Effects of Initial Defects on Effective Elastic Modulus of Concrete with Mesostructure

An exquisite mesostructure model was presented to predict the effective elastic modulus of concrete,in which concrete is realized as a four-phase composite material consisting of coarse aggregates,mortar matrix,interfacial transition zone(ITZ),and initial defects.With the three-dimensional(3D)finite element(FE)simulation,the highly heterogeneous composite elastic behavior of concrete was modeled,and the predicted results were compared with theoretical estimations for validation.Monte Carlo(MC)simulations were performed with the proposed mesostructure model to investigate the various factors of initial defects influencing the elastic modulus of concrete,such as the shape and concentration(pore volume fraction or crack density)of microspores and microcracks.It is found that the effective elastic modulus of concrete decreases with the increase of initial defects concentration,while the distribution and shape characteristics also exert certain influences due to the stress concentration caused by irregular inclusion shape.

A novel relationship between elastic modulus and void ratio associated with principal stress for coral calcareous sand

Elastic moduli,e.g.shear modulus G and bulk modulus K,are important parameters of geotechnical materials,which are not only the indices for the evaluation of the deformation ability of soils but also the important basic parameters for the development of the constitutive models of geotechnical materials.In this study,a series of triaxial loading-unloading-reloading shear tests and isotropic loading-unloadingreloading tests are conducted to study several typical mechanical properties of coral calcareous sand(CCS),and the void ratio evolution during loading,unloading and reloading.The test results show that the stress-strain curves during multiple unloading processes are almost parallel,and their slopes are much greater than the deformation modulus at the initial stage of loading.The relationship between the confining pressure and the volumetric strain can be defined approximately by a hyperbolic equation under the condition of monotonic loading of confining pressure.Under the condition of confining pressure unloading,the evolution of void ratio is linear in the e-lnp0 plane,and these lines are a series of almost parallel lines if there are multiple processes of unloading.Based on the experimental results,it is found that the modified Hardin formulae for the elastic modulus estimation have a significant deviation from the tested values for CCS.Based on the experimental results,it is proposed that the elastic modulus of soils should be determined by the intersection line of two spatial surfaces in the G/K-e-p’/pa space(pa:atmosphere pressure).“Ye formulation”is further proposed for the estimation of the elastic modulus of CCS.This new estimation formulation for soil elastic modulus would provide a new method to accurately describe the mechanical behavior of granular soils.

Numerical analysis of bending property of bi-modulus materials and a new method for measurement of tensile elastic modulus

In nature,there are widely distributed bi-modulus materials with different deformation characteristics under compressive and tensile stress states,such as concrete,rock and ceramics.Due to the lack of constitutive model that could reasonably consider the bi-modulus property of materials,and the lack of simple and reliable measurement methods for the tensile elastic parameters of materials,scientists and engineers always neglect the effect of the bi-modulus property of materials in engineering design and numerical simulation.To solve this problem,this study utilizes the uncoupled strain-driven constitutive model proposed by Latorre and Montáns(2020)to systematically study the distributions and magnitudes of stresses and strains of bi-modulus materials in the three-point bending test through the numerical method.Furthermore,a new method to synchronously measure the tensile and compressive elastic moduli of materials through the four-point bending test is proposed.The numerical results show that the bi-modulus property of materials has a significant effect on the stress,strain and displacement in the specimen utilized in the three-point and four-point bending tests.Meanwhile,the results from the numerical tests,in which the elastic constitutive model proposed by Latorre and Montáns(2020)is utilized,also indicate that the newly proposed measurement method has a good reliability.Although the new measurement method proposed in this study can synchronously and effectively measure the tensile and compressive elastic moduli,it cannot measure the tensile and compressive Poisson’s ratios.

3D bioprinting of complex biological structures with tunable elastic modulus and porosity using freeform reversible embedding of suspended hydrogels

Three-dimensional(3D)bioprinting has been used widely for the construction of hard tissues such as bone and cartilage.However,constructing soft tissues with complex structures remains a challenge.In this study,complex structures characterized by both tunable elastic modulus and porosity were printed using freeform reversible embedding of suspended hydrogels(FRESHs)printing methods.A mixture of alginate and gelatin was used as the main functional component of the bioink.Rheological analysis showed that this bioink possesses shear thinning and shear recovery properties,supporting both cryogenic and FRESH printing methods.Potential printing capabilities and limitations of cryogenic and FRESH printing were then analyzed by printability tests.A series of complex structures were printed by FRESH printing methods which could not be realized using conventional approaches.Mechanical tests and scanning electron microscopy analysis showed that the printed structure is of excellent flexibility and could be applied in various conditions by adjusting its mechanical modulus and porosity.L929 fibroblast cells maintained cell viability in cell-laden-printed structures,and the addition of collagen further improved the hydrogels’biocompatibility.Overall,all results provided useful insight into the building of human soft tissue organ blocks.

Elastic modulus determination at different levels of periodontal ligament in nanoindentation

In order to investigate the material properties ofperiodontal ligament （ PDL） in different locations, the nanoindentation method is used to survey the elastic modulus of the PDL at different levels. Cadaveric specimens of human mandibular canine were obtained from 4 adult donors, 16 transverse specimens were made from the sections of cervical margin, midroot and apex using the slow cutting machine. The prepared specimens were tested in different sections （along the longitudinal direction） and different areas （in the circumferential direction）. According to the Oliver-Phair theory, the mean values of elastic modulus were calculated foreach area and the differences among them were compared. In the midroot section, the average elastic modulus is ranging from 0. 11 to 0. 23 MPa, the changing range of the cervical margin and apex are from 0. 21 to 0. 53 MPa and 0. 44 to0.62 MPa, respectively. Experimental results indicate that the average elastic modulus in the midroot is lower than that in the cervical margin and apex, and relatively small changes occur among them. However, there is a large change to the elastic modulus value in the cicumferential direction for the PDL.

Freeze-thaw damage mechanism of elastic modulus of soil-rock mixtures at different confining pressures

As a frequently-used roadbed filler,soil-rock mixture is often in the environment of freeze-thaw cycles and different confining pressures.In order to study the freeze-thaw damage mechanism of elastic modulus of soil-rock mixtures at different confining pressures,the concept of meso-interfacial freeze-thaw damage coefficient is put forward and the meso-interfacial damage phenomenon of soil-rock mixtures caused by the freeze-thaw cycle environment is concerned;a double-inclusion embedded model for elastic modulus of soil-rock mixtures in freezing-thawing cycle is proposed.A large triaxial test was performed and the influences of confining pressure and experimental factors on elastic modulus of soil-rock mixtures were obtained,and then the accuracy of the double-inclusion embedded model to predict the elastic modulus of soil-rock mixtures in freezing-thawing cycle is verified.Experiment results showed that as to soil-rock mixtures,with the increase of confining pressure,the elastic modulus increases approximately linearly.The most crucial factors to affect the elastic modulus are rock content and compaction degree at the same confining pressure;the elastic modulus increases with the increase of rock content and compactness;as the number of freeze-thaw cycles increases,the freeze-thaw damage coefficient of meso-structural interface and the elastic modulus decrease.

ELASTIC MODULUS REDUCTION METHOD FOR LIMIT LOAD EVALUATION OF FRAME STRUCTURES

A new strategy for elastic modulus adjustment is proposed based on the element bearing ratio （EBR）,and the elastic modulus reduction method （EMRM） is proposed for limit load evaluation of frame structures. The EBR is defined employing the generalized yield criterion,and the reference EBR is determined by introducing the extrema and the degree of uniformity of EBR in the structure. The elastic modulus in the element with an EBR greater than the reference one is reduced based on the linear elastic finite element analysis and the equilibrium of strain energy. The lower-bound of limit-loads of frame structures are analyzed and the numerical example demonstrates the flexibility,accuracy and effciency of the proposed method.

Elastic modulus affects the growth and differentiation of neural stem cells

It remains poorly understood if carrier hardness, elastic modulus, and contact area affect neural stem cell growth and differentiation. Tensile tests show that the elastic moduli of Tiansu and SMI silicone membranes are lower than that of an ordinary dish, while the elastic modulus of SMI silicone membrane is lower than that of Tiansu silicone membrane. Neural stem cells from the cerebral cortex of embryonic day 16 Sprague-Dawley rats were seeded onto ordinary dishes as well as Tiansu silicone membrane and SMI silicone membrane. Light microscopy showed that neural stem cells on all three carriers show improved adherence. After 7 days of differentiation, neuron specific enolase, glial fibrillary acidic protein, and myelin basic protein expression was detected by immunofluorescence. Moreover, flow cytometry revealed a higher rate of neural stem cell differentiation into astrocytes on Tiansu and SMI silicone membranes than on the ordinary dish, which was also higher on the SMI than the Tiansu silicone membrane. These findings con- firm that all three cell carrier types have good biocompatibility, while SMI and Tiansu silicone membranes exhibit good mechanical homogenization. Thus, elastic modulus affects neural stem cell differentiation into various nerve cells. Within a certain range, a smaller elastic modulus re- sults in a more obvious trend of cell differentiation into astrocytes.

Elastic modulus of claystone evaluated by nano-/micro-indentation tests and meso-compression tests

Toarcian claystone such as that of the Callovo-Oxfordian is a qualified multiphase material. The claystone samples tested in this study are composed of four main mineral phases: silicates(clay minerals, quartz,feldspars, micas)(z86%), sulphides(pyrite)(z3%), carbonates(calcite, dolomite)(z10%) and organic kerogen(z1%). Three sets of measurements of the modulus of deformability were compared as determined in(i) nanoindentation tests with a constant indentation depth of 2 mm,(ii) micro-indentation tests with a constant indentation depth of 20 mm, and(iii) meso-compression tests with a constant displacement of 200 mm. These three experimental methods have already been validated in earlier studies. The main objective of this study is to demonstrate the influence of the scaling effect on the modulus of deformability of the material. Different frequency distributions of the modulus of deformability were obtained at the different sample scales:(i) in nano-indentation tests, the distribution was spread between 15 GPa and 90 GPa and contained one peak at34 GPa and another at 51 GPa;(ii) in the micro-indentation tests, the distribution was spread between 25 GPa and 60 GPa and displayed peaks at 26 GPa and 37 GPa; and(iii) in the meso-compression tests, a narrow frequency distribution was obtained, ranging from 25 GPa to 50 GPa and with a maximum at around 35 GPa.

Effects of thickness and elastic modulus on stress condition of fatigue-resistant coating under rolling contact

The distribution and magnitude of surface substrates were investigated by finite element method and subsurface stresses of the （FEM）. The models of coating single-layer sprayed-coatings on monolithic configurations with different thicknesses and elastic modulus ratios of coating to substrate were introduced, and the effects of thickness and elastic modulus ratio on the stresses were addressed. The calculation results show that the coating/substrate interface shear stress obviously decreases with increasing coating thickness, due to the location of the maximum shear stress moving away from the coating/substrate interface. At the same time, the magnitude of von Mises stress also declines in the case of thicker coatings. However, the high elastic modulus ratio results in extremely high maximum shear stress and the severe discontinuity of the von Mises stress curves, which leads to the intensive stress concentration on the coating/substrate interface. So the coating configurations with the larger coating thickness and lower difference of elastic modulus between coating and substrate exhibit excellent resistant performance of rolling contact fatigue （RCF）.

Influence of nickel silicides presence on hardness,elastic modulus and fracture toughness of gas-borided layer produced on Nisil-alloy

The two-stage gas boriding in N_(2)−H_(2)−BCl_(3)atmosphere was applied to producing a two-zoned borided layer on Nisil-alloy.The process was carried out at 910℃ for 2 h.The microstructure consisted of two zones differing in their phase composition.The outer layer contained only a mixture of nickel borides(Ni_(2)B,Ni_(3)B)only.The inner zone contained additionally nickel silicides(Ni_(2)Si,Ni_(3)Si)occurring together with nickel borides.The aim of this study was to determine the presence of nickel silicides on the mechanical properties of the borided layer produced on Ni-based alloy.The hardness and elastic modulus were measured using the nanoindenter with a Berkovich diamond tip under a load of 50 mN.The average values of indentation hardness(HI)and indentation elastic modulus(E_(I))obtained in the outer zone were respectively(16.32±1.03)GPa and(232±16.15)GPa.The presence of nickel silicides in the inner zone reduced the indentation hardness(6.8−12.54 GPa)and elastic modulus(111.79−153.99 GPa).The fracture toughness of the boride layers was investigated using a Vickers microindentation under a load of 0.981 N.It was confirmed that the presence of nickel silicides caused an increase in brittleness(by about 40%)of the gas-borided layer.

An analytical solution of equivalent elastic modulus considering confining stress and its variables sensitivity analysis for fractured rock masses

The equivalent elastic modulus is a parameter for controlling the deformation behavior of fractured rock masses in the equivalent continuum approach.The confining stress,whose effect on the equivalent elastic modulus is of great importance,is the fundamental stress environment of natural rock masses.This paper employs an analytical approach to obtain the equivalent elastic modulus of fractured rock masses containing random discrete fractures(RDFs)or regular fracture sets(RFSs)while considering the confining stress.The proposed analytical solution considers not only the elastic properties of the intact rocks and fractures,but also the geometrical structure of the fractures and the confining stress.The performance of the analytical solution is verified by comparing it with the results of numerical tests obtained using the three-dimensional distinct element code(3DEC),leading to a reasonably good agreement.The analytical solution quantitatively demonstrates that the equivalent elastic modulus increases substantially with an increase in confining stress,i.e.it is characterized by stress-dependency.Further,a sensitivity analysis of the variables in the analytical solution is conducted using a global sensitivity analysis approach,i.e.the extended Fourier amplitude sensitivity test(EFAST).The variations in the sensitivity indices for different ranges and distribution types of the variables are investigated.The results provide an in-depth understanding of the influence of the variables on the equivalent elastic modulus from different perspectives.

Size effect of the elastic modulus of rectangular nanobeams:Surface elasticity effect

The size-dependent elastic property of rectangular nanobeams （nanowires or nanoplates） induced by the surface elas- ticity effect is investigated by using a developed modified core-shell model. The effect of surface elasticity on the elastic modulus of nanobeams can be characterized by two surface related parameters, i.e., inhomogeneous degree constant and surface layer thickness. The analytical results show that the elastic modulus of the rectangular nanobeam exhibits a distinct size effect when its characteristic size reduces below 1 O0 nm. It is also found that the theoretical results calculated by a mod- ified core-shell model have more obvious advantages than those by other models （core-shell model and core-surface model） by comparing them with relevant experimental measurements and computational results, especially when the dimensions of nanostructures reduce to a few tens of nanometers.

Microstructure,Elastic Modulus and Tensile Properties of Ti-Nb-O Alloy System

In the present study Ti-Nb binary alloy system was chosen because it has excellent biocompatibility as well as reasonable mechanical properties,aiming at understanding oxygen content on microstructural formation, elastic modulus and tensile properties in Ti-Nb alloy system.Small alloy buttons of 50 mm in diameter were prepared by arc melting on a water-cooled copper hearth under an argon gas atmosphere with a non-consumable tungsten electrode.The button ingots were then heat treated in a vacuum atmosphere at 1273 K for 0.5 h followed by water quenching in a specially designed heat treatment furnace.Microstructure,elastic modulus and tensile properties were investigated in order to understand the effect of oxygen content in quenched Ti- Nb alloy system.The orthorhombic structuredα″martensite was changed to bcc structuredβ-phase with increasing Nb content.Interestingly,it was found that oxygen makesβ-phase stable in quenched Ti-Nb alloy system.Elastic modulus values were sensitive to phase stability of constituent phases.Yield strength increased with increasing oxygen content.Details will be explained by phase formation and stability behavior.

EFFECT OF AGING ON INTERNAL FRICTION,ELASTIC MODULUS AND MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF TERNARY Mn-Cu-Al ALLOYS

Internal friction and elastic modulus of ternary Mn-Cu-Al alloys containing 56—60 wt-% Mn,0-3.59 wt-% Al were measured with acoustic frequency,1 kHz,in the tempera- ture range of-150 to 150℃.It was found that when the specimen was aged in the temperature range under the spinodal curve within the miscibility gap(400—500℃),the internal fric- tion increases with an increase of the aging time and reaches a maximum value at a certain ag- ing time which is shorter with a higher aging temperature.Two internal friction peaks which did not appear before the aging were observed above room temperature after a definite aging time.These are respectively the martensitic tranformation peak and the relaxation peak orig- inating from the stress-induced movement of the twin boundaries.The former peak shifts to- ward higher temperatures with an increase of the aging time,whereas the relaxation peak ap- pearing at 15℃,is independent of the aging time and temperature.The activation energy as- sociated with the relaxation peak was found to be 0.56 eV which is about the same as that of the relaxation peak in binary alloy containing 90 wt-% Mn.It was also found that the hardness,strength and the brittleness of the specimen increase when aged below the spinodal curve within the miscibility gap.The addition or Al enhances the strength but reduces the in- ternal friction of the specimen.A choice of suitable aging time and temperature can give an optimum compromise of high strength and high internal friction.Analysis of experimental re- sults suggests that spinodal decomposition leads to Mn-rich zones in the specimen and thus causes the phase transformation and the change of mechanical properties of the specimen.

Dynamic Elastic Modulus of Cement Paste at Early Age based on Nondestructive Test and Multiscale Prediction Model

This paper introduced a nondestructive testing method to evaluate the dynamic elastic modulus of cement paste. Moreover, the effect of water-cement ratio and conventional admixtures on the dynamic elastic modulus of cement paste was investigated, in which three kinds of admixtures were taken into account including viscosity modifying admixture （VMA）, silica.fume （SF）, and shrinkage-reducing admixture （SRA）. The experimental results indicate that the dynamic elastic modulus of cement paste increases with decreasing water-cement ratio. The addition of SF increases the dynamic elastic modulus, however, the overdosage of VMA causes its reduction. SRA reduces the dynamic elastic modulus at early age without affecting it in later period. Finally, a multiscale micromechanics approach coupled with a hydration model CEMHYD3D and percolation theory is utilized to predict the elastic modulus of cement paste, and the predictive results by the model are in accordance with the experimental data.

Characterization of Elastic Modulus of Granular Materials in a New Designed Uniaxial Oedometric System

A simple uniaxial oedometric system is developed to test the elastic modulus of granular materials. The stress- strain relationship is first measured under conditions of uniaxial compression with additional lateral stress and strain, then the elastic modulus of the material is determined by the linear fitting method. It is found that the modulus is positively correlated to the grain size and negatively correlated to the container size. Arching and dragging are revealed to be the mechanism of such correlations by using the digital image correlation method and the pressure film technology based on the statistical method.

Design and Preparation of High Elastic Modulus Self-compacting Concrete for Pre-stressed Mass Concrete Structures

Requirements of self-compacting concrete （SCC） applied in pre-stressed mass concrete structures include high fluidity, high elastic modulus, low adiabatic temperature rise and low drying shrinkage, which cannot be satisfied by ordinary SCC. In this study, in order to solve the problem, a few principles of SCC design were proposed and the effects of binder amount, fly ash （FA） substitution, aggregate content and gradation on the workability, temperature rise, drying shrinkage and elastic modulus of SCC were investigated. The results and analysis indicate that the primary factor influencing the fluidity was paste content, and the main methods improving the elastic modulusof SCC were a lower sand ratio and an optimized coarse aggregate gradation. Lower adiabatic temperature rise and drying shrinkage were beneficial for decreasing the cement content. Further, based on the optimization of mixture, a C50 grade SCC （with binder amount of only 480 kg/ m3, fly ash substitution of 40%, sand ratio of 51% and proper coarse aggregate gradation （Vs.~0 mm： V10-16 ram： V16.20 mm= 30%： 30%：40%）） with superior workability was successfully prepared. The temperature rise and drying shrinkage of the prepared SCC were significantly reduced, and the elastic modulus reached 37.6 GPa at 28 d.

Analytical Model of Elastic Modulus and Coefficient of Thermal Expansion for 2.5D C/SiC Composite

To make better use of 2.5D C/SiC composites in industry, it is necessary to understand the mechanical properties. A finite element model＇of 2.5D composites is established, by considering the fiber undulation and the porosity in 2.5D C/SiC composites. The fiber direction of warp is defined by cosine function to simulate the undulation of warp, and based on uniform strain assumption, analytical model of the elastic modulus and coefficient of thermal expansion （CTE） for 2.5D C/SiC composites were established by using dual- scale model. The result is found to correlate reasonably well with the predicted results and experimental results. The parametric study also demonstrates the effects of the fiber volume fraction, distance of warp yarn, and porosity in micro-scale on the mechanical properties and the coefficients of thermal expansion.

Influence of random shrinkage porosity on equivalent elastic modulus of casting： A statistical and numerical approach

Shrinkage porosity is a type of random distribution defects and exists in most large castings. Different from the periodic symmetry defects or certain distribution defects, shrinkage porosity presents a random "cloud-like" configuration, which brings difficulties in quantifying the effective performance of defected casting. In this paper, the influences of random shrinkage porosity on the equivalent elastic modulus of QT400-18 casting were studied by a numerical statistics approach. An improved random algorithm was applied into the lattice model to simulate the "cloud-like" morphology of shrinkage porosity. Then, a large number of numerical samples containing random levels of shrinkage were generated by the proposed algorithm. The stress concentration factor and equivalent elastic modulus of these numerical samples were calculated. Based on a statistical approach, the effects of shrinkage porosity's distribution characteristics, such as area fraction, shape, and relative location on the casting's equivalent mechanical properties were discussed respectively. It is shown that the approach with randomly distributed defects has better predictive capabilities than traditional methods. The following conclusions can be drawn from the statistical simulations:(1) the effective modulus decreases remarkably if the shrinkage porosity percent is greater than 1.5%;(2) the average Stress Concentration Factor(SCF) produced by shrinkage porosity is about 2.0;(3) the defect's length across the loading direction plays a more important role in the effective modulus than the length along the loading direction;(4) the surface defect perpendicular to loading direction reduces the mean modulus about 1.5% more than a defect of other position.