A Variational Approach to Obstacle Problems for Shearable Nonlinearly Elastic Rods

We use variational methods to study obstacle problems for geometrically exact (Cosserat) theories for the planar deformation of nonlinearly elastic rods. These rods can suffer flexure, extension, and shear. There is a marked difference between the behavior of a shearable and an unshearable rod. The set of admissible deformations is not convex, because of the exact geometry used. We first investigate the fundamental question of describing contact forces, which we necessarily treat as vector‐valued Borel measures. Moreover, we introduce techniques for describing point obstacles. Then we prove existence for a very large class of problems. Finally, using nonsmooth analysis for handling the obstacle, we show that the Euler‐Lagrange equations are satisfied almost everywhere. These equations provide very detailed structural information about the contact forces. Accepted June 3, 1996     

A Variational Rod Model with a Singular Nonlocal Potential

The classical theory of elastic rods does not account for the possibility that large deformations may involve distinct points along the rod occupying the same physical space. We develop an elastic rod model with a pairwise repulsive potential such that, if two non-adjacent points along the rod are close in physical space, there is an energy barrier which prevents contact while for points nearby along the rod the potential is describable classically. This framework is developed to prove the existence of minimizers within each homotopy class, where the idea of topological homotopy of a curve is generalized to elastic rods as framed curves. Finally, the relevant first-order optimality conditions are derived and used to investigate the regularity of minimizers.     

Piercing a liquid surface with an elastic rod: Buckling under capillary forces

When a thin elastic structure comes in contact with a liquid interface, capillary forces can be large enough to induce elastic deformations. This effect becomes particularly relevant at small scales where capillary forces are predominant, for example in microsystems (micro-electro-mechanical systems or microfluidic devices) under humid environments. In order to explore the interaction between capillarity and elasticity, we have developed a macroscopic model system in which an initially immersed vertical elastic rod is raised through a horizontal liquid surface. We follow a combined approach of experiments, theory and numerical simulations to study this system. In spite of its apparent simplicity, our experiment reveals a complex phase diagram, involving large hysteretic behaviour. We employ Kirchhoff equations for thin elastic rods and use path-following methods from which we obtain a variety of equilibrium states and associated transitions that are in excellent qualitative and quantitative agreement with those observed experimentally.     

Helical Birods: An Elastic Model of Helically Wound Double-Stranded Rods

We consider a geometrically accurate model for a helically wound rope constructed from two intertwined elastic rods. The line of contact has an arbitrary smooth shape which is obtained under the action of an arbitrary set of applied forces and moments. We discuss the general form the theory should take along with an insight into the necessary geometric or constitutive laws which must be detailed in order for the system to be complete. This includes a number of contact laws for the interaction of the two rods, in order to fit various relevant physical scenarios. This discussion also extends to the boundary and how this composite system can be acted upon by a single moment and force pair. A second strand of inquiry concerns the linear response of an initially helical rope to an arbitrary set of forces and moments. In particular we show that if the rope has the dimensions assumed of a rod in the Kirchhoff rod theory then it can be accurately treated as an isotropic inextensible elastic rod. An important consideration in this demonstration is the possible effect of varying the geometric boundary constraints; it is shown the effect of this choice becomes negligible in this limit in which the rope has dimensions similar to those of a Kirchhoff rod. Finally we derive the bending and twisting coefficients of this effective rod.     

Equations of oscillations of rods of variable composition

We obtain differential equations for the general case of longitudinal, torsional, and transverse oscillations of rods to some parts of which masses are being added or detached. We solve certain special problems concerning the oscillations of such rods of variable composition. In deriving generalized equations of oscillations of rods of variable composition we employ the assumption of planar sections, the assumption of small deformations, and other customary simplifications. We also employ the simplifying assumption of close action; i.e., we assume that the masses being detached and added interact with the rod only at the instant of direct contact. Forces of internal nonelastic resistance are not taken into account. We assume also that in the undeformed state the elastic axis is rectilinear and that the centers of gravity of cross sections are not displaced from their initial positions relative to the cross sections. There may be a change of mass per unit length of the rod both on account of a change in density as well as on account of a change in area of a cross section, the latter being understood to be the union of the initial area of the cross section and the areas of the parts being added and detached. In addition, with the rod there may be associated particles of variable mass distributed continuously or discretely along the length of the rod. We assume that these particles do not interact among themselves but only with the rod.Translated from Zhurnal Prikladnoi Mekhaniki i Tekhnicheskoi Fiziki, No. 1, pp. 103–108, January–February, 1972.     

Restrictions on nonlinear constitutive equations for elastic rods

Constitutive equations for the resultant forces and moments applied to a rod-like body necessarily couple the influences of the rod geometry and the constitutive nature of the three-dimensional material from which the rod was constructed. Consequently, even when the nonlinear constitutive equation of the three-dimensional material is known, the influence of the rod geometry on the constitutive response of the rod is not known. The main objective of this paper is to develop restrictions on the constitutive equations of nonlinear elastic rods which ensure that exact solutions of the rod equations are consistent with exact nonlinear solutions of the three-dimensional equations for all homogeneous deformations. Since these restrictions are nonlinear in nature they provide valuable general theoretical guidance for specific constitutive assumptions about the coupling of material and geometric properties of rods. Also, an example of a straight beam clamped at one end and subjected to a shear force at the other end is used to examine the validity of the proposed value for the transverse shear deformation coefficient.     

Contact with a Corner for Nonlinearly Elastic Rods

In elastic contact problems it is usually required that the contact force has to be directed normally to the contact surface in the absence of friction. For an obstacle with nonsmooth surface this gives infinitely many normal directions at an edge or at a corner. For the case where a nonlinearly elastic rod under terminal loads is hanging over a needle, it is shown that the balance equations supplemented with such a normality condition have a continuum of solutions. Moreover, an additional contact condition is derived from a corresponding variational problem by means of special inner variations that preserve the shape of the rod. This way one is finally lead to a unique solution at least locally.     

Derivation of Plate and Rod Equations for a Piezoelectric Body from a Mixed Three-Dimensional Variational Principle

We use a mixed 3-dimensional variational principle to derive 2-dimensional equations for an anisotropic plate-like piezoelectric body and one-dimensional equations for an anisotropic beam-like piezoelectric body. The formulation accounts for double forces without moments which may change the thickness of the plate and deform the cross-section of the rod. The dependence of the bending rigidities of a transversely isotropic plate upon the angle between the normal to the midsurface and the direction of transverse isotropy is exhibited. The plate equations are used to study the cylindrical deformations of a transversely isotropic plate due to equal and opposite charges applied to its top and bottom surfaces. It is also found that a piezoelectric circular rod with axis of transverse isotropy not coincident with its centroidal axis and subjected to electric charges at the end faces is deformed into a non-prismatic body.     

Soft-impact dynamics of deformable bodies

Systems constituted by impacting beams and rods of non-negligible mass are often encountered in many applications of engineering practice. The impact between two rigid bodies is an intrinsically indeterminate problem due to the arbitrariness of the velocities after the instantaneous impact and implicates an infinite value of the contact force. The arbitrariness of after-impact velocities is solved by releasing the impenetrability condition as an internal constraint of the bodies and by allowing for elastic deformations at contact during an impact of finite duration. In this paper, the latter goal is achieved by interposing a concentrate spring between a beam and a rod at their contact point, simulating the deformability of impacting bodies at the interaction zones. A reliable and convenient method for determining impact forces is also presented. An example of engineering interest is carried out: a flexible beam that impacts on an axially deformable strut. The solution of motion under a harmonic excitation of the beam built-in base is found in terms of transverse and axial displacements of the beam and rod, respectively, by superimposition of a finite number of modal contributions. Numerical investigations are performed in order to examine the influence of the rigidity of the contact spring and of the ratio between the first natural frequencies of the beam and the rod, respectively, on the system response, namely impact velocity, maximum displacement, spring stretching and contact force. Impact velocity diagrams, nonlinear resonance curves and phase portraits are presented to determine regions of periodic motion with impacts and the appearance of chaotic solutions, and parameter ranges where the functionality of the non-structural element is at risk.     

Euler-Lagrange Equations for Nonlinearly Elastic Rods with Self-Contact

 We derive the Euler-Lagrange equations for nonlinearly elastic rods with self-contact. The excluded-volume constraint is formulated in terms of an upper bound on the global curvature of the centre line. This condition is shown to guarantee the global injectivity of the deformation of the elastic rod. Topological constraints such as a prescribed knot and link class to model knotting and supercoiling phenomena as observed, e.g., in DNA-molecules, are included by using the notion of isotopy and Gaussian linking number. The bound on the global curvature as a nonsmooth side condition requires the use of Clarke's generalized gradients to obtain the explicit structure of the contact forces, which appear naturally as Lagrange multipliers in the Euler-Lagrange equations. Transversality conditions are discussed and higher regularity for the strains, moments, the centre line and the directors is shown. (Accepted December 20, 2002) Published online April 8, 2003 Communicated by S. S. Antman     

On the deep penetration of deforming long rods

A series of 2D numerical simulations was performed in order to follow various features in the penetration mechanics of deforming long rods. In particular, we were interested in the threshold velocity which marks the transition from rigid to deforming rod and the resulting depths of penetration around this transition velocity. We simulated various cases in which we varied the yield strengths of the rod and the target, as well as their densities and the nose shape of the rod. With the results of these simulations we constructed a rather simple model which accounts for the threshold velocity from rigid to deforming rod behavior. This model’s predictions are in good agreement with both our simulations and with experimental data for various rods and targets.     

On static and dynamic buckling modes of a rod-strip loaded by follower forces

In [1], it was shown that, under the action of compressing transverse forces of constant (in the deformation process) direction on the rod-strip, there are two statically possible buckling modes (for the adjacent neutral equilibrium), one of which is purely shear and the second is purely flexural and is realized without transverse strains.In the present paper, we consider problems about static and dynamic buckling modes of a rod-strip under the separate action of longitudinal and transverse compressing and also shear forces, which belong to the class of follower forces of two types. The first type corresponds to the conservation of directions of the above forces along the basis vectors of the strained state; the second, to the conservation of one of the components of the surface forces acting along the normal to the deformed boundary surface. We show that if the transverse compressing forces are follower forces, i.e., if in the deformation process they remain normal to the surfaces to which they are applied, then the flexural buckling mode realized in the rod can be found only by the dynamic method [2] based on the use of the refined shear Timoshenko-type model for rods.     

On the geometric phase in the spatial equilibria of nonlinear rods

Geometric phases have natural manifestations in large deformations of geometrically exact rods. The primary concerns of this article are the physical implications and observable consequences of geometric phases arising from the deformed patterns exhibited by a rod subjected to end moments. This mechanical problem is classical and has a long tradition dating back to Kirchhoff. However, the perspective from geometric phases seems to go more deeply into relations between local strain states and global geometry of shapes, and infuses genuinely new insights and better understand-ing, which enable one to describe this kind of deformation in a neat and elegant way. On the other hand, visual represen-tations of these deformations provide beautiful illustrations of geometric phases and render the meaning of the abstract concept of holonomy more direct and transparent.     

A nonlocal contact formulation for confined granular systems

We present a nonlocal formulation of contact mechanics that accounts for the interplay of deformations due to multiple contact forces acting on a single particle. The analytical formulation considers the effects of nonlocal mesoscopic deformations characteristic of confined granular systems and, therefore, removes the classical restriction of independent contacts. This is in sharp contrast to traditional contact mechanics theories, which are strictly local and assume that contacts are independent regardless the confinement of the particles. For definiteness, we restrict attention to elastic spheres in the absence of gravitational forces, adhesion or friction. Hence, a notable feature of the nonlocal formulation is that, when nonlocal effects are neglected, it reduces to Hertz theory. Furthermore, we show that, under the preceding assumptions and up to moderate macroscopic deformations, the predictions of the nonlocal contact formulation are in remarkable agreement with detailed finite-element simulations and experimental observations, and in large disagreement with Hertz theory predictions—supporting that the assumption of independent contacts only holds for small deformations. The discrepancy between the extended theory presented in this work and Hertz theory is borne out by studying periodic homogeneous systems and disordered heterogeneous systems.     

Simulation of an optically induced asymmetric deformation of a liquid–liquid interface

Deformations of liquid interfaces by the optical radiation pressure of a focused laser wave were generally expected to display similar behavior, whatever the direction of propagation of the incident beam. Recent experiments showed that the invariance of interface deformations with respect to the direction of propagation of the incident wave is broken at high laser intensities. In the case of a beam propagating from the liquid of smaller refractive index to that of larger one, the interface remains stable, forming a nipple-like shape, while for the opposite direction of propagation, an instability occurs, leading to a long needle-like deformation emitting micro-droplets. While an analytical model successfully predicts the equilibrium shape of weakly deformed interface, very few work has been accomplished in the regime of large interface deformations. In this work, we use the Boundary Integral Element Method (BIEM) to compute the evolution of the shape of a fluid–fluid interface under the effect of a continuous laser wave, and we compare our numerical simulations to experimental data in the regime of large deformations for both upward and downward beam propagation. We confirm the invariance breakdown observed experimentally and find good agreement between predicted and experimental interface hump heights below the instability threshold.     

On the free shapes of elastic rods

The problem of free shape consists in finding the form that an elastic body must have in a natural state in order that it shall assume a given form in an equilibrium configuration under the action of assigned loads. The problem, that is of interest in itself, arises in some practical applications and can constitute a preliminary step in the study of some mechanical properties of classes of equilibrium configurations that are not natural states. This paper examines the problem of free shape for inextensible elastic rods which in equilibrium are subject only to the action of forces and couples applied to the ends, and whose deformations can be described by the theory of finite displacements of thin rods due to Kirchhoff. After the general equations governing the problem have been deduced, they are employed to give a classification of the free shapes of rods that in equilibrium are circular rings.     

Contact problems for a finitely deformed incompressible elastic halfspace

This paper examines the class of problems related to the interaction between a finitely deformed incompressible elastic halfspace and contacting elements that include smooth, flat rigid indenters with elliptical and circular shapes and a thick plate of infinite extent. The contact between the finitely deformed elastic halfspace and the contacting elements is assumed to be bilateral. The interaction between both the rigid circular indenter and the finitely deformed halfspace is induced by a Mindlin force that acts at the interior of the halfspace regions and by exterior loads. Similar considerations apply for the contact between the flexible plate of infinite extent and the finitely deformed elastic halfspace. The theory of small deformations superposed on large deformations proposed by Green et al. (Proc R Soc Ser A 211:128–155, 1952) is used as the basis for the formulation of the problem, and results of potential theory and integral transform techniques are used to develop the analytical results. In particular, explicit results are presented for the displacement of the rigid elliptical indenter and the maximum deflection of the flexible plate induced by the Mindlin forces, when the finitely deformed halfspace region has a strain energy function of the Mooney–Rivlin form.     

Saint-Venant's Principle in the Asymptotic Analysis of Elastic Rods with One End Fixed

The authors take advantage of an already stated Saint-Venant's principle for a linear elastic free rod to obtain a generalization in the case of the rod fixed on one end. The result is established for star-shaped cross sections and assumes some regularity on the axial forces. Also, an exposition of the technique and its conjecture for the case of the rod fixed on both of its ends is given.     

Study of static and dynamic stability of flexible rods in a geometrically nonlinear statement

We study static and dynamic stability problems for a thin flexible rod subjected to axial compression with the geometric nonlinearity explicitly taken into account. In the case of static action of a force, the critical load and the bending shapes of the rod were determined by Euler. Lavrent’ev and Ishlinsky discovered that, in the case of rod dynamic loading significantly greater than the Euler static critical load, there arise buckling modes with a large number of waves in the longitudinal direction. Lavrent’ev and Ishlinsky referred to the first loading threshold discovered by Euler as the static threshold, and the subsequent ones were called dynamic thresholds; they can be attained under impact loading if the pulse growth time is less than the system relaxation time. Later, the buckling mechanism in this case and the arising parametric resonance were studied in detail by Academician Morozov and his colleagues.In this paper, we complete and develop the approach to studying dynamic rod systems suggested by Morozov; in particular, we construct exact and approximate analytic solutions by using a system of special functions generalizing the Jacobi elliptic functions. We obtain approximate analytic solutions of the nonlinear dynamic problem of flexible rod deformation under longitudinal loading with regard to the boundary conditions and show that the analytic solution of static rod system stability problems in a geometrically nonlinear statement permits exactly determining all possible shapes of the bent rod and the complete system of buckling thresholds. The study of approximate analytic solutions of dynamic problems of nonlinear vibrations of rod systems loaded by lumped forces after buckling in the deformed state allows one to determine the vibration frequencies and then the parametric resonance thresholds.