A coupled refined high-order global-local theory and finite element model for static electromechanical response of smart multilayered/sandwich beams

In the present study, a coupled refined high-order global-local theory is developed for predicting fully coupled behavior of smart multilayered/sandwich beams under electromechanical conditions. The proposed theory considers effects of transverse normal stress and transverse flexibility which is important for beams including soft cores or beams with drastic material properties changes through depth. Effects of induced transverse normal strains through the piezoelectric layers are also included in this study. In the presence of non-zero in-plane electric field component, all the kinematic and stress continuity conditions are satisfied at layer interfaces. In addition, for the first time, conditions of non-zero shear and normal tractions are satisfied even while the bottom or the top layer of the beam is piezoelectric. A combination of polynomial and exponential expressions with a layerwise term containing first order differentiation of electrical unknowns is used to introduce the in-plane displacement field. Also, the transverse displacement field is formulated utilizing a combination of continuous piecewise fourth-order polynomial with a layerwise representation of electrical unknowns. Finally, a quadratic electric potential is used across the thickness of each piezoelectric layer. It is worthy to note that in the proposed shear locking-free finite element formulation, the number of mechanical unknowns is independent of the number of layers. Excellent correlation has been found between the results obtained from the proposed formulation for thin and thick piezoelectric beams with those resulted from the three-dimensional theory of piezoelasticity. Moreover, the proposed finite element model is computationally economic.     

Bending of small-scale Timoshenko beams based on the integral/differential nonlocal-micropolar elasticity theory: a finite element approach

A novel size-dependent model is developed herein to study the bending behavior of beam-type micro/nano-structures considering combined effects of nonlocality and micro-rotational degrees of freedom. To accomplish this aim, the micropolar theory is combined with the nonlocal elasticity. To consider the nonlocality, both integral(original)and differential formulations of Eringen's nonlocal theory are considered. The beams are considered to be Timoshenko-type, and the governing equations are derived in the variational form through Hamilton's principle. The relations are written in an appropriate matrix-vector representation that can be readily utilized in numerical approaches. A finite element(FE) approach is also proposed for the solution procedure. Parametric studies are conducted to show the simultaneous nonlocal and micropolar effects on the bending response of small-scale beams under different boundary conditions.     

Analysis of micro-sized beams for various boundary conditions based on the strain gradient elasticity theory

Bending analysis of micro-sized beams based on the Bernoulli-Euler beam theory is presented within the modified strain gradient elasticity and modified couple stress theories. The governing equations and the related boundary conditions are derived from the variational principles. These equations are solved analytically for deflection, bending, and rotation responses of micro-sized beams. Propped cantilever, both ends clamped, both ends simply supported, and cantilever cases are taken into consideration as boundary conditions. The influence of size effect and additional material parameters on the static response of micro-sized beams in bending is examined. The effect of Poisson’s ratio is also investigated in detail. It is concluded from the results that the bending values obtained by these higher-order elasticity theories have a significant difference with those calculated by the classical elasticity theory.     

Vibration and stability of hybrid plate based on elasticity theory

The governing equations of elasticity theory for natural vibration and buck- ling of anisotropic plate are derived from Hellinger-Reissner＇s variational principle with nonlinear strain-displacement relations. Simply supported rectangular hybrid plates are studied with a precise integration method. This method, in contrast to the traditional finite difference approximation, gives highly precise numerical results that approach the full computer precision. So the results for natural vibration and stability of hybrid plates presented in the paper can be riewed as approximate analytical solutions. Furthermore, several types of coupling effects such as coupling between bending and twisting, and coupling between extension and bending, when the layer stacking sequence is asymmetric, are considered by only one set of governing equations.     

Homogenization of thick periodic plates: Application of the Bending-Gradient plate theory to a folded core sandwich panel

In a previous paper from the authors, the bounds from Kelsey et al. (1958) were applied to a sandwich panel including a folded core in order to estimate its shear forces stiffness (Lebée and Sab, 2010b). The main outcome was the large discrepancy of the bounds. Recently, Lebée and Sab (2011a) suggested a new plate theory for thick plates – the Bending-Gradient plate theory – which is the extension to heterogeneous plates of the well-known Reissner–Mindlin theory. In the present work, we provide the Bending-Gradient homogenization scheme and apply it to a sandwich panel including the chevron pattern. It turns out that the shear forces stiffness of the sandwich panel is strongly influenced by a skin distortion phenomenon which cannot be neglected in conventional design. Detailed analysis of this effect is provided.     

Finite element formulation of slender structures with shear deformation based on the Cosserat theory

This paper addresses the derivation of finite element modelling for nonlinear dynamics of Cosserat rods with general deformation of flexure, extension, torsion, and shear. A deformed configuration of the Cosserat rod is described by the displacement vector of the deformed centroid curve and an orthogonal moving frame, rigidly attached to the cross-section of the rod. The position of the moving frame relative to the inertial frame is specified by the rotation matrix, parameterised by a rotational vector. The shape functions with up to third order nonlinear terms of generic nodal displacements are obtained by solving the nonlinear partial differential equations of motion in a quasi-static sense. Based on the Lagrangian constructed by the Cosserat kinetic energy and strain energy expressions, the principle of virtual work is employed to derive the ordinary differential equations of motion with third order nonlinear generic nodal displacements. A cantilever is presented as a simple example to illustrate the use of the formulation developed here to obtain the lower order nonlinear ordinary differential equations of motion of a given structure. The corresponding nonlinear dynamical responses of the structures are presented through numerical simulations using the MATLAB software. In addition, a MicroElectroMechanical System (MEMS) device is presented. The developed equations of motion have furthermore been implemented in a VHDL-AMS beam model. Together with available models of the other components, a netlist of the device is formed and simulated within an electrical circuit simulator. Simulation results are verified against Finite Element Analysis (FEA) results for this device.     

Vibration analysis of piezoelectric sandwich nanobeam with flexoelectricity based on nonlocal strain gradient theory

A nonlocal strain gradient theory(NSGT) accounts for not only the nongradient nonlocal elastic stress but also the nonlocality of higher-order strain gradients,which makes it benefit from both hardening and softening effects in small-scale structures.In this study, based on the NSGT, an analytical model for the vibration behavior of a piezoelectric sandwich nanobeam is developed with consideration of flexoelectricity. The sandwich nanobeam consists of two piezoelectric sheets and a non-piezoelec...     

A generalized integro-differential theory of nonlocal elasticity of n-Helmholtz type: part I—analytical formulation and thermodynamic framework

Meccanica - A generalized theory of nonlocal elasticity is elaborated. The proposed integral type nonlocal formulation is based on attenuation functions being assumed as the convolution product of...     

A comparison of experiments and theory in the plastic bending of circular plates

Complete solutions of the theory of rigid/plastic bending of circular plates are compared with experimental evidence. Experiments were performed with mild steel plates. Experimental evidence consisted of load-deflection diagrams, etching patterns, mill-scale flaking patterns and deformed shapes.     

The analysis of functionally graded shallow and non-shallow shell panels with piezoelectric layers under dynamic load and electrostatic excitation based on elasticity

Elasticity solution is presented for finitely long, simply-supported, functionally graded shallow and non-shallow shell panel with two piezoelectric layers under pressure and electrostatic excitation. The functionally graded panel is assumed to be made of many sub panels. Each sub panel is considered as an isotropic layer. Material’s properties in each layer are constant and functionally graded properties are resulted by suitable arrangement of layers in multilayer panel. In each interface between two layers, stress and displacement continuities are satisfied. The highly coupled partial differential equations (p.d.e.) are reduced to ordinary differential equations (o.d.e.) with variable coefficients for non-shallow panel and constant coefficients for shallow shell panel by means of trigonometric function expansion in circumferential and longitudinal directions. The resulting ordinary differential equations are solved by Galerkin finite element method and Newmark method is used to march in time. Numerical examples are presented for functionally graded shell panel with a piezoelectric layer as an actuator in external surface and a piezoelectric layer as a sensor in internal surface and the results of the shallow and non-shallow panels are discussed.     

Regularized formulation of the variational brittle fracture with unilateral contact: Numerical experiments

This paper presents a modified regularized formulation of the Ambrosio-Tortorelli type to introduce the crack non-interpenetration condition in the variational approach to fracture mechanics proposed by Francfort and Marigo [1998. Revisiting brittle fracture as an energy minimization problem. J. Mech. Phys. Solids 46 (8), 1319-1342]. We focus on the linear elastic case where the contact condition appears as a local unilateral constraint on the displacement jump at the crack surfaces. The regularized model is obtained by splitting the strain energy in a spherical and a deviatoric parts and accounting for the sign of the local volume change. The numerical implementation is based on a standard finite element discretization and on the adaptation of an alternate minimization algorithm used in previous works. The new regularization avoids crack interpenetration and predicts asymmetric results in traction and in compression. Even though we do not exhibit any gamma-convergence proof toward the desired limit behavior, we illustrate through several numerical case studies the pertinence of the new model in comparison to other approaches.     

Investigation of the size effects in Timoshenko beams based on the couple stress theory

In this paper, a size-dependent Timoshenko beam is developed on the basis of the couple stress theory. The couple stress theory is a non-classic continuum theory capable of capturing the small-scale size effects on the mechanical behavior of structures, while the classical continuum theory is unable to predict the mechanical behavior accurately when the characteristic size of structures is close to the material length scale parameter. The governing differential equations of motion are derived for the couple-stress Timoshenko beam using the principles of linear and angular momentum. Then, the general form of boundary conditions and generally valid closed-form analytical solutions are obtained for the axial deformation, bending deflection, and the rotation angle of cross sections in the static cases. As an example, the closed-form analytical results are obtained for the response of a cantilever beam subjected to a static loading with a concentrated force at its free end. The results indicate that modeling on the basis of the couple stress theory causes more stiffness than modeling by the classical beam theory. In addition, the results indicate that the differences between the results of the proposed model and those based on the classical Euler–Bernoulli and classical Timoshenko beam theories are significant when the beam thickness is comparable to its material length scale parameter.     

Damping for large-amplitude vibrations of plates and curved panels,Part 1: Modeling and experiments

Theoretical and experimental non-linear vibrations of thin rectangular plates and curved panels subjected to out-of-plane harmonic excitation are investigated. Experiments have been performed on isotropic and laminated sandwich plates and panels with supported and free boundary conditions. A sophisticated measuring technique has been developed to characterize the non-linear behavior experimentally by using a Laser Doppler Vibrometer and a stepped-sine testing procedure. The theoretical approach is based on Donnell's non-linear shell theory (since the tested plates are very thin) but retaining in-plane inertia, taking into account the effect of geometric imperfections. A unified energy approach has been utilized to obtain the discretized non-linear equations of motion by using the linear natural modes of vibration. Moreover, a pseudo arc-length continuation and collocation scheme has been used to obtain the periodic solutions and perform bifurcation analysis. Comparisons between numerical simulations and the experiments show good qualitative and quantitative agreement. It is found that, in order to simulate large-amplitude vibrations, a damping value much larger than the linear modal damping should be considered. This indicates a very large and non-linear increase of damping with the increase of the excitation and vibration amplitude for plates and curved panels with different shape, boundary conditions and materials.     

C~0型高阶锯齿理论及复合材料厚梁热应力分析

基于已有锯齿理论构造单元时,需使用满足单元间C1连续的插值函数,难于构造多节点高阶单元,而且精度较低。针对已有锯齿理论存在的问题,本文首先发展了C0型锯齿理论。通过虚位移原理推导出在热载荷作用下复合材料梁的平衡方程,并给出了简支复合材料层合梁解析解。基于发展的锯齿理论分析了复合材料夹层梁和层合梁热膨胀问题,并与其他理论结果对比。数值结果表明,发展的C0型锯齿理论能克服已有锯齿理论的难题。     

Double mode model of size-dependent chaotic vibrations of nanoplates based on the nonlocal elasticity theory

Nonlinear Dynamics - In this paper vibrations of the isotropic micro/nanoplates subjected to transverse and in-plane excitation are investigated. The governing equations of the problem are based on...     

Size-dependent vibration of functionally graded curved microbeams based on the modified strain gradient elasticity theory

On the basis of the modified strain gradient elasticity theory, the free vibration characteristics of curved microbeams made of functionally graded materials (FGMs) whose material properties vary in the thickness direction are investigated. A size-dependent first-order shear deformation beam model is developed containing three internal material length scale parameters to incorporate small-scale effect. Through Hamilton’s principle, the higher-order governing equations of motion and boundary conditions are derived. Natural frequencies of FGM curved microbeams corresponding to different mode numbers are evaluated for over a wide range of material property gradient index, dimensionless length scale parameter and aspect ratio. Moreover, the results obtained via the present non-classical first-order shear deformation beam model are compared with those of degenerated beam models based on the modified couple stress and the classical theories. It is found that the difference between the natural frequencies predicted by the various beam models is more significant for lower values of dimensionless length scale parameter and higher values of mode number.     

Small-scale effects on the buckling of quadrilateral nanoplates based on nonlocal elasticity theory using the Galerkin method

The elastic buckling behavior of quadrilateral single-layered graphene sheets (SLGS) under bi-axial compression is studied employing nonlocal continuum mechanics. Small-scale effects are taken into consideration. The principle of virtual work is employed to derive the governing equations. The Galerkin method in conjunction with the natural coordinates of the nanoplate is used as a basis for the analysis. The buckling load of skew, rhombic, trapezoidal, and rectangular nanoplates considering various geometrical parameters are obtained. It is shown that nonlocal effects are very important in arbitrary quadrilateral graphene sheets and their inclusion results in smaller buckling loads. Also the effects of geometrical parameters such as aspect ratio, angle, and mode number on the buckling load decrease when scale coefficient increases, for all arbitrary quadrilateral SLGS.     

Eigenfunction expansion method of upper triangular operator matrix and application to two-dimensional elasticity problems based on stress formulation

This paper studies the eigenfunction expansion method to solve the two-dimensional(2D) elasticity problems based on the stress formulation.The fundamentalsystem of partial differential equations of the 2D problems is rewritten as an upper tri-angular differential system based on the known results,and then the associated uppertriangular operator matrix matrix is obtained.By further research,the two simpler com-plete orthogonal systems of eigenfunctions in some space are obtained,which belong tothe two block operators arising in the operator matrix.Then,a more simple and conve-nient general solution to the 2D problem is given by the eigenfunction expansion method.Furthermore,the boundary conditions for the 2D problem,which can be solved by thismethod,are indicated.Finally,the validity of the obtained results is verified by a specificexample.