Structural response of cylindrically curved laminated composite shells subjected to blast loading

This paper is concerned with the theoretical analysis and correlation with the numerical results of the displacement time histories of the cylindrically curved laminated composite shells exposed to normal blast shock waves. The laminated composite shell is clamped at its all edges. The dynamic equation of the cylindrical shell used in this study is valid under the assumptions made in Love's theory of thin elastic shells. The constitutive equations of laminated composite shells are given in the frame of effective modulus theory. The governing equation of the cylindrical shell is solved by the Runge-Kutta method. In addition, a finite element modeling and analysis are presented and compared with the theoretical results. The peak deflections and response frequencies obtained from theoretical and numerical analyses are in agreement. The effects of material properties and geometrical properties are examined on the dynamic behaviour.     

Vibration of curved plate assemblies subjected to membrane stresses

In a previous paper [1] the finite strip method was applied to the prediction of the natural frequencies of vibration of longitudinally invariant, rigidly connected assemblies of circularly curved and flat strips having diaphragm end supports. This work is extended here to include the presence of an initial membrane stress field. An individual curved strip may be subjected to a biaxial direct stress field comprising a uniform stress acting in the circumferential direction and a non-uniform stress acting in the longitudinal direction. The presence of the membrane stress field is accommodated in the analysis by the inclusion of an initial stress or geometric stiffness matrix. A further extension included here is a facility to delete in-surface inertia terms. Results are presented for the application of the strip method in predicting the frequencies of vibration of a circular cylinder subjected to a complicated membrane stress system.     

Nonlinear analysis of oscillatory indentation in elastic and viscoelastic solids

Determining the mechanical properties at micro- and nanometer length scales using nanoindentation or atomic force microscopy is important to many areas of science and engineering. Here we establish equations for obtaining storage and loss modulus from oscillatory indentations by performing a nonlinear analysis of conical and spherical indentation in elastic and viscoelastic solids. We show that, when the conical indenter is driven by a sinusoidal force, the square of displacement is a sinusoidal function of time, not the displacement itself, which is commonly assumed. Similar conclusions hold for spherical indentations. Well-known difficulties associated with measuring contact area and correcting thermal drift may be circumvented using the newly derived equations. These results may help improve methods of using oscillatory indentation for determining elastic and viscoelastic properties of solids.     

Non-linear vibrations of elastic plates subjected to transient pressure loading

The large amplitude vibrations of elastic plates of arbitrary plan form subjected to transient pressure loading are analyzed in a relatively simple fashion by using the Berger method in conjunction with the iso-amplitude contour lines method. The analysis provides for both clamped and simply supported edge conditions. By way of illustration, the large amplitude response of elliptical plates under various types of dynamic loading, namely a step function, a sinusoidal pulse and an N-wave, is investigated and the results are presented graphically. Some comparison is made with previously obtained results for circular plates, as available in the literature.     

Elastic connection disk subjected to periodically fluctuating transmitted torque and rotational speed

Involving the intrinsic power transmission torque/speed coupling characteristics of prime-movers, a rotating elastic connection disk subjected to periodically fluctuating transmitted torque and rotational speed generated by the fluctuation of external loads is investigated. Using Galerkin's method, the rotating elastic connection disk is modeled as a parametrically excited gyroscopic system. The effects of the torque/speed coupling, transmitted torque fluctuation amplitude and frequency, and constant parts of the transmitted torque and the rotational speed on the system dynamic stability are explored for the disk modes possessing different nodal diameters. The rotational speed, transmitted torque and their fluctuations can all result in system instability of the elastic connection disk. The instability can be suppressed or avoided by operating at small amplitude and low frequency of the transmitted torque fluctuation, and by operating in the weakly coupled torque/speed regime of the prime-movers. Low rotational speed avoids the instability in the case of a small transmitted torque, but medium rotational speed operation is valuable to suppress the instability induced by a large transmitted torque and its fluctuation. Instability parameter regions for the positive and negative torque/speed coupling coefficient are roughly similar in shape, but there are some differences in the value of the instability coefficient.     

On elastic deformation of the indentation surface in alkali-haloid crystals

It is demonstrated experimentally that in the microindentation process, elastic deformation takes place of the crystal surface region under load containing the forming imprint. A technique is proposed for determining this elastic deformation in alkali-haloid crystals.     

Semi-analytical finite element analysis of elastic waveguides subjected to axial loads

Predicting the influence of axial loads on the wave propagation in structures such as rails requires numerical analysis. Conventional three-dimensional finite element analysis has previously been applied to this problem. The process is tedious as it requires that a number of different length models be solved and that the user identify the computed modes of propagation. In this paper, the more specialised semi-analytical finite element method is extended to account for the effect of axial load. The semi-analytical finite element method includes the wave propagation as a complex exponential in the element formulation and therefore only a two-dimensional mesh of the cross-section of the waveguide is required. It was found that the stiffness matrix required to describe the effect of axial load is proportional to the mass matrix, which makes the extension to existing software trivial. The method was verified by application to an aluminium rod, where after phase and group velocities of propagating waves in a rail were computed to demonstrate the method.     

Capillary wrinkling scaling laws of floating elastic thin film with a liquid drop

正The deformation patterns of elastic membranes under tension is called wrinkling.Wrinkling,which is caused by capillary surface tension,is called capillary wrinkling(Figure 1).In recent years wrinkling patterns have drawn particular attention[1-11],since it can be an useful tool to infer material parameters that might otherwise be inaccessible.For example,the commonly observed tearing instability of an elastic     

Evaluation of adhesive and elastic properties of materials by depth-sensing indentation of spheres

Work of adhesion is the crucial material parameter for application of theories of adhesive contact. It is usually determined by experimental techniques based on the direct measurements of pull-off force of a sphere. These measurements are unstable due to instability of the load-displacement diagrams at tension, and they can be greatly affected by roughness of contacting solids. We show how the values of work of adhesion and elastic contact modulus of materials may be quantified using a new indirect approach (the Borodich?CGalanov (BG) method) based on an inverse analysis of a stable region of the force-displacements curve obtained from the depth-sensing indentation of a sphere into an elastic sample. Using numerical simulations it is shown that the BG method is simple and robust. The crucial difference between the proposed method and the standard direct experimental techniques is that the BG method may be applied only to compressive parts of the force-displacements curves. Finally, the work of adhesion and the elastic modulus of soft polymer (polyvinylsiloxane) samples are extracted from experimental load-displacement diagrams.     

A measurement of elastic moduli for tungsten films on polymer substrate using wrinkling analysis

The elastic moduli of ultra thin tungsten (W) films on polymers were assessed with wrinkling analysis. Thin W films with a range of thickness between 17 and 100 nm were deposited on compliant polymers and Si strips using DC magnetron sputtering method, causing the tensile stress in a few GPa scale with respect to the thickness of W films. By applying lateral compression on polymer, wrinkle patterns were developed in the W thin film with well-defined amplitude and wavelength. Using a simple equation on wrinkle analysis, the range of elastic moduli was estimated with increasing the thickness. It was found that the elastic modulus and the tensile stress decreased with increasing the film thickness.     

Elastic energy of tilt and bending of fluid membranes

Tilt of hydrocarbon chains of lipid molecules with respect to membrane plane is commonly considered to characterize the internal structure of a membrane in the crystalline state. However, membranes in the liquid state can also exhibit tilt resulting from packing constraints imposed on the lipid molecules in diverse biologically relevant structures such as intermediates of membrane fusion, pores in lipid bilayers and others. We analyze the energetics of tilt in liquid membranes and its coupling with membrane bending. We consider three contributions to the elastic energy: constant tilt, variation of tilt along the membrane surface and membrane bending. The major assumption of the model is that the core of a liquid membrane has the common properties of an elastic continuum. We show that the variation of tilt and membrane bending are additive and that their energy contributions are determined by the same elastic coefficient: the Helfrich bending modulus, the modulus of Gaussian curvature and the spontaneous curvature known from previous studies of pure bending. The energy of a combined deformation of bending and varying tilt is determined by an effective tensor accounting for the two factors. In contrast, the deformation of constant tilt does not couple with bending and its contribution to the elastic energy is determined by an independent elastic constant. While accurate determination of this constant requires additional measurements, we estimate its value using a simplified approach. We discuss the relationships between the obtained elastic Hamiltonian of a membrane and the previous models of membrane elasticity. Received 10 February 2000 and Received in final form 19 June 2000     

Dynamic non-linear response of beams subjected to impact loads

A non-linear theory is presented for plane deformation of beams which allows for longitudinal stretching as well as for cross-sectional stretching and shearing. The exact strain measures for this theory are also deduced. The longitudinal and flexural motions are coupled in the theory. If the cross section is constrained from stretching, the resulting theory may be classified as a non-linear Timoshenko beam theory. The equations of the latter theory are used to study the motion of beams under impact loads.     

Vibration of Timoshenko beam on hysteretically damped elastic foundation subjected to moving load

The vibration of beams on foundations under moving loads has many applications in several fields, such as pavements in highways or rails in railways. However, most of the current studies only consider the energy dissipation mechanism of the foundation through viscous behavior; this assumption is unrealistic for soils. The shear rigidity and radius of gyration of the beam are also usually excluded. Therefore, this study investigates the vibration of an infinite Timoshenko beam resting on a hysteretically damped elastic foundation under a moving load with constant or harmonic amplitude. The governing differential equations of motion are formulated on the basis of the Hamilton principle and Timoshenko beam theory, and are then transformed into two algebraic equations through a double Fourier transform with respect to moving space and time. Beam deflection is obtained by inverse fast Fourier transform. The solution is verified through comparison with the closed-form solution of an Euler-Bernoulli beam on a Winkler foundation. Numerical examples are used to investigate:(a) the effect of the spatial distribution of the load, and(b) the effects of the beam properties on the deflected shape, maximum displacement, critical frequency, and critical velocity. These findings can serve as references for the performance and safety assessment of railway and highway structures.     

Elastic response of carbon nanotube forests to aerodynamic stresses

The ability to determine static and (hydro)dynamic properties of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) is crucial for many applications. While their static properties (e.g., solubility and wettability) are fairly well understood, their mechanical responses (e.g., deflection under shear) to ambient fluid flow are to a large extent unknown. We analyze the elastic response of single-walled CNT forests, attached to the bottom wall of a channel, to the aerodynamic loading exerted by both laminar and turbulent flows. Our analysis yields analytical expressions for velocity distributions, the drag coefficient, and bending profiles of individual CNTs. This enables us to determine flexural rigidity of CNTs in wind-tunnel experiments. The model predictions agree with laboratory experiments for a large range of channel velocities.     

Shape optimization of 3D curved slots and its application to the squirrel-cage elastic support design

The squirrel-cage elastic support is one of the most important components of an aero-engine rotor system.A proper structural design will favor the static and dynamic performances of the system.In view of the deficiency of the current shape optimization techniques,a new mapping approach is proposed to define shape design variables based on the parametric equations of 3D curves and surfaces.It is then applied for the slot shape optimization of a squirrel-cage elastic support.To this end,an automatic design procedure that integrates the Genetic Algorithm (GA) is developed to solve the problem.Two typical examples with different shape constraints are considered.Numerical results provide reasonable optimum designs for the improvement of stiffness and strength of the squirrel-cage elastic support.