Interacting cracks and ellipsoidal inhomogeneities by the equivalent inclusion method

Based on the Eshelby's equivalent inclusion method (EIM) and Hill's theorem on discontinuities of elastic fields across the interfaces, a theory for the determination of the stress intensity factors (SIFs) of arbitrarily oriented interacting cracks under non-uniform far-field applied stress (strain) is developed. As shown in this investigation the EIM proposed by Moschovidis and Mura can be extended for treatment of such problems, but their formulations are quite cumbersome and computationally inefficient. An alternative analytical approach is proposed that is computationally more efficient, and unlike the method of Moschovidis and Mura can easily handle complex problems of interacting inhomogeneities and cracks. It is seen that as the interaction between the inhomogeneities becomes stronger, this method yields results that are closer to the solutions reported in the literature than the solutions obtained using the extended EIM of Moschovidis and Mura, which is developed herein. Problems involving combinations of interacting elliptic and penny shape cracks and inhomogeneities are excellent candidates for demonstration of the accuracy and robustness of the present theory, for which the previous EIM produces less accurate results. Due to the limitations imposed on the existing methods, every reported treatment has been tailored for a certain category of problems, and only uniform far-field loadings have been remedied. In contrast, the present theory is more general than the previously reported theories and it encompasses interacting cracks having a variety of geometries subjected to non-uniform far-field applied stress (strain); moreover, it is applicable to modes, I, II, III, and mixed mode fracture.     

一种中高频激励下动力系统响应的级数展开改进算法

针对频率响应函数的级数展开法在中高频激励时计算发散的问题,提出一种新的级数展开改进算法.将系统的结构模态划分为低阶和截断的高阶模态,在模态叠加分析的基础上,将频率响应函数进行泰勒级数展开.根据高低阶模态对质量矩阵和刚度矩阵的耦合特性,用低阶模态及系统矩阵表达高阶模态对响应的影响.研究结果表明,该算法将频率响应函数的级数展开法扩展到高频激励和中频激励范围阶段,在非完备模态条件下提高了频率响应函数的计算精度,数值计算检验了该方法准确可靠并有很好的收敛性.     

Stress intensity factors for ring-shaped crack surrounded by spherical inclusions

Interaction of a ring-shaped crack with inhomogeneities such as inclusions is analyzed for the resulting three-dimensional stress field. Considered for the composite solid with a given volume fraction of inclusions are the two cases of (a) spherical voids and (b) spherical inclusions with elastic moduli different from the matrix. A ring-shaped crack is initiated at the equator of one of the voids or inclusions. A three-phase model is used to examine the interaction between the crack and surrounding inhomogeneities. Finite element method is then applied to calculate the stress intensity factor for different configurations. The effects of volume fraction of inhomogeneities, relative size of crack to inclusions, and material constants on crack behavior are discussed.     

Contact analysis in presence of spherical inhomogeneities within a half-space

This paper presents a fast method of solving contact problems when one of the mating bodies contains multiple heterogeneous inclusions, and numerical results are presented for soft or stiff inhomogeneities. The emphasis is put on the effects of spherical inclusions on the contact pressure distribution and subsurface stress field in an elastic half-space. The computing time and allocated memory are kept small, compared to the finite element method, by the use of analytical solution to account for the presence of inhomogeneities. Eshelby’s equivalent inclusion method is considered in the contact solver. An iterative process is implemented to determine the displacements and stress fields caused by the eigenstrains of all spherical inclusions. The proposed method can be seen as an enrichment technique for which the effect of heterogeneous inclusions is superimposed on the homogeneous solution in the contact algorithm. 3D and 2D Fast Fourier Transforms are utilized to improve the computational efficiency. Configurations such as stringer and cluster of spherical inclusions are analyzed. The effects of Young’s modulus, Poisson’s ratio, size and location of the inhomogeneities are also investigated. Numerical results show that the presence of inclusions in the vicinity of the contact surface could significantly changes the contact pressure distribution. From a numerical point of view the role of Poisson’s ratio is found very important. One of the findings is that a relatively ‘soft’ and nearly incompressible inclusion – for example a cavity filled with a liquid – can be more detrimental for the stress state within the matrix than a very hard inclusion with a classical Poisson’s ratio of 0.3.     

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.     

A variational form of the equivalent inclusion method for numerical homogenization

Due to its relatively low computational cost, the equivalent inclusion method is an attractive alternative to traditional full-field computations of heterogeneous materials formed of simple inhomogeneities (spherical, ellipsoidal) embedded in a homogeneous matrix. The method can be seen as the discretization of the Lippmann–Schwinger equation with piecewise polynomials. Contrary to the original approach of Moschovidis and Mura, who discretized the strong form of the Lippmann–Schwinger equation through Taylor expansions, we propose in the present paper a Galerkin discretization of the weak form of this equation. Combined with the new, mixed boundary conditions recently introduced by the authors, the resulting method is particularly well-suited to homogenization. It is shown that this new, variational approach has a number of benefits: (i) the resulting linear system is well-posed, (ii) the numerical solution converges to the exact solution as the maximum degree of the polynomials tends to infinity and (iii) the method can provide rigorous bounds on the apparent properties of the statistical volume element, provided that the matrix is stiffer (or softer) than all inhomogeneities. This paper presents the formulation and implementation of the new, variational form of the equivalent inclusion method. Its efficiency is investigated through numerical applications in 2D and 3D elasticity.     

The scattering of P-waves by a piezoelectric particle with FGPM interfacial layers in a polymer matrix

Propagation of P-wave in an unbounded elastic polymer medium which contains a set of nested concentric spherical piezoelectric inhomogeneities is formulated. The polymer matrix is made of Epoxy and is isotropic; each phase of the inhomogeneity is made of a different piezoelectric material and is radially polarized and has spherical isotropy. Note that the individual phases are homogeneous, and all interfaces are perfectly bonded. The scattered displacement and electric potentials in the matrix are expressed in terms of spherical wave vector functions and Legendre functions, respectively. The transmitted displacement and electric potentials within each phase of the piezoelectric particle are expressed in terms of Legendre functions. The equations of motion and electrostatics in each phase of the piezoelectric inhomogeneity lead to a system of coupled second order differential equations, which is solved using the generalized Frobenius series. The present theory is extended to the case where the core of the inhomogeneity is made of PZT-4 and its coating is made of functionally graded piezoelectric material (FGPM) whose microstructural composition varies smoothly from PZT-4 at the core–coating interface to Epoxy at the coating–matrix interface. The effects of different types of variation in the electro-mechanical properties of FGPM on scattering cross-section and other electro-mechanical fields are addressed. The present theory is valid for arbitrary coating thickness, and arbitrary frequencies.     

A computational method for simulating transient motions of an incompressible inviscid fluid with a free surface

A new numerical method has been developed for the analysis of unsteady free surface flow problems. The problem under consideration is formulated mathematically as a two-dimensional non-linear initial boundary value problem with unknown quantities of a velocity potential and a free surface profile. The basic equations are discretized spacewise with a boundary element method and timewise with a truncated forward-time Taylor series. The key feature of the present paper lies in the method used to compute the time derivatives of the unknown quantities in the Taylor series. The use of the Taylor series expansion has enabled us to employ a variable time-stepping method. The size of time increment is determined at each time step so that the remainders of the truncated Taylor series should be equal to a given small error limit. Such a variable time-stepping technique has made a great contribution to numerically stable computations. A wave-making problem in a two-dimensional rectangular water tank has been analysed. The computational accuracy has been verified by comparing the present numerical results with available experimental data. Good agreement is obtained.     

基于精细积分技术的非线性动力学方程的同伦摄动法

将精细积分技术（PIM）和同伦摄动方法（HPM）相结合,给出了一种求解非线性动力学方程的新的渐近数值方法。采用精细积分法求解非线性问题时,需要将非线性项对时间参数按Taylor级数展开,在展开项少时,计算精度对时间步长敏感;随着展开项的增加,计算格式会变得越来越复杂。采用同伦摄动法,则具有相对筒单的计算格式,但计算精度较差,应用范围也限于低维非线性微分方程。将这两种方法相结合得到的新的渐近数值方法则同时具备了两者的优点,既使同伦摄动方法的应用范围推广到高维非线性动力学方程的求解,又使精细积分方法在求解非线性问题时具有较简单的计算格式。数值算例表明,该方法具有较高的数值精度和计算效率。     

Piezoelectric composites with periodic multi-coated inhomogeneities

A new, robust homogenization scheme for determination of the effective properties of a periodic piezoelectric composite with general multi-coated inhomogeneities is developed. In this scheme the coating does not have to be thin, the shape and orientation of the inclusion and coatings do not have to be identical, their centers do not have to coincide, their properties do not have to remain uniform, and the microstructure can be with the 2D elliptic or the 3D ellipsoidal inclusions. The development starts from the local electromechanical equivalent inclusion principle through the introduction of the position-dependent equivalent eigenstrain and electric field. Then with a Fourier series expansion and a superposition procedure, the volume-averaged equivalent eigenstrain and electric field for each phase are obtained. The results in turn are used in an energy equivalent criterion to determine the effective properties of the composite. In this model the interphase interactions in each multi-coated particle and the long-range interactions between the periodically distributed particles are fully accounted for. To demonstrate its wide range of applicability, we applied it to examine the properties of several periodic composites: (i) piezoelectric PZT spherical particles in a polymer matrix, (ii) continuous glassy fibers with thin PZT coating in an epoxy matrix, (iii) spherical PZT particles coated by thick or functionally graded piezoelectric layer, (iv) spheroidal voids coated with a thick non-piezoelectric layer in a PZT matrix, and (v) spherical piezoelectric inhomogeneities with eccentric, non-uniform thickness coating. The calculated results reflect the complex nature of interplay between the properties of core, matrix, and coating, as well as whether the coating is uniform, functionally graded, or eccentric. The accuracy of this new scheme is checked against the double-inclusion and other micromechanics models, and good agreement is observed.     

A NUMERICAL PROCEDURE FOR PREDICTING MULTIPLE SOLUTIONS OF A SPHERICAL TAYLOR–COUETTE FLOW

A new numerical procedure for predicting multiple solutions of Taylor vortices in a spherical gap is presented. The steady incompressible Navier–Stokes equations in primitive variables are solved by a finite- difference method using a matrix preconditioning technique. Routes leading to multiple flow states are designed heuristically by imposing symmetric properties. Both symmetric and asymmetric solutions can be predicted in a deterministic way. The current procedure gives very fast convergence rate to the desired flow modes. This procedure provides an alternative way of finding all possible stable steady axisymmetric flow modes.     

用泰勒级数法求解横观各向同性球壳的轴对称弯曲问题

本文采用泰勒级数法分析横观各向同性球壳轴对称弯曲问题。将位移沿厚度方向展开成泰勒级数,利用三维弹性方程求得级数中的各阶导数。对于边值问题,用特征函数法满足球面齐次边界条件,并用最小二乘配点法满足端部条件。     

INSTANTANEOUS THERMAL EXPANSION BEHAVIOR OF HETEROGENEOUS MATERIALS WITH A WORK-HARDENING ELASTOPLASTIC MATRIX AND ELASTIC SPHEROIDAL INHOMOGENEITIES

The instantaneous thermal expansion behavior of two-phase hetero-geneous materials subjected to a uniform temperature change is explored in the presentstudy.The matrix phase is assumed to be a work-hardening ductile metal and thedispersive phase is assumed to consist of either aligned or randomly-oriented,elastic,spheroidal inhomogeneities.The plastic flow and decreasing stiffness of the matrixduring Eshelby's transformation strain of the equivalent inclusions are accounted for byusing the deformation theory of plasticity.The explicit results of the instantaneousoverall thermal expansion coefficients and the critical inelastic temperature changes arepresented for aligned disc-and fiber-inclusions.For the spherical and randomly-oriented spheroidal inclusion,the present study demonstrates that when the yielding ofthe composites is governed by the average matrix stress,the overall response is alwayselastic in spite of the temperature change.     

Spectral equivalent inclusion method: Anisotropic cylindrical multi-inhomogeneities

Consider a set of nested infinitely extended elastic cylindrical bodies possessing general cylindrical anisotropy embedded in an unbounded elastic isotropic medium. For general far-field loading, the nature of the elastic fields inside the inhomogeneities is predicted and a number of pertinent attractive properties is noted and proved. Moreover, the associated equivalent inclusion method (EIM) is concisely formulated. The concepts of the homogenization, spectral consistency conditions, and the so-called Eshelby-Fourier tensor are introduced. As a result the tedious and lengthy algebra encountered in the conventional EIM is circumvented and the corresponding large number of unknowns is reduced remarkably. Interestingly, the proposed theory is proved useful in the study of inhomogeneities with coatings made of functionally graded material (FGM). In addition to the relevance of the present work to multiple coated fiber reinforced composites, it is also of great value in the study of multi-shell quantum wire in electronic devices. The robustness and efficacy of the presented theories are demonstrated through consideration of several boundary value problems and various types of materials.     

On approximate large strain relations for a shell of revolution

A series of geometric and constitutive relations is studied for large axisymmetric strain of elastic shells of revolution. The kinematic assumption employs a modified Kirchhoff hypothesis which accounts for thickness changes but neglects transverse shear deformation. Calculations are presented for cylindrical and spherical shells composed of incompressible materials with two types of strain energy density function: Mooney-Rivlin (rubber) and exponential (biological tissue). Comparison of results for large bending at a clamped edge demonstrates the accuracy and limitations of various approximations for stress and strain. The computations indicate that the stress resultants are quite sensitive to the details of the asymmetric motion of points relative to the reference surface.     

Stress intensity factor of an elliptical crack as influenced by a spherical inhomogeneity

The interaction between an elliptical crack and a spherical inhomogeneity embedded in a three-dimensional solid subject to uniaxial tension is investigated. Both the inhomogeneity and the solid are isotropic but have different elastic moduli. The Eshelby's equivalent inclusion method is applied together with the principle of superposition. An approximate solution for the stress intensity factor is obtained by an approach that expands the distance between the center of the crack and inhomogeneity in series. The local stress field can be increased or decreased depending on the relative modulus of the spherical inhomogeneity and matrix. If the inhomogeneity modulus is larger than that of the matrix, a reduction in the stress intensity factor prevails. Displayed numerically are results to exhibit the influence of inhomogeneity and its distance to the crack.     

Elastic interaction of spherical nanoinhomogeneities with Gurtin-Murdoch type interfaces

A complete solution has been obtained for the problem of multiple interacting spherical inhomogeneities with a Gurtin-Murdoch interface model that includes both surface tension and surface stiffness effects. For this purpose, a vectorial spherical harmonics-based analytical technique is developed. This technique enables solution of a wide class of elasticity problems in domains with spherical boundaries/interfaces and makes fulfilling the vectorial boundary or interface conditions a routine procedure. A general displacement solution of the single-inhomogeneity problem is sought in a form of a series of the vectorial solutions of the Lame equation. This solution is valid for any non-uniform far-field load and it has a closed form for polynomial loads. The superposition principle and re-expansion formulas for the vectorial solutions of the Lame equation extend this theory to problems involving multiple inhomogeneities. The developed semi-analytical technique precisely accounts for the interactions between the nanoinhomogeneities and constitutes an efficient computational tool for modeling nanocomposites. Numerical results demonstrate the accuracy and numerical efficiency of the approach and show the nature and extent to which the elastic interactions between the nanoinhomogeneities with interface stress affect the elastic fields around them.     

一种有效的结构优化设计方法

基于非线性规划的对偶理论和函数的二阶台劳展开,得到了一种有效的结构优化设计方法,它具有通用性、可自动判别临界约束集合、计算效率高和适用于大型结构系统等优点,基于虚功原理,导出了性状参数的一阶和二阶导数计算式,利用圣维南原理,使性状参数二阶导数及相应的 Hessian 矩阵计算式大为简化,典型算例的计算结果表明本方法是相当有效的。     

Effect of pore shape on effective porothermoelastic properties of isotropic rocks

The present work is devoted to the determination of the macroscopic poroelastic and porothermoelastic properties of geomaterials or rock-like composites constituted by an isotropic matrix with embedded ellipsoidal inhomogeneities and/or pores randomly oriented. By considering the solution of a single ellipsoidal inhomogeneity in the homogenization problem it is possible to observe the significant influence of the shape of inhomogeneities on the effective porothermoelastic properties. In the particular case of microscopic and macroscopic isotropic behaviors, a closed form solution based on analytical integrate of the Eshelby solution for the single ellipsoidal inhomogeneity can be obtained for the randomly oriented distribution. This result completes the well known solutions in the limiting cases of spherical and penny shape inhomogeneities. Based on recent works on porous rock-like composites such as shales or argillites, an application of the developed solution to a two-level microporomechanics model is presented. The microporosity in homogenized at the first level, and multiple solid mineral phase inclusions are added at the second level. The overall porothermoelastic coefficients are estimated in the particular context of heterogeneous solid matrix. Numerical results are presented for data representative of isotropic rock-like composites.     

Micromechanics-based modelling of stiffness and yield stress for silica/polymer nanocomposites

Establishing structure–property relationships for nanoparticle/polymer composites is a fundamental task for a reliable design of such new systems. A micromechanical analytical model is proposed in the present work, in order to address the problem of stiffness and yield stress prediction in the case of nanocomposites consisting of silica nanoparticles embedded in a polymer matrix. It takes into account an interphase corresponding to a perturbed region of the polymer matrix around the nanoparticles. Its modulus is continuously graded from that of the silica nanoparticle to that of the polymer matrix. Considering the thickness of the third phase as a characteristic length scale, the influence of particle size on the overall nanocomposite behaviour is examined. The key role of the interphase on both the overall stiffness and yield stress is studied and the model output is compared to experimental data of various silica spherical nanoparticle/polymer composites extracted from the literature. The model is also used to examine the influence of interphase features on the overall nanocomposite behaviour. A finite element analysis is then achieved and the numerical results are validated using the analytical predictions. Local stress and strain distributions are analysed in order to understand the phenomena occurring at the nano-scale.