Dynamic asymmetrical instability of elastic–plastic beams

Dynamic instability of elastic–plastic beam is investigated by employing a three-degree-of-freedom (3-DoF) beam model. Especially, asymmetrical instability induced by symmetrical load is discussed. The asymmetrical instability is considered as a second-order buckling mode. Four types of perturbations, i.e., geometrical misalignment, material property mismatch, unsymmetry of applied load and disturbance of boundary conditions, are introduced to activate the asymmetrical responses. The asymmetrical response is characterized by a modal participation factor α₂ which corresponds to an asymmetrical mode shape. Phase plane trajectories and Poincaré map are used to illustrate the chaotic characteristics of the beam response. Results show that if the perturbations are small enough, the perturbation type has negligible influence on the critical load for the occurrence of the asymmetrical instability, which implies that the asymmetrical instability is an intrinsic feature of the beam system. However, with the increase of the magnitude of the perturbations, the influence of the asymmetrical vibration is expanded to a large extension of loading parameter.     

From local failure toward global collapse of elastic–plastic structures in fluctuating fields

Application of shakedown theory to study the load-bearing capacity of truss structures subjected to varying loads is presented. Inadaptation may cause local fractures not leading to the global collapse (the loss of load-bearing capacity) of a structure. A full analysis requires a step-by-step application of the reduced kinematic formulae constructed recently by the author to check the occurrence of a local fracture by alternating plasticity and a possible spreading of the fracture zone until the critical state of global incremental (or instantaneous) collapse is reached. This basic phenomenon, in somehow more sophisticated appearance, might be observed in many more general structures and in inhomogeneous materials working in changing fields, as in some fiber bundle models presented. The solution procedure could also help to improve the design of a structure for particular working conditions.     

An elastic–plastic stress analysis steel-reinforced thermoplastic composite cantilever beam

In the present study an analytical elastic–plastic stress analysis is carried out for a low-density homogeneous polyethylene thermoplastic cantilever beam reinforced by steel fibers. The beam is loaded by a constant single force at its free end. The expansion of the region and the residual stress component of σ_x are determined for 0°, 30°, 45°, 60° and 90° orientation angles. Yielding begins for 0° and 90° orientation angles at the upper and lower surfaces of the beam at the same distances from the free end. However, it starts first at the upper surface for 30° and 45° orientation angles. The elastic–plastic analysis is carried out for both the plastic region which spreads only at the upper surface and the plastic region which spreads at the upper and lower surfaces together. The residual stress components of σ_x and τ_xy are also determined. The intensity of the residual stress component is maximum at the upper and lower surfaces of the beam, but the residual stress component of τ_xy is maximum on or around the x-axis. The beam can be strengthened by using the residual stresses. The distance between the plastically collapsed point and the free end is calculated for the same load in the beam for 0°, 30°, 45°, 60° and 90° orientation angles.     

Plane strain elastic–plastic bending of a strain-hardening curved beam

Elastic–plastic analysis of plane strain pure bending of a strain-hardening curved beam has been presented. Only a linear hardening case has been analyzed as the nonlinear equations for a general hardening case could not be solved analytically. A numerical scheme for the computation of stresses and displacements in different stages of deformation has been given and limited FEM verifications have been presented.     

Pulse loading shape effects on pressure–impulse diagram of an elastic–plastic, single-degree-of-freedom structural model

Pulse loading shape effects on the dynamical response of an elastic–plastic, single-degree-of-freedom (SDOF) structural model are studied in the present paper. Two dimensionless parameters are introduced to classify the studied problem into elastic, elastic–plastic and rigid–plastic structural responses. When structural damage is controlled by maximum structural deflection, a characteristic curve in loading parameter space can be used to define an isodamage curve, i.e., pressure–impulse diagram, which is generally loading-shape-dependent. Dimensionless loading parameters, termed as effective loading parameters, are introduced in the present paper to give unique loading-shape-independent pressure–impulse diagram for each response category.     

Elastic–plastic beam-on-foundation under quasi-static loading

An elastic–plastic discrete spring model is developed to represent the mechanical behavior of an elastic–plastic beam-on-foundation (BoF) system, and an analytical procedure of analyzing the BoF under general quasi-static loading is formulated. The paper describes a detailed numerical simulation and analysis for the case of a BoF subjected to a concentrated force at the mid-span, and various plastic collapse mechanisms of BoFs are identified. Two peculiar phenomena, i.e. the migration of plastic hinge in the beam and the successive propagation of plastic zone in the foundation, are demonstrated. It is found that any elastic, perfectly plastic BoF system can be characterized merely by three non-dimensional parameters, but the limit state of a rigid, perfectly plastic BoF is determined by a single non-dimensional parameter only. The non-dimensional relative rigidity of BoF and the ratio of the maximum elastic deformation energies dissipated in the beam and foundation both play important roles in governing the deformation scenario of an elastic–plastic BoF system.     

The plastic collapse of sandwich beams with a metallic foam core

Plastic collapse modes of sandwich beams have been investigated experimentally and theoretically for the case of an aluminium alloy foam with cold-worked aluminium face sheets. Plastic collapse is by three competing mechanisms: face yield, indentation and core shear, with the active mechanism depending upon the choice of geometry and material properties. The collapse loads, as predicted by simple upper bound solutions for a rigid, ideally plastic beam, and by more refined finite element calculations are generally in good agreement with the measured strengths. However, a thickness effect of the foam core on the collapse strength is observed for collapse by core shear: the shear strength of the core increases with diminishing core thickness in relation to the cell size. Limit load solutions are used to construct collapse maps, with the beam geometrical parameters as axes. Upon displaying the collapse load for each collapse mechanism, the regimes of dominance of each mechanism and the associate mass of the beam are determined. The map is then used in optimal design by minimising the beam weight for a given structural load index.     

Development of a Wittrick–Williams algorithm for the spectral element model of elastic–piezoelectric two-layer active beams

In this paper, a Wittrick–Williams algorithm is developed for the elastic–piezoelectric two-layer active beams. The exact dynamic stiffness matrix (or spectral element matrix) is used for the development. This algorithm may help calculate all the required natural frequencies, which lie below any chosen frequency, without the possibility of missing any due to close grouping or due to the sign change of the determinant of spectral element matrix via infinity instead of via zero. The uniform and partially patched active beams are considered as the illustrative examples to confirm the present algorithm.     

Analysis of wheel and rail adhesion under wet condition by using elastic–plastic microcontact model

This paper presents a numerical model to investigate the adhesion characteristics of the wheel/rail contact with consideration of surface roughness under wet conditions. The elastohydrodynamic lubrication theory is used to obtain the load carried by water, and the statistical elastic–plastic microcontact model presented by Zhao–Maietta–Chang is applied to calculate the load carried by asperities contact. Meanwhile, the thermal influencing reduction factor is used to consider the inlet heating effects on the film thickness, and the change of water viscosity is also taken into consideration due to the flash temperature generated by the moving rough surfaces. Furthermore, the present work investigates the dependence of the wheel/rail adhesion coefficient on train speed, surface roughness amplitude, the initial temperature, the plasticity index and the maximum contact pressure under wet condition. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Three-parameter approach for elastic–plastic fracture of the semi-elliptical surface crack under tension

Systematic three-dimensional elastic–plastic finite element analyses are carried out for a semi-elliptical surface crack in plates under tension. Various aspect ratios (a/c) of three-dimensional fields are analyzed near the semi-elliptical surface crack front. It is shown that the developed J–Q annulus can effectively describe the influence of the in-plane stress parameters as the radial distances (r/(J/σ₀)) are relatively small, while the approach can hardly characterize it very well with the increase of r/(J/σ₀) and strain hardening exponent n. In order to characterize the important stress parameters well, such as the equivalent stress σ_e, the hydrostatic stress σ_m and the stress triaxiality R_σ, the three-parameter J–Q_T–T_z approach is proposed based on the numerical analysis as well as a critical discussion on the previous studies. By introducing the out-of-plane stress constraint factor T_z and the Q_T term, which is determined by matching the finite element analysis results, the J–Q_T–T_z solution can predict the corresponding three-dimensional stress state parameters and the equivalent strain effectively in the whole plastic zone. Furthermore, it is exciting to find that the values of J-integral are independent of n under small-scale yielding condition when the stress-free boundary conditions at the side and back surfaces of the plate have negligible effect on the stress state along the crack front, and the normalized J tends to a same value when φ equals about 31.5° for different a/c and n. Finally, the empirical formula of T_z and the stress components are provided to predict the stress state parameters effectively.     

Viscoelastic and elastic–plastic behaviors of amorphous polymeric surfaces during scratch

In this study, we propose an analysis of the residual groove after contact between a spherical indenter and an amorphous polymeric surface (polymethylmethacrylate, PMMA) in scratch experiments. The geometrical shape of the residual groove was mathematically described using an exponential decay law. Finite element modeling (FEM) of scratch tests was compared to the corresponding experimental results. Assuming a two-segment simplified constitutive law with linear elastic behavior followed by linear strain hardening, the friction at the interface between the indenter and the material was modeled with a Coulomb's friction coefficient varying from 0 to 0.4, for computed ratios a/R between 0.1 and 0.4. The FEM results for elastic–plastic contact indicate that the shape of the residual groove is directly related to the plastic strain field in the deformation beneath the indenter during scratching. It is shown that the dimensions of the plastically deformed volume and the plastic strain gradient both depend on the ratio a/R and also on the friction coefficient.     

Influence of porosity on cavitation instability predictions for elastic–plastic solids

Cavitation instabilities have been found for a single void in a ductile metal stressed under high triaxiality conditions. Here, the possibility of unstable cavity growth is studied for a metal containing many voids. The central cavity is discretely represented, while the surrounding voids are represented by a porous ductile material model in terms of a field quantity that specifies the variation of the void volume fraction in the surrounding metal. As the central void grows, the surrounding void volume fractions increase in nonuniform fields, where the strains grow very large near the void surface, while the high stress levels are reached at some distance from the void, and the interaction of these stress and strain fields determines the porosity evolution. In some cases analysed, the porosity is present initially in the metal matrix, while in other cases voids nucleate gradually during the deformation process. It is found that interaction with the neighbouring voids reduces the critical stress for unstable cavity growth.     

On the rotating elastic–plastic solid disks of variable thickness having concave profiles

In this paper, an analytical solution for the elastic–plastic stress distribution in rotating variable thickness solid disks is presented. The analysis is based on Tresca's yield criterion, its associated flow rule and linear strain hardening material behavior. It is shown that depending on the shape of the disk profile, the radial stress in the central region may exceed the circumferential stress. The plastic zone which develops away from the axis of the disk consists of three annular regions governed by different mathematical forms of the yield criterion. The propagation of these plastic regions with increasing angular velocity is obtained together with the distributions of stresses and deformations in nondimensional forms.     

Elastic moduli and plastic collapse strength of hexagonal honeycombs with plateau borders

The theoretical analysis for the elastic moduli and plastic collapse strength of hexagonal honeycombs with Plateau borders is proposed and presented here. The variation of cell edge thickness in real honeycombs is taken into account in deriving their elastic moduli and plastic collapse strengths. A repeating element, composed of three cell edges connected at a vertex with Plateau borders of constant radius of curvature and width, is employed to calculate the elastic moduli and plastic collapse strength of hexagonal honeycombs. Results suggest that both the elastic moduli and plastic collapse strength of hexagonal honeycombs with Plateau borders depend on their relative density and the volume fraction of solid contained in the Plateau border region. Meanwhile, effects of solid distribution on the elastic moduli and plastic collapse strength of hexagonal honeycombs are investigated, providing a guideline for the optimal microstructure design of honeycombs.     

Plastic deformation and contact area of an elastic–plastic contact of ellipsoid bodies after unloading

This paper presents theoretical and experimental results of the residual or plastic deformation and the plastic contact area of an elastic–plastic contact of ellipsoid bodies after unloading. There are three regime responses of the deformation and contact area: elastic, elastic–plastic and fully plastic. Experimental investigation is presented in order to validate the proposed model. A new technique is introduced to measure the plastic deformation and plastic contact area. Very good correlation is found between the theoretical prediction and the experimental results.     

Non-linear free vibrations of Kelvin–Voigt visco-elastic beams

A full visco-elastic non-linear beam with cubic non-linearities is considered, and the governing equations of motion of the system for large amplitude vibrations are derived. By using the method of multiple scales, the non-linear mode shapes and natural frequencies of the beam are then analytically formulated. The resulting formulations for amplitude, non-linear natural frequencies and mode shapes can be used for any type of boundary conditions. Next, method of Galerkin is used to separate the time and space variables. The equations of motion show the presence of a non-linear damping term in addition to the ones with non-linear inertia and geometry. As it is known, the presence of non-linear inertia and the geometric terms make the non-linear natural frequencies to be dependent on constant amplitude of vibration. But, when damping non-linearities are present, it is seen that the amplitude is exponentially time-dependent, and so, the non-linear natural frequencies will be logarithmically time-dependent. Additionally, it is shown that the mode shapes will be dependent on the third power of time-dependent amplitude. The analytical results are applied to hinged–hinged and hinged–clamped boundary conditions and the results are compared with numerical simulations. The results match very closely for both cases specially for the case of hinged–hinged beam.     

In-plane elastic moduli and plastic collapse strength of regular hexagonal honeycombs with dual imperfections

The in-plane elastic modulus, Poisson's ratio and plastic collapse strength of regular hexagonal honeycombs with dual imperfections of non-straight and variable-thickness cell edges were theoretically derived from a model of curved cell edges with Plateau borders. Finite element analyses (FEA) on the stiffness and strength of regular hexagonal honeycombs with dual imperfections were also performed and then compared to the theoretical modeling. Both analytical and numerical results indicate that the in-plane elastic moduli and plastic collapse strength of regular hexagonal honeycombs with dual imperfections depend on their relative density, the solid distribution in cell edges and the curvature of cell edges. Meanwhile, the effects of dual imperfections on the in-plane elastic moduli and plastic collapse strength of regular hexagonal honeycombs are more drastic as compared to those of each single imperfection. Also, it is found that the normalized in-plane elastic modulus and plastic collapse strength of regular hexagonal honeycombs with dual imperfections are approximately equal to the products of those with each single imperfection.     

On the transverse vibrations of non-uniform beams with axial loads and elastically restrained ends

The dynamic behaviour of slender tapered beams is examined, in the presence of conservative axial loads, and lower and upper bounds on the free vibration frequencies are obtained. Two different approaches are employed, in order to obtain a narrow range to which the frequencies belong. In the first case a Rayleigh–Ritz method is used, with displacement trial functions given by linearly independent orthogonal polynomials. In the latter case the structure is reduced to rigid bars, connected together by means of elastic hinges, and lower bound to the true frequencies is obtained. It is well known that the Rayleigh–Ritz approach leads to upper bounds, and therefore a (narrow) range is obtained for the exact frequencies.The paper ends with some numerical examples which confirm the usefulness of the proposed methods, and are in good agreement with some previously known results.     

Stochastic bending–torsion coupled response of axially loaded slender composite-thin-walled beams with closed cross-sections

The stochastic bending–torsion coupled response of axially loaded slender composite beams with solid or thin-walled closed cross-sections are investigated by using normal mode method in conjunction with receptance method. The classical composite beam theory with shear deformation and rotary inertia ignored is employed and the effects of bending–torsion coupling and axial force are included in the present formulations. The theoretical expressions for the displacement response of axially loaded slender composite beams subjected to concentrated or distributed stochastic excitations with stationary and ergodic properties are derived. The proposed method is illustrated by its application to two particular examples to study the effects of bending–torsion coupling and axial force on the stochastic response of the composite beams.