Search results for "Computational Mechanics"
showing 10 items of 155 documents
An enhanced grain-boundary framework for computational homogenization and micro-cracking simulations of polycrystalline materials
2015
An enhanced three-dimensional (3D) framework for computational homogenization and intergranular cracking of polycrystalline materials is presented. The framework is aimed at reducing the computational cost of polycrystalline micro simulations, with an aim towards effective multiscale modelling. The scheme is based on a recently developed Voronoi cohesive-frictional grain-boundary formulation. A regularization scheme is used to avoid excessive mesh refinements often induced by the presence of small edges and surfaces in mathematically exact 3D Voronoi morphologies. For homogenization purposes, periodic boundary conditions are enforced on non-prismatic periodic micro representative volume ele…
Mechanical behaviour of natural cow leather in tension
2009
We study experimentally the microstructure and mechanical behavior of natural cow leather. Tensile tests are performed using leather strips to observe their deformation, creep and failure. It is found that the microstructure of cow leather is a layered, complicated network of fibers of different sizes from a few to a few hundreds of nanometers in diameter. They show nonlinear stress-strain relations and viscoelastic behavior. The effect of humidity is also examined. A simple theoretical model of a multilayered beam is proposed to describe the most basic behavior in tension.
Application of infrared thermography as a complementary technique to conventional imaging techniques in paediatrics: case studies
2018
The use of infrared thermography has been shown to be useful in several areas. Its applicability in medicine is based on the fact that the skin emits spontaneously and continuously infrared radiati...
Modelling intergranular and transgranular micro-cracking in polycrystalline materials
2018
Abstract In this work, a grain boundary formulation for intergranular and transgranular micro-cracking in three-dimensional polycrystalline aggregates is presented. The formulation is based on the displacement and stress boundary integral equations of solid mechanics and it has the advantage of expressing the polycrystalline problem in terms of grain boundary variables only. The individual grains within the polycrystalline morphology are modelled as generally anisotropic linear elastic domains with random spatial orientation. Transgranular micro-cracking is assumed to occur along specific cleavage planes, whose orientation in space within the grains depend upon the crystallographic lattice.…
A microstructural model for homogenisation and cracking of piezoelectric polycrystals
2019
Abstract An original three-dimensional generalised micro-electro-mechanical model for computational homogenisation and analysis of degradation and micro-cracking of piezoelectric polycrystalline materials is proposed in this study. The model is developed starting from a generalised electro-mechanical boundary integral representation of the micro-structural problem for the individual bulk grains and a generalised cohesive formulation is employed for studying intergranular micro-damage initiation and evolution into intergranular micro-cracks. To capture the electro-mechanical coupling at the evolving damaging intergranular interfaces, standard mechanical cohesive laws are enriched with suitab…
Transport properties of heterogeneous materials. Combining computerised X-ray micro-tomography and direct numerical simulations
2009
Feasibility of a method for finding flow permeability of porous materials, based on combining computerised X-ray micro-tomography and numerical simulations, is assessed. The permeability is found by solving fluid flow through the complex 3D pore structures obtained by tomography for actual material samples. We estimate overall accuracy of the method and compare numerical and experimental results. Factors contributing to uncertainty of the method include numerical error arising from the finite resolution of tomographic images and the rather small sample size available with the present tomographic techniques. The total uncertainty of computed values of permeability is, however, not essentiall…
LRPH device optimization for axial and shear stresses
2020
The paper concerns an in-depth study of a special connection for steel structures and the formulation of the related optimal design problem. The connection is called Limited Resistance Rigid Perfectly Plastic Hinge (LRPH) and it represents an innovative device devoted to join steel beam elements of frame structures. The device consists in a sequence of steel cross sections constituted by two parallel flanges with suitably different thickness connected by as many webs with constant and equal thickness. The fundamental innovation of the device is the possibility of designing special connections with elastic stiffness and limit strength independent of each other. Such a special characteristic …
The development of nature-inspired gripping system of a flat CFRP strip for stress-ribbon structural layout
2021
Abstract The elegant stress-ribbon systems are efficient in pedestrian bridges and long-span roofs. Numerous studies defined corrosion of the steel ribbons as the main drawback of these structures. Unidirectional carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) is a promising alternative to steel because of lightweight, high strength, and excellent corrosion and fatigue resistance. However, the application of CFRP materials faced severe problems due to the construction of the anchorage joints, which must resist tremendous axial forces acting in the stress-ribbons. Conventional techniques, suitable for the typical design of the strips made from anisotropic material such as steel, are not useful for СF…
The interphase finite element
2011
Mesomodelling of structures made of heterogeneous materials requires the introduction of mechanical models which are able to simulate the interactions between the adherents. Among these devices is quite popular the zero thickness interface (ZTI) model where the contact tractions and the displacement discontinuities are the primary static and kinematic variables. In some cases the joint response depends also on the internal stresses and strains within the thin layer adjacent to the joint interfaces. The interphase model, taking into account these additional variables, represents a sort of enhanced ZTI. In this paper a general theoretical formulation of the interphase model is reported and an…
Optimality conditions for shakedown design of trusses
1995
This paper deals with optimal shakedown design of truss structures constituted by elastic perfectly plastic material. The design problem is formulated by means of a statical approach on the grounds of the shakedown lower bound theorem, and by means of a kinematical approach on the grounds of the shakedown upper bound theorem. In both cases two different types of design problem are formulated: one searches for the minimum volume design whose shakedown limit load is assigned; the other searches for the maximum shakedown limit load design whose volume is assigned. The Kuhn-Tucker equations of the four problems here above mentioned are found by utilizing a variational approach; these equations …