Letícia Fleck Fadel Miguel¹, Ignacio Iturrioz², Jorge Daniel Riera³

CMES-Computer Modeling in Engineering & Sciences, Vol.56, No.1, pp. 1-16, 2010, DOI:10.3970/cmes.2010.056.001

Abstract Numerical predictions of the failure load of large structures, accounting for size effects, require the adoption of appropriate constitutive relations. These relations depend on the size of the elements and on the correlation lengths of the random fields that describe material properties. The authors proposed earlier expressions for the tensile stress-strain relation of concrete, whose parameters are related to standard properties of the material, such as Young's modulus or specific fracture energy and to size. Simulations conducted for a typical concrete showed that as size increases, the effective stress-strain diagram becomes increasingly linear, with a sudden rupture, while at the… More >

E. Tonti¹, F. Zarantonello¹

CMES-Computer Modeling in Engineering & Sciences, Vol.39, No.3, pp. 201-236, 2009, DOI:10.3970/cmes.2009.039.201

Abstract The theory of elasticity is usually formulated using differential calculus. We will show that it is possible to give an algebraic or discrete or finite formulation, by starting directly from experimental laws, i.e. by avoiding any discretization process of the differential equations. This direct formulation can be immediately used for numerical solution in elasticity problems and, from a theoretical point of view, it shows some interesting features which are hidden in the differential formulation or are not considered at all. More >

Fuping Zhou¹, Suresh G. Advani², Eric D. Wetzel³

CMES-Computer Modeling in Engineering & Sciences, Vol.39, No.1, pp. 49-66, 2009, DOI:10.3970/cmes.2009.039.049

Abstract Slow drag of a cylinder through a confined, pressurized bed of granules is studied using two-dimensional discrete element method (DEM) simulations. The time-dependent total drag force experienced by the circular cylinder is calculated from the normal and tangential contact forces between the surfaces. To evaluate the role of the granule shape and the aspect ratio on the drag force, the simulation is performed for cylindrical granules, dumbbell-shaped granules, and elliptical granules of three different aspect ratios. Simulation results show that the drag in dumbbell-shaped granules is higher than that in cylindrical granules. In contrast, the drag in elliptical granules decreases… More >

P. Bettini, E. Brusa, M. Munteanu, R. Specogna, F. Trevisan¹

CMES-Computer Modeling in Engineering & Sciences, Vol.33, No.3, pp. 215-242, 2008, DOI:10.3970/cmes.2008.033.215

Abstract Electrostatic microactuator is a paradigm of MEMS. Cantilever and double clamped microbeams are often used in microswitches, microresonators and varactors. An efficient numerical prediction of their mechanical behaviour is affected by the nonlinearity of the electromechanical coupling. Sometimes an additional nonlinearity is due to the large displacement or to the axial-flexural coupling exhibited in bending. To overcome the computational limits of the available numerical methods two new formulations are here proposed and compared. Modifying the classical beam element in the Finite Element Method to allow the implementation of a \emph {Non incremental sequential approach} is firstly proposed. The so-called \emph… More >

L. Codecasa¹, R. Specogna², F. Trevisan³

CMES-Computer Modeling in Engineering & Sciences, Vol.31, No.3, pp. 129-144, 2008, DOI:10.3970/cmes.2008.031.129

Abstract In the paper we introduce a methodology to construct discrete constitutive matrices relating magnetic fluxes with magneto motive forces (reluctance matrix) and electro motive forces with currents (conductance matrix) needed for discretizing eddy current problems over hexahedral primal grids by means of the Finite Integration Technique (FIT) and the Cell Method (CM). We prove that, unlike the mass matrices of Finite Elements, the proposed matrices ensure both the stability and the consistency of the discrete equations introduced in FIT and CM. More >

Ömer Civalek ¹

CMES-Computer Modeling in Engineering & Sciences, Vol.31, No.1, pp. 25-36, 2008, DOI:10.3970/cmes.2008.031.025

Abstract In this paper, free vibration analysis of curvilinear or straight-sided quadrilateral membranes is presented. In the proposed approach, irregular physical domain is transformed into a rectangular domain by using geometric coordinate transformation. For demonstration of the accuracy and convergence of the method, some numerical examples are provided on membranes with different geometry such as skew, trapezoidal, sectorial, annular sectorial, and membranes with four curved edges. The results obtained by the DSC method are compared with those obtained by other numerical and analytical methods. More >

F. Cosmi¹

CMES-Computer Modeling in Engineering & Sciences, Vol.27, No.3, pp. 187-196, 2008, DOI:10.3970/cmes.2008.027.187

Abstract The Cell Method is a recent numerical method that can be applied in several fields of physics and engineering. In this paper, the elastodynamics formulation is extended to include system internal damping, highlighting some interesting characteristics of the method. The developed formulation leads to an explicit solving system. The mass matrix is diagonal (without lumping) and in the most general case a time-dependent damping coefficient can be defined for each node. \newline Accuracy and convergence rate have been tested with reference to the classical problem of a particle free vibration with viscous damping.
An application to mechanical components analysis… More >

C. Xu¹, X. Jia², R. A. Williams², E. H. Stitt³, M. Nijemeisland³, S. El-Bachir⁴, A. J. Sederman⁴, L. F. Gladden⁴

CMES-Computer Modeling in Engineering & Sciences, Vol.23, No.2, pp. 117-126, 2008, DOI:10.3970/cmes.2008.023.117

Abstract Existing theories and computer models for packed columns are either incapable of handling complex pellet shapes or based on over-simplified packing geometry. A digital packing algorithm, namely DigiPac, has recently been developed to fill the gap. It is capable of packing of particles of any shapes and sizes in a container of arbitrary geometry, and is a first step towards a practical computational tool for reliable predictions of packed column properties based on the actual pellet shapes. DigiPac can operate in two modes: a Monte Carlo mode in which particles undergo directional diffusive motions; and a Discrete Element mode where… More >

K. Han ¹, Y. T. Feng ¹, D. R. J. Owen¹

CMES-Computer Modeling in Engineering & Sciences, Vol.18, No.2, pp. 87-100, 2007, DOI:10.3970/cmes.2007.018.087

Abstract Numerical procedures are introduced for simulations of irregular particle transport in turbulent flows using the coupled lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) and the discrete element method (DEM). The fluid field is solved by the extended LBM with the incorporation of the Smagorinsky turbulence approach, while particle interaction is modeled by the DEM. The hydrodynamic interactions between fluid and particles are realised through an immersed boundary condition, which gives rise to a coupled solution strategy to model the fluid-particle system under consideration. Main computational aspects comprise the lattice Boltzmann formulation for the solution of fluid flows; the incorporation of the large eddy… More >

K. Yashiro¹, Y. Nakashima¹, Y. Tomita¹

CMES-Computer Modeling in Engineering & Sciences, Vol.11, No.2, pp. 73-80, 2006, DOI:10.3970/cmes.2006.011.073

Abstract A simple back force model is proposed for a dislocation cutting into γ' precipitate, taking the work formaking and recovering an anti-phase boundary (APB) into account. The first dislocation, or a leading partial of a superdislocation, is acted upon by a back force whose magnitude is equal to the APB energy. The second dislocation, or a trailing partial of a superdislocation, is attracted by the APB with a force of the same magnitude. The model is encoded in the 3D discrete dislocation dynamics (DDD) code and applied to the cutting behavior of dislocations at a γ/γ' interface covered by an… More >