G.I. Giannopoulos¹, S.K. Georgantzinos², D.E. Katsareas², N.K. Anifantis²

CMES-Computer Modeling in Engineering & Sciences, Vol.56, No.3, pp. 231-248, 2010, DOI:10.3970/cmes.2010.056.231

Abstract A hybrid finite element formulation, combining nanoscopic and macroscopic considerations is proposed, for the prediction of the elastic mechanical properties of single walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT)-based composites. The nanotubes are modeled according to the molecular mechanics theory via the use of spring elements, while the matrix is modeled as a continuum medium. A new formulation concerning the load transfer between the nanotubes and matrix is proposed. The interactions between the two phases are implemented by utilizing appropriate stiffness variations describing a heterogeneous interfacial region. A periodic distribution and orientation of the SWCNTs is considered. Thereupon, the nanocomposite is modeled using… More >

Dalin Tang¹, Chun Yang^1,2, Tal Geva^3,4, Glenn Gaudette⁴, and Pedro J. del Nido⁵

CMES-Computer Modeling in Engineering & Sciences, Vol.56, No.2, pp. 113-130, 2010, DOI:10.3970/cmes.2010.056.113

Abstract Right and left ventricle (RV/LV) combination models with three different patch materials (Dacron scaffold, treated pericardium, and contracting myocardium), two-layer construction, fiber orientation, and active anisotropic material properties were introduced to evaluate the effects of patch materials on RV function. A material-stiffening approach was used to model active heart contraction. Cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging was performed to acquire patient-specific ventricular geometries and cardiac motion from a patient with severe RV dilatation due to pulmonary regurgitation needing RV remodeling and pulmonary valve replacement operation. Computational models were constructed and solved to obtain RV stroke volume, ejection fraction, patch area variations,… More >

A. Carpinteri¹, M. Paggi^1,2, G. Zavarise³

CMES-Computer Modeling in Engineering & Sciences, Vol.53, No.3, pp. 303-326, 2009, DOI:10.3970/cmes.2009.053.303

Abstract The stick-slip instability is a typical manifestation of the nonlinearity of the frictional response of rough surfaces. As recently demonstrated by several researchers, the problem of contact loss is also inherently connected to the stick-slip instability and it has been detected both in elastically soft materials, such as rubber or gelatine, and in elastic stiff materials, such as for earthquake faults. Treating the problem of tangential contact in the framework of micromechanical contact models, the effect of the phenomenon of contact loss on the micro-slip behavior of rough surfaces is herein investigated. To this aim, the stick and slip components… More >

D. Gawin¹, L. Sanavia²

CMES-Computer Modeling in Engineering & Sciences, Vol.53, No.3, pp. 255-302, 2009, DOI:10.3970/cmes.2009.053.255

Abstract This paper presents a unified mathematical approach to model the hydro-thermo-mechanical behavior of saturated and partially saturated porous media by considering the effects of air dissolved in liquid water. The model equations are discretized by means of the Finite Element method. A correspondingly updated code is used to analyze two examples; the first one is the well known Liakopoulos test, i.e. the drainage of liquid water from a 1m column of sand, which is used to validate numerically the model here developed. As second example, a biaxial compression test of undrained dense sands where cavitation takes place at strain localization… More >

G. Haasemann¹, M. Kästner², V. Ulbricht³

CMES-Computer Modeling in Engineering & Sciences, Vol.42, No.1, pp. 35-58, 2009, DOI:10.3970/cmes.2009.042.035

Abstract The purpose of this paper is the presentation of a new efficient modelling strategy based on the combination of Binary Model and Extended Finite Element Method (X-FEM). It is applied to represent the internal architecture of textile reinforced composites where the resin-saturated fabric is characterised by a complex geometry. Homogenisation methods are used to compute the effective elastic material properties. Thereby, the discrete formulation of periodic boundary conditions is adapted regarding additional degrees of freedom used by finite elements which are based on the X-FEM. Finally, the results in terms of effective material properties reveal a good agreement with parameters… More >

S.H. Pyo¹, H.K. Lee^1,2

CMES-Computer Modeling in Engineering & Sciences, Vol.40, No.3, pp. 271-306, 2009, DOI:10.3970/cmes.2009.040.271

Abstract This paper presents a micromechanical approach for predicting the elastic and multi-level damage response of aligned and randomly oriented whisker-/ short fiber-reinforced composites. Based on a combination of Eshelby's micromechanics and the evolutionary imperfect interface approach, the effective elastic moduli of the composites are derived explicitly. The modified Eshelby's tensor for spheroidal inclusions with slightly weakened interface [Qu (1993b)] is extended in the present study to model whiskers or short fibers having mild or severe imperfect interfaces. Aligned and random orientations of spheroidal reinforcements are considered. A multi-level damage model in accordance with the Weibull's probabilistic function is then incorporated… More >

D. S. Liu¹, C.Y. Tsai¹

CMES-Computer Modeling in Engineering & Sciences, Vol.39, No.1, pp. 29-48, 2009, DOI:10.3970/cmes.2009.039.029

Abstract Utilizing a thin copper substrate for illustration purposes, this study presents a novel numerical method for extracting the thermo-mechanical properties of a thin-film. In the proposed approach, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations are performed to establish the load-displacement response of a thin copper substrate nanoindented at temperatures ranging from 300~1400 K. The load data are then input to an artificial neural network (ANN), trained using a finite element model (FEM), in order to extract the material constants of the copper substrate. The material constants are then used to construct the corresponding stress-strain curve, from which the elastic modulus and the plastic… More >

D. H. Pahr¹, H.J. Böhm¹

CMES-Computer Modeling in Engineering & Sciences, Vol.34, No.2, pp. 117-136, 2008, DOI:10.3970/cmes.2008.034.117

Abstract The combination of heterogeneous volume elements and numerical analysis schemes such as the Finite Element method provides a powerful and well proven tool for studying the mechanical behavior of composite materials. Periodicity boundary conditions (PBC), homogeneous displacement boundary conditions (KUBC) and homogeneous traction boundary conditions (SUBC) have been widely used in such studies. Recently Pahr and Zysset (2008) proposed a special set of mixed uniform boundary conditions (MUBC) for evaluating the macroscopic elasticity tensor of human trabecular bone. These boundary conditions are not restricted to periodic phase geometries, but were found to give the same predictions as PBC for the… 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 >

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 >