Italian Group Fracture (IGF): E-Journals / Gruppo Italiano Frattura
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Periodic homogenization and damage evolution in RVE composite material with inclusion
This work deals with the coupling between a periodic homogenization procedure and a damage process occurring in a RVE of inclusion composite materials. We mainly seek on the one hand to determine the effective mechanical properties according to the different volume fractions and forms of inclusions for a composite with inclusions at the macroscopic level, and on the other hand to explore the rupture mechanisms that can take place at the microstructure level. To do this; the first step is to propose a periodic homogenization procedure to predict the homogenized mechanical characteristics of an inclusion composite. This homogenization procedure is applied to the theory based on finite element analysis by the Abaqus calculation code. The inclusions are modeled by a random object modeler, and the periodic homogenization method is implemented by python scripts. It is then a matter of introducing the damage into the problem of homogenization, that is to say; once the homogenized characteristics are assessed in the absence of the damage initiated by microcracks and micro cavitations, it is then possible to introduce damage models by a subroutine (Umat) in the Abaqus calculation code. The verifications carried out focused on RVE of composite materials with inclusions
Numerical analysis of the elastic-plastic behavior of a tubular structure in FGM under pressure and defect presence
Given the field of application and the many advantages, the use of FGM (Functionally Graded Materials) materials has recently been extended in several components and more particularly in cylindrical structures, which have been the subject of several recent studies. Our work aims to use the finite element method to analyze a cylindrical structure in FGM with properties gradated in the direction of the radius (Thickness) solicited purely in internal pressure by the implementation of a UMAT subroutine in the calculation code ABAQUS. The elasto-plastic behavior of the FGM is described by the flow theory represented by the equivalent stress of Von Mises and an incremental hardening variable. The TTO model (Tamura-Tomota-Ozawa) was used only to determine the elastic-plastic properties of the FGM material. The radial, tangential and axial stresses according to the thickness were evaluated in the first part of our work. In the second part, these stresses are evaluated under the same conditions but with the presence of a micro-cavity. The results obtained show clearly that these stresses are in direct relation not only with the thickness and properties of the FGM tube but also with the presence of the cavity
Evaluating structural safety of trusses using Machine Learning
In this paper, a machine learning-based framework is developed to quickly evaluate the structural safety of trusses. Three numerical examples of a 10-bar truss, a 25-bar truss, and a 47-bar truss are used to illustrate the proposed framework. Firstly, several truss cases with different cross-sectional areas are generated by employing the Latin Hypercube Sampling method. Stresses inside truss members as well as displacements of nodes are determined through finite element analyses and obtained values are compared with design constraints. According to the constraint verification, the safety state is assigned as safe or unsafe. Members’ sectional areas and the safety state are stored as the inputs and outputs of the training dataset, respectively. Three popular machine learning classifiers including Support Vector Machine, Deep Neural Network, and Adaptive Boosting are used for evaluating the safety of structures. The comparison is conducted based on two metrics: the accuracy and the area under the ROC curve. For the two first examples, three classifiers get more than 90% of accuracy. For the 47-bar truss, the accuracies of the Support Vector Machine model and the Deep Neural Network model are lower than 70% but the Adaptive Boosting model still retains the high accuracy of approximately 98%. In terms of the area under the ROC curve, the comparative results are similar. Overall, the Adaptive Boosting model outperforms the remaining models. In addition, an investigation is carried out to show the influence of the parameters on the performance of the Adaptive Boosting model
Load bearing capacity of thin-walled rectangular and I-shaped steel sections of short both empty and concrete-filled columns
In this experimental work, strength results obtained on short columns subjected to concentric loads are presented. The specimens used in the tests have made of cold-rolled, thin-walled steel. Twenty short columns of the same cross-section area and wall thickness have been tested as follows: 8 empty and 12 filled with ordinary concrete. In the aim to determine the column section geometry with the highest resistance, three different types of cross-sections have been compared: rectangular, I-shaped unreinforced and, reinforced with 100 mm spaced transversal links. The parameters studied are the specimen height and the cross-sectional steel geometry. The registered experimental results have been compared to the ultimate loads intended by Eurocode 3 for empty columns and by Eurocode 4 for compound columns. These results showed that a concrete-filled composite column had improved strength compared to the empty case. Among the three cross-section types, it has been found that I-section reinforced is the most resistant than the other two sections. Moreover, the load capacity and mode of failure have been influenced by the height of the column. Also, it had noted that the experimental strengths of the tested columns don’t agree well with the EC3 and EC4 results
Fully implicit numerical integration of the Yoshida-Uemori two-surface plasticity model with isotropic hardening stagnation
The paper deals with the numerical investigation and implementation of the two-surface plasticity model (or bounding surface model). This plasticity theory allows to describe the deformation behavior under large strain cyclic plasticity and the material stress-strain responses at small-scale re-yielding after large pre-straining. A novel strategy to model the isotropic hardening stagnation is developed within a fully implicit integration scheme in order to speed up the computation and to improve the material description
Determining the endurance limit of AISI 4340 steels in terms of different statistical approaches
In engineering applications, fatigue phenomenon is a key issue and needs to be analyzed in the beginning of design phase in case of any component exposed to alternating loading on operation otherwise catastrophic fatigue failure may cause. Component can be designed with safe-life, fail-safe, and damage tolerant approach based on whether redundant load path and damage sensitive. Before starting analyzing the structure, material allowable data needs to be presented in a reliable way to predict fatigue life of components. SN curves with presented confidence levels are the robust approach to make a prediction on safe life of a structure in terms of fatigue. In this point, there are so many approaches to determine fatigue limit of materials and issue shall be handled by statistical manner. In literature, different staircase and curve fitting methods were presented to estimate endurance limit of materials and some reliability manuscript published. In this paper, fatigue limit of AISI 4340 steel will be investigated through most convinced staircase and curve fitting approaches and their reliability will be queried
The role of aggregate granulation on testing fracture properties of concrete
Concrete is a porous material containing aggregate of different sizes, hardened cement matrix with air pores, microcracks and water. Concrete internal structure is different from that of other engineering materials. Furthermore concrete is described as quazi-brittle material. Fracture processes in it form in a way that does not fit within classical theories. Therefore, to describe failure of concrete structures nonlinear fracture mechanics is often applied with success. Basic concrete parameters, like compressive and tensile strength, and modulus of elasticity, are not enough to analyze fracture processes in concrete structures. Additional fracture properties should be tested, among them fracture energy, complete diagram of stress-deformation under axial tension and the width of fracture process zone. Recognizing and testing fracture parameters is of paramount importance when analysing fracture process in concrete structures. The correct data of material’s properties and the adequate fracture model applied in numerical simulations influence final results. In the paper the findings reported in the professional literature are summarized and obtained results of the own numerical simulation are reported in order to give a deeper knowledge on the role of aggregate on fracture properties of concrete
Weight optimization of steel lattice transmission towers based on Differential Evolution and machine learning classification technique
Transmission towers are tall structures used to support overhead power lines. They play an important role in the electrical grids. There are several types of transmission towers in which lattice towers are the most common type. Designing steel lattice transmission towers is a challenging task for structural engineers due to a large number of members. Therefore, discovering effective ways to design lattice towers has attracted the interest of researchers. This paper presents a method that integrates Differential Evolution (DE), a powerful optimization algorithm, and a machine learning classification model to minimize the weight of steel lattice towers. A classification model based on the Adaptive Boosting algorithm is developed in order to eliminate unpromising candidates during the optimization process. A feature handling technique is also introduced to improve the model quality. An illustrated example of a 160-bar tower is conducted to demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed method. The results show that the application of the Adaptive Boosting model saves about 38% of the structural analyses. As a result, the proposed method is 1.5 times faster than the original DE algorithm. In comparison with other algorithms, the proposed method obtains the same optimal weight with the least number of structural analyses
DEM investigation on strain localization in a dense periodic granular assembly with high coordination number
Strain localization is one of key phenomena which have been studied extensively in geomaterials and for different kinds of materials including metals and polymers. This well-known phenomenon appears when structure/material is closed to failure. Theoretical, experimental, and numerical research have been dedicated to this subject for a long while. In the numerical aspects, strain localization inside the periodic granular assembly has not been well studied in the literature. In this paper, we investigate the occurrence and development of strain localization within a dense cohesive-frictional granular assembly with high coordination number under bi-periodic boundary conditions by Discrete Element Modeling (DEM). The granular assembly is composed of 2D circular disks and subjected to biaxial loading with constant lateral pressure. The results show that the formation of shear bands is of periodic type, consistent with the boundary conditions. This formation has the origins of the irreversible losing of cohesive contacts, viewed as micro-crackings which strongly concentrated in the periodic shear zones. This micromechanical feature is therefore strongly related to the strain localization observed at the sample scale. Finally, we also show that the strain localization is in perfect agreement with the sample’s displacement fluctuation fields
Optimization of a reinforced concrete structure subjected to dynamic wind action
This work proposes a methodology to optimize a reinforcedconcrete structure. For this, the Whale Optimization Algorithm (WOA)algorithm was used, an algorithm from the group of metaheuristicalgorithms, which presents an easy computational implementation. As astudy object, a frame structure adapted from a real reinforced concretebuilding was used, subjected to the dynamic action of artificially generatedsynoptic wind. The objective function is to reduce the volume of concreteof the structure. For that, the dimensions of the cross-sections were used asdesign variables, and the maximum displacement at the top imposed by theASCE / SEI 7-10 standard as a lateral constraint, as well as the maximumstory drift between floors. In addition to this structural optimization, it wasalso proposed the use and optimization of Tuned Mass Dampers (TMD), indifferent quantities, positions and parameters, improving the dynamicresponse of the reinforced concrete building. The results show that for thissituation it was possible to reduce the concrete volume of the structure byapproximately 24%, respecting the maximum limit of displacement at thetop required by the standard