DESIGN OF ADAPTIVE STRUCTURES FOR IMPROVED LOAD-CAPACITY

Application of adaptive structural interfaces (members with actively c ontrolled local properties) as energy dissipaters is discussed. It is demonstrated that the optimal strategy of adaptation of properly locat ed devices allows accumulation of strain energy (as a pretensioned are ) in the first instant of the overloading and then release of this ene rgy in a controlled way, which leads to a significant increase in the overall energy dissipation. The problem of optimal location for dissip aters and the corresponding (controlled) yield stress is formulated an d decomposed into two subproblems: first, determining the optimal stre ss redistribution, and second, selecting the best location for dissipa ters and the deformation component due to plastic-like distortions, ge nerated in adaptive members. The general algorithm for the solution of the problem is illustrated by a numerical example of a truss-beam str ucture.