Application of a hybrid parallelization technique to accelerate the numerical simulation of nonlinear mechanical problems

This paper presents the combination of two different parallelization environments, OpenMP and MPI, in one numerical simulation tool. The computation of the system matrices and vectors is parallelized with OpenMP and the solution of the system of equations is done with the MPIbased solver MUMPS. The efficiency of both algorithms is shown on several linear and nonlinear examples using the Finite Element Method and a meshless discretization technique

A geometrical inclusion-matrix model for the finite element analysis of concrete at multiple scales

This paper introduces a method to generate adequate inclusion-matrix geometries of concrete in two and three dimensions, which are independent of any specific numerical discretization. The article starts with an analysis on shapes of natural aggregates and discusses corresponding mathematical realizations. As a first prototype a two-dimensional generation of a mesoscale model is introduced. Particle size distribution functions are analysed and prepared for simulating an adequate three-dimensional representation of the aggregates within a concrete structure. A sample geometry of a three-dimensional test cube is generated and the finite element analysis of its heterogeneous geometry by a uniform mesh is presented. Concluding, aspects of a multiscale analysis are discussed and possible enhancements are proposed

Adaptive heterogeneous multiscale models for the nonlinear simulation of concrete

The nonlinear behavior of concrete can be attributed to the propagation of microcracks within the heterogeneous internal material structure. In this thesis, a mesoscale model is developed which allows for the explicit simulation of these microcracks. Consequently, the actual physical phenomena causing the complex nonlinear macroscopic behavior of concrete can be represented using rather simple material formulations. On the mesoscale, the numerical model explicitly resolves the components of the internal material structure. For concrete, a three-phase model consisting of aggregates, mortar matrix and interfacial transition zone is proposed. Based on prescribed grading curves, an efficient algorithm for the generation of three-dimensional aggregate distributions using ellipsoids is presented. In the numerical model, tensile failure of the mortar matrix is described using a continuum damage approach. In order to reduce spurious mesh sensitivities, introduced by the softening behavior of the matrix material, nonlocal integral-type material formulations are applied. The propagation of cracks at the interface between aggregates and mortar matrix is represented in a discrete way using a cohesive crack approach. The iterative solution procedure is stabilized using a new path following constraint within the framework of load-displacement-constraint methods which allows for an efficient representation of snap-back phenomena. In several examples, the influence of the randomly generated heterogeneous material structure on the stochastic scatter of the results is analyzed. Furthermore, the ability of mesoscale models to represent size effects is investigated. Mesoscale simulations require the discretization of the internal material structure. Compared to simulations on the macroscale, the numerical effort and the memory demand increases dramatically. Due to the complexity of the numerical model, mesoscale simulations are, in general, limited to small specimens. In this thesis, an adaptive heterogeneous multiscale approach is presented which allows for the incorporation of mesoscale models within nonlinear simulations of concrete structures. In heterogeneous multiscale models, only critical regions, i.e. regions in which damage develops, are resolved on the mesoscale, whereas undamaged or sparsely damage regions are modeled on the macroscale. A crucial point in simulations with heterogeneous multiscale models is the coupling of sub-domains discretized on different length scales. The sub-domains differ not only in the size of the finite elements but also in the constitutive description. In this thesis, different methods for the coupling of non-matching discretizations - constraint equations, the mortar method and the arlequin method - are investigated and the application to heterogeneous multiscale models is presented. Another important point is the detection of critical regions. An adaptive solution procedure allowing the transfer of macroscale sub-domains to the mesoscale is proposed. In this context, several indicators which trigger the model adaptation are introduced. Finally, the application of the proposed adaptive heterogeneous multiscale approach in nonlinear simulations of concrete structures is presented.Das nichtlineare Materialverhalten von Beton ist durch die Entwicklung von Mikrorissen innerhalb der heterogenen Materialstruktur gekennzeichnet. In dieser Arbeit wird ein Mesoskalenmodell entwickelt, welches die einzelnen Bestandteile der Materialstruktur explizit auflöst und somit die Simulation dieser Mikrorisse erlaubt. Dadurch können die wirklichen physikalischen Vorgänge, welche das komplexe nichtlineare Verhalten von Beton verursachen, durch relativ einfache Materialformulierungen abgebildet werden. Für Beton wird auf der Mesoskala ein 3-Phasenmodell vorgeschlagen, bestehend aus groben Zuschlägen, Mörtelmatrix und Übergangszone zwischen Zuschlag und Matrix. In diesem Zusammenhang wird ein effizienter Algorithmus vorgestellt, welcher ausgehend von einer gegebenen Sieblinie dreidimensionale Kornstrukturen mittels Ellipsoiden simuliert. Im Mesoskalenmodell wird das Zugversagen der Mörtelmatrix durch einen Kontinuumsansatz beschrieben. Um Netzabhängigkeiten, welche durch das Entfestigungsverhalten des Materials hervorgerufen werden, zu reduzieren, kommen nichtlokale Materialformulierungen zum Einsatz. Risse innerhalb der Übergangszone zwischen Zuschlag und Matrix werden, basierend auf einem kohäsiven Modell, mittels eines diskreten Rissansatzes abgebildet. Die Verwendung einer neuen Nebenbedingung innerhalb der Last-Verschiebungs-Zwangsmethode führt zu einer Stabilisierung des iterativen Lösungverfahrens, so dass eine effiziente Simulation von Snap-back Phänomenen möglich wird. Anhand von Beispielen wird gezeigt, dass Mesoskalenmodelle die stochastische Streuung von Ergebnissen und Maßstabseffekte abbilden können. Da auf der Mesoskala die Diskretisierung der inneren Materialstruktur erforderlich ist, steigt im Vergleich zu Simulationen auf der Makroskala der numerische Aufwand erheblich. Aufgrund der Komplexität des numerischen Modells sind Mesoskalensimulationen in der Regel auf kleine Probekörper beschränkt. In dieser Arbeit wird ein adaptiver heterogener Mehrskalenansatz vorgestellt, welcher die Verwendung von Mesoskalenmodellen in nichtlinearen Simulationen von Betonstrukturen erlaubt. In heterogenen Mehrskalenmodellen werden nur kritische Bereiche auf der Mesoskala aufgelöst, während ungeschädigte Bereiche auf der Makroskala abgebildet werden. Ein wichtiger Aspekt in Simulationen mit heterogenen Mehrskalenmodellen ist die Kopplung der auf unterschiedlichen Längenskalen diskretisierten Teilgebiete. Diese unterscheiden sich nicht nur in der Größe der finiten Elemente sondern auch in der Beschreibung des Materials. Verschiedene Methoden zur Kopplung nicht übereinstimmender Vernetzungen - Kopplungsgleichungen, die Mortar-Methode und die Arlequin-Methode - werden untersucht und ihre Anwendung in heterogenen Mehrskalenmodellen wird gezeigt. Ein weiterer wichtiger Aspekt ist die Bestimmung kritischer Regionen. Eine adaptive Lösungsstrategie wird entwickelt, welche die Umwandlung von Makroskalengebieten auf die Mesoskala erlaubt. In diesem Zusammenhang werden Indikatoren vorgestellt, die eine Modellanpassung auslösen. Anhand nichtlinearer Simulationen von Betonstrukturen wird die Anwendung des vorgestellten adaptiven heterogenen Mehrskalenansatzes demonstriert

ADAPTIVE SIMULATION OF THE DAMAGE BEHAVIOR OF CONCRETE USING HETEROGENEOUS MULTISCALE MODELS

In this paper an adaptive heterogeneous multiscale model, which couples two substructures with different length scales into one numerical model is introduced for the simulation of damage in concrete. In the presented approach the initiation, propagation and coalescence of microcracks is simulated using a mesoscale model, which explicitly represents the heterogeneous material structure of concrete. The mesoscale model is restricted to the damaged parts of the structure, whereas the undamaged regions are simulated on the macroscale. As a result an adaptive enlargement of the mesoscale model during the simulation is necessary. In the first part of the paper the generation of the heterogeneous mesoscopic structure of concrete, the finite element discretization of the mesoscale model, the applied isotropic damage model and the cohesive zone model are briefly introduced. Furthermore the mesoscale simulation of a uniaxial tension test of a concrete prism is presented and own obtained numerical results are compared to experimental results. The second part is focused on the adaptive heterogeneous multiscale approach. Indicators for the model adaptation and for the coupling between the different numerical models will be introduced. The transfer from the macroscale to the mesoscale and the adaptive enlargement of the mesoscale substructure will be presented in detail. A nonlinear simulation of a realistic structure using an adaptive heterogeneous multiscale model is presented at the end of the paper to show the applicability of the proposed approach to large-scale structures

ENERGY RELEASE CONTROL FOR NONLINEAR MESOSCALE SIMULATIONS

In nonlinear simulations the loading is, in general, applied in an incremental way. Path-following algorithms are used to trace the equilibrium path during the failure process. Standard displacement controlled solution strategies fail if snap-back phenomena occur. In this contribution, a path-following algorithm based on the dissipation of the inelastic energy is presented which allows for the simulation of snap-backs. Since the constraint is defined in terms of the internal energy, the algorithm is not restricted to continuum damage models. Furthermore, no a priori knowledge about the final damage distribution is required. The performance of the proposed algorithm is illustrated using nonlinear mesoscale simulations

Seasonality in extra-pulmonary tuberculosis notifications in Germany 2004-2014- a time series analysis

Background Seasonality in tuberculosis (TB) has been found in different parts of the world, showing a peak in spring/summer and a trough in autumn/winter. The evidence is less clear which factors drive seasonality. It was our aim to identify and evaluate seasonality in the notifications of TB in Germany, additionally investigating the possible variance of seasonality by disease site, sex and age group. Methods We conducted an integer-valued time series analysis using national surveillance data. We analysed the reported monthly numbers of started treatments between 2004 and 2014 for all notified TB cases and stratified by disease site, sex and age group. Results We detected seasonality in the extra-pulmonary TB cases (N = 11,219), with peaks in late spring/summer and troughs in fall/winter. For all TB notifications together (N = 51,090) and for pulmonary TB only (N = 39,714) we did not find a distinct seasonality. Additional stratified analyses did not reveal any clear differences between age groups, the sexes, or between active and passive case finding. Conclusion We found seasonality in extra-pulmonary TB only, indicating that seasonality of disease onset might be specific to the disease site. This could point towards differences in disease progression between the different clinical disease manifestations. Sex appears not to be an important driver of seasonality, whereas the role of age remains unclear as this could not be sufficiently investigated.Peer Reviewe

AN IMPROVED COHESIVE CRACK MODEL FOR COMBINED CRACK OPENING AND SLIDING UNDER CYCLIC LOADING

The modeling of crack propagation in plain and reinforced concrete structures is still a field for many researchers. If a macroscopic description of the cohesive cracking process of concrete is applied, generally the Fictitious Crack Model is utilized, where a force transmission over micro cracks is assumed. In the most applications of this concept the cohesive model represents the relation between the normal crack opening and the normal stress, which is mostly defined as an exponential softening function, independently from the shear stresses in tangential direction. The cohesive forces are then calculated only from the normal stresses. By Carol et al. 1997 an improved model was developed using a coupled relation between the normal and shear damage based on an elasto-plastic constitutive formulation. This model is based on a hyperbolic yield surface depending on the normal and the shear stresses and on the tensile and shear strength. This model also represents the effect of shear traction induced crack opening. Due to the elasto-plastic formulation, where the inelastic crack opening is represented by plastic strains, this model is limited for applications with monotonic loading. In order to enable the application for cases with un- and reloading the existing model is extended in this study using a combined plastic-damage formulation, which enables the modeling of crack opening and crack closure. Furthermore the corresponding algorithmic implementation using a return mapping approach is presented and the model is verified by means of several numerical examples. Finally an investigation concerning the identification of the model parameters by means of neural networks is presented. In this analysis an inverse approximation of the model parameters is performed by using a given set of points of the load displacement curves as input values and the model parameters as output terms. It will be shown, that the elasto-plastic model parameters could be identified well with this approach, but require a huge number of simulations

V Jornadas de Archivo y Memoria

Sección: Noticias. Noticias externasLos días 17 y 18 de febrero de 2011 se celebraron en el Centro de Ciencias Humanas y Sociales las V Jornadas de Archivo y Memoria organizadas por la Fundación de los Ferrocarriles Españoles, el Instituto de Lengua, Literatura y Antropología y la Biblioteca Tomás Navarro Tomás del CSIC con el título: Extraordinarios y fuera de serie: formación, conservación y gestión de archivos personales. La conferencia inaugural corrió a cargo del escritor y periodista Jorge Martínez Reverte y la de clausura fue pronunciada por el filósofo Manuel CruzN

Análise de timol em cera de abelha por micro-extracção em fase sólida (SPME)

A aplicação contínua de acaricídas lipofílicos sintéticos no tratamento das abelhas conduz a uma acumulação que depende da frequência, lipofilicidade e quantidade de princípio activo utilizada. Este efeito é mais acentuado na cera de abelha que no mel, no entanto, e porque a persistência destes resíduos é elevada, provoca o aparecimento de resistências e a perda do seu efeito acaricida.[1] Esta razão levou à pesquisa de outros compostos alternativos não tóxicos e não persistentes, com efeito sobre o ácaro das abelhas, Varroa Jacobsoni. Entre estes compostos encontra-se o timol, um composto fenólico, volátil, presente no tomilho. Dos diversos componentes dos óleos essenciais este é sem dúvida o que demonstrou maior efeito acaricida, utilizando-se no tratamento das abelhas directamente ou como componente de diversas formulações.[2] Em Portugal, foi introduzido muito recentemente sob a forma comercial de APIGUARD: um gel, à base de timol, que controla termicamente a libertação do princípio activo. O controlo dos resíduos de timol na cera de abelha e no mel é assim um desafio actual quer do ponto de vista sanitário quer de qualidade alimentar. A micro-extracção em fase sólida (SPME) é uma técnica de preparação de amostras que se baseia na sorção de analítos no revestimento de uma fibra de sílica fundida e posterior desorção térmica no injector de um cromatógrafo em fase gasosa (GC). Para além de combinar num único processo etapas de extracção, purificação e concentração dos analitos, a técnica de SPME apresenta uma série de vantagens relativamente às técnicas de extracção convencionais, como a extracção líquido-líquido e extracção em fase sólida, nomeadamente a sua relativa simplicidade e rapidez, reduzido custo e não utilização de solventes para a extracção de analitos, para além de permitir a extracção por imersão directa na amostra gasosa ou líquida e extracção por amostragem do espaço-de-cabeça da amostra líquida ou sólida.[3] Ao contrário das técnicas tradicionais, que permitem uma extracção quantitativa dos analitos, a técnica de SPME baseia-se num equilíbrio de partição do analito. Esta particularidade torna a técnica de SPME bastante sensível a parâmetros experimentais que possam afectar os coeficientes de partição dos analitos e, consequentemente, a sensibilidade e reprodutibilidade dos resultados.[4] O objectivo deste trabalho é o desenvolvimento de uma metodologia para a análise de timol em ceras contaminadas, utilizando como padrão interno a benzofenona. Em primeiro lugar, procedeu-se à optimização da técnica através da determinação da quantidade de cera, temperatura de análise e período de contacto da fibra com o espaço-de-cabeça da amostra mais adequados para o caso em estudo. Numa segunda fase, procedeu-se à análise de diversas lâminas de cera contaminadas propositadamente com timol e sujeitas a diferentes condições de armazenamento: em frio, ao ar e em estufa. Finalmente, procedeu-se à construção da curva de calibração e quantificação do timol presente nas diversas amostras de cera analisadas. Considerando-se os resultados, para os níveis de contaminação avaliados, as condições analíticas mais adequadas ocorrem com a utilização de 1 g de cera, mantendo-se a fibra em contacto com o espaço-de-cabeça durante 40 minutos a uma temperatura de 60 ºC. Nestas condições experimentais foi possível obter uma boa correlação linear (r2=0,990) no intervalo de concentrações [3,5-14 mg/g]. A quantidade de timol encontrada nas amostras é significativamente inferior à colocada durante o processo de fabrico das lâminas, pelo que o processo de conservação não é o mais adequado, sendo evidente uma menor quantidade de timol quando a lâmina de cera é colocada na estufa