Search results for "PLASTICITY"

A computational framework for microstructural modelling of polycrystalline materials with damage and failure

2017

In the present thesis, a computational framework for the analysis of the deformation and damage phenomena occurring at the scale of the constituent grains of polycrystalline materials is presented. The research falls within the area of Computational Micro-mechanics that has been attracting remarkable technological interest due to the capability of explaining the link between the micro-structural details of heterogenous materials and their macroscopic response, and the possibility of fine-tuning the macroscopic properties of engineered components through the manipulation of their micro-structure. However, despite the significant developments in the field of materials characterisation and the…

Evolution of anticipatory effects mediated by epigenetic changes.

2022

Abstract Anticipatory effects mediated by epigenetic changes occur when parents modify the phenotype of their offspring by making epigenetic changes in their gametes guided by information from an environmental cue. To investigate when do anticipatory effects mediated by epigenetic changes evolve in a fluctuating environment, I use an individual based simulation model with explicit genetic architecture. The model allows for the population to respond to environmental changes by evolving within generation plasticity, bet-hedging, or track the environment with genetic adaptation, in addition to the evolution of anticipatory effects. The results show that anticipatory effects evolve when the env…

Short-term impact of a Western diet on the physiology of the peripheral olfactory system

2016

Current feeding behaviors contribute to the epidemic levels of obesity and diabetes observed in Europe and worldwide. Both the quantity and the quality of ingested food are incriminated. Together with other sensory modalities, olfaction is involved in the control of food intake. Olfactory cues can influence eating behaviors, yet the nutritional status and diet can also alter olfactory abilities. Patients with metabolic disorders present impaired olfactory sensitivity which could in turn worsen their eating behaviors.Here we examined the short-term impact of a Western diet enriched in fat and sugar (High Fat High Sugar, HFHS) on the anatomy and physiology of the olfactory epithelium of postn…

Variation in egg size and offspring phenotype among and within seven Arctic charr morphs.

2022

Maternal effects have the potential to alter early developmental processes of offspring and contribute to adaptive diversification. Egg size is a major contributor to offspring phenotype, which can influence developmental trajectories and potential resource use. However, to what extent intraspecific variation in egg size facilitates evolution of resource polymorphism is poorly understood. We studied multiple resource morphs of Icelandic Arctic charr, ranging from an anadromous morph—with a phenotype similar to the proposed ancestral phenotype—to sympatric morphs that vary in their degree of phenotypic divergence from the ancestral anadromous morph. We characterized variation in egg size and…

Bounds on plastic strains for elastic plastic structures in plastic shakedown conditions

2007

The problem related to the computation of bounds on plastic deformations for structures in plastic shakedown condition (alternating plasticity) is studied. In particular, reference is made to structures discretized by finite elements constituted by elastic perfectly plastic material and subjected to a special combination of fixed and cyclic loads. The load history is known during the steady-state phase, but it is unknown during the previous transient phase; so, as a consequence, it is not possible to know the complete elastic plastic structural response. The interest is therefore focused on the computation of bounds on suitable measures of the plastic strain which characterizes just the fir…

On the computational aspects of a symmetric multidomain BEM for elastoplastic analysis

2012

The symmetric boundary element method (SBEM) is applied to the elasto-plastic analysis of bodies subdivided into substructures. This methodology is based on the use of: a multidomain SBEMapproach, for the evaluation of the elastic predictor; a return mapping algorithm based on the extremal paths theory, for the evaluation of inelastic quantities characterizing the plastic behaviour of each substructure; and a transformation of the domain inelastic integrals of each substructure into corresponding boundary integrals. The elastic analysis is performed by using the SBEM displacement approach, which has the advantage of creating system equations that only consist of nodal kinematical unknowns a…

Active macro-zone approach for incremental elastoplastic-contact analysis

2013

The symmetric boundary element method, based on the Galerkin hypotheses, has found an application in the nonlinear analysis of plasticity and in contact-detachment problems, but both dealt with separately. In this paper, we want to treat these complex phenomena together as a linear complementarity problem. A mixed variable multidomain approach is utilized in which the substructures are distinguished into macroelements, where elastic behavior is assumed, and bem-elements, where it is possible that plastic strains may occur. Elasticity equations are written for all the substructures, and regularity conditions in weighted (weak) form on the boundary sides and in the nodes (strong) between cont…

Multidomain SBEM analysis of two dimensional elastoplastic-contact problems

2012

The Symmetric Boundary Element Method based on the Galerkin hypotheses has found application in the nonlinear analysis of plasticity and contact-detachment problems, but dealt with separately. In this paper we wants to treat these complex phenomena together. This method works in structures by introducing a subdivision into sub-structures, distinguished into macroelements, where elastic behaviour is assumed, and bem-elements, where it is possible for plastic strains to occur. In all the sub-structures, elasticity equations are written and regularity conditions in weighted (weak) form and/or in nodal (strong) form between boundaries have to be introduced, to attain the solving equation system.

Inf-sup conditions on convex cones and applications to limit load analysis

2019

The paper is devoted to a family of specific inf–sup conditions generated by tensor-valued functions on convex cones. First, we discuss the validity of such conditions and estimate the value of the respective constant. Then, the results are used to derive estimates of the distance to dual cones, which are required in the analysis of limit loads of perfectly plastic structures. The equivalence between the static and kinematic approaches to limit analysis is proven and computable majorants of the limit load are derived. Particular interest is paid to the Drucker–Prager yield criterion. The last section exposes a collection of numerical examples including basic geotechnical stability problems.…

2015

The melanocortin system is one of the most important neuronal pathways involved in the regulation of food intake and is probably the best characterized. Agouti-related peptide (AgRP) and proopiomelanocortin (POMC) expressing neurons located in the arcuate nucleus of the hypothalamus are the key elements of this system. These two neuronal populations are sensitive to circulating molecules and receive many excitatory and inhibitory inputs from various brain areas. According to sensory and metabolic information they integrate, these neurons control different aspects of feeding behavior and orchestrate autonomic responses aimed at maintaining energy homeostasis. Interestingly, composition and a…