On the Dynamics of an Arbitrary Flexible Body with Large Overall Motion: An Integrated Approach

Abstract

This paper presents a procedure for studying flexibility effects of arbitrarily shaped bodies having large overall motion. The procedure automatically incorporates the so-called “dynamic stiffness” effects through its analysis, which is an integration of the techniques of structural dynamics and multibody dynamics. Nonlinear strain-displacement relations are used to obtain a consistent set of governing equations, which are linear in their displacements away from the; undeformed state. The governing equations themselves are developed from Kane's equations, using partialvelocity vectors and partial angular velocity vectors. Explicit expressions for the coefficients and terms of the governing equations are presented. The procedure is checked with two examples, a rotating beam and a rotating plate, whose solutions are reasonably well established.     

An Experimental-Numerical Hybrid Method for Elastic Contact Problems*

ABSTRACT

An experimental-numerical hybrid technique for determining the contact stress distribution between two elastic bodies having both frictionless as well as bonded contact is discussed in this paper. The hybrid method makes use of experimental data collected at a section far from the contact surface and the numerically generated influence coefficients, in terms of the applied unit normal and shear stresses. The experimental data, i.e., the differences in normal stresses and the shear stress, are obtained using photoelastic analysis for the examples illustrated in this paper. When substituted into equations corresponding to the unit normal and shear stress applied in the contact region, this results in a set of algebraic equations which, when solved, allow the contact stress distribution to be obtained. This method is illustrated with examples involving simple and complex geometries of the contacting bodies.     

Local contact characteristics of threaded surfaces in a planetary roller screw mechanism

Abstract

This study investigates the local contact characteristics of the threaded surface meshing of a planetary roller screw mechanism (PRSM). First, according to the threaded surface structure and threaded surface meshing characteristics, expressions for the principal curvature and principal direction of the contact ellipse at a contact point are derived based on the differential geometry theory. Next, based on a force analysis and threaded surface equations, an analytical model is established to calculate the dimensions and principal vector direction of contact ellipses on threaded surfaces. The elastic deformation and maximum contact stress are determined using Hertz elastic contact theory. Then, finite element (FE) numerical models for a single pair of threads at the screw–roller interface and the roller–nut interface are developed to calculate the contact area and maximum contact stress. The results are compared with those of the analytical model to demonstrate the validity of the analytical model. Finally, based on the analytical model proposed in this article, the local contact characteristics of threaded surfaces with various thread pitches, flank angles, and profile radii of roller threads are analyzed in detail.     

Geometry and differentiability requirements in multibody railroad vehicle dynamic formulations

The dynamic equations of multibody railroad vehicle systems can be formulated using different sets of generalized coordinates; examples of these sets of coordinates are the absolute Cartesian and trajectory coordinates. The absolute coordinate based formulations do not require introducing an intermediate track coordinate system since all the absolute coordinates are defined in the global system. On the other hand, when the trajectory coordinates are used, a track coordinate system that follows the motion of a body in the railroad vehicle system is introduced. This track coordinate system is defined by the track geometry and the distance traveled by the body along the track centerline. The configuration of the body with respect to the track coordinate system is defined using five coordinates; two translations and three Euler angles. In this paper, the formulations based on the absolute and trajectory coordinates are compared. It is shown that these two sets of coordinates require different degrees of differentiability and smoothness. When an elastic contact formulation is used to study the wheel/rail dynamic interaction, there are significant differences in the order of the derivatives required in both formulations. In fact, as demonstrated in this study, in the absence of a contact constraint formulation, higher order derivatives with respect to geometric parameters are still required when the equations are formulated using the trajectory coordinates. The formulation of the constraints used in the analysis of the wheel/rail contact is discussed and it is shown that when the absolute coordinates are used, only third order derivatives need to be evaluated. The relationship between the track frame used in railroad vehicle dynamics and the Frenet frame used in the theory of curves to describe the curve geometry is also discussed in this paper. Based on the analysis presented in this paper, the advantages and drawbacks of a hybrid method which employs both the absolute and trajectory coordinates and planar contact conditions in order to reduce the number of contact constraints and relax the differentiability requirements are discussed. In this method, the absolute coordinates are used to formulate the equations of motion of the railroad vehicle system. The absolute coordinate solution can be used to determine the trajectory coordinates and their time derivatives. Using the trajectory coordinates, the motion of the body in the vehicle with respect to the track coordinate system can be predicted and used in the formulation of the planar contact model.     

A 3D FEM–BEM rolling contact formulation for unstructured meshes

This work presents a new formulation for solving 3D steady-state rolling contact problems. The convective terms for computing the tangential slip velocities involved in the rolling problem, are evaluated using a new approximation inspired in numerical fluid dynamics techniques for unstructured meshes. Moreover, the elastic influence coefficients of the surface points in contact are approached by means of the finite element method (FEM) and/or the boundary element method (BEM). The contact problem is based on an Augmented Lagrangian Formulation and the use of projection functions to establish the contact restrictions. Finally, the resulting nonlinear equations set is solved using the generalized Newton method with line search (GNMls), presenting some acceleration strategies as: a new and more simplified projection operator, which makes it possible to obtain a quasi-complementarity of the contact variables, reducing the number of contact problem unknowns, and using iterative solvers. The presented methodology is validated solving some rolling contact problems and analyzed for some unstructured mesh examples.     

On the stability of general Navier-Stokes type equation

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Selection of Deformation Modes for Flexible Multibody Dynamics

ABSTRACT

A method for selecting boundary conditions and deformation modes for redundantly constrained flexible components in mechanical system dynamics is presented. Gaussian elimination is used to partition the coefficient matrix in equilibrium equations for each flexible component, leading to definition of a retained statically determinate set and a redundant set of boundary conditions. A method for selection of deformation modes is presented, to account for deformation due to constraint reaction forces. A door-closing mechanism and a moving flexible beam illustrate the method of selecting boundary conditions and the effectiveness of constraint modes for approximation of system dynamic response.     

Front‐tracking by the level‐set and the volume penalization methods in a two‐phase microfluidic network

Two‐phase immiscible fluids in a two‐dimensional micro‐channels network are considered. The incompressible Stokes equations are used to describe the Newtonian fluid flow, while the Oldroyd‐B rheological model is used to capture the viscoelastic behavior. In order to perform numerical simulations in a complex geometry like a micro‐channels network, the volume penalization method is implemented. To follow the interface between the two fluids, the level‐set method is used, and the dynamics of the contact line is modeled by Cox law. Numerical results show the ability of the method to simulate two‐phase flows and to follow properly the contact line between the two immiscible fluids. Finally, simulations with realistic parameters are performed to show the difference when a Newtonian fluid is pushed by a viscoelastic fluid instead of a Newtonian one. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Periodic solutions of <Emphasis Type="Italic">n</Emphasis>-dofs autonomous vibro-impact oscillators with one lasting contact phase

In the continuum structural mechanics framework, a unilateral contact condition between two flexible bodies does not generate impulsive contact forces. However, finite-dimensional systems, derived from a finite element semi-discretization in space for instance, and undergoing a unilateral contact condition, require an additional impact law: Unilateral contact occurrences then become impacts of zero duration unless (i) the impact law is purely inelastic, or (ii) the pre-impact velocity is zero. This contribution explores autonomous periodic solutions with one contact phase per period and zero pre-impact velocity [case (ii)], for any n-dof mechanical systems involving linear free-flight dynamics together with a linear unilateral contact constraint. A recent work has shown that such solutions seem to be limits of periodic trajectories with k impacts per period as k increases. Minimal analytic equations governing the existence of such solutions are proposed, and it is proven that, generically, they occur only for discrete values of the period. It is also shown that the graphs of such periodic solutions have two axes of symmetry in time. Results are illustrated on a spring–mass system and on a 4-dof two-dimensional system made of 1D finite elements. Animations of SPPs with up to 30 dofs are provided.     

A FINITE VOLUME SOLVER FOR THE SHALLOW WATER EQUATIONS IN VARYING BED ENVIRONMENTS

Abstract

A numerical scheme for solving the shallow-water equations is presented. An analogy is made between flows governed by shallow-water equations and the Euler system of equations used in gas dynamics. An emphasis is placed on the difference presented by the bathymetry in hydraulic systems. The discretization of the governing equations is based on Roe's flux difference-splitting solver, initially developed for solving inviscid compressible flows. The spatial discretization is handled within a finite-volume context by using triangles or quadrilaterals as the basic control-volume cells. This approach enables an easy and flexible treatment of general geometries. A development of the boundary conditions tailored for the current scheme is given. Fundamental validation tests are presented.     

On the Nonlinear Dynamics of a Buckled Beam Subjected to a Primary-Resonance Excitation

We investigate the nonlinear response of a clamped-clamped buckled beamto a primary-resonance excitation of its first vibration mode. The beamis subjected to an axial force beyond the critical load of the firstbuckling mode and a transverse harmonic excitation. We solve thenonlinear buckling problem to determine the buckled configurations as afunction of the applied axial load. A Galerkin approximation is used todiscretize the nonlinear partial-differential equation governing themotion of the beam about its buckled configuration and obtain a set ofnonlinearly coupled ordinary-differential equations governing the timeevolution of the response. Single- and multi-mode Galerkinapproximations are used. We found out that using a single-modeapproximation leads to quantitative and qualitative errors in the staticand dynamic behaviors. To investigate the global dynamics, we use ashooting method to integrate the discretized equations and obtainperiodic orbits. The stability and bifurcations of the periodic orbitsare investigated using Floquet theory. The obtained theoretical resultsare in good qualitative agreement with the experimental results obtainedby Kreider and Nayfeh (Nonlinear Dynamics 15, 1998, 155–177.     

Convective mass transfer across fluid interfaces in straight angular pores

Steady convective mass transfer to or from fluid interfaces in pores of angular cross-section is theoretically investigated. This situation is relevant to a variety of mass transport process in porous media, including the fate of residual non-aqueous phase liquid ganglia and gas bubbles. The model incorporates the essential physics of capillarity and solute mass transfer by convection and diffusion in corner fluid filaments. The geometry of the corner filaments, characterized by the fluid–fluid contact angle, the corner half-angle and the interface meniscus curvature, is accounted for. Boundary conditions of zero surface shear (‘perfect-slip’) and infinite surface shear (‘no-slip’) at the fluid–fluid interface are considered. The governing equations for laminar flow within the corner filament and convective diffusion to or from the fluid–fluid interface are solved using finite-element methods. Flow computations are verified by comparing the dimensionless resistance factor and hydraulic conductance of corner filaments against recent numerical solutions by Patzek and Kristensen (J. Colloid Interface Sci 236, 305–317 2001). Novel results are obtained for the average effluent concentration as a function of flow geometry and pore-scale Peclet number. These results are correlated to a characteristic corner length and local pore-scale Peclet number using empirical equations appropriate for implementation in pore network models. Finally, a previously published “2D-slit” approximation to the problem at hand is checked and found to be in considerable error.     

Inertia dynamics of the Myard RCRCR constant-velocity coupling

Abstract

A methodology has been developed for determining the inertia loads on the joints of a spatial mechanism in motion where the equations of motion are set up automatically by computer coding considering the joint types, link dimensions, and the masses of the links. Using this procedure to consider the effect of inertia of the links on the joint reactions in the Myard RCRCR constant-velocity coupling shows the presence of output torque fluctuation which is unpredicted by a static analysis.     

A Variational Approach to Obstacle Problems for Shearable Nonlinearly Elastic Rods

We use variational methods to study obstacle problems for geometrically exact (Cosserat) theories for the planar deformation of nonlinearly elastic rods. These rods can suffer flexure, extension, and shear. There is a marked difference between the behavior of a shearable and an unshearable rod. The set of admissible deformations is not convex, because of the exact geometry used. We first investigate the fundamental question of describing contact forces, which we necessarily treat as vector‐valued Borel measures. Moreover, we introduce techniques for describing point obstacles. Then we prove existence for a very large class of problems. Finally, using nonsmooth analysis for handling the obstacle, we show that the Euler‐Lagrange equations are satisfied almost everywhere. These equations provide very detailed structural information about the contact forces. Accepted June 3, 1996     

Multiscale Modeling of Colloid and Fluid Dynamics in Porous Media Including an Evolving Microstructure

We consider colloidal dynamics and single-phase fluid flow within a saturated porous medium in two space dimensions. A new approach in modeling pore clogging and porosity changes on the macroscopic scale is presented. Starting from the pore scale, transport of colloids is modeled by the Nernst?CPlanck equations. Here, interaction with the porous matrix due to (non-)DLVO forces is included as an additional transport mechanism. Fluid flow is described by incompressible Stokes equations with interaction energy as forcing term. Attachment and detachment processes are modeled by a surface reaction rate. The evolution of the underlying microstructure is captured by a level set function. The crucial point in completing this model is to set up appropriate boundary conditions on the evolving solid?Cliquid interface. Their derivation is based on mass conservation. As a result of an averaging procedure by periodic homogenization in a level set framework, on the macroscale we obtain Darcy??s law and a modified averaged convection?Cdiffusion equation with effective coefficients due to the evolving microstructure. These equations are supplemented by microscopic cell problems. Time- and space-dependent averaged coefficient functions explicitly contain information of the underlying geometry and also information of the interaction potential. The theoretical results are complemented by numerical computations of the averaged coefficients and simulations of a heterogeneous multiscale scenario. Here, we consider a radially symmetric setting, i.e., in particular we assume a locally periodic geometry consisting of circular grains. We focus on the interplay between attachment and detachment reaction, colloidal interaction forces, and the evolving microstructure. Our model contributes to the understanding of the effects and processes leading to porosity changes and pore clogging from a theoretical point of view.     

Integral and differential constitutive equations for entangled polymers with simple versions of CCR and force balance on entanglements

The theory of Doi and Edwards for entangled polymers has been recently modified for the case of fast flows to account for convective contributions to molecular dynamics. The flow-induced relative motion between neighboring chains removes constraints and speeds up relaxation. Convective constraint release (CCR) may thus explain why the shear stress is seen to approach a plateau at high shear rates instead of decreasing as predicted by the basic theory. In slow flows, as well as in step strain, another discrepancy between theory and observations can be found in the normal stress ratio in shear Ψ=−N₂/N₁. The theoretical value for Ψ at low deformations is 1/7 whereas measured values for well-entangled systems are systematically larger. We have recently considered the possibility that this discrepancy arises because force balance requirements at the entanglement nodes are ignored in the classical theory. Accordingly, we have proposed a change in the orientational tensor Q. Here, we sum up on these recent findings by proposing single-relaxation-time constitutive equations of the integral or rate type incorporating those concepts in a simple way. Such equations should be suitable for numerical simulation of complex flows. Received: 1 January 2000 Accepted: 8 August 2000     

Useful zero friction simulations for assessing MBS codes Pascal's formula giving wheelsets frequency for zero wheel-rail friction

Present study provides a simple analytical formula, the “Klingel-like formula” or “Pascal's Formula” that can be used as a reference to test some results of existing railway codes and specifically those using rigid contact. It develops properly the 3D Newton-Euler equations governing the 6 degrees of freedom (DoF) of unsuspended loaded wheelsets in case of zero wheel-rail friction and constant conicity. Thus, by solving numerically these equations, we got pendulum like harmonic oscillations of which the calculated angular frequency is used for assessing the accuracy of the proposed formula so that it can in turn be used as a fast practical target for testing multi-body system (MBS) railway codes. Due to the harmonic property of these pendulum-like oscillations, the square ω² of their angular frequency can be made in the form of a ratio K/M where K depends on the wheelset geometry and load and M on its inertia. Information on K and M are useful to understand wheelsets behavior. The analytical formula is derived from the first order writing of full trigonometric Newton-Euler equations by setting zero elastic wheel-rail penetration and by assuming small displacements. Full trigonometric equations are numerically solved to assess that the formula provides ω² inside a 1% accuracy for usual wheelsets dimensions. By decreasing the conicity down to 1 × 10^?4 rad, the relative formula accuracy is under 3 × 10^?5. In order to test the formula reliability for rigid contact formulations, the stiffness of elastic contacts can be increased up to practical rigidity (Hertz stiffness × 1000).     

The Motion of Weakly Interacting Pulses in Reaction-Diffusion Systems

The interaction of stable pulse solutions on R ¹ is considered when distances between pulses are sufficiently large. We construct an attractive local invariant manifold giving the dynamics of interacting pulses in a mathematically rigorous way. The equations describing the flow on the manifold is also given in an explicit form. By it, we can easily analyze the movement of pulses such as repulsiveness, attractivity and/or the existence of bound states of pulses. Interaction of front solutions are also treated in a similar way.