Dynamic Characterization of Additively Manufactured Polylactide (PLA)

Additively manufactured materials have excellent properties with wide applications in many industries. For designing components exposed to extreme loading situations, it is essential to characterize the high strain rate response of 3D printed (fused deposition modelling) materials. In this study, uniaxial quasi-static and dynamic compressive tests were carried out at various strain rates (10−2 s−1 and 200 s−1 to 1800 s−1) for 3D printed PLA. Strain rate dependent compressive response of Polylactide acid (PLA) disk specimens 3D printed at 0°, 45° and 90° orientations was obtained using the Split Hopkinson bar technique. The results show that the compressive strength increases with corresponding strain rates for 0° and 45° print orientations. PLA printed at 0° has higher compressive strength compared to 45° and 90° orientations under quasi-static as well as high strain rate loading. Toughness was observed to increase with strain rate in all three orientations. A simple modification to the Johnson-Cook model is proposed, which accounts for the effects of print orientation, porosity and strain softening behavior.

A Proposed Algorithm to Compute the Stress-Strain Plastic Region and Displacement of a Deep-Lying Tunnel Considering Intermediate Stress and Strain-Softening Behavior

Past studies on deep-lying tunnels under the assumption of plane strain have generally neglected the influence of intermediate principal stress even though this affects the surrounding rocks in the plastic zone. This study proposes a finite difference method to compute the stress strain plastic region and displacement of a tunnel based on the Drucker–Prager (D–P) yield criterion and non-associated flow rule and considering the influences of intermediate principal stress and the strain-softening behavior of surrounding rock. The computed results were compared with those of other well-known solutions and the accuracy and validity of the method were confirmed through some examples. Parameter analysis was conducted to investigate the effects of intermediate principal stress on stress-strain, the plastic region, the ground response curve, and the dilatability of surrounding rock. The results showed that the plastic radius , the residual radius , and radial displacement of surrounding rock first decreased and then increased with increasing intermediate principal stress coefficient b from 0 to 1, with the minimums occurring at b = 0.75. On the contrary, the peak and rate of variation of the dilatancy coefficient first increased and then decreased with increasing b and the dilatancy coefficient gradually transitioned from nonlinear to linear variation. Meanwhile, the inhibition of the plastic radius and radial displacement gradually weakened with increasing support pressure, whereas the dilatancy coefficient of the tunnel opening gradually increased.

Strain-Softening Characteristics of Hydrate-Bearing Sediments and Modified Duncan–Chang Model

Marine hydrate exploitation may trigger the seabed geological disaster, such as seafloor collapse and landslide. It is critically important to understand the mechanical properties of hydrate-bearing sediment. Strain-softening observation is a typical behavior of hydrate-bearing sediment (HBS) and exhibits more significant at higher hydrate saturation. This paper performed a series of triaxial compression tests on methane hydrate-bearing sand to analyze the influence rule and mechanism of hydrate saturation on the strain-softening characteristic, stiffness, and strength and introduced the strain-softening index to quantificationally characterize the strain-softening behaviors of HBS with different hydrate saturations. Based on the analyses on the mechanical behavior of HBS, the Duncan–Chang model is extended to address the stress-strain curves of HBS. Two empirical formulas with hydrate saturation embedded are used to characterize the enhanced initial modulus and strength for HBS, respectively. To address the strain-softening behavior of HBS, the modified Duncan–Chang model introduced a damage factor into the strength of HBS. To validate the modified Duncan–Chang model, four different triaxial compression tests are simulated. The good consistence between simulated result and experimental data demonstrates that the modified Duncan–Chang model is capable of reflecting the influence of hydrate saturation not only on the stiffness and strength but also on the strain-softening characteristics of HBS.

Elastoplastic Analysis for Circular Tunnel Based on Modified Lade Criterion considering Strain Softening and Dilatancy

Modified Lade criterion can not only describe the strength properties of many kinds of rocks well but also has simple and practical parameters. Although the elastoplastic solution of circular tunnel has been extensively investigated, the method based on modified Lade criterion considering the effect of the intermediate principal stress, strain-softening behavior, and dilatancy has not yet been studied. In this paper, a new numerical procedure based on modified Lade criterion is proposed to calculate the elastoplastic solutions for surrounding rock of the circular tunnel. The comparisons of stress, displacement, and plastic zone radius are carried out between the presented method and published literatures under axisymmetric and nonaxisymmetric original in situ stress field. Finally, a series of parametric analyses are executed and discussed. It can be concluded that the lateral pressure coefficient, λ, influences both the size of plastic zone and the development direction. The plastic zone radius shows a negative power function change with increasing critical deviatoric plastic strain and increases slightly with increasing dilation angle, ψ.

Review of Techniques for Improvement of Softening Behavior of Age-Hardening Aluminum Alloy Welded Joints

The softening phenomenon of age-hardening aluminum alloy-welded joints is severe during conventional fusion welding, which increases the likelihood of stress and strain concentration in the joint during the period of service, significantly reduces the mechanical properties compared to the base metal, and represents an obstacle to the exploration of the potential structural performance. This review paper focuses on an overview of the softening phenomenon. Firstly, the welding softening mechanism and the characteristics of age-hardening aluminum alloys are clarified. Secondly, the current main research methods that can effectively improve joint softening are summarized into three categories: low-heat-input welding, externally assisted cooling during welding, and post-weld treatment. The strengthening mechanism and performance change rule of age-hardening aluminum alloy joints are systematically analyzed. Finally, this paper considers the future development trends of further research on joint softening, and it is expected that interest in this topic will increase.