Several results in the dynamic theory of thermoelastic Cosserat shells with voids

In this paper we investigate the boundary-initial-value problem of the dynamic linear theory for thermoelastic Cosserat shells with voids. We prove a reciprocity relation and derive a uniqueness theorem. Then, we study the continuous dependence of the solution on external body loads and heat supply and on initial data. A variational characterization of the solution is also established.     

A numerical model for the nonlinear interaction of elastic waves with cracks

Microstructures such as cracks and microfractures play a significant role in the nonlinear interactions of elastic waves, but the precise mechanism of why and how this works is less clear. Here we simulate wave propagation to understand these mechanisms, complementing existing theoretical and experimental works.We implement two models, one of homogeneous nonlinear elasticity and one of perturbations to cracks, and then use these models to improve our understanding of the relative importance of cracks and intrinsic nonlinearity. We find, by modeling the perturbations in the speed of a low-amplitude P-wave caused by the propagation of a large-amplitude S-wave that the nonlinear interactions of P- and S-waves with cracks are significant when the particle motion is aligned with the normal to the crack face, resulting in a larger magnitude crack dilation. This improves our understanding of the relationship between microstructure orientations and nonlinear wave interactions to allow for better characterization of fractures for analyzing processes including earthquake response, reservoir properties, and non-destructive testing.     

Exact solution of the problem for dynamic field of displacements in rods of variable length

Initial boundary value problems are considered for rods that change length over time. These problems are transformed to problems about rods with mobile ends. A special method which allows one to obtain exact solutions of such problems is developed. This method is a generalization of a method of reflections for rods and strings of constant length. As an application of this class of problems, the hoisting of ropes in mining lifts, including their problems, are considered. Exact expressions for displacements in rods of variable length are obtained. The same results can be applied to cross oscillations of strings of variable length.     

Determination of hourglass coefficients in the theory of a Cosserat point for nonlinear elastic beams

The theory of a Cosserat point has recently been used [Int. J. Solids Struct. 38 (2001) 4395] to formulate the numerical solution of problems of nonlinear elastic beams. In that theory the constitutive equations for inhomogeneous elastic deformations included undetermined constants associated with hourglass modes which can occur due to nonuniform cross-sectional extension and nonuniform torsion. The objective of this paper is to determine these hourglass coefficients by matching exact solutions of pure bending and pure torsion applied in different directions on each of the surfaces of the element. It is shown that the resulting constitutive equations in the Cosserat theory do not exhibit unphysical stiffness increases due to thinness of the beam, mesh refinement or incompressibility that are present in the associated Bubnov–Galerkin formulation. Also, example problems of a bar hanging under its own weight and a bar attached to a spinning rigid hub are analyzed.     

On numerical solution of dynamic problems in the theory of reinforced shells

Dynamic problems for cylindrical shells reinforced with discrete ribs are examined. A numerical algorithm based on Richardson extrapolation is developed. Specific problems are solved, and the results are analyzed __________ Translated from Prikladnaya Mekhanika, Vol. 42, No. 5, pp. 50–56, May 2006.     

Matched asymptotic expansions for twisted elastic knots: A self-contact problem with non-trivial contact topology

We derive solutions of the Kirchhoff equations for a knot tied on an infinitely long elastic rod subjected to combined tension and twist, and held at both endpoints at infinity. We consider the case of simple (trefoil) and double (cinquefoil) knots; other knot topologies can be investigated similarly. The rod model is based on Hookean elasticity but is geometrically nonlinear. The problem is formulated as a nonlinear self-contact problem with unknown contact regions. It is solved by means of matched asymptotic expansions in the limit of a loose knot. We obtain a family of equilibrium solutions depending on a single loading parameter (proportional to applied twisting moment divided by square root of pulling force), which are asymptotically valid in the limit of a loose knot, ε→0. Without any a priori assumption, we derive the topology of the contact set, which consists of an interval of contact flanked by two isolated points of contacts. We study the influence of the applied twist on the equilibrium.     

Fluid flow of incompressible viscous fluid through a non-linear elastic tube

The study of viscous flow in tubes with deformable walls is of specific interest in industry and biomedical technology and in understanding various phenomena in medicine and biology (atherosclerosis, artery replacement by a graft, etc) as well. The present work describes numerically the behavior of a viscous incompressible fluid through a tube with a non-linear elastic membrane insertion. The membrane insertion in the solid tube is composed by non-linear elastic material, following Fung’s (Biomechanics: mechanical properties of living tissue, 2nd edn. Springer, New York, 1993) type strain–energy density function. The fluid is described through a Navier–Stokes code coupled with a system of non linear equations, governing the interaction with the membrane deformation. The objective of this work is the study of the deformation of a non-linear elastic membrane insertion interacting with the fluid flow. The case of the linear elastic material of the membrane is also considered. These two cases are compared and the results are evaluated. The advantages of considering membrane nonlinear elastic material are well established. Finally, the case of an axisymmetric elastic tube with variable stiffness along the tube and membrane sections is studied, trying to substitute the solid tube with a membrane of high stiffness, exhibiting more realistic response.     

Analysis of the wave solution of the elastokinetic equations of a Cosserat continuum for the case of bulk plane waves

A study is made of waves in a Cosserat continuum, whose strain state is characterized by independent displacement and rotation vectors. The propagation of longitudinal and transverse bulk waves is considered. Wave solutions are sought in the form of wave trains specified by a Fourier spectrum of arbitrary shape. It is shown that if the solution is sought in the form of three components of the displacement vector and three components of the rotation vector which depend on time and the longitudinal coordinate, the initial system is split into two systems, one of which describes longitudinal waves, and the other transverse waves. For waves of both types, dispersion relations and analytical solutions in displacement are obtained. The dispersion characteristics of the solutions obtained differ from the dispersion characteristics of the corresponding classical elastic solutions. __________ Translated from Prikladnaya Mekhanika i Tekhnicheskaya Fizika, Vol. 49, No. 2, pp. 196–203, March–April, 2008.     

An adaptive dynamic relaxation method for quasi-static simulations using the peridynamic theory

The peridynamic theory is advantageous for problems involving damage since the peridynamic equation of motion is valid everywhere, regardless of existing discontinuities, and an external criterion is not necessary for predicting damage initiation and propagation. However, the current solution methods for the equations of peridynamics utilize explicit time integration, which poses difficulties in simulations of most experiments under quasi-static conditions. Thus, there is a need to obtain steady-state solutions in order to validate peridynamic predictions against experimental measurements. This study presents an extension of dynamic relaxation methods for obtaining steady-state solutions of nonlinear peridynamic equations.     

Analysis of blank thickening in deep drawing processes using the theory of a Cosserat generalized membrane

This paper analyzes a transient, nonlinear deep drawing process where a circular blank of a rigid-plastic material is forced by a rigid circular punch to deform into a cylindrical cup. Attention is focused on the plastic flow beneath the blank-holder. Using the Cosserat theory of a generalized membrane it is possible to obtain analytical solutions which examine the following two major effects: (a) the importance of added “rim pressure” acting on the outer edge of the blank; and (b) the importance of a controlled moveable blank-holder to allow blank thickening during the drawing process. Guided by these analytical results, a new deep drawing machine was built to exploit these effects and increase the limit drawing ratio (LDR) of the drawing process. Specifically, the LDR (in one stroke) reached the value of 3.16 compared with the value of about 2.0 in the conventional process. Moreover, the analytical prediction of the punch force versus the punch stroke is in good agreement with the experimental data and with simulations using the computer code DYTRAN.     

The numerical solution for problems of turning point without resonance

In this paper the uniform convergence of Il in scheme to the turning point problems without resonance is provedby means of Kellogg’s method The given estimation is shown to be optimal.     

Solution of the elastic boundary value problems for a layer with tunnel stress raisers

A novel procedure for solving three-dimensional problems for elastic layer weakened by through-thickness tunnel cracks has been developed and is presented in this paper. This procedure reduces the given boundary value problem to an infinite system of one-dimensional singular integral equations and is based on a system of homogeneous solutions for a layer. Integral representations of single- and double-layer potentials are used for metaharmonic and harmonic functions entering in the singular integral equations. These representations provide a continuous extendibility of the stress vector while allowing a jump in the displacement vector in the transition through the cut.Expanding the potential and biharmonic solutions in the Fourier series over the thickness coordinate yields the integral representations of the displacement vector and stress tensor. The problem of reducing a denumerable set of the integral equations of the given boundary value problem to one-to-one correspondence with the set of unknown densities appearing in the Fourier’s coefficient representations has been settled efficiently. Numerical investigations show a rapid convergence of the proposed reduction procedure as applied to the solution of the infinite system of one-dimensional integral equations. Numerical examples illustrate the proposed method and demonstrate its advantages.     

Transient analysis of Cosserat rod with inextensibility and unshearability constraints using the least-squares finite element model

In this study, time-dependent fully discretized least-squares finite element model is developed for the transient response of Cosserat rod having inextensibility and unshearability constraints to simulate a surgical thread in space. Starting from the kinematics of the rod for large deformation, the linear and angular momentum equations along with constraint conditions for the sake of completeness are derived. Then, the α-family of time derivarive approximation is used to reduce the governing equations of motion to obtain a semi-discretized system of equations, which are then fully discretized using the least-squares approach to obtain the non-linear finite element equations. Newton׳s method is utilized to solve the non-linear finite element equations. Dynamic response due to impulse force and time-dependent follower force at the free end of the rod is presented as numerical examples.     

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 new 3-D finite element for nonlinear elasticity using the theory of a Cosserat point

The theory of a Cosserat point has been used to formulate a new 3-D finite element for the numerical analysis of dynamic problems in nonlinear elasticity. The kinematics of this element are consistent with the standard tri-linear approximation in an eight node brick-element. Specifically, the Cosserat point is characterized by eight director vectors which are determined by balance laws and constitutive equations. For hyperelastic response, the constitutive equations for the director couples are determined by derivatives of a strain energy function. Restrictions are imposed on the strain energy function which ensure that the element satisfies a nonlinear version of the patch test. It is shown that the Cosserat balance laws are in one-to-one correspondence with those obtained using a Bubnov–Galerkin formulation. Nevertheless, there is an essential difference between the two approaches in the procedure for obtaining the strain energy function. Specifically, the Cosserat approach determines the constitutive coefficients for inhomogeneous deformations by comparison with exact solutions or experimental data. In contrast, the Bubnov–Galerkin approach determines these constitutive coefficients by integrating the 3-D strain energy function using the kinematic approximation. It is shown that the resulting Cosserat equations eliminate unphysical locking, and hourglassing in large compression without the need for using assumed enhanced strains or special weighting functions.