Modeling and simulation of the coupled mechanical-electrical response of soft solids

Dielectric elastomer (DE) is one type of electro-active polymers (EAP) that responds to electrical stimulation with a significant shape and size change. As EAPs, dielectric elastomers are lightweight, inexpensive, pliable and can be fabricated into various shapes, all of which are attractive properties to justify the intense research in the field. This paper presents a nonlinear, electrical and mechanical coupled, large deformation finite element formulation for DEAs. Maxwell’s equations for the electroquasistatic fields were solved simultaneously with equation of linear momentum. The hyperelastic Ogden model and total Maxwell stress method were combined to describe the material. The formulation was based on the weak forms of Maxwell’s equation and linear momentum expressed in the reference configuration. The closed form consistent tangent moduli for dielectric elastomers were derived. The results of the simulation compared with the experiments have demonstrated the validity of the method from the computational aspect.     

连续胶体材料化学-力学耦合有限元理论及其在ABAQUS中UEL程序实现

基于哈密顿原理,得到水凝胶的化学-力学耦合控制方程的等效积分形式和有限元形式。在整体坐标系下推导出用形函数表示的化学-力学耦合应变矩阵和单元刚度矩阵,并且得到在局部坐标系下的离散化形式。结合ABAQUS软件,编制了用户单元子程序UEL,通过数值算例验证了所开发单元的正确性,为在ABAQUS软件中实现各种耦合问题的有限元UEL编程提供了参考依据。     

An energy formulation of continuum magneto-electro-elasticity with applications

We present an energy formulation of continuum electro-elasticity and magneto-electro-elasticity. Based on the principle of minimum free energy, we propose a form of total free energy of the system in three dimensions, and then systematically derive the theories for a hierarchy of materials including dielectric elastomers, piezoelectric ceramics, ferroelectrics, flexoelectric materials, magnetic elastomers, magnetoelectric materials, piezo-electric–magnetic materials among others. The effects of mechanical, electrical and magnetic boundary devices, external charges, polarizations and magnetization are taken into account in formulating the free energy. The linear and nonlinear boundary value problems governing these materials are explicitly derived as the Euler–Lagrange equations of the principle of minimum free energy. Finally, we illustrate the applications of the formulations by presenting solutions to a few simple problems and give an outlook of potential applications.     

From Single-Phase to Compositional Flow: Applicability of Mixed Finite Elements

In this paper we discuss the formulation of the governing equations that describe flow of fluids in porous media. Various types of fluid flow, ranging from single-phase flow to compositional flow, are considered. It is shown that all the differential equations governing these types of flow can be effectively rewritten in a fractional flow formulation; i.e., in terms of a global pressure and saturation (or saturations), and that mixed finite element methods can be accurately exploited to solve the pressure equation. Numerical results are presented to see the performance of the mixed methods for the flow equations in three space dimensions.     

化学-力学耦合理论与数值方法

该文研究了化学场中的质量扩散与力学耦合问题,构造了化-力耦合情况下的力学本构关系与质量扩散的本构关系,并由这些本构关系和化学场、力学场的控制方程,得到化-力场耦合的有限元方程.通过数值算例,详细分析了由应力场引起的质量重分布和由化学场引起的结构变形.研究表明,力学与化学之间存在明显的相互作用,并采用有限元数值方法进行了分析.     

一种化学-力学耦合连续介质理论与数值格式

对化学驱动的连续介质化学-力学耦合系统进行研究,从热力学定律和化学势角度出发,推导了等温过程的化学-力学耦合本构关系和控制方程,利用变分方法建立了化学-力学耦合系统的能量泛函,得到化学-力学耦合控制方程的等效积分形式和相应的有限元列式. 结合算例,对连续介质的化学-力学耦合行为进行了数值计算,数值结果反映了化学与力学系统的相互耦合作用,即浓度变化能引起介质的变形,同样力学作用也能引起浓度重分布. 从全新的角度建立了描述连续介质的化学-力学耦合行为的基本理论和数值方法,能够较好地反映一类连续介质的化学-力学耦合行为.      

Semiclosed-form solution for static nonlinear analysis of extensible cables

The analysis of a cable deforming under statically applied body forces leads to a series of differential equations that are inherently nonlinear due to coupling of geometry and loading. These equations have been solved by nonlinear finite element technique, finite difference formulation, or a two-step shooting method. However, a semiclosed-form solution is presented herein in which the governing differential equations are integrated to yield exact expressions for the unknown cable forces and the parameters defining the geometry of the loaded cable. The formulation presented herein is capable of taking care of the large sag and deformation in the cable without employing any numerical solution procedure.     

A generalized variational formulation for convective heat transfer

The Scope of this paper is to develop the basic equations for a variational formulation which can be used to solve problems related to convection and/or diffusion dominated flows. The formulation is based on the introduction of a generalized quantity defined as the hear displacement. The governing equation is expressed in terms of this quantity and a variational formulation is developed which leads to a system of equations similar in form to Lagrange's equations of mechanics. These equations can be used for obtaining approximate solutions, though they are of particular interest for application of the finite element method. As an example of the formulation two finite element models are derived for solving convectiondiffusion boundary value problems. The performance of the two models is investigated and numerical results are given for different cases of convection and diffusion with two types of boundary conditions. The applications of the developed formulations are not limited to convection-diffusion problems but can also be applied to other types of problems such as mass transfer, hydrodynamics and wave propagation.     

Finite Elastic Deformations in Liquid-Saturated and Empty Porous Solids

Based on the Theory of Porous Media (TPM), a formulation of a fluid-saturated porous solid is presented where both constituents, the solid and the fluid, are assumed to be materially incompressible. Therefore, the so-called point of compaction exists. This deformation state is reached when all pores are closed and any further volume compression is impossible due to the incompressibility constraint of the solid skeleton material. To describe this effect, a new finite elasticity law is developed on the basis of a hyperelastic strain energy function, thus governing the constraint of material incompressibility for the solid material. Furthermore, a power function to describe deformation dependent permeability effects is introduced.After the spatial discretization of the governing field equations within the finite element method, a differential algebraic system in time arises due to the incompressibility constraint of both constituents. For the efficient numerical treatment of the strongly coupled nonlinear solid-fluid problem, a consistent linearization of the weak forms of the governing equations with respect to the unknowns must be used.     

A Newton method for three-dimensional fretting problems

The present paper concerns the numerical treatment of fretting problems using a finite element analysis. The governing equations resulting from a formal finite element discretization of an elastic body with a potential contact surface are considered in a quasi-static setting. The constitutive equations of the potential contact surface are Signorinis contact conditions, Coulombs law of friction and Archards law of wear. Using a backward Euler time discretization and an approach based on projections, the governing equations are written as an augmented Lagrangian formulation which is implemented and solved using a Newton algorithm for three-dimensional fretting problems of didactic nature. Details concerning the implementation are provided.     

基于Hamilton体系的弹性力学问题的比例边界有限元方法

比例边界有限元方法是求解偏微分方程的一种半解析半数值解法。对于弹性力学问题,可采用基于力学相似性、基于比例坐标相似变换的加权余量法和虚功原理得到以位移为未知量的系统控制方程,属于Lagrange体系。但在求解时,又引入了表面力为未知量,控制方程属于Hamilton体系。因而,本文提出在比例边界有限元离散方法的基础上,利...     

饱和多孔介质中的混合有限元法和有限应变下应变局部化分析

对基于Biot理论的饱和多孔介质中动力-渗流耦合分析提出了一个耦合场混合元．固相位移、应变和有效应力以及流相压力、压力梯度和Darcy速度在单元内均处理为独立变量分别插值．基于胡海昌-Washizu三变量广义变分原理给出的饱和多孔介质动力-渗流耦合问题控制方程的单元弱形式，导出了单元公式．进一步导出了考虑压力相关非关联塑性的非线性单元公式和发展了相应的一致性算法．对几何非线性分析，采用了共旋公式途径．数值结果例题显示所发展耦合场混合元模拟大应变下由应变软化引起以应变局部化为特征的渐进破坏现象的性能．     

非饱和多孔介质中热-渗流-力学耦合的混合元法

提出了一个非饱和多孔介质中热-渗流-力学耦合分析的混合有限元 方法. 固相位移、应变和净应力；孔隙水和气的压力、压力空间梯度和Darcy速度；多相混 合介质的温度、温度空间梯度和热流量在单元内均为独立变量分别插值. 基于胡海 昌-Washizu 三变量广义变分原理给出的多孔介质中热-渗流-力学耦合问题控制方程的单元弱形式，导 出了单元公式. 采用共旋公式进行几何非线性分析. 数值结果证明了所提出的单元模拟以 应变局部化为特征的渐进破坏的能力     

The use of a reformulation of the hydrostatic approximation Navier-Stokes equations for geophysical fluid problems

In order to simulate geophysical general circulation processes, to simplify the governing equations of motion, often the vertical momentum equation of the Navier-Stokes equations is replaced by the hydrostatic approximation equation. The resulting equations are reformulated and a variational formulation of the linearized problem is derived. Iteration schemes are presented to solve this problem. A finite element method is discussed, as well as a finite difference method which is based on a grid that is often used in geophysical general circulation models. The schemes are extended to the non-linear case. Numerical examples are presented to demonstrate the performance of the derived iteration schemes.     

Nonlinear axisymmetric deformations of an elastic tube under external pressure

The problem of the finite axisymmetric deformation of a thick-walled circular cylindrical elastic tube subject to pressure on its external lateral boundaries and zero displacement on its ends is formulated for an incompressible isotropic neo-Hookean material. The formulation is fully nonlinear and can accommodate large strains and large displacements. The governing system of nonlinear partial differential equations is derived and then solved numerically using the C++ based object-oriented finite element library Libmesh. The weighted residual-Galerkin method and the Newton-Krylov nonlinear solver are adopted for solving the governing equations. Since the nonlinear problem is highly sensitive to small changes in the numerical scheme, convergence was obtained only when the analytical Jacobian matrix was used. A Lagrangian mesh is used to discretize the governing partial differential equations. Results are presented for different parameters, such as wall thickness and aspect ratio, and comparison is made with the corresponding linear elasticity formulation of the problem, the results of which agree with those of the nonlinear formulation only for small external pressure. Not surprisingly, the nonlinear results depart significantly from the linear ones for larger values of the pressure and when the strains in the tube wall become large. Typical nonlinear characteristics exhibited are the “corner bulging” of short tubes, and multiple modes of deformation for longer tubes.     

Large amplitude free flexural vibration of rings using finite element approach

Here, the large amplitude free flexural vibrations of isotropic/laminated orthotropic rings are investigated, using a shear flexible curved beam element based on field consistency principle. A laminated refined beam theory is introduced for developing the element, which satisfies the interface transverse shear stress and displacement continuity, and has a vanishing shear stress on the inner and outer surfaces of the beam. The formulation includes in-plane and rotary inertia effects, and the non-linearity due to the finite deformation of the ring. The governing equations obtained using Lagrange's equations of motion are solved through the direct integration technique. Amplitude-frequency relationships evaluated from the dynamic response history are examined. Detailed numerical results are presented considering various parameters such as radius-to-thickness ratio, circumferential wave number and ovality for isotropic and laminated orthotropic rings. The nature and degree of the participation of various modes in non-linear asymmetric vibration of oval ring brought out through the present study are useful for accurate modelling of the closed non-circular structures.     

非线性转子系统周期响应的分析

基于时域的时间有限元法,将描述转子系统动力学特征的非线性微分方程组离散成一组非线性代数方程,然后应用吴消去法的特征列思维对所得到的非线性代数方程组进行降维求解,进而得到待求节点位移响应的解形式,并据此对一具有非线性支撑的柔性Jeffcott转子模型响应的性质进行了分析。     

A 3D multi-field element for simulating the electromechanical coupling behavior of dielectric elastomers

We propose a multi-field implicit finite element method for analyzing the electromechanical behavior of dielectric elastomers. This method is based on a four-field variational principle, which includes displacement and electric potential for the electromechanical coupling analysis, and additional independent fields to address the incompressible constraint of the hyperelastic material. Linearization of the variational form and finite element discretization are adopted for the numerical implementation. A general FEM program framework is developed using C ++ based on the open-source finite element library deal.II to implement this proposed algorithm. Numerical examples demonstrate the accuracy, convergence properties, mesh-independence properties, and scalability of this method. We also use the method for eigenvalue analysis of a dielectric elastomer actuator subject to electromechanical loadings. Our finite element implementation is available as an online supplementary material.     

Finite element solutions of axisymmetric Euler equations for an incompressible and inviscid fluid

In this paper we present a finite element method for the numerical solution of axisymmetric flows. The governing equations of the flow are the axisymmetric Euler equations. We use a streamfunction angular velocity and vorticity formulation of these equations, and we consider the non-stationary and the stationary problems. For industrial applications we have developed a general model which computes the flow past an annular aerofoil and a duct propeller. It is able to take into account jumps of angular velocity and vorticiy in order to model the flow in the presence of a propeller. Moreover, we compute the complete flow around the after-body of a ship and the interaction between a ducted propeller and the stern. In the stationary case we have developed a simple and efficient version of the characteristics/finite element method. Numerical tests have shown that this last method leads to a very fast solver for the Euler equations. The numerical results are in good agreement with experimental data.     

THEORY OF DIELECTRIC ELASTOMERS

In response to a stimulus, a soft material deforms, and the deformation provides a function. We call such a material a soft active material （SAM）. This review focuses on one class of soft active materials： dielectric elastomers. When a membrane of a dielectric elastomer is subject to a voltage through its thickness, the membrane reduces thickness and expands area, possibly straining over 100%. The dielectric elastomers are being developed as transducers for broad applications, including soft robots, adaptive optics, Braille displays, and electric generators. This paper reviews the theory of dielectric elastomers, developed within continuum mechanics and thermodynamics, and motivated by molecular pictures and empirical observations. The theory couples large deformation and electric potential, and describes nonlinear and nonequilibrium behavior, such as electromechanical instability and viscoelasticity. The theory enables the finite element method to simulate transducers of realistic configurations, predicts the efficiency of electromechanical energy conversion, and suggests alternative routes to achieve giant voltage-induced deformation. It is hoped that the theory will aid in the creation of materials and devices.