Cosserat interphase models for elasticity with application to the interphase bonding a spherical inclusion to an infinite matrix

Interphases are often modeled as interfaces with zero thickness using jump conditions that can be developed based on approximate shell or membrane models which are valid for specific limited ranges of the elastic material parameters. For a two-dimensional problem it has been shown (Rubin and Benveniste, 2004) that the Cosserat model of a finite thickness interphase is a unified model that is accurate over the full range of elastic parameters. In contrast, many other interphase models are valid for only limited ranges of the elastic parameters. In this paper, the accuracy of different Cosserat models of a finite thickness interphase that connects a spherical inclusion to an infinite matrix is examined. Specifically, four Cosserat interphase models are considered: a general shell (GS)$(\mathit{GS})$, a membrane-like shell (MS)$(\mathit{MS})$, a simple shell (SS)$(\mathit{SS})$ and a generalized membrane (GM)$(\mathit{GM})$. The models (GS)$(\mathit{GS})$ and (MS)$(\mathit{MS})$ both satisfy restrictions on the strain energy function of the interphase that ensure exact solutions for all homogeneous three-dimensional deformations, while the other models (SS)$(\mathit{SS})$ and (GM)$(\mathit{GM})$ do not satisfy these restrictions. The importance of these restrictions is examined for the three-dimensional inhomogeneous inclusion problem being considered. This is the first test of the accuracy of an elastic interphase model for a spherical interphase.     

A geometrically exact Cosserat shell-model including size effects,avoiding degeneracy in the thin shell limit. Part I: Formal dimensional reduction for elastic plates and existence of minimizers for positive Cosserat couple modulus

This contribution is concerned with a consistent formal dimensional reduction of a previously introduced finite-strain three-dimensional Cosserat micropolar elasticity model to the two-dimensional situation of thin plates and shells. Contrary to the direct modelling of a shell as a Cosserat surface with additional directors, we obtain the shell model from the Cosserat bulk model which already includes a triad of rigid directors. The reduction is achieved by assumed kinematics, quadratic through the thickness. The three-dimensional transverse boundary conditions can be evaluated analytically in terms of the assumed kinematics and determines exactly two appearing coefficients in the chosen ansatz. Further simplifications with subsequent analytical integration through the thickness determine the reduced model in a variational setting. The resulting membrane energy turns out to be a quadratic, elliptic, first order, non degenerate energy in contrast to classical approaches. The bending contribution is augmented by a curvature term representing an additional stiffness of the Cosserat model and the corresponding system of balance equations remains of second order. The lateral boundary conditions for simple support are non-standard. The model includes size-effects, transverse shear resistance, drilling degrees of freedom and accounts implicitly for thickness extension and asymmetric shift of the midsurface. The formal thin shell membrane limit without classical h ³-bending term is non-degenerate due to the additional Cosserat curvature stiffness and control of drill rotations. In our formulation, the drill-rotations are strictly related to the size-effects of the bulk model and not introduced artificially for numerical convenience. Upon linearization with zero Cosserat couple modulus we recover the well known infinitesimal-displacement Reissner-Mindlin model without size-effects and without drill-rotations. It is shown that the dimensionally reduced Cosserat formulation is well-posed for positive Cosserat couple modulus by means of the direct methods of variations along the same line of argument which showed the well-posedness of the three-dimensional Cosserat bulk model [72].Received: 16 April 2004, Accepted: 3 May 2004, Published online: 17 September 2004     

A constrained theory of a Cosserat point for the numerical solution of dynamic problems of non-linear elastic rods with rigid cross-sections

A constrained theory of a Cosserat point has been developed for the numerical solution of non-linear elastic rods. The cross-sections of the rod element are constrained to remain rigid but tangential shear deformations and axial extension are admitted. As opposed to the more general theory with deformable cross-sections, the kinetic coupling equations in the numerical formulation of the constrained theory are expressed in terms of the simple physical quantities of force and mechanical moment applied to the common ends of neighboring elements. Also, in contrast with standard finite element methods, the Cosserat element uses a direct approach to the development of constitutive equations. Specifically the kinetic quantities are determined by algebraic expressions which are obtained by derivatives of a strain energy function. Most importantly, no integration is needed over the element region. A number of example problems have been considered which indicate that the constrained Cosserat element can be used to model large deformation dynamic response of non-linear elastic rods.     

Linear viscoelastic model for bending and torsional modes in fluid membranes

This paper develops and applies a linear viscoelastic model for bending and torsional modes of fluid membranes, based on the nonlinear Cosserat surface fluid model. The linearized fluid membrane model in spherical and cylindrical geometries is shown to decouple bending and torsional viscoelastic modes. It is found that solutions of the membrane viscoelastic model to small-amplitude oscillatory bending and torsion allows for the measurement of the bending and the torsion viscosity. The model and its potential in characterizing the bending and torsion viscoelasticity of membranes complements the on-going efforts to establish the role of curvature in dissipative process of biological membranes.     

A composites-based hyperelastic constitutive model for soft tissue with application to the human annulus fibrosus

This paper presents a composites-based hyperelastic constitutive model for soft tissue. Well organized soft tissue is treated as a composite in which the matrix material is embedded with a single family of aligned fibers. The fiber is modeled as a generalized neo-Hookean material in which the stiffness depends on fiber stretch. The deformation gradient is decomposed multiplicatively into two parts: a uniaxial deformation along the fiber direction and a subsequent shear deformation. This permits the fiber-matrix interaction caused by inhomogeneous deformation to be estimated by using effective properties from conventional composites theory based on small strain linear elasticity and suitably generalized to the present large deformation case. A transversely isotropic hyperelastic model is proposed to describe the mechanical behavior of fiber-reinforced soft tissue. This model is then applied to the human annulus fibrosus. Because of the layered anatomical structure of the annulus fibrosus, an orthotropic hyperelastic model of the annulus fibrosus is developed. Simulations show that the model reproduces the stress-strain response of the human annulus fibrosus accurately. We also show that the expression for the fiber-matrix shear interaction energy used in a previous phenomenological model is compatible with that derived in the present paper.     

A two-phase elastoplastic model for unidirectionally-reinforced materials

A complete analytical formulation for the elastoplastic behaviour of a composite material comprising one single array of reinforcing inclusions perfectly bonded to the matrix is developed in this paper. Fundamental relationships establish the link between the total stress and strain variables, and those pertaining to the individual constituents (matrix and reinforcement) regarded as superposed continuous phases. Assuming that each constituent behaves as an elastic perfectly plastic material, the constitutive equations governing the evolution of the reinforced material as a whole are derived. They reveal a hardening phenomenon arising from the non-compatibility between matrix and reinforcement plastic strains. It is shown in particular that the obtained constitutive law falls within the formalism of generalized standard plasticity: the reinforcement residual stress plays the role of a hardening parameter which controls the evolution of the yield surface, while the associated kinematic variable is the plastic strain discrepancy between matrix and reinforcement phases.Owing to its inherent simplicity, the model is easily amenable to a numerical treatment for structural analysis. It is shown in particular how the classical iterative algorithm can be modified accordingly, and an illustrative application is finally presented in the field of civil engineering.     

Bending and buckling of a class of nonlinear fiber composite rods

An investigation of the mechanics of bending and buckling is carried out for a class of nonlinear fiber composite rods composed of embedded unidirectional fibers parallel to the rod axis. The specific class of composite considered is one in which the fibers interact with the matrix through a nonlinear Needleman-type cohesive zone [Needleman, A., 1987. A continuum model for void nucleation by inclusion debonding. ASME J. Appl. Mech. 54, 525-531; Needleman, A., 1992. Micromechanical modelling of interfacial decohesion. Ultramicroscopy 40, 203-214]. The primary decohesive mechanism active in bending and buckling of these composite rods is shear slip along the fiber-matrix interfaces allowing the use of a previously developed constitutive relation for antiplane shear response [Levy, A.J., 2000b. The fiber composite with nonlinear interface—part II: antiplane shear. ASME J. Appl. Mech. 67, 733-739]. The formulation requires the specification of a potential interface force-slip law that is assumed to permit interface failure in shear.Four cases of the bending and shearing of beams (concentrated or uniform load on a cantilever or a simply supported beam) are analyzed, each of which exhibits qualitatively distinct response. For certain values of interface parameters, the beam deflection or its gradient at a fixed location can change discontinuously with load. Furthermore, for interface parameter values within a certain range, singular surfaces will exist in uniformly loaded beams where there is a non-uniform distribution of shear stress along the beam length. These singular surfaces divide the beam into regions of maximal and minimal fiber slip and propagate with a rate that varies inversely as the square of the applied load. For other parameter values, singular surfaces will not exist and fiber slip will be diffuse.For the class of nonlinear composite considered, bifurcation and imperfection buckling of pinned-pinned columns is analyzed. For bifurcation buckling, a nonlinear eigenvalue problem is derived and the solution is obtained by Galerkin's method. It is demonstrated that critical loads are influenced by the initial slope, and hence the linear portion, of the interface force-slip relation but the post-buckling response, which in some sense resembles that of plastic buckling, is affected by the entire interface constitutive relation. Imperfection buckling is analyzed in a similar manner by assuming a slight initial curvature of the rod. Sensitivity of the response to imperfection magnitude is discussed as well.     

A general hyperelastic model for incompressible fiber-reinforced elastomers

This work presents a new constitutive model for the effective response of fiber-reinforced elastomers at finite strains. The matrix and fiber phases are assumed to be incompressible, isotropic, hyperelastic solids. Furthermore, the fibers are taken to be perfectly aligned and distributed randomly and isotropically in the transverse plane, leading to overall transversely isotropic behavior for the composite. The model is derived by means of the “second-order” homogenization theory, which makes use of suitably designed variational principles utilizing the idea of a “linear comparison composite.” Compared to other constitutive models that have been proposed thus far for this class of materials, the present model has the distinguishing feature that it allows consideration of behaviors for the constituent phases that are more general than Neo-Hookean, while still being able to account directly for the shape, orientation, and distribution of the fibers. In addition, the proposed model has the merit that it recovers a known exact solution for the special case of incompressible Neo-Hookean phases, as well as some other known exact solutions for more general constituents under special loading conditions.     

Cosserat连续体模型中本构参数对应变局部化模拟结果影响的数值分析

基于所发展的压力相关弹塑性Cosserat连续体模型及相应的数值方法,以一维剪切层及二维平板压缩问题为例,数值分析了Cosserat连续体模型中的本构参数Cosserat剪模、软化模量及内部长度参数对应变局部化数值模拟结果的影响.结果表明在一定取值范围内,Cosserat剪模对数值模拟结果几乎没有影响,并给出了具体数值计算时的取值范围;软化模量绝对值越大,后破坏段的荷载-位移曲线越陡,计算得到的剪切带宽度越窄;内部长度参数越大,后破坏段的荷载-位移曲线越平缓,计算得到的剪切带越宽.     

New exact results for the effective electric, elastic, piezoelectric and other properties of composite ellipsoid assemblages

In this paper we present a unified treatment of composite ellipsoid assemblages in the setting of uncoupled phenomena like conductivity and elasticity and coupled phenomena like thermoelectricity and piezomagnetoelectricity. The building block of this microgeometry is a confocal ellipsoidal particle consisting of a (possibly void) core and a coating. All space is filled up with such units which have different sizes but possess the same aspect ratios. The confocal ellipsoids may have the same orientation in space or may be randomly oriented. The resulting microgeometry simulates two-phase composites in which the reinforcing components are short fibers or elongated particles. Our main interest is in obtaining information of an exact nature on the effective moduli of this microgeometry whose effective tensor symmetry structure depends on the packing mode of the coated ellipsoids. This information will sometimes be complete like the full effective thermoelectric tensor of an assemblage which contains aligned ellipsoids in which the coating is isotropic and the core is arbitrarily anisotropic. In the majority of the cases however the maximum achievable exact information will be only partial and will appear in the form of certain exact relations between the effective moduli of the microgeometry. These exact relations are obtained from exact solutions for the fields in the microstructure for a certain set of loading conditions. In all the considered cases an isotropic coating can be combined with a fully arbitrary core. This covers the most important physical case of anisotropic fibers in an isotropic matrix. Allowing anisotropy in the coating requires the fulfillment of certain constraint conditions between its moduli. Even though in this case the presence of such constraint conditions may render the anisotropic coating material hypothetical, the value of the derived solutions remains since they still provide benchmark comparisons for approximate and numerical treatments. The remarkable feature of the general analysis which covers all treated uncoupled and coupled phenomena is that it is developed solely on the basis of potential solutions of the conduction problem in the same microgeometry.     

A catastrophe model for the impact torsional buckling of elastic cylindrical shell

The catastrophe theory is used to study the impact buckling of elastic structures. A criterion for impact buckling is established based on the proposed catastrophe system, in whose bifurcation set the critical step load is located. By the present theory, the impact torsional buckling for a clamped cylindrical shell is studied and the critical step torques for different imperfections are given. Also, the static critical torque is given, and it is shown that the critical step torque is smaller than the critical static torque.The project is supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China     

A model for spherical SH wave propagation in self-reinforced linearly elastic media

We study a spherical wave propagating in the radial and latitude directions and oscillating in the longitude direction in the case of fibre-reinforced linearly elastic material. A function system solving Euler's equation of motion in this case and depending on certain Bessel and associated Legendre functions is derived.     

Mixed functionals in the theory of nonlinearly elastic shells

Results obtained on the basis of linearized functionals in the theory of nonlinearly elastic composite shells are analyzed and generalized. The Kirchhoff-Love and Timoshenko hypotheses are used. Possible membrane or shear locking is taken into account. New approaches are proposed to improve the convergence of numerical solution for new classes of nonlinear problems for thin and nonthin shells with a curvilinear (circular, elliptical) hole. The stress-strain state of shells is analyzed using different versions of shell theory. The influence of the nonlinear properties and orthotropy of composite materials on the stress distribution in structural members is studied.Translated from Prikladnaya Mekhanika, Vol. 40, No. 11, pp. 45–84, November 2004.This revised version was published online in April 2005 with a corrected cover date.     

A unified nonlinear formulation for plate and shell theories

A general geometrically exact nonlinear theory for the dynamics of laminated plates and shells under-going large-rotation and small-strain vibrations in three-dimensional space is presented. The theory fully accounts for geometric nonlinearities by using the new concepts of local displacements and local engineering stress and strain measures, a new interpretation and manipulation of the virtual local rotations, an exact coordinate transformation, and the extended Hamilton principle. Moreover, the model accounts for shear coupling effects, continuity of interlaminar shear stresses, free shear-stress conditions on the bonding surfaces, and extensionality. Because the only differences among different plates and shells are the initial curvatures of the coordinates used in the modeling and all possible initial curvatures are included in the formulation, the theory is valid for any plate or shell geometry and contains most of the existing nonlinear and shear-deformable plate and shell theories as special cases. Five fully nonlinear partial-differential equations and corresponding boundary and corner conditions are obtained, which describe the extension-extension-bending-shear-shear vibrations of general laminated two-dimensional structures and display linear elastic and nonlinear geometric coupling among all motions. Moreover, the energy and Newtonian formulations are completely correlated in the theory.     

Materially and geometrically non-linear woven composite micro-mechanical model with failure for finite element simulations

A computational micro-mechanical material model of woven fabric composite material is developed to simulate failure. The material model is based on repeated unit cell approach. The fiber reorientation is accounted for in the effective stiffness calculation. Material non-linearity due to the shear stresses in the impregnated yarns and the matrix material is included in the model. Micro-mechanical failure criteria determine the stiffness degradation for the constituent materials. The developed material model with failure is programmed as user-defined sub-routine in the LS-DYNA finite element code with explicit time integration. The code is used to simulate the failure behavior of woven composite structures. The results of finite element simulations are compared with available test results. The model shows good agreement with the experimental results and good computational efficiency required for finite element simulations of woven composite structures.     

Nonlocal shell model for elastic wave propagation in single- and double-walled carbon nanotubes

This paper investigates the transverse and torsional wave in single- and double-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs and DWCNTs), focusing on the effect of carbon nanotube microstructure on wave dispersion. The SWCNTs and DWCNTs are modeled as nonlocal single and double elastic cylindrical shells. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations indicate that the wave dispersion predicted by the nonlocal elastic cylindrical shell theory shows good agreement with that of the MD simulations in a wide frequency range up to the terahertz region. The nonlocal elastic shell theory provides a better prediction of the dispersion relationships than the classical shell theory when the wavenumber is large enough for the carbon nanotube microstructure to have a significant influence on the wave dispersion. The nonlocal shell models are required when the wavelengths are approximately less than 2.36×10⁻⁹ and 0.95×10⁻⁹ m for transverse wave in armchair (15,15) SWCNT and torsional wave in armchair (10,10) SWCNT, respectively. Moreover, an MD-based estimation of the scale coefficient e₀ for the nonlocal elastic cylindrical shell model is suggested. Due to the small-scale effects of SWCNTs and the interlayer van der Waals interaction of DWCNTs, the phase difference of the transverse wave in the inner and outer tube can be observed in MD simulations in wave propagation at high frequency. However, the van der Waals interaction has little effect on the phase difference of transverse wave.     

Non-slipping adhesive contact between mismatched elastic spheres: A model of adhesion mediated deformation sensor

A generalized JKR model is established for non-slipping adhesive contact between two dissimilar elastic spheres subjected to a pair of pulling forces and a mismatch strain. We discuss the full elastic solution to the problem as well as the so-called non-oscillatory solution in which tension and shear tractions along the contact interface is decoupled from each other. The model indicates that the mismatch strain has significant effect on the contact area and the pull-off process. Under a finite pulling force, a pair of adhering spheres is predicted to break apart spontaneously at a critical mismatch strain. This study suggests an adhesion mediated deformation sensing mechanism by which cells and molecules can detect mechanical signals in the environment via adhesive interactions.     

A coupled damage-plasticity model for the cyclic behavior of shear-loaded interfaces

The present work proposes a novel thermodynamically consistent model for the behavior of interfaces under shear (i.e. mode-II) cyclic loading conditions. The interface behavior is defined coupling damage and plasticity. The admissible states’ domain is formulated restricting the tangential interface stress to non-negative values, which makes the model suitable e.g. for interfaces with thin adherends. Linear softening is assumed so as to reproduce, under monotonic conditions, a bilinear mode-II interface law. Two damage variables govern respectively the loss of strength and of stiffness of the interface. The proposed model needs the evaluation of only four independent parameters, i.e. three defining the monotonic mode-II interface law, and one ruling the fatigue behavior. This limited number of parameters and their clear physical meaning facilitate experimental calibration. Model predictions are compared with experimental results on fiber reinforced polymer sheets externally bonded to concrete involving different load histories, and an excellent agreement is obtained.     

Global load-sharing model for unidirectional hybrid fibre-reinforced composites

A promising strategy to increase the tensile failure strain of carbon fibre-reinforced composites is to hybridise carbon fibres with other, higher-elongation fibres. The resulting increase in failure strain is known as the hybrid effect. In the present article, a global load-sharing model for hybrid composites is developed and used to carry out a parametric study for carbon/glass hybrids. Hybrid effects of up to 15% increase in failure strain are predicted, corresponding reasonably well to literature data. Scatter in the carbon fibre strength is shown to be crucial for the hybrid effect, while the scatter in glass fibre strength is much less important. In contrast to reports in earlier literature, the ratio of failure strains of the two fibres has only a small influence on the hybrid effect. The results provide guidelines for designing optimal hybrid composites.