Deformation of porous Cosserat elastic bars

This paper is concerned with the linear theory of porous Cosserat elastic solids. We study the equilibrium of a cylindrical bar which is subjected to resultant forces and resultant moments on the ends, to body loads and to surface tractions on the lateral surface. The Almansi problem, where the body loads and the surface loading on the lateral surface are polynomials in the axial coordinate, is considered. The bar is made of an inhomogeneous and isotropic material whose constitutive coefficients are independent of the axial coordinate. The problem is reduced to the study of two-dimensional problems. The results are used to study two practical applications concerning the deformation of a circular rod. It is shown that a uniform pressure on the lateral surface produces an extension, a uniform change of the porosity, and a plane deformation. The bending by terminal couples produces a non-uniform variation of the porosity and a microrotation of the material particles.     

A Theory of Chiral Cosserat Elastic Plates

The mechanical behaviour of chiral materials is of interest for the investigation of carbon nanotubes, honeycomb structures, auxetic materials and bones. This paper is concerned with a theory of chiral Cosserat elastic plates. In this theory, in contrast with the case of achiral plates, the stretching and flexure cannot be treated independently of each other. First, we derive the basic equations which characterize the deformation of chiral plates. Then we establish a uniqueness result in the dynamical theory. In the equilibrium theory we establish conditions under which the Neumann problem admits solutions. Finally, the deformation of an infinite plate with a circular hole is studied. It is shown that, in contrast with the theory of Cosserat achiral plates a uniform pressure acting on the boundary of the hole produces a microrotation of the material particles.     

Torsion of chiral Cosserat elastic rods

This paper is concerned with the torsion of isotropic chiral Cosserat elastic cylinders. First, the generalized plane strain problem is defined and an existence result is presented. Then, the three-dimensional problem is reduced to the study of some generalized plane strain problems. In general, the torsion of the cylinder is accompanied by bending and extension. The method is applied to study the torsion of a circular cylinder.     

Paradoxical Bending Behavior of Shearable Nonlinearly Elastic Rods

In nonlinear elasticity the exact geometry of deformation is combined with general constitutive relations. This allows a very sophisticated interaction of deformations in different material directions. Based on the Cosserat theory for planar deformations of nonlinearly elastic rods we demonstrate some paradoxical bending effects caused by a nontrivial interaction of extension, flexure, and shear. The analytical results are illustrated by numerical examples.     

On the theory of loaded general cylindrical Cosserat elastic shells

We study the equilibrium of cylindrical Cosserat elastic shells under the action of body loads and tractions and couples distributed along its edges. The shells have arbitrary open or closed cross-sections and are made from an isotropic and homogeneous material. On the end edges, the appropriate resultant forces and resultant moments are prescribed. We consider the problem of Almansi for cylindrical Cosserat shells and obtain a solution expressed in the form of the displacement field.     

A Second-Order Solution of Saint-Venant's Problem for an Elastic Pretwisted Bar Using Signorini's Perturbation Method

We use Signorini's expansion to analyse deformations of a straight, prismatic, isotropic, stress free, homogeneous body made of a second-order elastic material and loaded as follows. It is first twisted by an infinitesimal amount and then loaded by applying surface tractions, with nonzero resultant forces and/or moments, only at its end faces. The centroid of one end face is taken to be rigidly clamped. By using a semi-inverse method, the problem is reduced to that of solving two plane elliptic problems involving six arbitrary constants that characterize flexure, bending, extension, and torsion superimposed upon the infinitesimal twist. It is shown that the Clebsch hypothesis is not valid for this problem. A second-order Poisson's effect, not of the Saint-Venant type, and generalized Poynting effects may also occur in these problems. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

On the role of symmetry in Saint-Venant’s problem

In the relaxed Saint-Venant’s elastic problem, in virtue of Saint-Venant’s Postulate, the pointwise assignments of tractions at cylinder plane ends are replaced by the assignments of the corresponding resultant forces and moments. The solution indeterminacy so introduced is traditionally overcome by postulating that some specific features characterize the elastic state. In this work a relaxed incremental equilibrium problem is posed for a heterogenous anisotropic cylinder, whose tangent elasticity tensor field possesses the usual major and minor symmetries, is positive definite, independent from the axial coordinate and endowed with a plane of elastic symmetry orthogonal to the cylinder axis. Symmetry has been consistently employed to formulate the basic problems of extension, bending, torsion and flexure as symmetric and antisymmetric problems respectively. It is shown that Saint-Venant’s postulate, momentum balance and symmetry are sufficient, without resorting to any a priori assumption, to determine the general form of the displacement field and to remove the solution indeterminacy.     

Stability and second-order non-linear analysis of 2D multi-column systems with semirigid connections: Effects of initial imperfections

An analytical method and closed-form equations that evaluate the elastic stability and second-order response of 2D multi-column systems with initial geometric imperfections (i.e., columns with initial curvature or out-of-straightness and out-of-plumbness in the plane of bending) and semirigid connections subjected to eccentric axial loads and to a lateral load at the top floor level are derived in a classical manner. The proposed method is based on the Euler–Bernoulli theory and limited to 2D multi-column systems with sidesway uninhibited or partially inhibited subjected to gravity loads. The combined effects of initial imperfections and semirigid connections in the plane of bending are condensed into the proposed equations, which can also be used to evaluate the induced elastic bending moments and second-order deflections along each column member of a multi-column system as the lateral and axial loads are applied. The effects of torsion, shear and axial deformations along each column and out-of-plane deformations are not included. Three examples are presented in detail that demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method and the corresponding closed form equations showing the importance of initial imperfections, semirigid connections and lateral bracing on the stability and second-order behavior of multi-column systems.     

Semi-inverse solution for Saint-Venant's problem in the theory of porous elastic materials

The purpose of this research is to study the Saint-Venant's problem for right cylinders with general cross-section made of inhomogeneous anisotropic elastic materials with voids. We reformulate the quasi-static equilibrium equations with the axial variable playing the role of a parameter. Two classes of semi-inverse solutions to Saint-Venant's problem are described in terms of five generalized plane strain problems. These classes are used in order to obtain a semi-inverse solution for the relaxed Saint-Venant's problem. An application of this results in the study of extension, bending, torsion and flexure of right circular cylinders in the case of isotropic materials is presented.     

Planar isotropic structures with negative Poisson’s ratio

A new design principle is suggested for constructing auxetic structures – the structures that exhibit negative Poisson’s ratio (NPR) at macroscopic level. We propose 2D assemblies of identical units made of a flexible frame with a sufficiently rigid reinforcing core at the centre. The core increases the frame resistance to the tangential movement thus ensuring high shear stiffness, whereas the normal stiffness is low being controlled by the local bending response of the frame. The structures considered have hexagonal symmetry, which delivers macroscopically isotropic elastic properties in the plane perpendicular to the axis of the symmetry. We determine the macroscopic Poisson’s ratio as a ratio of corresponding relative displacements computed using the direct microstructural approach. It is demonstrated that the proposed design can produce a macroscopically isotropic system with NPR close to the lower bound of ?1. We also developed a 2D elastic Cosserat continuum model, which represents the microstructure as a regular assembly of rigid particles connected by elastic springs. The comparison of values of NPRs computed using both structural models and the continuum approach shows that the continuum model gives a healthy balance between the simplicity and accuracy and can be used as a simple tool for design of auxetics.     

Minimum Energy Characterizations for the Solution of Saint-Venant's Problem in the Theory of Shells

The linear theory of Cosserat surfaces is employed to study Saint-Venant's problem for cylindrical shells of arbitrary cross-section. We prove minimum energy characterizations for the solution of the relaxed Saint-Venant's problem previously obtained. Then, we determine the global measures of strain appropriate to extension, bending, torsion and flexure for certain classes of solutions to the relaxed problem. Mathematics Subject Classifications (2000) 74K25, 74G05.     

On the torsion of chiral bars in gradient elasticity

This paper contains a study of the problem of torsion of chiral bars with arbitrary cross-sections in the context of the linear theory of gradient elasticity. The solution is expressed in terms of solutions of four auxiliary plane problems characterized by loads which depend only on the constitutive coefficients. It is shown that, in general, the torsion produces extension (or contraction) and bending effects. The results are used to investigate the torsion of a homogeneous circular bar. In contrast with the case of achiral circular cylinders, the torsion and extension cannot be treated independently of each other.     

On the theory of elastic shells made from a material with voids

In this paper we present a theory for porous elastic shells using the model of Cosserat surfaces. We employ the Nunziato–Cowin theory of elastic materials with voids and introduce two scalar fields to describe the porosity of the shell: one field characterizes the volume fraction variations along the middle surface, while the other accounts for the changes in volume fraction along the shell thickness. Starting from the basic principles, we first deduce the equations of the nonlinear theory of Cosserat shells with voids. Then, in the context of the linear theory, we prove the uniqueness of solution for the boundary initial value problem. In the case of an isotropic and homogeneous material, we determine the constitutive coefficients for Cosserat shells, by comparison with the results derived from the three-dimensional theory of elastic media with voids. To this aim, we solve two elastostatic problems concerning rectangular plates with voids: the pure bending problem and the extensional deformation under hydrostatic pressure.     

On the Deformation of Functionally Graded Porous Elastic Cylinders

This paper is concerned with the linear theory of inhomogeneous and orthotropic elastic materials with voids. We study the problem of extension and bending of right cylinders when the constitutive coefficients are independent of the axial coordinate. First, the plane strain problem for inhomogeneous and orthotropic elastic materials with voids is investigated. Then, the solution of the problem of extension and bending is expressed in terms of solutions of three plane strain problems. The results are used to study the extension of a circular cylinder with a special kind of inhomogeneity. The influence of the material inhomogeneity on the axial strain is established.      

关于弹性梁的数学模型

叙述和比较一维弹性体的两种不同建模方法, 即弹性梁的传统建模方法和基于 Kirchhoff-Cosserat模型的建模方法. 应用精确Cosserat模型分析梁的三维运动. 考虑中 心线的拉伸压缩变形、截面的剪切变形、截面转动的惯性和端部载荷影响等因素, 建立精确 的弹性梁动力学方程. 讨论梁的静态和动态平衡稳定性. Kirchhoff杆、铁摩辛柯 梁和欧拉--伯努利梁等为Cosserat模型在各种简化条件下的特例.     

Global properties of buckled states of plates that can suffer thickness changes

This paper treats the axisymmetric buckling of nonlinearly elastic Cosserat plates, which can suffer thickness changes, as well as flexure, midplane extension, and shear. The governing equations are accordingly quite complicated. Nevertheless, it is shown that all solutions, bifurcating or not, have a simple, detailed nodal structure that distinguishes branches globally.This paper is dedicated to Bernard Coleman on the occasion of his sixtieth birthday     

The cantilever beam under tension,bending or flexure at infinity

A novel technique, the method of projection, is applied to the plane strain problems of determining the tractions, and stress intensity factors, at the fixed end of a cantilever beam under tension, bending or flexure at infinity. The method represents a useful alternative to the integral equation method of Erdogan, Gupta and Cook, and possesses certain advantages; in particular it is much easier to extend the present method to the more difficult dynamics case. An unusual feature of the method is that the required tractions are expanded as a series whose terms have the natural role of displacements rather than stresses.     

Micromechanical analysis of friction anisotropy in rough elastic contacts

Computational contact homogenization approach is applied to study friction anisotropy resulting from asperity interaction in elastic contacts. Contact of rough surfaces with anisotropic roughness is considered with asperity contact at the micro scale being governed by the isotropic Coulomb friction model. Application of a micro-to-macro scale transition scheme yields a macroscopic friction model with orientation- and pressure-dependent macroscopic friction coefficient. The macroscopic slip rule is found to exhibit a weak non-associativity in the tangential plane, although the slip rule at the microscale is associated in the tangential plane. Counterintuitive effects are observed for compressible materials, in particular, for auxetic materials.