Time-dependent behavior of passive skeletal muscle

An isotropic three-dimensional nonlinear viscoelastic model is developed to simulate the time-dependent behavior of passive skeletal muscle. The development of the model is stimulated by experimental data that characterize the response during simple uniaxial stress cyclic loading and unloading. Of particular interest is the rate-dependent response, the recovery of muscle properties from the preconditioned to the unconditioned state and stress relaxation at constant stretch during loading and unloading. The model considers the material to be a composite of a nonlinear hyperelastic component in parallel with a nonlinear dissipative component. The strain energy and the corresponding stress measures are separated additively into hyperelastic and dissipative parts. In contrast to standard nonlinear inelastic models, here the dissipative component is modeled using an evolution equation that combines rate-independent and rate-dependent responses smoothly with no finite elastic range. Large deformation evolution equations for the distortional deformations in the elastic and in the dissipative component are presented. A robust, strongly objective numerical integration algorithm is used to model rate-dependent and rate-independent inelastic responses. The constitutive formulation is specialized to simulate the experimental data. The nonlinear viscoelastic model accurately represents the time-dependent passive response of skeletal muscle.     

Rate dependent finite strain constitutive model of polyurea

Continuous loading and unloading experiments are performed at different strain rates to characterize the large deformation behavior of polyurea under compressive loading. In addition, uniaxial compression tests are carried out with multistep strain history profiles. The analysis of the experimental data shows that the concept of equilibrium path may not be applied to polyurea. This finding implies that viscoelastic constitutive models of the Zener type are no suitable for the modeling of the rate dependent behavior of polyurea. A new constitutive model is developed based on a rheological model composed of two Maxwell elements. The soft rubbery response is represented by a Gent spring while nonlinear viscous evolution equations are proposed to describe the time-dependent material response. The eight material model parameters are identified for polyurea and used to predict the experimentally-measured stress-strain curves for various loading and unloading histories. The model provides a good prediction of the response under monotonic loading over wide range of strain rates, while it overestimates the stiffness during unloading. Furthermore, the model predictions of the material relaxation and viscous dissipation during a loading-unloading cycle agree well with the experiments.     

超高分子量聚乙烯材料的应力松弛研究

采用实验方法研究超高分子量聚乙烯(UHMWPE)材料,在不同温度、应变率和初始应变的条件下进行单轴压缩应力松弛实验,得出松弛应力与时间成非线性关系,且温度越高、应变率越大、初始应变越小,则最终稳定的应力值越小的结论．采用时间分数阶粘弹性模型,结合Boltzmann叠加原理推导出UHMWPE材料在整个加载段及松弛段的应力响应函数,并与实验数据最小二乘拟合．结果表明,时间分数阶Scott-Blair模型能很好地描述UHMWPE材料的粘弹性行为．     

Thermo-mechanical large deformation response and constitutive modeling of viscoelastic polymers over a wide range of strain rates and temperatures

A phenomenological one-dimensional constitutive model, characterizing the complex and highly nonlinear finite thermo-mechanical behavior of viscoelastic polymers, is developed in this investigation. This simple differential form model is based on a combination of linear and nonlinear springs with dashpots, incorporating typical polymeric behavior such as shear thinning, thermal softening at higher temperatures and nonlinear dependence on deformation and loading rate. Another model, of integral form, namely the modified superposition principle (MSP), is also modified further and used to show the advantage of the newly developed model over MSP. The material parameters for both models are determined for Adiprene-L100, a polyurethane based rubber. The constants once determined are then utilized to predict the behavior under strain rate jump compression, multiple step stress relaxation loading experiment and free end torsion experiments. The new constitutive model shows very good agreement with the experimental data for Adiprene-L100 for the various finite loading paths considered here and provides a flexible framework for a three-dimensional generalization.     

柔性硅泡沫薄片的短时松弛行为研究

根据多孔硅泡沫材料的单轴压缩和应力松弛实验,利用最小二乘法的LM法拟合得到硅泡沫材料的本构关系.基于上述模型开展了组合结构中多孔泡沫薄片应力松弛行为的数值模拟,得到了短时松弛过程中硅泡沫结构件的应力变化规律.     

A unified constitutive law for cyclic viscoplasticity

A phenomenological constitutive model for cyclic viscoplasticity is presented within the framework of unified state variable theory. The model utilizes three distinct parameters to account for the cyclic (isotropic) hardening: drag stress, isotropic stress and rate sensitivity parameter causing the back stress to be rate-dependent. With the help of a rate-dependent format of the back stress, the constitutive model can reproduce positive, zero and negative strain rate sensitivity of the flow stress in a concise manner. The purpose of the paper is to investigate the influence of the three parameters on stress relaxation behavior and rate-dependent cyclic hardening concerned with the variation in strain rate sensitivity. The applicability of the model to monotonic and cyclic loading is validated by comparing the predictions with experiments of two stainless steels and an aluminum alloy reported in literature.     

The multi-axial deformation behavior of bulk metallic glasses at high homologous temperatures

In this work, we study the behavior of a recently-developed Lanthanum-based bulk metallic glass under uniaxial and multi-axial stress-states using the constitutive model developed by Thamburaja and Ekambaram (2007). The material parameters in the constitutive model are fitted to match the stress–strain responses obtained from a set of simple compression experiments conducted at temperatures within the supercooled liquid region under a variety of strain rates spanning approximately three decades. With the material parameters calibrated, we show that the aforementioned constitutive model is able to accurately predict the force vs. displacement responses of representative experiments conducted under multi-axial stress-states at temperatures within the supercooled liquid region, namely three-point bending and the superplastic forming of a miniature gear component. In particular, the evolution of the specimen geometry during the deformation under multi-axial loading conditions are also well-predicted by the constitutive model.     

Experimental identification and mathematical modeling of viscoplastic material behavior

Uniaxial torsion and biaxial torsion-tension experiments on thin-walled tubes were carried out to investigate the viscoplastic behavior of stainless steel XCrNi18.9. A series of monotonic tests under strain and stress control shows nonlinear rate dependence and suggests the existence of equilibrium states, which are asymptotically approached during relaxation and creep processes. Strain controlled cyclic experiments display various hardening and softening phenomena that depend on strain amplitude and mean strain. All experiments indicate that the equilibrium states within the material depend on the history of the input process, whereas the history-dependence of the relaxation and creep behavior appears less significant. From the experiments the design of a constitutive model of viscoplasticity is motivated: The basic assumption is a decomposition of the total stress into an equilibrium stress and a non-equilibrium overstress: At constant strain, the overstress relaxes to zero, where the relaxation time depends on the overstress in order to account for the nonlinear rate-dependence. The equilibrium stress is assumed to be a rate independent functional of the total strain history. Classical plasticity is utilized with a kinematic hardening rule of the Armstrong-Frederick type. In order to incorporate the amplitude-dependent hardening and softening behavior, a generalized arc length representation is applied [14]. The introduction of an additional kinematic hardening variable facilitates consideration of additional hardening effects resulting from the non-radiality of the input process. Apart from the common yield and loading criterion of classical plasticity, the proposed constitutive model does not contain any further distinction of different cases.The experimental data are sufficient to identify the material parameters of the constitutive model. The results of the identification procedure demonstrate the ability of the model to represent the observed phenomena with satisfactory approximation.     

Time-dependent Viscoelastic Behavior of an LDPE Melt

Two differential constitutive equations, i.e. Giesekus model and Johnson–Segalman model were employed here to predict the time-dependent viscoelastic behavior of an LDPE melt in thixotropy-loop experiments and step shear rate experiment. Multiple relaxation modes were adopted, and the parameters used to describe the nonlinear viscoelasticity in the two models were obtained by fitting the shear-thinning viscosity. The predictions on those transient shear characteristics by the two models are found in qualitative agreement with our previous experiments. Johnson– Segalman model predicts oscillation behavior in the thixotropy-loop and step shear rate experiments, whereas Giesekus model does not. Both models predict higher shear stresses than the experimental data in the case of long time shearing, implying that both models are not able to completely characterize the time-dependent shear stress of the melt at high shear rate.The project was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (10402024, 50335010).The English text was polished by Yunming Chen.     

Failure criterion of collagen fiber: Viscoelastic behavior simulated by using load control data

A nonlinear Zener model is developed to model the viscoelastic behavior of collagen fibers, a building block of the biological soft tissues in the skeletal system. The effects of the strain rate dependency, the loading history, rest, and recovery on the stress-strain relationship of collagen fibers were investigated using the Zener model. The following loading conditions were simulated: (1) the stress relaxation after cyclic loading, (2) the constant strain rate loading before and after cyclic loading (stabilization) and post recovery, and (3) the constant strain rate loading over a wide range of loading rates. In addition, we explored the critical values of stress and strain using different failure criteria at different strain rates. Four major findings were derived from these simulations. First of all, the stress relaxation is larger with a smaller number cycles of preloading. Second, the strain rate sensitivity diminishes after the stabilization and recovery from resting. Third, the stress-strain curve is dependent on the strain rate except for extreme loading conditions (very fast or slow rates of loading). Finally, the strain energy density (SED) criteria may be a more practical failure criterion than the ultimate stress or strain criterion for collagen fiber. These results provide the basis for interpretation of the viscoelastic and failure behaviors of complex structures such as spinal functional units with more economical CPU than full finite element modeling of the whole structure would have required.     

对316L不锈钢的非比例循环粘塑性本构描述

对循环硬化的３１６Ｌ不锈钢提出了一个考虑非比例循环加载下流动和硬化特性的粘塑性本构模型。模型中，通过随动硬化的背应力演化以各向同性阻力演化非比例循环路径及其历史的依赖关系来表征材料的非比例循环附加硬化和非比例循环流动特性，将模型用于预测３１６Ｌ不锈钢的圆形，正菱形应变路径的复杂循环变形行为，其预言结果与实验结果吻合很好。     

Cyclic behavior of unidirectional and cross-ply titanium matrix composites

Relatively simple and efficient micromechanical models are used to obtain the uniaxial response of SCS-6/Timetal 21S with [0]₄ and [0/90]_s laminates when subjected to isothermal and thermomechanical fatigue (TMF) loadings. Features of the modeling that are required to obtain the accurate deformation behavior for this class of materials under these loadings are highlighted. To this end, a comparison is made between the concentric cylinder model and the uniaxial stress model for representing the [0] laminate. The axial stresses from the two models are very similar under mechanical loading. The greatest differences appear under thermal loading alone. The differences on the composite response between a time-independent elastic-plastic and a viscoplastic matrix constitutive model are also examined. The latter is based on the Bodner-Partom unified constitutive model. The [0/90] laminate is treated by adding a parallel element with smeared [90] ply properties to the [0] model and invoking axial strain compatibility as well as stress equilibrium. The proposed constitutive law for the [90] ply includes both matrix viscoplasticity and fiber/matrix separation damage and is based on damage mechanics concepts. The effect of cyclic frequency on TMF behavior is examined. The in-phase TMF life is shown to be very sensitive to frequency due to the relaxation of matrix stress and the attendant increase in fiber stress.     

60Si2Mn螺旋弹簧的压缩应力松弛行为与贮存寿命预测

为评价60Si2Mn螺旋压缩弹簧的室温松弛特性,利用InstronE3000K8953型小吨位电子动静态疲劳试验机,对其在不同温度和初始应力水平条件下进行了高温压缩加速应力松弛试验,研究了环境温度、初始应力水平对松弛行为的影响.基于粘弹性体模型,揭示了应力松弛过程中弹性应变向塑性应变的转化特性与塑性应变随松弛时间的变化规律.在对应力松弛前后弹簧丝材金相和TEM微结构进行对比分析的基础上,探讨了应力松弛的微观机制.结果表明,环境温度与初始应力水平对松弛速率具有显著影响.基于应力松弛过程的热激活特性,建立了60Si2Mn螺旋压缩弹簧的贮存寿命预测方程,并对不同应力水平下弹簧的室温和高温贮存寿命进行了合理预测.     

A constitutive model in finite viscoelasticity

A new constitutive model is suggested for the viscoelastic behavior of rubber-like materials at finite strains. The model treats a viscoelastic medium as a system with a variable number of purely elastic links, which can arise and collapse due to micro-Brownian motion of molecules.Assuming that the processes of birth and death for elastic links are independent of stresses, we obtain operator linear constitutive equations in finite viscoelasticity. According to this model, elastic and viscous effects may be distinguished and described independently of each other by a relaxation measure and a strain energy density.The potential energy of deformations is assumed to depend on the principal invariants of the relative Finger tensor of strains. Unlike the standard approach, we do not suggest any expression for the strain energy densitya priori, but suppose that this function is presented as a sum of two functions of one variable which are found by fitting experimental data.The proposed approach allows results of several experiments (uniaxial tension, biaxial tension, and torsion) for styrene butadiene rubber and butyl rubber to be predicted correctly.     

Quasi-Linear Viscoelastic Model of the Articular Disc of the Temporomandibular Joint

A precise characterization of the articular disc of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) is essential to study the masticatory biomechanics. The disc is responsible for the load distribution over the articular surface and for absorbing impacts during mastication. The main objective of this work is to characterize the mechanical behaviour of the articular disc under compression, the usual stress state during mastication. A quasi-linear viscoelastic (QLV) model, with a hyperelastic response for the elastic function, is proposed to describe the mechanical behaviour of the articular disc. The validity of that simplified model relies on the independence of their constants with the strain level and strain rate. The independence of the strain level was proved in a previous work. In this paper, different loading rates were tested to fully confirm the validity of the model in the physiological range of loads. Moreover, the strong non-linearity of the stress-strain relation made the exponential strain energy function the most suitable of the different models tried to represent the elastic response of the QLV model.     

A viscoplastic constitutive model incorporating dynamic strain aging effect during cyclic deformation conditions

In this paper, a viscoplastic constitutive model previously proposed by the authors was extended to apply to the cyclic deformation analysis of the modified 9Cr-1Mo steel. A series of cyclic deformation tests were conducted on modified 9Cr-1Mo steel at various temperatures, including those under anisothermal conditions. Furthermore, cyclic evolution of state variables used in the authors' constitutive model was experimentally measured. Based on the test results, cyclic softening behavior depending on the temperature and its history was introduced into the constitutive model. The extended model was applied to simulations of inelastic deformation behavior under monotonic tension, stress relaxation, creep, isothermal cyclic deformations including stress relaxation and anisothermal cyclic deformations. It was found that the present constitutive model has a capability of describing the inelastic deformation behavior of modified 9Cr-1Mo steel adequately at various loading conditions.     

考虑路径相关性的非比例循环塑性本构模型

根据非比例加载下金属材料响应的延迟特性及加载路径相关性,选取沿应力迹法向的塑性应变的累积量作为非比例加载影响的度量,相应给出反映非比例附加强化的变量,并假设其模量和强化率与加载路径的几何参数相关．为反映由于非比例加载而引起的材料强化的异向效应,在Valanis的塑性内时响应方程中引入与加载路径几何性质有关的应力项,构成非比例循环塑性本构关系．对316和304不锈钢材料在一些典型非比例循环加载路径下的应力响应进行了理论预测,与Benallal等及McDowell的实验结果取得了良好的一致．     

Modeling viscoelastic dielectrics

Dielectric elastomers, as an important category of electroactive polymers, are known to have viscoelastic properties that strongly affect their dynamic performance and limit their applications. Very few models accounting for the effects of both electrostatics and viscoelasticity exist in the literature, and even fewer are capable of making reliable predictions under general loads and constraints. Based on the principles of non-equilibrium thermodynamics, this paper develops a field theory that fully couples the large inelastic deformations and electric fields in deformable dielectrics. Our theory recovers existing models of elastic dielectrics in the equilibrium limit. The mechanism of instantaneous instability, which corresponds to the pull-in instability often observed on dielectric elastomers, is studied in a general non-equilibrium state. The current theoretical framework is able to adopt most finite-deformation constitutive relations and evolution laws of viscoelastic solids. As an example, a specific material model is selected and applied to the uniform deformation of a dielectric elastomer. This model predicts the stability criteria of viscoelastic dielectrics and its dependence on loading rate, pre-stress, and relaxation. The dynamic response, as well as the hysteresis behavior of a viscoelastic dielectric elastomer under cyclic electric fields, is also studied.