A small 3-D probe system was developed based on sensing the bending of elastic hinges carrying the probe stylus. The stylus platform and elastic hinges are etched in silicon. On the elastic hinges, piezoresistive straingages are integrated, including the necessary wiring. The 3-D measurement range is about one hundred micrometres in each direction and the repeatability is at the nanometre level...

As a kind of important flexible joint, two-axis flexure hinges can realize in-plane and out-of-plane motions and can be used for constructing flexure-based spatial compliant mechanisms. The paper introduces a common two-axis elliptical-arc-filleted flexure hinge that is generated by two different elliptical-arc-filleted cutout profiles and that provides some new hinge types. The analytical comp...

In a novel way, nature evolves cellular structures to obtain mechanically efficient materials. Natural cellular materials combine low weight with superior mechanical properties to provide optimum strength and stiffness at low density such as trabecular bone, hornbill bird beaks, and bird wing bones. Inspired by these naturally architected cellular materials, humankind has also developed lightwe...

Displacement Coefficient Method (DCM) stipulated in the ASCE 41-06 standard is becoming the preferred method for seismic rehabilitation of buildings in many high-seismic-hazard countries. Applications of the method for non-building constructions such as bridges are beyond the scope of this standard. Thus its application to this kind of structure should be approached with care. Target displaceme...

The objective of this review to be submitted in two independent parts, for steel frames and for RC frames, is to compare their structural performance with respect to the proposed N2-method, and so also of the consequent convenience of using pushover methodology for the seismic analysis of these structures. A preliminary investigation is presented on a pushover analysis used for the seismic perf...

Abstract: Reduced Beam Section (RBS) and Drilled Beam Section (DBS) are seismic moment resistant frame connections, introduced after 1994 Northridge earthquake. RBS connection has been tested under cyclic loading and showed acceptable performance. In this paper, seismic behavior of Drilled Beam Section (DBS) connection is studied numerically using finite element method. A drilled beam section ...