186 research outputs found

    Nonlinear analysis of composite shells with application to glass structures

    Get PDF
    Laminated glass is a special composite material, which is characterised by an alternating stiff/soft lay-up owing to the significant stiffness mismatch between glass and PVB. This work is motivated by the need for an efficient and accurate nonlinear model for the analysis of laminated glass structures, which describes well the through-thickness variation of displacement fields and the transverse shear strains and enables large displacement analysis. An efficient lamination model is proposed for the analysis of laminated composites with an alternating stiff/soft lay-up, where the zigzag variation of planar displacements is taken into account by adding to the Reissner-Mindlin formulation a specific set of zigzag functions. Furthermore, a piecewise linear through-thickness distribution of the material transverse shear strain is assumed, which agrees well with the real distribution, yet it avoids layer coupling by not imposing continuity constraints on transverse shear stresses. Local formulations of curved multi-layer shell elements are established employing the proposed lamination model, which are framed within local co-rotational systems to allow large displacement analysis for small-strain problems. In order to eliminate the locking phenomenon for the shell elements, an assumed strain method is employed and improved, which readily addresses shear locking, membrane locking, and distortion locking for each constitutive layer. Furthermore, a local shell system is proposed for the direct definition of the additional zigzag displacement fields and associated parameters, which allows the additional displacement variables to be coupled directly between adjacent elements without being subject to the large displacement co-rotational transformations. The developed multi-layer shell elements are employed in this work for typical laminated glass problems, including double glazing systems for which a novel volume-pressure control algorithm is proposed. Several case studies are finally presented to illustrate the effectiveness and efficiency of the proposed modelling approach for the nonlinear analysis of glass structures.Open Acces

    On the modelling of ultrasonic testing using boundary integral equation methods

    Get PDF
    Ultrasonic nondestructive testing has important applications in, for example, the nuclear power and aerospace industries, where it is used to inspect safety-critical parts for flaws. For safe and reliable testing, mathematical models of the ultrasonic measurement systems are invaluable tools. In this thesis such measurement models are developed for the ultrasonic testing for defects located near non-planar surfaces. The applications in mind are the testing of nuclear power plant components such as thick-walled pipes with diameter transitions, pipe connections, etc. The models use solution methods based on frequency domain boundary integral equation methods, with a focus on analytical approaches for the defects and regularized boundary element methods for the non-planar surfaces. A major benefit of the solution methods is the ability to provide accurate results both for low, intermediate and high frequencies. The solution methods are incorporated into a framework of transmitting probe models based on prescribing the traction underneath the probe and receiving probe models based on electromechanical reciprocity. Time traces are obtained by applying inverse temporal Fourier transforms, and it is also shown how calibration and effects of material damping can be included in the models

    Seismic Performance of Steel Helical Piles

    Get PDF
    Recent earthquakes have highlighted the need for safe and efficient construction of earthquake resilient structures. Meanwhile, helical piles are gaining popularity as a foundation for new structures and retrofitting solution for existing deficient foundations due to their immense advantages over conventional driven pile alternatives. In addition, helical pile foundations performed well in recent earthquakes, proving they can be a suitable foundation option in seismic regions. The objective of this thesis is to evaluate the seismic performance of helical piles by conducting full-scale shaking table tests and nonlinear three-dimensional numerical modeling using the computer program ABAQUS/Standard. The experimental setup involved installing ten steel piles with different configurations and pile head masses in dry sand enclosed in a laminar shear box mounted on the NEES/UCSD Large High Performance Outdoor Shake Table. The loading scheme consisted of white noise and two earthquake time histories with varying intensity and frequency content. The performance of different moment curve fitting techniques used for reduction of shake table experimental data are compared. The experimental results are presented in terms of natural frequency and response of the test piles. The effects of the loading intensity and frequency and the pile’s geometrical configuration and installation method were evaluated. The dynamic numerical model constructed accounted properly for the test boundary conditions, employing tied vertical boundaries. In addition, the nonlinear behavior of the soil during the strong ground motion was simulated by considering a strain-dependent shear modulus and applying Masing’s loading-unloading rules by the overlay method to account for the soil non linearity more realistically. The numerical model was verified employing the full-scale experimental results, then was used to conduct a limited parametric study that investigated the effect of pile stiffness and the location of helix on its lateral response. The experimental results show that the natural frequency of the driven pile was slightly higher than that of the helical piles. However, the response of the helical pile was close to that of the driven pile, which illustrates the ability of helical piles to perform as good as conventional piles under seismic loading

    Studies on Spinal Fusion from Computational Modelling to ‘Smart’ Implants

    Full text link
    Low back pain, the worldwide leading cause of disability, is commonly treated with lumbar interbody fusion surgery to address degeneration, instability, deformity, and trauma of the spine. Following fusion surgery, nearly 20% experience complications requiring reoperation while 1 in 3 do not experience a meaningful improvement in pain. Implant subsidence and pseudarthrosis in particular present a multifaceted challenge in the management of a patient’s painful symptoms. Given the diversity of fusion approaches, materials, and instrumentation, further inputs are required across the treatment spectrum to prevent and manage complications. This thesis comprises biomechanical studies on lumbar spinal fusion that provide new insights into spinal fusion surgery from preoperative planning to postoperative monitoring. A computational model, using the finite element method, is developed to quantify the biomechanical impact of temporal ossification on the spine, examining how the fusion mass stiffness affects loads on the implant and subsequent subsidence risk, while bony growth into the endplates affects load-distribution among the surrounding spinal structures. The computational modelling approach is extended to provide biomechanical inputs to surgical decisions regarding posterior fixation. Where a patient is not clinically pre-disposed to subsidence or pseudarthrosis, the results suggest unilateral fixation is a more economical choice than bilateral fixation to stabilise the joint. While finite element modelling can inform pre-surgical planning, effective postoperative monitoring currently remains a clinical challenge. Periodic radiological follow-up to assess bony fusion is subjective and unreliable. This thesis describes the development of a ‘smart’ interbody cage capable of taking direct measurements from the implant for monitoring fusion progression and complication risk. Biomechanical testing of the ‘smart’ implant demonstrated its ability to distinguish between graft and endplate stiffness states. The device is prepared for wireless actualisation by investigating sensor optimisation and telemetry. The results show that near-field communication is a feasible approach for wireless power and data transfer in this setting, notwithstanding further architectural optimisation required, while a combination of strain and pressure sensors will be more mechanically and clinically informative. Further work in computational modelling of the spine and ‘smart’ implants will enable personalised healthcare for low back pain, and the results presented in this thesis are a step in this direction

    Smart passive adaptive control of laminated composite plates (through optimisation of fibre orientation)

    Get PDF
    In the classical laminate plate theory for composite materials, it is assumed that the laminate is thin compared to its lateral dimensions and straight lines normal to the middle surface remain straight and normal to the surface after deformation. As a result, the induced twist which is due to the transverse shear stresses and strains are neglected. Also, this induced twist was considered as an unwanted displacement and hence was ignored. However, in certain cases this induced twist would not be redundant and can be a useful displacement to control the behaviour of the composite structure passively. In order to use this induced twist, there is a need for a modified model to predict the behaviour of laminated composites. A composite normally consists of two materials; matrix and fibres. Fibres can be embedded in different orientations in composite lay-ups. In this research, laminated composite models subject to transfer shear effect are studied. A semi analytical model based on Newton-Kantorovich-Quadrature Method is proposed. The presented model can estimate the induced twist displacement accurately. Unlike other semi analytical model, the new model is able to solve out of plane loads as well as in plane loads. It is important to mention that the constitutive equations of the composite materials (and as a result the induced twist) are determined by the orientation of fibres in laminae. The orientation of composite fibres can be optimised for specific load cases, such as longitudinal and in-plane loading. However, the methodologies utilised in these studies cannot be used for general analysis such as out of plane loading problems. This research presents a model whereby the thickness of laminated composite plates is minimised (for a desirable twist angle) by optimising the fibre orientations for different load cases. In the proposed model, the effect of transverse shear is considered. Simulated annealing (SA), which is a type of stochastic optimisation method, is used to search for the optimal design. This optimisation algorithm is not based on the starting point and it can escape from the local optimum points. In accordance with the annealing process where temperature decreases gradually, this algorithm converges to the global minimum. In this research, the Tsai-Wu failure criterion for composite laminate is chosen which is operationally simple and readily amenable to computational procedures. In addition, this criterion shows the difference between tensile and compressive strengths, through its linear terms. The numerical results are obtained and compared to the experimental data to validate the methodology. It is shown that there is a good agreement between finite element and experimental results. Also, results of the proposed simulated annealing optimisation model are compared to the outcomes from previous research with specific loading where the validity of the model is investigated

    Three-dimensional and Two-dimensional Modelling of Springback in the Single-pass Conventional Metal Spinning of Cones

    Get PDF
    Parts for industrial and domestic use have been formed by means of the metal spinning process as far back as the ancient Egyptians. Research into the field was initially concentrated on experimental and theoretical studies. The development of numerical methods alongside the increasing capabilities of modern computing brought about numerical investigations into the process. This thesis presents a three-dimensional numerical model developed using the finite element method. In addition, a formability parameter is proposed and a formability surface linking the round off radius, rotational speed and half cone angle of the mandrel is presented. This thesis also presents the first numerical parametric study into springback using a three-dimensional finite element model

    Dynamic characterization of 3D printed lightweight structures

    Get PDF
    This paper presents the free vibration analysis of 3D printed sandwich beams by using high-order theories based on the Carrera Unified Formulation (CUF). In particular, the component-wise (CW) approach is adopted to achieve a high fidelity model of the printed part. The present model has been used to build an accurate database for collecting first natural frequency of the beams, then predicting Young's modulus based on an inverse problem formulation. The database is built from a set of randomly generated material properties of various values of modulus of elasticity. The inverse problem then allows finding the elastic modulus of the input parameters starting from the information on the required set of the output achieved experimentally. The natural frequencies evaluated during the experimental test acquired using a Digital Image Correlation method have been compared with the results obtained by the means of CUF-CW model. The results obtained from the free-vibration analysis of the FDM beams, performed by higher-order one-dimensional models contained in CUF, are compared with ABAQUS results both first five natural frequency and degree of freedoms. The results have shown that the proposed 1D approach can provide 3D accuracy, in terms of free vibration analysis of FDM printed sandwich beams with a significant reduction in the computational costs
    • …
    corecore