil-structure interaction system in the time domain. The viscous-spring artificial boundary introduced in this procedure transforms the infinite soil-structure interaction system to an approximately finite system. A seismic wave input method is used to transform the wave scattering problem into the wave source problem. The modal superposit...

Applied Study of Price Discrimination Implemented on a Two-Path Route Expressway

Jing Shi

2006, 11(6): 632-639. doi:10.1016/S1007-0214(06)70245-0

Abstract ( 142 ) ( 218 )

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This study aims at implementing price discrimination to get maximum revenue on a two-path route expressway, focusing on the problems which occur in traffic forecasting when applying a “profit-maximizing” toll designed to maximize revenue for a certain toll road in Japan. A break-even discussion is inevitable in the process of planning a certain toll road. According to the theory of transportation economics, market segmentation price discrimination is supposed to be efficient in the transportatio...

Passive Control Reinforced Concrete Frame Mechanism with High Strength Reinforcements and Its Potential Benefits Against Earthquakes

Asad Ullah Qazi, Lieping Ye, Xinzheng Lu

2006, 11(6): 640-647. doi:10.1016/S1007-0214(06)70246-2

Abstract ( 164 ) ( 227 )

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Severe earthquakes continue to cause major catastrophes. Many devices in active, hybrid, and semi-active structural control systems which are used as controllable force devices are costly to build and maintain. The passive control reinforced concrete frame (PCRCF) reinforced with high strength steel only in the columns presented here provides structural systems more resistance to lateral earthquake loadings at comparatively lower cost. The effectiveness is demonstrated by a nonlinear static anal...

Inelastic Deformation Analysis of Aluminum Bending Members

Ming Cheng, Yongjiu Shi, Yuanqing Wang

2006, 11(6): 648-656. doi:10.1016/S1007-0214(06)70247-4

Abstract ( 184 ) ( 224 )

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Aluminum alloys are typical nonlinear materials, and consequently bending members made of this material exhibit a nonlinear behavior. Most design codes do not pay much attention to such deformations and adopt a simple linear analysis for the calculation of deflections. This paper presents an investigation of the nonlinear deformation of aluminum bending members using the finite-element analysis (FEA). The plastic adaptation coefficient, which can be used to limit the residual deflection, is intr...

Strength of Concrete Filled Steel Tubular Columns

Muhammad Naseem Baig, Jiansheng Fan, Jianguo Nie

2006, 11(6): 657-666. doi:10.1016/S1007-0214(06)70248-6

Abstract ( 238 ) ( 284 )

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Composite columns of steel and concrete have been used and studied world wide, but filled tubular columns need more attention. This paper presents an experimental study on the behavior of short concrete filled steel tubular columns (CFT) axially loaded in compression to failure. A total of 28 specimens (16 were filled with concrete and 12 were kept hollow) with different cross-sections were tested to investigate the load capacity. The length-to-diameter ratios of these columns were between 4 and...

Customer Satisfaction Theory Applied in the Housing Industry: An Empirical Study of Low-Priced Housing in Beijing

Song Yang, Yan Zhu

2006, 11(6): 667-674. doi:10.1016/S1007-0214(06)70249-8

Abstract ( 270 ) ( 223 )

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A household satisfaction index (HSI) model based on the American customer satisfaction index (ACSI) model was fit to the housing industry in China and used with the software LISREL to measure the HSI in Beijing. Specifically, the empirical study analyzes the HSI of low-priced housing in Beijing. The results show that the HSI model is valid and the customer satisfaction theory can effectively analyze the housing industry. The results can help illustrate the factors which most affect customer sati...

Buyer Search and the Role of Broker in an Emerging Housing Market: A Case Study of Guangzhou

Siqi Zheng, Hongyu Liu, Rebecca Lee

2006, 11(6): 675-685. doi:10.1016/S1007-0214(06)70250-4

Abstract ( 155 ) ( 253 )

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This paper examines homebuyer's search process and the role of real estate broker in China's urban housing market, where inactive housing resale transactions and an immature brokerage industry are distinct characteristics. Guangzhou is used as a case study to model the intensity and duration of the search process. This study finds that buyers make trade-off between two search costs, activity cost and duration cost. The study also demonstrates that despite the industry's immature nature, buyers u...

Optimization of Multi-Criteria Experiments with Fuzzy Results

Fan Yang, Su Wu, Tilo Pfeifer, Klaus Hense

2006, 11(6): 686-692. doi:10.1016/S1007-0214(06)70251-6

Abstract ( 164 ) ( 198 )

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The classical design of experiments (DoE) method can optimize systems with one technical response and multiple inputs. The objective of this study is to optimize multiple technical responses at the same time by integrating fuzzy logic transformation into a DoE system. The transformation from technical responses to the individual fuzzy responses and the overall fuzzy response are first defined, and the fuzzy response system is established. The method used to optimize the overall fuzzy response is...

Improved Methods for Process Routing in Enterprise Production Processes in Terms of Sustainable Development II

Xianchun Tan, Fei Liu, Liu Dacheng, Zheng Li, Haiying Wang, Yihua Zhang

2006, 11(6): 693-700. doi:10.1016/S1007-0214(06)70252-8

Abstract ( 129 ) ( 238 )

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The selection of process planning methods during production influences the enterprise's production process planning performance with determination of the process flow as the most important influencing factor. A new production process determining method that focuses on sustainable manufacturing was developed based on case-based reasoning, expert systems, and feature technology for designing the process flow of a new component. This study matches a new component with preview case process informati...

A General Mechanistic Model of Solid Oxide Fuel Cells

Yixiang Shi, Ningsheng Cai

2006, 11(6): 701-711. doi:10.1016/S1007-0214(06)70253-X

Abstract ( 174 ) ( 247 )

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A comprehensive model considering all forms of polarization was developed. The model considers the intricate interdependency among the electrode microstructure, the transport phenomena, and the electrochemical processes. The active three-phase boundary surface was expressed as a function of electrode microstructure parameters (porosity, coordination number, contact angle, etc.). The exchange current densities used in the simulation were obtained by fitting a general formulation to the polarizati...

Relationship Between Measured Friction Coefficients and Two Tread Groove Design Parameters for Footwear Pads

Kai Way Li, Chin Jung Chen, Ching-Hua Lin, Yao Wen Hsu

2006, 11(6): 712-719. doi:10.1016/S1007-0214(06)70254-1

Abstract ( 299 ) ( 208 )

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The shoe sole geometrical design parameters are believed to be important factors affecting the coefficient of friction (COF) between the shoe/floor interface. This study is concerned with the relationship between the measured COF and the tread groove orientation and width on the footwear pad. Friction measurements using the Brungraber Mark II slipmeter were conducted. Six tread groove width/orientations designs on the footwear pads under 27 footwear material/floor/contamination conditions were t...

Automatic Defect Detection in X-Ray Images Using Image Data Fusion

Yuan Tian, Dong Du, Guorui Cai, Wang Li, Hua Zhang

2006, 11(6): 720-724. doi:10.1016/S1007-0214(06)70255-3

Abstract ( 278 ) ( 221 )

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Automatic defect detection in X-ray images is currently a focus of much research at home and abroad. The technology requires computerized image processing, image analysis, and pattern recognition. This paper describes an image processing method for automatic defect detection using image data fusion which synthesizes several methods including edge extraction, wave profile analyses, segmentation with dynamic threshold, and weld district extraction. Test results show that defects that induce an abr...

Car Side Structure Crashworthiness in Pole and Moving Deformable Barrier Side Impacts

Dazhi Wang, Guang Dong, Jinhuan Zhang, Shilin Huang

2006, 11(6): 725-730. doi:10.1016/S1007-0214(06)70256-5

Abstract ( 249 ) ( 227 )

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To clearly understand passenger car structure's crashworthiness in typical side impacts of pole and moving deformable barrier (MDB) impact modes, which could assist the establishment of Chinese vehicle side impact safety regulations, a full midsized car finite element model, calibrated by pole side impact test, was built and the pole side impact according to European New Car Assessment Program (EuroNCAP) and the MDB side impact according to ECE R95 regulations were simulated with LS-DYNA. The ac...

Thorium-Based Fuel Cycles in the Modular High Temperature Reactor

Hong Chang, Yongwei Yang, Xingqing Jing, Yunlin Xu

2006, 11(6): 731-738. doi:10.1016/S1007-0214(06)70257-7

Abstract ( 246 ) ( 247 )

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Large stockpiles of civil-grade as well as weapons-grade plutonium have been accumulated in the world from nuclear power or other programs of different countries. One alternative for the management of the plutonium is to incinerate it in the high temperature reactor (HTR). The thorium-based fuel cycle was studied in the modular HTR to reduce weapons-grade plutonium stockpiles, while producing no additional plutonium or other transuranic elements. Three thorium-uranium fuel cycles were also inves...

Stability Analysis of Equilibrium Manifolds for a Two-Predators One-Prey Model

Xin Zhang, Yun Tang, Rudolf Scherer

2006, 11(6): 739-744. doi:10.1016/S1007-0214(06)70258-9

Abstract ( 146 ) ( 201 )

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The objective of this paper is to analyze the stability of equilibrium manifolds for a ratio-dependent two-predators one-prey model. Some model results are presented first with the bifurcation without parameters method, and then the method was used to study bifurcation along the equilibrium manifold for the model. The model does not lose stability even when some equilibria are locally unstable because the equilibrium manifold is stable when treated as a whole. The ecological implications of the ...

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