Mechanical Properties of two novel planar lattice structures

Two novel statically indeterminate planar lattice materials are designed: a new Kagome cell (N-Kagome) and a statically indeterminate square cell (SI-square). Their in-plane mechanical properties, such as stiffness, yielding, buckling and collapse mechanisms are investigated by analytical methods. The analytical stiffness is also verified by means of finite element (FE) simulations. In the case of uniaxial loading, effective modulus, yield strength, buckling strength and critical relative density are compared for various lattice structures. At a critical relative density, the collapse mode will change from buckling to yielding. Elastic buckling under macroscopic shear loading is found to have significant influence on failure of lattice structures, especially at low relative densities. Comparison of the analytical bulk and shear moduli with the Hashin–Shtrikman bounds indicates that the mechanical properties of the SI-square honeycomb are relatively close to being optimal. It is found that compared with the other existing stretching-dominated 2D lattice structures, the N-Kagome cell possesses the largest continuous cavities for fixed relative densities and wall thicknesses, which is convenient for oil storage, disposal of heat exchanger, battery deploying and for other functions. And the initial yield strength of the N-Kagome cell is slightly lower than that of the Kagome cell. The SI-square cell has similar high stiffness and strength as the mixed cell while its buckling resistance is about twice than that of the mixed cell.     

Actuation of the Kagome Double-Layer Grid. Part 1: Prediction of performance of the perfect structure

The Kagome Double-Layer Grid (KDLG) is a sandwich-like structure, based on the planar Kagome pattern, which has properties that make it attractive for application as a morphing material. In order to understand the passive and active properties of the KDLG with rigid joints, an analysis is made of the determinacy of the pin-jointed version. The number of internal mechanisms and states of self-stress of the finite pin-jointed structure are calculated as a function of the size of the structure. A statically and kinematically determinate version is obtained by relocating the internal nodes and by prescribing a set of patch bars around the periphery. The actuation performance of the rigid-jointed version is then explored theoretically by replacing a single bar in the structure by an actuator. The resistance to actuation is determined in terms of the stiffness and the allowable actuation strain as dictated by yield and buckling. The paper concludes with the optimal design of a double-layer grid to maximise actuation performance.     

Progressive fracture analysis of planar lattices and shape-morphing Kagome-structure

Lattice solids are being contemplated for use in prospective lightweight structural applications. Hence, the understanding of their mechanical behavior is essential. In this work, the tensile behavior of the triangular (T), hexagonal (H) and Kagome (K) planar lattices containing notches is explored using FE-based progressive failure analysis. As an elastic-brittle material is assumed for the struts, they fail in rupture. The effects of notch-length and relative density are examined. Computations show a dramatic decrease of both stiffness and strength of the lattices with increasing the notch-length. For the relative density, the opposite effect is ascertained. Fracture patterns are found to depend only on the topology of the lattices. T- and K-lattice show a similar and much stronger behavior than the H-lattice.Using the same numerical method, the bending behavior of the shape-morphing Kagome-structure (KS) is simulated in regard of the different materials used in the members of the structure. Failure analysis of the KS involves progression of yielding and initiation of buckling in the face-sheet and struts. It was found that the bending rigidity of the KS is governed by the stiffness of the material of the face-sheet while the material of the core determines whether yielding or buckling will initiate first.     

Actuation of the Kagome Double-Layer Grid. Part 2: Effect of imperfections on the measured and predicted actuation stiffness

The actuation stiffness of a set of steel Kagome Double-Layer Grid (KDLG) structures with brazed joints is measured experimentally and compared with predictions by the finite element method. The predicted actuation stiffnesses for the perfect KDLGs much exceed the measured values, and it is argued that the low values of observed actuation stiffness are due to the presence of geometric imperfections introduced during manufacture. In order to assess the significance of geometric defects upon actuation stiffness, finite element calculations are performed on structures with a stochastic dispersion in nodal position from the perfectly periodic arrangement, and on structures with wavy bars. It is found that bar waviness has the dominant effect upon the actuation stiffness. The predicted actuation stiffness for the imperfect structures are in satisfactory agreement with the measured values assuming the same level of imperfection between theory and experiment.     

Effects of high order deformations on the strength of planar lattice materials

Lattice materials have been attractive over the last decade for use as load-carrying structures, energy absorbing elements and heat exchanging structures because of their excellent mechanical properties and multifunctional characters. However, the quantitative analysis accounting for high order deformations upon the collapse of lattice materials, which is important for their applications, has not been reported. An analytical investigation of yield surfaces with respect to the high order deformations was carried out for two typical planar lattice materials： triangular and Kagome lattices separately. The analytical results were validated by the finite element method （FEM） simulations. It was found that the effect of high order deformation on the yield strength increases with the relative density. The bending effect of the Kagome lattice is more obvious than that of the triangular one with the same relative density and stress state. The yield strength of the Kagome lattice calculated by neglecting the bending effect overestimates the result by more than 10% when the relative density is higher than about 11.1%, which may not be ignored in engineering applications. The yielding surfaces of the two lattice materials demonstrated in the paper also confirm the analytical results.     

On the performance of truss panels with Kagomé cores

The performance characteristics of a truss core sandwich panel design based on the 3D Kagomé has been measured and compared with earlier simulations. Panels have been fabricated by investment casting and tested in compression, shear and bending. The isotropic nature of this core design has been confirmed. The superior performance relative to truss designs based on the tetrahedron has been demonstrated and attributed to the greater resistance to plastic buckling at the equivalent core density.     

正交各向异性Kagome蜂窝材料宏观等效力学性能

由于微结构的布局和尺寸的方向性,人造和天然的蜂窝材料都会不同程度呈现各向异性,其中正交各向异性的蜂窝材料较为常见.该文采用桁架模型推导了正交各向异性Kagome单胞蜂窝材料等效刚度和强度的解析表达式,给出了初始屈服函数和近似弹性屈曲强度,讨论了等效刚度与各向异性率和相对密度的关系.等效刚度的解析结果与单胞壁杆采用梁单元建模的刚架模型均匀化结果进行比较,结果令人满意.需要说明的是这类"组合蜂窝"材料具有多功能性和潜在的可设计性,正在受到人们关注.     

Distributed piezoelectric actuation of a bistable buckled beam

Bistable structures, such as buckled beams or plates, are characterized by a two-well potential. Their nonlinear properties are currently exploited in actuators design (e.g. MEMS micropumps, switches, memory cells) to produce relatively high displacements and forces with low actuation energies. We investigate the use of distributed multiparameter actuation to control the buckling and postbuckling behavior of a three-layer piezoelectric beam pinned at either end. A two-parameter bending actuation controls the transversal motion, whilst an axial actuation and a beam end-shortening modulate the tangent bending stiffness. The postbuckling behavior is studied by reducing to a 2 dof system a nonlinear extensible elastica model. When the bending actuation is spatially symmetric, the postbuckling phenomena are analogue to those obtained for a transversal midspan force, being characterized by a snap-through instability. The use of a two-parameter actuation opens new transition scenarios, where it is possible to get true quasi-static transitions between the two specular equilibria of the buckled beam, without any instability phenomenon. The efficiencies of these different transition paths are discussed in terms of energetic requirements and stability properties. A numerical example shows the technical feasibility of the proposed actuation technique.     

Analysis of microbuckling for monomolecular layers adhering to a substrate

A two-dimensional linear spring model is established to study the microbuckling of a plane monomolecular layer adhering to a substrate. The model is for the layer subjected to a compressive load having an arbitrary angle with the chemical bond of the layer. The effects of the load angle, the strength of adhesion and the bending stiffness and shearing stiffness (the capability of resisting transverse bending and in-plane shearing) of the layer on the minimal buckling force and the critical buckling mode are discussed. It is found that the minimal buckling force increases with increasing load angle and, for a given bending stiffness, increases with increasing strength of adhesion and decreasing shearing stiffness. Furthermore, a critical condition under which the buckling of the layer can just occur is obtained, which is helpful to avoid buckling in an engineering application. The project supported by the National Distinguished Young Scientist Fund, Cheung Kong Scholars Programme, the National Natural Science Foundation of China (10272082, 10172068) and Shanghai Postdoctoral Science Foundation     

The structural performance of the periodic truss

Matrix methods of linear algebra are used to analyse the structural mechanics of the periodic pin-jointed truss by application of Bloch's theorem. Periodic collapse mechanisms and periodic states of self-stress are deduced from the four fundamental subspaces of the kinematic and equilibrium matrix for the periodic structure. The methodology developed is then applied to the Kagome lattice and the triangular-triangular (T-T) lattice. Both periodic collapse mechanisms and collapse mechanisms associated with uniform macroscopic straining are determined. It is found that the T-T lattice possesses only macroscopic strain-producing mechanisms, while the Kagome lattice possesses only periodic mechanisms which do not generate macroscopic strain. Consequently, the Kagome lattice can support all macroscopic stress states. The macroscopic stiffness of the Kagome and T-T trusses is obtained from energy considerations. The paper concludes with a classification of collapse mechanisms for periodic lattices.     

The damage tolerance of elastic-brittle, two-dimensional isotropic lattices

The fracture toughness of elastic-brittle 2D lattices is determined by the finite element method for three isotropic periodic topologies: the regular hexagonal honeycomb, the Kagome lattice and the regular triangular honeycomb. The dependence of mode I and mode II fracture toughness upon relative density is determined for each lattice, and the fracture envelope is obtained in combined mode I-mode II stress intensity factor space. Analytical estimates are also made for the dependence of mode I and mode II toughness upon relative density. The high nodal connectivity of the triangular grid ensures that it deforms predominantly by stretching of the constituent bars, while the hexagonal honeycomb deforms by bar bending. The Kagome microstructure deforms by bar stretching remote from the crack tip, and by a combination of bar bending and bar stretching within a characteristic elastic deformation zone near the crack tip. This elastic zone reduces the stress concentration at the crack tip in the Kagome lattice and leads to an elevated macroscopic toughness.Predictions are given for the tensile and shear strengths of a centre-cracked panel with microstructure given explicitly by each of the three topologies. The hexagonal and triangular honeycombs are flaw-sensitive, with a strength adequately predicted by linear elastic fracture mechanics (LEFM) for cracks spanning more than a few cells. In contrast, the Kagome microstructure is damage tolerant, and for cracks shorter than a transition length its tensile strength and shear strength are independent of crack length but are somewhat below the unnotched strength. At crack lengths exceeding the transition value, the strength decreases with increasing crack length in accordance with the LEFM estimate. This transition crack length scales with the parameter of bar length divided by relative density of the Kagome grid, and can be an order of magnitude greater than the cell size at low relative densities. Finally, the presence of a boundary layer is noted at the free edge of a crack-free Kagome grid loaded in tension and in shear. Deformation within this boundary layer is by a combination of bar bending and stretching whereas remote from the free edge the Kagome grid deforms by bar stretching (with a negligible contribution from bar bending). The edge boundary layer degrades both the macroscopic stiffness and strength of the Kagome plate. No such boundary layer is evident for the hexagonal and triangular honeycombs.     

轻质金属点阵夹层板热屈曲临界温度分析

本文针对均匀温度场下四边简支和四边固支金属点阵夹层板的临界热屈曲温度进行了求解和参数影响分析。将点阵夹芯等效为均匀连续体,并且将夹层板的剪切刚度近似为点阵夹芯的抗剪切刚度,忽略夹芯的抗弯刚度且认为夹层板主要由面板来提供抗弯刚度。对于无法获得解析解的四边固支条件,通过对未知变量进行双傅里叶展开的方法求解了Ressiner夹层板模型的临界屈曲温度,理论分析结果与有限元计算结果吻合良好。进一步分析了不同边界条件、点阵胞元构型、点阵材料相对密度、面板厚度等对临界屈曲温度的影响规律。     

Mechanical behavior of sandwich panels with tetrahedral and Kagome truss cores fabricated from wires

Wires are great candidates as the raw material for truss periodic cellular metals because they can display high strength as in piano wires, are easy to fabricate, and can be controlled to be defect free. New approaches based on tri-axial weaving of wires to create ideal trusses, i.e., tetrahedral and Kagome truss have been presented. The mechanical properties of the sandwich panels with the truss cores fabricated by using the new approaches under compression and bending loadings are analyzed by elementary beam theory and experiments. The relative density, stiffness, and strength of the sandwich panels are estimated by the derived equations and compared with the measured results. The failure mechanisms of the sandwich panels are analyzed, and also benefits and shortcomings of each approach with respect to mechanical performance and production are discussed.     

Design optimization of truss-cored sandwiches with homogenization

Lightweight metallic sandwich plates comprising periodic truss cores and solid facesheets are optimally designed against minimum weights. Constitutive models of the truss core are developed using homogenization techniques which, together with effective single-layer sandwich approaches, form the basis of a two-dimensional (2D) single-layer sandwich model. The 2D model is employed to simulate the mechanical behaviors of truss-cored sandwich panels having a variety of core topologies. The types of loading considered include bending, transverse shear and in-plane compression. The validities of the 2D model predictions are checked against direct FE simulations on three-dimensional (3D) truss core sandwich structures. Optimizations using the 2D sandwich model are subsequently performed to determine the minimum weights of truss-cored sandwiches subjected to various failure constraints: overall and local buckling, yielding and facesheet wrinkling. The performances of the optimized truss core sandwiches with 4-rod unit cell and solid truss members and pyramidal unit cell with hollow truss members are compared with benchmark lightweight structures such as honeycomb-cored sandwiches, tetrahedral core sandwiches and hat-stiffened single layer plates.     

Geometric and Material Nonlinear Static and Dynamic Analysis of Space Truss Structures

A formulation of the nonlinear FEM truss element that takes into account both the geometric nonlinearity and material nonlinearity of the structure is derived. The associated iterative algorithm for the application is described. Based on two inelastic material models (isotropic hardening and dynamic hardening), three space truss structures are subjected to static and to dynamic loads in order to illustrate the application of nonlinear FEM. The nonlinear FEM described can accurately trace the complex structural behavior of space truss structures, including snap-through, and buckling. The FEM results match well with the theoretical results.     

Continuum models of multi-walled carbon nanotubes

Molecular mechanics (MM) simulations have been carried out to determine energetically favorable double-walled carbon nanotube (DWNT) structures, and analyze their infinitesimal extensional, torsional, radial expansion/contraction, and bending deformations. Loads are applied either to one wall or simultaneously to both walls of an open-ended DWNT. These results are compared against single-walled carbon nanotube (SWNT) results to determine differences and similarities between responses of SWNTs and DWNTs, and the validity of using SWNT results to predict the response of a DWNT. It is found that for small deformations such as simple tension and torsion, results for a DWNT can be derived from those for its constituent SWNTs within 3% error. Results of radial expansion/contraction of a SWNT are used to deduce an expression for the van der Waals force. Based on these results, a continuum model is proposed for a MWNT whose response to mechanical deformations computed using engineering theories is the same as that of the MWNT obtained via MM simulations. The continuum structure is comprised of concentric cylindrical tubes interconnected by truss elements. Young’s modulus, Poisson’s ratio, the thickness of each concentric tube, and the stiffness of the truss elements are given. The proposed continuum model is validated by studying bending and the onset of global buckling deformations of a DWNT and its proposed equivalent continuum structure. Carbon nanotubes can be replaced by their equivalent continuum structures when deriving mechanical properties of nanotube reinforced polymeric composites.     

高温下受压钢构件考虑屈曲的有限元本构模型

为计算大空间钢结构高温下的力学性能, 需考虑受压钢构件屈曲. 将钢构件屈
曲特性反映在材料的本构模型中, 进行高温下大空间钢结构有限元计算. 通过研究轴心
受压钢构件在不同温度下的弯曲变形, 推导出考虑长细比、初始缺陷、临界力等因素的
受压钢构件名义轴向刚度; 通过能量等效, 用等效刚度代替名义轴向刚度, 得到高温下
受压钢构件考虑屈曲的钢材两折线应力--应变本构模型, 数值计算验证了模型的正确性.     

PLASTIC ZONE OF SEMI-INFINITE CRACK IN PLANAR KAGOME AND TRIANGULAR LATTICES

The fracture investigations of the planar lattices made of ductile cell walls are currently limited to bending-dominated hexagonal honeycomb. In this paper, the plastic zones of stretching-dominated lattices, including Kagome and triangular lattices, are estimated by analyzing their effective yield loci. The normalized in-plane yield loci of these two lattices are almost identical convex curves enclosed by 4 straight lines, which is almost independent of the relative density but is highly sensitive to the principal stress directions. Therefore, the plastic zones around the crack tip of Kagome and triangular are estimated to be quite different to those of the continuum solid and also hexagonal lattice. The plastic zones predictions by convex yield surfaces of both lattices are validated by FE calculations, although the shear lag region caused by non-local bending effect in the Kagome lattice enlarges the plastic zone in cases of small ratio of rp/l.     

几种变截面点阵承受面外压缩载荷的力学行为

增材制造工艺的出现使得轴向变截面点阵结构设计成为可能,变截面点阵的刚度、强度和稳定性等力学行为研究具有重要的工程意义。假定杆件横截面沿轴向呈双曲线或椭圆型变化,积分推导变截面对于杆件刚度产生的影响,在平衡方程中进行参数变换,推导出变截面对于杆件失稳特征值的解析解,并最终将椭圆型截面杆件应用于实际的金字塔点阵设计。最后引入了特征值算法和弧长法,前者证实了解析解的正确性,后者用于计算含几何缺陷的金字塔胞元后屈曲行为。解析解与数值方法均表明,对于相对密度较低的金字塔点阵,椭圆型轴向变截面杆件设计可以使得点阵刚度在基本保持不变的情况下,有效提高点阵等效压缩强度。研究结果可以为高性能变截面点阵的设计提供理论基础。     

复合板旋转约束刚度推导及箱型结构屈曲分析

基于结构稳定性理论,推导出正交各向异性纤维树脂增强复合材料箱型结构各板连接处旋转约束刚度的近似表达式．与以往的经验公式相比,考虑了材料的正交各向异性和截面尺寸的影响．通过对箱型结构的正交各向异性比、截面属性以及纵横比对旋转约束刚度的影响进行参数研究,验证了旋转约束刚度新公式的精确性和适用范围．通过比较采用不同近似表达式得到的结果与有限元计算结果的对比,表明本文的旋转约束刚度新公式可以更精确地用来计算箱型结构的临界屈曲载荷．