K.P. Baxevanakis¹, A.E. Giannakopoulos²

CMES-Computer Modeling in Engineering & Sciences, Vol.60, No.2, pp. 181-198, 2010, DOI:10.3970/cmes.2010.060.181

Abstract The present work gives a systematic and rigorous implementation of (edge type) circular Volterra dislocation loops in ordinary axisymmetric finite elements using the thermal analogue and the integral representation of dislocations through stresses. The accuracy of the proposed method is studied in problems where analytical solutions exist. The full fields are given for loop dislocations in isotropic and anisotropic crystals and the Peach-Koehler forces are calculated for loops approaching free surfaces and bimaterial interfaces. The results are expected to be very important in the analysis of plastic yield strength, giving quantitative results regarding the influence More >

M. Marigo^1,2, D. L. Cairns¹, M. Davies¹, M. Cook³,A. Ingram^2,4,5, E. H. Stitt¹

CMES-Computer Modeling in Engineering & Sciences, Vol.59, No.3, pp. 217-238, 2010, DOI:10.3970/cmes.2010.059.217

Abstract In this work the complex motion of the Turbulamixer has been measured by Multiple-Positron Emission Particle Tracking (Multiple PEPT) in order to set-up a DEM numerical model. Positron emitting radioactive tracers were attached to three of the pivot bearings on the shaft of the mixer to enable the rotation and translation of the mixer chamber to be tracked in the PEPT camera. The measured movement was mathematically reconstructed and imported into DEM in order to apply the same movement to the modelled vessel. The three-dimensional motion of particles in a vessel located in the Turbula More >

Lorenzo Codecasa¹, Francesco Trevisan²

CMES-Computer Modeling in Engineering & Sciences, Vol.59, No.2, pp. 155-180, 2010, DOI:10.3970/cmes.2010.059.155

Abstract Electromagnetic problems spatially discretized by the so called Discrete Geometric Approach are considered, where Discrete Counterparts of Constitutive Relations are discretized within an Energetic Approach. Pairs of oriented dual grids are considered in which the primal grid is composed of (oblique) parallelepipeds, (oblique) triangular prisms and tetrahedra and the dual grid is obtained according to the barycentric subdivision. The focus of the work is the evaluation of the constants bounding the approximation error of the electromagnetic field; the novelty is that such constants will be expressed in terms of the geometrical details of oriented dual More >

K. Han¹, Y. T. Feng¹, D. R. J. Owen¹

CMES-Computer Modeling in Engineering & Sciences, Vol.59, No.1, pp. 1-30, 2010, DOI:10.3970/cmes.2010.059.001

Abstract A computational framework is established for effective modelling of fluid-thermal-particle interactions. The numerical procedures comprise the Discrete Element Method for simulating particle dynamics; the Lattice Boltzmann Method for modelling the mass and velocity field of the fluid flow; and the Discrete Thermal Element Method and the Thermal Lattice Boltzmann Method for solving the temperature field. The coupling of the three fields is realised through hydrodynamic interaction force terms. Selected numerical examples are provided to illustrate the applicability of the proposed approach. More >

Lorenzo Codecasa¹, Francesco Trevisan²

CMES-Computer Modeling in Engineering & Sciences, Vol.58, No.1, pp. 15-44, 2010, DOI:10.3970/cmes.2010.058.015

Abstract This paper starts from the spatial discretization of an electromagnetic problem over pairs of oriented grids, one dual of the other, according to the so called Discrete Geometric Approach(DGA) to computational electromagnetism; the Cell Method or the Finite Integration Technique are examples of such an approach. The core of the work is providing for the first time a convergence analysis when the discrete counter-parts of constitutive relations are computed by means of an energetic framework. More >

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… More >

L. Scholtès¹, B. Chareyre², F.Nicot³, F. Darve⁴

CMES-Computer Modeling in Engineering & Sciences, Vol.52, No.3, pp. 297-318, 2009, DOI:10.3970/cmes.2009.052.297

Abstract A numerical study of multi-phase granular materials based upon micro-mechanical modelling is proposed. Discrete element simulations are used to investigate capillary induced effects on the friction properties of a granular assembly in the pendular regime. Capillary forces are described at the local scale through the Young-Laplace equation and are superimposed to the standard dry particle interaction usually well simulated through an elastic-plastic relationship. Both effects of the pressure difference between liquid and gas phases and of the surface tension at the interface are integrated into the interaction model. Hydraulic hysteresis is accounted for based on… More >

A.P.S.Selvadurai¹

CMES-Computer Modeling in Engineering & Sciences, Vol.52, No.3, pp. 259-278, 2009, DOI:10.3970/cmes.2009.052.259

Abstract The paper deals with a computational approach for modelling the fragmentation of ice sheets during their impact with stationary structures. The modelling takes into consideration the intact continuum behaviour of the ice as a rate-sensitive elastoplastic material. During impact, the ice sheet can undergo fragmentation, which is controlled by a brittle strength criterion based on the current stress state. The fragmentation allows the generation of discrete elements of the ice sheet, the movements of which are governed by the equations of motion. The contact between individual fragments is governed by a Coulomb criterion. The individual More >

F. Fleissner¹, T. Haag², M. Hanss², P. Eberhard¹

CMES-Computer Modeling in Engineering & Sciences, Vol.52, No.2, pp. 181-196, 2009, DOI:10.3970/cmes.2009.052.181

Abstract In alpine regions human settlements and infrastructure are at risk to be hit by landslides or other types of geological flows. This paper presents a new approach that can aid the design of protective constructions. An uncertainty analysis of the flow around a debris barrier is carried out using a chute flow laboratory model of the actual debris flow. A series of discrete element simulations thereby serves to compare and assess two different barrier designs. In this study, the transformation method of fuzzy arithmetic is used to investigate the influence of epistemically uncertain model parameters. 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 >