The motion of a ball on a grassy lawn

The motion of a ball of constant spherical shape on a grassy lawn represented by a set of deformable rods with one end rigidly attached to a plane, while the other end is free and can contact the ball, is investigated. The contact area on the ball surface is represented by a spherical sector, whose dimensions and location on the ball surface depend on the position of the centre of the ball and its orientation. The projection of the contact area onto the plane is a circle, whose centre and radius vary as the centre of the ball moves. When the rods come into contact with the ball, they experience longitudinal and flexural strains, as well as impact actions on the boundary of the contact area. The translational–rotational motion of a ball on a lawn of rods without friction, as well as motion with viscous friction at the points of contact of the ends of the rods with the ball, is considered.     

A model of a reinforced tyre with a rod protector

A tyre design consisting of a steel-cord-reinforced rigid bond with sides connected to the wheel disc and a protector(tread) in contact with the road is examined. The tread is in the form of a set of rods connected by one end to the band, with the other end either free or in contact with the road. The rod end in contact with the road is acted upon by a force applied from the road, represented by a force normal to the road plane and a shear force due to dry friction. If the modulus of the shear force does not exceed the magnitude of the normal force multiplied by the dry friction coefficient, there is no slip at the contact point. In the opposite case, the rod end will be displaced along the road by an amount sufficient to distribute the normal and shear forces. The dynamics of longitudinal and transverse strains of the rods in contact with the road is analysed using the motion separation method in the quasi-static approximation. The behaviour of the tread rods as a function of the vertical displacement of the wheel centre is investigated, the contact area is found and the conditions are determined under which the contact area is divided into parts in which either slip of the rod ends occurs or does not occur, depending on the magnitude of the longitudinal displacement of the wheel centre or its turning relative to the horizontal axis. An analogue of a continuous model of a rod-like tread is considered, and the magnitudes of the forces and moments are found as a function of the wheel disc displacements. The equations of wheel rolling are obtained, and the conditions under which steady motions exist are found.     

An Applicable Boundary Condition at the Moving Contact Line in Case of a Free Surface Reorientation after Step Reduction in Gravity

In this study the sudden change in the acceleration level on a free surface in a right circular cylinder is investigated numerically. The intention to describe the .uid motion encounters the difficulty modelling the moving contact‐line problem. In the numerical simulations the Navier slip boundary condition and a model for the dynamic contact angle are used. The model for the dynamic contact angle γ_d includes the dependence on the Capillary number as well as the contact angle hysteresis. We achieved very good agreement with experimental data.     

An atomic interaction-based continuum model for computational multiscale contact mechanics

A computational multiscale contact mechanics model is presented which describes the interaction between deformable solids based on the interaction of individual atoms or molecules. The contact model is formulated in the framework of large deformation continuum mechanics and combines the approaches of molecular modelling [1] and continuum contact mechanics [2]. In the following a brief overview of the contact model is given. Further details can be found in [3], [4] and [5]. (© 2008 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

3D dynamic modeling of powder forming processes via a simple and efficient node-to-surface contact algorithm

In this paper, a simple and efficient contact algorithm is presented for the evaluation of density distribution in three-dimensional dynamic modeling of powder compaction processes. The contact node-to-surface algorithm is employed to impose the contact constraints in large deformation frictional contact, and the contact frictional slip is modified by the Coulomb friction law to simulate the frictional behavior between the rigid punch and the work-piece. The 3D nonlinear contact friction algorithm is employed together with a double-surface cap plasticity model within the framework of large finite element deformation in order to predict the non-uniform relative density distribution during the dynamic simulation of powder die-pressing. The accuracy and robustness of contact algorithm is verified by the impact analysis of two elastic rods, which is compared with the analytical solution. Finally, the performance of computational schemes is illustrated in dynamic modeling of a set of powder components.     

Shaft-hub press fit subjected to bending couples: Analytical evaluation of the shaft-hub detachment couple

A mathematical modelling of a shaft-hub press-fit subjected to bending couples applied to the shaft extremities is developed, and the value of the bending couple inducing an undesired shaft-hub incipient detachment is analytically determined. The shaft-hub contact is modelled in terms of two elastic Timoshenko beams connected by a distributed elastic spring, whose stiffness is analytically evaluated. Two models of the distributed spring are considered. The first model expresses the combined deformability of both the shaft and the hub cross sections. The second model accounts for the stiffening effect exerted by the shaft portion protruding from the hub on the adjacent shaft part that is in contact with the hub, and, consequently, it assumes only a rigid body motion of the shaft cross section, thus neglecting its deformability.Based upon this beam-like model, the bending couple producing the incipient detachment between the shaft and the hub is theoretically determined in term of the shaft-hub geometry, of the initial shaft-hub interference, and of the elastic constants. Comparisons with selected Finite Element (FE) forecasts indicate that the first modelling produces an incipient detachment couple that appreciably overrates the FE forecasts, whereas the second modelling lowers the error down to technically acceptable predictions.     

Numerical simulation of three-phase flow in an external gear pump using immersed boundary approach

This paper presents a three-phase fully compressible model applied along with an immersed boundary model for predicting cavitation occurring in a two dimensional gear pump in the presence of non-condensable gas (NCG). Combination of these models is capable of overcoming numerical challenges such as modelling the contact between the gears and simulating the effect of NCG in cavitation. The model accounting for the effect of NCG also has broader applicability, since gas dissolved in liquids can come out of the solution when exposed to low pressures; this plays a significant role in the pump performance and cavitation erosion. Here the simulation results are presented for the gear pump at different operating conditions including the contact between gear, gear RPM and % of NCG; their effects on performance and cavitation is demonstrated. The results suggest that modelling the contact between the gears play a role in the cavitation prediction inside the gear pump. An increase in cavitation is observed when the contact is modelled even for the small pressure difference considered between the inlet and outlet. An increase in the RPM of the gears also results in increased cavitation within the pump, whereas an increase in the percentage of NCG content by a small amount can reduce the cavitation to a greater extent. This reduction is due to the expansion of the gas at a lower pressure which recovers the pressure and prevents or delays the phase-change process of the working fluid. The fluctuations in the outflow rate is also found to increase when the gears are in contact and also with increasing gas content.     

Asymptotic derivation of frictionless contact models for elastic rods on a foundation with normal compliance

Using asymptotic methods we derive some models for elastic rods in frictionless contact with a foundation with normal response. Starting from the three-dimensional problem we characterize the first terms of an asymptotic expansion of the solution taking the diameter of cross section as small parameter. Then we prove the convergence as this diameter tends to zero. In this way, we obtain and we mathematically justify a simplified model generalizing the best known classical models of such frictionless contact problems.     

Modelling of unilateral constraints using power-based restriction functions within Lagrangian mechanics

The consideration of unilateral contacts within multi-body systems is a common but also difficult task. Established modelling approaches such as the rigid body theory or the Hertzian contact are suitable for single-body systems but show serious problems with increasing system complexity. Indeed, there are different approaches to extend the existing models to multi-body systems, but with a growing number of contacts and the consideration of tangential friction, those enhancements are hardly applicable, showing numeric problems or becoming unmanageable. Thus, to overcome these limitations, a new modelling approach for unilateral contacts defined by power-based restriction functions is proposed in this contribution. The proposed contact model is based on continuous functions, making it numerically robust as well as applicable within Lagrangian mechanics. The approach is easily applicable and even remains manageable for multiple contacts since each constraint can be independently adapted by four physical parameters. The simple applicability and generalizability of the approach is demonstrated by several examples.     

Contact statement of mechanical problems of reinforced on a contour sandwich plates with transversally-soft core

For the sandwich plates and shells with transversally-soft core and carrier layers having on the outer contour of the reinforcing rod, for small deformations, and middle displacements we construct refined geometrically nonlinear theory. This theory allows to describe the process of the subcritical deformation and identify all possible buckling of carrier layers and reinforcing rods. It is based on the introduction as unknown contact forces at the points of interaction mating surface of the outer layers with core and carrier layers and a core with reinforcing rods at all points of the surface of their conjugation to the shell contour. To derive the basic equations of equilibrium, static boundary conditions for the shell and reinforcing rods, as well as conditions of the kinematic coupling of the carrier layers with a core, the carrier layers and a core with reinforcing rods we use previously proposed generalized Lagrange variational principle.     

Nonlinear statics of extensible elastic belt on two pulleys

The drive belt set on two pulleys is considered as a plane elastic rod. The nonlinear theory of rods with tension is used. The static frictionless contact problem for the rod is formulated. The derived boundary value problem for the nonlinear ordinary differential equations is solved by the finite difference method and by the shooting method by means of computer mathematics. The belt shape and the stresses are determined. The contact reaction and the contact area are obtained in the solution. A benchmark study of extensible and inextensible models is performed. (© 2016 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Methods of Analysis of Discrete - Continuous Systems Vibrations and Their Application to Railway Transport Problems

In the paper some aspects of the interaction between the current collector and the overhead equipment have been presented. A model of the system that consists of a discrete subsystem modelling the pantograph and a continuous subsystem modelling the contact wire has been introduced. The dynamic interaction between the discrete oscillator of two degrees of freedom and a continuous string has been studied. At the contact point of the pantograph and the wire a varying component of force appears. It is the source of waves that propagate along the contact wire. There are also two standing sources of wave generation, i.e. varying forces at the points of catenary supports. General results have been illustrated by numerical examples in which the effect of wave propagation is confirmed. (© 2009 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

An integrated mechanistic-neural network modelling for granular systems

A hybrid neural network model is designed to predict the micro-macroscopic characteristics of particulate systems subjected to shearing. The network is initially trained to understand the micro-mechanical characteristics of particulate assemblies, by feeding the results based on three-dimensional discrete element simulations. Given the physical properties of the individual particles and the packing condition of the particulate assemblies under specified loading conditions, the network thus understands the way contact forces are distributed, the orientation of contact (fabric) networks and the evolution of stress tensor during the mechanical loading. These relationships are regarded as soft sensors. Using the signals received from soft sensors, a mechanistic neural network model is constructed to establish the relationship between the micro-macroscopic characteristics of granular assemblies subjected to shearing. The macroscopic results obtained form this hybrid mechanistic neural network modelling for data that were not part of the training signals, is compared with simulations based on discrete element modelling alone and in general, the agreement is good. The hybrid network responds to their inputs at a high speed and can be regarded as a real-time system for understanding the complex behaviour of particulate systems under mechanical process conditions.     

Optimization of the piston geometry to generate a desired stress wave shape

Impacting rods are used in various devices in practical life but also for scientific experiments. The challenge in modeling is the collision between the impacting rods which leads to a sudden velocity jump at the contact zone. Thus, the non-smooth problem is difficult to calculate with commercial FE programs. In this contribution, an approach to calculate 1D impact problems is presented. The geometries of the impacting rods are approximated with piecewise constant cross sections. On a constant segment, the solution of the wave problem is known by the D'Alembert solution and at each change of cross section the incoming wave is partly reflected and partly transmitted which is considered by transition conditions. This results in a multitude of transmissions and reflections that are all contributing to the final shape of the stress in the rods. Finally, the approach is applied in the field of rock drilling and the stress shape of the impacting rods is presented. (© 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Contact simulation for the calculation of the kinematic excitation of vibrations from surface roughness of wheel and rail

A simulation method has been developed to predict the sound emission of the railway wheelsets due to the excitation of wheelset vibrations by surface roughness of wheel and rail. This model treats the contact in a linearized manner and is therefore not capable of modelling the local effects of the roughness in the wheel-rail contact zone. These effects are very important since the contact acts as a low pass filter which is calculated within a contact simulation. (© 2010 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Quantifying the strength and durability of induced immunity to HIV infection in women engaging in unprotected sexual contacts with infected men

Evidence is accumulating that exposure to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) can lead to an increased resistance or immunity to subsequent infection. A multirisk model that permits either induced immunity or infection to develop after heterosexual inoculation with HIV is shown to be compatible with a wide spectrum of disparate male-to-female transmission data.When the model is applied to time-dependent, HIV-seroprevalence data, the probability that an unexposed woman would remain unexposed after an unprotected contact with an infected man was estimated to be greater than 0.95 on the average. Thus, it would require at least 14 unprotected sexual contacts with HIV-infected men for 50% of an unexposed cohort of women to become exposed to the virus. This suggests that there is a low probability that HIV virions will be found to have penetrated the mucosal barriers of the reproductive tract after a contact.The model also predicts, that the average woman whose mucosal barriers have been breached by HIV has a significant probability of developing immunity to the virus rather than infection. Modelling data for a cohort of unexposed Nairobi women leads to the prediction that the probability of acquiring induced immunity per contact is about 60% of the probability of acquiring the disease per contact.The modelling results also predict that those who had developed resistance to HIV run the small, but significant risk of becoming infected nonetheless by continuing high-risk behavior. For the common contact rate of ten per month, the modelling predicts that the HIV-transmission risk per contact for unexposed women in the Nairobi cohort is 1/178 while the transmission risk for the cohort's immunized women is 1/1548. These numbers suggest that HIV infection is difficult to transmit through heterosexual intercourse on the average and that male-to-female HIV-transmission risk per contact for African women lies between 1/178 and 1/1548.Direct confirmation of the predictions in the last paragraph has been subsequently observed in two completely independent studies. The Nairobi research team recently reported that a notable number of Nairobi prostitutes previously identified to be members of the HIV-resistant group became infected nonetheless. Second, in a study of 174 sexually monogamous, discordant couples in Rakai, Uganda reporting contacts rates of nine to ten per month, the male-to-female HIV-transmission risk per contact was found to be 1/769 by direct measurement, a value that falls between the above limits of 1/178 and 1/1548 predicted by the modelling. Thus, a second major prediction of this paper has been directly confirmed, and induced immunity to HIV is limited and not absolutely protective.Circumstantial evidence suggests that the induced immunity to HIV predicted by the model could be generated and/or initiated by nonspecific innate immune responses, specific immunological responses, including IgA-mediated mucosal immunity and cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) immunity, or some combination of the above. It is suggested here, that a decrease in the ability of HIV virions to penetrate the protective mucus layer of the reproductive tract may be a prerequisite, cofactor, or the principle cause of the induced immunity or resistance demonstrated to exist in this paper. The value of the probability that induced immunity to HIV will develop after a contact is shown to be a sensitive function of the woman's human leucocyte antigen (HLA) supertype profile.     

A FEM model for lifetime prediction of Ancorsteel1000C in rolling contact fatigue

Ancorsteel1000C is commonly used for important components including bearing rollers, gears, connecting rods, wheels and rails; most failures of these components are caused by rolling contact fatigue (RCF). In this study the fatigue damage indicator based on Fatemi-Socie critical plane were determined in a local hot spot area in finite element (FE) model in case of Hertzian stress with zero slip condition. The simulation results compared with respect to experimental data, which is in good agreement. Therefore, this approach can be implemented as a useful tool for lifetime calculations in RCF in the process of structure fatigue design. (© 2014 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Numerical approximation of a thermoviscoelastic problem to the contact of two rods by a penalty method

In this article we analyze a numerical approximation by the finite element method of a system modeling the thermoviscoelastic contact of two rods. The numerical scheme is based on an auxiliary penalized problem. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Numer Methods Partial Differential Eq, 2004     

Modelling of wave phenomena in the Zahorski material based on modified library for ADINA software

This paper presents numerical modelling of wave phenomena in simple elastic structures such as rods and shields made of hyperelastic Zahorski material. The main difference between the Zahorski material, which is an elastic material in the Green sense, and the commonly used Mooney–Rivlin material lies in the non-linear term including the constant C₃. Consequently, qualitative and quantitative differences are observed compared to the Mooney–Rivlin material, for example in the values of effective stresses. The extension to the ADINA software developed by the author, which helps create 2D and 3D libraries, significantly facilitates modelling of the Zahorski material. The modification can be used for comparison of wave phenomena that are observed during the propagation of disturbances in the Mooney–Rivlin and Zahorski materials. It should be emphasised that the Zahorski material behaves much better at high strains during the analysis of incompressible rubber and rubber-like hyperelastic materials and can be used in various fields of science wherever the model of Mooney–Rivlin material is successfully applied. The results of numerical computations for both Mooney–Rivlin and Zahorski materials were presented in a graphical form and compared in order to illustrate the differences.