Optimal design of compliant mechanisms using functionally graded materials

This research applies topology optimization to create feasible functionally graded compliant mechanism designs with the aim of improving structural performance compared to traditional homogeneous compliant mechanism designs. Converged functionally graded designs will also be compared with two-material compliant mechanism designs. Structural performance is assessed with respect to mechanical/geometric advantage and stress distributions. Two design problems are presented – a gripper and a mechanical inverter. A novel modified solid isotropic material with penalization (SIMP) method is introduced for representing local element material properties in functionally graded structures. The method of moving asymptotes (MMA) is used in conjunction with adjoint sensitivity analysis to find the optimal distribution of material properties. Geometric non-linear analysis is used to solve the mechanics problem based on the Neo-Hookean model for hyperelastic materials. Functionally graded materials (FGMs) have material properties that vary based on spatial position. Here, FGMs are implemented using two different resource constraints – one on the mechanism’s volume and the other on the integral of the Young’s modulus distribution throughout the design domain. Tensile tests are performed to obtain the material properties used in the analysis. Results suggest that FGMs can achieve the desired improvements in mechanical/geometric advantage when compared to both homogeneous and two-material mechanisms.     

Optimal tailoring of 2D volume-fraction distributions for heat-resisting functionally graded materials using FDM

Thermoelastic behavior of heat resisting functionally graded materials (FGMs), under given thermal loading and boundary conditions, is definitely characterized by the spatial distribution of volume fractions of constituent particles. Hence, the determination of volume-fraction distribution becomes a crucial step in tailoring an optimal heat-resisting FGM. In this paper, we address a two-dimensional volume-fraction optimization procedure for relaxing the effective thermal stress distribution. In order for the optimization efficiency and the volume-fraction continuity, we approximate the volume-fraction field with bilinear elements of n-times larger size than for the thermoelastic analysis. As well, the refined material-property estimate is employed to assure the design quality. Numerical experiments illustrating our theoretical work are also presented.     

Thermomechanically coupled sensitivity analysis and design optimization of functionally graded materials

This paper presents a systematic numerical technique for performing sensitivity analysis of coupled thermomechanical problem of functionally graded materials (FGMs). General formulations are presented based on finite element model by using the direct method and the adjoint method. In the modeling of spatial variances of material properties, the graded finite element method is employed to conduct the heat transfer analysis and structural analysis and their sensitivity analysis. The design variables are the volume fractions of FGMs constituents and structural shape parameters. The design optimization model is then constructed and solved by the sequential linear programming (SLP). Numerical examples are presented to demonstrate the accuracy and the applicability of the present method.     

Continuum shape sensitivity analysis of a mixed-mode fracture in functionally graded materials

This paper presents two new methods for conducting a continuum shape sensitivity analysis of a crack in an isotropic, linear-elastic functionally graded material. These methods involve the material derivative concept from continuum mechanics, domain integral representation of interaction integrals, known as the M-integral, and direct differentiation. Unlike virtual crack extension techniques, no mesh perturbation is needed to calculate the sensitivity of stress–intensity factors. Since the governing variational equation is differentiated prior to the process of discretization, the resulting sensitivity equations are independent of approximate numerical techniques, such as the meshless method, finite element method, boundary element method, or others. Three numerical examples are presented to calculate the first-order derivative of the stress–intensity factors. The results show that first-order sensitivities of stress intensity factors obtained using the proposed method are in excellent agreement with the reference solutions obtained using the finite-difference method for the structural and crack geometries considered in this study.     

Beam element with spatial variation of material properties for multiphysics analysis of functionally graded materials

In this paper, two different methods for modelling of functionally graded material (FGM) beam with continuous spatially varying material properties will be presented and compared, namely the multilayering method and the direct integration method. Both the methods are related to homogenization of spatially varying material properties of real FGM beam and to calculation of the secondary variables of the FGM beams. The multilayering method is based on the laminate theory, which is very often used by modelling of the multilayer composite beams. The direct integration method transform spatial continuous varying material properties to the effective ones by direct integration of derived homogenization rules. In next part of the paper, new multiphysical beam finite element will be presented, which in conjunction with the proposed homogenization methods can be used for very effective analysis of the FGM beam structures. The numerical experiment will be presented concerning the multiphysical (electro–thermal–structural) analysis of the chosen FGM beams with spatial continuous variation of material properties.     

Axial dynamics of functionally graded Rayleigh-Bishop nanorods

Microsystem Technologies - Present study considers the longitudinal dynamic analysis of carbon nanotubes which has been modeled as an axially functionally graded Rayleigh-Bishop rod with the help...     

基于欧拉 伯努利梁和铁木辛柯梁理论的功能梯度材料模量测定

为测定功能梯度材料的弹性模量和剪切模量,引入梁理论并将梁沿长度方向离散,建立单元平衡方程后可得到弹性模量和剪切模量分布;假设弹性模量为沿长度方向的线性函数或指数函数,用有限元软件仿真计算功能梯度材料梁单元节点处的挠度和转角,然后用插值法构造变形特征函数,并计算得出弹性模量和剪切模量,且计算值与理论值的误差较小.计算结果还表明,采用铁木辛柯梁理论不仅可以得到弹性模量,还可以计算剪切模量,且弹性模量计算结果比用欧拉-伯努利梁计算结果更接近真实值,但铁木辛柯梁理论中需测定转角,对测定过程的要求会更加严格。     

Assessment of critical buckling load of functionally graded plates using artificial neural network modeling

Neural Computing and Applications - Predicting the critical buckling loads of functionally graded material (FGM) plates using an analytical method requires solving complex equations with various...     

Multi-dimensional optimization of functionally graded material composition using polynomial expansion of the volume fraction

The work of this paper proposes a method for multi-dimensional optimization of functionally graded materials (FGMs) composition. The method is based on using polynomial expansion of the volume fraction of the constituent materials. In this approach, the design variables are the coefficients of the polynomial expansion which to be determined through the optimization process. This method provides much more flexibility in the design compared to the methods based on the power-law, or the exponential-law which will in turn lead to more optimal designs. Also it requires much less number of design variables compared to the grid based approaches which is also utilized for two-dimensional optimization of FGMs structures. As an application of the proposed method, the optimization of a simply supported Aluminum plate reinforced with Silicon Carbide nano-particles is considered. Cost plays a very important role for this type of structures, since the cost of the reinforcements such as Silicon Carbide nano-particles, or carbon nano-tubes is too high. So the aim of the optimization process is to minimize the amount of the reinforcement required to satisfy certain performance criteria. Both static, and dynamic cases are considered in this work; a plate under a transverse pressure distribution is considered as the static case, and the panel flutter problem as the dynamic case.     

功能梯度薄壁圆柱壳的自由振动

研究了由功能梯度材料制成的薄壁圆柱壳的自由振动.采用幂律分布规律描述功能梯度材料沿厚度的梯度性质,根据Donnell壳体理论,导出了功能梯度材料薄壁圆柱壳线性振动的简化控制方程.基于此理论分析了功能梯度圆柱壳的自由振动特性,给出了两端简支功能梯度材料薄壁圆柱壳小挠度固有振动的频率公式.以简支圆柱壳作为算例,与前人结果及有限元法对比验证了该简化功能梯度薄壁圆柱壳理论的正确性,同时讨论了周向波数及梯度指数对其频率的影响.     

Equal distance offset approach to representing and process planning for solid freeform fabrication of functionally graded materials

This paper deals with the representation and process planning for solid freeform fabrication (SFF) of 3D functionally graded material (FGM) objects. A novel approach of representation and process planning for SFF of FGM objects, termed as equal distance offset (EDO), is proposed. In EDO, a neutral arbitrary 3D CAD model is adaptively sliced into a series of 2D layers. Within each layer, 2D material gradients are designed and represented via dividing the 2D shape into several sub-regions enclosed by iso-composition contours. If needed, the material composition gradient within each of the sub-regions can be further specified by applying the equal distance offset algorithm to each sub-region. Using this approach, an arbitrary-shaped 3D FGM object with linear or non-linear composition gradients can be represented and fabricated via suitable SFF machines.     

基于自然元法和精细积分法的功能梯度材料瞬态热传导问题求解

为促进无网格法分析技术在热传导分析中的应用,提出空间离散采用自然单元法、时间离散采用精细积分法求解功能梯度材料瞬态热传导问题的数值计算方法.在计算过程中,取高斯点的材料参数模拟功能梯度材料特性的变化.温度场采用自然邻接点插值形函数进行离散插值.数值算例验证该数值算法的正确性和有效性.     

Size-dependent vibration analysis of multi-span functionally graded material micropipes conveying fluid using a hybrid method

Microscale fluid-conveying pipes and functionally graded materials (FGMs) have many potential applications in engineering fields. In this paper, the free vibration and stability of multi-span FGM micropipes conveying fluid are investigated. The material properties of FGM micropipes are assumed to change continuously through thickness direction according to a power law. Based on modified couple stress theory, the governing equation and boundary conditions are derived by applying Hamilton’s principle. Subsequently, a hybrid method which combines reverberation-ray matrix method and wave propagation method is developed to determine the natural frequencies, and the results determined by present method are compared with those in the existing literature. Then, the effects of material length scale parameter, volume fraction exponent, location and number of supports on dynamic characteristics of multi-span FGM micropipes conveying fluid are discussed. The results show that the size effect is significant when the diameter of micropipe is comparable to the length scale parameter, and the natural frequencies determined by modified couple stress theory are larger than those obtained by classical beam theory. It is also found that natural frequencies and critical velocities increase rapidly with the increase of volume fraction exponent when it is less than 10, and the intermediate supports could improve the stability of pipes conveying fluid significantly.     

Crashworthiness design for functionally graded foam-filled bumper beam

Automotive bumper beam is an important component to protect passenger and vehicle from injury and damage induced by severe collapse. Recent studies showed that foam-filled structures have significant advantages in light weight and high energy absorption. In this paper, a novel bumper beam filled with functionally graded foam (FGF) is considered here to explore its crashworthiness. To validate the FGF bumper beam model, the experiments at both component and full vehicle levels are conducted. Parametric study shows that gradient exponential parameter m that controls the variation of foam density has significant effect on bumper beam’s crashworthiness; and the crashworthiness of FGF-filled bumper beam is found much better than that of uniform foam (UF) filled and hollow bumper beam. The multiobjective optimization of FGF-filled bumper beam is also performed by considering specific energy absorption (SEA) and peak impact force as the design objectives, and the wall thickness t, foam densities ρ_f1 and ρ_f2 (foam densities at the end and at mid cross section, respectively) and gradient exponential parameter m as design variables. The Kriging surrogate modeling technique and multiobjective particle swarm optimization (MOPSO) algorithm were implemented to optimize the FGF-filled bumper beam. The optimized FGF-filled bumper beam is of great advantages and it can avoid the harmful local bending behavior and absorb more energy than UF filled and hollow bumper beam. Finally, the optimized FGF-filled bumper beam is installed to a passenger car model, and the results demonstrate that the FGF-filled bumper beam ensures the crashworthiness performance of the passenger car while reduces weight about 14.4% compared with baseline bumper beam.     

Multi-objective optimization of functionally graded materials,thickness and aspect ratio in micro-beams embedded in an elastic medium

Optimal design of micron-scale beams as a general case is an important problem for development of micro-electromechanical devices. For various applications, the mechanical parameters such as mass, maximum deflection and stress, natural frequency and buckling load are considered in strategies of micro-manufacturing technologies. However, all parameters are not of equal importance in each operating condition but multi-objective optimization is able to select optimal states of micro-beams which have desirable performances in various micro-electromechanical devices. This paper provides optimal states of design variables including thickness, distribution parameter of functionally graded materials, and aspect ratio in simply supported FG micro-beams resting on the elastic foundation using analytical solutions. The elastic medium is assumed to be as a two-layered foundation including a shear layer and a linear normal layer. Also, the size effect on the mechanical parameters is considered using the modified strain gradient theory and non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm-II is employed to optimization procedure. The target functions are defined such that the maximum deflection, maximum stress and mass must be minimized while natural frequency and critical buckling load must be maximized. The optimum patterns of FG micro-beams are presented for exponential and power-law FGMs and the effect of theory type and elastic foundation discussed in details. Findings indicate that the elastic foundation coefficients and internal length scale parameters of materials have the significant influences on the distribution of design variables. It is seen that the optimum values of inhomogeneity parameter and aspect ratio for E-FG micro-beams predicted by the modified strain gradient theory are larger than those of the classical continuum theory. Also, the multi-objective optimization is able to improve the normalized values of mass, maximum deflection, buckling load and natural frequency of P-FG micro-beams.     

Analytical modeling of tensile strength of functionally graded steels

In the present study, the tensile strength of ferritic and austenitic functionally graded steel produced by electroslag remelting has been modeled by artificial neural networks. Functionally graded steel containing graded layers of ferrite and austenite may be fabricated via diffusion of alloying elements during remelting stage. Vickers microhardness profile of the specimen has been obtained experimentally and modeled with artificial neural networks. To build the model for graded ferritic and austenitic steels, training, testing and validation using respectively 174 and 120 experimental data were conducted. According to the input parameters, in the neural networks model, the Vickers microhardness of each layer was predicted. A good-fit equation that correlates the Vickers microhardness of each layer to its corresponding chemical composition was achieved by the optimized network for both ferritic- and austenitic-graded steels. Afterward, the Vickers microhardness of each layer in functionally graded steels was related to the yield stress of the corresponding layer and by assuming Holloman relation for stress–strain curve of each layer, they were acquired. Finally, by applying the rule of mixtures, tensile strength of functionally graded steels configuration was found through a numerical method. The obtained results from the proposed model are in good agreement with those acquired from the experiments.     

Optimization of natural frequencies of bidirectional functionally graded beams

We propose a methodology to optimize the natural frequencies of functionally graded structures by tailoring their material distribution. The element-free Galerkin method is used to analyze the two-dimensional steady-state free and forced vibration of functionally graded beams. To optimize the material composition, the spatial distribution of volume fractions of the material constituents is defined using piecewise bicubic interpolation of volume fraction values that are specified at a finite number of grid points. Subsequently, we use a real-coded genetic algorithm to optimize the volume fraction distribution for three model problems. In the first problem, we seek material distributions that maximize each of the first three natural frequencies of a functionally graded beam. The goal of the second model problem is to minimize the mass of a functionally graded beam while constraining its natural frequencies to lie outside certain prescribed frequency bands. The last problem aims to minimize the mass of a functionally graded beam by simultaneously optimizing its thickness and material distribution such that the fundamental frequency is greater than a prescribed value.     

T-stress,mixed-mode stress intensity factors,and crack initiation angles in functionally graded materials: a unified approach using the interaction integral method

For linear elastic functionally graded materials (FGMs), the fracture parameters describing the crack tip fields include not only stress intensity factors (SIFs) but also T-stress (nonsingular stress). These two fracture parameters are important for determining the crack initiation angle under mixed-mode loading conditions in brittle FGMs (e.g. ceramic/ceramic such as TiC/SiC). In this paper, the mixed-mode SIFs and T-stress are evaluated by means of the interaction integral, in the form of an equivalent domain integral, in combination with the finite element method. In order to predict the crack initiation angle in brittle FGMs, this paper makes use of a fracture criterion which incorporates the T-stress effect. This type of criterion involves the mixed-mode SIFs, the T-stress, and a physical length scale r_c (representative of the fracture process zone size). Various types of material gradations are considered such as continuum models (e.g. exponentially graded material) and micromechanics models (e.g. self-consistent model). Several examples are given to show the accuracy and efficiency of the interaction integral scheme for evaluating mixed-mode SIFs, T-stress, and crack initiation angle. The techniques developed provide a basic framework for quasi-static crack propagation in FGMs.     

Prediction microhardness profile of functionally graded steels by ANFIS

In the present study, the Vickers microhardness profile of ferritic and austenitic functionally graded steel produced by electroslag remelting process has been modeled by adaptive network-based fuzzy inference system (ANFIS). To produce functionally graded steels, a spot-welded electrode that consists of two slices of plain carbon steel and austenitic stainless steel was used. Functionally graded steel containing graded layers of ferrite and austenite may be fabricated via diffusion of alloying elements during remelting stage. Vickers microhardness profile of the specimen has been obtained experimentally and modeled with ANFIS. To build the model for graded ferritic and austenitic steels, training, testing and validation using, respectively, 174 and 120 experimental data were conducted. According to the input parameters, the Vickers microhardness of each layer was predicted. The training, testing and validation results in the ANFIS models have shown a strong potential for predicting microhardness profile of both graded ferritic and austenitic steels. It was shown that the Vickers microhardness can be predicted by ANFIS in the range of the examined data.