Plasticity Model Research Articles

Retrofitting Shear Critical Beams using Ultra High Performance Fibre Reinforced Concrete (UHPFRC)

Ultra High-Performance Fiber Reinforced Concrete (UHPFRC) is a cementitious composite that exhibits superior mechanical properties, durability, fire resistance, abrasion resistance, and chloride penetration. The enhanced performance of UHPFRC is attributed to the presence of highstrength steel fibers. Therefore, UHPFRC is widely used in structural retrofitting and rehabilitation works to improve the load carrying capacity of deteriorated structural members. This paper investigates the behaviour of UHPFRC retrofitted shear critical reinforced concrete beams. Numerical models were developed to simulate how the load-carrying capacity of UHPFRC retrofitted shear critical beams is influenced by factors such as jacket configuration, jacket thickness, and jacket length along the beam. Numerical models were validated using pre-existing experimental results. A modified Concrete Damage Plasticity (CDP) model was employed to simulate the material behaviour of UHPFRC. The validated numerical model was employed to perform parametric studies to examine the behaviour of UHPFRC retrofitted beams. It was observed that the modified CDP model effectively predicted the UHPFRC behaviour. Further, the results indicated that the application of UHPFRC retrofitting converted the brittle shear failure of shear-critical reinforced concrete beams into flexure failure. Moreover, the load carrying capacity of retrofitted beams increased with the retrofitted UHPFRC jacket thickness.

Pressure-dependent large-scale seismic anisotropy induced by non-Newtonian mantle flow

Summary Observations of large-scale seismic anisotropy can be used as a marker for past and current deformation in the Earth’s mantle. Nonetheless, global features such as the decrease of the strength of anisotropy between ∼150–410 km in the upper mantle and weaker anisotropy observations in the transition zone remain ill-understood. Here, we report a proof of concept method that can help understand anisotropy observations by integrating pressure-dependent microscopic flow properties in mantle minerals particularly olivine and wadsleyite into geodynamic simulations. The model is built against a plate-driven semi-analytical corner flow solution underneath the oceanic plate in a subduction setting spanning down to 660 km depth with a non-Newtonian n = 3 rheology. We then compute the crystallographic preferred orientation (CPO) of olivine aggregates in the upper mantle (UM), and wadsleyite aggregates in the upper transition zone (UTZ) using a viscoplastic self-consistent (VPSC) method, with the lower transition zone (LTZ, below 520 km) assumed isotropic. Finally, we apply a tomographic filter that accounts for finite-frequency seismic data using a fast-Fourier homogenization algorithm, with the aim of providing mantle models comparable with seismic tomography observations. Our results show that anisotropy observations in the UM can be well understood by introducing gradual shifts in strain accommodation mechanism with increasing depths induced by a pressure-dependent plasticity model in olivine, in contrast with simple A-type olivine fabric that fails to reproduce the decrease in anisotropy strength observed in the UM. Across the UTZ, recent mineral physics studies highlight the strong effect of water content on both wadsleyite plastic and elastic properties. Both dry and hydrous wadsleyite models predict reasonably low anisotropy in the UTZ, in agreement with observations, with a slightly better match for the dry wadsleyite models. Our calculations show that, despite the relatively primitive geodynamic setup, models of plate-driven corner flows can be sufficient in explaining first-order observations of mantle seismic anisotropy. This requires, however, incorporating the effect of pressure on mineralogy and mineral plasticity models.

Microstructure Design of Multiphase Compositionally Complex Alloys II: Use of a Genetic Algorithm and a Vanishing Cracked Particle Model

AbstractAchieving high strength, ductility, and toughness via microstructure design is challenging due to the interrelated dependencies of strength and ductility on microstructural variables. As a natural extension of the microstructure design work in Bhattacharyya and Agnew (Microstructure design of multiphase compositionally complex alloys I: effects of strength contrast and strain hardening, 2024), an optimization framework to obtain the microstructure that maximizes the toughness is described. The strategy integrates a physics-based crystal plasticity model, which accounts for damage evolution within the reinforcement through a “vanishing cracked particle” model that is governed by Weibull statistics, and a genetic algorithm-based optimization routine. Optimization constraints are imposed in the form of bounds on the microstructure parameters such that they are most likely attainable by conventional thermomechanical processing. Various matrix strain hardening behaviors are considered, as well as the strength contrast between the two phases and fracture behavior of the reinforcement. It is shown that the addition of a fine-grained (hard) reinforcing phase is preferred as is a matrix that exhibits sustained strain hardening such as is observed under TRIP/TWIP scenarios. Finally, the Pareto-optimal set of solutions for several scenarios are presented which offer new insights into the linkages between microstructure and mechanical properties.

Improved implementation of concentrated plasticity models in real-time hybrid simulation

Real-time hybrid simulation (RTHS) is a cost-effective experimental testing technique for evaluating the dynamic response of structural systems. In RTHS, a portion of the structure is modeled numerically (i.e., numerical substructure), while the remaining part is tested physically (i.e., experimental substructure). These substructures are coupled in real time. A significant challenge in RTHS is accurately computing the dynamic response of the numerical substructure in real time during testing. Constrained by this challenge, numerical substructures in RTHS are often oversimplified (e.g., spring-mass-dashpot models), failing to capture more complex dynamic behaviors and limiting the applicability of RTHS. However, with the increasing use of innovative structural systems, new materials, and advanced design guidelines to ensure resilient and sustainable civil infrastructure against natural hazards, the demand for real-time executable higher-fidelity numerical substructures in RTHS is growing. Consequently, concentrated plasticity model (CPM) has gained attention as the numerical substructure in RTHS for its good balance between numerical accuracy and computational efficiency, as well as its popularity in structural engineering applications. Currently, static condensation is utilized to prevent an increase in computational degrees of freedom (DOFs) induced by the hinges in CPM, aiming to save computational cost. However, this method proves counterproductive for nonlinear analyses. While reducing the number of computational DOFs, it complicates the stiffness representation, thereby necessitating more demanding arithmetic operations for stiffness updating. In this study, multi-point constraints are applied to enhance the computational efficiency, specifically for nonlinear analyses involving stiffness updating, and the versatility of CPM. Moreover, direct stiffness updating method and sparse matrix-vector multiplication are introduced for further enhancement in computation. An open-source MATLAB/Simulink-based computational tool, namely the Hybrid2D, is developed to promote the use of the improved CPMs in RTHS as numerical substructures. Numerical simulations are first conducted to verify the accuracy and the computational efficiency of the improved CPMs in Hybrid2D. Subsequently, two RTHS examples are experimentally conducted to demonstrate the effectiveness of the Hybrid2D in enabling RTHS with a higher-fidelity numerical substructure for more complex structural systems.

On the Dynamic Mechanical Behavior of Wrought and AM 17-4 Precipitation-Hardenable Stainless Steels Under Rapid Heating

AbstractDynamic large-strain plasticity problems in metals can produce temperatures high enough to alter the microstructure, but the limited time-at-temperature prevents complete transformation, thereby making the material strength time-dependent. Precipitation reactions (age-hardening) are an important class of transformations that can create time-dependent dynamic plasticity under rapid heating and loading. This work explores the dynamic behavior of a precipitation-hardenable stainless steel (17-4) produced by wrought and Additive Manufacturing (AM) methods with a rapidly-heated Kolsky bar technique. Wrought 17-4, a martensitic stainless steel, is examined in three common heat treatments (solution-treated, peak-aged and over-aged) at temperatures up to 1000 °C and heating times limited to about three seconds. Solution-treated wrought 17-4 is observed to thermally-harden at aging temperatures (> 400 °C) due to rapid precipitate growth. Peak-aged precipitation strengthening becomes ineffective above 550 °C, as peak-aged material becomes indistinguishable from the solution treated-condition. Over-aged wrought 17-4 does not behave like either of the other conditions, owing to the effect of the extended heat treatment on the precipitates and on the martensite matrix. Stress-relieved AM 17-4 exhibits high dynamic strength and strain hardening at room-temperature due to its meta-stable austenite content and partial age-hardening during the build or stress-relief treatment. A plasticity model is developed for solution-treated wrought 17-4 that captures time-dependent aging effects that are derived from separate aging kinetics experiments. A separate model is developed for over-aged wrought 17-4 that contains no time-dependence as the precipitate population in this material appears to be more stable under rapid heating.

Crystal plasticity modeling and analysis for the transition from intergranular to transgranular failure in nickel-based alloy Inconel 740H at elevated temperature

The precipitation-strengthened Nickel-based alloy Inconel® 740H® (IN740H) exhibits increased ductility at higher applied strain rates during quasi-static tensile tests at an elevated temperature of 760 °C. The examination of fracture surfaces in this context reveals a noteworthy transition of underlying fracture mechanisms from transgranular to intergranular fracture as the applied strain rate decreases from 1×10−3/s to 0.83×10−4/s. To thoroughly understand the mechanical response of IN740H under these conditions, this study develops a crystal plasticity finite element (CPFE) model. This model incorporates various deformation mechanisms including dislocation slips, climb, and grain boundary sliding, which are relevant to the test conditions. The model is calibrated using data from both tensile tests at different strain rates and creep tests across a broad stress range at 760 °C, enabling the accurate determination of model parameters for each mechanism. Simulation results well captured the experimental observations of different failure modes. At higher strain rates, the model shows a dominance of dislocation slip leading to heterogeneous plastic deformation and formation of transgranular shear bands causing the failure, while at lower strain rates, an increased activity of grain boundary sliding causes grain boundaries crack leading to intergranular failure.

Predicting plastic behavior of magnesium alloy tube bending with comprehensive constitutive models

This paper aims to predict defects occurring in magnesium alloy tube bending through finite element simulations. Deformation tests were conducted to identify and characterize plastic anisotropy, tension-compression asymmetry, and anisotropic hardening behaviors of extruded Mg–Al–Zn-RE alloy rectangular tubes. Limited by size, the deformation tests along the wall thickness of specimens were conducted through crystal plasticity analysis. To thoroughly investigate the material constitutive features affecting bending, two constitutive models, Yoon2014 and Hill48, were established and calibrated. The non-associative flow rule was adopted, and anisotropic hardening was depicted using the yield-surface interpolation method. In comparison, the Yoon2014 model accurately predicted the strain distribution and tube shape collapse of the bent tube with negligible deviation from the experimental data, prior to the Hill48 model. This underscores the necessity of considering comprehensive plasticity models in tube bending simulations.

Investigation of Concrete Damage on a Prefabricated Steel Spring Floating Slab Track by Finite Element Modelling

AbstractTo investigate the concrete damage of prefabricated steel spring floating slab tracks (SSFST), a three-slab prefabricated SSFST system was established using the ABAQUS finite element software. Full trainload conditions and fatigue load conditions of a train passage were successively applied to the system. Plastic damage and fatigue damage of the floating slab were simulated based on concrete damage plasticity theory and model code, respectively. For comparison, a simulation of the fatigue experiment was conducted. Parametric analyses of the concrete strength and isolator stiffness were also performed. The results show that the maximum positive and negative bending moments of the floating slab throughout the loading stage are close in value. The positive bending moment causes stress concentration on the top slab surface which leads to plastic damage and low-cycle fatigue damage, while the negative bending moment causes middle-level elastic tensile stress on the bottom slab surface which leads to high-cycle fatigue damage. Under experimental conditions, damage on the bottom surface is much more severe, while the upper part is undamaged. Improving the concrete strength can reduce both kinds of damage, while increasing the isolator stiffness can only mitigate the high-cycle fatigue damage. Accordingly, recommendations are provided for improving fatigue experiments and structural design of prefabricated floating slabs.This study can inform the design and maintenance of the prefabricated SSFST system, ultimately enhancing their safety and longevity.

Hysteretic models with damage and flexibility increase

The need to accurately describe nonlinear degrading phenomena in both modern and classical complex materials that exhibit hysteretic behavior is a relevant task for the analysis of their response. In the present study an enrichment to an existing formulation to describe strength and stiffness degradation is proposed. The description of damage, that reduces the hysteretic force, is then accompanied by the introduction of flexibility increase, which increments the elastic displacement experienced by the system. Both effects influence the energy dissipated by the system. The condition of thermodynamic admissibility in presence of damage and flexibility increase is derived, entailing constraints on system parameters. Additional constraints arise from consistency conditions on the transformation of the pure hysteretic system into the system with damage and flexibility increase. A numerical solution involving the forward Euler method is presented to evaluate the response quantities. The formulation is eventually applied to the elastic–plastic and Bouc Wen hysteresis models, and the influence of the degrading parameters is presented. The presented Bouc-Wen model with damage and flexibility increase is applied to study the cyclic response of a masonry panel experimentally tested to validate the numerical model and prove its capability of describing the structural response.

Dynamic behavior of axially loaded masonry walls strengthened with different innovative techniques under explosion loading

In the realm of construction engineering, brick masonry stands out as a pivotal structural element, renowned for its widespread application. Given the load-bearing nature of masonry structures, the ramifications of wall failure under extreme loads induced by explosions are profound. Particularly concerning is the out-of-plane failure of walls, which occurs without warning and affords scant time for assessment of their response. Brick masonry, characterized by its brittleness and susceptibility to cracking, presents inherent challenges in this regard. Recent examples, such as the Beirut explosion in 2020 and the Nashville bombing in 2020, vividly illustrate the devastating consequences of inadequate blast resistance in masonry structures. These incidents serve as poignant reminders of the imperative to fortify masonry constructions against explosive threats. While ample research exists on the behavior of free-standing braced and unbraced masonry walls subjected to explosive loading, there remains a notable gap in understanding the response of strengthened masonry walls exposed to blast loading, especially when carrying varying axial loads. This study addresses this gap by investigating different strengthening methodologies, namely (1) Cement-mortar plaster, (2) Ferro-cement, and (3) Carbon Fiber-Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) laminate, aimed at enhancing the anti-blast performance of unreinforced masonry walls. The experimentation focuses on a specific unreinforced masonry wall measuring 5000 × 2800 × 230 mm3, constructed from clay bricks and subjected to axial compressive loads of 51, 30, and 9kN/m, corresponding to the loads on the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd storey walls of a 3-storey masonry building, respectively. Utilizing a sophisticated finite-elements code, Abaqus, equipped with an explicit module and Concrete Damage Plasticity model, the blast simulations are meticulously conducted. The walls are meticulously modeled through detailed micro-modeling techniques. Results showed that the utilization of CFRP on the explosion-facing surface of the wall resulted in a remarkable reduction in damage, with the highest decrease of 64% achieved under the lowest axial compression. Conversely, the minimum decrease of 61.71% was recorded under maximum axial compression, highlighting the efficacy of CFRP in mitigating damage caused by explosions on walls. This research sheds light on effective methods to enhance the blast resistance of masonry walls, offering valuable insights for improving structural resilience and informing building codes. Its findings are crucial for ensuring the safety and security of infrastructure against explosive threats, ultimately safeguarding lives and property.

A tensorial energy-release-rate based anisotropic damage-plasticity model for concrete

This paper proposes an anisotropic damage model for concrete to capture its plasticity and damage behavior effectively. Utilizing the framework of continuum damage mechanics, the model considers the influence of plastic Helmholtz free energy on damage evolution. This approach explicitly deduces damage-related thermodynamic forces without resorting to assumptions such as strain equivalence or energy equivalence. The proposed model employs tensile and compressive damage tensors to describe the development of anisotropic damage in concrete. The solution for plastic strain utilizes the empirical plasticity model. Furthermore, a unified evolutionary criterion for isotropic and anisotropic damage is also established, incorporating damage yield functions and orthogonal flow laws. Numerical simulations are conducted to validate the model’s ability to reproduce typical nonlinear behaviors of concrete structures under various load conditions.

Simulating equal channel angular pressing of commercially pure aluminium using Johnson–Cook model

Optimizing the Equal Channel Angular Pressing (ECAP) process for a new material can be a complex endeavour, given the multiple variables such as Coefficient of Friction (COF), channel angle, temperature, etc. To address the need for a material model that can account for temperature-dependent plastic flow, the present study applies the Johnson-Cook plasticity model for simulating ECAP. The present study reports the effects of varying the channel angle (90°, 120°, 150°) and COF (ranging from 0 to 0.15) at room temperature. The results show that the channel angle plays a significant role in influencing the behaviour of the aluminium, with stress and strain exhibiting an inverse relationship with the channel angle. Additionally, the aluminium material experiences a maximum stress distribution and higher flow stress within the COF range of 0 to 0.15 for a channel angle of 90°, as compared to 120° and 150°. This behaviour can be attributed to the restriction of movement at higher COF values. Notably, a maximum shear stress of 56 MPa was observed when the channel angle was set to 90° with a COF of 0.15. Furthermore, across all simulations involving channel angles of 90°, 120°, and 150°, an increase in COF lead to a decrease in curvature. These simulated results are consistent with existing literature. Thus, the Johnson-Cook plasticity model, with appropriate modifications, serves as a viable approach for studying the ECAP process.

On the sensitivity of sea ice deformation statistics to plastic damage

Abstract. We implement a plastic damage parametrization, distinct from the elastic damage in the elasto-brittle framework, in the standard viscous–plastic (VP) sea ice model to disentangle its effect from resolved model physics (visco-plastic with and without damage) on its ability to reproduce observed scaling laws of deformation. To this end, we compare scaling properties and multifractality of simulated divergence and shear strain rate, as proposed in the Sea Ice Rheology Experiment (SIREx) studies, with those derived from the RADARSAT Geophysical Processor System (RGPS). Results show that including a plastic damage parametrization in the standard viscous–plastic model increases the spatial but decreases the temporal localization of simulated linear kinematic features (LKFs) and brings all spatial deformation rate statistics in line with observations from RGPS without the need to increase the mechanical shear strength of sea ice as recently proposed for lower-resolution viscous–plastic sea ice models. In fact, including damage with a healing timescale of th=30 d and an increased mechanical strength unveils multifractal behavior that does not fit the theory. Therefore, a plastic damage parametrization is a powerful tuning knob affecting the deformation statistics of viscous–plastic sea ice.

Aerodynamics Behavior in High Speed Sports Jersey Fabrics with Different Roughness

Enhancing aerodynamic performance holds paramount importance in high-speed sports, leading to a growing interest in garments that can positively impact aerodynamic efficiency. Wind tunnel experimentation has played a pivotal role in assessing aerodynamic properties, employing both cylinder and leg models within a closed return circuit tunnel setup. Utilizing a plastic cylinder model, researchers evaluated the aerodynamic properties of various knitted samples, with dummy cylinders introduced to minimize 3D flow effects and ensure adherence to the infinite length hypothesis. By employing the foot and knee as additional dummy components, efforts were made to further mitigate 3D flow effects. These wind tunnel tests encompassed nine knitted single jersey fabrics, predominantly composed of 100% polyester, subjected to speeds ranging from 20 to 80 km/h to simulate real-world sporting conditions. The findings revealed a significant correlation between fabric manufacturing, indicated by the cover factor, and fabric roughness, with discernible impacts on aerodynamic parameters. Notably, consistent aerodynamic behaviors were observed across fabric tests conducted on both the cylinder and leg models, underscoring the reliability of the experimental setup.

Numerical modeling of LEAP-2022 dynamic centrifuge tests adopting a multi-surface plasticity model

This study presents the numerical results of a series of laboratory and dynamic centrifuge tests conducted by the team at Universidad del Norte, as part of the LEAP-2022 project. The soil's mechanical behavior was simulated using a pressure-dependent multi-surface plasticity constitutive model, which was carefully calibrated based on cyclic soil tests performed on Ottawa F-65 sand. These tests covered a wide range of initial densities, initial effective stresses, and cyclic stress ratios. The comparison between laboratory and numerical element tests revealed that the adopted constitutive model reasonably replicated most features of the material's undrained cyclic response, including liquefaction occurrence and the progressive development of double-amplitude permanent shear strains. The calibrated constitutive model was then used to blindly predict the dynamic behavior of centrifuge experiments composed of a sheet pile-soil system using the OpenSees finite elements software framework; these simulations are referred to as Type-B predictions. The numerical simulation showed that the model provided reasonable representation of soil responses in terms of accelerations and pore water pressure build-up; however, the simulations consistently overpredicted the displacements of the sheet piles. Therefore, based on the centrifuge experimental results, minor adjustments of the material parameters were performed, and the centrifuge tests were re-simulated; these simulations are referred to as Type-C predictions. The comprehensive evaluation exposed both the strengths and weaknesses of the modeling approach for the simulation of liquefiable deposits. Despite the discrepancies in sheet pile displacement, the study instills confidence in the model's applicability to liquefaction-related projects with similar conditions.

Concrete damage–plasticity model with double independent hardening

Concrete damage–plasticity model with double independent hardening

A MTA2-SATB2 chromatin complex restrains colonic plasticity toward small intestine by retaining HNF4A at colonic chromatin

Plasticity among cell lineages is a fundamental, but poorly understood, property of regenerative tissues. In the gut tube, the small intestine absorbs nutrients, whereas the colon absorbs electrolytes. In a striking display of inherent plasticity, adult colonic mucosa lacking the chromatin factor SATB2 is converted to small intestine. Using proteomics and CRISPR-Cas9 screening, we identify MTA2 as a crucial component of the molecular machinery that, together with SATB2, restrains colonic plasticity. MTA2 loss in the adult mouse colon activated lipid absorptive genes and functional lipid uptake. Mechanistically, MTA2 co-occupies DNA with HNF4A, an activating pan-intestinal transcription factor (TF), on colonic chromatin. MTA2 loss leads to HNF4A release from colonic chromatin, and accumulation on small intestinal chromatin. SATB2 similarly restrains colonic plasticity through an HNF4A-dependent mechanism. Our study provides a generalizable model of lineage plasticity in which broadly-expressed TFs are retained on tissue-specific enhancers to maintain cell identity and prevent activation of alternative lineages, and their release unleashes plasticity.

Geometrically exact 3D beam theory with embedded strong discontinuities for modeling of localized failure in bending

In this work, we propose the elastoplastic model of a three-dimensional (3D) geometrically exact beam, which can capture localized bending deformation leading to a plastic hinge. This is a follow-up work to Tojaga et al. (2023), where we only studied the fracture of fiber-like beam structures that break in mode I or mode II, here extended to handle beam-like behavior with bending failure and the main difficulty of the non-vectorial character of large 3D rotations. The Reissner model is chosen for representing the large elastic and large plastic deformations of such a beam model, which leads to the multiplicative decomposition of the rotation tensor. We shown how to replace this with the corresponding additive decomposition of the rotation vector derivatives, to be performed in the material description in the tangent space of SO(3) manifold in the initial configuration. The plasticity model for which we give a more detailed implementation employs a Rankin-like multi-surface plasticity criteria, where each moment vector component (i.e. torsion or bending) is considered separately. The non-local variational formulation is proposed to deal with the softening phenomena characteristic of localized bending failure, where the fracture energy is introduced as the main parameter for softening. The discrete approximation is built in terms of the embedded-discontinuity finite element method (ED-FEM), which introduces a jump in rotation vector that can be handled at the level of a particular beam element. This kind of approach builds upon the best approximation property of the FEM discrete approximation in the energy norm and provides the best-approximation property for the dissipated energy computations, and thus optimal computational accuracy if the quantity of interest is inelastic dissipation. The computations are carried out by the operator split method, which separates the computations of global state variables (displacements and moments) from local (plastic curvature) variables. Several illustrative examples are provided to confirm an excellent performance of the proposed methodology.

Prediction of Foam Rheology Models Parameters Utilizing Machine Learning Tools.

Rheological models are usually used to predict foamed fluid viscosity; however, obtaining the model constants under various conditions is challenging. Hence, this paper investigated the effect of different variables on foam rheology, such as shear rate, temperature, pressure, surfactant types, gas phase, and salinity, using a high-pressure high-temperature foam rheometer. Power-law, Bingham plastic, and Casson fluid models fit the experimental data well. Therefore, the data were fed to different machine learning techniques to evaluate the rheological model constants with different features. In this study, seven different machine learning techniques have been applied to predict the rheological models' constants, including decision tree, random forest, XGBoost (XGB), adaptive gradient boosting, gradient boosting, support vector regression, and voting regression. We evaluated the performance of our machine learning models using the coefficient of determination (R2), cross-plots, root-mean-square error, and average absolute percentage error. Based on the prediction outcomes, the XGB model outperformed the other ML models. The XGB model exhibited remarkably low error rates, achieving a prediction accuracy of 95% under ideal conditions. Furthermore, our prediction results demonstrated that the Casson model accurately captured the rheological behavior of the foam. Additionally, we used Pearson's correlation coefficients to assess the significance of various properties in relation to the constants within the rheological models. It is evident that the XGB model makes predictions with nearly all features contributing significantly, while other machine learning techniques rely more heavily on specific features over others. The proposed methodology can minimize the experimental cost of measuring rheological parameters and serves as a quick assessment tool.

Modelling of energy harvesting with bendable concrete and surface-mounted PVDF

Abstract Polyvinyl alcohol fiber reinforced engineered cementitious composite (PVA-ECC) using piezoelectric polymer film has attracted significant interest due to its energy harvesting potential. This work provides a theoretical model for evaluating the energy harvesting of bendable Engineering Cementitious Composite (ECC) using surface-mounted polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF). In the mechanical part, concrete damage plasticity (CDP) model based on the explicit dynamic analysis was utilized to simulate the dynamic flexural behavior of ECC beam under different dynamic loading rates. The mechanism of force transfer through the bond layer between the PVDF film and ECC specimen was simulated by a surface-surface sliding friction model wherein the PVDF film was simplified as shell element to reduce computational cost. Then, the electromechanical behavior of the piezoelectric film was simulated by a piezoelectric finite element model (FEM). A simplified model was also given for a quick calculation. The theoretical model was verified with the experimentally measured mechanical and electrical results from the literature. Finally, a parametric analysis of the effects of electromechanical parameters on the efficiency of energy harvesting was performed. The verified theoretical model can provide a useful tool for design and optimization of cementitious composite systems for energy harvesting application.