114 research outputs found
Novel Approaches for Structural Health Monitoring
The thirty-plus years of progress in the field of structural health monitoring (SHM) have left a paramount impact on our everyday lives. Be it for the monitoring of fixed- and rotary-wing aircrafts, for the preservation of the cultural and architectural heritage, or for the predictive maintenance of long-span bridges or wind farms, SHM has shaped the framework of many engineering fields. Given the current state of quantitative and principled methodologies, it is nowadays possible to rapidly and consistently evaluate the structural safety of industrial machines, modern concrete buildings, historical masonry complexes, etc., to test their capability and to serve their intended purpose. However, old unsolved problematics as well as new challenges exist. Furthermore, unprecedented conditions, such as stricter safety requirements and ageing civil infrastructure, pose new challenges for confrontation. Therefore, this Special Issue gathers the main contributions of academics and practitioners in civil, aerospace, and mechanical engineering to provide a common ground for structural health monitoring in dealing with old and new aspects of this ever-growing research field
SOLID-SHELL FINITE ELEMENT MODELS FOR EXPLICIT SIMULATIONS OF CRACK PROPAGATION IN THIN STRUCTURES
Crack propagation in thin shell structures due to cutting is conveniently simulated
using explicit finite element approaches, in view of the high nonlinearity of the problem. Solidshell
elements are usually preferred for the discretization in the presence of complex material
behavior and degradation phenomena such as delamination, since they allow for a correct
representation of the thickness geometry. However, in solid-shell elements the small thickness
leads to a very high maximum eigenfrequency, which imply very small stable time-steps. A new
selective mass scaling technique is proposed to increase the time-step size without affecting
accuracy. New ”directional” cohesive interface elements are used in conjunction with selective
mass scaling to account for the interaction with a sharp blade in cutting processes of thin ductile
shells
Engineering for a changing world: 60th Ilmenau Scientific Colloquium, Technische Universität Ilmenau, September 04-08, 2023 : programme
In 2023, the Ilmenau Scientific Colloquium is once more organised by the Department of Mechanical Engineering. The title of this year’s conference “Engineering for a Changing World” refers to limited natural resources of our planet, to massive changes in cooperation between continents, countries, institutions and people – enabled by the increased implementation of information technology as the probably most dominant driver in many fields. The Colloquium, supplemented by workshops, is characterised but not limited to the following topics: – Precision engineering and measurement technology Nanofabrication – Industry 4.0 and digitalisation in mechanical engineering – Mechatronics, biomechatronics and mechanism technology – Systems engineering – Productive teaming - Human-machine collaboration in the production environment The topics are oriented on key strategic aspects of research and teaching in Mechanical Engineering at our university
A new mixed model based on the enhanced-Refined Zigzag Theory for the analysis of thick multilayered composite plates
The Refined Zigzag Theory (RZT) has been widely used in the numerical analysis of multilayered
and sandwich plates in the last decay. It has been demonstrated its high accuracy in predicting global quantities, such as maximum displacement, frequencies and buckling loads, and local quantities such
as through-the-thickness distribution of displacements and in-plane stresses [1,2]. Moreover, the C0
continuity conditions make this theory appealing to finite element formulations [3]. The standard RZT,
due to the derivation of the zigzag functions, cannot be used to investigate the structural behaviour
of angle-ply laminated plates. This drawback has been recently solved by introducing a new set of
generalized zigzag functions that allow the coupling effect between the local contribution of the zigzag
displacements [4]. The newly developed theory has been named enhanced Refined Zigzag Theory (en-
RZT) and has been demonstrated to be very accurate in the prediction of displacements, frequencies,
buckling loads and stresses. The predictive capabilities of standard RZT for transverse shear stress
distributions can be improved using the Reissner’s Mixed Variational Theorem (RMVT). In the mixed
RZT, named RZT(m) [5], the assumed transverse shear stresses are derived from the integration of local
three-dimensional equilibrium equations. Following the variational statement described by Auricchio
and Sacco [6], the purpose of this work is to implement a mixed variational formulation for the en-RZT,
in order to improve the accuracy of the predicted transverse stress distributions. The assumed kinematic
field is cubic for the in-plane displacements and parabolic for the transverse one. Using an appropriate
procedure enforcing the transverse shear stresses null on both the top and bottom surface, a new set
of enhanced piecewise cubic zigzag functions are obtained. The transverse normal stress is assumed as
a smeared cubic function along the laminate thickness. The assumed transverse shear stresses profile
is derived from the integration of local three-dimensional equilibrium equations. The variational functional
is the sum of three contributions: (1) one related to the membrane-bending deformation with a
full displacement formulation, (2) the Hellinger-Reissner functional for the transverse normal and shear
terms and (3) a penalty functional adopted to enforce the compatibility between the strains coming
from the displacement field and new “strain” independent variables. The entire formulation is developed
and the governing equations are derived for cases with existing analytical solutions. Finally, to assess
the proposed model’s predictive capabilities, results are compared with an exact three-dimensional solution,
when available, or high-fidelity finite elements 3D models. References: [1] Tessler A, Di Sciuva
M, Gherlone M. Refined Zigzag Theory for Laminated Composite and Sandwich Plates. NASA/TP-
2009-215561 2009:1–53. [2] Iurlaro L, Gherlone M, Di Sciuva M, Tessler A. Assessment of the Refined
Zigzag Theory for bending, vibration, and buckling of sandwich plates: a comparative study of different
theories. Composite Structures 2013;106:777–92. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compstruct.2013.07.019.
[3] Di Sciuva M, Gherlone M, Iurlaro L, Tessler A. A class of higher-order C0 composite and sandwich
beam elements based on the Refined Zigzag Theory. Composite Structures 2015;132:784–803.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compstruct.2015.06.071. [4] Sorrenti M, Di Sciuva M. An enhancement
of the warping shear functions of Refined Zigzag Theory. Journal of Applied Mechanics 2021;88:7.
https://doi.org/10.1115/1.4050908. [5] Iurlaro L, Gherlone M, Di Sciuva M, Tessler A. A Multi-scale
Refined Zigzag Theory for Multilayered Composite and Sandwich Plates with Improved Transverse Shear
Stresses, Ibiza, Spain: 2013. [6] Auricchio F, Sacco E. Refined First-Order Shear Deformation Theory
Models for Composite Laminates. J Appl Mech 2003;70:381–90. https://doi.org/10.1115/1.1572901
Advanced Composites
Engineering practice has revealed that innovative technologies’ structural applications require new design concepts related to developing materials with mechanical properties tailored for construction purposes. This would allow the efficient use of engineering materials. The efficiency can be understood in a simplified and heuristic manner as the optimization of performance and the proper combination of structural components, leading to the consumption of the least amount of natural resources. The solution to the eco-optimization problem, based on the adequate characterization of the materials, will enable implementing environmentally friendly engineering principles when the efficient use of advanced materials guarantees the required structural safety. Identifying fundamental relationships between the structure of advanced composites and their physical properties is the focus of this book. The collected articles explore the development of sustainable composites with valorized manufacturability corresponding to Industrial Revolution 4.0 ideology. The publications, amongst others, reveal that the application of nano-particles improves the mechanical performance of composite materials; heat-resistant aluminium composites ensure the safety of overhead power transmission lines; chemical additives can detect the impact of temperature on concrete structures. This book demonstrates that construction materials’ choice has considerable room for improvement from a scientific viewpoint, following heuristic approaches
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