Development and experimental validation of a finite element model of total ankle replacement.

Total ankle replacement remains a less satisfactory solution compared to other joint replacements. The goal of this study was to develop and validate a finite element model of total ankle replacement, for future testing of hypotheses related to clinical issues. To validate the finite element model, an experimental setup was specifically developed and applied on 8 cadaveric tibias. A non-cemented press fit tibial component of a mobile bearing prosthesis was inserted into the tibias. Two extreme anterior and posterior positions of the mobile bearing insert were considered, as well as a centered one. An axial force of 2kN was applied for each insert position. Strains were measured on the bone surface using digital image correlation. Tibias were CT scanned before implantation, after implantation, and after mechanical tests and removal of the prosthesis. The finite element model replicated the experimental setup. The first CT was used to build the geometry and evaluate the mechanical properties of the tibias. The second CT was used to set the implant position. The third CT was used to assess the bone-implant interface conditions. The coefficient of determination (R-squared) between the measured and predicted strains was 0.91. Predicted bone strains were maximal around the implant keel, especially at the anterior and posterior ends. The finite element model presented here is validated for future tests using more physiological loading conditions.

An analytical approach to sorting in periodic and random potentials

There has been a recent revolution in the ability to manipulate micrometer-sized objects on surfaces patterned by traps or obstacles of controllable configurations and shapes. One application of this technology is to separate particles driven across such a surface by an external force according to some particle characteristic such as size or index of refraction. The surface features cause the trajectories of particles driven across the surface to deviate from the direction of the force by an amount that depends on the particular characteristic, thus leading to sorting. While models of this behavior have provided a good understanding of these observations, the solutions have so far been primarily numerical. In this paper we provide analytic predictions for the dependence of the angle between the direction of motion and the external force on a number of model parameters for periodic as well as random surfaces. We test these predictions against exact numerical simulations.

Nonlinear Finite Element Study of Piles in Integral Abutment Bridges, HR-227, Part 2, 1982

The highway departments of the states which use integral abutments in bridge design were contacted in order to study the extent of integral abutment use in skewed bridges and to survey the different guidelines used for analysis and design of integral abutments in skewed bridges. The variation in design assumptions and pile orientations among the various states in their approach to the use of integral abutments on skewed bridges is discussed. The problems associated with the treatment of the approach slab, backfill, and pile cap, and the reason for using different pile orientations are summarized in the report. An algorithm based on a state-of-the-art nonlinear finite element procedure previously developed by the authors was modified and used to study the influence of different factors on behavior of piles in integral abutment bridges. An idealized integral abutment was introduced by assuming that the pile is rigidly cast into the pile cap and that the approach slab offers no resistance to lateral thermal expansion. Passive soil and shear resistance of the cap are neglected in design. A 40-foot H pile (HP 10 X 42) in six typical Iowa soils was analyzed for fully restrained pile head and pinned pile head. According to numerical results, the maximum safe length for fully restrained pile head is one-half the maximum safe length for pinned pile head. If the pile head is partially restrained, the maximum safe length will lie between the two limits. The numerical results from an investigation of the effect of predrilled oversized holes indicate that if the length of the predrilled oversized hole is at least 4 feet below the ground, the vertical load-carrying capacity of the H pile is only reduced by 10 percent for 4 inches of lateral displacement in very stiff clay. With no predrilled oversized hole, the pile failed before the 4-inch lateral displacement was reached. Thus, the maximum safe lengths for integral abutment bridges may be increased by predrilling. Four different typical Iowa layered soils were selected and used in this investigation. In certain situations, compacted soil (> 50 blow count in standard penetration tests) is used as fill on top of natural soil. The numerical results showed that the critical conditions will depend on the length of the compacted soil. If the length of the compacted soil exceeds 4 feet, the failure mechanism for the pile is similar to one in a layer of very stiff clay. That is, the vertical load-carrying capacity of the H pile will be greatly reduced as the specified lateral displacement increases.

Influence of the implanted pulse generator as reference electrode in finite element model of monopolar deep brain stimulation.

Electrical deep brain stimulation (DBS) is an efficient method to treat movement disorders. Many models of DBS, based mostly on finite elements, have recently been proposed to better understand the interaction between the electrical stimulation and the brain tissues. In monopolar DBS, clinically widely used, the implanted pulse generator (IPG) is used as reference electrode (RE). In this paper, the influence of the RE model of monopolar DBS is investigated. For that purpose, a finite element model of the full electric loop including the head, the neck and the superior chest is used. Head, neck and superior chest are made of simple structures such as parallelepipeds and cylinders. The tissues surrounding the electrode are accurately modelled from data provided by the diffusion tensor magnetic resonance imaging (DT-MRI). Three different configurations of RE are compared with a commonly used model of reduced size. The electrical impedance seen by the DBS system and the potential distribution are computed for each model. Moreover, axons are modelled to compute the area of tissue activated by stimulation. Results show that these indicators are influenced by the surface and position of the RE. The use of a RE model corresponding to the implanted device rather than the usually simplified model leads to an increase of the system impedance (+48%) and a reduction of the area of activated tissue (-15%).

Theoretical Analysis and Simulations of Vertically Vibrated Granular Materials

The dynamical properties ofshaken granular materials are important in many industrial applications where the shaking is used to mix, segregate and transport them. In this work asystematic, large scale simulation study has been performed to investigate the rheology of dense granular media, in the presence of gas, in a three dimensional vertical cylinder filled with glass balls. The base wall of the cylinder is subjected to sinusoidal oscillation in the vertical direction. The viscoelastic behavior of glass balls during a collision, have been studied experimentally using a modified Newton's Cradle device. By analyzing the results of the measurements, using numerical model based on finite element method, the viscous damping coefficient was determinedfor the glass balls. To obtain detailed information about the interparticle interactions in a shaker, a simplified model for collision between particles of a granular material was proposed. In order to simulate the flow of surrounding gas, a formulation of the equations for fluid flow in a porous medium including particle forces was proposed. These equations are solved with Large Eddy Simulation (LES) technique using a subgrid-model originally proposed for compressible turbulent flows. For a pentagonal prism-shaped container under vertical vibrations, the results show that oscillon type structures were formed. Oscillons are highly localized particle-like excitations of the granular layer. This self-sustaining state was named by analogy with its closest large-scale analogy, the soliton, which was first documented by J.S. Russell in 1834. The results which has been reportedbyBordbar and Zamankhan(2005b)also show that slightly revised fluctuation-dissipation theorem might apply to shaken sand, which appears to be asystem far from equilibrium and could exhibit strong spatial and temporal variations in quantities such as density and local particle velocity. In this light, hydrodynamic type continuum equations were presented for describing the deformation and flow of dense gas-particle mixtures. The constitutive equation used for the stress tensor provides an effective viscosity with a liquid-like character at low shear rates and a gaseous-like behavior at high shear rates. The numerical solutions were obtained for the aforementioned hydrodynamic equations for predicting the flow dynamics ofdense mixture of gas and particles in vertical cylindrical containers. For a heptagonal prism shaped container under vertical vibrations, the model results were found to predict bubbling behavior analogous to those observed experimentally. This bubbling behavior may be explained by the unusual gas pressure distribution found in the bed. In addition, oscillon type structures were found to be formed using a vertically vibrated, pentagonal prism shaped container in agreement with computer simulation results. These observations suggest that the pressure distribution plays a key rolein deformation and flow of dense mixtures of gas and particles under vertical vibrations. The present models provide greater insight toward the explanation of poorly understood hydrodynamic phenomena in the field of granular flows and dense gas-particle mixtures. The models can be generalized to investigate the granular material-container wall interactions which would be an issue of high interests in the industrial applications. By following this approach ideal processing conditions and powder transport can be created in industrial systems.

Three-dimensional hydrodynamic numerical modelling of fold nappe formation, basement-cover deformation and slab detachment with applications to the helvetic nappe system (W Switzerland)

Many three-dimensional (3-D) structures in rock, which formed during the deformation of the Earth's crust and lithosphere, are controlled by a difference in mechanical strength between rock units and are often the result of a geometrical instability. Such structures are, for example, folds, pinch-and-swell structures (due to necking) or cuspate-lobate structures (mullions). These struc-tures occur from the centimeter to the kilometer scale and the related deformation processes con-trol the formation of, for example, fold-and-thrust belts and extensional sedimentary basins or the deformation of the basement-cover interface. The 2-D deformation processes causing these structures are relatively well studied, however, several processes during large-strain 3-D defor-mation are still incompletely understood. One of these 3-D processes is the lateral propagation of these structures, such as fold and cusp propagation in a direction orthogonal to the shortening direction or neck propagation in direction orthogonal to the extension direction. Especially, we are interested in fold nappes which are recumbent folds with amplitudes usually exceeding 10 km and they have been presumably formed by ductile shearing. They often exhibit a constant sense of shearing and a non-linear increase of shear strain towards their overturned limb. The fold axes of the Morcles fold nappe in western Switzerland plunges to the ENE whereas the fold axes in the more eastern Doldenhorn nappe plunges to the WSW. These opposite plunge direc-tions characterize the Rawil depression (Wildstrubel depression). The Morcles nappe is mainly the result of layer parallel contraction and shearing. During the compression the massive lime-stones were more competent than the surrounding marls and shales, which led to the buckling characteristics of the Morcles nappe, especially in the north-dipping normal limb. The Dolden-horn nappe exhibits only a minor overturned fold limb. There are still no 3-D numerical studies which investigate the fundamental dynamics of the formation of the large-scale 3-D structure including the Morcles and Doldenhorn nappes and the related Rawil depression. We study the 3-D evolution of geometrical instabilities and fold nappe formation with numerical simulations based on the finite element method (FEM). Simulating geometrical instabilities caused by sharp variations of mechanical strength between rock units requires a numerical algorithm that can accurately resolve material interfaces for large differences in material properties (e.g. between limestone and shale) and for large deformations. Therefore, our FE algorithm combines a nu-merical contour-line technique and a deformable Lagrangian mesh with re-meshing. With this combined method it is possible to accurately follow the initial material contours with the FE mesh and to accurately resolve the geometrical instabilities. The algorithm can simulate 3-D de-formation for a visco-elastic rheology. The viscous rheology is described by a power-law flow law. The code is used to study the 3-D fold nappe formation, the lateral propagation of folding and also the lateral propagation of cusps due to initial half graben geometry. Thereby, the small initial geometrical perturbations for folding and necking are exactly followed by the FE mesh, whereas the initial large perturbation describing a half graben is defined by a contour line inter-secting the finite elements. Further, the 3-D algorithm is applied to 3-D viscous nacking during slab detachment. The results from various simulations are compared with 2-D resulats and a 1-D analytical solution. -- On retrouve beaucoup de structures en 3 dimensions (3-D) dans les roches qui ont pour origines une déformation de la lithosphère terrestre. Ces structures sont par exemple des plis, des boudins (pinch-and-swell) ou des mullions (cuspate-lobate) et sont présentés de l'échelle centimétrique à kilométrique. Mécaniquement, ces structures peuvent être expliquées par une différence de résistance entre les différentes unités de roches et sont généralement le fruit d'une instabilité géométrique. Ces différences mécaniques entre les unités contrôlent non seulement les types de structures rencontrées, mais également le type de déformation (thick skin, thin skin) et le style tectonique (bassin d'avant pays, chaîne d'avant pays). Les processus de la déformation en deux dimensions (2-D) formant ces structures sont relativement bien compris. Cependant, lorsque l'on ajoute la troisiéme dimension, plusieurs processus ne sont pas complètement compris lors de la déformation à large échelle. L'un de ces processus est la propagation latérale des structures, par exemple la propagation de plis ou de mullions dans la direction perpendiculaire à l'axe de com-pression, ou la propagation des zones d'amincissement des boudins perpendiculairement à la direction d'extension. Nous sommes particulièrement intéressés les nappes de plis qui sont des nappes de charriage en forme de plis couché d'une amplitude plurikilométrique et étant formées par cisaillement ductile. La plupart du temps, elles exposent un sens de cisaillement constant et une augmentation non linéaire de la déformation vers la base du flanc inverse. Un exemple connu de nappes de plis est le domaine Helvétique dans les Alpes de l'ouest. Une de ces nap-pes est la Nappe de Morcles dont l'axe de pli plonge E-NE tandis que de l'autre côté de la dépression du Rawil (ou dépression du Wildstrubel), la nappe du Doldenhorn (équivalent de la nappe de Morcles) possède un axe de pli plongeant O-SO. La forme particulière de ces nappes est due à l'alternance de couches calcaires mécaniquement résistantes et de couches mécanique-ment faibles constituées de schistes et de marnes. Ces différences mécaniques dans les couches permettent d'expliquer les plissements internes à la nappe, particulièrement dans le flanc inver-se de la nappe de Morcles. Il faut également noter que le développement du flanc inverse des nappes n'est pas le même des deux côtés de la dépression de Rawil. Ainsi la nappe de Morcles possède un important flanc inverse alors que la nappe du Doldenhorn en est presque dépour-vue. A l'heure actuelle, aucune étude numérique en 3-D n'a été menée afin de comprendre la dynamique fondamentale de la formation des nappes de Morcles et du Doldenhorn ainsi que la formation de la dépression de Rawil. Ce travail propose la première analyse de l'évolution 3-D des instabilités géométriques et de la formation des nappes de plis en utilisant des simulations numériques. Notre modèle est basé sur la méthode des éléments finis (FEM) qui permet de ré-soudre avec précision les interfaces entre deux matériaux ayant des propriétés mécaniques très différentes (par exemple entre les couches calcaires et les couches marneuses). De plus nous utilisons un maillage lagrangien déformable avec une fonction de re-meshing (production d'un nouveau maillage). Grâce à cette méthode combinée il nous est possible de suivre avec précisi-on les interfaces matérielles et de résoudre avec précision les instabilités géométriques lors de la déformation de matériaux visco-élastiques décrit par une rhéologie non linéaire (n>1). Nous uti-lisons cet algorithme afin de comprendre la formation des nappes de plis, la propagation latérale du plissement ainsi que la propagation latérale des structures de type mullions causé par une va-riation latérale de la géométrie (p.ex graben). De plus l'algorithme est utilisé pour comprendre la dynamique 3-D de l'amincissement visqueux et de la rupture de la plaque descendante en zone de subduction. Les résultats obtenus sont comparés à des modèles 2-D et à la solution analytique 1-D. -- Viele drei dimensionale (3-D) Strukturen, die in Gesteinen vorkommen und durch die Verfor-mung der Erdkruste und Litosphäre entstanden sind werden von den unterschiedlichen mechani-schen Eigenschaften der Gesteinseinheiten kontrolliert und sind häufig das Resulat von geome-trischen Istabilitäten. Zu diesen strukturen zählen zum Beispiel Falten, Pich-and-swell Struktu-ren oder sogenannte Cusbate-Lobate Strukturen (auch Mullions). Diese Strukturen kommen in verschiedenen Grössenordungen vor und können Masse von einigen Zentimeter bis zu einigen Kilometer aufweisen. Die mit der Entstehung dieser Strukturen verbundenen Prozesse kontrol-lieren die Entstehung von Gerbirgen und Sediment-Becken sowie die Verformung des Kontaktes zwischen Grundgebirge und Stedimenten. Die zwei dimensionalen (2-D) Verformungs-Prozesse die zu den genannten Strukturen führen sind bereits sehr gut untersucht. Einige Prozesse wäh-rend starker 3-D Verformung sind hingegen noch unvollständig verstanden. Einer dieser 3-D Prozesse ist die seitliche Fortpflanzung der beschriebenen Strukturen, so wie die seitliche Fort-pflanzung von Falten und Cusbate-Lobate Strukturen senkrecht zur Verkürzungsrichtung und die seitliche Fortpflanzung von Pinch-and-Swell Strukturen othogonal zur Streckungsrichtung. Insbesondere interessieren wir uns für Faltendecken, liegende Falten mit Amplituden von mehr als 10 km. Faltendecken entstehen vermutlich durch duktile Verscherung. Sie zeigen oft einen konstanten Scherungssinn und eine nicht-lineare zunahme der Scherverformung am überkipp-ten Schenkel. Die Faltenachsen der Morcles Decke in der Westschweiz fallen Richtung ONO während die Faltenachsen der östicher gelegenen Doldenhorn Decke gegen WSW einfallen. Diese entgegengesetzten Einfallrichtungen charakterisieren die Rawil Depression (Wildstrubel Depression). Die Morcles Decke ist überwiegend das Resultat von Verkürzung und Scherung parallel zu den Sedimentlagen. Während der Verkürzung verhielt sich der massive Kalkstein kompetenter als der Umliegende Mergel und Schiefer, was zur Verfaltetung Morcles Decke führ-te, vorallem in gegen Norden eifallenden überkippten Schenkel. Die Doldenhorn Decke weist dagegen einen viel kleineren überkippten Schenkel und eine stärkere Lokalisierung der Verfor-mung auf. Bis heute gibt es keine 3-D numerischen Studien, die die fundamentale Dynamik der Entstehung von grossen stark verformten 3-D Strukturen wie den Morcles und Doldenhorn Decken sowie der damit verbudenen Rawil Depression untersuchen. Wir betrachten die 3-D Ent-wicklung von geometrischen Instabilitäten sowie die Entstehung fon Faltendecken mit Hilfe von numerischen Simulationen basiert auf der Finite Elemente Methode (FEM). Die Simulation von geometrischen Instabilitäten, die aufgrund von Änderungen der Materialeigenschaften zwischen verschiedenen Gesteinseinheiten entstehen, erfortert einen numerischen Algorithmus, der in der Lage ist die Materialgrenzen mit starkem Kontrast der Materialeigenschaften (zum Beispiel zwi-schen Kalksteineinheiten und Mergel) für starke Verfomung genau aufzulösen. Um dem gerecht zu werden kombiniert unser FE Algorithmus eine numerische Contour-Linien-Technik und ein deformierbares Lagranges Netz mit Re-meshing. Mit dieser kombinierten Methode ist es mög-lich den anfänglichen Materialgrenzen mit dem FE Netz genau zu folgen und die geometrischen Instabilitäten genügend aufzulösen. Der Algorithmus ist in der Lage visko-elastische 3-D Ver-formung zu rechnen, wobei die viskose Rheologie mit Hilfe eines power-law Fliessgesetzes beschrieben wird. Mit dem numerischen Algorithmus untersuchen wir die Entstehung von 3-D Faltendecken, die seitliche Fortpflanzung der Faltung sowie der Cusbate-Lobate Strukturen die sich durch die Verkürzung eines mit Sediment gefüllten Halbgraben bilden. Dabei werden die anfänglichen geometrischen Instabilitäten der Faltung exakt mit dem FE Netz aufgelöst wäh-rend die Materialgranzen des Halbgrabens die Finiten Elemente durchschneidet. Desweiteren wird der 3-D Algorithmus auf die Einschnürung während der 3-D viskosen Plattenablösung und Subduktion angewandt. Die 3-D Resultate werden mit 2-D Ergebnissen und einer 1-D analyti-schen Lösung verglichen.

Finite Element Analysis of Electrically Excited Quartz Tuning Fork Devices

Quartz Tuning Fork (QTF)-based Scanning Probe Microscopy (SPM) is an important field of research. A suitable model for the QTF is important to obtain quantitative measurements with these devices. Analytical models have the limitation of being based on the double cantilever configuration. In this paper, we present an electromechanical finite element model of the QTF electrically excited with two free prongs. The model goes beyond the state-of-the-art of numerical simulations currently found in the literature for this QTF configuration. We present the first numerical analysis of both the electrical and mechanical behavior of QTF devices. Experimental measurements obtained with 10 units of the same model of QTF validate the finite element model with a good agreement.

High-Speed Solid-Rotor Induction Machine – Electromagnetic Calculation and Design

Within the latest decade high-speed motor technology has been increasingly commonly applied within the range of medium and large power. More particularly, applications like such involved with gas movement and compression seem to be the most important area in which high-speed machines are used. In manufacturing the induction motor rotor core of one single piece of steel it is possible to achieve an extremely rigid rotor construction for the high-speed motor. In a mechanical sense, the solid rotor may be the best possible rotor construction. Unfortunately, the electromagnetic properties of a solid rotor are poorer than the properties of the traditional laminated rotor of an induction motor. This thesis analyses methods for improving the electromagnetic properties of a solid-rotor induction machine. The slip of the solid rotor is reduced notably if the solid rotor is axially slitted. The slitting patterns of the solid rotor are examined. It is shown how the slitting parameters affect the produced torque. Methods for decreasing the harmonic eddy currents on the surface of the rotor are also examined. The motivation for this is to improve the efficiency of the motor to reach the efficiency standard of a laminated rotor induction motor. To carry out these research tasks the finite element analysis is used. An analytical calculation of solid rotors based on the multi-layer transfer-matrix method is developed especially for the calculation of axially slitted solid rotors equipped with wellconducting end rings. The calculation results are verified by using the finite element analysis and laboratory measurements. The prototype motors of 250 – 300 kW and 140 Hz were tested to verify the results. Utilization factor data are given for several other prototypes the largest of which delivers 1000 kW at 12000 min-1.

Designing a new type of support for rotary kilns

Lime kiln is used as a part of the modern kraft pulp process in order to produce burnt lime from lime mud. This rotating kiln is supported by support rollers, which are traditionally supported by journal bearings. Since the continuous growth in the production of pulp mills requires larger lime kilns, the traditional bearing construction has become unreliable. The main problem especially involves the running-in phase of the bearings. In the present thesis, a new type of support roller was developed by using the systematic approach of machine design. Structural analysis was conducted on the critical parts of the selected structure by the finite element method. The operation of hydrodynamic bearings was examined by analytical methods. As a result of this work, a new type of support for rotating kilns was designed, which is more reliable and easier to service. A new support roller geometry is described, which pro¬vides for significant cost savings.

Flexible Multibody Simulation Approach in the Dynamic Analysis of Bone Strains Activity

The objective of this study is to show that bone strains due to dynamic mechanical loading during physical activity can be analysed using the flexible multibody simulation approach. Strains within the bone tissue play a major role in bone (re)modeling. Based on previous studies, it has been shown that dynamic loading seems to be more important for bone (re)modeling than static loading. The finite element method has been used previously to assess bone strains. However, the finite element method may be limited to static analysis of bone strains due to the expensive computation required for dynamic analysis, especially for a biomechanical system consisting of several bodies. Further, in vivo implementation of strain gauges on the surfaces of bone has been used previously in order to quantify the mechanical loading environment of the skeleton. However, in vivo strain measurement requires invasive methodology, which is challenging and limited to certain regions of superficial bones only, such as the anterior surface of the tibia. In this study, an alternative numerical approach to analyzing in vivo strains, based on the flexible multibody simulation approach, is proposed. In order to investigate the reliability of the proposed approach, three 3-dimensional musculoskeletal models where the right tibia is assumed to be flexible, are used as demonstration examples. The models are employed in a forward dynamics simulation in order to predict the tibial strains during walking on a level exercise. The flexible tibial model is developed using the actual geometry of the subject’s tibia, which is obtained from 3 dimensional reconstruction of Magnetic Resonance Images. Inverse dynamics simulation based on motion capture data obtained from walking at a constant velocity is used to calculate the desired contraction trajectory for each muscle. In the forward dynamics simulation, a proportional derivative servo controller is used to calculate each muscle force required to reproduce the motion, based on the desired muscle contraction trajectory obtained from the inverse dynamics simulation. Experimental measurements are used to verify the models and check the accuracy of the models in replicating the realistic mechanical loading environment measured from the walking test. The predicted strain results by the models show consistency with literature-based in vivo strain measurements. In conclusion, the non-invasive flexible multibody simulation approach may be used as a surrogate for experimental bone strain measurement, and thus be of use in detailed strain estimation of bones in different applications. Consequently, the information obtained from the present approach might be useful in clinical applications, including optimizing implant design and devising exercises to prevent bone fragility, accelerate fracture healing and reduce osteoporotic bone loss.

Induction Motor Drive Energy Efficiency - Simulation and Analysis

A coupled system simulator, based on analytical circuit equations and a finite element method (FEM) model of the motor has been developed and it is used to analyse a frequency-converterfed industrial squirrel-cage induction motor. Two control systems that emulate the behaviour of commercial direct-torque-controlled (DTC) and vector-controlled industrial frequency converters have been studied, implemented in the simulation software and verified by extensive laboratory tests. Numerous factors that affect the operation of a variable speed drive (VSD) and its energy efficiency have been investigated, and their significance in the simulation of the VSD results has been studied. The dependency of the frequency converter, induction motor and system losses on the switching frequency is investigated by simulations and measurements at different speeds for both the vector control and the DTC. Intensive laboratory measurements have been carried out to verify the simulation results.

Modal testing and numerical modeling of the dynamic properties of layered sheet-steel structure

Recently, due to the increasing total construction and transportation cost and difficulties associated with handling massive structural components or assemblies, there has been increasing financial pressure to reduce structural weight. Furthermore, advances in material technology coupled with continuing advances in design tools and techniques have encouraged engineers to vary and combine materials, offering new opportunities to reduce the weight of mechanical structures. These new lower mass systems, however, are more susceptible to inherent imbalances, a weakness that can result in higher shock and harmonic resonances which leads to poor structural dynamic performances. The objective of this thesis is the modeling of layered sheet steel elements, to accurately predict dynamic performance. During the development of the layered sheet steel model, the numerical modeling approach, the Finite Element Analysis and the Experimental Modal Analysis are applied in building a modal model of the layered sheet steel elements. Furthermore, in view of getting a better understanding of the dynamic behavior of layered sheet steel, several binding methods have been studied to understand and demonstrate how a binding method affects the dynamic behavior of layered sheet steel elements when compared to single homogeneous steel plate. Based on the developed layered sheet steel model, the dynamic behavior of a lightweight wheel structure to be used as the structure for the stator of an outer rotor Direct-Drive Permanent Magnet Synchronous Generator designed for high-power wind turbines is studied.