Large deformation and plates

In the simulation of deformations of plates it is well known that we have to use a special treatment of the thickness dependence. Therewith we achieve a reduction of dimension from 3D to 2D. For linear elasticity and small deformations several techniques are well established to handle the reduction of dimension and achieve acceptable numerical results. In the case of large deformations on plates with non-linear material behaviour there exist different problems. For example the analytical integration over the thickness of the plate is not possible due to the non-linearities arising from the material law and the large deformations themselves. There are several possibilities to introduce a hypothesis for the treatment of the plate thickness from the strong Kirchhoff assumption on one hand up to some hierarchical approaches on the other hand. (© 2012 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Modelling Metals At Finite Deformation

During metal forming processes, substantial microstructural changes occur in the material due to large plastic deformations leading to different mechanical properties. It is of great interest to predict the behaviour of these materials at different fabriction stages and of the final product. At first glance, the behaviour of metals can be approached by an elastoplastic isotropic material model with a volumetric-deviatoric split and isotropic hardening. In order to perform the calculations, a logarithmic strain is considered in the principal directions of stress and strain space, allowing to make predictions even at finite deformations. Because of the actual nature of metals, the crystalline structure, the deformation at the microstructural level is much more complex. Due to the mathematically algorithmic form of an elastic predictor and a plastic corrector, the elastoplastic model can be extended to crystal plasticity which is similarly handled in terms of a critical resolved shear stress on defined slip planes in the crystal. Hardening can be modelled through a viscoplastic power law. (© 2010 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Comparison of different least-squares mixed finite element formulations for hyperelasticity

The main goal of this contribution is the solution of geometrically nonlinear problems using the mixed least-squares finite element method (LSFEM). An investigation of a hyperelastic material law based on logarithmic deformation measures is performed. The basis for the proposed LSFEM is a div-grad first-order system consisting of the equilibrium condition and the constitutive equation, see e.g. Cai and Starke [1]. For the interpolation of the solution variables vector-valued Raviart-Thomas functions for the approximation of the stresses and standard Lagrange polynomials for the displacements are used. In order to show the performance of the presented formulations a numerical example is investigated, where we compare the different interpolation combinations used. (© 2016 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Simulation of micro cutting considering crystal plastic deformations

The micro cutting process of microstructured material is simulated with consideration of the heterogeneities of the microstructure. In the case of cp-titanium with its hcp crystal structure the basal and prismatic slip systems are taken into account. The concept of crystal plasticity for large deformations is applied considering elastic anisotropy, self and latent hardening. The visco-plastic evolution law incorporates rate dependent material behavior. This setup is implemented within the finite element method. The effects of the microstructure are demonstrated by an illustrative example and a comparison to an isotropic von Mises elasto-plastic material. (© 2015 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Numerical calculation of the tangent stiffness matrix in materials modeling

The Finite Element Method in the field of materials modeling is closely connected to the tangent stiffness matrix of the constitutive law. This so called Jacobian matrix is required at each time increment and describes the local material behavior. It assigns a stress increment to a strain increment and is of fundamental importance for the numerical determination of the equilibrium state. For increasingly sophisticated material models the tangent stiffness matrix can be derived analytically only with great effort, if at all. Numerical methods are therefore widely used for its calculation. We present our method to calculate the tangent stiffness matrix for the logarithmic strain measure. The approach is compared with other commonly used procedures. A significant increase in accuracy can be achieved with the proposed method. (© 2014 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Numerical modeling of large strain behavior of polymeric crushable foams

This paper describes a constitutive law modeling isotropic polymeric foam materials. Focus has been placed on modeling the relative density dependency effect on polymeric foams subjected to large deformations using uniaxial and hydrostatic compressive hardening laws. The constitutive model is written in terms of the rotated Kirchhoff stress and of its conjugate logarithmic, or Hencky, strain measure. A numerical scheme for solving the constitutive model is described and implemented using both the finite element and the element-free Galerkin methods, in a Total Lagrangian finite strain framework. The imposition of the unilateral contact with friction and the essential boundary conditions are obtained by applying the Augmented Lagrangian method. Numerical examples are presented in order to attest the performance of the proposed constitutive model.     

Numerical analysis of shear bands in solids by means of computational homogenization

A novel fully three–dimensional framework for the numerical analysis of shear bands in solids undergoing large deformations is presented. The effect of micro shear bands on the macroscopic material response is computed by means of a homogenization strategy. More precisely, a strain–driven approach which complies well with displacement–driven finite element formulations is adopted. The proposed implementation is based on periodic boundary conditions for the micro–scale. Details about the implementation of the resulting constraints into a three–dimensional framework are discussed. The shear bands occurring at the micro–scale are modeled by a cohesive zone law, i.e., the tangential component of the traction vector governs the relative shear sliding displacement. This law is embedded into a Strong Discontinuity Approach (SDA). To account for realistic sliding modes, multiple shear bands are allowed to form and propagate in each finite element. (© 2008 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

A finite element formulation based on the Cosserat point theory

The theory of Cosserat points is the basis of a 3D finite element formulation for large deformations in structural mechanics, that recently was presented by [1]. First investigations [2] have revealed, that this formulation is free of showing undesired locking or hourglassing-phenomena. It additionally shows excellent behaviour for any type of incompressible material, for large deformations and sensitive structures such as plates or shells. The formulation initially was restricted to a Neo-Hookean material. This work will present the extension to a general elastic Ogden material and the verification of the chosen model. (© 2006 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

New families of exact solutions for finitely deformed incompressible elastic materials

The governing partial differential equations for static deformationsof homogeneous isotropic incompressible elastic materials arehighly nonlinear, and consequently only a few exact solutionsare known. For these materials, only one general solution involvinga single arbitrary function is presently known, which is forplane deformations and is applicable to the so-called Vargastrain-energy function. In this paper, new families of exactsolutions are derived for plane and axially symmetric deformationsof perfectly elastic materials. In the case of plane deformations,a different formulation of the known general solution for theVarga strain-energy function is presented, from which numerousnew solutions may be obtained. In the case of axially symmetricdeformations, the Varga material again arises as the privilegedstrain-energy function, and this constitutes the main resultof the paper. For this material, a number of new simple exactsolutions are derived for axially symmetric deformations. Finally,all the solutions obtained here are shown to also apply to amodified Varga strain-energy function involving the reciprocalsof the principal stretches.     

The shell theory including transverse shear deformations and thickness change

A variational method for refining the theory of shells based on power series expansion of displacements has been described. The particular case of a cubic approximation for the tangential displacements and a quadratic approximation for the deflections is considered in detail. A constitutive system of differential equations in the canonical form for the axisymmetrical deformation of cyclindrical shells is derived. As an example, axisymmetrical deformations of a cylindrical shell made of an orthotropic composite material are discussed.Martin Luther Universität Halle-Wittenberg, Fachbereich Werkstoffwissenschaften. Germany. Kharkov State Polytechnical University, Department of Dynamics and Strength of Machines. Ukraine. Published in Mekhanika Kompozimykh Materialov, No. 6, pp. 768–780. November–December, 1997.     

A Finite Element Formulation for the Nonlinear Analysis of Piezoelectric Three-Dimensional Beam Structures

A finite element formulation for a three-dimensional piezoelectric beam which includes geometrical and material nonlinearities is presented. To account for the piezoelectric effect, the coupling between the mechanical stress and the electrical displacement is considered. Based on the Timoshenko theory, an eccentric beam formulation is introduced which provides an efficient model to analyze piezoelectric structures. The geometrically nonlinear assumption allows the calculation of large deformations including buckling analysis. A quadratic approximation of the electric potential through the cross section of the beam ensures the fulfilment of the charge conservation law exactly. This assumption leads to a finite element formulation with six mechanical and five electrical degrees of freedom per node. To take into account the typical ferroelectric hysteresis phenomena, a nonlinear material model is essential. For this purpose, the phenomenological Preisach model is implemented into the beam formulation which provides an efficient determination of the remanent part of the polarization. The applicability of the introduced beam formulation is discussed with respect to available data from literature. (© 2005 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Isotropic continuum damage/repair model for alveolar bone remodeling

Several authors have proposed mechanical models to predict long term tooth movement, considering both the tooth and its surrounding bone tissue as isotropic linear elastic materials coupled to either an adaptative elasticity behavior or an update of the elasticity constants with density evolution. However, tooth movements obtained through orthodontic appliances result from a complex biochemical process of bone structure and density adaptation to its mechanical environment, called bone remodeling. This process is far from linear reversible elasticity. It leads to permanent deformations due to biochemical actions. The proposed biomechanical constitutive law, inspired from Doblaré and García (2002) [30], is based on a elasto-viscoplastic material coupled with Continuum isotropic Damage Mechanics (Doblaré and García (2002) [30] considered only the case of a linear elastic material coupled with damage). The considered damage variable is not actual damage of the tissue but a measure of bone density. The damage evolution law therefore implies a density evolution. It is here formulated as to be used explicitly for alveolar bone, whose remodeling cells are considered to be triggered by the pressure state applied to the bone matrix. A 2D model of a tooth submitted to a tipping movement, is presented. Results show a reliable qualitative prediction of bone density variation around a tooth submitted to orthodontic forces.     

Stability of strain gradient elastic bars in tension

Equilibrium of a bar under uniaxial tension is considered as optimization problem of the total potential energy. Uniaxial deformations are considered for a material with linear constitutive law of strain second gradient elasticity. Applying tension on an elastic bar, necking is shown up in high strains. That means the axial strain forms two homogeneously deformed sections in the ends of the bars and a section in the middle with high variable strain. The interactions of the intrinsic (material) lengths with the non linear strain displacement relations develop critical states of bifurcation with continuous Fourier’s spectrum. Critical conditions and post-critical deformations are defined with the help of multiple scales perturbation method. An erratum to this article can be found at     

Simulation of diffusional processes from the microscopic and macroscopic point of view

Within this contribution, the modeling of diffusional processes will be elucidated by the example of solution-precipitation creep. This deformation process occurs in polycrystalline and granular materials exposed to high temperatures and moderate stresses. The presence of water facilitating the material transport in the intercrystalline space especially intensifies the process. The continuum-micromechanical model presented here considers the velocities of the material transport and the grain-boundary motion caused in this way to be the main contributions to the dissipation term characteristic for this process. Simulating the real macrostructures in addition requires coupling with homogenization techniques. To this end, our particular choice pertains to the multiscale FE method with the advantages that it is adapted to the case of finite deformations and that it is applicable in the limit case when the ratio of the characteristic lengths of the micro- and macroscale tends to zero. As a final result, application of the mentioned method gives information on the time dependency of macroscopic deformations. (© 2009 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

XFEM for Deformation Theory of Plasticity

In this work, an approach is presented to improve global accuracy properties for physically non-linear problems in the frame of elastoplasticity. The work is motivated by the fact that convergence characteristics of a finite element solution are dominated by the regularity of the exact solution. For a material undergoing inelastic deformations, however, very few analytical solutions for the field variables are known, especially for the displacement field. Considering a simple, one-dimensional example, it is shown that the convergence rates are far from optimal. The reason is explained by establishing ties to a familiar, but more demonstrative problem. In the next section two remedies for the problem, based on the Extended Finite Element Method (XFEM) are presented and discussed, in the last section a 2D-problem is considered. (© 2015 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Micro‐ and nanoscale modelling of dry friction with application to the wheel/rail contact

Friction is a phenomenon involving elastic interactions, plastic deformation and failure processes at different length scales. A model of dry friction is established based on the method of Movable Cellular Automata (MCA). The influence of material and loading parameters has been investigated within a large number of numerical simulations. The new friction law is applied to the calculation of stresses, deformations and tractive forces in wheel/rail contact with rough surfaces. (© 2004 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)