Combined Finite Element Model Research Articles

Performance of timber board models for prediction of local bending stiffness and strength - with application on Douglas fir sawn timber

Efficient utilization of structural timber requires accurate methods for machine strength grading. One of the most accurate methods presented this far is based on data of local fiber orientation on board surfaces, obtained from laser scanning. In this paper, two potential improvements of this method are examined. The first one consists of replacing a model based on simple integration over cross sections of boards for calculation of local bending stiffness by a 3D solid finite element (FE) model from which local bending stiffness is derived. The second improvement concerns replacement of a simple model for the fiber orientation in the interior of board by a more advanced one taking location of pith and growth direction of knots into account. Application of the alternative models on a sample of more than 200 Douglas fir boards, size 40 mm X 100 mm X 3000 mm, cut from large logs, show that each of the evaluated model improvements contributes to improved grading accuracy. When local bending stiffness is calculated utilizing the herein suggested FE model in combination with the improved model of fiber orientation in the interior of boards, a coefficient of determination to bending strength as high as 0.76 is obtained. For comparison, a coefficient of determination of 0.71 is obtain using the simpler original models.

Thermal conductivity modeling of monodispersed microspheres using discrete element method

Particle beds are widely used in various systems and processes, such as particle heat exchangers, granular flow reactors, and additive manufacturing. Accurate modeling of the thermal conductivity of particle beds and understanding of their heat transfer mechanisms are important. However, previous models were based on simple cubic packing of particles, which could not accurately represent the actual heat transfer processes under certain conditions. Here, we examine the effect of the packing structure on the thermal conductivity of particle beds. We use monodispersed silica microspheres with average particle sizes ranging from 23 to 330 μm as a model material. We employ a transient hot-wire technique to measure the thermal conductivity of the particle beds with packing density of 43%–57% within a temperature range of room temperature to 500 °C and under N2 gaseous pressures of 20–760 Torr. We then use a discrete element method (DEM) to obtain the realistic packing structure of the particles, which is then fed into a finite-element model (FEM) to calculate the thermal conductivity, with the consideration of solid conduction, gas conduction, and radiation heat transfer. Our results show that the thermal conductivity model based on the more realistic random packing structure derived from the DEM shows better agreement with the experimental data compared to that based on the simple cubic-packing structure. The combined DEM and FEM methodology can serve as a useful tool to predict the effective thermal conductivity of particle beds and to quantify different heat transfer mechanisms under various conditions.

Research on Tool Wear Based on 3D FEM Simulation for Milling Process

In the process of metal cutting, the anti-wear performance of the tool determines the life of the tool and affects the surface quality of the workpiece. The finite element simulation method can directly show the tool wear state and morphology, but due to the limitations of the simulation time and complex boundary conditions, it has not been commonly used in tool life prediction. Based on this, a tool wear model was established on the platform of a finite element simulation software for the cutting process of titanium alloy TC4 by end milling. The key technique is to embed different types of tool wear models into the finite element model in combination with the consequent development technology. The effectiveness of the tool wear model was validated by comparing the experimental results with the simulation results. At the same time, in order to quickly predict the tool life, an empirical prediction formula of tool wear was established, and the change course of tool wear under time change was obtained.

Numerical analysis of energy absorption in expanded polystyrene foams

The expanded polystyrene foam is widely used as a protective material in engineering applications where energy absorption is critical for the reduction of harmful dynamic loads. However, to design reliable protective components, it is necessary to predict its nonlinear stress response with a good approximation, which makes it possible to know from the engineering design analysis the amount of energy that a product may absorb. In this work, the hyperfoam constitutive material model was used in a finite element model to approximate the mechanical response of an expanded polystyrene foam of three different densities. Additionally, an experimental procedure was performed to obtain the response of the material at three loading rates. The experimental results show that higher densities at high loading rates allow better energy absorption in the expanded polystyrene. As for the energy dissipation, high dissipation is obtained at higher densities at low loading rates. In the numerical results, the proposed finite element model presented a good performance since root mean square error values below 9% were obtained around the experimental compressive stress/strain curves for all tested material densities. Also, the prediction of energy absorption with the proposed model was around a maximum error of 5% regarding the experimental results. Therefore, the prediction of energy absorption and the compressive stress response of expanded polystyrene foams can be studied using the proposed finite element model in combination with the hyperfoam material model.

Estimation of Seismic Response of R/C Frame Structures to Vertical Earthquake Motion Considering Fixed Support and Soil-Structure-Interaction (SSI)

The present study aims to demonstrate the effects of vertical earthquake excitation on reinforced concrete frame structures (R/C) incorporating the approaches of Soil-Structure-Interaction (SSI) and rigid foundation. This effect is intended to be determined by making comparative study according to the engineering parameters of the base shear force, base axial force and overturning moment. Three earthquake time-histories currently used for the earthquake analysis of structure in literature are regarded to properly elucidate this effect. For the linear time-history analysis (LMTHA), finite element model (FEM) of a high-rise existing R/C structure designed according Turkish Seismic Code (TSC) is developed through frame, shell, solid, gap, link, linear damper elements. Similar modeling considerations are adopted for infinite soil zone. For the SSI analysis, the Direct Method (DM) is utilized, which enables to make an earthquake analysis of combined FEM (soil model+structure model) instead of separated FEM (the Substructure Method). The comparative study is carried out between the SSI and the fixed support (FS) model with fixed-supports under both only horizontal (H) and horizontal+vertical (HV) seismic motions. The difference between only H and H+V load cases for the engineering parameters that vertical earthquake motion is determined not to be effective on the base shear force, and the SSI model is recommended to be used for analysis due to resulting higher change than the FS. Therefore, no damages/failure resulting from the shear force is estimated under the vertical earthquake motion. Instead, the overturning moment is obtained with great change under H+V for all models; however, the SSI model yields to higher increase than the FS model; so, the SSI model is offered for more reliable analysis. Considerable increase in the overturning moment is predicted that vertical load bearing elements such as, columns and piers need to more strength capacity in terms of bending moment. The highest increase among the other parameters is obtained in the base axial force. However, the percentage increase is resulted as higher under H load than H+V, which means that vertical seismic motion treated as balancing effect. This lower change under H+V load case is directly pertinent to damping properties of the soil media. Therefore, design of columns and piers against axial force is recommended to be made for more safety according to the outcomes from the FS model.

Efficient 2D thermo-mechanical analysis of composites and sandwich laminates

ABSTRACTThe static behavior of composites and sandwich plates in thermo-mechanical environment is investigated by a two dimensional (2D) FE model. An efficient higher-order zig-zag theory (HOZT) considering actual through-thickness temperature profile and a least square error (LSE) method to accurately predict the inter-laminar stresses is implemented in this model. The in-plane displacement field is obtained by superposing a cubically varying global displacement field on a zig-zag displacement field having different slopes at each layer. This plate theory represents parabolic through thickness variation of transverse shear stresses, which satisfy the inter-laminar continuity at the layer interfaces and zero transverse shear stress conditions at the top and bottom of the plate. In the present 2D finite element (FE) model, the first derivatives of transverse displacement have been treated as independent variables to circumvent the problem of C1 continuity associated with the above plate theory (HOZT). The accurate through-thickness distribution of temperature is obtained by using a linear zig-zag thermal lamination theory proposed by the authors by using the thermal conduction properties of different constituent layers in the thickness direction. The LSE method is applied at the postprocessing stage to accurately calculate the inter-laminar stresses by the 3D equilibrium equations of the plate problem, after in-plane stresses are calculated. The proposed combined FE model (HOZT+LSE) is implemented to analyze the static behavior of laminated composites and sandwich plates subjected to thermo-mechanical loadings. Many new results are also presented that should be useful for the future reference.

A Finite-Element Model for the Thermal Radiative Properties of Graded Index Fiber Coated with Thin Absorbing Film

A finite-element model in combination with the wave optical approach is developed based on the radiative transfer equation for graded index medium in cylindrical coordinate system to predict the total hemispherical thermal radiative properties of semitransparent graded index fiber coated with thin absorbing film. The film is made of a strong absorbing medium with thickness less than or on the order of the wavelength of peak magnitude of thermal radiation. Radiative absorptance of the fiber-film system is directly obtained by solving the radiation deposited in the system. Radiative transfer in the fiber is solved by a least squares finite-element method, while radiative transfer in the thin film is treated through wave optics, and the film is formulated as a special kind of semitransparent boundary condition for the fiber medium. The results obtained by the finite-element model for uniform index fiber are in good agreement with the results in the literature obtained through the ray tracing model. The effects of fiber refractive index distribution on predicted thermal radiative properties are investigated. For the fiber with or without film, the variation of refractive index distribution has a substantial influence on the effective emittance.

Contribution of tissue composition and structure to mechanical response of articular cartilage under different loading geometries and strain rates

Mechanical function of articular cartilage in joints between articulating bones is dependent on the composition and structure of the tissue. The mechanical properties of articular cartilage are traditionally tested in compression using one of the three loading geometries, i.e., confined compression, unconfined compression or indentation. The aim of this study was to utilize a composition-based finite element model in combination with a fractional factorial design to determine the importance of different cartilage constituents in the mechanical response of the tissue, and to compare the importance of the tissue constituents with different loading geometries and loading rates. The evaluated parameters included water and collagen fraction as well as fixed charge density on cartilage surface and their slope over the tissue thickness. The thicknesses of superficial and middle zones, as based on the collagen orientation, were also included in the evaluated parameters. A three-level resolution V fractional factorial design was used. The model results showed that inhomogeneous composition plays only a minor role in indentation, though that role becomes more significant in confined compression and unconfined compression. In contrast, the collagen architecture and content had a more profound role in indentation than with two other loading geometries. These differences in the mechanical role of composition and structure between the loading geometries were emphasized at higher loading rates. These findings highlight how the results from mechanical tests of articular cartilage under different loading conditions are dependent upon tissue composition and structure.

Modelling encapsulation tissue around cochlear implant electrodes

The objective of the study was to explore the effect of electrode encapsulation by fibrous scar tissue on electrical potential distributions and auditory nerve fibre excitation patterns. A finite element model in combination with an auditory nerve fibre model was used to predict changes in threshold currents and auditory nerve fibre excitation patterns. The model showed that electrical potentials at the target nerve fibres and the electrode contacts changed in the presence of encapsulation tissue. This led to changes in threshold currents and spread of excitation. The effect of electrode encapsulation on threshold currents and spread of excitation depended on the thickness of the perilymph layer separating the fibrous tissue encapsulation and the electrode array, nerve fibre survival status, electrode geometry and configuration, and array location. Model results suggested that arrays located close to the modiolus were most sensitive to threshold changes caused by electrode encapsulation (changes were between -0.26 and 2.41 dB), whereas encapsulation of an electrode array had less effect on threshold currents when the array was located in a lateral position in the scala tympani (changes were between -0.64 and 1.5 dB). For medially located arrays, changes in the spread of excitation varied between an increase of 0.21 mm and a decrease of 0.33 mm along the length of the basilar membrane, and an increase of 0.18 mm and a decrease of 0.66 mm along the length of the basilar membrane were calculated for laterally located arrays.

Prediction of Mechanical Properties of the Cancellous Bone of the Mandibular Condyle

The mechanical properties of cancellous bone depend on the bone structure. The present study examined the extent to which the apparent stiffness of the cancellous bone of the human mandibular condyle can be predicted from its structure. Two models were compared. The first, a structure model, used structural parameters such as bone volume fraction and anisotropy to estimate the apparent stiffness. The second was a finite element model (FEM) of the cancellous bone. The bone structure was characterized by micro-computed tomography. The calculated stiffnesses of 24 bone samples were compared with measured stiffnesses. Both models could predict 89% of the variation in the measured stiffnesses. From the stiffness approximated by FEM in combination with the measured stiffness, the stiffness of the bone tissue was estimated to be 11.1 +/- 3.2 GPa. It was concluded that both models could predict the stiffness of cancellous bone with adequate accuracy.