Showing papers on "Linear elasticity published in 2017"

How to characterize a nonlinear elastic material? A review on nonlinear constitutive parameters in isotropic finite elasticity.

Abstract: The mechanical response of a homogeneous isotropic linearly elastic material can be fully characterized by two physical constants, the Young’s modulus and the Poisson’s ratio, which can be derived by simple tensile experiments. Any other linear elastic parameter can be obtained from these two constants. By contrast, the physical responses of nonlinear elastic materials are generally described by parameters which are scalar functions of the deformation, and their particular choice is not always clear. Here, we review in a unified theoretical framework several nonlinear constitutive parameters, including the stretch modulus, the shear modulus and the Poisson function, that are defined for homogeneous isotropic hyperelastic materials and are measurable under axial or shear experimental tests. These parameters represent changes in the material properties as the deformation progresses, and can be identified with their linear equivalent when the deformations are small. Universal relations between certain of these parameters are further established, and then used to quantify nonlinear elastic responses in several hyperelastic models for rubber, soft tissue and foams. The general parameters identified here can also be viewed as a flexible basis for coupling elastic responses in multi-scale processes, where an open challenge is the transfer of meaningful information between scales.

Identification of two-dimensional pantographic structure via a linear D4 orthotropic second gradient elastic model

Abstract: A linear elastic second gradient orthotropic two-dimensional solid that is invariant under $$90^{\circ }$$ rotation and for mirror transformation is considered. Such anisotropy is the most general for pantographic structures that are composed of two identical orthogonal families of fibers. It is well known in the literature that the corresponding strain energy depends on nine constitutive parameters: three parameters related to the first gradient part of the strain energy and six parameters related to the second gradient part of the strain energy. In this paper, analytical solutions for simple problems, which are here referred to the heavy sheet, to the nonconventional bending, and to the trapezoidal cases, are developed and presented. On the basis of such analytical solutions, gedanken experiments were developed in such a way that the whole set of the nine constitutive parameters is completely characterized in terms of the materials that the fibers are made of (i.e., of the Young’s modulus of the fiber materials), of their cross sections (i.e., of the area and of the moment of inertia of the fiber cross sections), and of the distance between the nearest pivots. On the basis of these considerations, a remarkable form of the strain energy is derived in terms of the displacement fields that closely resembles the strain energy of simple Euler beams. Numerical simulations confirm the validity of the presented results. Classic bone-shaped deformations are derived in standard bias numerical tests and the presence of a floppy mode is also made numerically evident in the present continuum model. Finally, we also show that the largeness of the boundary layer depends on the moment of inertia of the fibers.

High-accuracy phase-field models for brittle fracture based on a new family of degradation functions

Abstract: Phase-field approaches to fracture based on energy minimization principles have been rapidly gaining popularity in recent years, and are particularly well-suited for simulating crack initiation and growth in complex fracture networks. In the phase-field framework, the surface energy associated with crack formation is calculated by evaluating a functional defined in terms of a scalar order parameter and its gradients. These in turn describe the fractures in a diffuse sense following a prescribed regularization length scale. Imposing stationarity of the total energy leads to a coupled system of partial differential equations that enforce stress equilibrium and govern phase-field evolution. These equations are coupled through an energy degradation function that models the loss of stiffness in the bulk material as it undergoes damage. In the present work, we introduce a new parametric family of degradation functions aimed at increasing the accuracy of phase-field models in predicting critical loads associated with crack nucleation as well as the propagation of existing fractures. An additional goal is the preservation of linear elastic response in the bulk material prior to fracture. Through the analysis of several numerical examples, we demonstrate the superiority of the proposed family of functions to the classical quadratic degradation function that is used most often in the literature.

Theory and computation of higher gradient elasticity theories based on action principles

Abstract: In continuum mechanics, there exists a unique theory for elasticity, which includes the first gradient of displacement. The corresponding generalization of elasticity is referred to as strain gradient elasticity or higher gradient theories, where the second and higher gradients of displacement are involved. Unfortunately, there is a lack of consensus among scientists how to achieve the generalization. Various suggestions were made, in order to compare or even verify these, we need a generic computational tool. In this paper, we follow an unusual but quite convenient way of formulation based on action principles. First, in order to present its benefits, we start with the action principle leading to the well-known form of elasticity theory and present a variational formulation in order to obtain a weak form. Second, we generalize elasticity and point out, in which term the suggested formalism differs. By using the same approach, we obtain a weak form for strain gradient elasticity. The weak forms for elasticity and for strain gradient elasticity are solved numerically by using open-source packages—by using the finite element method in space and finite difference method in time. We present some applications from elasticity as well as strain gradient elasticity and simulate the so-called size effect.

FFT-based homogenization for microstructures discretized by linear hexahedral elements

Abstract: Summary The FFT-based homogenization method of Moulinec–Suquet has recently emerged as a powerful tool for computing the macroscopic response of complex microstructures for elastic and inelastic problems. In this work, we generalize the method to problems discretized by trilinear hexahedral elements on Cartesian grids and physically nonlinear elasticity problems. We present an implementation of the basic scheme that reduces the memory requirements by a factor of four and of the conjugate gradient scheme that reduces the storage necessary by a factor of nine compared with a naive implementation. For benchmark problems in linear elasticity, the solver exhibits mesh- and contrast-independent convergence behavior and enables the computational homogenization of complex structures, for instance, arising from computed tomography computed tomography (CT) imaging techniques. There exist 3D microstructures involving pores and defects, for which the original FFT-based homogenization scheme does not converge. In contrast, for the proposed scheme, convergence is ensured. Also, the solution fields are devoid of the spurious oscillations and checkerboarding artifacts associated to conventional schemes. We demonstrate the power of the approach by computing the elasto-plastic response of a long-fiber reinforced thermoplastic material with 172 × 106 (displacement) degrees of freedom. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

On the determination of elastic moduli of cells by AFM based indentation

Abstract: The atomic force microscopy (AFM) has been widely used to measure the mechanical properties of biological cells through indentations. In most of existing studies, the cell is supposed to be linear elastic within the small strain regime when analyzing the AFM indentation data. However, in experimental situations, the roles of large deformation and surface tension of cells should be taken into consideration. Here, we use the neo-Hookean model to describe the hyperelastic behavior of cells and investigate the influence of surface tension through finite element simulations. At large deformation, a correction factor, depending on the geometric ratio of indenter radius to cell radius, is introduced to modify the force-indent depth relation of classical Hertzian model. Moreover, when the indent depth is comparable with an intrinsic length defined as the ratio of surface tension to elastic modulus, the surface tension evidently affects the indentation response, indicating an overestimation of elastic modulus by the Hertzian model. The dimensionless-analysis-based theoretical predictions, which include both large deformation and surface tension, are in good agreement with our finite element simulation data. This study provides a novel method to more accurately measure the mechanical properties of biological cells and soft materials in AFM indentation experiments.

An HDG method for linear elasticity with strong symmetric stresses

Abstract: . This paper presents a new hybridizable discontinuous Galerkin (HDG) method forlinear elasticity, on tetrahedral meshes, based on a strong symmetric stress formulation. The keyfeature of this new HDG method is the use of a special form of the numerical trace of the stresses,which makes the error analysis different from the projection-based error analyzes used for most otherHDG methods. On each element, we approximate the stress by using polynomials of degree k ≥ 1and the displacement by using polynomials of degree k+1. In contrast, to approximate the numericaltrace of the displacement on the faces, we use polynomials of degree k only. This allows for a veryefficient implementation of the method, since the numerical trace of the displacement is the onlyglobally-coupled unknown, but does not degrade the convergence properties of the method. Indeed,we prove optimal orders of convergence for both the stresses and displacements on the elements.These optimal results are possible thanks to a special superconvergence property of the numericaltraces of the displacement, and thanks to the use of a crucial elementwise Korn’s inequality.Key words. hybridizable; discontinuous Galerkin; superconvergence; linear elasticity.AMS subject classifications. 65N30, 65L12, 35L15

Linear elastic fracture simulation directly from CAD: 2D NURBS-based implementation and role of tip enrichment

Abstract: We propose a method for simulating linear elastic crack growth through an isogeometric boundary element method directly from a CAD model and without any mesh generation. To capture the stress singularity around the crack tip, two methods are compared: (1) a graded knot insertion near crack tip; (2) partition of unity enrichment. A well-established CAD algorithm is adopted to generate smooth crack surfaces as the crack grows. The M integral and JkJk integral methods are used for the extraction of stress intensity factors (SIFs). The obtained SIFs and crack paths are compared with other numerical methods.

Instability in dynamic fracture and the failure of the classical theory of cracks

Abstract: Understanding crack formation is important for improving the mechanical performance of materials. A new theory is now presented for the description of cracks propagating at high speeds, with elastic nonlinearity as the underlying principle. Cracks, the major vehicle for material failure1, undergo a micro-branching instability at ∼40% of their sonic limiting velocity in three dimensions2,3,4,5,6. Recent experiments showed that in thin systems cracks accelerate to nearly their limiting velocity without micro-branching, until undergoing an oscillatory instability7,8. Despite their fundamental importance, these dynamic instabilities are not explained by the classical theory of cracks1, which is based on linear elasticity and an extraneous local symmetry criterion to predict crack paths9. We develop a two-dimensional theory for predicting arbitrary paths of ultrahigh-speed cracks, which incorporates elastic nonlinearity without extraneous criteria. We show that cracks undergo an oscillatory instability controlled by small-scale, near crack-tip, elastic nonlinearity. This instability occurs above an ultrahigh critical velocity and features an intrinsic wavelength proportional to the ratio of the fracture energy to the elastic modulus, in quantitative agreement with experiments. This ratio emerges as a fundamental scaling length assumed to play no role in the classical theory of cracks, but shown here to strongly influence crack dynamics.

Micro Finite Element models of the vertebral body: Validation of local displacement predictions.

Abstract: The estimation of local and structural mechanical properties of bones with micro Finite Element (microFE) models based on Micro Computed Tomography images depends on the quality bone geometry is captured, reconstructed and modelled. The aim of this study was to validate microFE models predictions of local displacements for vertebral bodies and to evaluate the effect of the elastic tissue modulus on model’s predictions of axial forces. Four porcine thoracic vertebrae were axially compressed in situ, in a step-wise fashion and scanned at approximately 39μm resolution in preloaded and loaded conditions. A global digital volume correlation (DVC) approach was used to compute the full-field displacements. Homogeneous, isotropic and linear elastic microFE models were generated with boundary conditions assigned from the interpolated displacement field measured from the DVC. Measured and predicted local displacements were compared for the cortical and trabecular compartments in the middle of the specimens. Models were run with two different tissue moduli defined from microindentation data (12.0GPa) and a back-calculation procedure (4.6GPa). The predicted sum of axial reaction forces was compared to the experimental values for each specimen. MicroFE models predicted more than 87% of the variation in the displacement measurements (R2 = 0.87–0.99). However, model predictions of axial forces were largely overestimated (80–369%) for a tissue modulus of 12.0GPa, whereas differences in the range 10–80% were found for a back-calculated tissue modulus. The specimen with the lowest density showed a large number of elements strained beyond yield and the highest predictive errors. This study shows that the simplest microFE models can accurately predict quantitatively the local displacements and qualitatively the strain distribution within the vertebral body, independently from the considered bone types.

Semi-inverse method à la Saint-Venant for two-dimensional linear isotropic homogeneous second-gradient elasticity:

Abstract: This semi-inverse method is similar to that used in the so-called Saint-Venant problem for cylindrical three-dimensional first-gradient linear homogeneous and isotropic materials. This semi-inverse method is similar to that used by Saint-Venant to solve the omonimus problem for cylindrical three-dimensional first-gradient linear homogeneous and isotropic materials. Two examples are also presented. It is found that wedge forces are necessary to maintain the body in equilibrium and that these are not an artefact of the double application of the divergence theorem in the second-gradient material derivations.

Numerical predictions of the anisotropic viscoelastic response of uni-directional fibre composites

Abstract: Finite Element (FE) simulations are conducted to predict the viscoelastic properties of uni-directional (UD) fibre composites. The response of both periodic unit cells and random stochastic volume elements (SVEs) is analysed; the fibres are assumed to behave as linear elastic isotropic solids while the matrix is taken as a linear viscoelastic solid. Monte Carlo analyses are conducted to determine the probability distributions of all viscoelastic properties. Simulations are conducted on SVEs of increasing size in order to determine the suitable size of a representative volume element (RVE). The predictions of the FE simulations are compared to those of existing theories and it is found that the Mori-Tanaka (1973) and Lielens (1999) models are the most effective in predicting the anisotropic viscoelastic response of the RVE.

Stress intensity factors evaluation for rolling contact fatigue cracks in rails

Abstract: The stress intensity factors (SIFs) for multiple rolling contact fatigue cracks of a network in the Iran railway under vehicle dynamic load are evaluated in this article. Stress intensity factor evaluation under dynamic loading is simulated in three dimensions using a linear elastic boundary element code. For this purpose, a UIC60 rail with accurate geometry using a boundary element method is studied. A three-dimensional model in Franc3D is provided. Finally, the influence of the friction coefficient between the wheel and rail, crack surface friction, trapped fluid, and initial crack length on SIFs are investigated in detail.

Micromechanics Models for Viscoelastic Plain-Weave Composite Tape Springs

Abstract: The viscoelastic behavior of polymer composites decreases the deployment force and the postdeployment shape accuracy of composite deployable space structures. This paper presents a viscoelastic model for single-ply cylindrical shells (tape springs) that are deployed after being held folded for a given period of time. The model is derived from a representative unit cell of the composite material, based on the microstructure geometry. Key ingredients are the fiber volume density in the composite tows and the constitutive behavior of the fibers (assumed to be linear elastic and transversely isotropic) and of the matrix (assumed to be linear viscoelastic). Finite-element-based homogenizations at two scales are conducted to obtain the Prony series that characterize the orthotropic behavior of the composite tow, using the measured relaxation modulus of the matrix as an input. A further homogenization leads to the lamina relaxation ABDABD matrix. The accuracy of the proposed model is verified against the experimentally measured time-dependent compliance of single lamina in either pure tension or pure bending. Finite element simulations of single-ply tape springs based on the proposed model are compared to experimental measurements that were also obtained during this study.

The asymptotic homogenization elasticity tensor properties for composites with material discontinuities

Abstract: The classical asymptotic homogenization approach for linear elastic composites with discontinuous material properties is considered as a starting point. The sharp length scale separation between the fine periodic structure and the whole material formally leads to anisotropic elastic-type balance equations on the coarse scale, where the arising fourth rank operator is to be computed solving single periodic cell problems on the fine scale. After revisiting the derivation of the problem, which here explicitly points out how the discontinuity in the individual constituents’ elastic coefficients translates into stress jump interface conditions for the cell problems, we prove that the gradient of the cell problem solution is minor symmetric and that its cell average is zero. This property holds for perfect interfaces only (i.e., when the elastic displacement is continuous across the composite’s interface) and can be used to assess the accuracy of the computed numerical solutions. These facts are further exploited, together with the individual constituents’ elastic coefficients and the specific form of the cell problems, to prove a theorem that characterizes the fourth rank operator appearing in the coarse-scale elastic-type balance equations as a composite material effective elasticity tensor. We both recover known facts, such as minor and major symmetries and positive definiteness, and establish new facts concerning the Voigt and Reuss bounds. The latter are shown for the first time without assuming any equivalence between coarse and fine-scale energies (Hill’s condition), which, in contrast to the case of representative volume elements, does not identically hold in the context of asymptotic homogenization. We conclude with instructive three-dimensional numerical simulations of a soft elastic matrix with an embedded cubic stiffer inclusion to show the profile of the physically relevant elastic moduli (Young’s and shear moduli) and Poisson’s ratio at increasing (up to 100 %) inclusion’s volume fraction, thus providing a proxy for the design of artificial elastic composites.

Emergent SO(3) Symmetry of the Frictionless Shear Jamming Transition

Abstract: We study the shear jamming of athermal frictionless soft spheres, and find that in the thermodynamic limit, a shear-jammed state exists with different elastic properties from the isotropically-jammed state. For example, shear-jammed states can have a non-zero residual shear stress in the thermodynamic limit that arises from long-range stress-stress correlations. As a result, the ratio of the shear and bulk moduli, which in isotropically-jammed systems vanishes as the jamming transition is approached from above, instead approaches a constant. Despite these striking differences, we argue that in a deeper sense, the shear jamming and isotropic jamming transitions actually have the same symmetry, and that the differences can be fully understood by rotating the six-dimensional basis of the elastic modulus tensor.

Real wave propagation in the isotropic-relaxed micromorphic model.

Abstract: For the recently introduced isotropic-relaxed micromorphic generalized continuum model, we show that, under the assumption of positive-definite energy, planar harmonic waves have real velocity. We also obtain a necessary and sufficient condition for real wave velocity which is weaker than the positive definiteness of the energy. Connections to isotropic linear elasticity and micropolar elasticity are established. Notably, we show that strong ellipticity does not imply real wave velocity in micropolar elasticity, whereas it does in isotropic linear elasticity.

Peridynamic integrals for strain invariants of homogeneous deformation

Abstract: This study presents the peridynamic integrals. They enable the derivation of the peridynamic (nonlocal) form of the strain invariants. Therefore, the peridynamic form of the existing classical strain energy density functions can readily be constructed for linearly elastic and hyperelastic isotropic materials without any calibration. A general form of the force density vector is derived based on the strain energy density function that is expressed in terms of the first invariant of the right Cauchy-Green strain tensor and the Jacobian. In the case of linear elastic response for isotropic materials, the peridynamic force density vector is derived based on the classical form of the strain energy density function for three- and two-dimensional analysis. Also, a new form of the strain energy density function leads to a force density vector similar to that of bond-based peridynamics. Numerical results concern the verification of the peridynamic predictions with these force density vectors by considering a rectangular plate under uniform stretch.

Start-up Shear of Concentrated Colloidal Hard Spheres: Stresses, Dynamics and Structure

Abstract: The transient response of model hard sphere glasses is examined during the application of steady rate start-up shear using Brownian Dynamics (BD) simulations, experimental rheology and confocal microscopy. With increasing strain the glass initially exhibits an almost linear elastic stress increase, a stress peak at the yield point and then reaches a constant steady state. The stress overshoot has a non-monotonic dependence with Peclet number, Pe, and volume fraction, {\phi}, determined by the available free volume and a competition between structural relaxation and shear advection. Examination of the structural properties under shear revealed an increasing anisotropic radial distribution function, g(r), mostly in the velocity - gradient (xy) plane, which decreases after the stress peak with considerable anisotropy remaining in the steady-state. Low rates minimally distort the structure, while high rates show distortion with signatures of transient elongation. As a mechanism of storing energy, particles are trapped within a cage distorted more than Brownian relaxation allows, while at larger strains, stresses are relaxed as particles are forced out of the cage due to advection. Even in the steady state, intermediate super diffusion is observed at high rates and is a signature of the continuous breaking and reformation of cages under shear.