Consistency between independence theorems and generalized self-consistent method

Recently Zheng & Hwang established a series of independence theorems concerning with planar effective elastic properties. It is manifested that the estimation of the effective elastic properties of microcracked solids through the generalized self-consistent method (GSCM) contradicts with these independence theorems. In this paper it is shown that such contradiction is actually caused by the approximate algorithm adopted, while the exact solution of GSCM is consistent with these rigorously established independence theorems. Since only an approximate algorithm in GCSM is available in dealing with problems involving non-circular inclusions or holes, an intrinsic GSCM is proposed, which can be performed based on an approximate algorithm and the corresponding estimations are consistent with the independence theorems.     

Evolutive and nonlinear vibrations of rotor on aerodynamic bearings

The use of air as a lubricant in aerodynamic bearings is advantageous, particularly in the food industry. Aerodynamic bearings with tilting pads have complicated stiffness and damping properties and need a very detailed theoretical and experimental research. Response curves of rigid rotor supported on aerodynamic bearings are presented for a linear but evolutive mathematical model. Due to non-monotone properties of stiffness and damping matrices at variable revolutions, a new resonance appears. The mathematical model of rotor vibrations in the whole area of bearing clearance is also developed in the consideration of strongly nonlinear properties of aerodynamic bearing.     

On the determination of the Young’s modulus of thin films using indentation tests

The main difficulty with the characterization of thin coatings using depth-sensing indentation tests is related to the determination of the contributions of the substrate and the film to the measured properties. In this study, three-dimensional numerical simulations of the Vickers hardness test are used in order to examine the influence of the elastic and plastic properties of the substrate and the film on the composite’s Young’s modulus results. The hardness of the film is equal to or higher than the substrate hardness. A study of the stress distributions and the indentation geometry of composites, film/substrate, was performed, taking into account the relative mechanical properties of the film and substrate. In addition, stress evolution during indentation was studied, in order to quantify the critical indentation depth under which the substrate is not elastically deformed. The accurate evaluation of the Young’s modulus of the films using weight functions is also examined: some of these have previously been proposed and one was introduced for this study. Two different fitting procedures were used to compare the results obtained from eight fictive film/substrate combinations using six weight functions. The first procedure, commonly used, considers the substrate’s modulus as a known parameter in the fitting process. In the second, the film and the substrate’s modulus are considered as unknown variables that are calculated simultaneously during the fitting process. The validity of the conclusions obtained using the fictive materials was checked by applying the weight functions to four real composites.     

Finite Element Analysis of Shape Memory Alloy Adaptive Trusses with Geometrical Nonlinearities

This contribution deals with the nonlinear analysis of shape memory alloy (SMA) adaptive trusses employing the finite element method. Geometrical nonlinearities are incorporated into the formulation together with a constitutive model that describes different thermomechanical behaviors of SMA. It has four macroscopic phases (three variants of martensite and an austenitic phase), and considers different material properties for austenitic and martensitic phases together with thermal expansion. An iterative numerical procedure based on the operator split technique is proposed in order to deal with the nonlinearities in the constitutive formulation. This procedure is introduced into ABAQUS as a user material routine. Numerical simulations are carried out illustrating the ability of the developed model to capture the general behavior of shape memory bars. After that, it is analyzed the behavior of some adaptive trusses built with SMA actuators subjected to different thermomechanical loadings.     

准静态离散元方法和线性粘弹性问题的模拟

离散元方法是近年发展起来的一种新数值方法,但原则上只能用于动态问题。从静力平衡条件出发建立了离散元系统的准静态演化方程并证明了系数矩阵具有对称正定、稀疏、带状分布等特点,适用于“有效列”方法求解,该解法比高斯消去法节省更多的内存和机时。通过引入广义Maxwell体的元间作用模型建立起线性粘弹性材料准静态响应的离散元模拟方法。该方法独立于传统动态离散元方法,是传统动态离散元方法的拓展,可望在更多领域获得应用。     

不可压缩流动的移动粒子半隐式法数值模拟

介绍了一种新的移动粒子半隐式方法。该方法采用Lagrange描述,用一系列离散粒子代替流体,通过半隐式求解和时间推进法来进行计算,弥补了传统网格法对复杂形状、大变形、高速撞击等情况下网格划分和重构过于繁琐的缺点,在模拟不可压缩流动问题中得到了较好的效果。     

三阶非线性发展方程的线性化有理逼近方法

研究了三阶非线性发展方程的初边值问题的解。采用基于Sinc函数的微分求积法发展了线性化有理逼近方法。通常的配点法不适用于上述三阶问题的求解。本文把提出的方法用于求解KdV方程,取得了良好的效果。     

Non-linear vibrations and frequency response analysis of piezoelectrically driven microcantilevers

Microcantilevers have recently received widespread attentions due to their extreme applicability and versatility in both biological and non-biological applications. Along this line, this paper undertakes the non-linear vibrations of a piezoelectrically driven microcantilever beam as a common configuration in many scanning probe microscopy and nanomechanical cantilever biosensor systems. A part of the microcantilever beam surface is covered by a piezoelectric layer (typically ZnO), which acts both as an actuator and sensor. The bending vibrations of the microcantilever beam are studied considering the inextensibility condition and the coupling between electrical and mechanical properties in the piezoelectric materials. The non-linear terms appear in the form of quadratic expression due to presence of piezoelectric layer, and cubic form due to geometrical non-linearities. The Galerkin approximation is then utilized to discretize the equations of motion. In addition, the method of multiple scales is applied to arrive at the closed form solution for the fundamental natural frequency of the system. An experimental setup consisting of a commercial piezoelectric microcantilever attached on the stand of a state-of-the-art microsystem analyzer for non-contact vibration measurement is utilized to verify the theoretical developments. It is found that the experimental results and theoretical findings are in good agreement, which demonstrates that the non-linear modeling framework could provide a better dynamic representation of the microcantilever than the previous linear models. Due to microscale nature of the system, excitation amplitude plays an important role since even a small change in the amplitude of excitation can lead to significant vibrations and frequency shift.     

Crack growth resistance of shape memory alloys by means of a cohesive zone model

Crack growth resistance of shape memory alloys (SMAs) is dominated by the transformation zone in the vicinity of the crack tip. In this study, the transformation toughening behavior of a slowly propagating crack in an SMA under plane strain conditions and mode I deformation is numerically investigated. A small-scale transformation zone is assumed. A cohesive zone model is implemented to simulate crack growth within a finite element scheme. Resistance curves are obtained for a range of parameters that specify the cohesive traction-separation constitutive law. It is found that the choice of the cohesive strength t₀ has a great influence on the toughening behavior of the material. Moreover, the reversibility of the transformation can significantly reduce the toughening of the alloy. The shape of the initial transformation zone, as well as that of a growing crack is determined. The effect of the Young's moduli ratio of the martensite and austenite phases is examined.