Effect of Externally Applied Stresses on the Moisture Diffusion Characteristics of Epoxy Glass Composites

Author(s):  
Mark T. Stoffels ◽  
David A. Miller

A model is proposed which relates externally applied tensile stresses to changes in absorption capacity as well as diffusion rate. The model postulates that changes seen in the diffusion process are the result of stress-dependent changes in the free volume of the epoxy resin. The free volume changes of the resin are calculated through laminate plate theory, which itself becomes a function of fiber angle as well as a host of elastic properties of the constituents. Consequently, according to the proposed model, changes in diffusion parameters are dependent upon the magnitude of applied stress, the loading angle, as well as elastic properties of the constituents. Additionally, a finite element model is presented. The proposed finite element model establishes an analogy between thermal and mass diffusion for use in solving the moisture diffusion problems, both in free and stressed states. Input parameters for the FE model are found through use of the previously established mathematical diffusion model. In order to experimentally verify the proposed models, a series of epoxy glass laminate samples were manufactured at varying fiber angles and immersed in a moist environment while subjected to varying levels of tensile loading. Weight gain measurements were recorded throughout the diffusion process until full saturation was achieved. The experimental values exhibited excellent agreement with both the suggested theoretical model and the finite element model.

2013 ◽  
Vol 456 ◽  
pp. 576-581 ◽  
Author(s):  
Li Fu Xu ◽  
Na Ta ◽  
Zhu Shi Rao ◽  
Jia Bin Tian

A 2-D finite element model of human cochlea is established in this paper. This model includes the structure of oval window, round window, basilar membrane and cochlear duct which is filled with fluid. The basilar membrane responses are calculated with sound input on the oval window membrane. In order to study the effects of helicotrema on basilar membrane response, three different helicotrema dimensions are set up in the FE model. A two-way fluid-structure interaction numerical method is used to compute the responses in the cochlea. The influence of the helicotrema is acquired and the frequency selectivity of the basilar membrane motion along the cochlear duct is predicted. These results agree with the experiments and indicate much better results are obtained with appropriate helicotrema size.


Author(s):  
Babak Ebrahimi ◽  
Amir Khajepour ◽  
Todd Deaville

This paper discusses the modeling and analysis of a novel audio subwoofer system for automotive applications using the automobile windshield glass. The use of a piezo-electric actuator coupled with a mechanical amplifier linked to a large glass panel provides a highly efficient method of producing sound. The proposed subwoofer system has the advantage over existing conventional systems of not only reducing the weight of the automobile, but also a significant power savings resulting in an increase of expected fuel economy. Among various design challenges, the glass-sealing design is of huge importance, as it affects the system dynamic response and so the output sound characteristics. The main goal in this manuscript is to evaluate different glass-sealing design configurations by providing a comprehensive Finite Element model of the system. To do so, a comprehensive, yet simplified FE model is developed, and experimental studies are performed in the component level to fine-tune and verify the model. Harmonic response of the system for each sealing configuration design is obtained in the frequency range of 0–200 Hz, and the results are compared and discussed. The finite element model is also beneficial in preliminary design of other components as well as the exciter placement, and predicting the performance of the overall system.


Author(s):  
Massimiliano Gobbi ◽  
Giorgio Previati ◽  
Giampiero Mastinu

An off-road motorcycle frame has been analyzed and modified to optimize its fatigue life. The fatigue life of the frame is very important to define the service life of the motorcycle. The strain levels on key parts of the frame were collected during experimental tests. It has been possible to locate the areas where the maximum stress level is reached. A finite element (FE) model of the frame has been developed and used for estimating its fatigue life. Static test bench results have been used to validate the FE model. The accuracy of the finite element model is good, the errors are always below 5% with respect to measured data. The mission profile of the motorcycle is dominated by off-road use, with stress levels close to yield point, so a strain-life approach has been applied for estimating the fatigue life of the frame. Particular attention has been paid to the analysis of the welded connections. A shell and a 3D FE model have been combined to simulate the stress histories at the welds. Two reference maneuvers have been considered as loading conditions. The computed stresses have been used to assess the life of the frame according to the notch stress approach (Radaj & Seeger). The method correlates the stress range in a idealized notch, characterized by a fictitious radius in the weld toe or root, to the fatigue life by using a single S-N curve. New technical frame layouts have been proposed and verified by means of the developed finite element model. The considered approach allows to speed up the design process and to reduce the testing phase.


Author(s):  
Nguyen Ngoc Tan ◽  
Nguyen Trung Kien

The reinforcement corrosion is one of the most dominant deterioration mechanisms of existing reinforced concrete structures. In this paper, the effects of the stirrup corrosion on the structural performance of five corroded beams have been simulated using the finite element model with DIANA software. These tested beams are divided into two groups for considering different inputs: (i) without corroded stirrups in flexural span, (ii) with locally corroded stirrups at different locations (e.g. full span, shear span, middle span). FE model has been calibrated with experimental results that were obtained from the four-point bending test carried out on the tested beams. This study shows that the stirrups corrosion should be received more attention in the serviceability limit state since its considerable effect on flexural behavior. Based on a parametric study, it shows that the effect of the cross-section loss of tension reinforcements on the load-carrying capacity of the corroded beam is more significant than the bond strength reduction. Keywords: reinforced concrete; beam; stirrup corrosion; finite element model; flexural nonlinear behavior.


2018 ◽  
Vol 24 (4) ◽  
pp. 1129-1146 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stanislav Krasnitskii ◽  
Anton Trofimov ◽  
Enrico Radi ◽  
Igor Sevestianov

An analytical solution is obtained for the problem of an infinite elastic medium containing a rigid toroidal inhomogeneity under remotely applied uniform strain. The traction on the torus surface is determined as a function of torus parameters and strain components applied at infinity. The results are utilized to calculate components of the stiffness contribution tensor of the rigid toroidal inhomogeneity that is required for calculation of the overall elastic properties of a material containing multiple toroidal inhomogeneities. The analytical results are verified by comparison with finite element model calculations.


Author(s):  
Amir Khalilollahi ◽  
Russell L. Warley ◽  
Oladipo Onipede

Boards made of composites are susceptible of structural failure or irreversible damage under thermally raised stresses. A thermal/structural finite element model is integrated in this study to enable the predictions of the temperature and stress distribution of vertically clamped parallel circuit boards that include series of symmetrically mounted heated electronic modules (chips). The board is modeled as a thin plate containing four heated flush rectangular areas that represent the electronic modules. The finite element model should be to able to accept the convection heat transfer on the board surface, heat generation in the modules, and directional conduction inside the board. A detailed 3-D CFD model is incorporated to predict the conjugate heat transfer coefficients that strongly affect the temperature distribution in the board and modules. Structural analyses are performed by a FE model that uses the heat transfer coefficients mentioned above, and structural elements capable of handling orthotropic material properties. The stress fields are obtained and studied for the models possessing two and there laminates with different fiber orientations, and inter-fiber angles. Appreciable differences in values of max stress intensity were observed as the fiber orientation and inter-fiber angle changed. The angular parameters in this study were guided by experimental design (DOE) concepts leading to a metamodel of the stress intensity in the board. The optimum design variables found by the equations of the metamodel.


2013 ◽  
Vol 540 ◽  
pp. 79-86
Author(s):  
De Jun Wang ◽  
Yang Liu

Finite element (FE) model updating of structures using vibration test data has received considerable attentions in recent years due to its crucial role in fields ranging from establishing a reality-consistent structural model for dynamic analysis and control, to providing baseline model for damage identification in structural health monitoring. Model updating is to correct the analytical finite element model using test data to produce a refined one that better predict the dynamic behavior of structure. However, for real complex structures, conventional updating methods is difficult to be utilized to update the FE model of structures due to the heavy computational burden for the dynamic analysis. Meta-model is an effective surrogate model for dynamic analysis of large-scale structures. An updating method based on the combination between meta-model and component mode synthesis (CMS) is proposed to improve the efficiency of model updating of large-scale structures. The effectiveness of the proposed method is then validated by updating a scaled suspender arch bridge model using the simulated data.


2001 ◽  
Author(s):  
Saeed D. Barbat

Abstract This paper demonstrates an application of the nine linear accelerometer scheme, proposed by (Padgaonkar et al., 1975), to the development and validation of a finite element model of a deformable featureless headform for rotational accelerations. Steps and procedures involved in the development and calibration of the model are also described. A set of tri-axial accelerometers was mounted at the headform center of gravity, C.G., which is located at the origin of the local coordinate axes of the headform. Three bi-axial accelerometers were also mounted at the front, left, and top of the headform’s aluminum skull and on the local coordinate axes of the physical headform. Nine linear accelerations were measured at the headform in drop tests against a rigid plate at impact speeds of 2.68, 4.0, 5.36, and 6.71 m/s (6, 9, 12, and 15 mph). The rotational accelerations of the headform were then calculated from the nine linear acceleration measurements. In the finite element (FE) model of the featureless deformable headform, a visco-elastic material law, available in the non-linear dynamic explicit code PAM-CRASH, was used to simulate the vinyl skin response during impact. The constitutive parameters of the headform’s skin material were calibrated through comparison of the headform drop simulations at various impact speeds with the corresponding tests. Headform responses, such as, resultant acceleration time histories at the headform C.G. and the rotational acceleration time histories obtained from the FE predictions of the headform responses during the drop tests simulations correlated very well with those obtained from experiments. Validation of the headform model for rotational accelerations provided higher level of confidence in the prediction capability of the model when used for interior head impact simulations with vehicle upper interior as specified by the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard FMVSS 201.


Author(s):  
Tong Y. Yi ◽  
Parviz E. Nikravesh

Abstract This paper presents a method for identifying the free-free modes of a structure by utilizing the vibration data of the same structure with boundary conditions. In modal formulations for flexible body dynamics, modal data are primary known quantities that are obtained either experimentally or analytically. The vibration measurements may be obtained for a flexible body that is constrained differently than its boundary conditions in a multibody system. For a flexible body model in a multibody system, depending upon the formulation used, we may need a set of free-free modal data or a set of constrained modal data. If a finite element model of the flexible body is available, its vibration data can be obtained analytically under any desired boundary conditions. However, if a finite element model is not available, the vibration data may be determined experimentally. Since experimentally measured vibration data are obtained for a flexible body supported by some form of boundary conditions, we may need to determine its free-free vibration data. The aim of this study is to extract, based on experimentally obtained vibration data, the necessary free-free frequencies and the associated modes for flexible bodies to be used in multibody formulations. The available vibration data may be obtained for a structure supported either by springs or by fixed boundary conditions. Furthermore, the available modes may be either a complete set; i.e., as many modes as the number of degrees of freedom of the associated FE model is available, or it can be an incomplete set.


Author(s):  
A. Ivanov ◽  
A. Kiapour ◽  
N. Ebraheim ◽  
V. K. Goel

The sacrum fractures are very severe trauma which frequently accompanied with lumbar spine fractures. The surgical procedures often require primary stabilization of both lumbar spine and sacrum. To understand the rationale of the instrumentation numerous cadaveric studies were conducted to elucidate the anatomy of fractures and treatment options [1,2,3]. The modern computer technology allowed simulating the fractures and repairing using the Finite Element Analysis, also [4,5]. The last method has a raw of advantages versus cadaveric method such as higher reliability, accuracy, and safety. Finite element investigations of the pelvic fractures allowed comparing the influence of implants on pelvis stability. However, the extensive search of the literature failed to find a finite element model which includes the pelvis and lumbar spine together. Current study is the first step to accomplish this goal. An experimentally validated model of ligamentous lumbar spine was combined with the FE model of pelvis [7], and simulation of the sacrum fractures was conducted.


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