An inverse method for determining elastic material properties and a material interface

A numerical procedure which integrates optimization, finite element analysis and automatic finite element mesh generation is developed for solving a two-dimensional inverse/parameter estimation problem in solid mechanics. The problem consists of determining the location and size of a circular inclusion in a finite matrix and the elastic material properties of the inclusion and the matrix. Traction and displacement boundary conditions sufficient for solving a direct problem are applied to the boundary of the domain. In addition, displacements are measured at discrete points on the part of the boundary where the tractions are prescribed. The inverse problem is solved using a modified Levenberg-Marquardt method to match the measured displacements to a finite element model solution which depends on the unknown parameters. Numerical experiments are presented to show how different factors in the problem and the solution procedure influence the accuracy of the estimated parameters.     

A Fourier approach to the natural pixel discretization of brain single‐photon emission computed tomography

We apply the natural pixel (NP) approach to the single‐photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) problem. The NP approach allows us to split the tomographic problem into two subproblems. The first is a linear inverse problem. The data are the measured projections and the linear operator is described by a Gram matrix, and provides a set of coefficients. The second consists of computing the solution of the tomographic problem as a linear combination of the elements of the NP basis with respect to the coefficients obtained by solving the first problem, and it provides a solution for any given grid of points. The spatially varying geometric response of the system is taken into account by properly choosing the elements of the basis. The rotational invariance shown by the elements of the considered basis induces a block circulant structure in the Gram matrix. This structure can be used to reduce the computational efforts needed for solving the inverse problem. In particular, we diagonalize (blockwise) the Gram matrix by applying the discrete Fourier transform and we solve the inverse problem in the frequency domain associated with the rotation angles. We develop numerical validation with synthetic data in order to test the performance of the NP approach and to assess the reliability of the results. A reconstruction of a two‐dimensional image requires 45–94 s, which is an acceptable time for clinical purposes. Finally, we apply the method to acquired clinical data that consist of a three‐dimensional brain scan. © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Int J Imaging Syst Technol 12, 1–8, 2002     

Solution of quasi-periodic fracture problems by the representative cell method

A general scheme for the solution of linear elastic quasi-periodic fracture problems is presented. The simplest type of such problems is characterized by a non-periodic stress state in a domain with translational symmetry. Employing the discrete Fourier transform reduces the initial problem to a problem of a representative cell with specific boundary conditions which may be solved analytically or numerically. The procedure for solving the problem by the finite element method is developed. The suggested technique is employed for the solution of the problem of antiplane deformation of a strip weakened by a periodic array of arbitrary loaded cracks.     

变分方法在时标上一类边值问题中的应用

本文研究时标T上一类非自治的二阶周期边值问题周期解的存在性.我们综合利用临界点理论和变分方法,先利用变分方法将研究边值问题解的存在性问题转化为研究一个算子临界点问题,再借助于广义山路引理得到所研究边值问题存在至少一个周期解,所得结果在相应的微分方程,差分方程以及通常的时标上都是新的,作为应用,给出了一个例子验证了所得结论.     

Direct method of solution for general boundary value problem of the Laplace equation

A general boundary value problem for two-dimensional Laplace equation in the domain enclosed by a piecewise smooth curve is considered. The Dirichlet and the Neumann data are prescribed on respective parts of the boundary, while there is the second part of the boundary on which no boundary data are given. There is the third part of the boundary on which the Robin condition is prescribed. This problem of finding unknown values along the whole boundary is ill posed. In this sense we call our problem an inverse boundary value problem. In order for a solution to be identified the inverse problem is reformulated in terms of a variational problem, which is then recast into primary and adjoint boundary value problems of the Laplace equation in its conventional form. A direct method for numerical solution of the inverse boundary value problem using the boundary element method is presented. This method proposes a non-iterative and unified treatment of conventional boundary value problem, the Cauchy problem, and under- or over-determined problems.     

Iterative solution of systems of equations in the dual reciprocity boundary element method for the diffusion equation

In this paper the diffusion equation is solved in two-dimensional geometry by the dual reciprocity boundary element method (DRBEM). It is structured by fully implicit discretization over time and by weighting with the fundamental solution of the Laplace equation. The resulting domain integral of the diffusive term is transformed into two boundary integrals by using Green's second identity, and the domain integral of the transience term is converted into a finite series of boundary integrals by using dual reciprocity interpolation based on scaled augmented thin plate spline global approximation functions. Straight line geometry and constant field shape functions for boundary discretization are employed. The described procedure results in systems of equations with fully populated unsymmetric matrices. In the case of solving large problems, the solution of these systems by direct methods may be very time consuming. The present study investigates the possibility of using iterative methods for solving these systems of equations. It was demonstrated that Krylov-type methods like CGS and GMRES with simple Jacobi preconditioning appeared to be efficient and robust with respect to the problem size and time step magnitude. This paper can be considered as a logical starting point for research of iterative solutions to DRBEM systems of equations. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Numerical operational methods for time-dependent linear problems

A general and systematic discussion on the use of the operational method of Laplace transform for numerically solving complex time-dependent linear problems is presented. Application of Laplace transform with respect to time on the governing differential equations as well as the boundary and initial conditions of the problem reduces it to one independent of time, which is solved in the transform domain by any convenient numerical technique, such as the finite element method, the finite difference method or the boundary integral equation method. Finally, the time domain solution is obtained by a numerical inversion of the transformed solution. Eight existing methods of numerical inversion of the Laplace transform are systematically discussed with respect to their use, range of applicability, accuracy and computational efficiency on the basis of some framework vibration problems. Other applications of the Laplace transform method in conjunction with the finite element method or the boundary integral equation method in the areas of earthquake dynamic response of frameworks, thermaliy induced beam vibrations, forced vibrations of cylindrical shells, dynamic stress concentrations around holes in plates and viscoelastic stress analysis are also briefly described to demonstrate the generality and advantages of the method against other known methods.     

Identification of injection and extraction wells from overspecified boundary data

In this paper, we focus on the identification of wells’ positions and fluxes/flows from the knowledge of overspecified data: hydraulic head and flux, on a part of the domain boundary. The used method is based on minimizing a constitutive law gap functional. We consider two inverse problems: in the first one overspecified conditions are available throughout the entire domain boundary; in the second inverse problem, in addition to the wells, boundary condition are also unknown on an inaccessible part of the domain boundary.     

The mixed-type integral equations for transient elastodynamic plane crack problems

In the present paper, by use of the boundary integral equation method and the techniques of Green fundamental solution and singularity analysis, the dynamic infinite plane crack problem is investigated. For the first time, the problem is reduced to solving a system of mixed-typed integral equations in Laplace transform domain. The equations consist of ordinary boundary integral equations along the outer boundary and Cauchy singular integral equations along the crack line. The equations obtained are strictly proved to be equivalent with the dual integral equations obtained by Sih in the special case of dynamic Griffith crack problem. The mixed-type integral equations can be solved by combining the numerical method of singular integral equation with the ordinary boundary element method. Further use the numerical method for Laplace transform, several typical examples are calculated and their dynamic stress intensity factors are obtained. The results show that the method proposed is successful and can be used to solve more complicated problems.     

A coupled complex boundary method for the Cauchy problem

Considered in this paper is a Cauchy problem governed by an elliptic partial differential equation. In the Cauchy problem, one wants to recover the unknown Neumann and Dirichlet data on a part of the boundary from the measured Neumann and Dirichlet data, usually contaminated with noise, on the remaining part of the boundary. The Cauchy problem is an inverse problem with severe ill-posedness. In this paper, a coupled complex boundary method (CCBM), originally proposed in [Cheng XL, Gong RF, Han W, et al. A novel coupled complex boundary method for solving inverse source problems. Inverse Prob. 2014;30:055002], is applied to solve the Cauchy problem stably. With the CCBM, all the data, including the known and unknown ones on the boundary are used in a complex Robin boundary on the whole boundary. As a result, the Cauchy problem is transferred into a complex Robin boundary problem of finding the unknown data such that the imaginary part of the solution equals zero in the domain. Then the Tikhonov regularization is applied to the resulting new formulation. Some theoretical analysis is performed on the CCBM-based Tikhonov regularization framework. Moreover, through the adjoint technique, a simple solver is proposed to compute the regularized solution. The finite-element method is used for the discretization. Numerical results are given to show the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed method.     

Magnetothermoelastic transient response of a multilayered hollow cylinder subjected to magnetic and vapor fields

Summary This paper deals with one-dimensional axisymmetric quasi-static coupled magnetothermoelastic problems subjected to magnetic and vapor fields. Laplace transform and finite difference methods are used to analyze the problems. Using the Laplace transform with respect to time, the general solutions of the governing equations are obtained in the transform domain. The solution is obtained by using the matrix similarity transformation and inverse Laplace transform. We obtain solutions for the temperature and thermal deformation distributions for a transient and steady state. It is demonstrated that the computational procedures established in this paper are capable of solving the generalized magnetothermoelasticity problem of a hollow cylinder with nonhomogeneous layers.     

A comparative study of Domain Embedding Methods for regularized solutions of inverse Stefan problems

In this paper, various Domain Embedding Methods (DEMs) for an inverse Stefan problem are presented and compared. These DEMs extend the moving boundary domain to a larger, but simple and fixed domain. The original unknown interface position is then replaced by a new unknown, which can be a boundary temperature or heat flux, or an internal heat source. In this way, the non-linear identification problem is transformed into a linear one in the enlarged domain. Using different physical quantities as the new unknown leads to different DEMs. They are analysed from various points of view (accuracy, efficiency, etc.) through two test problems, by a comparison with a common Front-Tracking Method (FTM). The first test has a smooth temperature field and the second one has some singularities. The advantage of the DEMs in solving the inverse problem and in computing the corresponding direct mapping is shown. In the direct problem, high-order accurate schemes could be obtained more easily with the DEMs than with the FTM. In the inverse problem, an iterative regularization and a Tikhonov regularization have been employed. For the FTM, the iterative regularization is not efficient—the solution oscillates when the data are noisy. As for the Tikhonov regularization, it requests special care to choose an adequate penalty term. In contrast, both the regularizations give good results with all the considered DEMs, except for the second test problem at the beginning (t=0⁺) when the value of the heat flux and the heat source tends to ∞. Slightly different regularization effects have been obtained when using different DEMs. Finally, an automatic choice of the optimal regularization parameter is also discussed, using data with different noise levels. We propose the use of the curve of the residual norm against the regularization parameter. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Dynamic stresses created by the sudden appearance of a transverse crack in periodically layered composites

The time-dependent stress field generated by the sudden appearance of a transverse crack in a periodically layered composite that is subjected to a remote loading is determined. The resulting two-dimensional elastodynamic problem is solved by combining two approaches. In the first one, the representative cell method, which has been presently generalized to dynamic problems, is employed for the construction of the time-dependent Green’s functions generated by the displacement jumps along the crack line. This is performed in conjunction with the application of the double finite discrete Fourier transform. Thus the original problem for the cracked periodic composite is reduced to the problem of a domain with a single period in the transform space. The second approach is based on a wave propagation in composites theory which has been presently generalized to admit arbitrary types of loading. This theory is based on the elastodynamic continuum equations where the transformed time-dependent displacement vector is expressed by a second-order expansion, and the equations of motion and the various interfacial and boundary conditions are imposed in the average (integral) sense. The time-dependent field in any observation point in the plane can be obtained by the application of the inverse transform. This field is valid as long as no reflected waves from external boundaries have been arrived. Results along the crack line as well as the full field are given for cracks of various lengths for Mode I, II and III deformations. In particular the dynamic magnification with respect to the static case is determined at the interface within the first unbroken stiff layer.     

The temperature field induced by the dynamic stresses of a transverse crack in periodically layered composites

The temperature field induced by the dynamic application of a far-field mechanical loading on a periodically layered material with an embedded transverse crack is investigated. To this end, the thermoelastically coupled elastodynamic and energy (heat) equations are solved by combining two approaches. In the first one, the dynamic representative cell method is employed for the construction of the time-dependent Green’s functions generated by the displacement jumps along the crack line. This is performed in conjunction with the application of the double finite discrete Fourier transform on the thermomechanically coupled equations. Thus the original problem for the cracked periodic composite is reduced to the problem of a domain with a single period in the transform space. The second approach is based on wave propagation analysis in composites where full thermomechanical coupling in the constituents exists. This analysis is based on the coupled elastodynamic-energy continuum equations where the transformed time-dependent displacement vector and temperature are expressed by second-order expansions, and the elastodynamic and energy equations and the various interfacial and boundary conditions are imposed in the average (integral) sense. The time-dependent thermomechanically coupled field at any observation point in the plane can be obtained by the application of the inverse transform. Results along the crack line as well as the full temperature field are given for cracks of various lengths for Mode I and Mode II deformations. In particular the temperature drops (cooling) at the vicinity of the crack’s tip and the heating zones at its surroundings are generated and discussed.     

Regularized and Positive-constrained Inverse Methods in the Problem of Object Restoration

The restoration of incoherently illuminated objects, imaged by a perfect optical instrument, is a typical example of a linear ill-posed inverse problem where positive solutions are required. The purpose of this paper is two-fold: first, to discuss the limitations of regularization methods where the solution is not constrained to be positive; and second, to introduce a positive-constrained restoring method consisting in the solution of a linear programming problem. It is found that regularization methods are quite efficient in the restoration of smooth objects, while the solutions of the linear programming problem are considerably better in the restoration of objects with edges and sharp peaks. In order to justify the numerical results, the effect of positivity on numerical stability is carefully analysed. The extension of the results to other inverse problems is briefly discussed.     

Boundary effect free and adaptive discrete signal sinc-interpolation algorithms for signal and image resampling

The problem of digital signal and image resampling with discrete sinc interpolation is addressed. Discrete sine interpolation is theoretically the best one among the digital convolution-based signal resampling methods because it does not distort the signal as defined by its samples and is completely reversible. However, sinc interpolation is frequently not considered in applications because it suffers from boundary effects, tends to produce signal oscillations at the image edges, and has relatively high computational complexity when irregular signal resampling is required. A solution that enables the elimination of these limitations of the discrete sine interpolation is suggested. Two flexible and computationally efficient algorithms for boundary effects free and adaptive discrete sinc interpolation are presented: frame-wise (global) sine interpolation in the discrete cosine transform (DCT) domain and local adaptive sinc interpolation in the DCT domain of a sliding window. The latter offers options not available with other interpolation methods: interpolation with simultaneous signal restoration/enhancement and adaptive interpolation with super resolution.     

An adaptive multigrid technique for three-dimensional elasticity

A program for finite element analysis of 3D linear elasticity problems is described. The program uses quadratic hexahedral elements. The solution process starts on an initial coarse mesh; here error estimators are determined by the standard Babu?ka-Rheinboldt method and local refinement is performed by partitioning of indicated elements, each hexahedron into eight new elements. Then the discrete problem is solved on the second mesh and the refinement process proceeds in the following way-on the ith mesh only the elements caused by refinement on the (i-1)th mesh can be refined. The control of refinement is the task of the user because the dimension of the discrete problem grows very rapidly in 3D. The discrete problem is being solved by the frontal solution method on the initial mesh and by a newly developed and very efficient local multigrid method on the refined meshes. The program can be successfully used for solving problems with structural singularities, such as re-entrant corners and moving boundary conditions. A numerical example shows that such problems are solved with the same efficiency as regular problems.     

Dual reciprocity hybrid boundary node method for acoustic eigenvalue problems

The hybrid boundary node method (HBNM) is a truly meshless method, and elements are not required for either interpolation or integration. The method, however, can only be used for solving homogeneous problems. For the inhomogeneous problem, the domain integration is inevitable. This paper applied the dual reciprocity hybrid boundary node method (DRHBNM), which is composed by the HBNM and the dual reciprocity method (DRM) for solving acoustic eigenvalue problems. In this method, the solution is composed of two parts, i.e. the complementary solution and the particular solution. The complementary solution is solved by HBNM and the particular one is obtained by DRM. The modified variational formulation is applied to form the discrete equations of HBNM. The moving least squares (MLS) is employed to approximate the boundary variables, while the domain variables are interpolated by the fundamental solutions. The domain integration is interpolated by radial basis function (RBF). The Q–R algorithm and Householder algorithm are applied for solving the eigenvalues of the transformed matrix. The parameters that influence the performance of DRHBNM are studied through numerical examples. Numerical results show that high convergence rates and high accuracy are achievable.     

Transient dynamic fracture analysis using scaled boundary finite element method: a frequency-domain approach

In the scaled boundary finite element method (SBFEM), the analytical nature of the solution in the radial direction allows accurate stress intensity factors (SIFs) to be determined directly from the definition, and hence no special crack-tip treatment, such as refining the crack-tip mesh or using singular elements (needed in the traditional finite element and boundary element methods), is necessary. In addition, anisotropic material behaviour may be handled with ease. These advantages are used in this study, in which a newly-developed Frobenius solution procedure in the frequency domain for solving the governing differential equations of the SBFEM, is applied to model transient dynamic fracture problems. The complex frequency-response functions are first computed using the Frobenius solution procedure. The dynamic stress intensity factors (DSIFs) are then extracted directly from the response functions. This is followed by a fast Fourier transform (FFT) of the transient load and a subsequent inverse FFT to obtain the time history of DSIFs. Benchmark problems with isotropic and anisotropic material behaviour are modelled using the developed frequency-domain approach. Excellent agreement is observed between the results of this study and those in published literature. The effects of the mesh density, the material internal damping coefficient, the maximum frequency and the frequency interval determining the frequency-response functions on the resultant accuracy and the computational cost are also discussed.     

Numerical methods for interactive multiple‐class image segmentation problems

In this article, we consider a bilaterally constrained optimization model arising from the semisupervised multiple‐class image segmentation problem. We prove that the solution of the corresponding unconstrained problem satisfies a discrete maximum principle. This implies that the bilateral constraints are satisfied automatically and that the solution is unique. Although the structure of the coefficient matrices arising from the optimality conditions of the segmentation problem is different for different input images, we show that they are M‐matrices in general. Therefore, we study several numerical methods for solving such linear systems and demonstrate that domain decomposition with block relaxation methods are quite effective and outperform other tested methods. We also carry out a numerical study of condition numbers on the effect of boundary conditions on the optimization problems, which provides some insights into the specification of boundary conditions as an input knowledge in the learning context. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Imaging Syst Technol, 20, 191–201, 2010