APPLICATION OF THE METAHEURISTIC TUNICATE SWARM ALGORITHM IN SOLVING APPLIED MECHANICS PROBLEMS

In this paper, the principles of a metaheuristic algorithm based on tunicate swarm behavior are shown. The Tunicate Swarm Algorithm (TSA for short) was used for solving problems in applied mechanics (speed reducer, cantilever beam and three-dimensional beam optimization). In the end, a comparison of results obtained by TSA and results obtained by other methods is given.

International Conference on Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics[ICMEAM 2021], 13 November, 2021

1. About ICMEAM2021 Yaseen Academy organized the 2021 International Conference on Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics (ICMEAM 2021), which was planned to be held during 12-14 November, 2021 at Sanya, Hainan Province, China. Due to the restrictions caused by Covid-19, the participants joined the conference online via Tencent Meeting at 13 November, 2021. The Conference looks for significant contributions to all major fields of Mechanical Engineering, Structural Mechanics and Mechanics of Materials in theoretical and practical aspects. The aim of the conference is to provide a platform to the researchers and practitioners from both academia as well as industry to meet and share cutting-edge development in the field.

The Role of Applied Mechanics in Bridging the Gaps in Prior Learning for Aspirants of Engineering Education

Building a technology-driven world appears to be the main motivational force behind students choosing to undertake engineering studies. The first year of engineering education plays a significant role in demonstrating sufficient mathematical and scientific rigor to satisfy these motivational factors. The common applied mechanics courses play a central role in achieving this. At the same time, a vast majority of students suffer from a lack of the necessary mathematical skills and analytical orientation for various reasons. Due to different educational philosophies and teaching pedagogies, a lack of proper integration between mathematics and applied mechanics is common. Several efforts were made to build better curriculum, teaching, and learning systems, resulting in widely varied solutions, but most of them require drastically different implementation approaches. With sufficient rigor in teaching and assessment, the first-year applied mechanics (common) courses designed for engineering students can solve students’ mathematical and motivational lapses and help bridge the gaps between pre-university and university education endeavours. This paper presents evidence supporting this argument. In particular, datasets collected from the direct experiences delivering the first-year static and dynamics courses to many students over the past decade and a half are analysed to establish the proposition.

A Bracing Nonlinear Walk in Applied Mechanics: Memoirs and Reflections

This article is an informal auto-biographical memoir by Mike Thompson, reflecting in retirement on his scientific researches in nonlinear phenomena, wandering pictorially from shell buckling, through bifurcations and chaos to climate tipping points. Some ideas and advice to young researchers are offered whenever it seems appropriate. Two research groups at University College London, and their two IUTAM Symposia are given some prominence, as are the ten years editing the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society.

Erratum to “Analytical Solution for the Lifetime of a Spherical Shell of Arbitrary Thickness Under the Pressure of Corrosive Environments: The Effect of Thermal and Elastic Stresses”

This note is to correct errata in the paper “quot;Analytical Solution for the Lifetime of a Spherical Shell of Arbitrary Thickness Under the Pressure of Corrosive Environments: The Effect of Thermal and Elastic Stresses”quot; published in Journal of Applied Mechanics, Vol.~88, P.~061004 (2021), doi: 10.1115/1.4050280.

Simulation of the Effects of Angle of Attack and Projectile Contour in Damage Development in Reinforced Concrete

The impact of projectiles in reinforced or unreinforced concrete is of prime importance in applied mechanics and engineering. Parameters such as penetration depth, velocity or energy of the projectile, and the geometry and the angle of attack of the projectile are the most critical factors, among several others, that determine whether the concrete body will tolerate damage due to the impact or not. For numerical simulations of damage, the Riedel-Hiermaier-Thoma (RHT) concrete failure is an established approach, which is also used in this research. In this work, numerical simulations have been performed on shooting a rigid large-scale projectile with different tip contours at a concrete target that is reinforced with steel. For each tip contour, the angle of attack varied. The penetration depth of the projectile tip and the damage of the target were reported for the different tip contours as a function of the angle of attack. The results show that the maximal damage occurred at ~45° of the angle of attack, while penetration of the projectile into the target increased with increasing the angle of attack.

Development of Speaking Skills Assessment Criteria for Engineering Students

The purpose of the article is to put forward English monologue production assessment criteria to verify the efficiency of the devised methodology of teaching English for future mechanical engineers. In the course of the research, theoretical, empirical, and statistical methods have been used. Various approaches to identifying the assessment criteria have been thoroughly analyzed. Seven criteria to assess the monologue production skills, five primary and two secondary ones, have been suggested. The allocation of the points by every criterion according to the devised scales have been elucidated. The proposed assessment criteria were used in the methodological experiment that was held at Igor Sikorsky Kyiv National Technical University. The experiment in question aimed to verify the efficiency of the devised methodology of teaching English monologue production to students majoring in mechanical engineering. Three experimental groups, 34 students in total, studying in their final year of Bachelor studies within the Subject Areas of Applied Mechanics and Industrial Engineering, participated in the methodological experiment. The conducted experiment confirmed the efficiency of the methodology proposed.