Variational Phase Field Modeling of Laminate Deformation Microstructure in Finite Gradient Crystal Plasticity

The macroscopic mechanical behavior of many materials crucially depends on the formation and evolution of their microstructure. In this work, we consider the formation and evolution of laminate deformation microstructure in plasticity. Inspired by work on the variational modeling of phase transformation [5] and building on related work on multislip gradient crystal plasticity [9], we present a new finite strain model for the formation and evolution of laminate deformation microstructure in double slip gradient crystal plasticity. Basic ingredients of our model are a nonconvex hardening potential and two gradient terms accounting for geometrically necessary dislocations (GNDs) by use of the dislocation density tensor and regularizing the sharp interfaces between different kinematically coherent plastic slip states. The plastic evolution is described by means of a nonsmooth dissipation potential for which we propose a new regularization. We formulate a continuous gradient-extended rate-variational framework and discretize it in time to obtain an incremental-variational formulation. Discretization in space yields a finite element formulation which is used to demonstrate the capability of our model to predict the formation and evolution of laminate deformation microstructure in f.c.c. Copper with two active slip systems in the same slip plane. (© 2012 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Effect of cross-velocity on the stability of superposed fluids

In the present paper we discuss the stability of the interface between two layers of incompressible and inviscid fluids of different but constant densities, streaming in different directions. The velocities in the different directions of the two fluid layers give rise to the concept of cross-velocity. We show that it destabilizes the interface while ifρ and U are continuous functions then it has stabilizing effect.     

Origin of laser damage in transparent dielectrics of the plexiglas type

A gasification mechanism is proposed. This mechanism is based on multiphoton photodegradation of the polymer molecules and the resulting formation of free radicals which trigger a chain reaction and the subsequent formation of gas molecules. The kinetics of this process, in which an important part is played by the microstructure of the material, are examined.Institute of Problems of Mechanics, Academy of Sciences of the USSR, Moscow. Translated from Mekhanika Polimerov, No. 2, pp. 232–238, March–April, 1973.     

The sdfem on Shishkin meshes for linear convection-diffusion problems

Summary. We consider singularly perturbed linear elliptic problems in two dimensions. The solutions of such problems typically exhibit layers and are difficult to solve numerically. The streamline diffusion finite element method (SDFEM) has been proved to produce accurate solutions away from any layers on uniform meshes, but fails to compute the boundary layers precisely. Our modified SDFEM is implemented with piecewise linear functions on a Shishkin mesh that resolves boundary layers, and we prove that it yields an accurate approximation of the solution both inside and outside these layers. The analysis is complicated by the severe nonuniformity of the mesh. We give local error estimates that hold true uniformly in the perturbation parameter , provided only that , where mesh points are used. Numerical experiments support these theoretical results. Received February 19, 1999 / Revised version received January 27, 2000 / Published online August 2, 2000     

Convergence analysis of an hp finite element method for singularly perturbed transmission problems in smooth domains

We consider a two‐dimensional singularly perturbed transmission problem with two different diffusion coefficients, in a domain with smooth (analytic) boundary. The solution will contain boundary layers only in the part of the domain where the diffusion coefficient is high and interface layers along the interface. Utilizing existing and newly derived regularity results for the exact solution, we prove the robustness of an hp finite element method for its approximation. Under the assumption of analytic input data, we show that the method converges at an “exponential” rate, provided the mesh and polynomial degree distribution are chosen appropriately. Numerical results illustrating our theoretical findings are also included. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Numer Methods Partial Differential Eq, 2013     

Amorphisation and Growth Mechanisms of Carbon Films under Ion Beam Irradiation

Amorphisation mechanisms during Physical Vapour Deposition of diamond-like carbon films are presented and illustrate the role of ion bombardment on the microstructure and disorder of the deposited films. It is shown that, at low energy, densification of the carbon film is produced by an ion pinning effect, leading to cross-bonding between graphitic planes present in the layers. Increase of the sp³ concentration is observed as ion energy is increased until an optimum value at which irradiation induced defect migration leads to graphitisation of the layers. The effect of amorphisation–recystallisation depends strongly on the ion mass, ion energy and ion flux per deposited atom. A simple model of the ion beam assisted deposition mechanism is proposed and is in good qualitative agreement with experimental results.     

Deformation of bilayer lipid membranes in bio-inspired materials and systems

Planar bilayer lipid membranes (BLMs) are currently employed to construct many bio-inspired material systems and structures. In order to characterize the pressure effects on the equilibrium configurations of these biological membranes, a novel continuum model is proposed. The BLM is assumed to be a two-layer Smectic A liquid crystal. The mean orientation of the amphiphilic molecules comprising the membrane is postulated to be perpendicular to the layers and each layer is idealized as a two dimensional liquid. Moreover, the BLM is modeled as a simply supported plate undergoing small deformations. It is subjected to a pressure load that acts perpendicularly to the layers. The equilibrium equations and boundary conditions are derived from the bulk elastic energy for Smectic A liquid crystals as described by de Gennes and Prost (1993) by using variational methods. The resulting fourth-order linear partial differential equation is solved by employing cylindrical functions and the series solution is proved to be convergent. The solution is numerically computed for values of the model parameters that are reported in the literature. (© 2008 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

A Model for the Evolution of Laminates

We study the time evolution of a generalized standard material in elastoplasticity. Of our particular interest are the formation and the evolution of microstructure. Our aim is to prove the existence of solutions. This is a challenging task, since the presence of microstructure comes along with a lack of convexity and, hence, compactness arguments cannot be applied to prove the existence of solutions. In order to overcome this problem, we will incorporate information on the microstructure into the internal variable, which is still compatible with the notion of generalized standard materials. More precisely, we shall allow such forms of microstructure that are given by simple laminates. We will consider a model for the evolution of these laminates and we will state a result on the existence of solutions to the time-incremental minimization problem. (© 2009 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

A gamma heuristic for the p-median problem

Heuristic concentration (HC) is a two-stage metaheuristic that can be applied to a wide variety of combinatorial problems. It is particularly suited to location problems in which the number of facilities is given in advance. In such settings, the first stage of HC repeatedly applies some random-start interchange (or other) heuristic to produce a number of alternative facility configurations. A subset of the best of these alternatives is collected and the union of the facility sites in them is called a concentration set (CS). Among the component elements of the CS are likely to be included those sites which are members of the optimal solution. In earlier studies the second stage of HC has consisted of an exact procedure to extract the best possible solution from the CS. In this paper we demonstrate, for the p-median problem, the use of two sequentially active heuristics in the second stage of HC. That is, we offer two additional layers of heuristics to improve solutions which are found in the first stage of HC. Thus we are describing a variant of the HC metaheuristic consisting of three layers of heuristics which are utilized in sequence. We propose for this procedure the name of Gamma Heuristic.     

Structural properties of the Chinese air transportation multilayer network

Recently multilayer networks are attracting great attention because the properties of many real-world systems cannot be well understood without considering their different layers. In this paper, we investigate the structural properties of the Chinese air transportation multilayer network (ATMN) by progressively merging layers together, where each commercial airline (company) defines a layer. The results show that the high clustering coefficient, short characteristic path length and large collection of reachable destinations of the Chinese ATMN can only emerge when several layers are merged together. Moreover, we compare two main types of layers corresponding to major and low-cost airlines. It is found that the small-world property and the rich-club effect of the Chinese ATMN are mainly caused by those layers corresponding to major airlines. Our work will highlight a better understanding of the Chinese air transportation network.     

Multiplex networks with intrinsic fitness: Modeling the merit-fame interplay via latent layers

We consider the problem of growing multiplex networks with intrinsic fitness and inter-layer coupling. The model comprises two layers; one that incorporates fitness and another in which attachments are preferential. In the first layer, attachment probabilities are proportional to fitness values, and in the second layer, proportional to the sum of degrees in both layers. We provide analytical closed-form solutions for the joint distributions of fitness and degrees. We also derive closed-form expressions for the expected value of the degree as a function of fitness. The model alleviates two shortcomings that are present in the current models of growing multiplex networks: homogeneity of connections, and homogeneity of fitness. In this paper, we posit and analyze a growth model that is heterogeneous in both senses.     

A crystal plasticity framework based on the Continuum Dislocation Dynamics theory: relaxation of an idealized micropillar

The motion and interaction of dislocation lines are the physical basis of the plastic deformation of metals. Although ‘discrete dislocation dynamic’ (DDD) simulations are able to predict the kinematics of dislocation microstructure (i.e. the motion of dislocations in a given velocity field) and therefore the plastic behavior of crystals in small length scales, the computational cost makes DDD less feasible for systems larger than a few micro meters. To overcome this problem, the Continuum Dislocation Dynamics (CDD) theory was developed. CDD describes the kinematics of dislocation microstructure based on statistical averages of internal properties of dislocation systems. In this paper we present a crystal plasticity framework based on the CDD theory. It consists of two separate parts: a classical 3D elastic boundary value problem and the evolution of dislocation microstructure within slip planes according to the CDD constitutional equations. We demonstrate the evolution of dislocation density in a micropillar with a single slip plane. (© 2013 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Continua with affine microstructure: Theoretical aspects and applications

In the present contribution we discuss an axiomatic stucture of extended continua with affine microstructure in the sense of Eringen [2]. Postulating and evaluating the observer-invariance of the balance of energy we obtain the governing balance equations of generalized continua which are closed by a specific set of kinematical assumptions and constitutive equations. Furthermore, we discuss two specific models characterized by an additional scalar (volumetrical) order parameter. Interestingly, the resulting effects lead to completely different interpretations of the results with respect to the coupling effects. (© 2005 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Macroscopic finite element analyses of discretematerials based on directly evaluated micro‐macro transitions

We consider a homogenized macro‐continuum with locally attached microstructure of granules and derive specific micromacro transitions by a consistent transfer of discrete micro‐variables to field variables on a continuous macrostructure. Displacements and rotational constraints are imposed on the granules on the defined boundary frame of the microstructure. The constraints for linear displacements and uniform tractions on the surface yield upper and lower bound characteristics for periodic boundary conditions with regard to the aggregate stiffness. Secondly, we perform two‐scale analyses where we link simulations on the macro‐ and the microscales. Therein, coupled boundary‐value problems are solved on both scales. The macroscopic homogeneous problem is solved by a finite element method where the material model is implemented using the directly evaluated micro‐macro transitions on the basis of the discrete microstructures. Finally, a model problem is investigated to clarify the proposed method. (© 2004 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Stabilization of oscillations in a phase transition model

In this paper, we analyze a model presenting formation of microstructure depending on the parameters and the initial data. In particular, we investigate how the presence of stochastic perturbations affects this phenomenon in its asymptotic behavior. Two different sufficient conditions are provided in order to prevent the formation of microstructure: the first one for Stratonovich noise while the second for Itô noise. The main contribution of the paper is that these conditions are independent of the initial values unlike in the deterministic model. Thus, we can interpret our results as some kind of stabilization produced by both types of noise. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Optimal Fine‐Scale Structures in Compliance Minimization for a Shear Load

We return to a classic problem of structural optimization whose solution requires microstructure. It is well‐known that perimeter penalization assures the existence of an optimal design. We are interested in the regime where the perimeter penalization is weak; i.e., in the effect of perimeter as a selection mechanism in structural optimization. To explore this topic in a simple yet challenging example, we focus on a two‐dimensional elastic shape optimization problem involving the optimal removal of material from a rectangular region loaded in shear. We consider the minimization of a weighted sum of volume, perimeter, and compliance (i.e., the work done by the load), focusing on the behavior as the weight ɛ of the perimeter term tends to 0. Our main result concerns the scaling of the optimal value with respect to ɛ. Our analysis combines an upper bound and a lower bound. The upper bound is proved by finding a near‐optimal structure, which resembles a rank‐2 laminate except that the approximate interfaces are replaced by branching constructions. The lower bound, which shows that no other microstructure can be much better, uses arguments based on the Hashin‐Shtrikman variational principle. The regime being considered here is particularly difficult to explore numerically due to the intrinsic nonconvexity of structural optimization and the spatial complexity of the optimal structures. While perimeter has been considered as a selection mechanism in other problems involving microstructure, the example considered here is novel because optimality seems to require the use of two well‐separated length scales.© 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Designing WDM Optical Networks Using Branch-and-Price

In this paper, we present an exact solution procedure for the design of two-layer wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) optical networks with wavelength changers and bifurcated flows. This design problem closely resembles the traditional multicommodity flow problem, except that in the case of WDM optical networks, we are concerned with the routing of multiple commodities in two network layers. Consequently, the corresponding optimization models have to deal with two types of multicommodity variables defined for each of the network layers. The proposed procedure represents one of the first branch-and-price algorithms for a general WDM optical network setting with no assumptions on the number of logical links that can be established between nodes in the network. We apply our procedure in a computational study with four different network configurations. Our results show that for the three tested network configurations our branch-and-price algorithm provides solutions that are on average less than 5 % from optimality. We also provide a comparison of our branch-and-price algorithm with two simple variants of the upper bounding heuristic procedure HLDA that is commonly used for WDM optical network design.     

Conical diffraction by multilayer gratings: a recursive integral equation approach

The paper is devoted to an integral equation algorithm for studying the scattering of plane waves by multilayer diffraction gratings under oblique incidence. The scattering problem is described by a system of Helmholtz equations with piecewise constant coefficients in ?² coupled by special transmission conditions at the interfaces between different layers. Boundary integral methods lead to a system of singular integral equations, containing at least two equations for each interface. To deal with an arbitrary number of material layers we present the extension of a recursive procedure developed by Maystre for normal incidence, which transforms the problem to a sequence of equations with 2×2 operator matrices on each interface. Necessary and sufficient conditions for the applicability of the algorithm are derived.     

On the interface boundary conditions between two interacting incompressible viscous fluid flows

We consider two incompressible viscous fluid flows interacting through thin non-Newtonian boundary layers of higher Reynolds? number. We study the asymptotic behaviour of the problem, with respect to the vanishing thickness of the layers, using Γ-convergence methods. We derive general interfacial boundary conditions between the two fluid flows. These boundary conditions are specified for some particular cases including periodic or fractal structures of layers.     

On an adjoint initial-boundary value problem

We study an adjoint initial-boundary value problem for linear parabolic equations; which arises when modeling the unidirectional motion of two viscous fluids with a common interface under the action of a pressure gradient. Under some conditions on the pressure gradient, we obtain a priori estimates and show that the solution enters a stationary mode. For semibounded layers, we find the solution in closed form and indicate the case of a self-similar solution. We determine the volume flow rates in the layers.