A cohesive approach to thin-shell fracture and fragmentation

We develop a finite-element method for the simulation of dynamic fracture and fragmentation of thin-shells. The shell is spatially discretized with subdivision shell elements and the fracture along the element edges is modeled with a cohesive law. In order to follow the propagation and branching of cracks, subdivision shell elements are pre-fractured ab initio and the crack opening is constrained prior to crack nucleation. This approach allows for shell fracture in an in-plane tearing mode, a shearing mode, or a bending of hinge mode. The good performance of the method is demonstrated through the simulation of petalling failure experiments in aluminum plates. © 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Centrifuge modelling of inclined micro-piles for liquefaction remediation of existing buildings

This paper describes four centrifuge tests investigating the performance of non-structural inclined micro-piles as a liquefaction remediation method for existing buildings. Two soil profiles with the same superstructure founded on each were tested under earthquakes of different magnitudes and durations. The first profile consisted of a deep, homogeneous layer of loose, liquefiable sand. The second comprised a shallow layer of loose sand overlying dense sand. Centrifuge tests were carried out with and without inclined micro-piles in each soil profile. The superstructure was modelled as an idealised single degree of freedom (SDOF) system. It is found that the micro-piles have no detrimental effect on the performance of the structure during and after earthquakes. It is also possible that their presence may decrease structural settlements in earthquakes which cause liquefaction to a depth less than that of the improved zone. However, no conclusive evidence is obtained to show that the micro-piles significantly restrain lateral soil movement due to monotonic shearing from the structure or impede the migration of excess pore pressures from the free field to the foundation zone. Both these processes have critical effects on structural settlement. The use of inclined micro-piles for liquefaction remediation should therefore be considered with caution.

Effects of soil fabric on behaviors of granular soils: Microscopic modeling

The effects of initial soil fabric on behaviors of granular soils are investigated by using Distinct Element Method (DEM) numerical simulation. Soil specimens are represented by an assembly of non-uniform sized spheres with different initial contact normal distributions. Isotropically consolidated triaxial compression loading and extension unloading in both undrained and drained conditions are simulated for vertically- and horizontally-sheared specimens. The numerical simulation results are compared qualitatively with the published experimental data and the effects of initial soil fabric on resulting soil behaviors are discussed, including the effects of specimen reconstitution methods, effects of large preshearing, and anisotropic characteristics in undrained and drained conditions. The effects of initial soil fabric and mode of shearing on the quasi-steady state line are also investigated. The numerical simulation results can systematically explain that the observed experimental behaviors of granular soils are due principally to their conditions of the initial soil fabric. This outcome provides insights into the observed phenomena in microscopic view. © 2011 Elsevier Ltd.

Techniques to improve the shear strength of impacted bone graft: the effect of particle size and washing of the graft.

BACKGROUND: When fresh morselized graft is compacted, as in impaction bone-grafting for revision hip surgery, fat and marrow fluid is either exuded or trapped in the voids between particles. We hypothesized that the presence of incompressible fluid damps and resists compressive forces during impaction and prevents the graft particles from moving into a closer formation, thus reducing the graft strength. In addition, viscous fluid such as fat may act as an interparticle lubricant, thus reducing the interlocking of the particles. METHODS: We performed mechanical shear testing in the laboratory with use of fresh-frozen human femoral-head allografts that had been passed through different orthopaedic bone mills to produce graft of differing particle-size distributions (grading). RESULTS: After compaction of fresh graft, fat and marrow fluid continued to escape on application of normal loads. Washed graft, however, had little lubricating fluid and better contact between the particles, increasing the shear resistance. On mechanical testing, washed graft was significantly (p < 0.001) more resistant to shearing forces than fresh graft was. This feature was consistent for different bone mills that produced graft of different particle-size distributions and shear strengths. CONCLUSIONS: Removal of fat and marrow fluid from milled human allograft by washing the graft allows the production of stronger compacted graft that is more resistant to shear, which is the usual mode of failure. Further research into the optimum grading of particle sizes from bone mills is required.

Techniques to improve the shear strength of impacted bone graft: The effect of particle size and washing of the graft

Background: When fresh morselized graft is compacted, as in impaction bone-grafting for revision hip surgery, fat and marrow fluid is either exuded or trapped in the voids between particles. We hypothesized that the presence of incompressible fluid damps and resists compressive forces during impaction and prevents the graft particles from moving into a closer formation, thus reducing the graft strength. In addition, viscous fluid such as fat may act as an interparticle lubricant, thus reducing the interlocking of the particles. Methods: We performed mechanical shear testing in the laboratory with use of fresh-frozen human femoral-head allografts that had been passed through different orthopaedic bone mills to produce graft of differing particle-size distributions (grading). Results: After compaction of fresh graft, fat and marrow fluid continued to escape on application of normal loads. Washed graft, however, had little lubricating fluid and better contact between the particles, increasing the shear resistance. On mechanical testing, washed graft was significantly (p < 0.001) more resistant to shearing forces than fresh graft was. This feature was consistent for different bone mills that produced graft of different particle-size distributions and shear strengths. Conclusions: Removal of fat and marrow fluid from milled human allograft by washing the graft allows the production of stronger compacted graft that is more resistant to shear, which is the usual mode of failure. Further research into the optimum grading of particle sizes from bone mills is required. Clinical Relevance: Understanding the mechanical properties of milled human allograft is important when impaction grafting is used for mechanical support. A simple means of improving the mechanical strength of graft produced by currently available bone mills, including an intraoperative washing technique, is described.

Faecal pellets in deep marine soft clay crusts: Implications for hot-oil pipeline design

In recent years, the presence of crusts within near surface sediments found in deep water locations off the west coast of Angola has been of interest to hot-oil pipeline designers. The origin for these crusts is considered to be of biological origin, based on the observation of thousands of faecal pellets in natural crust core samples. This paper presents the results of laboratory tests undertaken on natural and faecal pellet-only samples. These tests investigate the role faecal pellets play in modifying the gemechanical behaviour of clayey sediments. It is found that faecal pellets are able to significantly alter both the strength and the average grain-size of natural sediments, and therefore, influence the permeability and stiffness. Hot-oil pipelines self-embed into and subsequent shear on crusts containing faecal pellets. Being able to predict the time required for installed pipelines to consolidate the underlying sediment and thus, how soon after pipe-laying, the interface strength will develop is of great interest to pipeline designers. It is concluded from wet-sieving samples before and after oedometer tests, that the process of pipe laying is unlikely to destroy pellets. They will therefore, be a major constituent of the sediment subject to soil-pipeline shearing behaviour during axial pipe-walking and lateral buckling. Based on the presented results, a discussion highlighting the key implications for pipeline design is therefore provided. Copyright © 2011 by ASME.

On the stability of a rod adhering to a rigid surface: Shear-induced stable adhesion and the instability of peeling

Using variational methods, we establish conditions for the nonlinear stability of adhesive states between an elastica and a rigid halfspace. The treatment produces coupled criteria for adhesion and buckling instabilities by exploiting classical techniques from Legendre and Jacobi. Three examples that arise in a broad range of engineered systems, from microelectronics to biologically inspired fiber array adhesion, are used to illuminate the stability criteria. The first example illustrates buckling instabilities in adhered rods, while the second shows the instability of a peeling process and the third illustrates the stability of a shear-induced adhesion. The latter examples can also be used to explain how microfiber array adhesives can be activated by shearing and deactivated by peeling. The nonlinear stability criteria developed in this paper are also compared to other treatments. © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Explicitly coupled thermal flow mechanical formulation for gas-hydrate sediments

This paper presents an explicit time-marching formulation for the solution of the coupled thermal flow mechanical behavior of gas- hydrate sediment. The formulation considers the soil skeleton as a deformable elastoplastic continuum, with an emphasis on the effect of hydrate (and its dissociation) on the stress-strain behavior of the soil. In the formulation, the hydrate is assumed to deform with the soil and may dissociate into gas and water. The formulation is explicitly coupled, such that the changes in temperature because of energy How and hydrate dissociation affect the skeleton stresses and fluid (water and gas) pressures. This, in return, affects the mechanical behavior. A simulation of a vertical well within a layered soil is presented. It is shown that the heterogeneity of hydrate saturation causes different rates of dissociation in the layers. The difference alters the overall gas production and also the mechanical-deformation pattern, which leads to loading/ unloading shearing along the interfaces between the layers. Copyright © 2013 Society of Petorlleum Engineers.

Influence of Peripheral Velocity on Vane Shear Strength of an Artificial Clay

Shearing rate is among the most important factors affecting the undrained shear strength of clays. In particular, for seismic or storm-wave loading conditions, the shearing rate is much higher than that used in many common laboratory or field tests. The testing program described here evaluates the effect of peripheral velocity on the undrained strength inferred from the shear vane test. The study was conducted on a lightly cemented bentonite-kaolinite mixture manufactured in the laboratory, which possesses many characteristics similar to those of natural materials. Results show that the shear strength increases with increasing peripheral velocity, while the residual shear strength seems to be nearly independent of rotation rate.

Average corotation of line segments near a point and vortex identification

An easy-to-interpret kinematic quantity measuring the average corotation of material line segments near a point is introduced and applied to vortex identification. At a given point, the vector of average corotation of line segments is defined as the average of the instantaneous local rigid-body rotation over "all planar cross sections" passing through the examined point. The vortex-identification method based on average corotation is a one-parameter, region-type local method sensitive to the axial stretching rate as well as to the inner configuration of the velocity gradient tensor. The method is derived from a well-defined interpretation of the local flow kinematics to determine the "plane of swirling" and is also applicable to compressible and variable-density flows. Practical application to direct numerical simulation datasets includes a hairpin vortex of boundary-layer transition, the reconnection process of two Burgers vortices, a flow around an inclined flat plate, and a flow around a revolving insect wing. The results agree well with some popular local methods and perform better in regions of strong shearing. Copyright © 2013 by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Inc. All rights reserved.

Modelling of jacked piles in centrifuge

Pile jacking is a common installation method for displacement piles due to the low noise and vibration involved in the installation procedure. Problems may occur when modelling jacked piles in the centrifuge, especially for friction piles, due to scaling effects which can be minimised, provided that the pile diameter is greater than fifty times the mean grain size. A series of centrifuge tests of jacked piles was performed in both dry and saturated fine sand. Piles were installed using three different methods. The effect of the installation method on the head load required is assessed. The influence of the normalised roughness was also tested by testing one rough and one smooth pile. Finally, cyclic shearing at constant depth was performed to establish the shaft load reduction due to friction fatigue. © 2014 Taylor & Francis Group.

Collapse of a composite beam made from ultra high molecular-weight polyethylene fibres

Hot-pressed laminates with a [0/90]48 lay-up, consisting of 83% by volume of ultra high molecular-weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) fibres, and 17% by volume of polyurethane (PU) matrix, were cut into cantilever beams and subjected to transverse end-loading. The collapse mechanisms were observed both visually and by X-ray scans. Short beams deform elastically and collapse plastically in longitudinal shear, with a shear strength comparable to that observed in double notch, interlaminar shear tests. In contrast, long cantilever beams deform in bending and collapse via a plastic hinge at the built-in end of the beam. The plastic hinge is formed by two wedge-shaped microbuckle zones that grow in size and in intensity with increasing hinge rotation. This new mode of microbuckling under macroscopic bending involves both elastic bending and shearing of the plies, and plastic shear of the interface between each ply. The double-wedge pattern contrasts with the more usual parallel-sided plastic microbuckle that occurs in uniaxial compression. Finite element simulations and analytical models give additional insight into the dominant material and geometric parameters that dictate the collapse response of the UHMWPE composite beam in bending. Detailed comparisons between the observed and predicted collapse responses are used in order to construct a constitutive model for laminated UHMWPE composites. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd.

Inkjet printing of weakly elastic polymer solutions

Fluid assessment methods, requiring small volumes and avoiding the need for jetting, are particularly useful in the design of functional fluids for inkjet printing applications. With the increasing use of complex (rather than Newtonian) fluids for manufacturing, single frequency fluid characterisation cannot reliably predict good jetting behaviour, owing to the range of shearing and extensional flow rates involved. However, the scope of inkjet fluid assessments (beyond achievement of a nominal viscosity within the print head design specification) is usually focused on the final application rather than the jetting processes. The experimental demonstration of the clear insufficiency of such approaches shows that fluid jetting can readily discriminate between fluids assessed as having similar LVE characterisation (within a factor of 2) for typical commercial rheometer measurements at shearing rates reaching 104rads-1.Jetting behaviour of weakly elastic dilute linear polystyrene solutions, for molecular weights of 110-488. kDa, recorded using high speed video was compared with recent results from numerical modelling and capillary thinning studies of the same solutions.The jetting images show behaviour ranging from near-Newtonian to "beads-on-a-string". The inkjet printing behaviour does not correlate simply with the measured extensional relaxation times or Zimm times, but may be consistent with non-linear extensibility L and the production of fully extended polymer molecules in the thinning jet ligament.Fluid test methods allowing a more complete characterisation of NLVE parameters are needed to assess inkjet printing feasibility prior to directly jetting complex fluids. At the present time, directly jetting such fluids may prove to be the only alternative. © 2014 The Authors.

Development of a multidirectional simple shear testing device

A new simple shear testing device capable of applying multidirectional loading to soil specimens has been developed. The Texas A&M University multidirectional simple shear (TAMU-MDSS) device provides the ability to apply a large range of shear stresses and complex loading paths, such as figure-eight and circular patterns, to a cylindrical soil specimen confined by a wire-reinforced membrane. The load and torque experienced by the sample are directly measured by a multi-axis load cell installed above the specimen. Backpressure saturation of the specimen is made possible by the devicés ability to apply pressure in the chamber and backpressure to the water lines. Excess pore pressure is measured by a pressure transducer during the shearing phase of the testing. This paper describes the development of the TAMU-MDSS system and the capabilities of the device and presents test results on saturated clay soil specimens subjected to monotonic, unidirectional cyclic, and multidirectional loading. Copyright © 2013 by ASTM International.

Thermo-hydro-geomechanical simulations of methane gas production from deep sea methane hydrate formations

A new constitutive model called Methane Hydrate Critical State (MHCS) model was conducted to investigate the geomechanical response of the gas-hydrate-bearing sediments at the Nankai Trough during the wellbore construction process. The strength and dilatancy of gas-hydrate-bearing soil would gradually disappear when the bonds are destroyed because of excessively shearing, which are often observed in dense soils and also in bonded soils such as cemented soil and unsaturated soil. In this study, the MHCS model, which presents such softening features, would be incorporated into a staged-finite-element model in ABAQUS, which mainly considered the loading history of soils and the interaction between cement-casing-formation. This model shows the influence of gas-hydrate-bearing soil to the deformation and stability of a wellbore and the surrounding sediments during wellbore construction. At the same time, the conventional Mohr-Coulomb model was used in the model to show the advantages of MHCS model by comparing the results of the two models.