Search results for " Boundary Element Method"
showing 10 items of 46 documents
On the transient response of actively repaired damaged structures by the boundary element method
2010
The transient fracture mechanics behavior of damaged structures repaired through active piezoelectric patches is presented in this paper. The analyses have been performed through a boundary element code implemented in the framework of piezoelectricity to take account of the coupling between the elastic and the electric fields, which represents the peculiar feature of piezoelectric media. The multi-domain technique has been also involved to assemble the host structures and the active patches and to model the cracks. Moreover, the patches have been considered elastically bonded to the damaged structure by means of a zero thickness adhesive layer. This has been achieved through the implementat…
Dual Boundary Element Method for fatigue crack growth: implementation of the Richard’s criterion
2013
A new criterion for fatigue crack growth, whose accuracy was previously tested in the literature with the Finite Element Method, is here adopted with a Dual Boundary Element formulation. The fatigue crack growth of an elliptical inclined crack, embedded in a three dimensional cylindrical bar, is analyzed. In this way in addition to the propagation angle estimated by the Sih’s criterion, it is possible to take into account a twist propagation angle. The two propagation criteria are compared in terms of shape of the propagated crack and in terms of SIFs along the crack front. The efficiency of the Dual Boundary Element Method in this study is highlighted.
Virtual Element based formulations for computational materials micro-mechanics and homogenization
2021
In this thesis, a computational framework for microstructural modelling of transverse behaviour of heterogeneous materials is presented. The context of this research is part of the broad and active field of Computational Micromechanics, which has emerged as an effective tool both to understand the influence of complex microstructure on the macro-mechanical response of engineering materials and to tailor-design innovative materials for specific applications through a proper modification of their microstructure. While the classical continuum approximation does not account for microstructural details within the material, computational micromechanics allows detailed modelling of a heterogeneous…
Effects of voids and flaws on the mechanical properties and on intergranular damage and fracture for polycrystalline materials
2013
It is widely recognized that the macroscopic material properties depend on the features of the microstructure. The understanding of the links between microscopic and macroscopic material properties, main topic of Micromechanics, is of relevant technological interest, as it may enable the deep understanding of the mechanisms governing materials degradation and failure. Polycrystalline materials are used in many engineering applications. Their microstructure is determined by distribution, size, morphology, anisotropy and orientation of the crystals. It worth noting that also the physical-chemical properties of the intergranular interfaces, as well as the presence of micro-imperfections within…
Computational modelling of brittle failure in polycrystalline materials using cohesive-frictional grain-boundary elements
2014
A 3D grain-level formulation for the study of brittle failure in polycrystalline microstructures is presented. The microstructure is represented as a Voronoi tessellation and the boundary element method is used to model each crystal of the aggregate. The continuity of the aggregate is enforced through suitable conditions at the intergranular interfaces. The grain-boundary model takes into account the onset and evolution of damage by means of an irreversible linear cohesive law, able to address mixed-mode failure conditions. Upon interface failure, a non-linear frictional contact analysis is introduced for addressing the contact between micro-crack surfaces. An incremental-iterative algorith…
TORSIONAL STRESS CONCENTRATIONS IN SHAFTS: FROM ELECTRICAL ANALOGIES TO NUMERICAL METHODS
2013
This paper presents the historical development of methods used for the study of torsional stresses in shafts. In particular the paper covers both analog methods, in particular those based on electrical analogies proposed since about 1925, and numerical methods, in particular finite difference methods (FDM), finite element methods (FEM) and boundary elements (BEM).
Artificial neural network comparison for a SHM procedure applied to composite structures.
2013
In this paper different architectures of Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) for structural damage detection are studied. The main objective is to create an ANN able to detect and localize damage without any prior knowledge on its characteristics so as to serve as a realtime data processor for SHM systems. Two different architectures are studied: the standard feed-forward Multi Layer Perceptron (MLP) and the Radial Basis Function (RBF) ANNs. The training data are given, in terms of a Damage Index ℑD, properly defined using the piezoelectric sensor signal output to obtain suitable information on the damage position and dimensions. The electromechanical response of the assembled structure has b…
Structures with Surface-Bonded PZT Piezoelectric Patches: a BEM Investigation into the Strain-transfer Mechanism for SHM applications
2009
In this work a three-dimensional BEM model is used for the analysis of structures with cracks and surface bonded piezoelectric PZT patches used as strain sensors. The cracked structure is modelled by the dual boundary element method, which allows for accurate and reliable crack analysis, while the piezoelectric patch is analyzed by a finite element state-space approach, that embodies both the full electro-mechanical coupling and the suitable sensor’s boundary conditions. The model is used to investigate the strain-transfer mechanism from an host elastic structure to the piezoelectric layer, taking into account the effect of the adhesive layer, as well as the mechanical interaction between t…
A multidomain approach of the SBEM in the plate bending analysis
2009
The aim of this paper is to apply the multidomain approach of the SBEM to the plate bending analysis. The plate is subdivided into macro-elements connected each other along the interface boundary. Every macro-element is defined by an elastic relation which connects the generalized shear force and moments at the interface to the nodal displacements and rotations of the same boundary and to the loads. This approach allows a considerable reduction of the variables through a condensation process which leaves the interface kinematical unknowns, only. The assembly process may be obtained through the regularity conditions prescribed at the interface.
A symmetric Galerkin BEM for plate bending analysis
2009
Abstract The Symmetric Galerkin Boundary Element Method is employed in thin plate bending analysis in accordance with the Love–Kirchhoff kinematical assumption. The equations are obtained through the stationary conditions of the total potential energy, written for a plate whose boundary is discretized in boundary elements. Since the matrix coefficients are made up as double integrals with high order singularities, a strategy is shown to compute these coefficients in closed form. Furthermore, in order to model the kinematical discontinuities and to weight the mechanical quantities along the boundary elements, the Lagrangian quadratic shape functions, rather than C 1 type (spline, Hermitian),…