Prediction of the effective elastic moduli of materials with irregularly-shaped pores based on the pore projected areas

Statistical modeling is used to correlate geometric parameters of pores with their contributions to the overall Young’s moduli of linearly elastic solids. The statistical model is based on individual pore contribution parameters evaluated by finite element simulations for a small pore subset selected using the design of experiments approach, so there is no need to solve the elasticity problem for all pores in the material. A polynomial relating pore geometric parameters to the contribution parameters is then fitted to the results of the simulations. We found a good correlation between normalized projected areas of the pores on three coordinate planes and their contributions to the corresponding effective Young’s moduli. The model is applied and validated for two large sets of pore geometries obtained by X-ray microcomputed tomography of a carbon/carbon and a 3D woven carbon/epoxy composite specimens.     

Green’s functions for multi-phase isotropic laminated plates

This work develops a series of Green’s functions for multi-phase Kirchhoff isotropic laminated plates. First, we derive the Green’s functions for a composite laminated plate composed of two bonded dissimilar isotropic laminated semi-infinite plates. Second, the obtained results for bimaterials are judiciously applied to obtain the Green’s function solution for a circular elastic inclusion embedded in an infinite isotropic laminated plate. Third, Green’s functions for a composite space composed of an arbitrary number of wedges of different isotropic laminated plates are derived. Finally, we derive Green’s functions for a laminated plate with an elliptical and a parabolic boundary, respectively.     

The principle of equivalent eigenstrain for inhomogeneous inclusion problems

In this paper, based on the principle of virtual work, we formulate the equivalent eigenstrain approach for inhomogeneous inclusions. It allows calculating the elastic deformation of an arbitrarily connected and shaped inhomogeneous inclusion, by replacing it with an equivalent homogeneous inclusion problem, whose eigenstrain distribution is determined by an integral equation. The equivalent homogeneous inclusion problem has an explicit solution in terms of a definite integral. The approach allows solving the problems about inclusions of arbitrary shape, multiple inclusion problems, and lends itself to residual stress analysis in non-uniform, heterogeneous media. The fundamental formulation introduced here will find application in the mechanics of composites, inclusions, phase transformation analysis, plasticity, fracture mechanics, etc.     

Trapped modes due to narrow cracks in thin simply-supported elastic plates

We consider an elastic plate of infinite length and constant width supported simply along its two parallel edges and having a finite length crack along its centreline. In particular, we look for and find trapped modes (localised oscillations) in the presence of the crack. An explicit wide-spacing approximation based on the Wiener–Hopf technique applied to incident wave scattering by semi-infinite cracks is complemented by an exact formulation of the problem in the form of integro-differential equations. An application of a Galerkin method for the numerical calculation of results from the latter method leads to a novel explicit ‘small-spacing’ approximation. In combination with the wide-spacing results this is shown to provide accurate results for all lengths of crack.     

Mean stress dependent nonlinear hyperelasticity coupled with damage stiffness degradation. A thermodynamical approach

Porous materials, such as geomaterials, exhibit a behaviour dependent on the confining pressure. The aim of this paper is to study the degradation of the elastic stiffness of mean stress dependent materials, due to the deterioration of the microstructure during loading.Continuum damage mechanics offers a framework to model this rigidity deterioration. In addition to the concept of effective stress, a choice has to be made between two widely used hypotheses, the principle of strain equivalence and the principle of equivalent elastic energy, in order to build a complete modelling framework.A mean stress dependent hyperelastic formulation is used to ensure a conservative behaviour, and associated to the two previous damage modelling assumptions, whose effects are compared. This allows for mean stress dependent elasticity to be reproduced, with elastic moduli increasing with mean stress while decreasing with damage.     

Rayleigh waves in an isotropic elastic half-space coated by a thin isotropic elastic layer with smooth contact

In the present paper, we are interested in the propagation of Rayleigh waves in an isotropic elastic half-space coated with a thin isotropic elastic layer. The contact between the layer and the half space is assumed to be smooth. The main purpose of the paper is to establish an approximate secular equation of the wave. By using the effective boundary condition method, an approximate, yet highly accurate secular equation of fourth-order in terms of the dimensionless thickness of the layer is derived. From the secular equation obtained, an approximate formula of third-order for the velocity of Rayleigh waves is established. The approximate secular equation and the formula for the velocity obtained in this paper are potentially useful in many practical applications.     

EFFECT OF MAGNETIC NANOPARTICLES ON THE MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF TYPE-II SUPERCONDUCTORS

In this paper, the effect of magnetic nanoparticles on the mechanical properties of a type-II superconductor is investigated both theoretically and numerically. Magnetic part of the pinning force associated with the interaction between a finite-size spheroidal magnetic inclusion and an Abrikosov vortex is calculated in the London approximation. It is found that the size and shape of magnetic nanoparticles result in different enhancements of vortex pinning in large-κtype-II superconductors. Meanwhile, the screening current induced by a magnetic spheroid suffer the action of Lorentz force, which will lead to prestress in the superconductor, so further numerical calculations are needed to explore the interaction between the spheroidal magnetic particle and superconductor. The distribution of displacement, stress and strain in the superconductor are finally obtained. It is shown that different sizes and shapes of nanoparticles also can change the distributions of these quantities.     

A NOTE ON MORI-TANAKA＇S METHOD

Explicit expressions of Mori-Tanaka＇s tensor for a transversely isotropic fiber rein- forced UD composite are presented. Closed-form formulae for the effective elastic properties of the composite are obtained. In a 3D sense, the resulting compliance tensor of the composite is symmetric. Nevertheless, the 2D compliance tensor based on a deteriorated Mori-Tanaka＇s tensor is not symmetric. Nor is the compliance tensor defined upon a deteriorated 2D Eshelby＇s tensor. The in-plane effective elastic properties given by those three approaches are different. A detailed comparison between the predicted results obtained from those approaches with experimental data available for a number of UD composites is made.     

Coulomb and nuclear interactions in the dynamics of weakly-bound neutron-halo breakup on heavy target

Within our aim to clarify some aspects of the breakup dynamics of loosely-bound neutron-halo projectiles on a heavy target,we apply the continuum discretized coupled-channel formalism to investigate the beryllium¹¹Be breakup on a lead²⁰⁸Pb target atE_lab=140 MeV incident energy.By evidencing that the continuum–continuum couplings are much stronger in the nuclear breakup than in the Coulomb breakup,we conclude that the strength of these couplings in the total breakup is dominated by the nuclear contribution,with the diagonal monopole nuclear potential in the projectile–target center-of-mass having negligible effect on the total and nuclear breakup cross-sections.For this kind of reaction,we show that the condition for the total breakup to approach its dominant component in the absorption region is strongly dependent on the continuum–continuum couplings and the diagonal monopole nuclear potential.