Element Level Research Articles

An Enhanced Progressive Damage Model for Laminated Fiber-Reinforced Composites Using the 3D Hashin Failure Criterion: A Multi-Level Analysis and Validation.

This paper presents a progressive damage model (PDM) based on the 3D Hashin failure criterion within the ABAQUS/ExplicitTM 2021 framework via a VUMAT subroutine, enhancing the characterization of the mechanical performance and damage evolution in the elastic and softening stages of composite materials via the accurate calculation of damage variables and accommodation of non-monotonic loading conditions. In the subsequent multi-level verification, it is found that the model accurately simulates the primary failure modes at the element level and diminishes the influence of element size, ensuring a reliable behavior representation under non-monotonic loading. At the laminate level, it also accurately forecasts the elastic behavior and damage evolution in open-hole lamina and laminates, demonstrating the final crack band at ultimate failure. This paper also emphasizes the importance of correct characteristic length selection and how to minimize mesh size impact by selecting appropriate values. Compared to ABAQUS's built-in 2D model, the 3D VUMAT subroutine shows superior accuracy and effectiveness, proving its value in characterizing the mechanical behavior and damage mechanisms of fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) materials. The enhanced 3D PDM accurately characterizes the softening processes in composite materials under simple or complex stress states during monotonic or non-monotonic loading, effectively minimizes the mesh dependency, and reasonably captures failure crack bands, making it suitable for future simulations and resolutions of numerical issues in composite material models under complex, three-dimensional stress states.

Spectroscopic Analysis of Chrysotile Asbestos and its Environmental Resistance in Asbestos Cement Waste Products

Most asbestos-related studies have focused on asbestos exposure risks, their associated health implications, and waste management issues. Our research introduced a unique perspective that has rarely been explored: the impact of environmental factors on asbestos cement products. The novelty of the study is that, in contrast to previous research, in addition to determining the material quality of asbestos, it analyses the trace materials, additives and the emissive nature of chrysotile fibers. This study aims to identify the chrysotile-asbestos content in three common asbestos cement products found in Hungary, with regard to the release of their fibers upon exposure to the environment and to identify trace elements that could be used to identify the origin and function of each of these products. Our analyses revealed the presence of chrysotile in each tested sample, with spectral matches ranging from 59.6% to 86.7%. Asbestos cement products exposed to various environmental influences for long periods showed a greater chrysotile emission capacity than those unexposed or hermetically sealed ones. Additionally, we established that all asbestos cement products contained glass fibers, with an average spectral match of 62.1%. We further identified polysilicate in the materials with an average spectral match of 66.0%, as it was included in asbestos cement products to enhance their heat resistance. Our results pave the way for a new methodology for assessing asbestos cement products with regard to the implementation of their trace element level assessments.

Statistical assessment of direct investment (equity capital instruments) in the economy of the Dnipropetrovsk area

Introduction. The statistics above prove that the Dnipropetrovsk area in terms of the volume of attracted foreign direct investment is confidently ranked 1st among the regions of Ukraine in 2024. The purpose of the paper is to build a model of statistical assessment of direct investment (tools of participation in capital) in the economy of Dnipropetrovsk area. Results. The shortcomings that create significant problems of formation of information and analytical support of existing models of analysis of investment cooperation between countries are identified. Adaptive forecasting based on the method of exponential smoothing. The essence of this method is that each element (level) of the time row is smoothed with a weighted average, and its weight decreases as the end of the row is removed. The forecast of direct investment (instruments of participation in capital) of EU countries in the economy of Dnipropetrovsk area by 2028 was built. Based on statistical analysis for the period 2015-2023. The forecast of direct investment (instruments of participation in capital, by types of economic activity) of EU countries in the economy of Dnipropetrovsk area by 2028. On the basis of statistical analysis for the period 2021-2023. It is emphasized that in 2021. Three industries (education (P); art, sports, entertainment and rest (R); providing other services (S)) are not made public in order to ensure compliance with the requirements of the Law of Ukraine "On Official Statistics" on the confidentiality of statistical information. Conclusion. According to the analysis, six key consequences and risks of war in Ukraine are separated when attracting foreign direct investment. As a prospect of further research in the subject area is to build a gravitational model of direct investment relationship between the economy of Dnipropetrovsk area and EU countries, for example by the following factors: GDP per capita of the country; geographical distance between Ukraine and donor countries; The population of the country. This will identify problematic issues in forming a foreign investment stimulating policy. The possibility of constructing a gravity model of foreign direct investment for Dnipropetrovsk area has been grown.

A novel efficient plastic hinge approach for direct analysis of steel structures

A robust and efficient plastic analysis method incorporated into beam-column elements is highly demanded for economic design and safety evaluation of structures under earthquakes and extreme events. This paper presents a novel approach for the direct analysis of steel structures allowing for material yielding by introducing an enhanced plastic hinge method to an advanced second-order beam-column element, which is derived based on a rigorous incremental-iterative force recovery procedure. The new element considers various critical factors at the element level, including transverse shear deformation, initial geometrical imperfections, and residual stresses. Thus, the approach enables the analysis and design of a wide range of steel structures using a single element per member, which contrasts with commercial software that requires many elements per member. Several benchmark problems are investigated and the results are in good agreement with those in literature and commercial software. The paper offers a reliable, efficient, and practical solution for direct analysis of steel structures in various engineering applications without the use of the conventional effective length method.

Application of data element mapping and analysis for system definition to enable model‐based systems engineering

AbstractIn the connected age of the model‐based enterprise and model‐based systems engineering (MBSE), new systems engineering tools are needed to move from a functional, document‐centric, hierarchical view of data and information to the individual units of data or data element level view. Data element mapping and analysis (DEMA) is a technology‐agnostic analytical methodology that combines traditional functional analysis techniques, systems engineering elicitation practices, and novel data mapping techniques to provide a holistic view of a system's data and information flows at the individual units of data (data element level). In this research, DEMA was utilized to enable an enhanced system definition for the development of a verification and validation process as applied to a modeling and simulation environment. DEMA uncovered and visually mapped the hidden flow of approximately 1600 data vessel occurrences as inputs or outputs to 79 functional activities in 23 disparate storage locations. The results reveal that DEMA is a practical tool for both improving existing systems and defining new systems. The data element level view captured by DEMA can be used to define the interconnections between the system elements that are input to systems modeling language (SysML) models. Therefore, DEMA is a necessary and novel tool that can be used to enable system digitalization.

Element-wise parallel deep learning for structural distributed damage diagnosis by leveraging physical properties of long-gauge static strain transmissibility under moving loads

The Transmissibility Function (TF) has gained considerable interest in structural damage detection because of its relatively high sensitivity to damage and robustness to excitation. This study proposed a distributed damage diagnosis method for beam-like structures based on a long-gauge static strain TF defined as the ratio of the Fourier transform of static strain response under moving loads from a target long-gauge sensor to that from the reference sensor. It has been discovered that each long-gauge static strain TF is independent of moving loads, making it an ideal damage indicator. It exhibits direct proportionality to the ratio of bending stiffness between the two measured zones covered by the target and reference long-gauge strain sensors while being unaffected by the stiffness of any other zones not covered by these two sensors. Moreover, the TF at zero frequency was proved to be equivalent to the ratio of static strain time history areas, relying solely on the stiffness of the covered zones. Leveraged by the physical properties of long-gauge static strain TF, an element-wise parallel deep neural network architecture was developed to decompose damage diagnosis into independent sub-tasks on the element level, utilizing a variational autoencoder (VAE) in the Bayesian inference framework for extracting features from the long-gauge strain TF and a regressor for mapping the features to elemental stiffness reduction. The divide-and-conquer strategy and element-wise parallel learning architecture allow for a significant reduction in the number of labeled training samples generated based on the updated numerical baseline model as it only requires simulated scenarios involving a single damage element. The efficiency and robustness of the proposed method were demonstrated through a numerical simply supported beam and a laboratory experiment on a two-span bridge.

Simultaneous enhancement of strength and ductility in Al-Zn-Cu casting alloy with trace Mg addition designed by first principle calculation

The Al alloy containing 17 wt% Zn exhibits enhanced strength through Zn precipitation after casting without the need for further aging treatment. DFT (Density Functional Theory) calculations revealed that the addition of Cu and Mg elements to Al-Zn alloy has the potential to stabilize the Zn phase in the Al matrix and reduce the interface energy between the Zn precipitate and Al matrix. Based on these findings, 0.5 wt% Cu and 0.1 wt% Mg were added to the Al-17 wt% Zn alloy. The trace element level of 0.1 wt% Mg addition led to a significant increase in both yield and tensile strength, from 132 to 278 and from 248 to 310 MPa, respectively, compared to the Al-17 wt% Zn alloy with 0.5 wt% Cu. Furthermore, their ductility surpassed 11 %. The trace amount of Mg greatly increased yield and tensile strength, while Cu enhanced the ductility in the Al-Zn alloy after casting without any aging treatment.

A finite strain micromechanical-based constitutive model: Application to porous polycrystal

A finite strain micromechanical-based constitutive model is developed for multi-phase polycrystal to characterize the interplay among strain hardening, texture evolution, and stress-strain relation. The phases are regarded as ellipsoidal inhomogeneities within the polycrystalline matrix, which can be considered as an aggregation of different orientated grains. At the grain level, the crystal plasticity model is applied to physically describe the inelastic deformation results from crystallographic slipping. At the polycrystalline level, an algorithmic finite strain self-consistent model is proposed to associate the strain and rotation rate at the grain level with the corresponding terms of the polycrystalline matrix rigorously. At the representative volume element level, the phases with different properties are investigated by extending the Mori–Tanaka model at finite strain. The algorithmic self-consistent model is validated by comparing the calculated normalized stress-strain curves and textures with those obtained by the model adopting extended Taylor hypothesis and the experimental data of stainless steel. Moreover, the grain and polycrystalline level behaviors calculated by the algorithmic self-consistent model are compared to those derived from the full-field model. The effects of void and elastic particles on overall mechanical behavior are analyzed by the extended Mori–Tanaka model, which is then verified by predicting the mechanical behavior of sintered nano-silver stub columns under stress-controlled compression loads.

Seismic performance of sheet pile walls in liquefiable soil using centrifuge tests and an assessment of nonlinear effective stress analysis using PM4Sand

Past earthquakes have revealed that damage to sheet-pile walls under saturated conditions is closely linked to excess pore water pressure buildup in the surrounding soil. Nonlinear effective stress analysis (ESA) is commonly employed to assess the seismic performance of sheet-pile walls in liquefiable soils, incorporating constitutive models for liquefaction simulation. However, ESA results are sensitive to uncertainties in input parameters, model calibration, and modeling techniques. Dynamic centrifuge tests conducted in the Liquefaction Experiments and Analysis Project (LEAP) offer valuable insights into important response mechanisms and validate ESA. Seven centrifuge tests on a cantilevered sheet-pile wall model showed that liquefaction did not occur in the backfill near the wall due to net seaward wall displacement but did occur farther away. In addition, the mechanism of wall displacement was mainly due to the shear deformation of the softened backfill, with the displacement magnitude depending on the relative density of soil, peak ground acceleration of base motion, and wall displacement during gravity loading. Nonlinear ESA was performed for three centrifuge tests using FLAC2D and the PM4Sand constitutive model for soil. Gravity analysis captured static wall displacement and initial stress distribution in the soil. Two calibrations of the PM4Sand model were pursued at the element level: C1 calibration for liquefaction strength and C2 calibration for liquefaction strength and the post-liquefaction shear strain accumulation rate. System-level simulations showed similar liquefaction behavior as observed in the tests for both calibrations. However, the C2 calibration provided closer predictions of wall displacements, while the C1 calibration (default for PM4Sand) resulted in larger and more conservative displacements. Overall, the PM4Sand model performed well with minimal calibration, making it suitable for nonlinear ESA of sheet-pile walls.

Kinematic modeling and formability analysis of revolved bodies formed by origami waterbomb units based on a chain-like layer-building method

ABSTRACT Origami patterns play a critical role in the field of soft and reconfigurable robotics. The revolved body formed by waterbomb units is also widely used in robot design. The kinematic model plays a key role in understanding motion characteristics and is vital for dynamic modeling and control of robots based on origami. However, while the deformation of origami patterns is well-studied on the finite element level, the assembly of rigid origami patterns is rarely explored on the kinematic level. Therefore, we propose a chain-like assembly method for constructing revolved bodies using rigid waterbomb units, ensuring crease status unalternation, collision avoidance, axis existence, and seamless assembly. We explore the formability of waterbomb units and investigate the resulting revolved body with some layer and column numbers of waterbomb units. Results demonstrate that increasing the number of columns does not necessarily provide more space for building layers. Additionally, they reveal boundaries of the layer and column numbers for constructing the revolved body and highlight the impact of the aspect ratio and configuration of the waterbomb units on the formability of the revolved body. This method can provide insights for origami-based robot research and can be extended to model other origami patterns.

A transcriptional enhancer regulates cardiac maturation.

Cardiomyocyte maturation is crucial for generating adult cardiomyocytes and the application of human pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (hPSC-CMs). However, regulation at the cis-regulatory element level and its role in heart disease remain unclear. Alpha-actinin 2 (ACTN2) levels increase during CM maturation. In this study, we investigated a clinically relevant, conserved ACTN2 enhancer's effects on CM maturation using hPSC and mouse models. Heterozygous ACTN2 enhancer deletion led to abnormal CM morphology, reduced function and mitochondrial respiration. Transcriptomic analyses in vitro and in vivo showed disrupted CM maturation and upregulated anabolic mammalian target for rapamycin (mTOR) signaling, promoting senescence and hindering maturation. As confirmation, ACTN2 enhancer deletion induced heat shock protein 90A expression, a chaperone mediating mTOR activation. Conversely, targeting the ACTN2 enhancer via enhancer CRISPR activation (enCRISPRa) promoted hPSC-CM maturation. Our studies reveal the transcriptional enhancer's role in cardiac maturation and disease, offering insights into potentially fine-tuning gene expression to modulate cardiomyocyte physiology.

Modelling the magnetic-mechanical coupled viscoelastic behaviour of transversely isotropic soft magnetorheological elastomers

Soft magnetorheological elastomers (s-MRE) is a kind of smart material mainly fabricated by embedding soft magnetic particles into an elastomer matrix. It can be categorized as isotropic and transversely isotropic, depending on the arrangement of internal magnetic particles. In isotropic s-MRE, magnetic particles are randomly distributed, while transversely isotropic s-MRE forms chain structures for the magnetic particles. Compared with isotropic s-MRE, transversely isotropic s-MRE exhibits more significant magnetically-enhanced mechanical properties, making it highly applicable in the vibration control area. While past theoretical work has mainly focused on the magneto-mechanical coupling behaviour of isotropic s-MRE, less attention has been given to modelling the magneto-mechanical coupling behaviour of transversely isotropic s-MRE. Specifically, understanding the impact of different particle chain-magnetic field spatial locations on the magnetization and magnetic-enhanced viscoelastic behaviour of transversely isotropic s-MRE remains an open topic. To address this research gap, we characterize the quasi-static, viscoelastic and magnetization performance of transversely isotropic s-MRE under different particle chain-magnetic field spatial locations. Subsequently, we develop a novel constitutive model for transversely isotropic s-MRE, integrating magneto-hyperelasticity, magneto-viscoelasticity and magnetization. We then implement the magneto-mechanical coupled model for transversely isotropic s-MRE at a finite element level. Following model calibration and validation, we conduct a case study to demonstrate the model’s ability to predict the magneto-mechanical coupling performance of a transversely isotropic s-MRE-based laminated isolator. This model is a valuable tool for predicting the magneto-mechanical performance of transversely isotropic s-MRE-based smart devices, thereby facilitating the design and advancement of transversely isotropic s-MRE in vibration control.

A Novel Mayfly Algorithm with Response Surface for Static Damage Identification Based on Multiple Indicators

This paper proposes a novel structural damage identification approach coupling the Mayfly algorithm (MA) with static displacement-based response surface (RS). Firstly, a hybrid optimal objective function is established that simultaneously considers the sensitivity-based residual errors of static damage identification equation and the static displacement residual. In the objective function, the static damage identification equation is addressed by the Tikhonov regularization technique. The MA is subsequently employed to conduct an optimal search and pinpoint the location and intensity of damages at the structural element level. To handle the inconformity of the static loading points and the measurement points of displacements, the model reduction and displacement extension techniques are implemented to reconstruct the static damage identification equation. Meanwhile, the static displacement-based RS is constructed to calculate the displacement residual in the hybrid objective function, thereby circumventing the time-consuming finite element calculations and improving computational efficiency. The identification results of the numerical box girder bridge demonstrate that the proposed method outperforms the particle swarm optimization, differential evolution, Jaya and whale optimization algorithms about both convergence rate in optimal searching and identification accuracy. The proposed method enables more accurate damage identification compared to methods solely based on the indicator of the residual of static damage identification equations or displacement residual. The results of identifying damage in the 21 element-truss structure and the static experiments on identifying damage in an aluminum alloy cantilever beam confirm the high efficiency of the proposed approach.

A model for the response of unreinforced and z-pin reinforced composite pi joints

Experimental data obtained from Narrow Element and Wide Element pi joints was used to motivate the development of a mechanics-based model to predict the quasi-static response of non-reinforced and z-pin reinforced composite pi joints. The progressive failure modeling approach used a novel cohesive formulation to include intra- and inter-laminar damage modes and their interactions. A smeared cohesive zone modeling approach was implemented in which effective fracture toughness and cohesive strength values were defined in the areas corresponding to the z-pin fields in the reinforced joints. Properties defining the cohesive responses were calibrated at the narrow element level and subsequently used in the wide element model to establish blind predictions prior to experimental testing. Unreinforced (unpinned) and z-pin reinforced pi joint specimens were tested in pull-off loading. Experimental and numerical comparisons were made in terms of load–displacement response, critical loads, damage modes, and failure progression. Comparisons between the experimental results and blind predictions for the unpinned joints were found to be in good agreement; however, discrepancies for the z-pin reinforced joint emphasize the challenges associated with physics-based simplified modeling techniques intended to capture complex z-pin behavior.

Dried fish-filled rice ball: A new ready-to-eat product, consumer preferences and nutritional aspects

Due to time constraints, demands for ready-to-eat products are skyrocketing. A traditional Bangladeshi meal such as rice and fish is often found troublesome to be eaten in workplaces while taking excessive preparation time. With this in mind, a nutritious value-added product, namely, rice ball filled with mixed dried small indigenous species (SIS) fish powder was developed in the laboratory. Eight separate compositions of the product were prepared by combining two types of cooked rice, and mixed dried fish stuffing consisting of Amblypharyngodon mola, Puntius sophore and Corica soborna. Four categories of panelists scored the prepared products on the basis of the attributes and overall likings. Statistical tests proved the ball prepared from non-gruelled rice and oven dried fish powder (RB6) to be the preferred one while the products varied in odor, mouthfeel, taste and texture. The study revealed that plain rice now contained more protein (4.73 ± 0.20 % to 7.82 ± 0.15 %) and lipid (1.44 ± 0.20 % to 3.73 ± 0.07 %) due to the addition of dry fish powder. Taking the quality and microbial parameters as well as the trace element level into consideration, the developed product showed negligible quality compromisation while pH was nearly neutral. The present study suggests that dried fish-filled rice ball could be a viable commercial product with high nutritional and quality attributes.

Material migration and damage characteristics of fused silica optical surface treated by CO2 laser/short – pulse ultraviolet laser

Fused silica optics, as key components in high - power laser systems, are prone to be damaged under short - pulse ultraviolet (UV) laser irradiation. CO2 laser is usually used to repair the laser damage and extend the service life of optics. However, the anti - laser damage characteristics of repaired substrates sometimes can’t meet the expectation. To facilitate better application of CO2 laser repairing method, this work studied the CO2 laser irradiating mechanism of fused silica in detail and investigated the damage characteristics of repaired optical surface through experiments. Firstly, finite element level - set (FELS) method is adopted to simulate CO2 laser irradiating process. The simulation showed that CO2 laser irradiation would cause molten material migration, vapor material deposition and affect the formation of residual stress. Various tests of morphology, residual stress, and photo - thermal absorption were conducted to study the changes of laser damage characteristics of repaired craters. The experimental results presented that molten materials migration and vapor materials re deposition occurred in CO2 laser irradiation, which would promote the formation of residual stress, cause stronger laser absorption, or even induce laser damage. Through the experiment, accuracy of simulation was verified further. In this work, the CO2 laser repairing mechanism of fused silica and laser damage characteristics of repaired optics are clarified through FELS simulation and experiments. Relative results can provide a certain technical support for the performance improvement of repaired fused silica optics.

An energy-balanced method for determining the optimized parameter of the incompatible generalized mixed element

A novel method for determining the optimized parameter of the four-node incompatible generalized mixed element is presented based on the equilibrium between strain energy and complementary energy. The presented energy formulations are derived from the generalized mixed variational principle, which contains an arbitrary additional parameter. The initial solutions expressed by the displacement field are firstly assumed for the description of the energy of each generalized mixed element. Then, the identical relationship between strain energy and complementary energy is subsequently expressed at element level, which includes the arbitrary parameter. At the same time, a formulation for determining the optimized parameter at element level is proposed. Several representative examples with varying geometrical parameters, boundary and loading conditions are used to validate this method. By contrasting with the results of generalized mixed elements with different parameter values and other traditional finite elements. The effectiveness of the presented method has been demonstrated. On one hand, by ensuring the strain energy and complementary energy remain consistent under both coarse and fine meshes, the optimized parameter can adjust the stiffness of the generalized mixed element, thereby enhancing its resemblance to the real elastic body. On the other hand, the generalized mixed element has the additional advantage of conveniently introducing stress boundary conditions, thereby satisfying the requirement for zero-conditions of shear stresses on the exterior surfaces of beams. The numerical results obtained by the proposed method are accurate and stable.

All-optical dual module platform for motility-based functional scrutiny of microencapsulated probiotic bacteria.

Probiotic bacteria are widely used in pharmaceutics to offer health benefits. Microencapsulation is used to deliver probiotics into the human body. Capsules in the stomach have to keep bacteria constrained until release occurs in the intestine. Once outside, bacteria must maintain enough motility to reach the intestine walls. Here, we develop a platform based on two label-free optical modules for rapidly screening and ranking probiotic candidates in the laboratory. Bio-speckle dynamics assay tests the microencapsulation effectiveness by simulating the gastrointestinal transit. Then, a digital holographic microscope 3D-tracks their motility profiles at a single element level to rank the strains.

GPU parallel computation strategy for electrothermal coupling problems using improved assembly-free FEM

Abstract The analysis of electrothermal coupling problems finds extensive application in engineering. However, for large-scale electrothermal coupling problems, the time cost and storage requirements for solving them using the finite element method (FEM) are substantial. We optimize the finite element electrothermal coupling computation from two aspects: computational speed and storage usage. Based on the assembly-free FEM, we explore the symmetry of element matrices to reduce storage for second-order tetrahedral elements and propose a graphics processing unit (GPU) parallel algorithm to improve computational speed. At the same time, we allocate the parallel parts of an electrothermal coupling problem to two GPUs to improve the speed further. In addition, for the three types of boundary conditions in electrothermal coupling problems, we design parallel application methods suitable for assembly-free FEM. Finally, we compare our strategy with methods from other literature through the numerical experiment. Our method reduces the element matrices’ storage by 45%. Compared with the solution process using the element level method and degree of freedom level method, our strategy achieves average acceleration ratios of 5.83 and 1.38, respectively.

Temporal effective stress response of soil elements below the base of an excavation in sensitive clay

Investigations into the temporally evolving stress state below the base of excavations and underground structures are very scarce, in contrast to studies of horizontal earth pressures during the construction stage. Therefore in this work, the measured temporal response in terms of vertical and horizontal effective stresses and displacements below a tunnel slab at the base of an excavation located in a deep sensitive clay deposit is reported. In addition to the measured unloading response over time, the completeness of the site description and complementary measurements enables future benchmarking of numerical models at boundary and element level. Instrument clusters of earth pressure cells and piezometers were installed at three locations in one cross-section. The monitoring data allows the interpretation of effective stress paths and stress ratios, <i>K</i>=σ'<sub>h</sub>/σ'<sub>v</sub>, at soil element level covering the construction and the serviceability stages. The in situ stress ratios enable a unique comparison to prior laboratory studies of <i>K</i> during unloading. The data presented herein on the evolution of <i>K</i> corroborate, although approximately, previous studies at laboratory scale. Furthermore, at system level, the monitoring data reveal the intricate interplay between deformations resulting from excavation and pile driving.