Formulation of thermo-hydro-mechanical coupling behavior of unsaturated soils based on hybrid mixture theory

Thermo-Hydro-Mechanical （THM） coupling pro- cesses in unsaturated soils are very important in both theoretical researches and engineering applications. A coupled formulation based on hybrid mixture theory is derived to model the THM coupling behavior of unsaturated soils. The free-energy and dissipative functions for different phases are derived from Taylor＇s series expansions. Constitutive relations for THM coupled behaviors of unsaturated soils, which include deformation, entropy change, fluid flow, heat conduction, and dynamic compatibility conditions on the interfaces, are then established. The number of field equations is shown to be equal to the number of unknown variables; thus, a closure of this coupling problem is established. In addition to modifications of the physical conservation equations with coupling effect terms, the constitutive equations, which consider the coupling between elastoplastic deformation of the soil skeleton, fluid flow, and heat transfer, are also derived.

Transient thermo-mechanical coupling simulation of wet brake friction disk on tracked vehicle

The transient finite element technique is applied, and a transient heat conduction model of wet brake friction disk is established. For obtaining the accurate heat flow density mathematic model and avoiding possibly instable thermoelastic stress produced by the non uniform contact pressure of friction pair, a test method is applied to collect accurate contact pressure between the dual sheet steel and friction disk in the combining process. And then the heat-flow density and transient ther mo mechanical coupling simulation are analyzed. At the same time all possible boundary conditions are considered, such as the heat generation, heat conduction problem, relation between friction and contact, variation in load and heat change problem etc. The simulation results show that the me chanical model of thermo mechanical coupling can express well the dynamic characteristics of fric tion disk, and gives perfect reference for more study on thermoelastic distortion of brake friction pairs.

Formation Mechanism in Alloy Steel Rolling Process Using Thermo-mechanical Coupling Method

Based on the theory of elastic-plastic finite element method, the high-speed hot continuous rolling process of a billet is simulated and analyzed in vertical and horizontal passes. The billet is dragged into the passes by contact friction force between the billet and rollers. The rollers and billet are represented by respectively rigid and deformable bodies, and three-dimensional models are developed for the billet and rollers. The distribution of deformation field, effective strain, rolling force and temperature field are accurately calculated for the whole rolling process （including unstable and stable stages）. In addition, the rolling pressure on the width symmetry center is compared with that in the in-situ experimental measurements. It is revealed that various heat exchange phenomena among the billet, rollers and surroundings can result in unbalanced temperature distribution on the cross section. Rolling force and strain can change significantly when the billet is moved towards or away from the roller gap, and keep almost invariable in the stable stage. It is expected that the simulation results would be useful for practical manufacture and provide the theoretical foundation for improvement of process planning and optimization of process parameters.

NUMERICAL MODELING FOR COUPLED THERMO-HYDRO-MECHANICAL AND CHEMICAL PROCESSES (THMC) OF GEOLOGICAL MEDIA——INTERNATIONAL AND CHINESE EXPERIENCES

The coupled thermo-hydro-mechanical and chemical (THMC) processes of stress/deformation,fluid flow,temperature and geochemical reactions of the geological media,namely fractured rocks and soils,play an important role in design,construction,operation and environmental impact assessments of rock and soil engineering works such as underground nuclear waste repositories,oil/gas production and storage,geothermal energy extraction,landslides and slope stability,hydropower and water conservancy complexes,etc. This paper presents an overview of the international and Chinese experiences in numerical modeling of the coupled THMC processes for both the state-of-the-knowledge,remaining challenges and possible future prospects.

A fully coupled thermo-hydro-mechanical model for unsaturated porous media

In examining potential host rocks for such purposes as the disposal of high-level radioactive wastes,it is important to understand the coupled thermo-hydro-mechanical（THM） behavior of a porous medium.A rigorous and fully unified coupled thermo-hydro-mechanical model for unsaturated porous media is required to simulate the complex coupling mechanisms involved.Based on modified Darcy＇s and Fourier＇s laws,equations of mechanical equilibrium,mass conservation and energy conservation are derived by introducing void ratio and volumetric liquid water content into the model.The newly derived model takes into account the effects of temperature on the dynamic viscosity of liquid water and void ratio,the influence of liquid flow on temperature gradient（thermo-osmosis）,the influence on mass and heat conservation equations,and the influence of heat flow on water pressure gradient and thermal convection.The new coupled THM constitutive model is constructed by a finite element program and is used to simulate the coupled behavior of a tunnel during excavation,ventilation and concrete lining stages.Oil and gas engineering,underground disposal of nuclear waste and tunnel engineering may be benefited from the development of the new model.

Thermo-mechanical coupled analysis of hot ring rolling process

A 3D rigid-plastic and coupled thermo-mechanical FE model for hot ring rolling(HRR) was developed based on DEFORM 3D software,then coupled heat transferring,material flow and temperature distribution of the ring in HRR were simulated and the effects of process parameters on them were analyzed.The results show that the deformation nonuniformity of ring blank increases with the increase of the rotational speed of driver roll and friction factor or the decrease of the feed rate of idle roll and initial temperature of ring blank.The temperature nonuniformity of ring blank decreases with the increase of the feed rate of idle roll or the decrease of initial temperature of ring blank and friction factor.There is an optimum rotational speed of driver roll under which the temperature distribution of ring blank is the most uniform.The results obtained can provide a guide for forming parameters optimization and quality control.

Spudcan Penetration Simulation Using the Coupled Eulerian-Lagrangian Method with Thermo-Mechanical Coupled Analysis

A novel modeling technique based on the coupled Eulerian-Lagrangian(CEL) method is provided to solve the geotechnical problems with large deformations. The technique is intended to solve the update problem of soil mechanical properties during spudcan penetration in normally consolidated clay soil. In the CEL model, the normal method of assigning an increasing shear strength profile with depth(NA) is defective due to its Eulerian framework. In this paper, a new technique is proposed to update soil material properties by introducing thermo-mechanical coupled analysis(TMCA) to the CEL models. During establishment of the CEL models, the optimal penetration velocity and minimum mesh size are determined through parametric studies. Reasonability and accuracy are then verified through comparison of the preliminary results with the soil flow configuration and penetration resistance(Fv) of a centrifuge test, and the results of the proposed method are compared with those of the remeshing and interpolation technique with small strain(RITSS) method. To achieve a CEL model with satisfactory accuracy, the NA and TMCA methods implemented in the CEL models and the RITSS method are first adopted in weightless soil. Comparison of the findings with those obtained in previous studies shows that the TMCA method can update material properties and predict Fv. The TMCA method is then applied to soils with self-weight and different shear strength profiles. Results show that the proposed method is capable of accurately modeling the large deformation problem of spudcan penetration in non-homogeneous clay.

Numerical modeling of coupled thermo-mechanical response of a rock pillar

Understanding the rock mass response to excavation and thermal loading and improving the capability of the numerical models for simulating the progressive failure process of brittle rocks are important for safety assessment and optimization design of nuclear waste repositories.The international cooperative DECOVALEX-2011 project provides a platform for development,validation and comparison of numerical models,in which the sp pillar stability experiment（APSE） was selected as the modeling target for Task B.This paper presents the modeling results of Wuhan University（WHU） team for stages 1 and 2 of Task B by using a coupled thermo-mechanical model within the framework of continuum mechanics.The rock mass response to excavation is modeled with linear elastic,elastoplastic and brittle-plastic models,while the response to heating is modeled with a coupled thermo-elastic model.The capabilities and limitations of the model for representation of the thermo-mechanical responses of the rock pillar are discussed by comparing the modeling results with experimental observations.The results may provide a helpful reference for the stability and safety assessment of the hard granite host rock in China＇s Beishan preselected area for high-level radioactive waste disposal.

Nonlinear primary resonance analysis for a coupled thermo-piezoelectric-mechanical model of piezoelectric rectangular thin plates

A model of piezoelectric rectangular thin plates with the consideration of the coupled thermo-piezoelectric-mechanical effect is established. Based on the von Kar- man large deflection theory, the nonlinear vibration governing equation is obtained by using Hamilton’s principle and the Rayleigh-Ritz method. The harmonic balance method (HBM) is used to analyze the first-order approximate response and obtain the frequency response function. The system shows non-linear phenomena such as hardening nonlinear- ity, multiple coexistence solutions, and jumps. The effects of the temperature difference, the damping coefficient, the plate thickness, the excited charge, and the mode on the pri- mary resonance response are theoretically analyzed. With the increase in the temperature difference, the corresponding frequency jumping increases, while the resonant amplitude decreases gradually. Finally, numerical verifications are carried out by the Runge-Kutta method, and the results agree very well with the theoretical results.

Numerical modeling for the coupled thermo-mechanical processes and spalling phenomena in sp Pillar Stability Experiment (APSE)

In this paper, the coupled thermo-mechanical （TM） processes in the AEspoe Pillar Stability Experiment （APSE） carried out by the Swedish Nuclear Fuel and Waste Management Company （SKB） were simulated using both continuum and discontinuum based numerical methods. Two-dimensional （2D） and three- dimensional （3D） finite element method （FEM） and 2D distinct element method （DEM） with particles were used. The main objective for the large scale in situ experiment is to investigate the yielding strength of crystalline rock and the formation of the excavation disturbed/damaged zone （EDZ） during excavation of two boreholes, pressurizing of one of the boreholes and heating. For the DEM simulations, the heat flow algorithm was newly introduced into the original code. The calculated stress, displacement and temperature distributions were compared with the ones obtained from in situ measurements and FEM simulations. A parametric study for initial microcracks was also performed to reproduce the spalling phenomena observed in the APSE.

Numerical study on coupled thermo-mechanical processes in sp Pillar Stability Experiment

This paper presents a study of the full three-dimensional thermo-mechanical （TM） behavior of rock pillar in,Aspo Pillar Stability Experiment （APSE） using a self-developed numerical code TM-EPCA3D. The transient thermal conduction function was descritized on space and time scales, and was solved by using cellular automaton （CA） method on space scale and finite difference method on time scale, respectively. The advantage of this approach is that no global, but local matrix is used so that it avoids the need to develop and solve large-scale linear equations and the complexity therein. A thermal conductivity versus stress function was proposed to reflect the effect of stress on thermal field. The temperature evolution and induced thermal stress in the pillar part during the heating and cooling processes were well simulated by the developed code. The factors that affect the modeling results were discussed. It is concluded that, the complex TM behavior of Aspo rock pillar is significantly influenced by the complex boundary and initial conditions.

A Micro-coupling for Micro Mechanical Systems

The error motions of micro mechanical systems, such as micro-spindles, increase with the increasing of the rotational speed, which not only decreases the rotational accuracy, but also promotes instability and limits the maximum operational speed. One effective way to deal with it is to use micro-flexible couplings between the drive and driven shafts so as to reduce error motions of the driven shaft. But the conventional couplings, such as diaphragm couplings, elastomeric couplings, bellows couplings, and grooved couplings, etc, cannot be directly used because of their large and complicated structures. This study presents a novel micro-coupling that consists of a flexible coupling and a shape memory alloy（SMA）-based clamp for micro mechanical systems. It is monolithic and can be directly machined from a shaft. The study performs design optimization and provides manufacturing considerations, including thermo-mechanical training of the SMA ring for the desired Two-Way-Shape-Memory effect（TWSMe）. A prototype micro-coupling and a prototype micro-spindle using the proposed coupling are fabricated and tested. The testing results show that the prototype micro-coupling can bear a torque of above 5 N · mm and an axial force of 8.5 N and be fitted with an SMA ring for clamping action at room temperature（15 ℃） and unclamping action below –5 ℃. At the same time, the prototype micro-coupling can work at a rotational speed of above 200 kr/min with the application to a high-speed precision micro-spindle. Moreover, the radial runout error of the artifact, as a substitute for the micro-tool, is less than 3 μm while that of turbine shaft is above 7 μm. It can be concluded that the micro-coupling successfully accommodates misalignment errors of the prototype micro-spindle. This research proposes a micro-coupling which is featured with an SMA ring, and it is designed to clamp two shafts, and has smooth transmission, simple assembly, compact structure, zero-maintenance and balanced motions.

Coupled thermo-hydro-mechanical simulation of CO2 enhanced gas recovery with an extended equation of state module for TOUGH2MP-FLAC3D

As one of the most important ways to reduce the greenhouse gas emission,carbon dioxide（CO2）enhanced gas recovery（CO2-EGR） is attractive since the gas recovery can be enhanced simultaneously with CO2sequestration.Based on the existing equation of state（EOS） module of TOUGH2 MP,extEOS7C is developed to calculate the phase partition of H2O-CO2-CH4-NaCl mixtures accurately with consideration of dissolved NaCI and brine properties at high pressure and temperature conditions.Verifications show that it can be applied up to the pressure of 100 MPa and temperature of 150℃.The module was implemented in the linked simulator TOUGH2MP-FLAC3 D for the coupled hydro-mechanical simulations.A simplified three-dimensional（3D）1/4 model（2.2 km×1 km×1 km） which consists of the whole reservoir,caprock and baserock was generated based on the geological conditions of a gas field in the North German Basin.The simulation results show that,under an injection rate of 200,000 t/yr and production rate of 200,000 sm3/d,CO2breakthrough occurred in the case with the initial reservoir pressure of 5 MPa but did not occur in the case of 42 MPa.Under low pressure conditions,the pressure driven horizontal transport is the dominant process;while under high pressure conditions,the density driven vertical flow is dominant.Under the considered conditions,the CO2-EGR caused only small pressure changes.The largest pore pressure increase（2 MPa） and uplift（7 mm） occurred at the caprock bottom induced by only CO2injection.The caprock had still the primary stress state and its integrity was not affected.The formation water salinity and temperature variations of ±20℃ had small influences on the CO2-EGR process.In order to slow down the breakthrough,it is suggested that CO2-EGR should be carried out before the reservoir pressure drops below the critical pressure of CO2.

Coupled Thermo-Mechanical Modeling of Long Cone-Shaped Forging Based on Rigid Visco-Plastic FEM

Based on synthetically considering the coupled thermo mechanical relations between temperature and deforming, a numerical simulation of the forging process for the special long cone shaped workpiece of Al 5.44Mg 2.15Li 0.12Zr alloy at high temperature was conducted by using the rigid visco plastic finite element method. The relations between the total load and the displacement during the forging, and the distributions of stress, strain, temperature and strain rate, which can provide useful information for the process design, are obtained.

Dynamic thermo-mechanical coupled simulation of statistically inhomogeneous materials by statistical second-order two-scale method

In this paper,a statistical second-order twoscale（SSOTS） method is developed to simulate the dynamic thcrmo-mechanical performances of the statistically inhomogeneous materials.For this kind of composite material,the random distribution characteristics of particles,including the shape,size,orientation,spatial location,and volume fractions,are all considered.Firstly,the repre.sentation for the microscopic configuration of the statistically inhomogeneous materials is described.Secondly,the SSOTS formulation for the dynamic thermo-mechanical coupled problem is proposed in a constructive way,including the cell problems,effective thermal and mechanical parameters,homogenized problems,and the SSOTS formulas of the temperatures,displacements,heat flux densities and stresses.And then the algorithm procedure corresponding to the SSOTS method is brought forward.The numerical results obtained by using the SSOTS algorithm are compared with those by classical methods.In addition,the thermo-mechanical coupling effect is studied by comparing the results of coupled case with those of uncoupled case.It demonstrates that the coupling effect on the temperatures,heat flux densities,displacements,and stresses is very distinct.The results show that the SSOTS method is valid to predict the dynamic thermo-mechanical coupled performances of statistically inhomogeneous materials.

Design and Coupled Thermo-Mechanical Analysis of Silicon Carbide Primary Mirror Assembly

Based on the principle that the thermal expansion coefficient of the support structure should match that of the mirror, three schemes of primary mirror assembly were designed. Of them, the first is fused silica mirror plus 4J32 flexible support plus ZTC4 support back plate, the second K9 mirror plus 4J45 flexible support plus ZTC4 support back plate, and the third SiC mirror plus SiC rigid support back plate. A coupled thermo-mechanical analysis of the three primary mirror assemblies was made with finite element method. The results show that the SiC assembly is the best of all schemes in terms of their combination properties due to its elimination of the thermal expansion mismatch between the materials. The analytical results on the cryogenic property of the SiC primary mirror assembly show a higher surface finish of the SiC mirror even under the cryogenic condition.

Numerical Simulation of Coupled Thermo-mechanical Behavior of a Cylinder Billet during Hot-forging Process

A finite volume method is applied to simulate a closed die hot forging process of a cylinder billet. Since variation and distribution of temperature play very important role in hot forging, the code involves a methodology of a coupled system of mechanical and thermal equations. The simulated results are compared with the experimental ones. The distribution of temperature in the billet obtained from the simulation is also discussed.

Dynamic thermo-mechanical coupled response of random particulate composites:A statistical two-scale method

This paper focuses on the dynamic thermo-mechanical coupled response of random particulate composite materials. Both the inertia term and coupling term are considered in the dynamic coupled problem. The formulation of the problem by a statistical second-order two-scale （SSOTS） analysis method and the algorithm procedure based on the finite-element difference method are presented. Numerical results of coupled cases are compared with those of uncoupled cases. It shows that the coupling effects on temperature, thermal flux, displacement, and stresses are very distinct, and the micro- characteristics of particles affect the coupling effect of the random composites. Furthermore, the coupling effect causes a lag in the variations of temperature, thermal flux, displacement, and stresses.

COUPLED THERMO MECHANICAL FEM ANALYSIS OF TWIST COMPRESSION DEFORMATION PROCESS

3-D rigid-viscoplastic FEM of compressible materials was applied to analyze the deformation behavior during twist compression forming of axisymmetrical body at high temperatures. When calculating the temperature fields, considering the thermo mechanical coupling effect between temperature and deformation, 2-D FEM and CNG methods were adopted, and the up winding technique was used to avoid the influences of numerical instability on calculated results.

Multi-objective Topology Optimization of Thermo-mechanical Compliant Mechanisms

The material characteristics of a structure will change with temperature variation,and will induce stress within the structure.Currently,the optimal design for the topology of compliant mechanisms is mainly performed in single physical field.However,when compliant mechanisms work in high temperature environments,their displacement outputs are generated not only by mechanical load,but also by the temperature variation which may become the prominent factor.Therefore,the influence of temperature must be considered in the design.In this paper,a novel optimization method for multi-objective topology of thermo-mechanical compliant mechanisms is presented.First,the thermal field is analyzed with finite-element method,where the thermal strain is taken into account in the constitutive relation,and the equivalent nodal thermal load is derived with the principle of virtual work.Then the thermal load is converted into physical loads in elastic field,and the control equation of the thermo-mechanical compliant mechanism is obtained.Second,the mathematical model of the multi-objective topology optimization is built by incorporating both the flexibility and stiffness.Meanwhile,the coupling sensitivity function and the sensitivity analysis equations of thermal steady-state response are derived.Finally,optimality criteria algorithm is employed to obtain numerical solution of the multi-objective topology optimization.Numerical examples show that the compliant mechanisms have better performance and are more applicable if the temperature effect is taken into account in the design process.The presented modeling and analysis methods provide a new idea and an effective approach to topology optimization of compliant mechanisms in electrothermic coupling field and multiphysics fields.