11,794 research outputs found
A simple and efficient BEM implementation of quasistatic linear visco-elasticity
A simple, yet efficient procedure to solve quasistatic problems of special
linear visco-elastic solids at small strains with equal rheological response in
all tensorial components, utilizing boundary element method (BEM), is
introduced. This procedure is based on the implicit discretisation in time (the
so-called Rothe method) combined with a simple "algebraic" transformation of
variables, leading to a numerically stable procedure (proved explicitly by
discrete energy estimates), which can be easily implemented in a BEM code to
solve initial-boundary value visco-elastic problems by using the Kelvin
elastostatic fundamental solution only. It is worth mentioning that no inverse
Laplace transform is required here. The formulation is straightforward for both
2D and 3D problems involving unilateral frictionless contact. Although the
focus is to the simplest Kelvin-Voigt rheology, a generalization to Maxwell,
Boltzmann, Jeffreys, and Burgers rheologies is proposed, discussed, and
implemented in the BEM code too. A few 2D and 3D initial-boundary value
problems, one of them with unilateral frictionless contact, are solved
numerically
Traction force microscopy on soft elastic substrates: a guide to recent computational advances
The measurement of cellular traction forces on soft elastic substrates has
become a standard tool for many labs working on mechanobiology. Here we review
the basic principles and different variants of this approach. In general, the
extraction of the substrate displacement field from image data and the
reconstruction procedure for the forces are closely linked to each other and
limited by the presence of experimental noise. We discuss different strategies
to reconstruct cellular forces as they follow from the foundations of
elasticity theory, including two- versus three-dimensional, inverse versus
direct and linear versus non-linear approaches. We also discuss how biophysical
models can improve force reconstruction and comment on practical issues like
substrate preparation, image processing and the availability of software for
traction force microscopy.Comment: Revtex, 29 pages, 3 PDF figures, 2 tables. BBA - Molecular Cell
Research, online since 27 May 2015, special issue on mechanobiolog
Arbitrary order 2D virtual elements for polygonal meshes: Part II, inelastic problem
The present paper is the second part of a twofold work, whose first part is
reported in [3], concerning a newly developed Virtual Element Method (VEM) for
2D continuum problems. The first part of the work proposed a study for linear
elastic problem. The aim of this part is to explore the features of the VEM
formulation when material nonlinearity is considered, showing that the accuracy
and easiness of implementation discovered in the analysis inherent to the first
part of the work are still retained. Three different nonlinear constitutive
laws are considered in the VEM formulation. In particular, the generalized
viscoplastic model, the classical Mises plasticity with isotropic/kinematic
hardening and a shape memory alloy (SMA) constitutive law are implemented. The
versatility with respect to all the considered nonlinear material constitutive
laws is demonstrated through several numerical examples, also remarking that
the proposed 2D VEM formulation can be straightforwardly implemented as in a
standard nonlinear structural finite element method (FEM) framework
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