Elastic instabilities for strain-stiffening rubber-like spherical and cylindrical thin shells under inflation

This paper is concerned with investigation of the effects of strain-stiffening on the classical limit point instability that is well-known to occur in the inflation of internally pressurized rubber-like spherical thin shells (balloons) and circular cylindrical thin tubes composed of incompressible isotropic non-linearly elastic materials. For a variety of specific strain-energy densities that give rise to strain-stiffening in the stress-stretch response, the inflation pressure versus stretch relations are given explicitly and the non-monotonic character of the inflation curves is examined. While such results are known for constitutive models that exhibit a gradual stiffening (e.g. exponential and power-law models), our primary focus is on materials that undergo severe strain-stiffening in the stress-stretch response. In particular, we consider two phenomenological constitutive models that reflect limiting chain extensibility at the molecular level. It is shown that for materials with sufficiently low extensibility no limit point instability occurs and so stable inflation is then predicted for such materials. Potential applications of the results to the biomechanics of soft tissues are indicated.     

On the Deformation of Functionally Graded Porous Elastic Cylinders

This paper is concerned with the linear theory of inhomogeneous and orthotropic elastic materials with voids. We study the problem of extension and bending of right cylinders when the constitutive coefficients are independent of the axial coordinate. First, the plane strain problem for inhomogeneous and orthotropic elastic materials with voids is investigated. Then, the solution of the problem of extension and bending is expressed in terms of solutions of three plane strain problems. The results are used to study the extension of a circular cylinder with a special kind of inhomogeneity. The influence of the material inhomogeneity on the axial strain is established.      

Constitutive modeling of isotropic hyperelastic materials in an exponential framework using a self-contained approach

In this paper, an exponential framework for strain energy density functions of elastomers and soft biological tissues is proposed. Based on this framework and using a self-contained approach that is different from a guesswork or combination viewpoint, a set strain energy density functions in terms of the first and second strain invariants is rebuilt. Among the constructed options for strain energy density, a new exponential and mathematically justified model is examined. This model benefits from the existence of second strain invariant, simplicity, stability of parameters, and the state of being accurate. This model can capture strain softening, strain hardening and is able to differentiate between various deformation-state dependent responses of elastomers and soft tissues undergoing finite deformation. The model has two material parameters and the mathematical formulation is simple to render the possibility of numerical implementations. In order to investigate the appropriateness of the proposed model in comparison to other hyperelastic models, several experimental data for incompressible isotropic materials (elastomers) such as VHB 4905 (polyacrylate rubber), two various silicone rubbers, synthetic rubber neoprene, two different natural rubbers, b186 rubber (a carbon black-filled rubber), Yeoh vulcanizate rubber, and finally porcine liver tissue (a very soft biological tissue) are examined. The results demonstrate that the proposed model provides an acceptable prediction of the behavior of elastomers and soft tissues under large deformation for different applied loading states.     

The Stress Response of Functionally Graded Isotropic Linearly Elastic Rotating Disks

The purpose of this research is to investigate the effects of material inhomogeneity on the response of linearly elastic isotropic solid circular disks or cylinders, rotating at constant angular velocity about a central axis. The work is motivated by the recent research activity on functionally graded materials (FGMs), i.e., materials with spatially varying properties tailored to satisfy particular engineering applications. The analog of the classic problem for a homogeneous isotropic rotating solid disk or cylinder is considered. The special case of a body with Young"s modulus depending on the radial coordinate only, and with constant Poisson"s ratio, is examined. For the case when the Young"s modulus has a power-law dependence on the radial coordinate, explicit exact solutions are obtained. It is shown that the stress response of the inhomogeneous disk (or cylinder) is significantly different from that of the homogeneous body. For example, the maximum radial and hoop stresses do not, in general, occur at the center as in the case for the homogeneous material. Furthermore, for the case where the Young"s modulus increases with radial distance from the center, it is shown that radially symmetric solutions exist provided the rate of growth of the Young"s modulus is, at most, cubic in the radial variable. It is also shown for the general inhomogeneous isotropic case how the material inhomogeneity may be tailored so that the radial and hoop stress are identical throughout the disk. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Plane Strain Bending of Cylindrical Sectors of Admissible Compressible Hyperelastic Materials

In the theory of nonlinear elasticity of rubber-like materials, if a homogeneous isotropic compressible material is described by a strain–energy function that is a homogeneous function of the principal stretches, then the equations of equilibrium for axisymmetric deformations reduce to a separable first-order ordinary differential equation. For a particular class of such strain–energy functions, this property is used to obtain a general parametric solution to the equilibrium equation for plane strain bending of cylindrical sectors. Specification of the arbitrary function that appears in such strain–energy functions yields some parametric solutions. In some cases, the parameter can be eliminated to yield closed-form solutions in implicit or explicit form. Other possible forms for the arbitrary constitutive function that are likely to yield such solutions are also indicated.     

On the relationship between the solutions of static contact problems of elasticity and electroelasticity for a half-space

The paper establishes the relationship between the static contact problems of elasticity and electroelasticity (in the absence of friction) for a transversely isotropic half-space whose surface is the isotropy plane. This makes it possible to avoid solving the electroelastic problem by finding all the characteristics of electroelastic contact from known cases of purely elastic interaction. Moreover, the electroelastic state of the half-space can be fully described using a known harmonic function, which is a solution of the purely elastic problem. The approach is exemplified by solving contact problems of electroelasticity for flat, elliptic, two circular, conical, and paraboloidal (circular and elliptic in plan) punches __________ Translated from Prikladnaya Mekhanika, Vol. 42, No. 11, pp. 69–84, November 2006.     

Physical constants for one type of nonlinearly elastic fibrous micro-and nanocomposites with hard and soft nonlinearities

Sets of physical constants are tabulated for three structural models of fibrous composites with fibers of four types: Thornel-300 carbon microfibers, graphite whiskers, carbon zigzag nanotubes, and carbon chiral nanotubes. The matrix for all the types of composites is always éPON-828 epoxy rosin (in some cases with polystyrene or pyrex additive). The values of the physical constants are commented on and used to study the distinctions in the evolution of three types of waves (plane longitudinal, plane transverse, and cylindrical) propagating in materials with soft and hard nonlinearities __________ Translated from Prikladnaya Mekhanika, Vol. 41, No. 12, pp. 47–60, December 2005.