Indentation of plastically graded substrates by sharp indentors

The present paper investigates the indentation of plastically graded substrates by sharp indentors. Contact analysis of plastically graded surfaces can be particularly useful in the design of load-bearing devices such as gears, rollers and electric contacts found in many macro- and micro-electro-mechanical systems. Substrates made of plastically graded materials are often encountered in nature or are artificially produced as a result of chemical and/or physical surface treatments. The variation of the plastic properties depends on micro-structural or compositional changes of the material with depth. The analysis of indentation of plastically graded substrates by sharp indentors provide the load-penetration response, as well as the strains and stresses inside the substrate, at maximum loading and at complete unloading. The parametric analysis of the solutions enables the direct correlation of the plastic properties and the load-penetration curves obtained from instrumented indentation tests. The variation of the plastic properties can subsequently be related to important micro-structural parameters such as particle composition, dislocation density and grain size. The results of this work show how surface modifications can induce plastic graded properties that strengthen substrates against contact-induced damage.     

Spherical indentation of incompressible rubber-like materials

In recent years, indentation tests have been proven very useful in probing mechanical properties of small volumes of materials. However, a class of materials that very little has been done in this direction is rubber-like materials (elastomers). The present work investigates the spherical indentation of incompressible rubber-like materials. The analysis is performed in the context of second-order hyperelasticity and is accompanied by finite element computations and an extensive experimental program with spherical indentors of different radii. Uniaxial tensile tests were also performed and it was found that the initial elastic modulus correlates well with the indentation response. The experiments suggest stiffer indentation response than that predicted by linear elasticity, which is somehow counter-intuitive, if the uniaxial material response is to be considered. Regarding the uniqueness of the inverse problem, that is to establish material properties from spherical indentation tests, the answer is disappointing. We prove that the inverse problem does not give unique answer regarding the constitutive relation, except for the initial stiffness.     

基于微纳米压入法提取无铅焊料合金弹塑性力学参数的研究

本文通过微纳米压入法结合数值模拟研究了无铅焊料合金SnAg3.5 的弹塑性力学性能，分别采用圆柱形压头及两种不同锥角压头对无铅焊料合金进行压入测试：基于圆柱形压头测试过程中接触面积恒定的特点得到了无铅焊料的弹性模量，进一步采用塑性应变梯度理论对两种锥角压头的测试结果予以修正并通过数值模拟反分析得到相应的特征应力值，同时基于压入特征塑性应变与压头锥角的关系式得到两种不同锥角压头下的特征应变值，在此基础上经求解方程组得到焊料合金的初始屈服应力与应变强化因子，进而得到了焊料合金的幂强化弹塑性本构关系．该方法剔除了压入尺度效应的影响并保证了所得本构关系的唯一性，给出了一种通过原位压入测试表征金属材料弹塑性力学性能的有效方法．     

纳米压痕过程的三维有限元数值试验研究

采用有限元方法模拟了纳米压痕仪的加、卸载过程，三维有限元模型考虑了纳米压痕仪的标准Berkovich压头．介绍了有限元模型的几何参数、边界条件、材料特性与加载方式，讨论了摩擦、滑动机制、试件模型的大小对计算结果的影响，进行了计算结果与标准试样实验结果的比较，证实了模拟的可靠性．在此基础上，重点研究了压头尖端曲率半径对纳米压痕实验数据的影响．对比分析了尖端曲率半径r＝0与r＝100nm两种压头的材料压痕载荷—位移曲线．结果表明，当压头尖端曲率半径r≠0时，基于经典的均匀连续介质力学本构理论、传统的实验手段与数据处理方法，压痕硬度值会随着压痕深度的减小而升高．     

黏弹性材料等效分数阶微观结构标准线性固体模型

从黏弹性材料微观链结构出发,以橡胶基黏弹性材料超弹性理论分子网链高斯(Gauss)统计模型和黏滞流动理论为基础,研究黏弹性材料的微观结构、填料等对黏弹性性能的影响.用温频等效原理描述温度对黏弹性材料力学性能的影响,建立了可以有效描述黏弹性材料耗能特性的等效分数阶微观结构标准线性固体模型.采用动态热机械分析仪(DMA)对高聚物黏弹性材料力学性能、耗能能力进行测试.试验表明:在低温区域,储能模量较大,随着温度的升高,储能模量下降显著;能量损耗因子在高温和低温区域数值较小,在玻璃化转变温度附近数值较高.根据测试数据对所提等效分数阶微观结构标准线性固体模型进行验证,该力学模型能够较好地描述黏弹性材料储能模量和能量损耗因子随温度的变化趋势.用9050A和ZN22黏弹性材料对模型的有效性进一步验证,结果表明:9050A和ZN22黏弹性材料具有较好的耗能能力,所提出的等效分数阶微观结构标准线性固体模型能够准确地描述微观结构和填料对黏弹性材料宏观性能的影响,能够准确地描述黏弹性材料在不同温度和频率下的动态力学性能.     

Contact laws between solid particles

This paper presents a comprehensive study for the contact laws between solid particles taking into account the effects of plasticity, strain hardening and very large deformation. The study takes advantage of the development of a so-called material point method (MPM) which requires neither remeshing for large deformation problems, nor iterative schemes to satisfy the contact boundary conditions. The numerical results show that the contact law is sensitive to impact velocity and material properties. The contact laws currently used in the discrete element simulations often ignore these factors and are therefore over-simplistic. For spherical particles made of elastic perfectly plastic material, the study shows that the contact law can be fully determined by knowing the relative impact velocity and the ratio between the effective elastic modulus and yield stress. For particles with strain hardening, the study shows that it is difficult to develop an analytical contact law. The same difficulty exists when dealing with particles of irregular shapes or made of heterogeneous materials. The problem can be overcome by using numerical contact laws which can be easily obtained using the material point method.     

热对流条件下考虑球形夹杂分布的材料热弹接触摩擦热影响分析

机械传动关键活动零部件接触副往往受到力载荷和摩擦热载荷的耦合作用,使得接触界面间的接触力学行为的分析变得极其复杂. 利用基于等效夹杂方法建立的考虑热对流非均质材料热弹接触力学分析模型研究不同摩擦系数、夹杂位置和材料属性等参数对材料表面及内部温升及热应力分布影响规律. 此外,进一步分析了接触副材料中含分布球形夹杂时摩擦热造成的影响. 结果表明:接触副表面温升梯度受热对流系数的影响较大;下表面温升和热应力随摩擦系数增大而增大;分布夹杂则将接触副材料下表面温升及热应力分布变得更为复杂.      

考虑等效曲率的超二次曲面单元非线性接触模型

基于连续函数包络的超二次曲面单元可有效地描述自然界和工业生产中的非球体颗粒形态, 并通过非线性迭代方法精确计算单元间的接触力. 对于具有复杂几何形态的超二次曲面单元, 线性接触模型不能准确地计算不同接触模式下的作用力. 考虑超二次曲面单元相互作用时不同颗粒形状及表面曲率的影响, 本文发展了相应的非线性黏弹性接触模型. 该模型将不同接触模式下的法向刚度和黏滞力统一表述为单元间局部接触点处等效曲率半径的函数; 切向接触作用则借鉴基于Mohr-Coulomb摩擦定律的球体单元非线性接触模型的计算方法. 为检验超二次曲面单元接触模型的可靠性, 对球形颗粒间的法向碰撞、椭球体颗粒间的斜冲击过程、圆柱体的静态堆积和椭球体的动态卸料过程进行离散元模拟, 并与有限元数值结果及试验结果进行对比验证. 计算表明, 考虑接触点处等效曲率半径的超二次曲面非线性接触模型可准确地计算单元间的接触碰撞作用, 并合理地反映非球形颗粒体系的运动规律. 在此基础上进一步分析了不同长宽比和表面尖锐度对卸料过程中颗粒流动特性的影响, 为非球形颗粒材料的流动特性分析提供了一种有效的离散元方法.      

A DAMAGE MECHANICS MODEL FOR TWISTED CARBON NANOTUBE FIBERS

Carbon nanotube fibers can be fabricated by the chemical vapor deposition spinning process. They are promising for a wide range of applications such as the building blocks of high-performance composite materials and micro-electrochemical sensors. Mechanical twisting is an effective means of enhancing the mechanical properties of carbon nanotube fibers during fabrication or by post processing. However, the effects of twisting on the mechanical properties remain an unsolved issue. In this paper, we present a two-scale damage mechanics model to quantitatively investigate the effects of twisting on the mechanical properties of carbon nanotube fibers. The numerical results demonstrate that the developed damage mechanics model can effectively describe the elastic and the plastic-like behaviors of carbon nanotube fibers during the tension process. A definite range of twisting which can effectively enhance the mechanical properties of carbon nanotube fiber is given. The results can be used to guide the mechanical twisting of carbon nanotube fibers to improve their properties and help optimize the mechanical performance of carbon nanotube-based materials.     

Novel mechanical behavior of periodic structure with the pattern transformation

In periodic cellular structures, novel pattern transformations are triggered by a reversible elastic instability under the axial compression. Based on the deformation-triggered new pattern, periodic cellular structures can achieve special mechanical properties. In this paper, the designed architecture materials which include elastomer matrixes containing empty holes or filled holes with hydrogel material are modeled and simulated to investigate the mechanical property of the periodic materials. By analyzing the relationship between nominal stress and nominal strain of periodic material, and the corresponding deformed patterns, the influence of geometry and shapes of the holes on the mechanical property of architecture material is studied in more details. We hope this study can provide future perspectives for the deformation-triggered periodic structures.     

The effect of microstructural morphology on the elastic,inelastic, and degradation behaviors of aluminum–alumina composites

Micromechanical models with idealized and simplified shapes of inhomogeneities have been widely used to obtain the average (macroscopic) mechanical response of different composite materials. The main purpose of this study is to examine whether the composites with irregular shapes of inhomogeneities, such as in the aluminum–alumina (Al–Al₂O₃) composites, can be approximated by considering idealized and simplified shapes of inhomogeneities in determining their overall macroscopic mechanical responses. We study the effects of microstructural characteristics, on mechanical behavior (elastic, inelastic, and degradation) of the constituents, and shapes and distributions of the pores and inclusions (inhomogeneities), and thermal stresses on the overall mechanical properties and response of the Al–Al₂O₃ composites. Microstructures of a composite with 20% alumina volume content are constructed from the microstructural images of the composite obtained by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The SEM images of the composite are converted to finite element (FE) meshes, which are used to determine the overall mechanical response of the Al–Al₂O₃ composite. We also construct micromechanics model by considering circular shapes of the inhomogeneities, while maintaining the same volume contents and locations of the inhomogeneities as the ones in the micromechanics model with actual shapes of inhomogeneities. The macroscopic elastic and inelastic responses and stress fields in the constituents from the micromechanics models with actual and circular shapes of inhomogeneities are compared and discussed.     

Using high-frequency vibrations and non-linear inclusions to create metamaterials with adjustable effective properties

We investigate how high-frequency (HF) excitation combined with strongly non-linear elasticity may influence the effective properties for low-frequency wave propagation. The HF effects are demonstrated for linear spring-mass chains with embedded non-linear parts. The investigated mechanical systems can be viewed as a one-dimensional model of materials with non-linear inclusions. The presented analytical and numerical results show that effective material properties can be altered by establishing HF standing waves in the non-linear regions of the chain. In addition, it is demonstrated how true static displacements and forces can be created by using HF excitation with structures having asymmetric displacement-force characteristics.     

凹形多面体离散单元的水平集函数接触算法

多面体模型理论上可构造任意颗粒形态,然而受单元接触算法的限制,仅用于凸形颗粒材料的离散元模拟。对于具有凹形特征的多面体单元,单个接触点的搜索算法难以精确计算单元间的作用力。考虑多面体单元间存在单个或多个接触点的计算特性,本文发展了适用于凸形和凹形多面体颗粒材料的水平集函数接触算法。该方法通过点-三角形单元距离计算方法和奇-偶数判定方法建立多面体单元的零水平集函数和空间水平集函数,并对水平集函数进行三线性插值,可得到多面体单元间的单个或多个接触点。为检验水平集函数接触算法的可靠性,对球形和凹形多面体颗粒材料的堆积和倒塌过程进行离散元模拟,并分析颗粒形状对堆积密度和休止角的影响规律。     

Analysis of spherical indentation of materials with plastically graded surface layer

In the present work, a comprehensive parametric study for establishing contact mechanics of instrumented normal spherical indentation on homogeneous materials and materials with plastically graded surface layer (PGSL) was undertaken by dimensional analysis and finite element modeling. The spherical indentation response for homogeneous materials can be described only by two dimensionless parameters: strain hardening exponent and a unified parameter that can describe effects of both the normalized yield strength and the normalized indentation depth. The influences of these two parameters were investigated for a wide range of engineering materials, and the results may be used as an estimate of loading response and pile-up/sink-in behavior when the material properties are known. In the materials with PGSL, a linear gradient in yield strength, and no variation in elastic modulus and strain hardening exponent were explored. The indentation response of the materials with PGSL can be described only by three dimensionless parameters: the normalized indentation depth, the dimensionless strength gradient parameter, and the normalized PGSL thickness. The effects of these three parameters were studied systematically. The normalized pile-up/sink-in parameter is found to be an increasing function of the strength gradient parameter. The normalized pile-up/sink-in parameter increases (decreases) with increasing PGSL thickness for a fixed positive (negative) gradient case at large indentation depth. The results also indicate that the materials with positive PGSL can bear more loads and have significantly more resistance to contact crack formation.     

爆炸载荷作用下混凝土靶板动态响应的细观模拟

考虑到一些对裂纹要求较严格的混凝土结构可能遭受到冲击载荷的威胁,利用混凝土三维细观力学模型对混凝土板在炸药爆炸（接触爆炸、封闭爆炸）载荷作用下的响应和破坏情况进行数值模拟,并就影响靶板内裂纹扩展结果的因素展开参数讨论。模型考虑了混凝土材料的内部细观结构（包括粗骨料体积分数、尺寸、级配等）以及三相材料力学性能的影响,准确地预测了混凝土板在2种爆炸条件下的裂纹形貌和开坑尺寸。通过与宏观均质模型的模拟结果进行对比可知,细观模型预测的接触爆炸条件下混凝土靶板的开坑形态、尺寸,以及封闭爆炸条件下混凝土盖板的主裂纹数量,均与实验观察更为贴近。此外,参数研究结果表明,三维细观力学模型的全局网格尺寸以及模型内各组分的相对网格尺寸均会对模拟结果的精度产生影响,选择与空气网格尺寸相当的混凝土网格尺寸,可以在获得较准确模拟结果的同时保证计算效率;骨料粒径大小也会影响混凝土板在爆炸载荷作用下的响应和破坏结果。混凝土三维细观力学模型能够反映混凝土结构在冲击载荷作用下的损伤和破坏的细观机理及影响因素,对指导工程设计和结构安全评估具有重要的理论意义和实际应用价值。     

Contact analysis in the presence of an ellipsoidal inhomogeneity within a half space

Many materials contain inhomogeneities or inclusions that may greatly affect their mechanical properties. Such inhomogeneities are for example encountered in the case of composite materials or materials containing precipitates. This paper presents an analysis of contact pressure and subsurface stress field for contact problems in the presence of anisotropic elastic inhomogeneities of ellipsoidal shape. Accounting for any orientation and material properties of the inhomogeneities are the major novelties of this work. The semi-analytical method proposed to solve the contact problem is based on Eshelby’s formalism and uses 2D and 3D Fast Fourier Transforms to speed up the computation. The time and memory necessary are greatly reduced in comparison with the classical finite element method. The model can be seen as an enrichment technique where the enrichment fields from the heterogeneous solution are superimposed to the homogeneous problem. The definition of complex geometries made by combination of inclusions can easily be achieved. A parametric analysis on the effect of elastic properties and geometrical features of the inhomogeneity (size, depth and orientation) is proposed. The model allows to obtain the contact pressure distribution – disturbed by the presence of inhomogeneities – as well as subsurface and matrix/inhomogeneity interface stresses. It is shown that the presence of an inclusion below the contact surface affects significantly the contact pressure and subsurfaces stress distributions when located at a depth lower than 0.7 times the contact radius. The anisotropy directions and material data are also key elements that strongly affect the elastic contact solution. In the case of normal contact between a spherical indenter and an elastic half space containing a single inhomogeneity whose center is located straight below the contact center, the normal stress at the inhomogeneity/matrix interface is mostly compressive. Finally when the axes of the ellipsoidal inclusion do not coincide with the contact problem axes, the pressure distribution is not symmetrical.     

Explicit solutions for a SWCNT collapse

Self-collapse of carbon nanotubes may prominently affect their electrical properties and holds promise for important applications in the emerging nano-mechanical or electronic systems. Based upon the potential energy functional, we derived the governing equation and transversality boundary condition for a collapsed single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT). Considering the inextensible condition of the elastica, some closed-form solutions for the collapsed configuration were obtained in terms of elliptical integrals. These analytical solutions include the critical length of the flat contact segment, critical radii for collapsed and circular shapes of the cross-section, deflections and potential energies of the SWCNTs. Finally, the energy states and the collapsed morphologies of the SWCNTs were presented. These explicit solutions are beneficial for the design of nano-structured materials, and cast a light on enhancing their mechanical, chemical, optical and electronic properties.     

Scale effect and geometric shapes of grains

The rule-of-mixture approach has become one of the widely spread ways to investigate the mechanical properties of nano-materials and nano-structures,and it is very important for the simulation results to exactly compute phase volume fractions.The nanocrystalline(NC)materials are treated as three-phase composites consisting of grain core phase,grain boundary(GB)phase and triple junction phase,and a two-dimensional three-phase mixture regular polygon model is established to investigate the scale effect of mechanical properties of NC materials due to the geometrical polyhedron characteristics of crystal grain.For different multi-sided geometrical shapes of grains,the corresponding regular polygon model is adopted to obtain more precise phase volume fractions and exactly predict the mechanical properties of NC materials.     

Refractive-index-matched hydrogel materials for measuring flow-structure interactions

In imaging-based studies of flow around solid objects, it is useful to have materials that are refractive-index-matched to the surrounding fluid. However, materials currently in use are usually rigid and matched to liquids that are either expensive or highly viscous. This does not allow for measurements at high Reynolds number, nor accurate modeling of flexible structures. This work explores the use of two hydrogels (agarose and polyacrylamide) as refractive-index-matched models in water. These hydrogels are inexpensive, can be cast into desired shapes, and have flexibility that can be tuned to match biological materials. The use of water as the fluid phase allows this method to be implemented immediately in many experimental facilities and permits investigation of high-Reynolds-number phenomena. We explain fabrication methods and present a summary of the physical and optical properties of both gels, and then show measurements demonstrating the use of hydrogel models in quantitative imaging.     

Multi-scale modeling of grouted sand behavior

The mechanical properties of sand: stiffness, cohesion and, to a less extent, friction angle can be increased through the process of grouting. A constitutive model adapted for cohesive-frictional materials from a homogenization technique which allowed us to integrate constitutive relations at the grain level has been developed to obtain constitutive equations for the equivalent continuous granular medium. A representative volume was obtained by mobilizing particle contacts in all orientations. Thus, the stress–strain relationship could be derived as an average of the behavior of these local contact planes. The local behavior was assumed to obey a stress-dependent elastic law and Mohr–Coulomb’s plastic law. The influence of the cement grout was modeled by means of adhesive forces between grains in contact, which were added to the contact forces created by an external load. The intensity of these adhesive forces is a function of nature and amount of grout present inside the material and can be reduced due to a damage mechanism at the grain contact during loading. In this paper, we present several examples of simulation which show that the model can reproduce with sufficient accuracy the mechanical improvement induced by grouting as well as the damage of the grain cementation during loading.