Date post: | 27-Jun-2015 |
Category: |
Technology |
Upload: | caroline-de-villele |
View: | 280 times |
Download: | 1 times |
PTC.comPage 1 of 5 | Pushing the Mathematical Envelope
White Paper
Like engineers in every major discipline, civil and structural engineers are facing an expanded array of mathematical challenges. Now more than ever, societies are placing a greater emphasis on:
• Environmentalissues – protecting and preserving natural resources
• Sustainability – as the global population grows and the human footprint expands
• Sociallysupportive,intelligentinfrastructure – as societies become more sophisticated and demand greater efficiency and real-time results
For civil and structural engineers, accurate and intelligent system models – and the complex math-ematics that they require – are at the core of meeting these sophisticated, modern challenges. The need to accurately model infrastructure and utilities, environmental systems, urban planning and large architectural projects has never been more critical – and difficult. Engineers are facing unprecedented pressure to get it right the first time under increased regulatory oversight.
Theengineeringcalculationsthatcansolvetheseissuesarecomplexanddifficulttomanage.Itisnolongersufficienttohavethesecalculations,anorgani-zation’sintellectualproperty,lockedawayinspread-sheetsandtraditionalengineeringnotebooks.
Thegoodnewsisthatmathematicaltechnologyhasevolvedtogiveengineerssolutionsthat,ifusedprop-erly,canbeveryeffective.Designandcalculationsoftwaregivescivilandstructuralengineersthetoolstosolvetoday’smostpressingandcomplexproblems,andinnovatelikeneverbefore.
Thisarticlewilldiscussmoderncivilandstructuralengineeringprojectswherecomplexengineeringmathematicshasbeenattheheartofovercomingthesenewchallenges.Specifically,wewilllookatengineerswhoare:
• DesigningsustainablebuildingsliketheShanghaiTowerthatcanwithstandabroadrangeofenviron-mentalconditionsanddisasters
• ProtectingwaterresourcesinVirginia
• WorkingwiththeAustralianAidprogramtocon-structinfrastructurethatcanmeetthedemandsofagingpopulationsandincreasedurbanization
Pushing the Mathematical EnvelopeCasE studiEs in solving ModErn Civil and struCtural EnginEEring CalCulations ChallEngEs
At662meterstall,theShanghaiTower,shownunderconstruc-tionontheleft,willbecomethesecondtallestbuildingonearthuponcompletionin2014..
PTC.comPage 2 of 5 | Pushing the Mathematical Envelope
White Paper
the shanghai tower: a Case study in sustainable design
Economicandpoliticalfactorsareputtingpressureonengineersanddesignerstomakedecisionstodaythatwillminimizeenvironmentalimpactsonfuturegen-erations.Sustainabledesignisespeciallyimportantforlargestructures,wherethechallengeistodesignbuildingsthatcanwithstandstheseenvironmentaldisasterswhileminimizingenergyconsumptionandmaterials.
At662meterstall,theShanghaiTowerwillbecomethesecondtallestbuildingonearthuponcompletionin2014.Leaddesigner,PeterWeingarten,knowsfullwellthatittookyearsforengineersjusttofigureouthowtogetsuper-tallbuildingstostandatall.“Onceyougetabove80stories,mostprivatebrokerswilltellyouthattheeconomicsofthebuildingdon’tpanout,becauseyouhavesomanystructuralconsiderationsbecauseofthelateralload,”hesaysinaninterviewwithCleanTechies.
Buttoday,usingadvancedproblem-solvingtech-niquesandengineeringcalculationsoftware,verti-calcitiesliketheShanghaiToweraren’tonlypossible,they’reattheforefrontofthegreenbuildingrevolution.Thestructuresetsanewstandardinsustainabilitybyincludingthefollowingfeatures:
• Windturbinesthatcangenerateupto350,000kWhofelectricityperyear
• Arainwaterrecyclingsystem
• Atwistedshapedesignthatreducesstructuralsteelbymorethan20percent
Weingartenadmitsthatoneofthebiggestchallengeshisteamfacedwasthewindforcenearthetopofthebuilding.Aunique,curvedshapenotonlysolvedtheproblem,butalsocutsteelcostsbynearlyaquarter.“Wewereabletosave25percentofthetonsteeltonnagebynotpresentingabroadfacetothewind,”Weingartenreveals.“Byallowingthewindtoflowaerodynamicallywemitigatedirectlateralpressures.WealsomadeuseoftheDiagridSystem,whichallowsthewindtoflowinanaturalwayinsteadoforthogonallylikewithclassicdesigns.”Traditionallateralloadandforcecalcula-
overcoming Civil and structural Engineering Challenges requires sophisticated Calculations
Advancesinmathcalculationsoftwareensureaccuracyandmitigaterisk.
ChallEngE CalCulations rEquirEd
Designsustainablebuildingsthatcanwithstandenvironmentalfactorsandnaturaldisasters
•Lateralload
•Maximallateralimpulseforce
•Equivalentstaticanalysis
•Responsespectrumanalysis
•Lineardynamicanalysis
•Non-linearstaticanalysis
•Non-lineardynamicanalysis
Conductwatershedstudiestoprotectwaterresources
•Fluidmechanicsandhydrology
•Computationalfluiddynamics
•Fluidstructureinteractions
Examineimpactofpopulationgrowthoninfrastructureandresources
•Rateofnaturalincrease
•Demographictransitionmodeling
•Carryingcapacity
tionsneedtoaccountforcurvatureandotherproper-tiesoftheaerodynamicstructure,whichrequiresmoreadvancedandcomprehensivecalculations.
PTC.comPage 3 of 5 | Pushing the Mathematical Envelope
White Paper
Inadditiontoitsspecial,aerodynamicshape,theShanghaiTowerincorporateswhat’scalledanoutrig-gertrussevery14floorsforgreatersupport.Eachoutriggertruss“actslikeyourshoulder”tobroadenthebaseofthebuilding,accordingtoWeingarten.Struc-turesthatinvolvereinforcedsupportsystems,suchasoutriggertrusses,typicallyrequireintensivelinearandnonlinearstaticanddynamicanalysisofthecompletestructureanditscomponents.Usinganengineeringsoftwarepackageisessentialtogettingthisright.
Becausethebuildingwillbesturdier,thedesignerswereabletoengineeradditionalsustainabilityfea-tures,suchasadoubleskin.AccordingtoGensler’sDanWiney,whilethedoubleskinis“anodetothecity’shistoricopencourtyards,”thedesignhasdefinitesustainabilitybenefits:“Thecontinuousglassskinwilladmitthemaximumamountofdaylightintotheatriums,reducingtheneedforartificiallighting,”Wineysays.“Theglassalsohasaspectrallyselectivelow-Ecoatingthatwillhelpreduceheatingandcoolingloads.”
AsWeingartenexplains:
“Webuiltaspacebetweentheinnerskinandwhat’sreallythefacadeofthebuildingtocreateaseriesofverticalparksthatactasathermalbufferbetweenthefaceofthebuildingandtheoutsideworld.Insteadofhavingacompletelyopaquebuildingyouhaveaclearone.Mostskyscrapersareessentiallyopaquetotheoutsidebecauseofthehighreflectivityoftheirwindows,anecessitytolimitsolarheatgain.”
Channel Erosion quantification: a Case study in Watershed Protection
Whilesomeengineersfocusonthesustainabilityofman-madeconstructions,othersareworkinghardtomaintainthesustainabilityofnaturalstructureslikewatersheds.Unhealthywatershedscanhaveanega-tiveimpactondrinkingwatersupplies,recreationalopportunities,andthefoodchain,soit’simportanttocomeupwithwaystominimizepollution,erosionandotherthreatstotheworld’sfreshwaterecosystems.
AttheCenterforWatershedStudiesattheVirginiaPolytechnicInstituteandStateUniversity(VirginiaTech),biologicalsystemsengineersareusingageo-graphicinformationsystem(GIS)tohelptheStateofVirginiacorrectthewayitcalculatessedimentvolumeinriversandstreamsinanefforttoreduceerosion.
Upuntilnow,thestatehasdirecteditseffortstowardreducingerosionfromagriculturalandurbanlands,whileignoringanothermajorsourceofsediment–streambankerosion.Duetocomplexityandalackofphysicallybasedalgorithmstodescribetheprocess,thequantificationofstreambankerosionhasbeensignificantlyunderestimated.
ResearchersattheCenterforWatershedStudiesattheVirginiaPolytechnicInstituteandStateUniversity(VirginiaTech)areworkingtoensurethatstreambankerosionisaccuratelycalcu-latedinerosionmodels.
TheengineeringresearchersatVirginiaTechareworkingtodevelopnewmodelsandstatisticalcalcu-lationstomoreaccuratelyestimatesedimentloadingfromstreamchanneldegradation.Thiswillrequirestudyoffluidstructureinteractions,mathemati-calequationsoffluidmechanicsandhydrology,andcomputationalfluiddynamicsmodeling.Theyintendtoincorporatetheirresultsintoalong-termplantohelpensurethatstreambankerosionisaccuratelycalcu-latedintotheerosionmodel.
PTC.comPage 4 of 5 | Pushing the Mathematical Envelope
White Paper
ausaid: a Case study in sustainable infrastructure
Thequalityoflifeintheworld’scitiesisdependentonthehealthandsustainabilityofurbaninfrastructure.Toensureinfrastructuresuccess,modernengineersareimplementingtechnologiesthatfallundertheumbrellaof“intelligentinfrastructure.”AccordingtoareportbytheOrganisationforEconomicCo-OperationandDevelopment(OECD),civilandstructuralengi-neerswillbecalledupontoexplore:
• Decisionsupportmodelsandautomationintheelectricitysector,whichcanhelpoptimizegenera-tioncapacity,transmissionlinesandthegrid.Dis-tributionlossescouldbereduced,peakconsump-tionbetterhandled,reliabilityenhancedandtheenvironmentbetterprotected
• Intelligentsystemmodelingtechnologiesinthewatersector,whichcanprovideagreaterabilitytomonitorandcontrolthewatercycleinrealtime.Atthelocalorend-userlevel,thevirtualclosingofthewatercyclecanalsobemonitoredwithsensors,embeddedsoftwareandartificialintelligence
• Integratingmultiplealternativewirelesstechnolo-gies(AWT)intoasinglemulti-serviceplatformintelecommunicationssystems,whichcanleadtoahighlysimplifiedinfrastructureincludingself-healingandself-organizingnetworks.Suchinte-grationcould,forexample,facilitatethecreationofintegratedhealthcaresystems,or“smarthouse”conceptsfortheelderly
• Intelligenthighwaysystemsandadvancedvehicletechnologiesinlandtransportation,whichcouldbringsubstantialbenefitstonetworkmanagement,accidentresponse,driverinformationandroad/railcapacity
Mathematicalmodelswillplayakeyroleinmeetingtheseobjectives.Computationallyunderstandingfun-damentalfactorssuchascarryingcapacity,demo-graphictransition,andrateofnaturalincreasewillbecriticalpiecesnecessarytomeasureprogressandassesswherethegapsare.
TheAustralianAidprogram(AusAID),agovernment-runagency,isusinginfrastructureinvestmentstolifteconomicgrowthandsupportsocialobjectivesinneighboringcountriesinEastAsiaandthePacific,withanexpandingeffortinSouthAsiaandsubSaha-ranAfrica.AusAID’sapproachtoinfrastructureimprovementcentersonfourpillars:
1. Deliveringsustainabletransportinfrastructure
2. Facilitatingincreasedaccesstobasicwaterandsanitationservices
3. Creatingreliableenergyservicesandsupportinginformationandcommunicationtechnologies
4. Supportingurbaninfrastructureplanninganddevelopment
ThroughtheEconomicInfrastructureInitiativeapprovedin2009/10,AusAIDprovidesfundingforhighpriorityinfrastructure,strengtheningthecapacityofpartnergovernments’agenciestorespondtorapidurbanization,andpromotingconditionsforincreasedinfrastructurefinancing.AusAIDisalsoputtinganincreasedfocusonsub-nationalgovernments,inrecognitionofthedecentralizationofinfrastructureplanninganddeliverytakingplacethroughoutthedevelopingworld.
InIndonesia,AusAIDissupportingamajornationalroadsprogram.InPapua,NewGuinea,theorganiza-tionishelpingtoimproveprocessesfortheplanninganddeliveryoftransportinfrastructure.AndintheGreaterMekong,AusAIDislookingtosupportinfra-structureprogramsthatpromoteregionalintegration.
InPapua,NewGuinea,transportinfrastructureimprovementsareessentialfortheefficientflowofproducetomarketsandfortheprovisionofgoodsandservicestoruralandurbancommunities.
PTC.comPage 5 of 5 | Pushing the Mathematical Envelope
White Paper
Conclusion
Theextenttowhichtoday’scivilandstructuralengi-neerscanovercomemajordesignandenvironmentalchallengeswillhaveatremendousimpactonhumansocietiesforgenerationstocome.
Designingsustainablestructures,preservingnatu-ralresourcesandmeetingtheinfrastructureneedsofchangingpopulations–allwithinbudgetsaccept-abletogovernmentsandprivatecitizensalike–willrequireextraordinaryeffortandingenuity.
Engineerswillalsocontinuetorelyontechnologicaladvancestohelpthemmeetcurrentandfuturechal-lenges.Enhancedcomputerpoweranddesignsoft-warewillincreaseperformance,andsophisticatedcalculationsoftwarewillhelpensureaccuracyandmitigaterisk.
NOTE:Thetimingofanyproductrelease,includinganyfeaturesorfunctionality,issubjecttochangeatPTC’sdiscretion.
©2012,PTC.Allrightsreserved.Informationdescribedhereinisfurnishedforinformationaluseonly,issubjecttochangewithoutnotice,andshouldnotbecon-struedasaguarantee,commitment,conditionorofferbyPTC.PTC,thePTCLogo,PTCCreoElements/Pro,andallPTCproductnamesandlogosaretrademarksorregisteredtrademarksofPTCand/oritssubsidiariesintheUnitedStatesandinothercountries.Allotherproductorcompanynamesarepropertyoftheirrespectiveowners.Thetimingofanyproductrelease,includinganyfeaturesorfunctionality,issubjecttochangeatPTC’sdiscretion.
J0767-MC-Pushing-Envelope-WP–EN–0912
sources
Arlein,Jacob(2010).“TheShanghaiTower:TheBeginningsofaGreenRevolutioninChina,”CleanTechies,March25,2010.RetrievedMarch2012from:http://www.matternet-work.com/2010/3/shanghai-tower-beginnings-green-revo-lution.cfm
“DevelopingStrategiesforUrbanChannelErosionQuantifi-cationinUplandCoastalZoneStreams,”CenterforWater-shedStudiesatVirginiaTech,2010.RetrievedMarch2012from:http://www.cws.bse.vt.edu/index.php/research/project/developing_strategies_for_urban_channel_ero-sion_quantification_in_upla
Infrastructureto2030:Telecom,LandTransport,WaterandElectricity,OECDPublishing,2006.
“SustainableEconomicDevelopment:InfrastructureThe-maticStrategy,”AusAID,2011.RetrievedMay2012from:http://www.ausaid.gov.au/aidissues/infrastructure/Pages/home.aspx
Winey,Dan(2011).“ShanghaiTower:SustainableStrate-giesinaSuperTallBuilding,”GenslerOnCities,July18,2011.RetrievedMay2012from:http://www.gensleron.com/cit-ies/2011/7/18/shanghai-tower-sustainable-strategies-in-a-super-tall-buildi.html