Numerical modeling of the dynamic tensile behavior of irregular fibers

Most fibers are irregular, and they are often subjected to rapid straining during mechanical processing and end-use applications. In this paper, the effect of fiber dimensional irregularities on the dynamic tensile behavior of irregular fibers is examined, using the finite element method (FEM). Fiber dimensional irregularities are simulated with sine waves of different magnitude (10%, 30% and 50% level of diameter variation). The tensile behavior of irregular fibers is examined at different strain rates (333%/sec, 3,333%/sec and 30,000%/sec). The breaking load and breaking extension of irregular fibers at different strain rates are then calculated from the finite element model. The results indicate that strain rate has a significant effect on the dynamic tensile behavior of an irregular fiber, and that the position of the thinnest segment along the fiber affects the simulation results markedly. Under dynamic conditions, an irregular fiber does not necessarily break at the thinnest segment, which is different from the quasi-static results.

Numerical modeling of dual phase microstructure behavior under deformation conditions on the basis of digital material representation

Development of a digital material representation (DMR) model of dual phase steel is presented within the paper. Subsequent stages involving generation of a reliable representation of microstructure morphology, assignment of material properties to component phases and incorporation of the model into the commercial finite element software are described within the paper. Different approaches used to recreate dual phase morphology in a digital manner are critically assessed. However, particular attention is placed on innovative identification of phase properties at the micro scale by using micro-pillar compression tests. The developed DMR model is finally applied to model influence of micro scale features on failure initiation and propagation under loading conditions.

Artificial Immune Systems Applied to the Analysis of Structural Integrity of a Building

This paper presents the application of artificial immune systems for analysis of the structural integrity of a building. Inspired by a biological process, it uses the negative selection algorithm to perform the identification and characterization of structural failure. This paper presents the application of artificial immune systems for analysis of the structural integrity of a building. Inspired by a biological process, it uses the negative selection algorithm to perform the identification and characterization of structural failure. This methodology can assist professionals in the inspection of mechanical and civil structures, to identify and characterize flaws, in order to perform preventative maintenance to ensure the integrity of the structure and decision-making. In order to evaluate the methodology was made modeling a two-story building and several situations were simulated (base-line condition and improper conditions), yielding a database of signs, which were used as input data for the negative selection algorithm. The results obtained by the present method efficiency, robustness and accuracy.

Fatigue crack growth assessments in welded components including crack closure effects: Experiments and 3-D numerical modeling

This work provides a numerical and experimental investigation of fatigue crack growth behavior in steel weldments including crack closure effects and their coupled interaction with weld strength mismatch. A central objective of this study is to extend previously developed frameworks for evaluation of crack clo- sure effects on FCGR to steel weldments while, at the same time, gaining additional understanding of commonly adopted criteria for crack closure loads and their influence on fatigue life of structural welds. Very detailed non-linear finite element analyses using 3-D models of compact tension C ( T ) fracture spec- imens with center cracked, square groove welds provide the evolution of crack growth with cyclic stress intensity factor which is required for the estimation of the closure loads. Fatigue crack growth tests con- ducted on plane-sided, shallow-cracked C ( T ) specimens provide the necessary data against which crack closure effects on fatigue crack growth behavior can be assessed. Overall, the present investigation pro- vides additional support for estimation procedures of plasticity-induced crack closure loads in fatigue analyses of structural steels and their weldments

Numerical modeling of the Alto Tiberina low angle normal fault

The aim of this Thesis is to obtain a better understanding of the mechanical behavior of the active Alto Tiberina normal fault (ATF). Integrating geological, geodetic and seismological data, we perform 2D and 3D quasi-static and dynamic mechanical models to simulate the interseismic phase and rupture dynamic of the ATF. Effects of ATF locking depth, synthetic and antithetic fault activity, lithology and realistic fault geometries are taken in account. The 2D and 3D quasi-static model results suggest that the deformation pattern inferred by GPS data is consistent with a very compliant ATF zone (from 5 to 15 km) and Gubbio fault activity. The presence of the ATF compliant zone is a first order condition to redistribute the stress in the Umbria-Marche region; the stress bipartition between hanging wall (high values) and footwall (low values) inferred by the ATF zone activity could explain the microseismicity rates that are higher in the hanging wall respect to the footwall. The interseismic stress build-up is mainly located along the Gubbio fault zone and near ATF patches with higher dip (30°thesize can fail seismically even if a typical Byerlee friction (0.6-0-75) is assumed. Finally, the results of 3D rupture dynamic models demonstrate that the magnitude expected, after that an event is simulated on the ATF, can decrease if we consider the fault plane roughness.

Numerical modeling of the failure mechanisms in Si thin film anode for Li-ion batteries

In recent times, the demand for the storage of electrical energy has grown rapidly for both static applications and the portable electronics enforcing the substantial improvement in battery systems, and Li-ion batteries have been proven to have maximum energy storage density in all rechargeable batteries. However, major breakthroughs are required to consummate the requirement of higher energy density with lower cost to penetrate new markets. Graphite anode having limited capacity has become a bottle neck in the process of developing next generation batteries and can be replaced by higher capacity metals such as Silicon. In the present study we are focusing on the mechanical behavior of the Si-thin film anode under various operating conditions. A numerical model is developed to simulate the intercalation induced stress and the failure mechanism of the complex anode structure. Effect of the various physical phenomena such as diffusion induced stress, plasticity and the crack propagation are investigated to predict better performance parameters for improved design.

Numerical modeling of marine radiocarbon reservoir ages during the last deglaciation

A critical problem in radiocarbon dating is the spatial and temporal variability of marine reservoir ages (MRAs). We assessed the MRA evolution during the last deglaciation by numerical modeling, applying a self-consistent iteration scheme in which an existing radiocarbon chronology (derived by Hughen et al., Quat. Sci. Rev., 25, pp. 3216-3227, 2006) was readjusted by transient, 3-D simulations of marine and atmospheric Delta14C. To estimate the uncertainties regarding the ocean ventilation during the last deglaciation, we considered various ocean overturning scenarios which are based on different climatic background states (PD: modern climate, GS: LGM climate conditions). Minimum and maximum MRAs are included in file 'MRAminmax_21-14kaBP.nc'. Three further files include MRAs according to equilibrium simulations of the preindustrial ocean (file 'C14age_preindustrial.nc'; this is an update of our results published in 2005) and of the glacial ocean (files 'C14age_spinupLGM_GS.nc' and 'C14age_spinupLGM_PD.nc').

Modelos de elementos finitos con aplicación tridimensional de la analogía fluido-fibra, para predecir el comportamiento mecánico de piezas estructurales de madera bajo la presencia de los principales tipos de nudos

Los nudos son los defectos que más disminuyen la resistencia de piezas de madera en la escala estructural, al ocasionar no solo una discontinuidad material, sino también la desviación de las fibras que se encuentran a su alrededor. En la década de los 80 se introdujo la teoría de la analogía fluido-fibra, como un método que aproximaba adecuadamente todas estas desviaciones. Sin embargo en su aplicación tridimensional, nunca se consideraron las diferencias geométricas en el sentido perpendicular al eje longitudinal de las piezas estructurales, lo cual imposibilitaba la simulación numérica de algunos de los principales tipos de nudos, y disminuía la precisión obtenida en aquellos nudos en los que la modelización sí era viable. En este trabajo se propone un modelo programado en lenguaje paramétrico de un software de elementos finitos que, bajo una formulación en tres dimensiones más general, permitirá estudiar de forma automatizada el comportamiento estructural de la madera bajo la influencia de los principales tipos de nudos, a partir de la geometría visible de los mismos y la posición de la médula en la pieza, y el cual ha sido contrastado experimentalmente, simulando de forma muy precisa el comportamiento mecánico de vigas sometidas a ensayos de flexión a cuatro puntos. Knots are the defects that most reduce the strength of lumber at the structural level, by causing not only a material discontinuity but also the deviation of the fibers that surround them. In the 80's it was introduced the theory of the flow-grain analogy as a method to approximating adequately these deviations. However, in three-dimensional applications, geometrical differences in the direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the structural specimens were never considered before, which prevented the numerical simulation of some of the main types of knots, and decreased the achieved precision in those kind of knots where modeling itself was possible. This paper purposes a parametric model programmed in a finite element software, in the way that with a more general three-dimensional formulation, an automated study of the structural behavior of timber under the influence of the main types of knots is allowed by only knowing the visible geometry of such defects, and the position of the pith. Furthermore that has been confirmed experimentally obtaining very accurately simulations of the mechanical behavior of beams under four points bending test.

Performance of buildings with masonry infill walls during the 2011 Lorca earthquake

On Wednesday 11th May 2011 at 6:47 pm (local time) a magnitude 5.1 Mw earthquake occurred 6 km northeast of Lorca with a depth of around 5 km. As a consequence of the shallow depth and the small epicentral distance, important damage was produced in several masonry constructions and even led to the collapse of one of them. Pieces of the facades of several buildings fell down onto the sidewalk, being one of the reasons for the killing of a total of 9 people. The objective of this paper is to describe and analyze the failure patterns observed in reinforced concrete frame buildings with masonry infill walls ranging from 3 to 8 floors in height. Structural as well as non-structural masonry walls suffered important damage that led to redistributions of forces causing in some cases the failure of columns. The importance of the interaction between the structural frames and the infill panels is analyzed by means of non-linear Finite Element Models. The resulting load levels are compared with the member capacities and the changes of the mechanical properties during the seismic event are described and discussed. In the light of the results obtained the observed failure patterns are explained. Some comments are stated concerning the adequacy of the numerical models that are usually used during the design phase for the seismic analysis.

Application of global numerical procedures to the analysis of shells

Examples of global solutions of the shell equations are presented, such as the ones based on the well known Levy series expansion. Also discussed are some natural extensions of the Levy method as well as the inherent limitations of these methods concerning the shell model assumptions, boundary conditions and geometric regularity. Finally, some open additional design questions are noted mainly related to the simultaneous use in analysis of these global techniques and the local methods (like the finite elements) to finding the optimal shell shape, and to determining the reinforcement layout.

Some examples of the simultaneous use of closed-form and numerical solutions in shell structural analysis

The computational advantages of the use of different approaches -numerical and analytical ones- to the analysis of different parts of the same shell structure are discussed. Examples of large size problems that can be reduced to those more suitable to be handled by a personal related axisyrometric finite elements, local unaxisymmetric shells, geometric quasi-regular shells, infinite elements and homogenization techniques are described

Application of the dynamic models to the detection of imperfections in plate Structures

This paper is part of a set of publications related with the development of mathematical models aimed to simulate the dynamic input and output of experimental nondestructive tests in order to detect structural imperfections. The structures to be considered are composed by steel plates of thin thickness. The imperfections in these cases are cracks and they can penetrate either a significant part of the plate thickness or be micro cracks or superficial imperfections. The first class of cracks is related with structural safety and the second one is more connected to the structural protection to the environment, particularly if protective paintings can be deteriorated. Two mathematical groups of models have been developed. The first group tries to locate the position and extension of the imperfection of the first class of imperfections, i.e. cracks and it is the object of the present paper. Bending Kirchoff thin plate models belong to this first group and they are used to this respect. The another group of models is dealt with membrane structures under the superficial Rayleigh waves excitation. With this group of models the micro cracks detection is intended. In the application of the first group of models to the detection of cracks, it has been observed that the differences between the natural frequencies of the non cracked and the cracked structures are very small. However, geometry and crack position can be identified quite accurately if this comparison is carried out between first derivatives (mode rotations) of the natural modes are used instead. Finally, in relation with the analysis of the superficial crack existence the use of Rayleigh waves is very promising. The geometry and the penetration of the micro crack can be detected very accurately. The mathematical and numerical treatment of the generation of these Rayleigh waves present and a numerical application has been shown.

Structural basis of DNA bending and oriented heterodimer binding by the basic leucine zipper domains of Fos and Jun

Interactions among transcription factors that bind to separate sequence elements require bending of the intervening DNA and juxtaposition of interacting molecular surfaces in an appropriate orientation. Here, we examine the effects of single amino acid substitutions adjacent to the basic regions of Fos and Jun as well as changes in sequences flanking the AP-1 site on DNA bending. Substitution of charged amino acid residues at positions adjacent to the basic DNA-binding domains of Fos and Jun altered DNA bending. The change in DNA bending was directly proportional to the change in net charge for all heterodimeric combinations between these proteins. Fos and Jun induced distinct DNA bends at different binding sites. Exchange of a single base pair outside of the region contacted in the x-ray crystal structure altered DNA bending. Substitution of base pairs flanking the AP-1 site had converse effects on the opposite directions of DNA bending induced by homodimers and heterodimers. These results suggest that Fos and Jun induce DNA bending in part through electrostatic interactions between amino acid residues adjacent to the basic region and base pairs flanking the AP-1 site. DNA bending by Fos and Jun at inverted binding sites indicated that heterodimers bind to the AP-1 site in a preferred orientation. Mutation of a conserved arginine within the basic regions of Fos and transversion of the central C:G base pair in the AP-1 site to G:C had complementary effects on the orientation of heterodimer binding and DNA bending. The conformational variability of the Fos–Jun–AP-1 complex may contribute to its functional versatility at different promoters.

Numerical modeling of electromagnetic coupling phenomena in the vicinities of overhead power transmission lines.

Electromagnetic coupling phenomena between overhead power transmission lines and other nearby structures are inevitable, especially in densely populated areas. The undesired effects resulting from this proximity are manifold and range from the establishment of hazardous potentials to the outbreak of alternate current corrosion phenomena. The study of this class of problems is necessary for ensuring security in the vicinities of the interaction zone and also to preserve the integrity of the equipment and of the devices there present. However, the complete modeling of this type of application requires the three- -dimensional representation of the region of interest and needs specific numerical methods for field computation. In this work, the modeling of problems arising from the flow of electrical currents in the ground (the so-called conductive coupling) will be addressed with the finite element method. Those resulting from the time variation of the electromagnetic fields (the so-called inductive coupling) will be considered as well, and they will be treated with the generalized PEEC (Partial Element Equivalent Circuit) method. More specifically, a special boundary condition on the electric potential is proposed for truncating the computational domain in the finite element analysis of conductive coupling problems, and a complete PEEC formulation for modeling inductive coupling problems is presented. Test configurations of increasing complexities are considered for validating the foregoing approaches. These works aim to provide a contribution to the modeling of this class of problems, which tend to become common with the expansion of power grids.

Numerical Comparison of the Drag Models of Granular Flows Applied to the Fast Pyrolysis of Biomass

The paper presents a comparison between the different drag models for granular flows developed in the literature and the effect of each one of them on the fast pyrolysis of wood. The process takes place on an 100 g/h lab scale bubbling fluidized bed reactor located at Aston University. FLUENT 6.3 is used as the modeling framework of the fluidized bed hydrodynamics, while the fast pyrolysis of the discrete wood particles is incorporated as an external user defined function (UDF) hooked to FLUENT’s main code structure. Three different drag models for granular flows are compared, namely the Gidaspow, Syamlal O’Brien, and Wen-Yu, already incorporated in FLUENT’s main code, and their impact on particle trajectory, heat transfer, degradation rate, product yields, and char residence time is quantified. The Eulerian approach is used to model the bubbling behavior of the sand, which is treated as a continuum. Biomass reaction kinetics is modeled according to the literature using a two-stage, semiglobal model that takes into account secondary reactions.