Orientation of propagating crack paths emanating from fretting-fatigue contact problems

[EN] In this work, the orientation and propagation of cracks in fretting fatigue problems is analyzed numerically using the finite element method (FEM) and the extended finite element method (X- FEM). The analysis is performed by means of a 2D model of a complete-contact fretting problem, consisting of two square indenters pressed onto a specimen subjected to cyclic fatigue. For the simulation, we allow for crack face contact in the implementation during the corresponding parts of the fatigue cycle. The problem is highly nonlinear and non-proportional and we make use of the so-called minimum shear stress range orientation criterion, min(Delta tau), proposed by the authors in previous works. This criterion is introduced to predict the crack path in each step of the crack growth simulation. The objective of the work is to detect which is the relevant parameter affecting the crack path orientation. A parametric study of some a priori relevant magnitudes is carried out, such as normal load on the indenters, bulk load on the specimen, stress ratio and relative stiffness of the indenter and specimen materials. Contrary to previous expectations, it is shown that the relative magnitude of the applied loads has no significant effect. However, it is found that the stiffness of the indenter material with respect to the specimen material has the greatest effect. A simple explanation of this behavior is also provided.The authors gratefully acknowledge the financial support given by the SGPI of the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (Project DPI2013-46641-R).Giner Maravilla, E.; Diaz-Alvarez, J.; Marco Esteban, M.; Miguélez, MH. (2016). Orientation of propagating crack paths emanating from fretting-fatigue contact problems. Frattura e Integrità Strutturale. Fracture and Structural Integrity. (35):417-426. https://doi.org/10.3221/IGF-ESIS.35.33S4174263

Numerical analysis for design of bioinspired ceramic modular armors for ballistic protections

[EN] The exigent requirements for personal protections in terms of energy absorption and ergonomics have led to increasing interest in bioinspired protections. This work focuses on the numerical analysis of ballistic behavior of different bioinspired geometries under impact loadings. Ceramic armors based on ganoid fish scales (the type exhibited by gars, bichirs and reedfishes), placoid fish scales (characterizing sharks and rays) and armadillo natural protection have been considered. Different impact conditions are studied, including perpendicular and oblique impacts to surface protection, different yaw angle, and multiple impacts. Main conclusion is related to the improved efficiency of modular armors against multiple shots exhibiting more localized damage and crack arrest properties. Moreover, its potential ergonomic is a promising characteristic justifying a deeper study.The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This work has been carried out within the framework of the research program Juan de la Cierva Incorporacion 2015, and research projects DPI2017-88166-R, and RTC-2015-3887-8 of FEDER program financed by the Ministerio de Economia, Industria y Competitividad of Spain. The support of the Generalitat Valenciana, Programme PROMETEO 2016/007 is also acknowledged.González Albuixech, VF.; Rodríguez-Millán, M.; Ito, T.; Loya, JA.; Miguélez, MH. (2019). Numerical analysis for design of bioinspired ceramic modular armors for ballistic protections. International Journal of Damage Mechanics. 28(6):815-837. https://doi.org/10.1177/1056789518795203S815837286Chen, I. H., Kiang, J. H., Correa, V., Lopez, M. I., Chen, P.-Y., McKittrick, J., & Meyers, M. A. (2011). Armadillo armor: Mechanical testing and micro-structural evaluation. Journal of the Mechanical Behavior of Biomedical Materials, 4(5), 713-722. doi:10.1016/j.jmbbm.2010.12.013Chintapalli, R. K., Mirkhalaf, M., Dastjerdi, A. K., & Barthelat, F. (2014). Fabrication, testing and modeling of a new flexible armor inspired from natural fish scales and osteoderms. Bioinspiration & Biomimetics, 9(3), 036005. doi:10.1088/1748-3182/9/3/036005Deka, L. J., Bartus, S. D., & Vaidya, U. K. (2009). Multi-site impact response of S2-glass/epoxy composite laminates. Composites Science and Technology, 69(6), 725-735. doi:10.1016/j.compscitech.2008.03.002Duro-Royo, J., Zolotovsky, K., Mogas-Soldevila, L., Varshney, S., Oxman, N., Boyce, M. C., & Ortiz, C. (2015). MetaMesh: A hierarchical computational model for design and fabrication of biomimetic armored surfaces. Computer-Aided Design, 60, 14-27. doi:10.1016/j.cad.2014.05.005Flores-Johnson, E. A., Shen, L., Guiamatsia, I., & Nguyen, G. D. (2014). Numerical investigation of the impact behaviour of bioinspired nacre-like aluminium composite plates. Composites Science and Technology, 96, 13-22. doi:10.1016/j.compscitech.2014.03.001Grujicic, M., Pandurangan, B., & Coutris, N. (2011). A Computational Investigation of the Multi-Hit Ballistic-Protection Performance of Laminated Transparent-armor Systems. Journal of Materials Engineering and Performance, 21(6), 837-848. doi:10.1007/s11665-011-0004-3Grunenfelder, L. K., Suksangpanya, N., Salinas, C., Milliron, G., Yaraghi, N., Herrera, S., … Kisailus, D. (2014). Bio-inspired impact-resistant composites. Acta Biomaterialia, 10(9), 3997-4008. doi:10.1016/j.actbio.2014.03.022Klasztorny, M., & Świerczewski, M. (2015). NUMERICAL MODELLING AND VALIDATION OF 12.7 MM FSP IMPACT INTO ALFC SHIELD – ARMOX 500T STEEL PLATE SYSTEM. Journal of KONES. Powertrain and Transport, 19(4), 291-299. doi:10.5604/12314005.1138463Liu, P., Zhu, D., Yao, Y., Wang, J., & Bui, T. Q. (2016). Numerical simulation of ballistic impact behavior of bio-inspired scale-like protection system. Materials & Design, 99, 201-210. doi:10.1016/j.matdes.2016.03.040Morka, A., & Nowak, J. (2015). NUMERICAL ANALYSES OF CERAMIC/METAL BALLISTIC PANELS SUBJECTED TO PROJECTILE IMPACT. Journal of KONES. Powertrain and Transport, 19(4), 465-472. doi:10.5604/12314005.1138618Pandya, K., Kumar, C. V. S., Nair, N., Patil, P., & Naik, N. (2014). Analytical and experimental studies on ballistic impact behavior of 2D woven fabric composites. International Journal of Damage Mechanics, 24(4), 471-511. doi:10.1177/1056789514531440Poniżnik, Z., Nowak, Z., & Basista, M. (2015). Numerical modeling of deformation and fracture of reinforcing fibers in ceramic–metal composites. International Journal of Damage Mechanics, 26(5), 711-734. doi:10.1177/1056789515611945Porter, M. M., Ravikumar, N., Barthelat, F., & Martini, R. (2017). 3D-printing and mechanics of bio-inspired articulated and multi-material structures. Journal of the Mechanical Behavior of Biomedical Materials, 73, 114-126. doi:10.1016/j.jmbbm.2016.12.016Reaugh, J. E., Holt, A. C., Welkins, M. L., Cunningham, B. J., Hord, B. L., & Kusubov, A. S. (1999). Impact studies of five ceramic materials and pyrex. International Journal of Impact Engineering, 23(1), 771-782. doi:10.1016/s0734-743x(99)00121-9Rostamiyan, Y., & Ferasat, A. (2016). High-speed impact and mechanical strength of ZrO2/polycarbonate nanocomposite. International Journal of Damage Mechanics, 26(7), 989-1002. doi:10.1177/1056789516644312Russell, B. P. (2014). Multi-hit ballistic damage characterisation of 304 stainless steel plates with finite elements. Materials & Design, 58, 252-264. doi:10.1016/j.matdes.2014.01.074Serjouei, A., Chi, R., Sridhar, I., & Tan, G. E. B. (2015). Empirical Ballistic Limit Velocity Model for Bi-Layer Ceramic–Metal Armor. International Journal of Protective Structures, 6(3), 509-527. doi:10.1260/2041-4196.6.3.509Shaktivesh, Nair, N., & Naik, N. (2014). Ballistic impact behavior of 2D plain weave fabric targets with multiple layers: Analytical formulation. International Journal of Damage Mechanics, 24(1), 116-150. doi:10.1177/1056789514524074Yang, W., Chen, I. H., Gludovatz, B., Zimmermann, E. A., Ritchie, R. O., & Meyers, M. A. (2012). Natural Flexible Dermal Armor. Advanced Materials, 25(1), 31-48. doi:10.1002/adma.20120271

Membership duration in a Spanish Union : a survival analysis

This article presents an analysis of the characteristics that are associated with union membership duration using data from the membership registers of the largest Spanish trade union: Comisiones Obreras (CCOO, Workers' Commissions). Making use of survival analysis techniques, the results indicate that the shortest membership durations and the highest risks of leaving are associated with workers with poor employment conditions, mainly youth and foreigners, as well as those in firms, economic sectors, and territories where the union has a rather weak presence. As workers in these situations represent the majority of both current joining and leaving rates, the article concludes that retention policies should focus on the early stages of union membership

Day-ahead allocation of operation reserve in composite power systems with large-scale centralized wind farms

This paper focuses on the day-ahead allocation of operation reserve considering wind power prediction error and network transmission constraints in a composite power system. A two-level model that solves the allocation problem is presented. The upper model allocates operation reserve among subsystems from the economic point of view. In the upper model, transmission constraints of tielines are formulated to represent limited reserve support from the neighboring system due to wind power fluctuation. The lower model evaluates the system on the reserve schedule from the reliability point of view. In the lower model, the reliability evaluation of composite power system is performed by using Monte Carlo simulation in a multi-area system. Wind power prediction errors and tieline constraints are incorporated. The reserve requirements in the upper model are iteratively adjusted by the resulting reliability indices from the lower model. Thus, the reserve allocation is gradually optimized until the system achieves the balance between reliability and economy. A modified two-area reliability test system (RTS) is analyzed to demonstrate the validity of the method.This work was supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 51277141) and National High Technology Research and Development Program of China (863 Program) (No. 2011AA05A103)

Analysis of mechanical behavior variation in the proximal femur using X-FEM (Extended Finite Element Method)

Introducción: El fémur humano ha sido ampliamente estudiado desde hace muchos años de manera experimental con análisis in vitro, y ahora, gracias a los avances de la informática, también se puede analizar de manera numérica. Algunos autores han demostrado la capacidad del método de los elementos finitos para predecir el comportamiento mecánico de este hueso, pero todavía son muchas las posibilidades recurriendo a la sinergia entre el método de los elementos finitos y ensayos experimentales. En este trabajo, por ejemplo, se estudia cómo afectan distintas simulaciones de osteoporosis a las cargas de fractura del fémur. El objetivo de este estudio es predecir la fractura de cadera, tanto la carga a la que se produce ésta como la propagación de la fisura sobre el hueso. Aplicando el método de los elementos finitos al campo de la biomecánica se puede realizar una simulación que muestre el comportamiento del hueso bajo diferentes condiciones de carga. Material y métodos: A partir de imágenes DICOM de tomografía computarizada de la extremidad proximal del fémur derecha de un varón se ha obtenido la geometría del hueso. Mediante un programa informático se han generado las propiedades mecánicas dependientes de la densidad mineral ósea de cada vóxel, y posteriormente se ha utilizado un código de elementos finitos para aplicar diferentes configuraciones de carga y estudiar los valores de fractura del hueso. El modelo numérico ha sido validado a través de un artículo de la literatura científica. Resultados: La carga de fractura en configuración de caída lateral es aproximadamente la mitad que la carga en el caso de la posición normal, lo cual concuerda con diferentes estudios experimentales presentes en la literatura científica. Además se han estudiado diferentes condiciones de carga en situaciones cotidianas, en las que se ha observado que la carga de fractura es mínima en la posición monopodal. También se han simulado condiciones de osteoporosis en las que se ha comprobado cómo desciende la carga de fractura al disminuir las propiedades mecánicas óseas. Conclusiones: Mediante el método de los elementos finitos en conjunto con una imagen médica DICOM es posible el estudio de la biomecánica de la cadera y obtener una estimación del fallo del hueso. Además se pueden aplicar diferentes configuraciones de carga y variar las propiedades mecánicas del hueso para simular el comportamiento mecánico de éste bajo condiciones osteoporóticas.Introduction: For years, the human femur has been extensively studied experimentally with in vitro analysis. Nowadays, with computer advances, it can also be analyzed numerically. Some authors report the usefulness of finite method in predicting the mechanical behavior of this bone. There are many possibilities using the synergy between the method finite element and experimental trials. In this paper, for example, we study how they affect different osteoporotic simulations involving femur fracture loads. The aim of this study is to predict hip fracture, both the load to which this occurs as the propagation of the crack in the bone. By applying the finite element method to the field of bio-mechanics, simulation can be carried out to show the behavior under different bone load conditions. Material and methods: Using DICOM images, CT scan of the proximal end of the right femur of a male has been obtained bone geometry. By a computer program they have been generated dependent mechanical properties of the BMD each voxel, and then used a finite code to apply different load configurations and study values bone fracture elements. The numerical model has been validated in the literature. Results: Load breaking in lateral fall configuration is approximately half the load in the case of the normal position, which agrees with different experimental studies published. In addition, we have studied various load conditions in everyday situations, where it was observed that the load fracture is minimal in mono-podal position. Osteoporotic conditions have also been simulated which confirmed that the load fracture has been reduced by decreasing mechanical properties. Conclusions: By using the finite element method in conjunction with DICOM medical imaging, it is possible to study the biomechanics of the hip and obtain an estimate of bone failure. In addition, different load configurations can be applied and vary the mechanical properties of bone to simulate the mechanical behavior of low osteoporotic conditions.S

Microstructure Effects on the Machinability of AM-Produced Superalloys

This paper discusses the microstructure effects on the machinability of Inconel 718 by conducting machining tests on an additively manufactured (AM) workpiece with a strongly textured grain structure and a wrought workpiece incorporating a finer and more equiaxed grain structure. The AM workpiece was produced as a thin tube using Laser Melting Powder Bed Fusion and optimal processing conditions for this alloy. A lathe was used to conduct instrumented orthogonal machining tests on the two workpiece materials under dry cut and coolant conditions using a semisynthetic emulsion coolant. The process parameters studied were feed from 0.05 to 0.15 mm/rev and cutting speed from 60 to 120 m/min with a cut time of 2 sec duration for each process condition. Measures for each process condition included cutting forces in the feed and main cut direction, and images of chip forms were obtained. The grain structures of the workpiece materials were characterized using Electron Back Scattered Diffraction (EBSD). New findings suggest that grain structures can significantly affect the machinability of the superalloy at a higher feed for all cutting speeds studied, and insights into the cause are discussed. Other important findings comment on the effectiveness of the coolant as a lubricant for reducing friction in machining

The influence of anisotropy in numerical modelling of orthogonal cutting of cortical bone

Cutting operations in bone are involved in surgical treatments in orthopaedics and traumatology. The importance of guaranteeing the absence of damage in the living workpiece is equivalent in this case to ensuring surface quality. The knowledge in this field is really far from the expertise in industrial cutting of mechanical components. Modeling of bone cutting is a challenge strongly dependent on the accurate modeling of mechanical behaviour of the bone. This paper focuses on modeling of orthogonal cutting of cortical bone. The intrinsic anisotropic nature of the cortical bone that makes it comparable to a composite material is taken into account. The influence of anisotropy is analysed comparing this behaviour with an isotropic approach. It is shown that both chip morphology and temperature are affected by the anisotropy of the cortical bone that acts as a workpiece.The authors acknowledge the financial support for the work to the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness of Spain under the Project DPI2011-25999 and DPI2013-46643-R.Santiuste, C.; Rodríguez Millán, M.; Giner Maravilla, E.; Miguélez, H. (2014). The influence of anisotropy in numerical modelling of orthogonal cutting of cortical bone. Composite Structures. 116:423-431. doi:10.1016/j.compstruct.2014.05.031S42343111