Numerical approach for detecting bifurcation points of the compatibility paths of symmetric deployable structures

New internal mechanisms of a deployable structure could be generated, when the structure undergoes significant transformations along its compatibility path. Because of such kind of kinematic bifurcation, the structure might not transform into the desired configuration. To design novel deployable structures, it is necessary to detect all possible bifurcation points of the compatibility paths and study the bifurcation behavior. Here, on the basis of the nonlinear prediction–correction algorithm with variable increment size, we will propose an efficient approach to detect all the possible bifurcation points of the compatibility path for a symmetric deployable structure. Null space of the Jacobian matrix is studied iteratively, to follow the complete compatibility path. The variable increment size at each step is determined by evaluating whether the configuration is close to the singular configuration. Numerical examples of several 2D and 3D symmetric deployable structures are presented, to verify the feasibility and computational complexity of the proposed approach. The results show that the proposed method is computationally efficient, and could detect different bifurcation points of the compatibility path. Further, it turns out that all the analyzed symmetric structures experience kinematic bifurcation on certain conditions.     

An orthogonal self-stress matrix for efficient analysis of cyclically symmetric space truss structures via force method

The analysis of structures is normally carried out through displacement method while the force method is considered as an alternative approach for this purpose and used on occasion. The generation of compatibility conditions (the transpose of self-stress matrix) is one of the major and complicated parts of any structural analysis using force method. In this paper, an efficient method is proposed for producing orthogonal self-stress matrix related to space truss structures with cyclic symmetry. This is actually performed by eigen-decomposition of a special matrix having the same null basis as in equilibrium matrix. Then, the advantages of the obtained compatibility conditions are demonstrated with respect to different formulations such as standard force method, eigen force method and integrated force method. Finally, the efficiency of the presented method is comprehensively compared with three well-known numerical methods and tested on a set of practical examples. The results indicate clearly the significant superiority of the proposed approach in terms of both computational time and the accuracy of the results.     

THE EFFECTS OF COD BONE GELATIN ON TRABECULAR MICROSTRUCTURE AND MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF CANCELLOUS BONE

Osteoporosis is a common clinical complication of post-menopausal women and the elderly and can significantly complicate the severity of bone fragility. The purpose of this study is to investigate how cod bone gelatin administration influences trabecular biomechanical properties after ovariectomy. Both biomechanical properties and trabecular microarchitectures were evaluated for cancellous bone samples from female ovariectomized rats, which were either shamoperated or treated with marine peptide(0.75, 1.5, 3.0, 6.0 g/kg body weight) for 90 days. The results have confirmed that cod bone gelatin treatment is effective in the prevention of mechanical property loss by preserving bone mass and trabecular architecture.     

On poro-hyperelastic shear

The paper examines the problem of the shear of a porous hyperelastic material, the pore space of which is saturated with an incompressible fluid. Poro-hyperelasticity provides a suitable approach for modelling the mechanical behaviour of highly deformable materials in engineering applications and particularly soft tissues encountered in biomechanical applications. Unlike with the infinitesimal theory of poroelasticity, the application of pure shear generates pore fluid pressures that dissipate with time as fluid migrates either from or into the pore space due to the generated fluid pressure gradients. The analytical results provide benchmark problems that can be used to examine the accuracy of computational approaches.     

Benchmark case studies in structural design optimization using the force method

A structural optimization algorithm is developed for truss and beam structures under stress–displacement or frequency constraints. The algorithm combines the mathematical programming based on the Sequential Quadratic Programming (SQP) technique and the finite element technique based on the Integrated Force Method. A new approach based on the single value decomposition technique has been developed to derive the compatibility matrix required in the force method. Benchmark case studies illustrate the procedure and allow the results obtained to be compared with those reported in the literature. It is shown that the computational effort required by the force method is significantly lower than that of the displacement method and in some cases such as structural optimization problems with multiple frequency constraints, the analysis procedure (force or displacement method) significantly affects the final optimum design and the structural optimization based on the force method may result in a lighter design.     

Development of the large increment method for elastic perfectly plastic analysis of plane frame structures under monotonic loading

The displacement-based finite element method dominates current practice for material nonlinear analysis of structures. However, there are several characteristics that may limit the effectiveness of this approach. In particular, for elastoplastic analysis, the displacement method relies upon a step-by-step incremental approach stemming from flow theory and also requires significant mesh refinement to resolve behavior in plastic zones. This leads to computational inefficiencies that, in turn, encourage the reconsideration of force-based approaches for elastoplastic problems.One of these force algorithms that has been recently developed is the large increment method. The main advantage of the flexibility-based large increment method (LIM) over the displacement method is that it separates the global equilibrium and compatibility equations from the local constitutive relations. Consequently, LIM can reach the solution in one large increment or in a few large steps, thus, avoiding the development of cumulative errors. This paper discusses the extension of the large increment methodology for the nonlinear analysis of plane frame structures controlled by an elastic, perfectly plastic material model. The discussion focuses on the power of LIM to handle these nonlinear problems, especially when plastic hinges form in the frame and ultimately as the structure approaches the collapse stage. Illustrative planar frame examples are presented and the results are compared with those obtained from a standard displacement method.     

Effect of magnetic field on poroelastic bone model for internal remodeling

This paper studies the effects of the magnetic field and the porosity on a poroelastic bone model for internal remodeling. The solution of the internal bone remodeling process induced by a magnetic field is presented. The bone is treated as a poroelastic material by Biot’s formulation. Based on the theory of small strain adaptive elasticity, a theoretical approach for the internal remodeling is proposed. The components of the stresses, the displacements, and the rate of internal remodeling are obtained in analytical forms, and the numerical results are represented graphically. The results indicate that the effects of the magnetic field and the porosity on the rate of internal remodeling in bone are very pronounced.     

A simple physical approach for deriving the characteristic equations of fluid dynamics

A simple physical approach for deriving the characteristic equations of fluid dynamics is presented. The approach is based on the physical concept that information propagates through a flowfield along pathlines due to particle motion and along wavelines due to acoustic wave motion. The characteristic equations and compatibility equations are derived in vector forms which are valid in any co-ordinate system.     

Residual‐based stabilization of the finite element approximation to the acoustic perturbation equations for low Mach number aeroacoustics

The acoustic perturbation equations (APE) are suitable to predict aerodynamic noise in the presence of a non‐uniform mean flow. As for any hybrid computational aeroacoustics approach, a first computational fluid dynamics simulation is carried out from which the mean flow characteristics and acoustic sources are obtained. In a second step, the APE are solved to get the acoustic pressure and particle velocity fields. However, resorting to the finite element method (FEM) for that purpose is not straightforward. Whereas mixed finite elements satisfying an appropriate inf–sup compatibility condition can be built in the case of no mean flow, that is, for the standard wave equation in mixed form, these are difficult to implement and their good performance is yet to be checked for more complex wave operators. As a consequence, strong simplifying assumptions are usually considered when solving the APE with FEM. It is possible to avoid them by resorting to stabilized formulations. In this work, a residual‐based stabilized FEM is presented for the APE at low Mach numbers, which allows one to deal with the APE convective and reaction terms in its full extent. The key of the approach resides in the design of the matrix of stabilization parameters. The performance of the formulation and the contributions of the different terms in the equations are tested for an acoustic pulse propagating in sheared‐solenoidal mean flow, and for the aeolian tone generated by flow past a two‐dimensional cylinder. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Mechanics Applied to Skeletal Ontogeny and Phylogeny

The musculo-skeletal system serves the mechanical function of creating motion and transmitting loads. It is made up mainly of four components: bone, cartilage, muscle and fibrous connective tissue. These have evolved over millions of years into the complex and diverse shapes of the animal skeleton. The skeleton, however, is not built to a static plan: it can adapt to mechanical forces during growth, it can remodel if the forces change, and it can regenerate if it is damaged. In this paper, the regulation of skeletal construction by mechanical forces is analyzed from both ontogenetic and phylogenetic standpoints. In the first part, models of biomechanical processes that act during skeletal ontogenesis – tissue differentiation and bone remodeling – are presented and, in the second, the evolution of the middle ear is used as an example of biomechanical change in skeletal phylogenesis. Because the constitutive laws for skeletal tissues are relatively well understood, and because the skeleton is preserved in the fossil record, application of mechanics to skeletal evolution seems to present a good opportunity to explore the relationships governing ontogenetic adaptations and phylogenetic change.     

Efficient Computational Method for the Non-Probabilistic Reliability of Linear Structural Systems

The non-probabilistic reliability in higher dimensional situations cannot be calculated efficiently using traditional methods, which either require a large amount of calculation or cause significant error. In this study, an efficient computational method is proposed for the calculation of non-probabilistic reliability based on the volume ratio theory, specifically for linear structural systems. The common expression for non-probabilistic reliability is obtained through formula derivation with the amount of computation considerably reduced. The compatibility between non-probabilistic and probabilistic safety measures is demonstrated through the Monte Carlo simulation. The high efficiency of the presented method is verified by several numerical examples.     

Crystal plasticity model with enhanced hardening by geometrically necessary dislocation accumulation

A strain gradient dependent crystal plasticity approach is used to model the constitutive behaviour of polycrystal FCC metals under large plastic deformation. Material points are considered as aggregates of grains, subdivided into several fictitious grain fractions: a single crystal volume element stands for the grain interior whereas grain boundaries are represented by bi-crystal volume elements, each having the crystallographic lattice orientations of its adjacent crystals. A relaxed Taylor-like interaction law is used for the transition from the local to the global scale. It is relaxed with respect to the bi-crystals, providing compatibility and stress equilibrium at their internal interface. During loading, the bi-crystal boundaries deform dissimilar to the associated grain interior. Arising from this heterogeneity, a geometrically necessary dislocation (GND) density can be computed, which is required to restore compatibility of the crystallographic lattice. This effect provides a physically based method to account for the additional hardening as introduced by the GNDs, the magnitude of which is related to the grain size. Hence, a scale-dependent response is obtained, for which the numerical simulations predict a mechanical behaviour corresponding to the Hall-Petch effect. Compared to a full-scale finite element model reported in the literature, the present polycrystalline crystal plasticity model is of equal quality yet much more efficient from a computational point of view for simulating uniaxial tension experiments with various grain sizes.     

人工膝关节置换中的生物力学研究进展

膝关节是人全身最大最复杂的关节, 它的任何一个主要组成部分的损坏都会引起膝关节的反常运动, 久之软骨和半月板发生磨损、变性而形成骨性关节病, 从而影响人的日常生活. 通常采用的方法是进行膝关节矫形或置换, 对严重病变的膝关节, 则采用全膝置换手术.随着人工膝关节置换成为非常普遍的外科手术, 与膝关节假体相关的研究也越来越多的被人所关注. 从生物力学角度对人工膝关节假体的类型和材料、假体生物力学性能的理论和实验研究、骨重建的理论模型、骨整合的理论和实验、与理论和实验相关的有限元分析模型等几个主要方面进行了详尽的综述. 同时, 指出了人工膝关节置换和目前研究中存在的问题,并对其未来的发展方向进行了一定的预测.      

多特征几何体的全六面体网格自动生成方法

有限元分析的精度和效率与网格划分的质量有直接关系.目前尚缺乏一种普适性的自动网格划分方法,尤其是对于具有多种几何特征的复杂模型,现有的六面体网格自动划分算法存在不同几何特征间的网格兼容性较差以及孔状特征周围网格质量不高的问题.对此本文提出一种基于映射法的六面体网格自动生成方法,在映射法的基本框架下,将物理空间中的复杂几何体映射为计算空间中的规则几何体,引入边界顶点分类,将复杂几何体边界进行简化,将子域约束进行连接,寻找贯穿边界,以使映射网格在约束特征间兼容;对圆弧特征进行等效转化,降低曲率过大对于网格过渡的影响.实例验证表明,本方法稳定可靠,生成的六面体网格质量较高,能够解决多特征复杂几何体六面体网格自动划分问题.     

CAD-consistent adaptive refinement using a NURBS-based discontinuous Galerkin method

This study concerns the development of a new method combining high-order computer-aided design (CAD)-consistent grids and adaptive refinement/coarsening strategies for efficient analysis of compressible flows. The proposed approach allows to use geometrical data from CAD without any approximation. Thus, the simulations are based on the exact geometry, even for the coarsest discretizations. Combining this property with a local refinement method allows to start computations using very coarse grids and then relies on dynamic adaption to construct suitable computational domains. The resulting approach facilitates interactions between CAD and computational fluid dynamics solvers and focuses the computational effort on the capture of physical phenomena, since geometry is exactly taken into account. The proposed methodology is based on a discontinuous Galerkin method for compressible Navier-Stokes equations, modified to use nonuniform rational B-Spline representations. Local refinement and coarsening are introduced using intrinsic properties of nonuniform rational B-Spline associated with a local error indicator. A verification of the accuracy of the method is achieved and a set of applications are presented, ranging from viscous subsonic to inviscid trans- and supersonic flow problems.     

An efficient algorithm for solving the incompressible fluid flow equations

The present paper reports on a modified pressure implicit predictor corrector type scheme for solving the flow governing equations, in which a consistent formulation is combined with a multi-grid solver for the pressure correction. In addition a parabolic sublayer (PSL) approach for the treatment of the flow in the vicinity of solid walls is critically evaluated in terms of accuracy and computational efficiency. The lid-driven cavity flow is chosen as the test case and results are presented for Reynolds numbers ranging from 100 to 1000. Predictions with the proposed scheme indicate substantial computational savings and fairly good agreement when compared with previous work. The PSL approach reduces the computing time, but with increasing Reynolds numbers the accuracy of the solutions tends to deteriorate.     

Viscoelastic analysis of von Kármán laminated plates under in-plane compression with initial deflection

The creep responses of simply-supported cross-ply and angle-ply viscoelastic laminates, having various magnitudes of imperfections, under in-plane compression are examined. The non-linear strain-displacement relation is based on the von Kármán assumption. The stress function is obtained by solving the compatibility equation by the use of the Laplace transform, and the deflection is calculated from the moment equation by the Galerkin method and a numerical integration scheme. The numerical results of deflection history and edge shortening for the glass/epoxy laminates are presented for illustrating the effect of imperfections and viscoelastic properties on the creep behavior. The solutions based on the quasi-elastic approach are also presented for comparison.     

Dynamic Analysis of Human Gait Disorder and Metabolical Cost Estimation

For the design and improvement of orthotic and prosthetic devices the biomechanical effort is an important criterion to obtain a more comfortable and natural gait of humans with gait disorders. In the first part of the paper the inverse dynamic analysis based on measurements of the human gait for subjects with different kinds of disorders is presented. The second part is devoted to a method to estimate the energy expenditure for human motions. This approach allows the computation of metabolical cost for human locomotion using Hill-type muscle models.     

Material sensitivity analysis in homogenization of linear elastic composites

Summary  The main goal of the paper is to present theoretical aspects and the finite element method (FEM) implementation of the sensitivity analysis in homogenization of composite materials with linear elastic components, using effective modules approach. The deterministic sensitivity analysis of effective material properties is presented in a general form for an n-components periodic composite, and is illustrated by the examples of 1D as well as of 2D heterogeneous structures. The results of the sensitivity analysis presented in the paper confirm the usefulness of the homogenization method in computational analysis of composite materials the method may be applied to computational optimization of engineering composites, to the shape-sensitivity studies and, after some probabilistic extensions, to stochastic sensitivity analysis of random composites. Received 10 November 2000; accepted for publication 24 April 2001