Application of Homogenization FEM Analysis to Aluminum Honeycomb Core Filled with Polymer Foams

The effect of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) foam filler on elastic properties of a regular hexagonal aluminum honeycomb core is studied. The unit cell strain energy homogenization approach based on the finite element method (FEM) within ABAQUS code is applied for prediction of effective material constants of the foam-filled honeycomb core. The developed FE model is then used to observe a three-dimensional stress state over the hexagonal unit cell and, thereby, to assess the influence of the foam-filling on the distribution of the local interfacial stresses. (© 2010 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Experimental and numerical investigation of metal foams undergoing large deformations

Open cell aluminum metal foams are a new kind of material that are used in composite structures to reduce their weight, to increase their sound or energy absorption capability or to decrease their thermal conductivity. The design and analysis of such structures requires a macroscopic constitutive model of the foam that has to be determined by various experiments under different loading conditions. We support this procedure by analyzing the microstructure of the metal foam numerically under large deformations. To this end, we employ the finite cell method that can deal with large deformations and allows for an automatic and efficient discretization of the CT-image of the foam. (© 2016 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Homogenisation of elasto-plastic open-celled foams

The effective yield behaviour of open-celled metal foams is studied by a micro-mechanical model. As a surrogate model for the sponge-like microstructure the simplified Kelvin foam is used. The yield loci in strain space and stress space are constructed by conducting numerical experiments. For the determination of the effective stresses a strain-energy based homogenisation procedure is adopted. The numerical examples show that the initial yield surface in the normal strain space is similar to a polyhedron with sharp corners. The further evolution of the yield surface is characterized by kinematic and isotropic hardening effects. In addition, the stress yield surface may rotate under certain loading conditions. (© 2006 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

A new modelling approach for the description of tissues at cell level

The understanding of tissues from a biomechanical perspective requires a deeper knowledge about cell mechanics. A lot of experimental and theoretical investigation has already been done to consider cells' behaviour under various conditions. Several types of cells exist, each with specific properties. In this work, the cell microstructure is characterized and explained via tensegrity systems. In doing so, we consider in a first step a simple cubic shaped cell built up by trusses and ropes that are discretized by finite 1D elements. This simplified microstructure represents the micro/cell level on the integration point of the finite element discretization at macro level. By using an appropriate homogenization technique for the micro level, it is assumed to gain a more detailed view on deformations occur on cell level. (© 2010 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Computer simulations for the mechanical analysis of skeletal muscles

The structure of a skeletal muscle can be seen as a complex hierarchical organisation in which thousands of muscle fibers are arranged within a connective tissue network. Inside of the single muscle fibre many force-producing cells, known as sarcomeres, are connected and take care of the contraction of the whole muscle. The material behaviour of muscles is nonlinear. Due to the fact that muscles can have large deformations in space, geometrical non-linearities must additionally be taken into account. For the simulation of such a behaviour the finite element method is used in the present approach. The material behaviour of the muscle is split into a so-called active and a passive part. To describe the passive part special unit cells consisting of one tetrahedral element and six truss elements have been derived. Additionally to these unit cells other truss elements are attached representing bundles of muscle fibers and therefore the active part of the material behaviour. The contractile behaviour of the muscle is mainly in.uenced by the stretch of the muscle fibres, the shortening velocity and the activation status of the muscle. (© 2005 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Experimental and numerical investigation of PUR foam under dynamic loading

Various factors may subject buildings to shock which continues in their structure and is perceived by the people living in them as noticeable vibrations or noise. In this context, polyurethane (PUR) foams, which have been developed to isolate vibrations, have shown to be very effective in practical use. However, whereas static properties of open-cell structures have already been determined numerically in good agreement to experimental results, cf. [1], there are hardly any investigations on the dynamical properties characterizing acoustic damping. In order to validate experimental measurements of eigenfrequencies for different PUR foam specimen we present here a strategy to reproduce the foam behavior numerically. In doing so, PUR foams are modeled using a three dimensional Voronoi-tessellation technique. The resulting Voronoi cells correspond to open pores and are scaled in such a way that the volume ratio between the pores and material matches the given PUR foam. For finite element analysis the connections between the cells are modeled as beam elements, the beam shape follows Bezièr curves. The generated model is analyzed with a finite element software and the dynamical parameters are determined. The numerical results are compared to our experimental data. (© 2016 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Modeling of deformation and failure in rubber-toughened polymers – effect of distributed crazing

A continuum mechanical model for rubber-toughened polymers undergoing inelastic deformation solely by distributed crazing is introduced. Scaling relations with regard to microstructural parameters are derived analytically from a simple unit cell model. The constitutive model is calibrated from experimental data for a commercial ABS material and well captures various aspects of its deformation and failure behaviour. (© 2012 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Creep damage modeling of a polycrystalline material

A polycrystalline material is investigated under creep conditions within the framework of continuum micromechanics. Geometrical 3D model of a polycrystalline microstructure is represented as a unit cell with grains of random crystallographical orientation and shape. Thickness of the plains, separating neighboring grains in the unit cell, can have non-zero value. Obtained geometry assigns a special zone in the vicinity of grain boundaries, possessing unordered crystalline structure. A mechanical behavior of this zone should allow sliding of the adjacent grains. Within the grain interior crystalline structure is ordered, what prescribes cubic symmetry of a material. The anisotropic material model with the orthotropic symmetry is implemented in ABAQUS and used to assign elastic and creep behavior of both the grain interior and grain boundary material. Appropriate parameters set allows transition from the orthotropy to the cubic symmetry for the grain interior. Material parameters for the grain interior are identified from creep tests for single crystal copper. Model parameters for the grain boundary are set from the physical considerations and numerical model validation according to the experimental data of the grain boundary sliding in a polycrystalline copper [2]. As the result of analysis representative number of grains and grain boundary thickness in the unit cell are recommended. (© 2012 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Collapse criteria of foam cells under various loading

Recently porous materials are widely used in civil and mechanical engineering. In particular, such porous materials as metal and polymer foams have applications in lightweight structures. From mechanics point of view foams can demonstrate unusual behavior such as strain localization related to foam cells buckling under certain loads. The aim of this work is the elaboration of the model of foam material taking into account the cell collapse. We consider the cell collapse initiation during the elastic instability and its further evolution under loading. The geometrical structure of foam is generated with the use of the Voronoi algorithm. Based on stochastic distributions of cells we create various geometrical models of foams. The influence of the cell volume, wall thicknesses and material properties of the foam material on critical loads is obtained. The calculations are performed with the use of Abaqus CAD/CAE system. (© 2011 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Local probabilistic homogenization schemes for assessment of material uncertainties in solid foams

The present study is concerned with a numerical scheme for prediction of the effective properties of solid foams considering their uncertainty. The approach is based on an analysis of a large-scale, statistically representative volume element which is subdivided into small-scale testing volume elements. Application of a standard homogenization scheme to the testing volume elements together with a stochastic evaluation yields a complete probabilistic characterization of the material which may be used for a random field definition of the material behaviour in a macroscopic effective field analysis of foam structures. (© 2012 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Modeling of material failure by the discrete element method

In this paper a two-dimensional discrete element method with rigid, polygonal particles is used to model material failure of granular as well as quasi-brittle materials. Different models for soft contact as well as cohesion between the particles are presented. The capabilities of the method are demonstrated simulating simplistic granular model materials as well as complex concrete specimens with an artificial microstructure. (© 2010 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Macroscopic mechanical properties of metal foam in dependence on the inhomogenities of the mesoscale

In this contribution, a way of simulating the influence of the mesoscopic irregular structure of metal foams on the macroscale is shown. To this end, mesoscopic periodic volume elements of a foam are derived in order to compute the mechanical properties including the effects of inhomogenities like imperfections, irregular structure and varying cell wall thicknesses. With the help of these volume elements, which are analysed via the finite element method, and their varying mechanical properties, a local varying stiffness can be computed and inserted into the macromechanical model. In this way the propagation of uncertainities from the mesoscale to the macroscale can be assessed. (© 2008 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Determination of Effective Properties of MMC by Computational Homogenization

On the macrolevel Metal Matrix Composites (MMCs) resemble a homogeneous material. However, on the microlevel they show an inhomogeneous microstructure. This paper will have how heterogeneities affect the overall properties and the behaviour of a material (i. e. the effective properties). This is done using computational homogenization techniques. Finite element (FE) simulations were conducted in ABAQUS in connection with MATLAB, using material parameters for aluminium alloy AA2124 and SiC to develop a representative volume element (RVE) of the MMC AMC217xe. (© 2016 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Finite element simulation of deformation behaviour of cellular rubber components

This paper presents a new prospect of investigating the mechanical behaviour of cellular rubber using porous hyperelastic material model. There are number of hyperelastic material models to describe the behaviour of homogeneous elastomer, but very few to characterise the complex properties of cellular rubber. The analysis of dependence of material behaviour on pore density using the new material model is supported with experiments to characterise the actual material behaviour. The new material model which is based on Danielsson et al [1] decouples the influence of porosity from the mechanical properties of the solid material by introducing volume fraction of the pores as an explicit scalar variable. The finite element simulations are then followed by experiments on complex model to validate the material model. (© 2012 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Transport of Mass,Momentum and Energy through Periodic Open Cell Metal Foams Applied in Catalysis

An ODE model to predict the temperature field of periodic open cell metal foams applied in catalysis as carrier structures is presented. The catalytic and highly endothermic reaction takes place in a porous layer which surround the struts of the foam and releases gas from a fluid. The one-dimensional model includes dependencies of the foam structure (strut radius, shape of strut), process conditions (surrounding velocity, surrounding fluid: liquid and/or gas), chemical conditions (reaction enthalpy, activation energy) and material parameters (thermal conductivity, density, viscosity). This makes it possible to estimate optimal parameters, that are able to provide sufficient heat to the reaction. The advantage of this model is the substantial time saving in contrary to three dimensional finite volume simulations. (© 2016 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Modelling and remodelling of biological tissue in the framework of continuum biomechanics

A biological tissue in general is formed by cells, extracellular matrix (ECM) and fluids. Consequently, its overall material behaviour results from its components and their interaction among each other. Furthermore, in case of living tissues, the material properties do not remain constant but naturally change due to adaptation processes or diseases. In the context of the Theory of Porous Media (TPM), a continuum-mechanical model is introduced to describe the complex fluid-structure interaction in biological tissue on a macroscopic scale. The tissue is treated as an aggregate of two immiscible constituents, where the cells and the ECM are summarised to a solid phase, whereas the fluid phase represents the extracellular and interstitial liquids as well as necrotic debris and cell or matrix precursors in solution. The growth and remodelling processes are described by a distinct mass exchange between the fluid and solid phase, which also results in a change of the constituent material behaviour. To furthermore guarantee the compliance with the entropy principle, the growth energy is introduced as an additional quantity. It measures the average of chemical energy available for cell metabolism, and thus, controls the growth and remodelling processes. To set an example, the presented model is applied for the simulation of the early stages of avascular tumour growth in the framework of the finite element method (FEM). (© 2011 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Size Effects due to the Formation of Interphases in Polymer Joints

In this contribution we investigate the numerical modelling of polymer bonds under quasi-static and isothermal conditions. From experimental investigations it is known that polymers form interphases in contact with substrates. These interphases influence the macroscopic material behaviour in the form of size effects, which are observed either in the form “Smaller is Stiffer” or “Smaller is Weaker” depending on the substrate. Taking the formation of the microstructure into account, we postulate an additional balance equation based on an abstract scalar-valued structure parameter which offers us a way to consider the interphases. We investigate the coupled model consisting of the balance of linear momentum and the balance of the structure parameter by finite element analysis. Different numerical examples are shown. (© 2006 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Forchheimer law derived by homogenization of gas flow in turbomachines

A general formulation of the homogenization problem of compressible fluid flow through a periodic porous material in turbomachines is presented here. This formulation is able to derive a Forchheimer law with a mean velocity dependent permeability as equivalent macroscopic behavior. To specify this permeability, additional flow problems are defined on the unit cell and solved by a mixed stabilized finite element discretization. The application of the Galerkin least-square (GLS) method requires the introduction of two stabilization terms with appropriate parameters. The mixed finite element discretization of these unit cell problems is finally outlined.     

Large strain constitutive modelling of cellulose aerogels

In this contribution, we propose a non-linear constitutive model for cellulose aerogels subject to compression. The model is based on the cellular microstructure of aerogels formed of square shaped unit cells of varying pore sizes with an isotropic spatial distribution. Under uniaxial compression, these cells tend to bend non-linearly until pore collapse. This cell bending is described by the extended version of the Euler-Bernoulli beam theory for large deflections. The macroscopic free energy of the whole network is obtained by integration of the microscopic energies of cells over all spatial directions. Cellulose aerogels with different cellulose content are simulated using the proposed model. The model predictions show good agreement with experimental data. (© 2016 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)