Structural design inspired by beetle elytra and its mechanical properties

On the basis of the microstructure of the cross-section of a beetle’s elytra,three bio-inspired lightweight structures were designed and built from acrylonitrile butadiene styrene plastic with a three-dimensional printer.The mechanical properties of three lightweight structures were analyzed and compared employing the finite element method,and quasi-static compression experiments and a three-point bending test on the structure samples were carried out using an electronic universal testing machine to verify the effectiveness of the finite element method.The results show that all three bio-structures were lightweight and had excellent mechanical properties.In particular,the bio-structure with spherical holes and hollow columns perpendicular to the top and bottom surfaces best imitated the microstructure of the cross-section of the Cybister elytra and had the greatest specific strength/stiffness in compression and bending.Finally,a preliminary optimization design was obtained for this bio-structure to further improve its specific strength and specific stiffness to 31.82 kN m/kg and 108.73 kN m 2 /kg respectively.     

Geometrical nonlinear stability analyses of cable-truss domes

The nonlinear finite element method is used to analyze the geometrical nonlinear stability of cabletruss domes with different cable distributions. The results indicate that the critical load increases evidently when cables, especially diagonal cables, are distributed in the structure. The critical loads of the structure at different rise-span ratios are also discussed in this paper. It was shown that the effect of the tensional cable is more evident at small rise-span ratio. The buckling of the structure is characterized by a global collapse at small rlse-span ratio ; that the torsional buckling of the radial truss occurs at big rise-span ratio; and that at proper rise-span ratio, the global collapse and the lateral buckling of the truss occur nearly simultaneously.     

Application of gap elememt to nonlinear mechanics analysis of drillstring

This paper presents a nonlinear finite element method to resolve the problem of the nonlinear contact between the drillstring and hole by using a Multi-directional Contract Gap Element(MCGE) contacting at approprizte positions in each beam element.The method was successfully applied to the Daqing Oil Field GP1 well.It was shown that the drillstring‘s contact resistance at any well depth could be obtained by calculations and that as the enor in the calculation of the hole top load is below 10%,the calculation result can provide theoretical basis for the design and operation of drillstrings.     

Research on microstructural evolution and dynamic recrystailization behavior of JB800 bainitic steel by FEM

Single pass compression tests were conducted on Gleeblel500 thermal simulator. The effect of different deformation parameters on the grain size of dynamically recrystallized austenite was analyzed. A mathematical model of dynamic recrystallization and a material database of JB800 steel, whose tensile strength is above 800 MPa, were set up. A subprogram was compiled using Fortran language and called by Marc finite element software. A thermal coupled elastoplastic finite element model was established to simulate the compression process. The grain size of recrystallized austenite obtained by different recrystallization models was simulated. The results show that the optimized dynamic recrystallization model of JB800 bainitic steel has a higher precision and yields good agreement with metallographic observations.     

Structural Research on Embedment of a Bare Deflated Spiral Case

Complete bearing spiral case has not been applied to large power stations in China so far. The proposal of applying complete bearing spiral case necessitates an analysis of the reliability of the spiral case structure and the security of units under various working conditions. In combination with practice of a project, this paper presents a three-dimensional nonlinear finite element static analysis of the concrete using a concrete smeared crack model by means of the well-known finite element method （FEM） software ABAQUS. The stress distribution of the spiral case and reinforcing bars, the range of damages in surrounding concrete, and the displacement of structure are quantified. The computational results indicate that the embedment method ensures the structure＇s safety in strength. At the same time, the result shows that this embedment is a kind of preponderant method for embedment in aspects of economy and technique of construction, and the application of this embedment method to the hydropower station is feasible provided that some proper engineering measures are taken to constrain the width of the concrete in accord with the code＇s requirements. The paper proves the security and reliability of the structural design of spiral case in hydropower station accordingly.     

Dynamic response of jetting and cementing bucket platform to wave and current loading

The jetting and cementing bucket platform （JCBP） is a new type offshore oil-drilling platform. This paper aims to establish an analysis method for calculating the dynamic response of this platform. Based on the theory of elastic half space, the dynamic stiffness and damping of the platform＇ s foundation were obtained and attached to the end of the platform＇ s main jackets as a boundary condition. Then using finite element method （FEM）, the dynamic response of the platform due to wave and current loading was calculated. Furthermore, the whole platform＇ s finite element model was established and the dynamic response of the platform was calculated. The numerical results demonstrate that the present method by the usage of elastic half space theory and FEM is simple and it is reliable and efficient to calculate dynamic behavior of the platform in response to wave and current loading.     

Analysis of structural hot spot stress in orthotropic plates

On the basis of the actual steel deck structure of Taizhou Bridge, this paper carries out hot-spot stress analysis on some key spots by using the finite element model which simulates local structure of orthotropic steel bridge decks. A finite element model is established for local structure of orthotropic steel bridge decks, and in the analysis of linear elasticity of the structure, face load is employed to simulate the loads from vehicle wheels. Analysis results show that main stresses are relatively heavy at the joints between diaphragm plates, top plates and U-shaped ribs and the joints between diaphragm plates and U-shaped ribs. These joints shall be regarded as key points for hot-spot stress analysis. Different mesh densities are adopted in the finite element model and the main stresses at different hot spots are contrasted and linear extrapolation is carried out using extrapolation formulae. Results show that different mesh densities have different influences on the hot-spot stresses at the welded seams of U-shaped ribs. These influences shall be considered in calculation and analysis.     

Numerical simulation of a sheet metal extrusion process by using thermal-mechanical coupling EAS FEM

The thermal-mechanical coupling finite element method (FEM) was used to simulate a non-isothermal sheet metal extrusion process. On the basis of the finite plasticity consistent with multiplicative decomposition of the deformation gradient, the enhanced assumed strain (EAS) FEM was applied to carry out the numerical simulation. In order to make the computation reliable and avoid hourglass mode in the EAS element under large compressive strains, an alterative form of the original enhanced deformation gradient was employed. In addition, reduced factors were used in the computation of the element local internal parameters and the enhanced part of elemental stiffness. Numerical resultsshow that the hourglass can be avoided in compression region. In the thermal phase, the boundary energy dissipation due to heat convection was taken into account. As an example, a circular steel plate protruded by cylindrical punch was simulated. The step-wise decoupled strategyis adopted to handle coupling between mechanical deformation and the temperature variation. By comparing with the experimental results, thenumerical simulation was verified.     

Peak compression technique in high-performance liquid chromatography

Peak compression technique based on the difference of the solute migration velocity in two different mobile phases was described theoretically and confirmed using benzaldehyde and 4- hydroxyquinoline （4-HQ） as model compounds. After peak compression, the peak compression factors （the ratio of peak width at half-height under non-compression and that under compression condition） of benzaldehyde and 4-HQ were 0.19 and 0.13, respectively. By this application of the peak compression technique to the mixture, both enhanced peak height and good separation were obtained in one run cycle. This peak compression technique was introduced to determine benzaldehyde from semicarbazide-sensitive amine oxidase-catalyzed enzymetic reaction in order to illustrate the applicability of this technique to the real sample. As a result, the peak was compressed effectively, and 4.94-fold, 19.3-fold and 5.74-fold enhancement in peak height, plate number and signal to noise ratio were also achieved, respectively.     

Nonlinear Finite Element Analysis of the Structure of Door Seals

In order to evaluate the influence of the seal structure on door dosing force, nonlinear finite dement methed is introduced to analyze compression deformation of a door seal for SANTANA （name of the car made by Shanghai Volkswagen Co. Ltd）. MSC. Marc software is used to analyze the large deformation of the seal and the compression test is done to prove the computational results. The results show that the compression loads of the door seal are larger than the standard value of Shanghai Volkswagen Co. Ltd and the seal structure needs to be optimized. There are consistent relationships between calculating results and experimental results and the simulation method is effective.     

Rayleigh backscattering: a method to highly compress laser linewidth

Ultra-narrow linewidth laser with several hun- dred hertz at room temperature has attracted a great deal of attention in recent years and played a critical role in both optical sensing and communication fields. In this paper, a new method based on Rayleigh backscattering to highly compress the laser linewidth was proposed and demon- strated theoretically and experimentally. By theoretical analysis and simulation, Rayleigh backscattering can be collected in any waveguide structure and all wave bands, which could have a revolutionary impact on the field of laser. A single-longitudinal mode fiber ring laser with 130-Hz linewidth was achieved with self-injection feed- back structure at normal atmospheric temperature. The linewidth compression based on Rayleigh backscattering lies in the fact that laser linewidth after scattering is narrower than that of incident light in high Rayleigh scattering structure. The self-rejection feedback method expanding free spectra range of laser cavity simultaneously was used to further suppress the mode-hopping and stabilizing output. Experimental results showed that the laser linewidth can be easily narrowed to hundreds of hertz with side-mode suppression up to 75 dB. This agrees with the theoretical analysis and simulation results qualitatively.     

Second Shape Finding Analysis of Membrane Structures

A second shape finding method was developed to improve the nonlinear finite element based shape finding method. The curved shape is obtained by raising the control points above the projection planeThe convergence was improved using pseudo material properties to get a preliminary shape, and then using the real properties to get the final shape. A large number of examples were analyzed to verify the validity and practicality of this method. The results show that the final curved surface after the second shape finding process is always quite similar to the first one. Moreover, the curved surface obtained after the second shape finding process is accurate and will be realized in real materials.     

Fourier analysis for discontinuous Galerkin and related methods

In this paper we review a series of recent work on using a Fourier analysis technique to study the sta- bility and error estimates for the discontinuous Galerkin method and other related schemes. The advantage of this approach is that it can reveal instability of certain ＂bad＂＇ schemes; it can verify stability for certain good schemes which are not easily amendable to standard finite element stability analysis techniques; it can provide quantitative error comparisons among different schemes; and it can be used to study superconvergence and time evolution of errors for the discontinuous Galerkin method. We will briefly describe this Fourier analysis technique, summarize its usage in stability and error estimates for various schemes, and indicate the advantages and disadvantages of this technique in comparison with other finite element techniques.     

A new model for the grid size optimization of the finite element method --Based on its application to the water quality modeling of the topographically complicated river

The finite element method is one of the typical methods that are used for numerical water quality modeling of the topographically complicated river. In this paper, based on the principle of probability theory the probability density of pollutants is introduced. A new model for the grid size optimization based on the finite element method is developed with the incorporation of the maximum information entropy theory when the length of the grid is given. Combined with the experiential evaluation approach of the flow discharge per unit river width, this model can be used to determine the grid size of the finite element method applied to water quality modeling of the topographically complicated river when the velocity field of the river is not given. The calculating results of the application of the model to an ideal river testified the correctness of the model. In a practical case-the application of the model to the Xingjian River (the Hengyang section of the Xiangjiang River), the optimized width of the grid of the finite element method was gained and the influence of parameters was studied, which demonstrated that the model reflected the real situation of the pollutants in the river, and that the model had many excellent characteristics such as stabilization, credibility and high applicability in practical applications.     

Super-plasticity of Zr<Subscript>64.80</Subscript>Cu<Subscript>14.85</Subscript>Ni<Subscript>10.35</Subscript>Al<Subscript>10</Subscript> bulk metallic glass at room temperature

Generally, bulk metallic glasses （BMGs） exhibit a very limited plastic deformation under a compression load at room temperature, often less than 2% before fracturing. In this letter, through an appropriate choice of BMGs＇ composition, an amorphous rod of Zr64.80Cu14.85Ni10.35Al10 with a diameter of 2 mm was prepared by using copper mold suction casting. X-ray diffraction and differential scanning calorimetry were utilized to determine its structure and thermal stability, and the uniaxial compression test was adopted to study its plastic deformation behavior at room temperature simultaneously. The results showed that the glass transition temperature and onset temperature of the exothermic reaction of the amorphous rod were 646 and 750 K, respectively, and its micro-hardness was 594.7 Hv. During compression, when the engineering strain and engineering stress arrived at 9.05% and 1732 MPa, respectively, i.e., the true strain and true stress reached 9.42% and 1560 MPa, respectively, the amorphous rod started to yield. After yielding, with the increase of load, the strain increased and the glass rod ulti- mately were compressed into flake-like form. Although the maximum engineering strain was larger than 70%, i.e., the maximum true strain exceeded by 120%, the amorphous specimen was not fractured, indicating that it has super-plasticity at room temperature. Through the appropriate choice of composition and optimization of the technological process, flexible BMG with super-plasticity at room temperature could be produced.     

Magnetic fabrics in fault-related fold and its relation with finite strain: an example from Mingjiang thrust structures in Western Sichuan

The anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS) is a quick, effective and sensitive technique used to measure the weakly deformed sedimentary rocks, and also a reliable method to reveal the deforming mechanisms of fault-related folds. In Longmenshan front belt, a typical cross-section of fault-related folds is chosen to study the AMS. A total of 224 oriented specimens have been drilled at 23 different sampling sites which were distributed at the key structural positions of this structural section developed in the Xujiahe formation of the upper Triassic. Six elementary types of magnetic fabrics are recognized and established through this AMS study: 1) a sedimentary fabric; 2) an initial deformation fabric; 3) a pencil structure fabric; 4) a weak cleavage fabric; 5) a strong cleavage fabric; 6) a stretching lineation fabric. It has been found that most of magnetic fabrics are characterized by fabrics of weak deformation which belong to the pure-shear results of a pre-folding layer parallel shortening (LPS). In the fault-bend fold, almost all magnetic fabrics are the initial deformation fabrics of weak deformation, and denote that the deformation in the forelimb is stronger than that in the backlimb and no finite strain is shown in the footwall. While in the fault-propagation fold， finite strains are concentrated in the trishear zone where magnetic fabric results are approximately consistent with the estimated consequences of the kinematic model. The tectonic stress field indicated by the magnetic fabrics is basically the same along the whole structural section and shows a NW to SE compression and shortening which is accordant with the regional compressive stress field of the Longmenshan fold-thrust belt.     

Magnetic fabrics in fault-related fold and its relation with finite strain: an example from Mingjiang thrust structures in Western Sichuan

The anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS) is a quick, effective and sensitive technique used to measure the weakly deformed sedimentary rocks, and also a reliable method to reveal the deforming mechanisms of fault-related folds. In Longmenshan front belt, a typical cross-section of fault-related folds is chosen to study the AMS. A total of 224 oriented specimens have been drilled at 23 different sampling sites which were distributed at the key structural positions of this structural section developed in the Xujiahe formation of the upper Triassic. Six elementary types of magnetic fabrics are recognized and established through this AMS study: Da sedimentary fabric; 2) an initial deformation fabric; 3) a pencil structure fabric; 4) a weak cleavage fabric; 5) a strong cleavage fabric; 6) a stretching lineation fabric. It has been found that most of magnetic fabrics are characterized by fabrics of weak deformation which belong to the pure-shear results of a pre-folding layer parallel shortening (LPS). In the fault-bend fold, almost all magnetic fabrics are the initial deformation fabrics of weak deformation, and denote that the deformation in the forelimb is stronger than that in the backlimb and no finite strain is shown in the footwall. While in the fault-propagation fold, finite strains are concentrated in the trishear zone where magnetic fabric results are approximately consistent with the estimated consequences of the kinematic model. The tectonic stress field indicated by the magnetic fabrics is basically the same along the whole structural section and shows a NW to SE compression and shortening which is accordant with the regional compressive stress field of the Longmenshan fold-thrust belt.     

Interaction between microbubble and elastic microvessel in low frequency ultrasound field using finite element method

The interaction between microbubble and elastic microvessel wall has been hypothesized to be important in the mechanisms of therapeutic ultrasound applications.In this study,a 2D axisymmetric finite element numerical model is established to study the interaction between elastic microvessel wall and oscillating microbubble in low frequency ultrasound field using fluid solid interaction method.The numerical results show that the bubble oscillation induces the vessel wall dilation and depression.The von Mises stress distribution over the microvessel wall is heterogeneous and the maximum value of the midpoint on the inner vessel wall could reach 0.23 MPa and 1.32 MPa under PNP 0.2 MPa and 0.5 MPa,respectively.When the bubble collapses,the circumferential stress decreases rapidly and the transmural pressure increases dramatically.Noticeably,the circumferential stress becomes compressive with the maximum magnitude 1.83 MPa under PNP 0.5 MPa,larger than the maximum tension value.It is possible that the rapid compression stress during bubble collapse plays important role in mechanical effect on microvessel wall endothelial lining disruption.     

An element by element spectral element method for elastic wave modeling

The spectral element method which combines the advantages of spectral method with those of finite element method, provides an efficient tool in simulating elastic wave equation in complex medium. Based on weak form of elastodynamic equations, mathematical formulations for Legendre spectral element method are presented. The wave field on an element is discretized using high?order Lagrange interpolation, and integration over the element is accomplished based upon the Gauss?Lobatto?Legendre integration rule. This results in a diagonal mass matrix which leads to a greatly simplified algorithm. In addition, the element by element technique is introduced in our method to reduce the memory sizes and improve the computation efficiency. Finally, some numerical examples are presented to demonstrate the spectral accuracy and the efficiency. Because of combinations of the finite element scheme and spectral algorithms, this method can be used for complex models, including free surface boundaries and strong heterogeneity.