Soft actuators are receiving increasing attention from the engineering community, not only in research but even for industrial applications. Among soft actuators, fibre-reinforced Bending Fluidic Actuators (BFAs) became very popular thanks to features such as robustness and easy design and fabrication. However, an accurate modelling of these smart structures, taking into account all the nonline...

This paper develops an efficient, physically based shape manipulation technique. It defines a 3D model with profile curves, and uses spine curves generated from the profile curves to control the motion and global shape of 3D models. Profile and spine curves are changed into profile and spine wires by specifying proper material and geometric properties together with external forces. The underlyi...

This work concerns an assessment of the behavior of infilled frames. The feasibility of possible immediate implementation of some recent developments both in analysis and design of infilled frames for practical design is investigated. It is now widely recognized that masonry infill panels used in reinforced concrete (R/C) frame structures, significantly enhance both the stiffness and the streng...

In recent years, glass-fiber reinforced composite materials are more and more used in structural applications. Their mechanical properties: low density, high strength and high chemical corrosionresistance offer an interesting alternative solution to metallic or concrete material. The pultrusion is a composite material processing technique that is penetrating the civil engineering market since t...

This paper proposes a simple algorithm for solving the contact problems in relation to sheet stamping. The efficiency and reliability of the algorithm are demonstrated by an investigation of the stamping of elastic-plastic circular plates into a conical die with a hemispherical rigid punch. The analysis shows that the contact stress varies greatly with the punch displacement and deviates from t...

Economic challenges for small size IC design and manufacturing require: reduced die size without adding layers or other costs, bonding with Cu wire instead of Au wire, and maintained or improved reliability. Die size shrinking involves extensive use of circuit under pad (CUP) or bond over active circuitry (BOAC) on IC’s having at least two levels of metal. CUP however, introduces more potential...

The Fos-related AP1 transcription factor Fra2 (encoded by Fosl2) is expressed in various epithelial cells as well as in cartilaginous structures. We studied the role of Fra2 in cartilage development. The absence of Fra2 in embryos and newborns leads to reduced zones of hypertrophic chondrocytes and impaired matrix deposition in femoral and tibial growth plates, probably owing to impaired differ...

das thema „orient“ besch?ftigte schon lange vor der institutionalisierung der orientforschung und entstehung von orientalistikschulen die deutschsprachige kulturszene und wurde vor allem seit der zweiten h?lfte des 18. jahrhunderts mit einem ungeheuren illusorischen potenzial intensiver denn je in literarischen werken und ubersetzungen sowie in geistesgeschichtlichen debatten thematisiert. die ...