The dynamic stability of an elastic column

Lyapunov's second method is used to investigate the stability of the rectilinear equilibrium modes of a non-linearly elastic thin rod (column) compressed at its end. Stability here is implied relative to certain integral characteristics, of the type of norms in Sobolev spaces; the analysis is carried out for all values of the problem parameter except the bifurcation values.

The realm of problems connected with the Lagrange-Dirichlet equilibrium stability theorem and its converse involves specific difficulties when considered in the infinite-dimensional case: stability in infinite-dimensional systems is investigated relative to certain integral characteristics such as norms /1/, and as the latter may be chosen with a certain degree of arbitrariness, different choices may result in different stability results. On the other hand, there is no relaxation of any of the difficulties encountered in the case of a finite number of degrees of freedom.

We shall consider a certain natural mechanical system with a finite number of degrees of freedom. If the first non-trivial form of the potential energy expansion is positive-definite, the equilibrium position is stable. A similar statement has been proved for infinitely many dimensions as well /1–3/, using Lyapunov's direct method, and the total energy may play the role of the Lyapunov function.

The situation with respect to instability is more complex. In the finite-dimensional case, if the first non-trivial form of the potential energy expansion may take negative values, instability may be demonstrated in many cases by means of a function proposed by Chetayev in /4/. A general theorem has been proved /1/ for instability in infinitely many dimensions, relying on an analogue of Chetayev's function. Such functions have also been used /5, 6/ to prove the instability of equilibrium in specific linear systems with an infinite number of degrees of freedom.

However, Chetayev's functions /4/ are not suitable tools to prove the instability of equilibrium in most non-linear systems. Another “Chetayev function”, which is actually a perturbed form of Chetayev's original function from /4/, has been proposed /7/, and it has been used to prove instability when the equilibrium position is an isolated critical point of the first non-trivial form of the potential energy expansion.

The majority of problems concerning the onset of instability of equilibrium configurations of elastic systems have been considered from a quasistatic point of view (see, e.g., /8, 9/). Problems of elastic stability and instability were considered in a dynamical setting in /2, 5/, where stability was investigated by Lyapunov's direct method. However, most of the results obtained in this branch of the field concern linear systems, and there are extremely few publications dealing with the onset of instability in non-linear elastic systems using Lyapunov's direct method. This is because in an unstable elastic system the quadratic part of the potential energy may change sign, and therefore the analogues of Chetayev's function from /4/ are not usually suitable for solving these problems. Dynamic instability has been studied or a specific non-linearly elastic system /10/, with the fact of instability established by using an analogue of the Chetayev function from /7/.

This paper presents one more example of a study of dynamic instability crried out for a non-linearly elastic system by Lyapunov's direct method.     

Instability Paths in the Kirchhoff–Plateau Problem

The Kirchhoff–Plateau problem concerns the equilibrium shapes of a system in which a flexible filament in the form of a closed loop is spanned by a soap film, with the filament being modeled as a Kirchhoff rod and the action of the spanning surface being solely due to surface tension. Adopting a variational approach, we define an energy associated with shape deformations of the system and then derive general equilibrium and (linear) stability conditions by considering the first and second variations of the energy functional. We analyze in detail the transition to instability of flat circular configurations, which are ground states for the system in the absence of surface tension, when the latter is progressively increased. Such a theoretical study is particularly useful here, since the many different perturbations that can lead to instability make it challenging to perform an exhaustive experimental investigation. We generalize previous results, since we allow the filament to possess a curved intrinsic shape and also to display anisotropic flexural properties (as happens when the cross section of the filament is noncircular). This is accomplished by using a rod energy which is familiar from the modeling of DNA filaments. We find that the presence of intrinsic curvature is necessary to obtain a first buckling mode which is not purely tangent to the spanning surface. We also elucidate the role of twisting buckling modes, which become relevant in the presence of flexural anisotropy.     

Differentiation of energy functionals in the three-dimensional theory of elasticity for bodies with surface cracks

A three-dimensional elastic body with a surface crack is considered. The boundary nonpenetration conditions in the form of inequalities (the Signorini type conditions) are given at the faces of the crack. The convergence is proved of a sequence of equilibrium problems in perturbed domains to the solution of an equilibrium problem in the unperturbed domain in a suitable Sobolev function space. The derivative is calculated of the energy functional with respect to the perturbation parameter of the surface crack.     

Optimal Control of Large Deformation Elasticity by Fiber Tension

Object of our interest is an elastic body Ω ⊂ ℝ³ which we can deform by applying a tension along certain given short fibers inside the body. The deformation of the body is desribed by a hyperelastic model with polyconvex energy density and a special energy functional for the tension along the fibers. We seek to apply (possibly large) deformations to the body so that a desired shape is obtained. To this end, we formulate an optimal control problem for the fiber tension field. (© 2014 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

A theorem of instability by linear approximation for a one-dimensional non-linearly elastic body

On the basis of and in a development of the ideas and results of A.A. Movchan (Sr.), that extend to continuous bodies the definitions and main fundamental theorems of Lyapunov on stability and instability, a criterion for instability of the equilibrium position of a one-dimensional non-linearly elastic body subject to potential external forces is established. For the specified simplest type of continuous elastic system (which possesses, however, a number of fundamental properties of continuous elastic systems including unboundedness of the operator of linear approximation and discreteness of its spectrum) a theorem of instability by linear approximation is stated and proved. The method of proof is a version of Persidskii's sector method.     

On the existence of optimal shapes in contact problems

The optimal shape design of a two-dimensional elastic body on a rigid frictionless foundation is analyzed. The problem is to find the boundary part of the body where the unilateral boundary conditions are assumed, in such a way that the total energy of the system in the equilibrium state will be minimized. The solvability of the problem is proved.     

Shear driven planar Couette and Taylor-like instabilities for a class of compressible isotropic elastic solids

We study the possibility for an isotropic elastic body to support forms of instability induced by shear stress states which are reminiscent of the planar Couette and the Taylor–Couette patterns observed in the flow of viscous fluids. Here, we investigate the emergence of bifurcating periodic deformations for an infinitely long compressible elastic block confined between and attached to parallel plates which are subject to a relative shear displacement. We specialize our analysis by considering a generalized form of the Blatz–Ko strain energy function and show through numerical representative examples that planar Couette modes are always preferred with respect to the twisting Taylor–Couette modes. Finally, we introduce a suitably restricted form of the strong ellipticity condition for the incremental elasticity tensor and discuss its significance in this bifurcation problem.     

Surface Tension and Wulff Shape for a Lattice Model without Spin Flip Symmetry

We propose a new definition of surface tension and check it in a spin model of the Pirogov-Sinai class without symmetry. We study the model at low temperatures on the phase transitions line and prove: (i) existence of the surface tension in the thermodynamic limit, for any orientation of the surface and in all dimensions $ d \geq 2 $; (ii) the Wulff shape constructed with such a surface tension coincides with the equilibrium shape of the cluster which appears when fixing the total spin magnetization (Wulff problem). Communicated by Vincent Rivasseau submitted 24/01/03, accepted: 12/04/03     

Shape and topological sensitivity analysis in domains with cracks

The framework for shape and topology sensitivity analysis in geometrical domains with cracks is established for elastic bodies in two spatial dimensions. The equilibrium problem for the elastic body with cracks is considered. Inequality type boundary conditions are prescribed at the crack faces providing a non-penetration between the crack faces. Modelling of such problems in two spatial dimensions is presented with all necessary details for further applications in shape optimization in structural mechanics. In the paper, general results on the shape and topology sensitivity analysis of this problem are provided. The results are of interest of their own. In particular, the existence of the shape and topological derivatives of the energy functional is obtained. The results presented in the paper can be used for numerical solution of shape optimization and inverse problems in structural mechanics.     

Phase transitions in multi-phase media

Two problems on phase transitions in a continuous medium are considered. The first problem deals with an elastic medium admitting more than two phases. Necessary conditions for equilibrium states are derived. The dependence of equilibrium states on the surface tension coefficients and temperature is studied for one model of a three-phase elastic medium such that each phase has a quadratic energy density. The second problem deals with phase transitions under some restrictions on the vector field under consideration. These restrictions imply that this vector field is solenoidal and its normal component vanishes on the boundary of the interfaces of phases. The equilibrium equations are deduced. Bibliography: 5 titles. Translated fromProblemy Matematicheskogo Analiza, No. 20, 2000, pp. 120–170.     

A mathematical study of the linear theory for orthotropic elastic simple shells

The theory of simple shells is a surface‐related Cosserat model for thin elastic shells. In this direct approach, each material point is connected with a triad of rigidly rotating directors. This paper presents a study of the governing equations for orthotropic elastic simple shells in the framework of the linearized theory. We establish the uniqueness of classical solutions, without any restrictive assumption on the strain energy function. The continuous dependence of solutions on the body loads and initial data is proved. Also, the existence of weak solutions to the equations of simple shells is proved by means of an inequality of Korn's type established for such directed surfaces. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The symmetry of rotating fluid bodies

Consider an incompressible fluid body (in outer space) rotating about an axis with a given angular velocity , and which is in equilibrium relative to the potential energy of its own gravitational field and the surface energy due to surface tension. We show that such a body possesses a plane of symmetry perpendicular to the axis of rotation such that any line parallel to the axis and meeting the body cuts it in a line segment whose center lies on the plane of symmetry. This extends an earlier result of L. Lichtenstein [4].This work was done with the support of S.F.B. 72 while the author was a visitor at the University of Bonn     

The formulation of linearized boundary integral equations of the anisotropic theory of elasticity and their application in geometrical inverse problems

An elastic bounded anisotropic solid with an elastic inclusion is considered. An oscillating source acts on part of the boundary of the solid and excites oscillations in it. Zero displacements are specified on the other part of the solid and zero forces on the remaining part. A variation in the shape of the surface of the solid and of the inclusion of continuous curvature is introduced and the problem of the theory of elasticity with respect to this variation is linearized. An algorithm for constructing integral representations for such linearized problems is described. The limiting properties of the linearized operators are investigated and special boundary integral equations of the anisotropic theory of elasticity are formulated, which relate the variations of the boundary strain and stress fields with the variations in the shape of the boundary surface. Examples are given of applications of these equations in geometrical inverse problems in which it is required to establish the unknown part of the body boundary or the shape of an elastic inclusion on the basis of information on the wave field on the part of the body surface accessible for observation.     

A model of weak viscoelastic nematodynamics

The paper develops a continuum theory of weak viscoelastic nematodynamics of Maxwell type. It can describe the molecular elasticity effects in mono-domain flows of liquid crystalline polymers as well as the viscoelastic effects in suspensions of uniaxially symmetric particles in polymer fluids. Along with viscoelastic and nematic kinematics, the theory employs a general form of weakly elastic thermodynamic potential and the Leslie–Ericksen–Parodi type constitutive equations for viscous nematic liquids, while ignoring inertia effects and the Frank (orientation) elasticity in liquid crystal polymers. In general case, even the simplest Maxwell model has many basic parameters. Nevertheless, recently discovered algebraic properties of nematic operations reveal a general structure of the theory and present it in a simple form. It is shown that the evolution equation for director is also viscoelastic. An example of magnetization exemplifies the action of non-symmetric stresses. When the magnetic field is absent, the theory is reduced to the symmetric, fluid mechanical case with relaxation properties for both the stress and director. Our recent analyses of elastic and viscous soft deformation modes are also extended to the viscoelastic case. The occurrence of possible soft modes minimizes both the free energy and dissipation, and also significantly decreases the number of material parameters. In symmetric linear case, the theory is explicitly presented in terms of anisotropic linear memory functionals. Several analytical results demonstrate a rich behavior predicted by the developed model for steady and unsteady flows in simple shearing and simple elongation.     

A model of weak viscoelastic nematodynamics

The paper develops a continuum theory of weak viscoelastic nematodynamics of Maxwell type. It can describe the molecular elasticity effects in mono-domain flows of liquid crystalline polymers as well as the viscoelastic effects in suspensions of uniaxially symmetric particles in polymer fluids. Along with viscoelastic and nematic kinematics, the theory employs a general form of weakly elastic thermodynamic potential and the Leslie–Ericksen–Parodi type constitutive equations for viscous nematic liquids, while ignoring inertia effects and the Frank (orientation) elasticity in liquid crystal polymers. In general case, even the simplest Maxwell model has many basic parameters. Nevertheless, recently discovered algebraic properties of nematic operations reveal a general structure of the theory and present it in a simple form. It is shown that the evolution equation for director is also viscoelastic. An example of magnetization exemplifies the action of non-symmetric stresses. When the magnetic field is absent, the theory is reduced to the symmetric, fluid mechanical case with relaxation properties for both the stress and director. Our recent analyses of elastic and viscous soft deformation modes are also extended to the viscoelastic case. The occurrence of possible soft modes minimizes both the free energy and dissipation, and also significantly decreases the number of material parameters. In symmetric linear case, the theory is explicitly presented in terms of anisotropic linear memory functionals. Several analytical results demonstrate a rich behavior predicted by the developed model for steady and unsteady flows in simple shearing and simple elongation.     

Phase transition for models of an elastic medium with residual stress

A variational problem on martensite-austenite phase transitions in a continuous medium is considered. The energy functional of this problem depends on two parameters: the temperature, which runs all real values, and the positive surface tension coefficient. A half-plane is divided into three open zones. In the first zone, only the martensite one-phase equilibrium state is realized. In the second zone, only the austenite one-phase equilibrium state is realized, whereas, in the third zone, any equilibrium state is a two-phase one. On the interface surfaces separating the zones, only those equilibrium states are realized that are typical for adjoining zones. In the homogeneous and isotropic case, the explicit solution to the problem is given provided that the surface tension coefficient is zero. Bibliography: 12 titles. Illustrations: 4 figures. Translated fromProblemy Matematicheskogo Analiza, No. 17, 1997, pp. 153–191.     

Shape and topology optimization of contact problems by level set methods

This paper deals with the numerical solution of a topology and shape optimization problems of an elastic body in unilateral contact with a rigid foundation. The contact problem with the prescribed friction is considered. The structural optimization problem consists in finding such shape of the boundary of the domain occupied by the body that the normal contact stress along the contact boundary of the body is minimized. In the paper shape as well as topological derivatives formulae of the cost functional are provided using material derivative and asymptotic expansion methods, respectively. These derivatives are employed to formulate necessary optimality condition for simultaneous shape and topology optimization. Level set based numerical algorithm for the solution of the shape optimization problem is proposed. Level set method is used to describe the position of the boundary of the body and its evolution on a fixed mesh. This evolution is governed by Hamilton – Jacobi equation. The speed vector field driving the propagation of the boundary of the body is given by the shape derivative of a cost functional with respect to the free boundary. Numerical examples are provided. (© 2008 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

关于弹性半无限体表面的稳定性

本文综合报道有关弹性半无限体表面稳定性的若干工作.对于不可压缩弹性半无限体,概述在双向受载下自由表面的失稳分析,给出失稳的临界条件.对于可压缩弹性材料情况,分析了由标准材料组成的半无限体的表面轴对称失稳,得到失稳临界参数对于材料参数的依赖关系.     

A shape-optimization technique for the capillary surface problem

Summary The problem of the construction of an equilibrium surface taking the surface tension into account leads to Laplace-Young equation which is a nonlinear elliptic free-boundary problem. In contrast to Orr et al. where an iterative technique is used for direct solution of the equation for problems with simple geometry, we propose here an alternative approach based on shape optimization techniques. The shape of the domain of the liquid is varied to attain the optimality condition. Using optimal control theory to derive expressions for the gradient, a numerical scheme is proposed and simple model problems are solved to validate the scheme.