Creep of composites with a porous fibre/matrix interface under variable loading

A micromechanical model of island-type fibre/matrix interface is described and experimental data are represented and analysed. Changes in the interface strength during a cycle loadings and, correspondingly, changes in the creep resistance of a composite due the island-like scheme of the fibre/matrix interface are described.     

Characterizing the creep of viscoelastic materials by fractal derivative models

In this paper, we make the first attempt to apply the fractal derivative to modeling viscoelastic behavior. The methodology of scaling transformation is utilized to obtain the creep modulus and relaxation compliance for the proposed fractal Maxwell and Kelvin models. Comparing with the fractional derivatives reported in the literature, the fractal derivative as a local operator has lower calculation costs and memory storage requirements. Moreover, numerical results show that the proposed fractal models require fewer parameters, have simpler mathematical expression and result in higher accuracy than the classical integer-order derivative models. Results further confirm that the proposed fractal models can characterize the creep behavior of viscoelastic materials.     

Mesoscale bounds in viscoelasticity of random composites

Under consideration is the problem of size and response of the representative volume element (RVE) of spatially random linear viscoelastic materials. The model microstructure adopted here is the random checkerboard with one phase elastic and another viscoelastic, perfectly bonded everywhere. The method relies on the hierarchies of mesoscale bounds of relaxation moduli and creep compliances (Huet, 1995, 1999) obtained via solutions of two stochastic initial boundary value problems, respectively, under uniform kinematic and uniform stress boundary conditions. In general, the microscale viscoelasticity introduces larger discrepancy in the hierarchy of mesoscale bounds compared to elasticity, and this discrepancy grows as the time increases.     

Predicting the creep lives of thin-walled cylindrical polymeric pipe linings subject to external pressure

Installation of a close-fitting polymeric thin-walled lining is now standard practice for the rehabilitation of deteriorating gravity pipes. Design of these linings focuses primarily on their ability to resist an external head of groundwater pressure whilst experiencing long-term creep deformations. Existing structural design guidelines are crude and do not provide consistent safety factors. In this paper an existing simple analysis for linear elastic (geometrically non-linear) buckling loads is developed into a time stepping procedure for calculation of the creep lives of time dependent non-linearly elastic systems subject to long-term constant pressure. The results so obtained using different simulations of the creep data obtained for a particular material are then compared with those derived from a set of corresponding physical tests and alternative numerical modelling, and appropriate conclusions are drawn.     

Identification of viscoelastic properties by means of nanoindentation taking the real tip geometry into account

Motivated by recent progress in viscoelastic indentation analysis, the identification of viscoelastic properties from nanoindentation test data taking the real tip geometry into account is presented in this paper. Based on the elastic solution of the indentation problem, the corresponding viscoelastic solution is obtained by the application of the method of functional equations. This general solution, which accounts for the real geometric properties of the indenter tip, is specialized for the case of a trapezoidal load history, commonly employed in nanoindentation testing. Three deviatoric creep models, the single dash-pot, the Maxwell, and the three-parameter model are considered. The so-obtained expressions allow us to determine viscoelastic model parameters via back calculation from the measured load–penetration history. The presented approach is illustrated by the identification of short-term viscoelastic properties of bitumen. Hereby, the influence of loading rate, maximum load, and temperature on the model parameters is investigated.     

Generalized Maxwell model for the viscoelastic behavior of a soda-lime-silica glass under low frequency shear loading

The linear viscoelastic behavior of a soda-lime-silica glass under low frequency shear loading is investigated in the glass transition range. Using the time-temperature superposition technique, the master curves of the shear dynamic relaxation moduli are obtained at a reference temperature of 566°C. A method to determine the viscoelastic constants from dynamic relaxation moduli is proposed. However, some viscoelastic constants cannot be directly measured from the experimental curves and others cannot be precisely obtained due to non-linearity effects at very low frequencies. The generalized Maxwell model is investigated from the experimental dynamic moduli without fixing the viscoelastic constants. A set of parameters is shown to be in good agreement with the experimental dynamic relaxation moduli, but does not give the correct values of the viscoelastic constants of the investigated glass. The soda-lime-silica glass exhibits a non-linear viscoelastic behavior at very low stress level which is usually observed for organic glasses. This non-linear behavior is questioned.     

Multi-scale framework for the thermo-viscoelastic analyses of polymer composites

This paper presents a multi-scale framework for analyzing coupled heat conduction and viscoelastic deformation of polymers reinforced with solid spherical particles. The viscoelastic and thermal properties of the polymer constituents are temperature dependent. A simplified micromechanical model for the particle reinforced composite is formulated to obtain the effective thermal properties and viscoelastic responses. The micromechanical model is implemented at material points within elements in the finite element (FE) analyses.     

Analysis of the influence of aggressive environment on creep and creep rupture of rod under pure bending

Summary A method for modelling the influence of an aggressive environment on creep and creep rupture is suggested. This method is based on the introduction of a notion of structural elements and postulating elementary creep properties of these elements. The equations of behavior of a specimen as a whole are based on the behavior of the elements.A probabilistic approach is used for the analysis of creep and creep rupture of solids. Pure bending of a long thin rod in an aggressive environment is studied. It is supposed that the fracture of structural elements takes place only under tensional stresses. A system of integral-differential equations is derived; this system characterizes the process of damage accumulation and change of stress-strain state at times,which is caused by rod bending. It is demonstrated that rupture of any structural element in a tension area causes stress redistribution. This redistribution leads to a motion of the neutral lines at which stresses and strains equal zero. The numerical investigation of a derived system of equations is developed.This work has been partially supported by the Russian Foundation of Fundamental Researches (Grant No. 02-01-00289) and INTAS (Grant No. 03-51-6046).     

Modeling the anisotropic finite-deformation viscoelastic behavior of soft fiber-reinforced composites

This paper presents constitutive models for the anisotropic, finite-deformation viscoelastic behavior of soft fiber-reinforced composites. An essential assumption of the models is that both the fiber reinforcements and matrix can exhibit distinct time-dependent behavior. As such, the constitutive formulation attributes a different viscous stretch measure and free energy density to the matrix and fiber phases. Separate flow rules are specified for the matrix and the individual fiber families. The flow rules for the fiber families then are combined to give an anisotropic flow rule for the fiber phase. This is in contrast to many current inelastic models for soft fiber-reinforced composites which specify evolution equations directly at the composite level. The approach presented here allows key model parameters of the composite to be related to the properties of the matrix and fiber constituents and to the fiber arrangement. An efficient algorithm is developed for the implementation of the constitutive models in a finite-element framework, and examples are presented examining the effects of the viscoelastic behavior of the matrix and fiber phases on the time-dependent response of the composite.     

Interrelation of creep and relaxation for nonlinearly viscoelastic materials: application to ligament and metal

Creep and stress relaxation are known to be interrelated in linearly viscoelastic materials by an exact analytical expression. In this article, analytical interrelations are derived for nonlinearly viscoelastic materials which obey a single integral nonlinear superposition constitutive equation. The kernel is not assumed to be separable as a product of strain and time dependent parts. Superposition is fully taken into account within the single integral formulation used. Specific formulations based on power law time dependence and truncated expansions are developed. These are appropriate for weak stress and strain dependence. The interrelated constitutive formulation is applied to ligaments, in which stiffness increases with strain, stress relaxation proceeds faster than creep, and rate of creep is a function of stress and rate of relaxation is a function of strain. An interrelation was also constructed for a commercial die-cast aluminum alloy currently used in small engine applications.     

The kinetics of creep embrittlement under long-term static loading

The formulation and solution technique for the problem of construction of evolutionary equations of creep embrittlement of metal materials are considered. Embrittlement is regarded as loss of plasticity depending on the time to fracture. Experimental data for high-temperature steels and alloys are systematized and analyzed, and, on this basis, two main classes of materials, those that are subjected to ductile fracture and those that undergo embrittlement, are singled out. The kinetics of embrittlement is considered as regards the strain of instantaneous fracture and obeys the power law. The conditions of change in the nature of fracture are formulated, which allows one to calculate the coordinates of the inflection points on delayed-fracture curves. S. P. Timoshenko Institute of Mechanics, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Kiev. Translated from Prikladnaya Mekhanika, Vol. 36, No. 6, pp. 104–113, June, 2000.     

Experimental and numerical study of the rotation and the erosion of fillers suspended in viscoelastic fluids under simple shear flow

When a porous agglomerate immersed in a fluid is submitted to a shear flow, hydrodynamic stresses acting on its surface may cause a size reduction if they exceed the cohesive stress of the agglomerate. The aggregates forming the agglomerate are slowly removed from the agglomerate surface. Such a behaviour is known when the suspending fluid is Newtonian but unknown if the fluid is viscoelastic. By using rheo-optical tools, model fluids, carbon black agglomerates and particles of various shapes, we found that the particles had a rotational motion around the vorticity axis with a period which is independent on shape (flat particles not considered), but which is exponentially increasing with the elasticity of the medium expressed by the Weissenberg number (We). Spherical particles are always rotating for We up to 2.6 (largest investigated We in this study) but elongated particles stop rotating for We>0.9 while orienting along the flow direction. Erosion is strongly reduced by elasticity. Since finite element numerical simulation shows that elasticity increases the local stress around a particle, the origin of the erosion reduction is interpreted as an increase of cohesiveness of the porous agglomerate due to the infiltration of a viscoelastic fluid.     

Influence of large strain preloads on the viscoelastic response of rubber-like materials under small oscillations

The viscoelastic response predicted by linearized internal variables models in the case of small oscillations superimposed on a large static preload is investigated, comparing simple forms of the Zener and the Poynting–Thomson models. It is shown that both of them predict a preload dependency of the equilibrium linearized stress, but only the latter take into account such a dependency on the out-of-equilibrium part. Yet, the Zener model is much more frequently linearized as the Poynting–Thomson model. The formulation of each model for finite deformations is quickly reminded, before linearizing them around a large static preload. Finally, a comparison of the influence of preload on each model is proposed for uniaxial extension, before discussing which kind of model has to be chosen regarding theoretical and practical aspects.     

Dynamic stability of a viscoelastic rotating shaft under parametric random excitation

This paper deals with dynamic stability of a viscoelastic rotating shaft subjected to a parametric random axial compressive thrust, by using moment Lyapunov exponents and the largest Lyapunov exponents as indicators. The equation of motion for the shaft is derived, which is a system of gyroscopic stochastic differential equations. The method of stochastic averaging is used to decouple the governing equations into Itô equations, from which the moment Lyapunov exponent is obtained by using mathematical transformations only. The largest Lyapunov exponent is obtained through its relation with moment Lyapunov exponents. The effects of various parameters on the stochastic dynamic stability are discussed. The approximate analytical results are confirmed by Monte Carlo simulation.     

Optimization of the collocation inversion method for the linear viscoelastic homogenization

The effective behaviour of linear viscoelastic heterogeneous material can be derived from the correspondence principle and the inversion of the obtained symbolic homogenized behavior. Various numerical methods were proposed to carry out this inversion. The collocation method, widely used, within this framework rests on a discretization of the characteristic spectrum in a sum of discrete lines for which it is necessary to determine the intensities and the positions by the minimization of the difference between the exact temporal function and its approximation. The classical method is based on a priori choice of the lines positions and on the optimization of their intensities. It is shown here that the combined optimization of the positions and the (positive) intensities lead to a minimization problem under constraints. In the simple case of an incompressible isotropic two-phase material, the assessment of the effective relaxation function with a continuum spectra or made up of discrete lines proves that the proposed method improves the predictions of the classical approach.     

The influence of pre-loading and thermal recovery on the viscoelastic response of filled elastomers

Experimental data are reported in tensile relaxation tests on carbon black-filled natural rubber at strains up to 200%. Constitutive equations are derived for the time-dependent response of a particle-reinforced elastomer at finite strains. Adjustable parameters in the model are found by fitting observations. The effects on mechanical pre-loading and thermal recovery are analyzed on the material constants.     

Break-up of a Newtonian drop in a viscoelastic matrix under simple shear flow

The effect of matrix elasticity on the break-up of an isolated Newtonian drop under step shear flow is herein presented. Constant-viscosity, elastic polymer solutions (Boger fluids) were used as matrix phase. Newtonian silicon oils were used as drop phase. Three viscosity ratios were explored (drop/matrix), i.e. 2, 0.6 and 0.04. Following the theoretical analysis of Greco [Greco F (2002) J Non-Newtonian Fluid Mech 107:111–131], the role of elasticity on drop fluid dynamics was quantified according to the value of the parameter p=/_em, where is a constitutive relaxation time of the matrix fluid and _em is the emulsion time. Different fluids were prepared in order to have p ranging from 0.1 to 10. At all the viscosity ratios explored, break-up was hindered by matrix elasticity. The start-up transient of drop deformation, at high, but sub-critical capillary numbers, showed an overshoot, during which the drop enhanced its orientation toward the flow direction. Both phenomena increase if the p parameter increases. Finally, the non-dimensional pinch-off length and break-up time were also found to increase with p.This paper was presented at the first Annual European Rheology Conference (AERC) held in Guimarães, Portugal, September 11-13, 2003.     

Nonlinear dynamic buckling of a viscoelastic model under impact loading

A simple nonlinear buckling analysis is applied to a one-degree-of-freedom arch under impact loading in which viscous damping may also be included. Such a loading consists of a falling body striking centrally the joint mass of the arch in such a way that a completely plastic impact can be postulated. When there is no damping the exact dynamic buckling load for such a kind of loading-associated with an unbounded motion can be established by using a static criterion (approach). More specifically, it was shown that the dynamic buckling load corresponds to that unstable equilibrium state where the total potential energy of the system is zero. Furthermore, it was proved that the second variation of the total potential energy at the foregoing unstable equilibrium state is negative definite. This implies that the curve loading versus displacement resulting by the vanishing of the total potential energy has always a maximum on the afore mentioned unstable state. It was also found that the system may become sensitive to initial conditions. If damping is included the foregoing static criterion yields lower bound buckling estimates. These findings were verified by employing a highly efficient approximate technique as well as the numerical scheme of Runge-Kutta for solving any nonlinear initial-value problem.     

Static and free vibration analysis of laminated glass beam on viscoelastic supports

Static behavior and free vibration analysis of laminated glass beam on viscoelastic supports are performed. For the static case, an analytical way is developed for analyzing and optimization of laminated glass beam with general restraints at the boundaries. In the case of free linear vibrations, the modal properties of the glass are determined using a finite element method which is a powerful tool in the design of support damping treatment of a sandwich glass for passive vibration control.