Radial Point Interpolation Method Research Articles

A novel train–bridge interaction computational framework based on a meshless box girder model

In traditional train–bridge coupled system (TBCS), simply supported box girder bridges are often modeled using Euler beam elements, neglecting their spatial structure. This simplification may yield inaccurate results, impacting the running safety analysis of high-speed railway. To address this issue, a novel train–bridge interaction computational framework based on first-order shear deformation theory (FSDT) and radial point interpolation method (RPIM) for the box girder bridge model is proposed. In this model, the displacement fields of top, bottom, and web plates are represented using FSDT and numerically discretized by RPIM. The traditional TBCS is upgraded by replacing the Euler beam model with the novel model. This is the first time that the framework has been applied to TBCS field. Several numerical examples are presented to highlight the accuracy of this novel model, and illustrate the differences, and advantages of it over the traditional model. The results indicate that the proposed model closely matches the accuracy of the solid element (C3D20) model; it can provide a comprehensive bridge response compared to traditional TBCS, and the latter may underestimate the dynamic response of the structure. The proposed model holds significant potential for the simulation of box structures and widespread application in the field of TBCS.

The Biomechanical Analysis of Tibial Implants Using Meshless Methods: Stress and Bone Tissue Remodeling Analysis

Total knee arthroplasty (TKA) stands out as one of the most widely employed surgical procedures, establishing itself as the preferred method for addressing advanced osteoarthritis of the knee. However, current knee prostheses require refined design solutions. This research work focuses on a computational analysis of both the mechanical behavior of a knee joint implant and the bone remodeling process in the tibia following implantation. This research study delves into how specific design parameters, particularly the stem geometry, impact the prosthesis’s performance. Utilizing a computed tomography scan of a tibia, various TKA configurations were simulated to conduct analyses employing advanced discretization techniques, such as the finite element method (FEM) and the radial point interpolation method (RPIM). The findings reveal that the introduction of the implant leads to a marginal increase in the stress values within the tibia, accompanied by a reduction in the displacement field values. The insertion of the longest tested implant increased the maximum stress from 5.0705 MPa to 6.1584 MPa, leading to a displacement reduction from 0.016 mm to 0.0142 mm. Finally, by combining the FEM with a bone remodeling algorithm, the bone remodeling process of the tibia due to an implant insertion was simulated.

Automated segmentation of the left-ventricle from MRI with a fully convolutional network to investigate CTRCD in breast cancer patients.

Purpose: The goal of this study was to develop a fully convolutional network (FCN) tool to automatedly segment the left-ventricular (LV) myocardium in displacement encoding with stimulated echoes MRI. The segmentation results are used for LV chamber quantification and strain analyses in breast cancer patients susceptible to cancer therapy-related cardiac dysfunction (CTRCD). Approach: A DeepLabV3+ FCN with a ResNet-101 backbone was custom-designed to conduct chamber quantification on 45 female breast cancer datasets (23 training, 11 validation, and 11 test sets). LV structural parameters and LV ejection fraction (LVEF) were measured, and myocardial strains estimated with the radial point interpolation method. Myocardial classification validation was against quantization-based ground-truth with computations of accuracy, Dice score, average perpendicular distance (APD), Hausdorff-distance, and others. Additional validations were conducted with equivalence tests and Cronbach's alpha () intraclass correlation coefficients between the FCN and a vendor tool on chamber quantification and myocardial strain computations. Results: Myocardial classification results against ground-truth were , , and for the validation set and , , and for the test set. The confidence intervals (CI) and two one-sided t-test results of equivalence tests between the FCN and vendor-tool were to 2.42%, p-value < 0.001 for LVEF ( versus ), and to 0.63%, p-value < 0.001 for longitudinal strain ( versus ). Conclusions: The validation results were found equivalent to the vendor tool-based parameter estimates, which show that accurate LV chamber quantification followed by strain analysis for CTRCD investigation can be achieved with our proposed FCN methodology.

3D meshless modeling of piezoelectric structure based on the radial point interpolation method

Piezoelectric materials find widespread applications in high-precision actuators and sensors. However, the traditional finite element method falls short in meeting the simulation needs of piezoelectric structures due to complexities in mesh generation and precision requirements for accurate simulations. This paper focuses on adapting and generalizing the meshless modeling technique based on the radial point interpolation method to address three-dimensional simulations of piezoelectric structures and accurately model positive and inverse piezoelectric behaviors. The piezoelectric body is discretized into point cloud data, and displacement and potential are approximated by interpolating values through the radial point interpolation method. Subsequently, a 3D meshless model for general piezoelectric structures is formulated based on the principle of minimum potential energy. The influences of key factors on interpolation accuracy and computational cost were discussed. Numerical examples, featuring a 3D piezoelectric bimorph beam as actuators and sensors, validate the efficacy of this extended approach. Results affirm that the three-dimensional meshless method, rooted in the radial point interpolation technique, achieves superior accuracy in predicting piezoelectric behavior compared to the traditional finite element method. This adaptation not only enhances the applicability of meshless modeling but also represents a significant advancement in accurately simulating complex three-dimensional piezoelectric structures.

Mesh-free kinematic shakedown analysis of cohesive soils

A novel mesh-free solution is proposed for kinematic shakedown analysis of cohesive soils under repeating loads. For this purpose, the continuous velocity field in the mathematical expression of Koiter’s theorem is discretized by the Radial Point Interpolation Method (RPIM), as a mesh-free approach. The strain rate smoothing technique is implemented in conjunction with the RPIM to satisfy the admissibility conditions at the entire problem domain. Using the nodal integration and the discretized velocity field, the kinematic shakedown problem is expressed as a nonlinear optimization problem. The optimization problem is solved by separation of plastic and non-plastic/rigid zones using a repetitive algorithm. Eventually, the efficiency of the proposed approach is elucidated by solving examples of a strip footing resting on cohesive soil and a cohesive half space pavement under repeating loads.

The efficient data-driven solution to estimate the nonlinear bending of sandwich doubly curved panel subjected to transient loading

This paper investigates nonlinear transient bending characteristics of sandwich doubly curved panels under transient loading which is extensively used in aerospace structures. Due to the lack of a dataset for the nonlinear transient bending of the sandwich doubly curved panel for the data-driven solution, mathematical modeling is used. The sandwich doubly curved panel is made of two graphene nanoplatelets (GPLs) reinforced face sheets, and a polymer core. In the mathematical modeling section, the effective Young's modulus is obtained via modified Halpin-Tsai methodology, and the role of the mixture is used to estimate other material properties of the composite face sheets. The presented structure is analyzed using Reddy's third-order shear deformation theory (RTSDT), which incorporates von Kármán nonlinear geometric assumptions and Hamilton's principle. The governing equations and associated boundary conditions are derived accurately by imposing shear stress-free conditions on the upper and lower surfaces of the panel. The meshfree radial point interpolation method (RPIM) with interpolation functions is utilized to determine the unknown degrees of freedom to numerically simulate the mid-plane of the sandwich doubly-curved panel. The Newton-Raphson approach is used to solve the nonlinear ordinary differential using the constant-average acceleration strategy from Newmark's time integration method. After obtaining the dataset, the data is collected, and using an efficient data-driven approach, the results are tested, validated, and trained. In future studies, the presented efficient data-driven approach can be used with low computational cost to simulate nonlinear transient bending characteristics of sandwich doubly curved panels under transient loading for related aerospace industries.

Real-time temperature field reconstruction using a few measurement points and RPIM-AGQ6 interpolation

In thermal management systems, temperature field monitoring is vital for the structural safety of electronic equipment. However, there are practical challenges when it comes to installing temperature sensors on some monitoring points directly. To solve this problem, a novel temperature field reconstruction method is proposed. This strategy offers the advantage of using only a limited number of discrete values to predict temperature fields across an entire plane. Initially, the approach constructs a composite interpolation function, named RPIM-AGQ6, by coupling the mesh-free radial point interpolation method (RPIM) with the quadrilateral area coordinate method (AGQ6) The temperature field is discretized and represented as the product of the nodal temperatures and the RPIM-AGQ6. Next, ill-posed equations are established and solved using Bayesian Multivariate Linear Regression (BMLR) to obtain the temperature in the key points. Subsequently, a novel optimization strategy is proposed to achieve the cooperative optimization of the number of sensors and reconstruction accuracy. Finally, the simulated calculation and experimental tests are used to demonstrate the effectiveness and accuracy of the proposed approach. The results show that the proposed methodology can accurately reconstruct the plane temperature field of plate structure with one and two hot sources and the relative percentage error is within 2.6 %. Therefore, it can be utilized as an effective tool to real-time monitor structural surface temperature.

A novel surrogate-based crack identification method for cantilever beam based on the change of natural frequencies

A novel crack identification method is presented in this paper for cantilever beam-type structures within the scope of vibration-based damage identification. Natural frequencies are more easily to be measured yet are weakly sensitive to damage in comparison to other dynamic parameters such as mode shape and damping ratio. Therefore, this paper develops a surrogate-based crack identification method in order to overcome the low sensitivity of frequency to damage. The surrogate model was constructed using radial point interpolation method (RPIM) and subsequently trained with the frequency shift database established from parametric finite element analysis (FEA) modeling of cracked/ non-cracked cantilever beams. On this basis, the crack identification problem had been converted to a standard optimization model with crack length and location as design variables. Subsequently, genetic algorithm (GA) was employed for solving the optimization model to achieve crack parameters. In the end, numerical examples and experimental test have been conducted to validate the developed method, revealing maximum relative errors within 0.5% and 2.5%, respectively.

Elastoplastic Analysis of Frame Structures Using Radial Point Interpolation Meshless Methods

The need to design structures and structural elements that are more efficient in terms of performance is a key aspect of engineering. For a given material to be used at its maximum capacity, considering non-linear characteristics is mandatory. The non-linear regime is a subject of extreme interest for this reason and is an area with intense research activity. In this work, advanced discretization techniques (i.e., meshless methods) are applied in the elastoplastic analysis of 2D and 3D structural elements. The literature shows that meshless methods are capable of producing more accurate and smoother strain and stress fields, which are the variable fields required in the non-linear models describing elastoplasticity. Thus, in this study, the Radial Point Interpolation Method (RPIM) and the Natural Neighbor Radial Point Interpolation Method (NNRPIM) are combined with a non-linear iterative algorithm, fully developed by the authors, with the objective of analyzing for the first time the elastoplastic behavior of a two-bay asymmetric frame and bowstring bridge considering 2D and 3D analysis. The accuracy and robustness of the RPIM and the NNRPIM are shown in the end, comparing the obtained results with FEM solutions and the available literature.

An improved FSDT with an efficient mesh-free approach for nonlinear static analysis of FG-GOPRC beams

The aim of this paper is to enhance the First Shear Deformation Theory (FSDT) beam and apply it to investigate the linear and nonlinear static bending behavior of beams containing functionally graded graphene oxide powder-reinforced composite (FG-GOPRC). In this study, we propose an improvement to the FSDT by utilizing a high-order mesh-free approach. Unlike some existing FSDT methods, our proposed study uses a nonlinear shear deformation term coupling, which is crucial to illustrate the effect of nonlinear cases of various boundary conditions under a strong formulation, even without selective or reduced integration, resulting in lower computation costs. Using the principle of minimum potential energy, the governing equations are rewritten in a matrix–vector strong form and discretized using the Radial Point Interpolation Method with variable shape parameter (VS-RPIM) and linearized using a High Order Path Following Techniques (HOPFT). To account for the behavior of GOPRC, we utilized the modified Halpin–Tsai model to estimate the effective Young’s modulus, while the rule of mixture was employed to determine the effective Poisson’s ratio. Furthermore, the weight fractions of the graphene oxide powder (GOP) vary continuously through the thickness direction of the composite beams. To validate the proposed numerical model, we provide various comparison studies to demonstrate its robustness and accuracy. Additionally, we conduct parametric studies to examine the effects of different parameters, such as length-to-thickness ratio, GOP distribution patterns, weight fraction, and size of GOP, types of loads, and boundary conditions on the nonlinear bending behavior of FG-GOPRC beams. We also investigate the neglected term in some literature, which is of interest in our study. In summary, this paper proposes an enhanced FSDT to investigate the nonlinear static behavior of FG-GOPRC beams. The proposed model is validated through various comparison studies and parametric analyses, demonstrating its robustness and accuracy. Our study provides useful insights into the nonlinear bending behavior of FG-GOPRC beams and highlights the importance of nonlinear shear deformation term coupling.

Stochastic free vibration analysis of FG-CNTRC plates based on a new stochastic computational scheme

Stochastic analysis can provide more accurate results compared to deterministic analysis. In this study, the spatial variability of material parameters is introduced into the free vibration analysis of functionally graded carbon nanotube reinforced composite (FG-CNTRC) plates to achieve a higher degree of accuracy, and a new stochastic computational scheme is proposed to handle the low-level uncertainties. First-order shear deformation theory (FSDT) is employed to establish the displacement field of the plates. The Young's moduli of carbon nanotube (CNT) and matrix are regarded as one-dimensional (1D) and two-dimensional (2D) random fields, respectively, which is discretized by Karhunen-Loève (K-L) expansion. The obtained random variables are substituted into modified perturbation stochastic method (MPSM) and radial point interpolation method (RPIM) to calculate the first two order estimates of the stochastic non-dimensional natural frequencies ω¯. The sensitivity of the first to fourth ω¯ to the random fields is analyzed, and the corresponding stochastic bands are plotted. The results indicate that the presented approach can accurately solve the generalized eigenvalue problem in stochastic free vibration; ω¯ is sensitive to random fields E11CNT and Em, and insensitive to random field E22CNT; the CNT distribution mode also affects the sensitivity.

Numerical simulation of the extrusion process of viscoplastic materials using a radial point interpolation method

PurposeFused Filament Fabrication (FFF) is an extrusion-based manufacturing process using fused thermoplastics. Despite its low cost, the FFF is not extensively used in high-value industrial sectors mainly due to parts' anisotropy (related to the deposition strategy) and residual stresses (caused by successive heating cycles). Thus, this study aims to investigate the process improvement and the optimization of the printed parts.Design/methodology/approachIn this work, a meshless technique – the Radial Point Interpolation Method (RPIM) – is used to numerically simulate the viscoplastic extrusion process – the initial phase of the FFF. Unlike the FEM, in meshless methods, there is no pre-established relationship between the nodes so the nodal mesh will not face mesh distortions and the discretization can easily be modified by adding or removing nodes from the initial nodal mesh. The accuracy of the obtained results highlights the importance of using meshless techniques in this field.FindingsMeshless methods show particular relevance in this topic since the nodes can be distributed to match the layer-by-layer growing condition of the printing process.Originality/valueUsing the flow formulation combined with the heat transfer formulation presented here for the first time within an in-house RPIM code, an algorithm is proposed, implemented and validated for benchmark examples.

A coupled hybrid smoothed radial point interpolation method for computing underwater acoustic scattering

The discrete model in the standard finite element method (FEM) always exhibits stiffer behavior than the actual continuous model. This leads to an unavoidable dispersion error that increases rapidly with the wave number. To overcome this issue in underwater acoustic scattering problems, a coupled hybrid smoothed radial point interpolation method (CHSRPIM) is proposed to reduce the dispersion error. In CHSRPIM, the modified Dirichlet-to-Neumann boundary condition is imposed on an artificial boundary to ensure that the acoustic wave correctly travels outward, and a hybrid acoustic stiffness is created using the local gradient smoothing operation to soften the stiffness. To obtain a very close-to-actual stiffness of the original model, a cell-based radial point interpolation method with three real and four virtual nodes is devised to create the acoustic shape function. The major benefit of the CHSRPIM is that, for a given mesh, the dispersion error is effectively reduced compared with that of the FEM without increasing the degrees of freedom. The performance of the proposed method is numerically evaluated. Numerical experiments are conducted to investigate the properties of the proposed method. The simulation results indicate that the CHSRPIM possesses superior computational performance and can significantly improve accuracy; therefore, it has good potential for resolving practical acoustic scattering problems in engineering.

Efficient buckling and post-buckling analysis of porous FG sandwich beams by new RPIM-HOCM mesh-free approach

The main purpose of this paper is to analyze buckling and post-buckling behavior of porous functionally graded (FG) beams and sandwich beams using a new efficient optimal mesh-free high order algorithm. The proposed solver combines mesh-free approach based on radial point interpolation method with high order continuation method (RPIM-HOCM). It is assumed that the FG beam and FG layers of sandwich beam are made from a mixture of ceramic and metal such that bottom surface of the plate is metal-rich, whereas top surface is ceramic-rich. So, constitutive equation as well as material properties are considered to change smoothly and gradually in the thickness direction via a mathematical relationship distribution. Non-linear strong form of the beam buckling problem which is based on the first-order shear deformation theory (FSDT) is derived using the virtual displacements theorem. The proposed coupling (RPIM-HOCM) is presented and validated firstly by comparing obtained numerical results with those computed using a reference algorithm. Then, RPIM-HOCM solver is used to investigate the effect of power-law index, porosity distribution, span-to-height ratio, boundary conditions and skin-core–skin thickness ratio on critical buckling load and post-buckling behavior.

A new analytical approach for the local radial point interpolation discretisation in space and applications to high-order in time schemes for two-dimensional fractional PDEs

In weak-form formulations of the local radial point interpolation method (LRPIM) for the solution of partial differential equations, space discretisation matrices have most often been obtained entirely through numerical integration. This work introduces a novel approach which derives closed-form expressions for obtaining the entries of the discretisation matrix for the solution of two-dimensional time-fractional diffusion problems. This analytical approach also yields a closed-form formula for the approximation of the Laplacian. These techniques are then applied for developing LRPIM-based numerical algorithms. Since the exact solutions usually have unbounded first-order time derivatives at time zero, a graded mesh is employed for a high-order in time approximation of the Caputo derivative. The analytical shape functions are used to develop a weak-form algorithm and a strong-form algorithm is developed using the analytical approximation of the Laplacian. We demonstrate that computed solutions obtained using the weak-form and strong-form algorithms have the accuracy levels consistent with the theoretical accuracy in space. An appropriate choice of the mesh grading parameter yields a high-order convergence rate in time. The unconditional stability and convergence of a LRPIM strong form algorithm on a uniform temporal mesh is established under the assumption that the exact solution has sufficient regularity.

Inverse heat conduction problem with a nonlinear source term by a local strong form of meshless technique based on radial point interpolation method

Inverse heat conduction problem with a nonlinear source term by a local strong form of meshless technique based on radial point interpolation method

Buckling analysis of functionally graded plates in thermal environment by using a meshfree method

In material, the pre-stress state caused by temperature variation of the working environment is one of the main reasons which cause buckling in structures. This paper aims to analyse the critical temperature rise to cause buckling in functionally graded material (FGM) under different boundary conditions. Reissner-Mindlin plate theory is employed in this paper with the radial point interpolation method (RPIM). The RPIM has the advantage compared to other meshfree methods in the satisfaction of the Kronecker delta property which allows directly imposing boundary conditions on scattered nodes. Factors affecting to thermal buckling phenomenon are investigated. The accuracy of solutions will be shown by comparing them to reliable results in previous studies

A centroid-enriched strain-smoothed radial point interpolation method for nearly incompressible elastoplastic problems in solid mechanics

While edge-based (2D) and face-based (3D) smoothed radial point interpolation methods (ES-RPIM and FS-RPIM) have demonstrated excellent performance in solid mechanics, the volumetric locking problem limits their applications in nearly incompressible problems. This paper develops a centroid-enriched edge-based/face-based smoothed RPIM (CE-ES-RPIM and CE-FS-RPIM) to address the volumetric locking problem in nearly incompressible problems. The proposed method comprises the following elements: (1) a centroid-enriched scheme is creatively used and implemented into the traditional ES-RPIM and FS-RPIM framework, in which the centroids of triangular mesh are added as spatial discretization nodes; (2) the strain-smoothing technique is performed on triangle (2D) or tetrahedron (3D) mesh to maintain the linear exactness of the radial point interpolation method; and (3) the combination of the centroid-enriched scheme and strain smoothing technique makes the ratio of the number of displacement equations to the number of incompressible constraints reach the optimal value of 2, effectively eliminating volumetric locking. The accuracy, effectiveness and efficiency of the proposed method are validated on several 2D and 3D nearly incompressible benchmark examples. All results demonstrate that the proposed method can provide accurate numerical results under an incompressible limitation and provide better performance than conventional quadratic element methods.

Strength prediction of a single lap joint under impact using meshless methods

The use of adhesive joints in structures subjected to dynamic loads, such as wind turbines and cars, makes it important to study them under those conditions. Numerical models are an integral part of that. Commonly the Finite Element Method (FEM) is used, but meshless methods can be an interesting alternative. These models do not require elements, and as such they can model complex geometries more easily. The current work aims at performing a first study on adhesive joints under impact using a meshless method, the Radial Point Interpolation Method (RPIM). Since the strength prediction of adhesive joints is also an important field and because the commonly used Cohesive Zone Models (CZM) have some limitations, like the use of special cohesive elements, this work also aims to expand the use of the ISSF criterion to impact conditions. The results show that the RPIM can be used in this type of problem without numerical difficulties, and the ISSF gives acceptable strength predictions, with errors between 30.5% and 13.5%.Adhesive bonding is a joining technique that offers some advantages, when compared to other common joining techniques, like bolting or riveting. One of those advantages is that adhesive joints are generally lighter than the alternatives, which is very important in the search for more efficient modes of transportation since lighter vehicles consume less energy. Given the interest in the use of adhesive joints, it is important to study their behaviour under different conditions. Currently, the static behaviour of adhesive joints is very well documented, with many research works dedicated to it. However, the number of publications on their dynamic behaviour is still scarce, with only a few works dedicated to fatigue, impact and free vibrations. Additionally, the use of meshless methods to study adhesive joints is also currently mostly limited to static analysis, and even in that case it is still very incipient. Therefore, this work aims at extending the use of meshless methods to the dynamic analysis of adhesive joints, to help in the advancement of both fields.

A meshfree model of hard-magnetic soft materials

Hard-magnetic soft materials comprising a soft matrix embedded with hard-magnetic particles can exhibit large deformations under external magnetic fields, which have attracted much interest due to their non-contact activation, flexible programmability, and rapid response in various applications such as biomedical devices, soft robotics and flexible electronics. Precise predictions of large deformations of hard-magnetic soft materials would be a key for relevant applications. Given that the rational designs in the programmable shape morphing of ferromagnetic structures requires high precision, here we develop a meshfree model based on the radial point interpolation method to quantitatively predict large deformations of hard-magnetic soft materials. We apply the stabilized conforming nodal integration instead of direct nodal integration to eliminate the influence of zero-energy mode, and the central difference scheme is implemented for the resolution procedure. We explore the bending of a hard-magnetic beam and snap buckling of a bistable hard-magnetic beam under external magnetic stimuli. Uniform and non-uniform discretizations are compared to show the insensitivity of the radial point interpolation method to nodal mesh. To demonstrate the versatile programmability of our model in the design of magnetic robotics, we further simulate complex locomotion (crawling, walking and rolling) of hard-magnetic soft robots under external magnetic excitation. The results could be used to guide rational designs of ferromagnetic structures and soft continuum robots.