| NSF Org: |
TI Translational Impacts |
| Recipient: |
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| Initial Amendment Date: | June 1, 2015 |
| Latest Amendment Date: | June 1, 2015 |
| Award Number: | 1520197 |
| Award Instrument: | Standard Grant |
| Program Manager: |
Benaiah Schrag
bschrag@nsf.gov (703)292-8323 TI Translational Impacts TIP Directorate for Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships |
| Start Date: | July 1, 2015 |
| End Date: | December 31, 2015 (Estimated) |
| Total Intended Award Amount: | $149,830.00 |
| Total Awarded Amount to Date: | $149,830.00 |
| Funds Obligated to Date: |
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| History of Investigator: |
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| Recipient Sponsored Research Office: |
805 S. Vulcan Ave. Encinitas CA US 92024-3637 (760)908-2858 |
| Sponsor Congressional District: |
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| Primary Place of Performance: |
805 S. Vulcan Ave. Encinitas CA US 92024-3637 |
| Primary Place of
Performance Congressional District: |
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| Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): |
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| Parent UEI: |
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| NSF Program(s): | SBIR Phase I |
| Primary Program Source: |
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| Program Reference Code(s): |
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| Program Element Code(s): |
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| Award Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Fund Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Assistance Listing Number(s): | 47.084 |
ABSTRACT
This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project surrounds the development of a sacrificial energy dissipation mechanism for structural applications with globally significant commercial potential. The structures that are the intended initial application for the device represent over $2 billion in annual shipments per year in the United States alone. However, these structures exist all over the globe. This device will open up the market for these structures in regions of high seismicity, where structures of other material composition currently corner the market. Implementation of this device will also create significant cost savings in comparison to competing structures, as the speed of construction is much more rapid, reducing overall construction costs, especially in low-income regions of the world that experience seismic activity. The asymmetric axial response concept is unique in the field of structural engineering and this research offers a novel addition to the existing body of knowledge.
The intellectual merit of this project centers on a unique concept that will allow certain types of structures, currently not permitted due to governing safety codes, to be built in high-seismic regions. The concept is that of asymmetric axial strength and stiffness, whereby a mechanical device loaded axially in one direction provides a different response to that of the device loaded axially in the opposite direction. Although this project's objective is to develop this concept for a specific application, there exists the potential for this concept to be developed for additional applications in the future. Ongoing university research, funded by industry, seeks to find a solution to this specific seismic design problem, but has not taken the direction that this project intends to take. The ultimate research objective for this Phase I effort is to determine a geometric configuration such that the concept can be physically realized in the form of a working mechanical device. The research will include finite element modeling and numerical simulations coupled with the testing of physical prototype specimens through cyclic axial loading sequences. It is anticipated that a working configuration will be discovered, tested, modeled, and placed into a full-frame model for additional simulation.
PROJECT OUTCOMES REPORT
Disclaimer
This Project Outcomes Report for the General Public is displayed verbatim as submitted by the Principal Investigator (PI) for this award. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this Report are those of the PI and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation; NSF has not approved or endorsed its content.
This NSF SBIR Phase I project had the goal of proving concept for a unique mechanical energy dissipation device for use in metal building frames to protect them from damage during a seismic excitation. In our Phase I proposal, we suggested the following research objectives:
1. Perform physical testing to validate the asymmetric load-deformation behavior of the device.
2. Demonstrate that the device behavior is predictable and thus able to be purposefully designed.
3. Investigate if the components of the device experience degradation during high velocity loadings.
4. Provide test data for the continued development of a numerical model of the device.
5. Conduct limited case studies to verify the level of added ductility to a typical metal building frame.
We were able to successfully prove that our patent pending concept of an asymmetric axial response mechanism can be realized in the form of a physical device; in this case, using steel. Testing was conducted at the University of Illinois in the Newmark Structural Engineering Laboratory. We tested ten full-scale prototype specimens with monotonic compression and tension, quasi-static cyclic, and full-speed earthquake displacement-history protocols. Tests validated assumptions and results proved that the design is acceptable and produced a predictable response, as evidenced through comparisons with numerical simulations. Tests were able to exploit areas that will require design detail iterations and components that will require certain dimensional limitations.
The applications for this reasearch are directed towards the metal building industry, however, the concept may be developed for applications in other industries within the field of civil/structural engineering and possibly other engineering fields.
Last Modified: 01/24/2016
Modified by: Kyle A Turner
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