Meshless local Petrov–Galerkin (MLPG) method in combination with finite element and boundary element approaches

The meshless local Petrov–Galerkin (MLPG) method is an effective truly meshless method for solving partial differential equations using moving least squares (MLS) interpolants. It is, however, computationally expensive for some problems. A coupled MLPG/finite element (FE) method and a coupled MLPG/boundary element (BE) method are proposed in this paper to improve the solution efficiency. A procedure is developed for the coupled MLPG/FE method and the coupled MLPG/BE method so that the continuity and compatibility are preserved on the interface of the two domains where the MLPG and FE or BE methods are applied. The validity and efficiency of the MLPG/FE and MLPG/BE methods are demonstrated through a number of examples. Received 6 June 2000     

Meshless local Petrov–Galerkin (MLPG) method for wave propagation in 3D poroelastic solids

A meshless local Petrov–Galerkin (MLPG) method is applied to solve wave propagation problems of three-dimensional poroelastic solids with Biot's theory. The Laplace transform is used to eliminate the time dependence of the field variables for the transient elastodynamic case. A weak formulation with a unit step function transforms the set of governing equations into local integral equations on local subdomains. The meshless approximation based on the radial basis function (RBF) is employed for the implementation. Unknown Laplace-transformed quantities, including displacements of solid frame and pressure in the fluid, are computed from the local boundary integral equations. The time-dependent values are obtained by Durbin's inversion technique. In addition, a one-dimensional poroelasticity analytical solution is derived in this paper and introduced for comparison. Several numerical examples demonstrate the efficiency and accuracy of the proposed method.     

Three-dimensional static analysis of thick functionally graded plates by using meshless local Petrov–Galerkin (MLPG) method

In this paper, a version of meshless local Petrov–Galerkin (MLPG) method is developed to obtain three-dimensional (3D) static solutions for thick functionally graded (FG) plates. The Young's modulus is considered to be graded through the thickness of plates by an exponential function while the Poisson's ratio is assumed to be constant. The local symmetric weak formulation is derived using the 3D equilibrium equations of elasticity. Moreover, the field variables are approximated using the 3D moving least squares (MLS) approximation. Brick-shaped domains are considered as the local sub-domains and support domains. In this way, the integrations in the weak form and approximation of the solution variables are done more easily and accurately. The proposed approach to construct the shape and the test functions make it possible to introduce more nodes in the direction of material variation. Consequently, more precise solutions can be obtained easily and efficiently. Several numerical examples containing the stress and deformation analysis of thick FG plates with various boundary conditions under different loading conditions are presented. The obtained results have been compared with the available analytical and numerical solutions in the literature and an excellent consensus is seen.     

Three dimensional static and dynamic analysis of thick functionally graded plates by the meshless local Petrov–Galerkin (MLPG) method

In this paper, three dimensional (3D) static and dynamic analysis of thick functionally graded plates based on the Meshless Local Petrov–Galerkin (MLPG) is presented. Using the kinematics of a three-dimensional continuum, the local weak form of the equilibrium equations is derived. A weak formulation for the set of governing equations is transformed into local integral equations on local sub-domains using a Heaviside step function as test function. In this case, governing equations corresponding to the stiffness matrix do not involve any domain integration or singular integrals. Nodal points are distributed in the 3D analyzed domain and each node is surrounded by a cubic sub-domain to which a local integral equation is applied. The meshless approximation based on the three-dimensional Moving Least-Square (MLS) is employed as shape function to approximate the field variable of scattered nodes in the problem domain. The Newmark time integration method is used to solve the system of coupled second-order ODEs. Effective material properties of the plate, made of two isotropic constituents with volume fractions varying only in the thickness direction, are computed using the Mori–Tanaka homogenization technique. Numerical examples for solving the static and dynamic response of elastic thick functionally graded plates are demonstrated. As a result, the distributions of the deflection and stresses through the plate thickness are presented for different material gradients and boundary conditions. The effects of the volume fractions of the constituents on the centroidal deflection are also investigated. The numerical efficiency of the proposed meshless method is illustrated by the comparison of results obtained from previous literatures.     

Meshless local Petrov–Galerkin method for coupled thermoelasticity analysis of a functionally graded thick hollow cylinder

In this article, coupled thermoelasticity (without energy dissipation) based on Green–Naghdi model is applied to functionally graded (FG) thick hollow cylinder. The meshless local Petrov–Galerkin method is developed to solve the boundary value problem. The Newmark finite difference method is used to treat the time dependence of the variables for transient problems. The FG cylinder is considered to be under axisymmetric and plane strain conditions and bounding surfaces of cylinder to be under thermal shock loading. The mechanical properties of FG cylinder are assumed to vary across thickness of cylinder in terms of volume fraction as nonlinear function. A weak formulation for the set of governing equations is transformed into local integral equations on local subdomains by using a Heaviside test function. Nodal points are regularly distributed along the radius of the cylinder and each node is surrounded by a uni-directional subdomain to which a local integral equation is applied. The Green–Naghdi coupled thermoelasticity equations are valid in each isotropic subdomain. The temperature and radial displacement distributions are obtained for some grading patterns of FGM at various time instants. The propagation of thermal and elastic waves is discussed in details. The presented method shows high capability and efficiency for coupled thermoelasticity problems.     

Formulation and performance evaluation of a novel coconut oil–based metalworking fluid

Metalworking fluid (MWF) supplies a film of lubricant to abate friction, acts as a cooling media to rebate induced heat, and prevents metal pick-ups by flushing away the chips. Hence a liquid used as a cutting fluid reduces wear on the tool, reduces the energy consumption, and produces a better surface quality on the work piece. This paper describes the formulation of a novel water-soluble MWF and its performance evaluation during straight turning and end milling experiments carried out with AISI 304 stainless steel, mild steel, and cast iron as work piece materials. The MWF was prepared by mixing water with white coconut oil as the base oil and food-grade additives as surfactants. Viscosity, pH value, and biodegradability were measured and compared with a commercially available non-vegetable oil–based MWF. The surface roughness and tool surface temperature were measured throughout the machining experiments, and better performances were observed with the coconut oil–based MWF. Tool tip geometry and flank wear for straight turning machining operation were identified by observing scanning electron microscope (SEM) images.     

Formulation and optimization of a novel oral fast dissolving film containing drug nanoparticles by Box–Behnken design–response surface methodology

Objective: The purpose of this study was to design and optimize a novel drug nanoparticles-loaded oral fast dissolving film (NP-OFDF) using Box–Behnken design–response surface methodology.

Methods: Drug nanosuspensions produced from high pressure homogenization were transformed into oral fast dissolving film containing drug nanoparticles by casting methods. Herpetrione (HPE), a novel and potent antiviral agent with poor water solubility that was extracted from Herpetospermum caudigerum, was studied as the model drug. The formulations of oral fast dissolving film containing HPE nanoparticles (HPE-NP-OFDF) were optimized by employing Box-Behnken design–response surface methodology and then systematically characterized.

Results: The optimized HPE-NP-OFDF was disintegrated in water within 20?s with reconstituted nanosuspensions particle size of 299.31?nm. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images showed that well-dispersed HPE nanoparticles with slight adhesion to each other were exposed on the surface of film or embedded in film. The X-ray diffractogram (XRD) analysis suggested that HPE in the HPE-NP-OFDF was in the amorphous state. In-vitro release study, approximate 77.23% of HPE was released from the HPE-NP-OFDF within 5?min, which was more than eight times compared with that of HPE raw materials (9.57%).

Conclusion: The optimized HPE-NP-OFDF exhibits much faster drug release rates compared to HPE raw material, which indicated that this novel NP-OFDF may provide a potential opportunity for oral delivery of drugs with poor water solubility.     

Free vibration of viscoelastic foam plates based on single-term Bubnov–Galerkin,least squares,and point collocation methods

Mechanics of Time-Dependent Materials - The main aim of this paper is to examine the efficiency and the effect of various single-term weighted residual methods, including Bubnov–Galerkin,...     

Dendrite?Free and Stable Lithium Metal Battery Achieved by a Model of Stepwise Lithium Deposition and Stripping

The uncontrolled formation of lithium (Li) dendrites and the unnecessary consumption of electrolyte during the Li plating/stripping process have been major obst...     

Synthesis of gold nanorods and nanowires by a microwave–polyol method

HAuCl₄ was reduced by ethylene glycol, in the presence of polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) under microwave (MW) heating in a continuous wave (CW) mode for 2 min. Dominant products were polygonal nanoplates and close-to-spherical nanoparticles of gold. In addition, small amounts of single crystalline gold nanorods and nanowires (0.5–3% of total number of products) with diameters of 20–100 nm and lengths of 0.6–5 μm were produced. The diameter and length of gold nanorods and nanowires could be controlled by changing the HAuCl₄·4H₂O/PVP ratio. The formation mechanism of anisotropic gold nanostructures was discussed.     

Mechanical properties of additive manufactured titanium (Ti–6Al–4V) blocks deposited by a solid-state laser and wire

In this paper, the mechanical properties and chemical composition of additive manufactured Ti–6Al–4V blocks are investigated and compared to plate material and aerospace specifications. Blocks (seven beads wide, seven layers high, 165 mm long) were deposited using a 3.5 kW Nd:YAG laser and Ti–6Al–4V wire. Two different sets of process parameters are used and three different conditions (as-built, 600 °C/4 h, 1200 °C/2 h) of the deposit are investigated. The particular impurity levels of the blocks are considerably below those tolerated according to aerospace material specifications (AMS 4911L). Static tensile samples are extracted from the blocks in the deposition direction and punch samples are extracted in the building direction. The experiments show that as-deposited Ti–6Al–4V can achieve strength and ductility properties that fulfill aerospace specifications of the wrought Ti–6Al–4V material (AMS 4928). The 600 °C/4 h heat treatment leads to a significantly higher strength in the deposition direction, but can also decrease ductility. The 1200 °C/2 h treatment tends to decrease the alloy’s strength.     

Creation of a Field-Induced Co(II) Single-Ion Magnet by Doping into a Zn(II) Diamagnetic Metal–Organic Framework

The combination of single-ion magnets (SIMs) and metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) is expected to produce new quantum materials. The principal issue to be solved in this regard is the development of new strategies for the synthesis of SIM-MOFs. This work demonstrates a new simple strategy for the synthesis of SIM-MOFs where a diamagnetic MOF is used as the framework into which the SIM sites are doped. 1, 0.5, and 0.2 mol% of the Co(II) ions are doped into the Zn(II) sites of [CH₆N₃][Zn^II(HCOO)₃]. The doped Co(II) sites in the MOFs perform as SIM with a positive D term of zero-field splitting. The longest magnetic relaxation time is 150 ms (0.2 mol% Co) at 1.8 K under a static field of 0.1 T. Temperature dependency of the relaxation time suggests suppressing magnetic relaxation by reduction of spin–spin interaction upon doping in the rigid framework. Thus, this work represents a proof of concept for the creation of a single-ion doped magnet in the MOF. This simple synthetic strategy will be widely applied for the creation of quantum magnetic materials.     

Microstructure and texture assessment of Al–Mn–Fe–Si (3003) aluminum alloy produced by continuous and semicontinuous casting processes

Aluminum sheets are currently produced by the direct-chill process (DC). The need for low-cost aluminum sheets is a challenge for the development of new materials produced by the twin roll caster (TRC) process. It is expected that sheets produced from these different casting procedures will differ in their microstructure. These differences in microstructure and in the crystallographic texture have great impact on sheet mechanical properties and formability. The present study investigated microstructure and evaluated texture of two strips of Al–Mn-Fe–Si (3003) aluminum alloy produced by TRC and by hot-rolling processes. It was possible to notice that the microstructure, morphology, and grain size of the TRC sample were more homogenous than those found in hot-rolled samples. Both strips, obtained by the two processes, showed strong texture gradient across the thickness.     

Experimental and Numerical Investigation of a Cu–Al Bimetallic Tube Produced by ECAP

In this paper, a new application of equal channel angular pressing (ECAP) for fabrication of Cu–Al bimetallic tubes is presented. For the evaluation of ECAP effects, the microstructure and micro-hardness of samples are considered. To investigate of bonding properties of Cu–Al tubes, optical microscopy and shear strength testing were used. In addition, the effect of friction coefficient and thickness on applied force was evaluated by numerical analysis. The results from the experiments indicated that the hardness of Cu and Al increased by 156.8 and 129%, respectively. Also, the average Cu grain size after three passes fell from 62.5 to 11.2 µm. Finally, Cu and Al tubes were well interconnected as a bimetallic tube at higher passes.     

Characterization of phase transformations and shape memory behavior of Fe–27.79Mn–2.72Si (wt%) alloy by thermomechanical and thermal treatments

Magnetic properties and volume fraction of the phases of a Fe–27.79Mn–2.72Si (wt%) alloy have been investigated by Mössbauer spectroscopy. The microstructure has been investigated using transmission electron microscope, scattering electron microscope, and light optical microscope. The stress-induced martensitic transformation, shape memory behavior, and shape recovery processes have been studied through the differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), tensile, and bending tests. The specimen was treated by the repetition of small amount of tensile deformations at room temperature, followed by a subsequent annealing at 600 °C at every cycle for bending and tensile tests. During the tensile tests, Vickers hardness values were determined for every step of thermomechanical treatments. At low deformation rate, the shape memory effect is almost complete Bergeon et al. (A242:87, 1998), so low deformation rate was studied in this work. Bending test was another thermomechanical training procedure to see the recovery rate for this investigation.     

Structure and dielectric properties of a new series of pyrochlores in the Ca–Sm–Ti–M–O (M = Nb and Ta) system

The present work investigates the dielectric properties of pyrochlore type oxides, Ca–Sm–Ti–M–O (M = Nb and Ta) in the low frequency region (100 Hz–1 MHz) over the temperature range 30–100 °C. The 1 MHz dielectric constants (K) of these oxides are in the range 23–108 and show low variation with frequency (1 kHz–1 MHz). The temperature coefficient of dielectric constant (TCK) over the temperature range varies from positive to negative values in the range 48 to −107 ppm/°C. Rietveld analysis of the X-ray diffraction data establishes a cubic pyrochlore-type phase in the space group Fd3 m (no. 227).The grain morphology observation by scanning electron microscope shows well sintered grains.     

A theoretical study of H absorption at a Fe(110)–Pd(100) interface and Fe–Pd alloys

The electronic structure and bonding at a Fe(110)–Pd(100) interface was theoretically analyzed in the framework of semi-empirical quantum chemical calculations. The Fe–Pd interface was modeled by a Fe₇₄Pd₇₄ cluster and a Fe–Pd six layer slab.The extended Hückel tight binding (EHTB) method and its modifications, including repulsive interactions, were used to calculate the interfacial adhesion and the H-absorption energy.The energetic minimum position for H is found at the Fe–Pd interface closer to the Pd layer.The interfacial Fe–Pd distance result to be 1.73 Å where Fe–Pd develops a strong bonding interaction. An important metal–metal adhesion was also found.The changes in the Density of States (DOS) and the Crystal Orbital Overlap Population (COOP) were compared in different structures: clusters, slab and two types of Fe–Pd alloys.The H as an impurity is responsible for a Fe–Fe and Pd–Pd bond weakening.However, the H effect is much less detrimental for the Fe–Pd bonds at the interface.When H is located at interstitial sites in bulk Fe–Pd alloys, the Pd–Pd overlap population shows a notorious decrease in the case of fcc structures while for fct structures the change is only 12%. The intermetallic bonding was also weakened as compared with the pure alloys. The objective of this work is to bring a plausible explanation to the null permeability to hydrogen in Pd-coated Fe films.     

Ferroelectric hysteresis and improved fatigue of PZT (53/47) films fabricated by a simplified sol–gel acetic-acid route

Double-layer Pb(Zr_0.53Ti_0.47)O₃ films were fabricated by spin coating of a sol–gel acetic-acid-based precursor solution deposited onto commercial Pt–Si substrates. The structural properties of the samples were studied by several diffraction, spectroscopy and microscopy techniques. The annealed ferroelectric films were crystallized to a pure PZT perovskite phase. A significant monoclinic phase content was found together with a relatively large tetragonal c/a ratio, according to the diffraction pattern refinement results. No traces of organic material were observed. Good film densification with relatively large grain sizes and low surface roughness was achieved. Ferroelectric domain distribution and local piezoresponse hysteresis loops were investigated by piezoresponse force microscopy. The films showed good local ferroelectric properties and a relatively large d₃₃ piezoelectric coefficient was derived. A degree of self-polarization of the film was also found from the domain distribution-map analysis. Good macroscopic ferroelectric properties were also achieved, specially for the film with less rhombohedral content. An improved ferroelectric fatigue behavior was observed as the films proved to sustain down to 10⁸ fatigue cycles with only a 10 % decrease of the initial remnant polarization.