Elastic and Thermoelastic Responses of Orthotropic Half-Planes

A unified approach is presented for constructing explicit solutions to the plane elasticity and thermoelasticity problems for orthotropic half-planes. The solutions are constructed in forms which decrease the distance from the loaded segments of the boundary for any feasible relationship between the elastic moduli of orthotropic materials. For the construction, the direct integration method was employed to reduce the formulated problems to a governing equation for a key function. In turn, the governing equation was reduced to an integral equation of the second kind, whose explicit analytical solution was constructed by using the resolvent-kernel algorithm.

On prismatic and bending bifurcations of fiber-reinforced elastic membranes under swelling with application to aortic aneurysms

The influence of swelling on prismatic and bending bifurcation modes of inflated thin-walled cylinders under axial loading is examined. The bifurcation criteria for a membrane cylinder subjected to combined axial loading, internal pressure, and swelling is provided. We consider orthotropic materials with two preferred directions which are mechanically equivalent and symmetrically disposed. The mechanical behavior of the matrix is described by a swellable isotropic model. The isotropic material is augmented with two functions that are equal, each one of them accounting for the existence of a unidirectional reinforcement. Two reinforcing models that depend only on the stretch in the fiber direction are considered: the so-called standard reinforcing model and an exponential one. The analysis of bifurcation modes for these models under the conditions at hand may establish the connection with modeling of the normal and diseased aorta in arterial wall tissue. The effects of the axial stretch, the strength of the fiber reinforcement and the fiber winding angle on the onset of prismatic and bending bifurcations are investigated. It is shown that for membranes without fibers, prismatic bifurcation is not feasible. On the other hand, bending bifurcation is more likely to occur for swollen cylinders. However, for a particular model of fiber-reinforced membranes, the standard model, there exists a domain of deformation values together with material constant values that may trigger prismatic bifurcation. The exponential model does not allow prismatic bifurcations. Both models allow bending bifurcation and may or may not trigger it depending on the deformation together with material parameters.

Simulation of the Hybrid Carbon-Aramid Composite Materials Based on Mechanical Characterization by Digital Image Correlation Method

As hybrid carbon-aramid composites become widely used in various industries, it has become imperative to mechanically characterize them using accurate methods of measuring the entire deformation field such as the digital image correlation (DIC) method. The accuracy of the numerical simulation of carbon-aramid composite structures depends on the accuracy of the elastic constants. Therefore, the goal of this research is to model and simulate the mechanical behaviour of the composite based on epoxy resin reinforced with carbon-aramid woven fabric by considering the mechanical properties investigated by tensile test combined with DIC and the bending test. The curves of the transverse strains related to the longitudinal strains were investigated using DIC in order to determine the Poisson’s ratios in the case of tensile tests applied in warp or weft directions of the reinforcement fabric. The impact strength determined by Charpy tests is also reported. The other main objective is to use the analytical models to compute the tensile and flexural moduli of elasticity for the fictitious orthotropic materials which behave similarly to the carbon-aramid composite investigated. The simulations regarding the behaviour of the carbon-aramid composite in tensile and bending tests were validated by the experimental results, since the maximum errors recorded between experimental and theoretical results were 0.19% and 0.15% for the equivalent tensile modulus and for the equivalent flexural modulus, respectively.

Buckling Analysis of a Large Shelter with Composites

We present here linear and nonlinear finite element analyses of a newly designed deployable rapid assembly shelter (DRASH J) manufactured by DHS Systems. The structural analysis is carried out in three stages. Firstly, single composite tubes (struts) under three-point bending are modeled with five layers of orthotropic materials in three different orientations and the simulation results are compared with the actual test data for validation. Secondly, a comprehensive structural model for the entire shelter is constructed with the consideration of two types of strut scissor points, namely natural and forced scissor (crossing) points, as well as partial-fixed hub joints, which allow rotations along individual hub slots (grooves). Finally, a simplified structural model is created by introducing fixed joints for the scissor points as well as rigid links for the hubs. With sufficient verifications with experiments and different modeling methods, linear and nonlinear finite element analyses are then carried out for both the comprehensive and simplified shelter models. Based on the simulation results, we are able to identify a few critical issues pertaining to proper design and modifications of such shelter systems, such as various end wall supports pertaining to the overall structural stability.

An Accurate Limit Load Solution for an Anisotropic Highly Undermatched Tension Specimen with a Crack

Plastic anisotropy significantly influences the behavior of structures subjected to various loading conditions. The extremum principles in the theory of rigid plastic solids are convenient and reliable tools for plastic design. The present paper combines the upper bound theorem and Hill’s quadratic yield criterion for orthotropic materials to evaluate the plastic collapse load of a highly undermatched welded tensile panel with a crack in the weld. The base material is supposed to be rigid. The shape of the crack is quite arbitrary. The orientation of the principal axes of anisotropy varies through the thickness of the weld. The upper bound solution is based on an exact solution for a layer of an anisotropic material. This feature of the upper bound solution is advantageous for increasing its accuracy. A numerical treatment is only necessary to find the solution for the uncracked specimen. This specimen has two axes of symmetry, which simplifies the solution. Simple analytic formulae transform this solution into a solution for the cracked specimens with one axis of symmetry and no symmetry. It is shown that the through-thickness distribution of anisotropic properties significantly affects the limit load.

A Recursive Legendre Polynomial Analytical Integral Method for the Fast and Efficient Modelling Guided Wave Propagation in Rectangular Section Bars of Orthotropic Materials

Ultrasonic guided waves are widely used in non-destructive testing (NDT), and complete guided wave dispersion, including propagating and evanescent modes in a given waveguide, is essential for NDT. Compared with an infinite plate, the finite lateral width of a rectangular bar introduces a greater density of modes, and the dispersion solutions become more complicated. In this study, a recursive Legendre polynomial analytical integral (RLPAI) method is presented to calculate the dispersion behaviours of guided waves in rectangular bars of orthotropic materials. The existing polynomial method involves a large number of numerical integration steps, and it is often computationally costly to compute these integrals. The presented RLPAI method uses analytical integration instead of numerical integration, thus leading to a significant improvement in the computational speed. The results are compared with those published previously to validate our method, and the computational efficiency is discussed. The full three-dimensional dispersion curves are plotted. The dispersion characteristics of propagating and evanescent waves are investigated in various rectangular bars. The influences of different width-to-thickness ratios on the dispersion curves of four types of low-order modes for a rectangular bar of an orthotropic composite are illustrated.

ADAPTATION OF THE TSAI-HILL CRITERION FOR THE STUDY OF THE BEHAVIOR OF MASONRY ARCHES ADAPTATION OF THE THAI-HILL CRITERION FOR THE STUDY OF THE BEHAVIOR OF MASONRY ARCHES: COMPARISON BETWEEN MASOMODEL, EXPANDED MICROMODEL AND DETAILED MICROMODEL

Since the beginning of the structural analysis of masonry structures, it has been sought to know their behavior taking into account the influence of the different elements that make it up, evolving the structural analysis of masonry arches to analyze the fracto-mechanical behavior of the masonry. This article presents the adaptation of the Tsai-Hill failure criterion for orthotropic materials, for the study of masonry arches. Implementing the adaptation in a VUSFLD subroutine of ABAQUS in Fortran programming language. This subroutine has been validated in view of the failure of the mortar, and the effect of considering mortar in the analysis of a masonry arch. The subroutine implemented in a masomodel allows observing its contribution to the bearing capacity of an arch. Key Words: Masonry Arch; ABAQUS subroutine; failure Criterion; Mortar; structural analysis; Tsai-Hill failure criterion