Coronary arterial dynamics computation with medical-image-based time-dependent anatomical models and element-based zero-stress state estimates

We propose a method for coronary arterial dynamics computation with medical-image-based time-dependent anatomical models. The objective is to improve the computational analysis of coronary arteries for better understanding of the links between the atherosclerosis development and mechanical stimuli such as endothelial wall shear stress and structural stress in the arterial wall. The method has two components. The first one is element-based zero-stress (ZS) state estimation, which is an alternative to prestress calculation. The second one is a “mixed ZS state” approach, where the ZS states for different elements in the structural mechanics mesh are estimated with reference configurations based on medical images coming from different instants within the cardiac cycle. We demonstrate the robustness of the method in a patient-specific coronary arterial dynamics computation where the motion of a thin strip along the arterial surface and two cut surfaces at the arterial ends is specified to match the motion extracted from the medical images.     

Stochastic finite element-based reliability analysis of space frames

In the present paper the weighted integral method in conjunction with Monte Carlo simulation is used for the stochastic finite element-based reliability analysis of space frames. The limit state analysis required at each Monte Carlo simulation is performed using a non-holonomic step-by-step elasto-plastic analysis based on the plastic node method in conjunction with efficient solution techniques. This implementation results in cost effective solutions both in terms of computing time and storage requirements. The numerical results presented demonstrate that this approach provides a realistic treatment for the stochastic finite element-based reliability analysis of large scale three-dimensional building frames.     

Advanced boundary element analysis of two- and three-dimensional problems of elasto-plasticity

An advanced formulation of the boundary element method has been developed for inelastic analysis based on an initial stress approach. The iterative solution algorithm makes use of an accelerated initial stress approach in which the past history of initial stresses are used to obtain an initial estimate for the current increment. In the present analysis the geometry and functions are represented by higher order (quadratic) shape functions to model complex geometries and rapid functional variations accurately. The methods of numerical integration of the kernels, particularly the singular type, are substantially improved by devising suitable automatic sub-segmentation routines that incorporate the recent developments in mapping procedures. The formulations have been implemented for two-dimensional plane stress, plane strain and three-dimensional elasto-plasticity problems.     

Continuum‐based design sensitivity analysis and optimization of nonlinear shell structures using meshfree method

A continuum‐based shape and configuration design sensitivity analysis (DSA) method for a finite deformation elastoplastic shell structure has been developed. Shell elastoplasticity is treated using the projection method that performs the return mapping on the subspace defined by the zero‐normal stress condition. An incrementally objective integration scheme is used in the context of finite deformation shell analysis, wherein the stress objectivity is preserved for finite rotation increments. The material derivative concept is used to develop a continuum‐based shape and configuration DSA method. Significant computational efficiency is obtained by solving the design sensitivity equation without iteration at each converged load step using the same consistent tangent stiffness matrix. Numerical implementation of the proposed shape and configuration DSA is carried out using the meshfree method. The accuracy and efficiency of the proposed method is illustrated using numerical examples. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Accurate buckling load calculations of a thick orthotropic sandwich panel

This paper is concerned with the buckling of thick sandwich panels with orthotropic elastic face sheets bonded to a linear elastic orthotropic core. When such panels are analyzed for axial load carrying capacity, it is now commonplace to adopt the finite element method to carry out computations. The accuracy of the numerical results will depend not only on roundoff and algorithmic errors, but additionally on the approximations made in computing the incremental (second order) work associated in computing the change of configuration from the unbuckled to the buckled state. Here we show that, particularly for orthotropic thick sandwich structures, large errors can be incurred in computing buckling loads with available commercial software, unless the proper work conjugate measures of stress and strain with their stress-dependent tangential moduli are used in the buckling formulation.     

Symbolic derivation of the equations of caustics about a crack tip

Summary For the determination of the shape of the initial curve of a caustic about a crack tip in plane elasticity problems (whence the shape of the caustic itself is automatically obtained) we need to solve a nonlinear algebraic equation with unknown the distance of each point of the initial curve from the crack tip and parameter the polar angle. Here this nonlinear equation is solved (for a particular crack problem) by the classical method of successive substitutions (a one-point iterative method) in numerical analysis, but symbolically and not numerically, with respect to the polar angle. This yields a semianalytical equation for the initial curve (and, further, for the caustic itself) of particular importance for the study of its properties from the analytical point of view. On the other hand, the present results show the usefulness of symbolic computations in crack problems in fracture mechanics.     

A hybrid multiscale finite element/peridynamics method

A hybrid method is presented that uses a representative volume element-based multiscale finite element technique combined with a peridynamics method for modeling fracture surfaces. The hybrid method dynamically switches from finite element computations to peridynamics based on a damage criterion defined on the peridynamics grid, which is coincident with the nodes of the finite element mesh. Nodal forces are either computed by the finite element method or peridynamics, as appropriate. The multiscale finite element method used here is a representative volume element-based approach so that inhomogeneous local scale material properties can be derived using homogenization. In addition, automatic cohesive zone insertion is used at the local scale to model fracture initiation. Results demonstrate that local scale flaw distributions can alter fracture patterns and initiation times, and the use of cohesive zone insertion can improve accuracy of crack paths.     

Wall shear stress calculations in space–time finite element computation of arterial fluid–structure interactions

The stabilized space–time fluid–structure interaction (SSTFSI) technique was applied to arterial FSI problems soon after its development by the Team for Advanced Flow Simulation and Modeling. The SSTFSI technique is based on the Deforming-Spatial-Domain/Stabilized Space–Time (DSD/SST) formulation and is supplemented with a number of special techniques developed for arterial FSI. The special techniques developed in the recent past include a recipe for pre-FSI computations that improve the convergence of the FSI computations, using an estimated zero-pressure arterial geometry, Sequentially Coupled Arterial FSI technique, using layers of refined fluid mechanics mesh near the arterial walls, and a special mapping technique for specifying the velocity profile at inflow boundaries with non-circular shape. In this paper we introduce some additional special techniques, related to the projection of fluid–structure interface stresses, calculation of the wall shear stress (WSS), and calculation of the oscillatory shear index. In the test computations reported here, we focus on WSS calculations in FSI modeling of a patient-specific middle cerebral artery segment with aneurysm. Two different structural mechanics meshes and three different fluid mechanics meshes are tested to investigate the influence of mesh refinement on the WSS calculations.     

Elastic–plastic void expansion in near-self-similar shapes

For void growth in an elastic–plastic strain hardening material the preferred shape of the void is calculated, dependent on the macroscopic stress state. Axisymmetric cell model analyses are carried out with a very small initial void size relative to the cell dimensions. Large deformations of the material around the void are modeled until the void volume is four orders of magnitude larger than the initial volume. An iterative procedure is used until the final void shape and the initial void shape are identical. Even when this convergence has been obtained, the void shape does not stay constant during the growth. Thus, the shapes found give only approximately self-similar growth. The results are compared with self-similar shapes determined previously for nonlinear viscous solids, subject to power law creep. For the time independent elastic–plastic material considered here the effect of the strain hardening level and of the initial yield strain are studied.     

弦支穹顶施工张拉全过程分析

弦支穹顶由单层网壳和下部索杆组成。在零状态时给结构中索杆单元施加一组既定的初始应变,计算后结构便会得到一组确定的单元内力值,依据这一对应关系,提出了一种求解零状态时,索杆单元所需施加初始应变值的迭代计算法,并给出了相应的计算公式与计算流程。为了准确、可靠地指导弦支穹顶的实际施工,确保施工的顺利进行,该文结合具体的张拉方案,利用迭代计算法,将零状态下索杆单元所需的初始应变确定后,依据各单元在初始态与零状态下无应力长度之差确定的原则,提出了基于初始应变不变的施工模拟计算法,并对一跨度为122m的弦支穹顶,在已定施工张拉工序的基础上进行了施工张拉模拟计算。计算结果表明:迭代计算公式高效准确,施工模拟计算法的计算假定与计算流程更加符合实际施工过程。这一施工模拟计算法可在实际结构施工张拉模拟计算过程中采用。     

An implicit time integration scheme for inelastic constitutive equations with internal state variables

In a broad class of inelastic constitutive models for the deformation of metals the inelastic strain rates are functions of the current state of stress and internal state variables only. All known models are in some regions of application mathematically stiff and therefore difficult to integrate. The unconditionally stable implicit Euler rule is used for integration. It leads to a system of highly nonlinear algebraic equations which have to be solved by an iterative process. The general Newton-Raphson method, which converges under very broad conditions, requires repeated solution of the finite element system and is infeasible for large inelastic problems. But for the inelastic strains and internal state variables the Jacobian can be computed analytically and therefore the NRI can be used. For the stresses the Jacobian cannot be computed analytically and therefore the accelerated Jacobi iteration is used. A new method for computing the relaxation parameter is introduced which increases the rate of convergence significantly. The new algorithm is applied on Hart's model. A comparison with prior computations using an approximation is made.     

Eliminating Forging Defects Using Genetic Algorithms

In this article, an optimization method for metal forging process designs using finite element-based simulation is presented. Using as entry parameters the specifications of the final product the so-called inverse techniques developed for optimization problems allows the calculation of the optimal solution, the design parameters that produce the required product. An evolutionary genetic algorithm is proposed to calculate optimal shape geometry and temperature. An example demonstrating the efficiency of the developed method is presented considering a two-stage hot forging process. It considers optimization of the process parameters to reduce the difference between the realized and the prescribed final forged shape under minimal energy consumption, restricting the maximum temperature.     

Relative positioning of toleranced polyhedral parts in an assembly

Parts with geometric (size and shape) variations generate uncertainties in every assembly configuration. The resultant uncertain assemblies are far more complicated than the nominal assembly configurations. To perform tolerance analysis, the real positions of variant parts in a variant assembly configuration need to be investigated. In this paper, a relative positioning scheme is proposed to determine the optimal configuration of variant parts in an assembly. A method of calculating and representing positions of 3D polyhedral parts in assembly has been presented. Translational and rotational constraints, which are developed corresponding to the extra degrees of freedom caused by the shape and size variation of parts, have been formulated. By computing translational and rotational constraints, the allowed motion space for each mating pair is obtained. Assembly configuration uncertainties caused by part variations are clarified by realizing the transformation of the object part according to the objective function, A 3D example is given to explain how the proposed relative positioning scheme is used in tolerance analysis of assemblies.     

Material design of elastic structures using Voronoi cells

New tools for the design of metamaterials with periodic microarchitectures are presented. Initially, a two‐scale material design approach is adopted. At the structure scale, the material effective properties and their spatial distribution are obtained through a Free Material Optimization technique. At the microstructure scale, the material microarchitecture is designed by appealing to a Topology Optimization Problem (TOP). The TOP is based on the topological derivative and the level set function. The new proposed tools are used to facilitate the search of the optimal microarchitecture configuration. They consist of the following: (i) a procedure to choose an adequate shape of the unit cell domain where the TOP is formulated and shapes of Voronoi cells associated with Bravais lattices are adopted and (ii) a procedure to choose an initial material distribution within the Voronoi cell being utilized as the initial configuration for the iterative TOP.     

GPGPU-based parallel computing applied in the FEM using the conjugate gradient algorithm: a review

Parallelization of the finite-element method (FEM) has been contemplated by the scientific and high-performance computing community for over a decade. Most of the computations in the FEM are related to linear algebra that includes matrix and vector computations. These operations have the single-instruction multiple-data (SIMD) computation pattern, which is beneficial for shared-memory parallel architectures. General-purpose graphics processing units (GPGPUs) have been effectively utilized for the parallelization of FEM computations ever since 2007. The solver step of the FEM is often carried out using conjugate gradient (CG)-type iterative methods because of their larger convergence rates and greater opportunities for parallelization. Although the SIMD computation patterns in the FEM are intrinsic for GPU computing, there are some pitfalls, such as the underutilization of threads, uncoalesced memory access, lower arithmetic intensity, limited faster memories on GPUs and synchronizations. Nevertheless, FEM applications have been successfully deployed on GPUs over the last 10 years to achieve a significant performance improvement. This paper presents a comprehensive review of the parallel optimization strategies applied in each step of the FEM. The pitfalls and trade-offs linked to each step in the FEM are also discussed in this paper. Furthermore, some extraordinary methods that exploit the tremendous amount of computing power of a GPU are also discussed. The proposed review is not limited to a single field of engineering. Rather, it is applicable to all fields of engineering and science in which FEM-based simulations are necessary.     

A bridging domain and strain computation method for coupled atomistic–continuum modelling of solids

We present a multiscale method that couples atomistic models with continuum mechanics. The method is based on an overlapping domain‐decomposition scheme. Constraints are imposed by a Lagrange multiplier method to enforce displacement compatibility in the overlapping subdomain in which atomistic and continuum representations overlap. An efficient version of the method is developed for cases where the continuum can be modelled as a linear elastic material. An iterative scheme is utilized to optimize the coupled configuration. Conditions for the regularity of the constrained matrices are determined. A method for computing strain in atomistic models and handshake domains is formulated based on a moving least‐square approximation which includes both extensional and angle‐bending terms. It is shown that this method exactly computes the linear strain field. Applications to the fracture of defected single‐layer atomic sheets and nanotubes are given. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Abaqus implementation of extended finite element method using a level set representation for three-dimensional fatigue crack growth and life predictions

A three-dimensional extended finite element method (X-FEM) coupled with a narrow band fast marching method (FMM) is developed and implemented in the Abaqus finite element package for curvilinear fatigue crack growth and life prediction analysis of metallic structures. Given the level set representation of arbitrary crack geometry, the narrow band FMM provides an efficient way to update the level set values of its evolving crack front. In order to capture the plasticity induced crack closure effect, an element partition and state recovery algorithm for dynamically allocated Gauss points is adopted for efficient integration of historical state variables in the near-tip plastic zone. An element-based penalty approach is also developed to model crack closure and friction. The proposed technique allows arbitrary insertion of initial cracks, independent of a base 3D model, and allows non-self-similar crack growth pattern without conforming to the existing mesh or local remeshing. Several validation examples are presented to demonstrate the extraction of accurate stress intensity factors for both static and growing cracks. Fatigue life prediction of a flawed helicopter lift frame under the ASTERIX spectrum load is presented to demonstrate the analysis procedure and capabilities of the method.     

A nested iterative scheme for computation of incompressible flows in long domains

We present an effective preconditioning technique for solving the nonsymmetric linear systems encountered in computation of incompressible flows in long domains. The application category we focus on is arterial fluid mechanics. These linear systems are solved using a nested iterative scheme with an outer Richardson scheme and an inner iteration that is handled via a Krylov subspace method. Test computations that demonstrate the robustness of our nested scheme are presented.     

Thermal postbuckling analysis of laminated composite plates by the finite element method

The thermal postbuckling behavior of composite laminated plates subjected to a nonuniform temperature field is investigated by the finite element method. Based on the principle of minimum potential energy, the nonlinear stiffness matrix and geometry matrix are derived. The assumed displacement state over the middle surface of the plate element is expressed as a product of one-dimensional, first-order Hermitian polynomials. An iterative method is employed to determine the thermal postbuckling load. The results of the computations reveal that the thermal postbuckling behavior of composite laminated plates is influenced by lamination angle, plate aspect ratio, modulus ratio and the number of layers.     

Dynamic optimization of chemical engineering problems using a control vector parameterization method with an iterative genetic algorithm

An approach that combines genetic algorithm (GA) and control vector parameterization (CVP) is proposed to solve the dynamic optimization problems of chemical processes using numerical methods. In the new CVP method, control variables are approximated with polynomials based on state variables and time in the entire time interval. The iterative method, which reduces redundant expense and improves computing efficiency, is used with GA to reduce the width of the search region. Constrained dynamic optimization problems are even more difficult. A new method that embeds the information of infeasible chromosomes into the evaluation function is introduced in this study to solve dynamic optimization problems with or without constraint. The results demonstrated the feasibility and robustness of the proposed methods. The proposed algorithm can be regarded as a useful optimization tool, especially when gradient information is not available.