Sensitivity analysis,calibration and validation of a snow indentation model

Quantification of the mechanical behavior of snow in response to loading is of importance in vehicle-terrain interaction studies. Snow, like other engineering materials, may be studied using indentation tests. However, unlike engineered materials with targeted and repeatable material properties, snow is a naturally-occurring, heterogeneous material whose mechanical properties display a statistical distribution. This study accounts for the statistical nature of snow behavior that is calculated from the pressure-sinkage curves from indentation tests. Recent developments in the field of statistics were used in conjunction with experimental results to calibrate, validate, and study the sensitivity of the plasticity-based snow indentation model. It was found that for material properties, in the semi-infinite zone of indentation, the cohesion has the largest influence on indentation pressure, followed by one of the the hardening coefficients. In the finite depth zone, the friction angle has the largest influence on the indentation pressure. A Bayesian metamodel was developed, and model parameters were calibrated by maximizing a Gaussian likelihood function. The calibrated model was validated using three local and global confidence-interval based metrics with good results.     

A new reverse analysis to determine the constitutive response of plastically graded case hardened bearing steels

A new reverse analysis is presented that determines the plastic response of both nongraded and plastically graded materials (PGMs) without the need for traditional tension or compression tests. The method utilizes the concepts of expanding cavity model for strain hardening materials, Tabor’s rule of converting Vickers hardness to flow stress, representative plastic strain induced by indentation, and finite element modeling of the macro indentation process. A unique flow curve is determined when the experimentally measured increase in micro Vickers hardness matches that predicted by the proposed method within the plastic zone of a macro Vickers indent. The method is validated for a nongraded stainless steel first and then extended to determine the gradient in flow curves of plastically graded, case-hardened M50 NiL material, a widely used bearing steel. Such knowledge of the plastic response of the case hardened region will help optimize the design of case hardened bearings with longer rolling contact fatigue life and higher thrust load capabilities.     

Effects of loading patterns on the pressure-sinkage relation of dry loose sand

The pressure-sinkage relation of dry loose sand is one of the main problems considered for a vehicle to drive in desert. It is affected by loading patterns. Based on plate-sinkage tests. the effects of two different loading patterns on the pressure-sinkage relation of dry loose sand are studied. One is that the plate is horizontal with the angle of load relative to the plate normal varying from 0 to 30 degrees. The other is that the load is perpendicular to the plate with the angle of the plate relative to sand surface varying from 0 to 30 degrees. The results indicate that the pressure -sinkage relations of dry loose sand in both the above mentioned cases are different from that in the horizontal plate-vertical load case and that if the sinkage-pressure relation under the horizontal plate-inclined load case is used to determine the normal stress distribution under the tire, a precise prediction of the tractive properties of a wheel can be obtained.     

Elastoplastic cracks moving in orthotropic crystals

The stress field, crack-tip plastic zones and total plastic displacement created around an infinite row of collinear elastoplastic constant width Griffith-type strip cracks moving within an orthotropic crystal are considered using the powerful method of dislocation layers. The method is applied with the BCS modelled elastoplastic cracks moving under mode III loading at constant crack-tip velocity, according to the Yoffe model. Simultaneously the analysis provides solutions for a corresponding single crack moving similarly within a finite orthotropic plate and a finite plate containing a surface crack. Analogous results for the corresponding mode I, mode II and purely elastic cracks can be deduced.     

焊接接头局部塑性行为的循环压痕实验研究

基于纳米压痕技术,对转子钢焊接接头不同区域（母材、焊缝和热影响区）开展了压入位移控制的单向压痕实验和压入载荷控制的循环压痕实验研究．首先,通过压入位移控制的单向压痕实验,采用多次测试取平均值的方式获得了焊接接头各个区域的弹性模量和硬度分布特征,同时对各区域弹性模量中值点的载荷-压入深度曲线进行了分析;其次,对各个区域进行压入载荷控制的循环压痕实验,比较其压入深度随循环周次的演化特征．结果表明,焊接接头不同区域力学性能差异较大,热影响区的弹性模量、硬度、抗拉强度和抗循环变形能力最高,焊缝次之,母材最弱;三个区域在循环压痕载荷下的接触载荷-压入深度滞回环曲线均表现出类似棘轮变形的演化特征,且母材演化速度高于焊缝,高于热影响区．研究结果对汽轮机焊接转子的焊接工艺的优化、寿命预测和可靠性设计具有重要的借鉴意义．     

Evaluation of the stress–strain curve of metallic materials by spherical indentation

A method for deducing the stress–strain uniaxial properties of metallic materials from instrumented spherical indentation is presented along with an experimental verification.An extensive finite element parametric analysis of the spherical indentation was performed in order to generate a database of load vs. depth of penetration curves for classes of materials selected in order to represent the metals commonly employed in structural applications. The stress–strain curves of the materials were represented with three parameters: the Young modulus for the elastic regime, the stress of proportionality limit and the strain-hardening coefficient for the elastic–plastic regime.The indentation curves simulated by the finite element analyses were fitted in order to obtain a continuous function which can produce accurate load vs. depth curves for any combination of the constitutive elastic–plastic parameters. On the basis of this continuous function, an optimization algorithm was then employed to deduce the material elastic–plastic parameters and the related stress–strain curve when the measured load vs. depth curve is available by an instrumented spherical indentation test.The proposed method was verified by comparing the predicted stress–strain curves with those directly measured for several metallic alloys having different mechanical properties.This result confirms the possibility to deduce the complete stress–strain curve of a metal alloy with good accuracy by a properly conducted instrumented spherical indentation test and a suitable interpretation technique of the measured quantities.     

Scaling relationships in conical indentation of elastic-perfectly plastic solids

Using dimensional analysis and finite element calculations we derive several scaling relationships for conical indentation into elastic-perfectly plastic solids. These scaling relationships provide new insights into the shape of indentation curves and form the basis for understanding indentation measurements, including nano- and micro-indentation techniques. They are also helpful as a guide to numerical and finite element calculations of conical indentation problems. Finally, the scaling relationships are used to reveal the general relationships between hardness, contact area, initial unloading slope, and mechanical properties of solids.     

残余应力测定的围箍压痕法模拟

本文从同工量测方法得到启发，提出了一种新型的残余应力测试方法－围箍压痕法。采用轴对称弹塑性有限元计算模拟了围箍压痕法测量结构残余应力的力学过程，得到了围箍压痕时不同残余应力程度下材料的变形，塑性区和接触应力分布。     

The plastic zone size in indentation experiments: The analogy with the expansion of a spherical cavity

This paper provides in-depth examinations of the well-known analogy between indentation experiments and the expansion of a spherical cavity. Closed-form solutions are derived for the extension of the plastic zone in perfectly plastic and strain hardening solids. The theoretical analysis takes into account the role of elastic and plastic deformations in the overall contact response, leading to accurate solutions for cavity inflation. Presently proposed analogy is based on comprehensive finite element simulations of conical, spherical and pyramidal indentation, which allow us to find a correspondence between the parameters describing the contact response and those in expanding cavity formulations. Such parametrical identification has the advantage to hold true both in expanding cavity formulations for perfectly plastic solids and in those derived herein for strain hardening solids. Attention is given to the assessment of the plastic zone along the indented surface, as well as to quantify the influence of further plastic flow induced upon load removal on the plastic zone size.     

Sinkage tests for mobility study, modelling and experimental validation

The sinkage of the bearing tracks or wheels of a vehicle in soil induces a resistance to travel motion. Usually it is determined with methods based on the modelling of soil pressure-sinkage curves. This article presents a new method for modelling soil penetration tests as a result of experimental study of three standard soils. These soils have been chosen to represent the mechanical properties of a range of soils: a sand for frictional soils, a silt for cohesive soils and a silty sand for cohesive frictional soils. The models take into account the mechanical behaviour of soils where a small vertical sinkage can be assumed analogous to elastic behaviour, while for large sinkage, the analogy is with plastic behaviour. A New Model of Mobility (N2M) is proposed. A new equation relating the pressure p and the sinkage z is governed by four parameters which are constant for a specific soil in a given physical state. These parameters can be calculated with two sinkage tests made with two different plate diameters and are particularly stable: a small change of one of them involves a small change of the modelling. They are independent of the size of the sinkage plate and hence could pave the way for the extrapolation to the scale of full size vehicles. For the tested soils, comparison of the model results with experimental tests is very promising.     

Experimental characterization of dynamic soil-track interaction on dry sand

A set of soil-track interaction relations was made developed for the morbility simulation of tracked or crawler system vehicles on dry, loose sand. These interaction relations were developed specifically for multibody mobility codes in which the soil-vehicle interaction is represented solely by soil-track interaction forces. By employing plate penetration and shear tests, an average pressure-sinkage relation, a shear force-slippage relation, and a sinkage-slippage relation were measured. These plate test data were sufficient only to describe the soil-track interaction on hard ground. On soft ground, however, it was found that intermittent sinkages induced by each passage of the road wheels become important. This dynamic contribution is called “agitation sinkage.” Based on this observation, the sinkage rate (velocity) was decomposed into elastic and plastic rates; the plastic part consists of normal force-induced, slip-induced, and agitation-induced components. Whereas the elastic and the first two components of the plastic sinkage rate were characterized by the conventional plate penetration and plate shear tests, the last term, agitation sinkage, required a new dynamic test in which the sinkage of the track after successive passages of moving road wheels was measured. It is recommended that this new field measurement technique be adopted to characterize the agitation sinkage for various terrains.     

Development and validation of off-road tire-gravelly soil interaction using advanced computational techniques

This paper presents a novel modelling technique to compute the interaction between an 8x4 off-road truck and gravelly soil (sand with gravel soil). The off-road truck tire size 315/80R22.5 is modelled using the Finite Element Analysis (FEA) technique and validated using manufacturer-provided data in static and dynamic responses. The gravelly soil is modelled using Smoothed-Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH) technique and calibrated against physical measurements using pressure-sinkage and direct shear-strength tests. The tire-gravelly soil interaction is captured using the node symmetric node to segment with edge treatment algorithm deployed for interaction between FEA and SPH elements. The model setup consists of four tires presenting the four axles of the truck, the first tire is a free-rolling steering tire, the second and third tires are driven tires and the fourth tire is a free-rolling push tire. The truck tires-gravelly soil interaction is computed and validated against physical measurements performed in Göteborg, Sweden. The effect of gravelly soil compaction and truck loading on the tire performance is discussed and investigated.     

Mode II dynamic fields near a crack tip growing in an elastic-perfectly-plastic solid

An asymptotic solution is given for Mode II dynamic fields in the neighborhood of the tip of a steadily advancing crack in an incompressible elastic—perfectly-plastic solid (plane strain). It is shown that, like for Modes I and III (Gao and Nemat-Nasser, 1983), the complete dynamic solution for Mode II predicts a logarithmic singularity for the strain field, but unlike for those modes which involve no elastic unloading, the pure Mode II solution includes two elastic sectors next to the stress-free crack surfaces. This is in contradiction to the quasi-static solution which predicts a small central plastic zone, followed by two large elastic zones, and then two very small plastic zones adjacent to the stress-free crack faces. The stress field for the complete dynamic solution varies throughout the entire crack tip neighborhood, admitting finite jumps at two shock fronts within the central plastic sector. This dynamic stress field is consistent with that of the stationary crack solution, and indeed reduces to it as the crack growth speed becomes zero.     

Linear Elastic Solutions for Slotted Plates

Two-dimensional problems of finite-length blunted cracks cut into infinite plates subject to remote tractions are solved using complex variable theory. The slot geometry is composed of two flat surfaces connected by rounded ends. This special geometrical shape was derived by Riabouchinsky in the study of two-dimensional ideal fluid flow around parallel plates. The simpler antiplane slotted plate problem is addressed initially for this geometry. From this exact solution, the equivalent of a Westergaard stress potential is found and applied to the two other principal modes of fracture, which are plane elasticity problems. For a plate subject to uniform radial tension at infinity, an analytical solution is obtained that will reduce to the familiar mode I singular crack solution as the separation between the parallel faces of the slot becomes zero. For finite-width mode I slots, the rounded ends have tensile tractions which terminate at the adjoining flat surfaces of the slot, which remain traction-free. In this respect, the finite-width mode I slot problem resembles a Barenblatt cohesive zone model of a plane crack or a Dugdale plastic strip model of a plane crack, although the tractions will vary in magnitude along the slot ends rather than remaining uniform as in the former type of crack problems. Similarly, in the case of the finite-width mode II slot problem, the rounded ends of the slot have shear tractions, while the flat surfaces remain load-free. A distinguishing feature of the mode II slot solution over the mode I slot problem is that the maximum in-plane shear stress is constant along the rounded ends of the slot. Because of this, those particular regions of the boundary can represent incipient plastic yield based on either the Mises or Tresca yield condition under plane strain loading conditions. In this way, the problem resembles the plastic strip models of Dugdale, Cherepanov, Bilby-Cottrell-Swinden, and others. Notably, the mode III slot problem also has a constant maximum shear stress along the curved portions of the slot, while the entire slot boundary remains traction-free, unlike the mode II slot problem. Consequently, the mode III slot problem represents both a generalization of the standard mode III crack problem geometry, while simultaneously satisfying the boundary conditions of a plastic strip model.     

Numerical investigation of snow traction characteristics of 3-D patterned tire

Traction and braking performances of automobile tire on the snow road are quite distinct from those on the dry or wet road, because of the complicated snow deformation caused by the complex tread blocks. In fact, the mathematical formulation of the snow deformation is extremely difficult, because not only it depends on the loading condition but its material properties are significantly dependent on the icing state (i.e. the snow density). The purpose of the current study is to introduce a numerical simulation of the snow–tire interaction by making use of Lagrangian finite element method and Eulerian finite volume method. The interaction between the tire tread blocks and the snow deformation is implemented by the explicit Euler–Lagrangian coupling scheme. The multi-surface yield model is adopted to describe both the softening and yielding of snow, and the associated material properties are chosen based upon the existing data in literature and the preliminary verification simulation. The numerical experiments are carried out by MSC/Dytran to investigate the parametric characteristics of the snow traction to the snow hardness, the block depth and the tread pattern.     

Notes on plastic reloading zone in the asymptotic analysis of elastic-plastic crack extension

Summary The asymptotic structures of near-tip stress and deformation fields are studied for steady-state crack extension in elastic-plastic solids. The condition for the existence of a plastic reloading zone is formulated. If a plastic reloading zone is to exist in hardening materials, the effective stress must become unbounded as the crack flank is approached. It is shown explicitly in the case of mode III that solutions with logarithmic singularity produce negative plastic dissipation in the plastic reloading sector.

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Über die rückplastizierte Zone bei asymptotischen Lösungen der elastisch-plastischen Rißausbreitung

Übersicht Untersucht wird die asymptotische Form von rißspitzennahen Spannungs- und Verformungsfeldern bei der stationären Rißausbreitung in elastisch-plastischen Körpern. Die Bedingung für die Existenz einer rückplastizierten Zone wird formuliert. Wenn eine solche Zone bei verfestigendem Material vorhanden sein soll, muß die Vergleichsspannung bei Annäherung an die Rißflanke unendlich werden. Es wird gezeigt, daß bei Mode III die Lösungen mit logarithmischer Singularität negative Dissipation in der rückplastizierten Zone bedeuten würden.

     

Expansion of the terrain input base for nepean tracked vehicle performance model, NTVPM, to accept swiss Rammsonde data from deep snow

A study of the correlation between the measured and predicted vehicle performance over undistributed and preconditioned snow using the Nepean Tracked Vehicle Performance Model, NTVPM, has been carried out. It is shown that on undisturbed snow in Fernie, British Columbia, the performance of a BV 206 predicted by NTVPM correlates very well with measured performance obtained in the field. On preconditioned snow, there is also a reasonable correlation between the measured vehicle performance and predicted one using NTVPM. It is found that predictions of vehicle performance made by NTVPM using pressure-sinkage data obtained with the Swiss Rammsonde and with the bevameter are comparable. This indicates that the pressure-sinkage data obtained using the Rammsonde can be used as input to the NTVPM for predicting tracked vehicle performance over snow. It is shown that in comparison with an earlier version, NTVPM-85, the latest version of the Nepean Tracked Vehicle Performance Model, NTVPM-86, which takes into account fully the characteristics of roadwheel suspension systems, provides improved predictions of vehicle performance over snow where track sinkage is significant. It is suggested that the computer simulation model NTVPM, using pressure-sinkage data obtained by the Rammsonde as input, could form a useful interface with cone based models, such as the NATO Reference Mobility Model, to provide them with an additional capability of predicting tracked vehicle performance over snow.     

Mechanics of indentation of plastically graded materials—I: Analysis

The introduction of controlled gradients in plastic properties is known to influence the resistance to damage and cracking at contact surfaces in many tribological applications. In order to assess potentially beneficial effects of plastic property gradients in tribological applications, it is essential first to develop a comprehensive and quantitative understanding of the effects of yield strength and strain hardening exponent on contact deformation under the most fundamental contact condition: normal indentation. To date, however, systematic and quantitative studies of plasticity gradient effects on indentation response have not been completed. A comprehensive parametric study of the mechanics of normal indentation of plastically graded materials was therefore undertaken in this work by recourse to finite element method (FEM) computations. On the basis of a large number of computational simulations, a general methodology for assessing instrumented indentation response of plastically graded materials is formulated so that quantitative interpretations of depth-sensing indentation experiments could be performed. The specific case of linear variation in yield strength with depth below the indented surface is explored in detail. Universal dimensionless functions are extracted from FEM simulations so as to predict the indentation load versus depth of penetration curves for a wide variety of plastically graded engineering metals and alloys for interpretation of, and comparisons with, experimental results. Furthermore, the effect of plasticity gradient on the residual indentation pile-up profile is systematically studied. The computations reveal that pile-up of the graded alloy around the indenter, for indentation with increasing yield strength beneath the surface, is noticeably higher than that for the two homogeneous reference materials that constitute the bounding conditions for the graded material. Pile-up is also found to be an increasing function of yield strength gradient and a decreasing function of frictional coefficient. The stress and plastic strain distributions under the indenter tip with and without plasticity gradient are also examined to rationalize the predicted trends. In Part II of this paper, we compare the predictions of depth-sensing indentation and pile-up response with experiments on a specially made, graded model Ni-W alloy with controlled gradients in nanocrystalline grain size.     

On the characterization of the pressure-sinkage relationship of snow covers containing an ice layer

Based on an analysis performed by Meyerhof and on field data obtained in two snow covers, a method for estimating the bearing capacity of an ice layer in a snow cover is proposed. A procedure for characterizing the pressure-sinkage relationship of a snow cover containing an ice layer is suggested. The objective is to provide an improved characterization of the behaviour of snow-covered terrain for the prediction of vehicle mobility.