Systematic closed form modeling of hybrid parameter multiple body systems

Presented in this paper is a systematic approach to modeling non-holonomic hybrid parameter multiple body systems. The continuum bodies are represented with the postulates usually associated to the non-linear theories, the Timoshenko (like) beam theories, the higher order plate and shell theories, and the rational theories (e.g. rods) with intrinsic rotary inertia properties.The methodology is an extension of previous work. It is founded in variational principles, but uses vector algebra to eliminate tedium. The variational nature of the methodology allows rigorous equation formulation providing not only the complete non-linear hybrid differential equations, but also the boundary conditions. The methodology is formulated satisfying general non-holonomic constraints; it produces a minimal realization. The spatial dimensions of the continuua are not restricted and the inter-body connections are completely general.To demonstrate the application of the technique, a two-link elastic pendulum or manipulator is modeled. The algorithmic modeling steps are demonstrated. Numerical simulations are presented.     

Hybrid finite element formulations for elastodynamic analysis in the frequency domain

Three alternative sets of hybrid formulations to solve linear elastodynamic problems by the finite element method are presented. They are termed hybrid–mixed, hybrid and hybrid–Trefftz and differ essentially on the field conditions that the approximation functions are constrained to satisfy locally. Two models, namely the displacement and the stress models, are obtained for each formulation depending on whether the tractions or the boundary displacements are the field chosen to implement interelement continuity. A Fourier time discretization is used to uncouple the solving system in the frequency domain. The basic space discretization criterion is implemented directly on the fundamental relations of elastodynamics and used to derive the stress and displacement models of the hybrid–mixed formulation. The hybrid and hybrid–Trefftz formulations are presented in sequence as the variants of the hybrid–mixed formulation obtained by progressively increasing the constraints on the approximation bases. Numerical implementation aspects are briefly discussed and the performance of the finite element models is illustrated with numerical applications.     

Dynamic elastoplastic analysis by a hybrid BEM–FEM time-domain formulation

This study presents a hybrid BEM–FEM procedure for the dynamic analysis of elastoplastic models. In this hybrid approach, boundary node and internal point displacements are evaluated considering the time-domain BEM formulation (initial stress approach), and stresses are computed taking into account FEM techniques (domain discretization is only necessary where non-linear behaviour is expected to occur). This hybrid methodology is very appropriate to model infinite or semi-infinite elastoplastic models and, at the end of the paper, three numerical applications are presented, illustrating the potentialities of the proposed formulation.     

Finite and impulsive motion of constrained mechanical systems via Jourdain's principle: discrete and hybrid parameter models

The main purpose of this paper is to present a unified analytical dynamics framework for the analysis of finite and impulsive motion of mechanical systems using Jourdain's principle. Emphasis is given to the general case when a mechanical system is described by a hybrid (discrete-distributed) parameter model. A large group of finite and impulsive, generally non-holonomic, constraints are analysed in detail and a so-called extended Appellian classification is presented for these constrained motion problems. The fundamental dynamic equation of constrained systems is developed in terms of velocity variations (Jourdain's principle). Based on this equation and the constraints, the methods of quasivelocities and Lagrangian multipliers are adopted and interpreted for the finite motion of hybrid parameter models of mechanical systems; and the methods of independent quasivelocity variations and Lagrangian multipliers are introduced for the analysis of impulsive motion of such models. To illustrate the proposed material, an example of a one-link flexible arm intercepting and capturing a moving target is considered.     

Hybrid (numerical-experimental) modeling of complex structures with linear and nonlinear components

The present work investigates the performance of two systematic methodologies leading to hybrid modeling of complex mechanical systems. This is done by applying numerical methods in determining the equations of motion of some of the substructures of large order mechanical systems, while the dynamic characteristics of the remaining components are determined through the application of appropriate experimental procedures. In their simplest version, the models examined are assumed to possess linear characteristics. For such systems, it is possible to apply several hybrid methodologies. Here, the first of the methods selected is performed in the frequency domain, while the second method has its roots and foundation in time domain analysis. Originally, the accuracy and effectiveness of these methodologies is illustrated by numerical results obtained for two complex mechanical models, where the equations of motion of each substructure are first set up by applying the finite element method. Then, the equations of motion of the complete system are derived and their dimension is reduced substantially, so that the new model is sufficiently accurate up to a prespecified level of forcing frequencies. The formulation is developed in a general way, so that application of other methods, including experimental techniques, is equally valid. This is actually performed in the final part of this study, where experimental results are employed in conjunction with numerical results in order to predict the dynamic response of a mechanical structure possessing a linear substructure with high modal density, supported on four substructures with strongly nonlinear characteristics.     

Higher-order continua derived from discrete media: continualisation aspects and boundary conditions

In this paper, the derivation of higher-order continuum models from a discrete medium is addressed, with the following aims: (i) for a given discrete model and a given coupling of discrete and continuum degrees of freedom, the continuum should be defined uniquely, (ii) the continuum is isotropic, and (iii) boundary conditions are derived consistently with the energy functional and the equations of motion of the continuum. Firstly, a comparison is made between two continualisation methods, namely based on the equations of motion and on the energy functional. They are shown to give identical results. Secondly, the issue of isotropy is addressed. A new approach is developed in which two, rather than one, layers of neighbouring particles are considered. Finally, the formulation and interpretation of boundary conditions is treated. By means of the Hamilton–Ostrogradsky principle, boundary conditions are derived that are consistent with the energy functional and the equations of motion. A relation between standard stresses and higher-order stresses is derived and used to make an interpretation of the higher-order stresses. An additional result of this study is the non-uniqueness of the higher-order contributions to the energy.     

Computation of head–disk interface gap micro flowfields using DSMC and continuum–atomistic hybrid methods

This paper discusses computational modeling of micro flow in the head–disk interface (HDI) gap using the direct simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) method. Modeling considerations are discussed in detail both for a stand‐alone DSMC computation and for the case of a hybrid continuum–atomistic simulation that couples the Navier–Stokes (NS) equation to a DSMC solver. The impact of the number of particles and number of cells on the accuracy of a DSMC simulation of the HDI gap is investigated both for two‐ and three‐dimensional configurations. An appropriate implicit boundary treatment method for modeling inflow and outflow boundaries is used in this work for a three‐dimensional DSMC micro flow simulation. As the flow outside the slider is in the continuum regime, a hybrid continuum–atomistic method based on the Schwarz alternating method is used to couple the DSMC model in the slider bearing region to the flow outside the slider modeled by NS equation. Schwarz coupling is done in two dimensions by taking overlap regions along two directions and the Chapman–Enskog distribution is employed for imposing the boundary condition from the continuum region to the DSMC region. Converged hybrid flow solutions are obtained in about five iterations and the hybrid DSMC–NS solutions show good agreement with the exact solutions in the entire domain considered. An investigation on the impact of the size of the overlap region on the convergence behavior of the Schwarz method indicates that the hybrid coupling by the Schwarz method is weakly dependent on the size of the overlap region. However, the use of a finite overlap region will facilitate the exchange of boundary conditions as the hybrid solution has been found to diverge in the absence of an overlap region for coupling the two models. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Size-dependent free vibration analysis of composite laminated Timoshenko beam based on new modified couple stress theory

A micro-scale free vibration analysis of composite laminated Timoshenko beam (CLTB) model is developed based on the new modified couple stress theory. In this theory, a new anisotropic constitutive relation is defined for modeling the CLTB. This theory uses rotation–displacement as dependent variable and contains only one material length scale parameter. Hamilton’s principle is employed to derive the governing equations of motion and boundary conditions. This new model can be reduced to composite laminated Bernoulli–Euler beam model of the couple stress theory. An example analysis of free vibration of the cross-ply simply supported CLTB model is adopted, and an explicit expression of analysis solution is given. Additionally, the numerical results show that the present beam models can capture the scale effects of the natural frequencies of the micro-structure.     

Numerical and experimental study on the dynamic behavior of a sea-star tension leg platform against regular waves

This paper describes an experimental work on a 1: 100 scaled model of a miniature sea-star tension leg platform (TLP) in a wave flume. Two different numerical models are developed: finite element model (FEM) based on the Morison equation and boundary element model (BEM) based on a 3D diffraction/radiation theory. The developed codes are used to calculate hydrodynamic forces and related coefficients. The nonlinear hull/tendon coupled dynamic equation of a mini seastar TLP is solved by using a modified Euler method (MEM). The results of numerical modeling of the motion response behavior of the platform in different degrees of freedom are compared with experimental data. This comparison shows good agreement between the results. Furthermore, this modeling reveals that the first-order diffraction method and quasi-static tendon modeling are sufficient in general for the hydrodynamic analysis of the sea-star TLP.     

Modeling of properties and motions of an inhomogeneous one-dimensional continuum of a complicated Cosserat-type microstructure

We consider an approach to modeling the properties of the one-dimensional Cosserat continuum [1] by using the mechanical modeling method proposed by Il’yushin in [2] and applied in [3]. In this method, elements (blocks, cells) of special form are used to develop a discrete model of the structure so that the average properties of the model reproduced the properties of the continuum under study. The rigged rod model, which is an elastic structure in the form of a thin rod with massive inclusions (pulleys) fixed by elastic hinges on its elastic line and connected by elastic belt transmissions, is taken to be the original discrete model of the Cosserat continuum. The complete system of equations describing the mechanical properties and the dynamical equilibrium of the rigged rod in arbitrary plane motions is derived. These equations are averaged in the case of a sufficiently smooth variation in the parameters of motion along the rod (the long-wave approximation). It was found that the average equations exactly coincide with the equations for the one-dimensional Cosserat medium [1] and, in some specific cases, with the classical equations of motion of an elastic rod [4–6]. We study the plane motions of the one-dimensional continuum model thus constructed. The equations characterizing the continuum properties and motions are linearized by using several assumptions that the kinematic parameters are small. We solve the problem of natural vibrations with homogeneous boundary conditions and establish that each value of the parameter distinguishing the natural vibration modes is associated with exactly two distinct vibration mode shapes (in the same mode), each of which has its own frequency value.     

INTERACTION OF THREE PARALLEL CRACKS IN RECTANGULAR PLATE UNDER CYCLIC LOADS

This paper presents a numerical approach for modeling the interaction between multiple cracks in a rectangular plate under cyclic loads. It involves the formulation of fatigue growth of multiple crack tips under ruixed-mode loading and an extension of a hybrid displacement discontinuity method （a boundary element method） to fatigue crack growth analyses. Because of an intrinsic feature of the boundary element method, a general growth problem of multiple cracks can be solved in a single-region formulation. In the numerical simulation, remeshing of existing boundaries is not necessary for each increment of crack extension. Crack extension is conveniently modeled by adding new boundary elements on the incremental crack extension to the previous crack boundaries. As an example, the numerical approach is used to analyze the fatigue growth of three parallel cracks in a rectangular plate. The numerical results illustrate the validation of the numerical approach and can reveal the effect of the geometry of the cracked plate on the fatigue growth.     

On geometrically exact post-buckling of composite columns with interlayer slip—The partially composite elastica

This paper is focused on the geometrically exact elastic stability analysis of two interacting kinematically constrained, flexible columns. Possible applications are to partially composite or sandwich columns. A partially composite column composed of two inextensible elastically connected sub-columns is considered. Each sub-column is modeled by the Euler–Bernoulli beam theory and connected to each other via a linear constitutive law for the interlayer slip. The paper discusses the validity of parallel and translational kinematics beam assumptions with respect to the interlayer constraint. Buckling and post-buckling behavior of this structural system are studied for cantilever columns (clamped-free boundary conditions). A variational formulation is presented in order to derive relevant boundary conditions in a geometrically exact framework. The exact post-buckling behavior of this partially composite beam-column is investigated analytically and numerically. The Euler elastica problem is obtained in the case of non-composite action. The “partially composite elastica” is then treated analytically and numerically, for various values of the interaction connection parameter. An asymptotic expansion is performed to evaluate the symmetrical pitchfork bifurcation, and comparisons are made with some exact numerical results based on the numerical treatment of the non-linear boundary value problem. A boundary layer phenomenon, similar to that also observed for the linearized bending analysis of partially composite beams, is observed for large values of the connection parameter. This boundary layer phenomenon is investigated with a straightforward asymptotic expansion, that also is valid for large rotations. Finally, the paper analyses the effect of some additional imperfection eccentricities in the loading mode, that lead to some pre-bending phenomena.