Resonant Column Test on the Frozen Silt Soil Modulus and Damping at Different Temperatures

The shear modulus and damping ratio of frozen soil are thebasic parameters of its dynamic properties and are often testedwith the dynamic triaxial apparatus. However, the resonantcolumn apparatus is more suitable for the testing at the microstrainlevel. A resonant column apparatus was here used toidentify the varying modes with negative temperature of theinitial shear modulus, modulus ratio, and damping ratio of frozensilt. Correction factor curves indicate that the temperaturehas a great effect on the shear modulus and damping ratio offrozen silt. The curves also show that, within the sensitive stage,the temperature significantly affects the modulus and damping.Within the insensitive stage, the modulus and dampingwere insensitive to the temperature. The experimental resultsand analysis given here provide support for improving seismicdesign codes and offer reasonable parameters for seismicresponse analysis in engineering construction in cold regions

Discrete element methods for asphalt concrete : development and application of user-defined microstructural models and a viscoelastic micromechanical model

As an important Civil Engineering material, asphalt concrete (AC) is commonly used to build road surfaces, airports, and parking lots. With traditional laboratory tests and theoretical equations, it is a challenge to fully understand such a random composite material. Based on the discrete element method (DEM), this research seeks to develop and implement computer models as research approaches for improving understandings of AC microstructure-based mechanics. In this research, three categories of approaches were developed or employed to simulate microstructures of AC materials, namely the randomly-generated models, the idealized models, and image-based models. The image-based models were recommended for accurately predicting AC performance, while the other models were recommended as research tools to obtain deep insight into the AC microstructure-based mechanics. A viscoelastic micromechanical model was developed to capture viscoelastic interactions within the AC microstructure. Four types of constitutive models were built to address the four categories of interactions within an AC specimen. Each of the constitutive models consists of three parts which represent three different interaction behaviors: a stiffness model (force-displace relation), a bonding model (shear and tensile strengths), and a slip model (frictional property). Three techniques were developed to reduce the computational time for AC viscoelastic simulations. It was found that the computational time was significantly reduced to days or hours from years or months for typical three-dimensional models. Dynamic modulus and creep stiffness tests were simulated and methodologies were developed to determine the viscoelastic parameters. It was found that the DE models could successfully predict dynamic modulus, phase angles, and creep stiffness in a wide range of frequencies, temperatures, and time spans. Mineral aggregate morphology characteristics (sphericity, orientation, and angularity) were studied to investigate their impacts on AC creep stiffness. It was found that aggregate characteristics significantly impact creep stiffness. Pavement responses and pavement-vehicle interactions were investigated by simulating pavement sections under a rolling wheel. It was found that wheel acceleration, steadily moving, and deceleration significantly impact contact forces. Additionally, summary and recommendations were provided in the last chapter and part of computer programming codes wree provided in the appendixes

An extended bounding surface model for the application to general stress paths in sand

Veröffentlicht auf dem Repository QuCosa: https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:bsz:14-qucosa2-72600

An extended bounding surface model for the application to general stress paths in sand

The prediction of settlements in infrastructural design puts high demands on the numerical analysis of the subsoil and the associated constitutive model: complex installation processes and the repetitive character of live loads pose considerable challenges. Although in this context the main focus is on the analytical requirements of a geotechnical problem in order to realistically capture soil behaviour, the needs of engineering practice should not be neglected in constitutive modelling. Along these lines, a new soil model for non-cohesive soils has been developed in the theoretical framework of elastoplasticity. Based on the concept of bounding surface plasticity according to Manzari and Dafalias (1997), soil properties such as strength, stiffness and dilatancy depend on the distance between the current stress state and a corresponding model surface in stress space. This way the multi surface model correctly reproduces elementary behavioural patterns of soil, including for example shear related phenomena such as hardening/softening, contraction/dilation and attainment of critical state (constant volume shear strength). Moreover, the model captures the state dependence of soil behaviour (barotropy and pycnotropy). Thus, with only one set of material parameters, the mechanical behaviour of a wide range of initial soil states with respect to stress and void ratio can be simulated (unified modelling). The kinematic hardening mechanism of the conical yield surface contributes to a realistic stiffness evolution in un- and reloading and is hence essential for stress or strain accumulation due to load reversals. Since the chosen modelling framework is suitable for further development, the original formulation has been extended to adapt the model to the defined needs. In order to adequately simulate geotechnically relevant stress paths of low and higher complexity, first of all, a cap shaped yield surface was added to allow for plastic straining not only in shear, but also in constant stress ratio loading (e. g. isotropic or oedometric compression). When it comes to stress paths of unconventional orientation, to load reversals or composed stress paths with changes in loading direction, a supplementary stiffness increase at small strains and its subsequent strain dependent degradation have proven valuable. Furthermore, an additional mechanism accounts for a regressive accumulation of stresses or strains with increasing number of load cycles (in terms of dissipated energy). In view of its suitability for practical use, all model extensions are structured in a modular fashion, so that the complexity of the model (and hence the amount of parameters) can be adapted to the complexity of the geotechnical problem by activating or deactivating certain features. Most model parameters can be determined by conventional laboratory testing. An internal routine optionally facilitates the parameter choice by calibrating certain bounding surface related parameters from an alternative user input, which is more oriented towards experimental outcome. Since a good understanding of a material model is crucial for its reasonable and responsible use, the present thesis aims at offering a sound documentation. Thus, the first part gives an outline of the underlying bounding surface concept and describes the innovations on the constitutive level with reference to theoretical considerations. It is followed by a detailed analysis of capabilities and limitations of the extended model. The next part is dedicated to the numerical implementation of the soil model and its calibration procedure on the basis of laboratory test results. Moreover, the embedded calibration routine including the applied optimisation algorithm is presented. The subsequent section serves model validation: by means of element test simulations, generation of response envelopes as well as the reproduction of more general (e. g. composed) stress paths the performance of the extended bounding surface model is demonstrated. Finally, the last chapter draws conclusions and discloses potential future perspectives.:1 Introduction 1.1 General aspects on constitutive modelling 1.2 Motivation and outline of the thesis 1.3 Basic assumptions and terminology 2 Literature review 2.1 From elastoplasticity to bounding surface plasticity 2.1.1 Bounding surface model according to Manzari and Dafalias (1997) 2.2 Further development of the original model 2.2.1 Papadimitriou and Bouckovalas (2002) 2.2.2 Taiebat and Dafalias (2008) 2.3 Small strain stiffness 2.3.1 Observations 2.3.2 Micromechanical considerations 2.3.3 Very small strain shear modulus G0 2.3.4 Constitutive modelling approaches 2.4 Dilatancy 3 The extended bounding surface model 3.1 Fundamental capabilities of the bounding surface concept 3.1.1 Elastic region 3.1.2 Critical state 3.1.3 Shear strength 3.1.4 Shear stiffness (monotonic) 3.1.5 Contractancy and dilatancy 3.1.6 Barotropy and pycnotropy 3.1.7 Compressive stiffness 3.1.8 Shear stiffness in reversed loading 3.1.9 Additional features 3.2 New features of the extended bounding surface model 3.2.1 Minor modifications 3.2.2 Dilatancy formulation 3.2.3 Cap yield surface 3.2.4 Small strain stiffness mechanism 3.2.5 Cyclic loading mechanism 3.2.6 Summary 3.3 Limitations of the bounding surface model 3.3.1 Intrinsic insuffciencies of the bounding surface concept 3.3.2 Remaining shortcomings of the advanced model version 3.3.3 Newly introduced deficiencies 4 The numerical model and its calibration procedure 4.1 Octave implementation of an element test programme 4.2 Calibration procedure 4.2.1 Sands for calibration 4.2.2 Calibration of basic parameters 4.2.3 Calibration of extended model parameters 4.3 User friendly calibration routine 4.3.1 Conceptual background 4.3.2 Optimisation algorithm 5 Performance of the extended bounding surface model 5.1 Model performance in element tests 5.1.1 Monotonic drained triaxial compression test 5.1.2 Monotonic undrained triaxial compression test 5.1.3 Monotonic eta-constant tests 5.2 Model performance in non-standard triaxial testing 5.2.1 Concept of response envelopes 5.2.2 Simulation of response envelopes 5.3 Model performance on general stress paths 5.3.1 Triaxial compression at small strains 5.3.2 Cyclic triaxial loading 6 Conclusions and perspectives 6.1 Conclusions 6.2 Future perspectives Bibliography Appendices A Mathematical background A.1 Fundamental equations of elastoplasticity A.2 Compilation of major constitutive equations (multiaxial formulation) A.3 Elastoplastic stiffness matrix for singular yield surfaces A.4 Coefficient matrices S and E for loading constraints A.5 Derivation of Mcap and Hcap A.6 Intergranular strain adjustment A.7 Intergranular strain correlation B Details on particle swarm optimisation C Compilation of simulation results C.1 Monotonic triaxial loading C.1.1 Toyoura sand C.1.2 Sacramento River sand C.1.3 Hostun sand C.2 Monotonic eta-constant loading C.2.1 Sacramento River sand C.2.2 Hostun sand C.3 Cyclic triaxial loadingDie Prognose von Setzungen für die Bemessung von Infrastrukturbauwerken stellt hohe Anforderungen an die numerische Untersuchung des Baugrunds und das damit verbundene Stoffgesetz: komplexe Herstellungsprozesse und zyklisch wiederkehrende Verkehrslasten stellen beachtliche Herausforderungen dar. Während das Hauptaugenmerk zumeist auf der realitätsnahen Abbildung des Bodenverhaltens liegt und damit die analytischen Anforderungen des geotechnischen Problems im Fokus stehen, sollten die Bedürfnisse der Ingenieurspraxis in der Stoffgesetzmodellierung nicht außer Acht gelassen werden. In diesem Sinne wurde im Rahmen der Elastoplastizität ein neues Materialmodell für nichtbindige Böden entwickelt. Auf dem Konzept der Bounding Surface Plastizität nach Manzari und Dafalias (1997) beruhend, sind Eigenschaften wie Festigkeit, Steifigkeit und Dilatanz Funktion des Abstands zwischen aktuellem Spannungszustand und einer zugeordneten Modellfläche im Spannungsraum. Auf diese Weise bildet das Mehrflächenmodell fundamentale Verhaltensmuster von Boden korrekt ab, einschließlich beispielsweise scherbezogener Phänomene wie Ver- und Entfestigung, Kontraktanz und Dilatanz oder das Erreichen des kritischen Zustands (Scherfestigkeit bei konstantem Volumen). Des Weiteren erfasst das Modell die Zustandsabhängigkeit des Bodenverhaltens (Barotropie und Pyknotropie). So kann mit nur einem Parametersatz das mechanische Verhalten einer großen Spannweite unterschiedlicher Anfangszustände hinsichtlich Spannung und Lagerungsdichte simuliert werden. Der kinematische Verfestigungsmechanismus der konusförmigen Fließfläche trägt bei Ent- und Wiederbelastungen zu einer realistischeren Steifigkeitsentwicklung bei und ist damit von essenzieller Bedeutung für die Akkumulation von Spannungen oder Verformungen infolge von Lastwechseln. Da sich der gewählte konstitutive Rahmen für Weiterentwicklungen eignet, wurde die ursprüngliche Formulierung des Stoffgesetzes erweitert, um das Modell an die definierten Anforderungen anzupassen. Um geotechnisch relevante Spannungspfade niedriger und höherer Komplexität adäquat reproduzieren zu können, wurde zunächst eine kappenförmige Fließfläche ergänzt. So können irreversible Verformungen nicht nur bei Scherung, sondern auch bei Belastungen ohne Änderung des Spannungsverhältnisses, wie z. B. bei isotroper oder ödometrischer Kompression, auftreten. Bei Spannungspfaden ungewöhnlicher Orientierung, bei Lastwechseln oder zusammengesetzten Spannungspfaden mit Änderung der Belastungsrichtung hat sich eine erhöhte Steifigkeit bei kleinen Dehnungen mit anschließendem dehnungsabhängigen Abfall als nützlich erwiesen. Darüber hinaus berücksichtigt ein zusätzlicher Mechanismus die rückläufige Akkumulation von Spannung oder Verformung mit zunehmender Zyklenanzahl (mittels dissipierter Energie). Im Hinblick auf die Eignung des Stoffgesetzes für die Praxis ist das Modell modular aufgebaut. So kann die Komplexität des Modells (und damit die Anzahl der Parameter) durch Ein- und Ausschalten bestimmter Erweiterungen an die Komplexität des geotechnischen Problems angepasst werden. Die Mehrzahl der Modellparameter wird mit Hilfe konventioneller Laborversuche bestimmt. Eine interne Routine erleichtert durch die Kalibrierung bestimmter Bounding Surface bezogener Größen anhand eines alternativen, stärker an Versuchsergebnissen orientierten User-Inputs bei Bedarf die Parameterwahl. Da die Kenntnis eines Stoffgesetzes entscheidend ist für dessen vernünftigen und verantwortungsvollen Einsatz, soll die vorliegende Arbeit eine fundierte und umfassende Dokumentation bieten. Der erste Teil vermittelt daher zunächst einen Überblick über das zugrunde liegende Bounding Surface Konzept und beschreibt die Neuerungen auf konstitutiver Ebene mit Bezug auf theoretische Hintergründe. Er wird gefolgt von einer detaillierten Darlegung von Potenzialen und Einschränkungen für die Nutzung des erweiterten Modells. Der nächste Abschnitt widmet sich der numerischen Implementierung des Stoffgesetzes und seiner Kalibrierung auf Basis von Versuchsergebnissen. Des Weiteren wird die Kalibrierungsroutine einschließlich des verwendeten Optimierungsalgorithmus präsentiert. Der nachfolgende Teil dient der Modellvalidierung: durch die Simulation von Elementversuchen, die Erzeugung von Antwortellipsen sowie die Abbildung allgemeinerer (beispielsweise zusammengesetzter) Spannungspfade wird die Leistungsfähigkeit des erweiterten Bounding Surface Modells demonstriert. Abschließend werden Schlussfolgerungen gezogen und potenzielle Perspektiven aufgezeigt.:1 Introduction 1.1 General aspects on constitutive modelling 1.2 Motivation and outline of the thesis 1.3 Basic assumptions and terminology 2 Literature review 2.1 From elastoplasticity to bounding surface plasticity 2.1.1 Bounding surface model according to Manzari and Dafalias (1997) 2.2 Further development of the original model 2.2.1 Papadimitriou and Bouckovalas (2002) 2.2.2 Taiebat and Dafalias (2008) 2.3 Small strain stiffness 2.3.1 Observations 2.3.2 Micromechanical considerations 2.3.3 Very small strain shear modulus G0 2.3.4 Constitutive modelling approaches 2.4 Dilatancy 3 The extended bounding surface model 3.1 Fundamental capabilities of the bounding surface concept 3.1.1 Elastic region 3.1.2 Critical state 3.1.3 Shear strength 3.1.4 Shear stiffness (monotonic) 3.1.5 Contractancy and dilatancy 3.1.6 Barotropy and pycnotropy 3.1.7 Compressive stiffness 3.1.8 Shear stiffness in reversed loading 3.1.9 Additional features 3.2 New features of the extended bounding surface model 3.2.1 Minor modifications 3.2.2 Dilatancy formulation 3.2.3 Cap yield surface 3.2.4 Small strain stiffness mechanism 3.2.5 Cyclic loading mechanism 3.2.6 Summary 3.3 Limitations of the bounding surface model 3.3.1 Intrinsic insuffciencies of the bounding surface concept 3.3.2 Remaining shortcomings of the advanced model version 3.3.3 Newly introduced deficiencies 4 The numerical model and its calibration procedure 4.1 Octave implementation of an element test programme 4.2 Calibration procedure 4.2.1 Sands for calibration 4.2.2 Calibration of basic parameters 4.2.3 Calibration of extended model parameters 4.3 User friendly calibration routine 4.3.1 Conceptual background 4.3.2 Optimisation algorithm 5 Performance of the extended bounding surface model 5.1 Model performance in element tests 5.1.1 Monotonic drained triaxial compression test 5.1.2 Monotonic undrained triaxial compression test 5.1.3 Monotonic eta-constant tests 5.2 Model performance in non-standard triaxial testing 5.2.1 Concept of response envelopes 5.2.2 Simulation of response envelopes 5.3 Model performance on general stress paths 5.3.1 Triaxial compression at small strains 5.3.2 Cyclic triaxial loading 6 Conclusions and perspectives 6.1 Conclusions 6.2 Future perspectives Bibliography Appendices A Mathematical background A.1 Fundamental equations of elastoplasticity A.2 Compilation of major constitutive equations (multiaxial formulation) A.3 Elastoplastic stiffness matrix for singular yield surfaces A.4 Coefficient matrices S and E for loading constraints A.5 Derivation of Mcap and Hcap A.6 Intergranular strain adjustment A.7 Intergranular strain correlation B Details on particle swarm optimisation C Compilation of simulation results C.1 Monotonic triaxial loading C.1.1 Toyoura sand C.1.2 Sacramento River sand C.1.3 Hostun sand C.2 Monotonic eta-constant loading C.2.1 Sacramento River sand C.2.2 Hostun sand C.3 Cyclic triaxial loadin

Numerical Study of Concrete

Concrete is one of the most widely used construction material in the word today. The research in concrete follows the environment impact, economy, population and advanced technology. This special issue presents the recent numerical study for research in concrete. The research topic includes the finite element analysis, digital concrete, reinforcement technique without rebars and 3D printing

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)/American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) Summer Faculty Fellowship Program: 1996

The objectives of the program, which began nationally in 1964 and at JSC in 1965 are to (1) further the professional knowledge qualified engineering and science faculty members, (2) stimulate an exchange of ideas between participants and NASA, (3) and refresh the research and teaching activities of participants' institutions, and (4) contribute to the research objectives of NASA centers. Each faculty fellow spent at least 10 weeks at JSC engaged in a research project in collaboration with a NASA JSC colleague

Investigating the build-up of precedence effect using reflection masking

The auditory processing level involved in the build‐up of precedence [Freyman et al., J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 90, 874–884 (1991)] has been investigated here by employing reflection masked threshold (RMT) techniques. Given that RMT techniques are generally assumed to address lower levels of the auditory signal processing, such an approach represents a bottom‐up approach to the buildup of precedence. Three conditioner configurations measuring a possible buildup of reflection suppression were compared to the baseline RMT for four reflection delays ranging from 2.5–15 ms. No buildup of reflection suppression was observed for any of the conditioner configurations. Buildup of template (decrease in RMT for two of the conditioners), on the other hand, was found to be delay dependent. For five of six listeners, with reflection delay=2.5 and 15 ms, RMT decreased relative to the baseline. For 5‐ and 10‐ms delay, no change in threshold was observed. It is concluded that the low‐level auditory processing involved in RMT is not sufficient to realize a buildup of reflection suppression. This confirms suggestions that higher level processing is involved in PE buildup. The observed enhancement of reflection detection (RMT) may contribute to active suppression at higher processing levels

Predicting and auralizing acoustics in classrooms

Although classrooms have fairly simple geometries, this type of room is known to cause problems when trying to predict their acoustics using room acoustics computer modeling. Some typical features from a room acoustics point of view are: Parallel walls, low ceilings (the rooms are flat), uneven distribution of absorption, and most of the floor being covered with furniture which at long distances act as scattering elements, and at short distance provide strong specular components. The importance of diffraction and scattering is illustrated in numbers and by means of auralization, using ODEON 8 Beta