Orientational Design of Anisotropic Materials Using the Hill and Tsai–Wu Strength Criteria

Linearly elastic two- and three-dimensional orthotropic materials are considered. The problems of optimal material orientation are studied in the cases of the Hill and Tsai–Wu strength criteria. The necessary optimality conditions are derived for a 3D orthotropic material. In the case of a 2D orthotropic material, an analytical solution is obtained. An analysis of global and local extrema is presented.     

An approach to solving axially symmetric problems for spherical orthotropic bodies

A series expansion method is developed in which the small parameter is the deviation of the spherically orthotropic properties of deformable bodies from their transversally isotropic properties. The problem is reduced to a rigorous analytic solution of inhomogeneous boundary value problems. The efficiency of the approximation technique developed here and its practical convergence are examined in a centrally symmetric problem for an orthotropic sphere which permits an exact analytic solution. Institute of Mechanics, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Kiev. Translated from Teoreticheskaya i Prikladnaya Mekhanika, No. 29, pp. 17–24, 1999.     

Application of the Haar wavelet-based discretization technique to problems of orthotropic plates and shells

The Haar wavelet discretization technique for solving the elastic bending problems of orthotropic plates and shells is proposed. Free transverse vibrations of orthotropic rectangular plates with a variable thickness in one direction are considered as a model problem. In the case of constant plate thickness, the numerical results are validated by comparing them with an exact solution. The results obtained are found to be in good agreement with those available in the literature.     

Deformation of composites with arbitrarily oriented orthotropic fibers under matrix microdamages

In the present work, a model of nonlinear deformation of stochastic composites under microdamaging is developed for the case of a composite with orthotropic inclusions, when microdefects are accumulated in the matrix. The composite is treated as an isotropic matrix strengthened by triaxial arbitrarily oriented ellipsoidal inclusions with orthotropic symmetry of the elastic properties. It is assumed that the process of loading leads to accumulation of damage in the matrix. Fractured microvolumes are modeled by a system of randomly distributed quasispherical pores. The porosity balance equation and relations for determining the effective elastic modules in the case of orthotropic components are taken as basic relations. The fracture criterion is specified as the limiting value of the intensity of average shear stresses acting in the intact part of the material. On the basis of the analytic and numerical approach, we propose an algorithm for the determination of nonlinear deformation properties of the investigated material. The nonlinearity of composite deformations is caused by the finiteness of deformations. By using the numerical solution, the nonlinear stress–strain diagrams are predicted and discussed for an orthotropic composite material for various cases of orientation of inclusions in the matrix.     

A variant of the theory of thick multilayer cylindrical shells

Equations are derived which describe the stress field in thick orthotropic cylindrical shells of a material whose mechanical properties vary across the thickness. An iterative computation procedure is set up which takes into account transverse strains and where the initial approximation corresponds to the hypothesis of straight normals. The convergence of this method is estimated for the case of a thick orthotropic cylinder under axisymmetric strain, and the results are compared with the exact solution.     

Stability estimates in identification problems for the convection-diffusion-reaction equation

Identification problems for the stationary convection-diffusion-reaction equation in a bounded domain with a Dirichlet condition imposed on the boundary of the domain are studied. By applying an optimization method, these problems are reduced to inverse extremum problems in which the variable diffusivity and the volume density of substance sources are used as control functions. Their solvability is proved for an arbitrary weakly lower semicontinuous cost functional and particular cost functionals. An analysis of the optimality system is used to establish sufficient conditions on the input data under which the solutions of particular extremum problems are unique and stable with respect to small perturbations in the cost functional and in one of the functions involved in the boundary value problem.     

Application of the method of conditional moments to investigating the deformation properties of orthotropic composites with fiber microdamages

A model of deformation of stochastic composites subjected to microdamage is developed for the case of orthotropic materials with microdamages accumulating in the fibers. The composite is treated as a matrix strengthened with elliptic fibers with orthotropic elastic properties. The fractured microvolumes are modeled by a system of randomly distributed quasi-spherical pores. The porosity balance equation and relations for determining the effective elastic moduli for the case of a fibrous composite with orthotropic components are used as the fundamental relations. The fracture criterion is given as a limit value of the intensity of average shear stresses occurring in the undamaged part of the material, which is assumed to be a random function of coordinates and is described by the Weibull distribution. Based on an analytical and numerical approach, the algorithm for determining the nonlinear deformation properties of such a material is constructed. The nonlinearity of composite deformations is caused by the accumulation of microdamages in the fibers. By using a numerical solution, the nonlinear stress–strain diagrams for an orthotropic composite in uniaxial tension are obtained. Translated from Mekhanika Kompozitnykh Materialov, Vol. 45, No. 1, pp. 17–30, January–February, 2009.     

Regularization of optimal design problems for bars and plates,part 1

In this paper, we consider a number of optimal design problems for elastic bars and plates. The material characteristics of rigidity of an elastic nonhomogeneous medium are taken as the control variables. A linear functional of the solutions to the equilibrium boundary-value problem is minimized under additional restrictions upon the control variables.Special variations of the control within a narrow strip provide a necessary condition for a strong local minimum (Weierstrass test). This necessary condition can be used for the detailed analysis of the following problems: bar of extremal torsional rigidity; optimal distribution of isotropic material with variable shear modulus within a plate; and optimal orientation of principal axes of elasticity in an orthotropic plate. For all of these cases, the stationary solutions violate the Weierstrass test and therefore are not optimal. This is because, in the course of the approximation of the optimal solution, the curve dividing zones occupied by materials with different rigidities displays rapid oscillations sweeping over a two-dimensional region. Within this region, the material behaves as a composite medium assembled of materials of the initial class.     

A decomposition approach for global optimum search in QP,NLP and MINLP problems

Nonconvex programming problems are frequently encountered in engineering and operations research. A large variety of global optimization algorithms have been proposed for the various classes of programming problems. A new approach for global optimum search is presented in this paper which involves a decomposition of the variable set into two sets —complicating and noncomplicating variables. This results in a decomposition of the constraint set leading to two subproblems. The decomposition of the original problem induces special structure in the resulting subproblems and a series of these subproblems are then solved, using the Generalized Benders' Decomposition technique, to determine the optimal solution. The key idea is to combine a judicious selection of the complicating variables with suitable transformations leading to subproblems which can attain their respective global solutions at each iteration. Mathematical properties of the proposed approach are presented. Even though the proposed approach cannot guarantee the determination of the global optimum, computational experience on a number of nonconvex QP, NLP and MINLP example problems indicates that a global optimum solution can be obtained from various starting points.     

Deformation of orthotropic composites with unidirectional ellipsoidal inclusions under matrix microdamages

In the present paper, a model of deformation of stochastic composites under microdamaging is developed for the case of orthotropic composite, when the microdamages are accumulated in the matrix. The composite is treated as an isotropic matrix strengthened by three-axial ellipsoidal inclusions with orthotropic symmetry of elastic properties. It is assumed that the loading process leads to accumulation of damages in the matrix. Fractured microvolumes are modeled by a system of randomly distributed quasispherical pores. The porosity balance equation and relations for determining the effective elastic moduli for the case of a composite with orthotropic components are taken as the basic relations. The fracture criterion is assumed to be given as the limit value of the intensity of average shear stresses occurring in the undamaged part of the material. Based on the analytical and numerical approach, an algorithm for the determination of nonlinear deformation properties of such a material is constructed. The nonlinearity of composite deformations is caused by the accumulation of microdamages in the matrix. Using the numerical solution, nonlinear stress-strain diagrams for the orthotropic composite in the case of biaxial extension are obtained. Published in Matematychni Metody ta Fizyko-Mekhanichni Polya, Vol. 51, No. 1, pp. 121–130, January–March, 2008.     

Local and integral properties of a search algorithm of the stochastic approximation type

An optimum random-search algorithm is considered. The convergence conditions to the greatest increase (local properties) and convergence to the point of extremum (integral properties) of a function by optimizing in the presence of noise, are found. The results are used for finding a global extremum of a multiextremal function.     

The optimum shape of a bending beam

The problem of minimizing the static deflection of an elastic beam of variable cross-section and fixed volume in the case of free supported and rigidly clamped ends is considered. In the first case it is proved that the solutions obtained earlier, based on the necessary conditions for an extremum, satisfy the sufficient conditions. In the case of clamped ends, which is of the most interest from the point of view of applications, it is proved that the optimum solutions must necessarily have points inside the solution range in which the distribution of the beam thicknesses degenerates to zero (“internal hinges”). A qualitative, analytical and numerical analysis of this phenomenon is given. In particular, in the case of clamped ends for a class of point loads, analytical solutions for which the beam splits into two cantilevers are obtained.     

正交各向异性功能梯度层合板稳态热传导问题的精确解

对轴对称正交各向异性功能梯度层合圆板稳态热传导问题进行精确分析.假设材料热传导率沿板厚方向按指数函数形式梯度分布,从正交各向异性功能梯度圆板稳态热传导的基本方程出发,利用分离变量法,获得了在上、下表面作用任意热分布情况下的精确解.通过数值算例的分析,指出材料性质的梯度变化、板厚边界条件等分析了对温度场分布的影响.所获得的精确结果,可以作为评价其它近似方法的标准解答.     

Determination of the Steady-State Response of Viscoelastically Point-Supported Rectangular Orthotropic Plates

In the present study, the steady-state response to a sinusoidally varying concentrated force acting at the center of a rectangular point-supported orthotropic elastic plate is analyzed. The equation of the plate is represented by finite-difference expressions. By using the ordinary finite-difference technique, the problem is reduced to the solution of a system of algebraic equations. The influence of mechanical properties of the plate material on the vibration modes and the steady-state response of the plate is investigated numerically. Also, the effect of location of the point supports is studied. The problems considered are solved within the framework of the Kirchhoff-Love hypothesis.     

均布载荷下正交异性变厚度圆薄板大挠度问题

本文导出了正交各向异性变厚度圆薄板大挠度问题的基本方程,用修正迭代法求解了正交各向异性变厚度圆薄板在均布载荷下的大挠度问题.作为特例,令ε=0,则由本文结果得到的表达式与J.Nowinski用摄动法得到的正交各向异性等厚度圆薄板大挠度问题的解完全一致.     

Study of Three-Dimensional Boundary Value Problems of Fluid Filtration in an Anisotropic Porous Medium

Three-dimensional boundary value problems (the first and second boundary value problems and the conjugation problem) of stationary filtration of fluids in anisotropic (orthotropic) and inhomogeneous porous media are posed and studied. A medium is characterized by a symmetric permeability tensor whose components generally depend on the coordinates of points of the space. A nonsingular affine transformation of coordinates is used and the problems are stated in canonical form, which dramatically simplifies their study. In the case of orthotropic and piecewise orthotropic homogeneous medium, the solution of the problem with canonical boundaries (plane and ellipsoid surfaces) can be obtained in finite form. In the general case, where the orthotropic medium is inhomogeneous and the boundary surfaces are arbitrary and smooth, the problem can be reduced to singular and hypersingular integral equations. The problems are topical, for example, in the practice of fluid (water, oil) recovery from natural anisotropic and inhomogeneous soil strata.     

Thermoelasticity problems in the mechanics of composite materials with large-scale deformation of the filler

A problem is posed and a method of solution developed for a class of thermoelasticity problems in the mechanics of composite materials with large-scale structural deformations, in which in the continuum approximation the composite material is modelled by a homogeneous orthotropic body with curvilinear orthotropy. As an application the authors establish the foundations of a theory of buckling for planar structural elements subjected to constant thermal fields.Translated from Matematicheskie Metody i Fiziko-Mekhanicheskie Polya, No. 29, pp. 16–25, 1989.     

Problem of optimal control by the natural frequency of oscillations of an orthotropic shell of revolution and its finite-dimensional approximation

The questions of optimization in problems of oscillations in orthotropic shells of revolution of variable thickness are studied for the case when the thickness and radius of curvature of the shell generatrix are used as the controls. Restrictions are imposed on the principal oscillation eigenfrequency, thickness, internal volume and other parameters. It is shown that a solution of the problem exists and, that the problem can be approximated by a sequence of the finite-dimensional problems. Certain questions of the optimal control in the problem concerning the oscillations of plates of variable thickness with the thickness serving as the control, were studied in /1–4/.     

Dynamic response of fiber-reinforced composite plates

The dynamic stability of orthotropic thick plates subjected to a periodic uniaxial stress and a bending stress is investigated. Both the rotary inertia and the transverse stress are considered in the investigation. The governing equations of motion of Mathieu type are established by applying the Galerkin method with reduced eigenfunction transforms. Based on Bolotin’s method, the dynamic instability regions of graphite- and glass-fiber-reinforced plates are evaluated by solving eigenvalue problems. A dynamic instability index is defined and used as an instability measure to study the influence of various parameters. The effects of material properties and load parameters on the instability region and on the index of dynamic instability of orthotropic plates are discussed.     

Damageability of a material reinforced with unidirectional orthotropic fibers for an exponential function of long-term microstrength

The theory of long-term damageability of a homogeneous material is generalized to the case of an orthotropic fibrous composite material with a stochastic structure. Equations of mechanics of microinhomogeneous media of this structure form the base of the theory. The process of damage of components of a composite is modeled by the formation of stochastically located micropores. The criterion of fracture of a unit microvolume is characterized by its long-term strength determined by the dependence of the time of brittle fracture on the degree of closeness of the equivalent stress to its limit value, which characterizes the short-term strength on the basis of the Huber–von Mises criterion accepted as an arbitrary function of coordinates. Efficient deformation properties and the stress-strain state of an orthotropic fibrous composite with microdamages in components are determined on the base of stochastic equations of elasticity of orthotropic media. For given macrostresses and macrostrains and an arbitrary moment of time, balance equations of damage (porosity) of components are formulated. On the basis of the iteration method, we construct algorithms for calculating dependences of microdamage of components of an orthotropic fibrous material on time and dependences of macrostresses or macrostrains on time and obtain the corresponding curves for the case of a bounded function of the long-term microstrength, which is approximated by an exponential law.