Search results for " Finite element method"
showing 10 items of 58 documents
Piezoelectric energy harvesting from raised crosswalk devices
2015
This paper presents the main characteristics of an experimental energy harvesting device that can be used to recover energy from the vehicular and pedestrian traffic. The use of a piezoelectric bender devices leads to a innovative approach to Henergy Harvesting. The study focuses on the definition and specification of a mechanical configuration able to transfer the vibration from the main box to the piezoelectric transducer. The piezoelectric devices tested is the commonly used monolithic piezoceramic material lead-zirconate-titanate (PZT). The experimental results estimate the efficiency of this device tested and identify the feasibility of their use in real world applications. The results…
Finite Element Method Analysis of a Spur Gear with a Corrected Profile
2007
The difference between the stress value calculated by a two-dimensional finite element model of spur gears and those obtained by the rules in ISO 6336 was evaluated. Hertz theory, which provides information on the extension of the contact area and the maximum value of the contact pressure, was used to choose the dimensions of the elements. The mesh was created using the stress analytical solution relative to a model consisting of two cylinders in contact. Analogous optimization was executed for the mesh of the teeth feet; a mesh of 15 elements was considered optimum, because it minimized the difference to 0.5 per cent in the bending stress calculation. Stress values, obtained using the fin…
Fast MATLAB assembly of FEM matrices in 2D and 3D: Edge elements
2014
We propose an effective and flexible way to assemble finite element stiffness and mass matrices in MATLAB. We apply this for problems discretized by edge finite elements. Typical edge finite elements are Raviart-Thomas elements used in discretizations of H(div) spaces and Nedelec elements in discretizations of H(curl) spaces. We explain vectorization ideas and comment on a freely available MATLAB code which is fast and scalable with respect to time.
In-situ NDT testing procedure as an integral part of failure analysis of historical masonry arch bridges
2015
Abstract A nineteenth-century masonry arch bridge was analyzed as an illustrative example to explain the role of in-situ test campaigns in failure analysis and retrofit design. Test results were studied to find out the advantages of each technique, with the aim of proposing an optimized in-situ testing procedure. Standard static penetrometer, flat jack, thermographic and georadar in-situ tests were conducted. Traffic effects were analyzed by means of vibrational tests. The experimental analysis performed to investigate damage on the bridge structures shows the degree of reliability offered by each technique in evaluating specific information and reproducing the global behavior of the struct…
BEM application on an external problem comparison with both theoretical and finite elements results and observations on divergence strip
1992
Abstract By means of a computer program the Boundary Element Method is applied to a central hole in an undefined plate with uniform load along the boundary. Results are compared with those obtained by Kirsch's theoretical solution and a previous analysis by the Finite Element Method. The calculus of percentage error shows the advantage of the Boundary Element Method on the external problem with regard to the Finite Element Method. The error causes near the boundary internal points are analysed with the existence of a strip, where the result is not reliable in evidence.
Fluid–structure interaction of downwind sails: a new computational method
2018
The spreading of high computational resources at very low costs led, over the years, to develop new numerical approaches to simulate the fluid surrounding a sail and to investigate the fluidâstructure interaction. Most methods have concentrated on upwind sails, due to the difficulty of implementing downwind sailing configurations that present, usually, the problem of massive flow separation and large displacements of the sail under wind load. For these reasons, the problem of simulating the fluidâstructure interaction (FSI) on downwind sails is still subject of intensive investigation. In this paper, a new weak coupled procedure between a RANS solver and a FEM one has been implemented t…
Virtual simulation of an osseointegrated trans-humeral prosthesis: A falling scenario
2018
Abstract Introduction Traditional prosthetic solutions expose the amputee to numerous problems that limit his ability to safely perform the normal activities of daily life. In order to eliminate the problems related to the use of the traditional prosthesis with socket, a new technique was developed for fixing the prosthesis to the amputees based on the principle of osseointegration. The aim of this paper is to study and analyze the stress distribution on the interface between a trans-humeral osseointegrated prosthetic implant and the residual bone, identifying the most stressed areas and thus foreseeing possible failure phenomena of the entire prosthetic system and, after, to compare the st…
Stressing sequence of steel cable-stayed bridges built by cantilevering
2015
The construction of cable-stayed bridges by cantilevering implies several changes of geometry, stress and strain patterns during the assemblage of segments. The main target to be satisfied in the construction process is the achievement of the required final geometry and of a convenient state of stress for self-weight and sustained loads. The sequence of stay stressing and the values of prestressing forces at each stage of segment assembling have the main role for reaching the desired result of design, due to the large redundancy of cable-stayed structures.Among the different procedures proposed in the literature for initial cable force determination, the Partial Elastic Scheme (PES) Method …
A multi-scale method for complex flows of non-Newtonian fluids
2021
We introduce a new heterogeneous multi-scale method for the simulation of flows of non-Newtonian fluids in general geometries and present its application to paradigmatic two-dimensional flows of polymeric fluids. Our method combines micro-scale data from non-equilibrium molecular dynamics (NEMD) with macro-scale continuum equations to achieve a data-driven prediction of complex flows. At the continuum level, the method is model-free, since the Cauchy stress tensor is determined locally in space and time from NEMD data. The modelling effort is thus limited to the identification of suitable interaction potentials at the micro-scale. Compared to previous proposals, our approach takes into acco…
Improved global-local model to predict guided-wave scattering patterns from discontinuities in complex parts
2019
Ultrasonic guided-wave testing can greatly benefit from (1) an ability to provide quantitative information on the damage that is being detected, and (2) an ability to select the best mode-frequency combination for maximum sensitivity to a given type of damage. Achieving these capabilities in complex structures (e.g. nonprismatic structures such as a stiffened panel in aerospace fuselages) is a nontrivial task. This paper will discuss an improved Global-Local (GL) method where the geometrical “local” discontinuity (e.g. the stiffener) is modelled by traditional FE discretization and the rest of the structure (“global” part) is modelled by Semi-Analytical Finite Element (SAFE) cross-sectional…