Particle Discontinuous Deformation Analysis of Static and Dynamic Crack Propagation in Brittle Material

Crack propagation in brittle material is not only crucial for structural safety evaluation,but also has a wideranging impact on material design,damage assessment,resource extraction,and scientific research.A thorough investigation into the behavior of crack propagation contributes to a better understanding and control of the properties of brittle materials,thereby enhancing the reliability and safety of both materials and structures.As an implicit discrete elementmethod,the Discontinuous Deformation Analysis(DDA)has gained significant attention for its developments and applications in recent years.Among these developments,the particle DDA equipped with the bonded particle model is a powerful tool for predicting the whole process of material from continuity to failure.The primary objective of this research is to develop and utilize the particle DDAtomodel and understand the complex behavior of cracks in brittle materials under both static and dynamic loadings.The particle DDA is applied to several classical crack propagation problems,including the crack branching,compact tensile test,Kalthoff impact experiment,and tensile test of a rectangular plate with a hole.The evolutions of cracks under various stress or geometrical conditions are carefully investigated.The simulated results are compared with the experiments and other numerical results.It is found that the crack propagation patterns,including crack branching and the formation of secondary cracks,can be well reproduced.The results show that the particle DDA is a qualified method for crack propagation problems,providing valuable insights into the fracture mechanism of brittle materials.

Application of modified discontinuous deformation analysis to dynamic modelling of the Baige landslide in the Jinsha River

Accurate dynamic modeling of landslides could help understand the movement mechanisms and guide disaster mitigation and prevention.Discontinuous deformation analysis(DDA)is an effective approach for investigating landslides.However,DDA fails to accurately capture the degradation in shear strength of rock joints commonly observed in high-speed landslides.In this study,DDA is modified by incorporating simplified joint shear strength degradation.Based on the modified DDA,the kinematics of the Baige landslide that occurred along the Jinsha River in China on 10 October 2018 are reproduced.The violent starting velocity of the landslide is considered explicitly.Three cases with different violent starting velocities are investigated to show their effect on the landslide movement process.Subsequently,the landslide movement process and the final accumulation characteristics are analyzed from multiple perspectives.The results show that the violent starting velocity affects the landslide motion characteristics,which is found to be about 4 m/s in the Baige landslide.The movement process of the Baige landslide involves four stages:initiation,high-speed sliding,impact-climbing,low-speed motion and accumulation.The accumulation states of sliding masses in different zones are different,which essentially corresponds to reality.The research results suggest that the modified DDA is applicable to similar high-level rock landslides.

Application of neural network merging model in dam deformation analysis

In order to improve the prediction accuracy and test the generalization ability of the dam deformation analysis model, the back-propagation（BP） neural network model for dam deformation analysis is studied, and the merging model is built based on the neural network BP algorithm and the traditional statistical model. The three models mentioned above are calculated and analyzed according to the long-term deformation observation data in Chencun Dam. The analytical results show that the average prediction accuracies of the statistical model and the BP neural network model are ~ 0.477 and ＋- 0.390 mm, respectively, while the prediction accuracy of the merging model is ~0. 318 mm, which is improved by 33% and 18% compared to the other two models, respectively. And the merging model has a better generalization ability and broad applicability.

Numerical stress-deformation analysis of cut-off wall in clay-core rockfill dam on thick overburden

The cut-off wall in a clay-core rockfill dam built on a thick overburden layer is subjected to a large compressive pressure under the action of the loads such as the dead weight of both the dam and the overburden layer, the frictional force induced by the differential settlement between the cut-off wall and surrounding soils, and the water pressure. Thus, reduction of the stress of the cut-off wall has become one of the main problems for consideration in engineering design. In this paper, numerical analysis of a core rockfill dam built on a thick overburden layer was conducted and some factors influencing the stress-strain behaviors of the cut-off wall were investigated. The factors include the improvement of the overburden layer, the modeling approach for interfacial contact between the cut-off wall and surrounding soils, the modulus of the cut-off wall concrete, and the connected pattern between the cut-off wall and the clay core. The result shows that improving the overburden layer,selecting plastic concrete with a low modulus and high strength, and optimizing the connection between the cut-off wall and the clay core of the dam are effective measures of reducing the deformations and compressive stresses of the cut-off wall. In addition, both the Goodman element and the mud-layer element are suitable for simulating the interfacial contact between the cut-off wall and surrounding soils.

Long-term deformation analysis of Shuibuya concrete face rockfill dam based on response surface method and improved genetic algorithm

Due to the size effects of rockfill materials, the settlement difference between numerical simulation and in situ monitoring of rockfill dams is a topic of general concern.The constitutive model parameters obtained from laboratory triaxial tests often underestimate the deformation of high rockfill dams.Therefore, constitutive model parameters obtained by back analysis were used to calculate and predict the long-term deformation of rockfill dams.Instead of using artificial neural networks (ANNs), the response surface method (RSM) was employed to replace the finite element simulation used in the optimization iteration.Only 27 training samples were required for RSM, improving computational efficiency compared with ANN, which required 300 training samples.RSM can be used to describe the relationship between the constitutive model parameters and dam settlements.The inversion results of the Shuibuya concrete face rockfill dam (CFRD) show that the calculated settlements agree with the measured data, indicating the accuracy and efficiency of RSM.

Analysis and application of automatic deformation monitoring data for buildings and structures of mining area

The buildings and structures of mines were monitored automatically using modern surveying technology. Through the analysis of the monitoring data, the deformation characteristics were found out from three aspects containing points, lines and regions, which play an important role in understanding the stable state of buildings and structures. The stability and deformation of monitoring points were analysed, and time-series data of monitoring points were denoised with wavelet analysis and Kalman filtering, and exponent function and periodic function were used to get the ideal deformation trend model of monitoring points. Through calculating the monitoring data obtained, analyzing the deformation trend, and cognizing the deformation regularity, it can better service mine safety production and decision-making.

FORMULATIONS OF THE THREE-DIMENSIONAL DISCONTINUOUS DEFORMATION ANALYSIS METHOD

This paper extends the original 2D discontinuous deformation analysis(DDA)method proposed by Shi to 3D cases,and presents the formulations of the 3D DDA.The formulations maintain the characteristics of the original 2D DDA approach.Contacts between the blocks are detected by using Common-Plane (C-P) approach and the non-smooth contact,such as of vertex-to-vertex,vertex- to-edge and edge-to-edge types,can be handled easily based on the C-P method.The matrices of equilibrium equations have been given in detail for programming purposes.The C program codes for the 3D DDA are developed.The ability and accuracy of the formulations and the program are verified by the analytical solutions of several dynamic examples.The robustness and versatility of the algorithms presented in this paper are demonstrated with the aid of an example of scattering of densely packed cubes.Finally,implications and future extensions are discussed.

Analysis of deformation and internal flow patterns for rising single bubbles in different liquids

Gas–liquid multiphase flow is a significant phenomenon in chemical processes. The rising behaviors of single bubbles in the quiescent liquids have been investigated but the internal flow patterns and deformation rules of bubbles, which influence the mass transfer efficiency to a large extent, have received much less attention. In this paper, the volume of fluid method was used to calculate the bubble shapes, pressure, velocity distributions,and the flow patterns inside the bubbles. The rising behavior of the bubbles with four different initial diameters,i.e., 3 mm, 5 mm, 7 mm and 9 mm was investigated in four various liquids including water, 61.23% glycerol,86.73% glycerol and 100% glycerol. The results show that the liquid properties and bubble initial diameters have great impacts on bubble shapes. Moreover, flow patterns inside the bubbles with different initial diameters were analyzed and classified into three types under the condition of different bubble shapes. Three correlations for predicting the maximum internal circulation inside the bubbles in 86.73% glycerol were presented and the R-square values were all bigger than 0.98. Through analyzing the pressure and velocity distributions around the bubbles, four rules of bubble deformation were also obtained to explain and predict the shapes.

Isogeometric analysis of free-form Timoshenko curved beams including the nonlinear effects of large deformations

In the present paper, the isogeometric analysis（IGA） of free-form planar curved beams is formulated based on the nonlinear Timoshenko beam theory to investigate the large deformation of beams with variable curvature. Based on the isoparametric concept, the shape functions of the field variables（displacement and rotation） in a finite element analysis are considered to be the same as the non-uniform rational basis spline（NURBS） basis functions defining the geometry. The validity of the presented formulation is tested in five case studies covering a wide range of engineering curved structures including from straight and constant curvature to variable curvature beams. The nonlinear deformation results obtained by the presented method are compared to well-established benchmark examples and also compared to the results of linear and nonlinear finite element analyses. As the nonlinear load-deflection behavior of Timoshenko beams is the main topic of this article, the results strongly show the applicability of the IGA method to the large deformation analysis of free-form curved beams. Finally, it is interesting to notice that, until very recently, the large deformations analysis of free-form Timoshenko curved beams has not been considered in IGA by researchers.

Elastoplastic 3D Deformation and Stress Analysis of Strip Rolling

An elastoplastic method for analyzing the 3D deformation, stress and transverse distribution of tension stress during cold strip rolling is developed. The analysis is based on the elastoplastic variational principle in which a kinematically admissible velocity field is constructed with the lateral flow function as an unknown function. The stress distribution and volume strain distribution are obtained by solving the simultaneous equations formed by the longitudinal differential equation of equilibrium and constitutive equations. The lateral flow function is determined by minimizing the total energy dissipation rate. Experimental investigation was carried out on a reversible cold mill. The front tension stress distributions in cold rolled strips were measured by a multi roll segmented tension sensing shapemeter. The calculated results are in good agreement with the measured ones.

Thermal deformation of aluminum alloy casting materials for tire mold by numerical analysis

Thermal deformation of aluminum alloy casting materials for manufacturing the tire mold was numerically investigated.The AC7A and AC4C casting material was selected as casting material and the metal casting device was used in order to manufacture the mold product of automobile tire in the actual industrial field.The temperature distribution and the cooling time of casting materials were numerically calculated by finite element analysis (FEA).Also,the thermal deformation such as displacement and stress distribution was calculated from the temperature results.The thermal deformation was closely related to the temperature difference between the surface and inside of the casting.The numerical analysis results reveal that the thermal deformation of AC7A casting material is higher than that of AC4C casting material.Also,the thermal deformation results at the central part are larger than that on the side of casting because of the shrinkage caused by the cooling speed difference.

Validation and application of three-dimensional discontinuous deformation analysis with tetrahedron finite element meshed block

In the last decade, three dimensional discontin- uous deformation analyses （3D DDA） has attracted more and more attention of researchers and geotechnical engineers worldwide. The original DDA formulation utilizes a linear displacement function to describe the block movement and deformation, which would cause block expansion under rigid body rotation and thus limit its capability to model block de- formation. In this paper, 3D DDA is coupled with tetrahe- dron finite elements to tackle these two problems. Tetrahe- dron is the simplest in the 3D domain and makes it easy to implement automatic discretization, even for complex topol- ogy shape. Furthermore, element faces will remain planar and element edges will remain straight after deformation for tetrahedron finite elements and polyhedral contact detection schemes can be used directly. The matrices of equilibrium equations for this coupled method are given in detail and an effective contact searching algorithm is suggested. Valida- tion is conducted by comparing the results of the proposed coupled method with that of physical model tests using one of the most common failure modes, i.e., wedge failure. Most of the failure modes predicted by the coupled method agree with the physical model results except for 4 cases out of the total 65 cases. Finally, a complex rockslide example demon- strates the robustness and versatility of the coupled method.

An Inverse Analysis of the Comprehensive Medium Parameters and a Simulation of the Crustal Deformation of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

Based on the theory of finite element analysis, an inverse analysis model for the comprehensive medium parameters of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is set up. With the help of GPS velocity field, the comprehensive crustal medium parameters of the plateau are inversely analyzed and the characteristics of the related movement macroscopically simulated. It is then concluded that the tectonic deformation of the plateau is mainly in the form of a N-S compression accompanied by an E-W stretching, and the present tectonic setting of the plateau should be the result of the collision between the Indian and the Eurasian continents during the Cenozoic.

Deformation Analysis and Stability Evaluation of the Main Shaft at Jinchuan Mine No.3

Unexpected, serious deformation failures have occurred during construction of a main shaft. A study of construction parameters of the main shaft is required. First, the stability of the shaft and wall-rock is investigated by numerical methods. The modeling results are as follows： The convergence of shaft liner is greater than 60 mm at a depth of 650 m; the maximum principal stress in the liner approaches 190 MPa, which exceeds the strength of the liner, so it is inevitable that the liner deform locally. Second, stability analysis of shafts with different liner thicknesses has been completed. The results have the following features： If the depth where the liner thickness is increases from 400 mm to 500 mm is 650 meters, the convergence deformation of the liner is reduced by 3.4 mm while the maximum principal stress is reduced by 5 MPa. At a depth of 250 m if the liner thickness is increased from 400 mm to 500 mm the convergence of the liner is reduced by 1.5 mm while the maximum principal stress is reduced by 10 MPa. Therefore, increasing the liner thickness has little effect on liner convergence but can reduce the maximum principal stress in the liner. The thickness of the liner can be increased to reduce the maximum principal stress and increase the capacity for shear deformation. Finally, construction techniques employing releasing-displacements have been numerically simulated. The conclusions are that as the releasing displacement is increased the convergence of the surrounding rock increases linearly while the convergence of the lining decreases linearly. The plastic zone in the surrounding rock mass at first increases linearly but then, at a release-displacement of 95 ram, expands rapidly. These conclusions show that use of suitable releasing displacement can increase the self-supporting capacity of the surrounding rock. But when the releasing displacement exceeds 95 nun the plastic zone rapidly enlarges and stability rapidly decreases. The maximum principal stress of the lining also decreases as the release-displacement increases. There is a definite inflection point in the relationships involving releasing displacement. When the releasing displacement passes this point the effect on principal stress decreases. In conclusion, a reasonable releasing displacement value when lining the shaft is 95 mm.

Large deformation analysis of a cantilever beam made of axially functionally graded material by homotopy analysis method

Large deformation of a cantilever axially functionally graded (AFG) beam subject to a tip load is analytically studied using the homotopy analysis method (HAM). It is assumed that its Young’s modulus varies along the longitudinal direction according to a power law. Taking the solution of the corresponding homogeneous beam as the initial guess and obtaining a convergence region by adjusting an auxiliary parameter, the analytical expressions for large deformation of the AFG beam are provided. Results obtained by the HAM are compared with those obtained by the finite element method and those in the previous works to verify its validity. Good agreement is observed. A detailed parametric study is carried out. The results show that the axial material variation can greatly change the deformed configuration, which provides an approach to control and manage the deformation of beams. By tailoring the axial material distribution, a desired deformed configuration can be obtained for a specific load. The analytical solution presented herein can be a helpful tool for this procedure.

Finite element analysis of controlling the TC4 thin plate weldment wave-like deformation by welding with impacting rotation

The new technology of welding with impacting rotation is put forward to decrease the wave-like deformation of the TC4 thin plate weldment. The thermal stress and strain are vital to understand the mechanism of controlling the wave-like deformation. In order to know the development of internal thermal stress and strain, finite element method is utilized for- the stress and strain are difficult to be investigated by experimental methods during the welding process. Temperature field, thermal stress evolution and distortion of thin plate are compared with the test results such as weld thermal cycle, residual stress sectioning measurement, and the deflection of the thin plate respectively. By the finite element analysis and test results verification, the meehaaism of the technology to control the wave-like deformation is brought forward, non-uniform thermal elastic strain between compressive plastic region and elastic extensive region is diminished by a certain amount of extensive plastic deformation by welding with impacting rotation process.

Simplifi ed dynamic analysis to evaluate liquefaction-inducedlateral deformation of earth slopes: a computational fluid dynamics approach

Lateral deformation of liquefiable soil is a cause of much damage during earthquakes, reportedly more than other forms of liquefaction-induced ground failures. Researchers have presented studies in which the liquefied soil is considered as viscous fluid. In this manner, the liquefied soil behaves as non-Newtonian fluid, whose viscosity decreases as the shear strain rate increases. The current study incorporates computational fluid dynamics to propose a simplified dynamic analysis for the liquefaction-induced lateral deformation of earth slopes. The numerical procedure involves a quasi-linear elastic model for small to moderate strains and a Bingham fluid model for large strain states during liquefaction. An iterative procedure is considered to estimate the strain-compatible shear stiffness of soil. The post-liquefaction residual strength of soil is considered as the initial Bingham viscosity. Performance of the numerical procedure is examined by using the results of centrifuge model and shaking table tests together with some field observations of lateral ground deformation. The results demonstrate that the proposed procedure predicts the time history of lateral ground deformation with a reasonable degree of precision.

Tooth Position and Deformation of Flexspline Assembled with Cam in Harmonic Drive Based on Force Analysis

Deformation of the flexspline is the basis of analyzing tooth trajectory and designing tooth profile.Considering the tooth influence on the position of equivalent neutral layer,a piecewise method for calculating the deformation of flexspline assembled with a cam wave generator is presented in this paper.Firstly,a mechanic model of a ring of uniform thickness in contact with a rigid cam is established.The displacements of the ring inside and outside an unknown wrapping angle are determined by the geometric constraints of the cam profile and the equilibrium rela-tionship,respectively.Meanwhile,the wrapping angle is solved according to the boundary conditions.The assembly forces are derived to investigate the circumferential elongation and strain.Then,considering the tooth effects on the neutral layer of flexspline,the tooth is positioned on the equivalent neutral layer,which is the non-elongation layer within one gear pitch but offset from the geometric mid-layer.The equivalent neutral layer is positioned by the empirical formula of the offset ratio,which is summarized by the orthogonal simulation on finite element models of racks.Finally,finite element models of a ring-shaped and a cup-shaped flexspline assembled with elliptical cam are established to verify the effectiveness and accuracy of the piecewise method.The results show that,compared with the geometric method,the tooth positioning deviation calculated by the piecewise method can be reduced by about 70%with a more accurate deformation description from the geometric condition and mechanic condition inside and outside the wrapping angle.

Detection of Mechanical Deformation in Old Aged Power Transformer Using Cross Correlation Co-Efficient Analysis Method

Detection of minor faults in power transformer active part is essential because minor faults may develop and lead to major faults and finally irretrievable damages occur. Sweep Frequency Response Analysis (SFRA) is an effective low-voltage, off-line diagnostic tool used for finding out any possible winding displacement or mechanical deterioration inside the Transformer, due to large electromechanical forces occurring from the fault currents or due to Transformer transportation and relocation. In this method, the frequency response of a transformer is taken both at manufacturing industry and concern site. Then both the response is compared to predict the fault taken place in active part. But in old aged transformers, the primary reference response is unavailable. So Cross Correlation Co-Efficient (CCF) measurement technique can be a vital process for fault detection in these transformers. In this paper, theoretical background of SFRA technique has been elaborated and through several case studies, the effectiveness of CCF parameter for fault detection has been represented.

Finite element analysis of functionally graded sandwich plates with porosity via a new hyperbolic shear deformation theory

This study focusses on establishing the finite element model based on a new hyperbolic sheareformation theory to investigate the static bending,free vibration,and buckling of the functionally graded sandwich plates with porosity.The novel sandwich plate consists of one homogenous ceramic core and two different functionally graded face sheets which can be widely applied in many fields of engineering and defence technology.The discrete governing equations of motion are carried out via Hamilton’s principle and finite element method.The computation program is coded in MATLAB software and used to study the mechanical behavior of the functionally graded sandwich plate with porosity.The present finite element algorithm can be employed to study the plates with arbitrary shape and boundary conditions.The obtained results are compared with available results in the literature to confirm the reliability of the present algorithm.Also,a comprehensive investigation of the effects of several parameters on the bending,free vibration,and buckling response of functionally graded sandwich plates is presented.The numerical results shows that the distribution of porosity plays significant role on the mechanical behavior of the functionally graded sandwich plates。