A hybrid contact approach for modeling soil-structure interaction using the material point method

The grid-based multi-velocity field technique has become increasingly popular for simulating the Material Point Method(MPM)in contact problems.However,this traditional technique has some shortcomings,such as(1)early contact and contact penetration can occur when the contact conditions are unsuitable,and(2)the method is not available for contact problems involving rigid-nonrigid materials,which can cause numerical instability.This study presents a new hybrid contact approach for the MPM to address these limitations to simulate the soil and structure interactions.The approach combines the advantages of point-point and point-segment contacts to implement contact detection,satisfying the impenetrability condition and smoothing the corner contact problem.The proposed approach is first validated through a disk test on an inclined slope.Then,several typical cases,such as granular collapse,bearing capacity,and deformation of a flexible retaining wall,are simulated to demonstrate the robustness of the proposed approach compared with FEM or analytical solutions.Finally,the proposed method is used to simulate the impact of sand flow on a deformable structure.The results show that the proposed contact approach can well describe the phenomenon of soil-structure interaction problems.

Existence and numerical approximation of a solution to frictional contact problem for electro-elastic materials

In this paper,a frictional contact problem between an electro-elastic body and an electrically conductive foundation is studied.The contact is modeled by normal compliance with finite penetration and a version of Coulomb’s law of dry friction in which the coefficient of friction depends on the slip.In addition,the effects of the electrical conductivity of the foundation are taken into account.This model leads to a coupled system of the quasi-variational inequality of the elliptic type for the displacement and the nonlinear variational equation for the electric potential.The existence of a weak solution is proved by using an abstract result for elliptic variational inequalities and a fixed point argument.Then,a finite element approximation of the problem is presented.Under some regularity conditions,an optimal order error estimate of the approximate solution is derived.Finally,a successive iteration technique is used to solve the problem numerically and a convergence result is established.

Contact Stress Reliability Analysis Model for Cylindrical Gear with Circular Arc Tooth Trace Based on an Improved Metamodel

Although there is currently no unified standard theoretical formula for calculating the contact stress of cylindrical gears with a circular arc tooth trace(referred to as CATT gear),a mathematical model for determining the contact stress of CATT gear is essential for studying how parameters affect its contact stress and building the contact stress limit state equation for contact stress reliability analysis.In this study,a mathematical relationship between design parameters and contact stress is formulated using the KrigingMetamodel.To enhance the model’s accuracy,we propose a new hybrid algorithm that merges the genetic algorithm with the Quantum Particle Swarm optimization algorithm,leveraging the strengths of each.Additionally,the“parental inheritance+self-learning”optimization model is used to fine-tune the KrigingMetamodel’s parameters.Following this,amathematicalmodel for calculating the contact stress of Variable Hyperbolic Circular-Arc-Tooth-Trace(VH-CATT)gears using the optimized Kriging model was developed.We then examined how different gear parameters affect the VH-CATT gears’contact stress.Our simulation results show:(1)Improvements in R2,RMSE,and RMAE.R2 rose from0.9852 to 0.9974(a 1.22%increase),nearing 1,suggesting the optimized Kriging Metamodel’s global error is minimized.Meanwhile,RMSE dropped from3.9210 to 1.6492,a decline of 57.94%.The global error of the GA-IQPSO-Kriging algorithm was also reduced,with RMAE decreasing by 58.69%from 0.1823 to 0.0753,showing the algorithm’s enhanced precision.In a comparison of ten experimental groups selected randomly,the GA-IQPSO-Kriging and FEM-based contact analysis methods were used to measure contact stress.Results revealed a maximum error of 12.11667 MPA,which represents 2.85%of the real value.(2)Several factors,including the pressure angle,tooth width,modulus,and tooth line radius,are inversely related to contact stress.The descending order of their impact on the contact stress is:tooth line radius>modulus>pressure angle>tooth width.(3)Complex interactions are noted among various parameters.Specifically,when the tooth line radius interacts with parameters such as pressure angle,tooth width,and modulus,the resulting stress contour is nonlinear,showcasing amultifaceted contour plane.However,when tooth width,modulus,and pressure angle interact,the stress contour is nearly linear,and the contour plane is simpler,indicating a weaker coupling among these factors.

Partition method for impact dynamics of flexible multibody systems based on contact constraint

The impact dynamics of a flexible multibody system is investigated. By using a partition method, the system is divided into two parts, the local impact region and the region away from the impact. The two parts are connected by specific boundary conditions, and the system after partition is equivalent to the original system. According to the rigid-flexible coupling dynamic theory of multibody system, system＇s rigid-flexible coupling dynamic equations without impact are derived. A local impulse method for establishing the initial impact conditions is proposed. It satisfies the compatibility con- ditions for contact constraints and the actual physical situation of the impact process of flexible bodies. Based on the contact constraint method, system＇s impact dynamic equa- tions are derived in a differential-algebraic form. The contact/separation criterion and the algorithm are given. An impact dynamic simulation is given. The results show that system＇s dynamic behaviors including the energy, the deformations, the displacements, and the impact force during the impact process change dramatically. The impact makes great effects on the global dynamics of the system during and after impact.

BOUNDARY ELEMENT METHOD FOR MOVING AND ROLLING CONTACT OF 2D ELASTIC BODIES WITH DEFECTS

A scheme of boundary element method for moving contact of two-dimensional elastic bodies using conforming discretization is presented. Both the displacement and the traction boundary conditions are satisfied on the contacting region in the sense of discretization. An algorithm to deal with the moving of the contact boundary on a larger possible contact region is presented. The algorithm is generalized to rolling contact problem as well. Some numerical examples of moving and rolling contact of 2D elastic bodies with or without friction, including the bodies with a hole-type defect, are given to show the effectiveness and the accuracy of the presented schemes.

Investigation on charge parameters of underwater contact explosion based on axisymmetric SPH method

This paper investigates the effects of charge parameters of the underwater contact explosion based on the axisymmetric smoothed particle hydrodynamics （SPH） method. The dynamic boundary particle is proposed to improve the pressure fluctuation and numerical accuracy near the symmetric axis. An in-depth study is carried out over the influence of charge shapes and detonation modes on the near-field loads in terms of the peak pressure and impulse of shock waves. For different charge shapes, the cylindrical charge with different length-diameter ratios may cause strong directivity of peak pressure and impulse in the near field. Compared with spherical charge, the peak pressure of cylindrical charge may be either weakened or enhanced in different directions. Within a certain range, the greater the length-diameter ratio is, the more obvious the effect will be. The weakened ratio near the detonation end may reach 25% approximately, while the enhanced ratio may reach around 20% in the opposite direction. However, the impulse in different directions seems to be uniform. For different detonation modes, compared with point-source explosion, the peak pressure of plane-source explosion is enhanced by about 5%. Besides, the impulse of plane-source explosion is enhanced by around 5% near the detonation end, but close to those of the point-source explosion in other directions. Based on the material constitutive relation in the axisymmetric coordinates, a simple case of underwater contact explosion is simulated to verify the above conclusions, showing that the charge parameters of underwater contact explosion should not be ignored.

A measurement method for distinguishing the real contact area of rough surfaces of transparent solids using improved Otsu technique

An experimental method of measuring the real contact area of transparent blocks based on the principle of total internal reflection is presented, intending to support the investigation of friction characteristics, heat conduction, and energy dissipation at the contact interface. A laser sheet illuminates the contact interface, and the transmitted laser sheet is projected onto a screen. Then the contact information is acquired from the screen by a camera. An improved Otsu method is proposed to process the data of experimental images. It can compute the threshold of the overall image and filter out all the pixels one by one. Through analyzing the experimental results, we describe the relationship between the real contact area and the positive pressure during a continuous loading process, at different loading rates, with the polymethyl methacrylate（PMMA）material. A hysteresis phenomenon in the relationship between the real contact area and the positive pressure is found and explained.

An experimental method for quantitative analysis of real contact area based on the total reflection optical principle

The simulation of real contact area between materials is foundationally important for the contact mechanics of mechanical structures. The Greenwood and Williamson(GW) model and the Majumdar(MB) model are the basic models in this field, which are widely accepted and proven to be valid in many experiments and engineering. Although the contact models have evolved considerably in recent years, the verifications of the models are most based on the indirect methods such as electrical conductivity and contact stiffness, because of the lack of effective methods to directly measure the variation of contact surface. In this paper, the total reflection(TR) method is introduced into the verification of contact models.An experiment system based on TR method is constructed to measure the real contact area of two PMMA specimens. The comparison analysis between the results of experiment and models suggests that the experiment result has the same trend with simulation, the MB model has better agreement with the experimental result because this method can take into account the variation of radius and the merging of asperities, while the GW model has a huge deviation because of the dependence on resolution and the lack of considering the variation of radius and asperity's merging process. Taking the interaction of asperities into account could give a better result that is closer to the experiment. Our results and analysis prove that the experimental methods in this paper could be used as a more direct and valid method to quantitatively measure the real contact area and to verify the contact models.

Adaptive Multiscale Method for Two-dimensional Nanoscale Adhesive Contacts

There are two separate traditional approaches to model contact problems: continuum and atomistic theory. Continuum theory is successfully used in many domains, but when the scale of the model comes to nanometer, continuum approximation meets challenges. Atomistic theory can catch the detailed behaviors of an individual atom by using molecular dynamics (MD) or quantum mechanics, although accurately, it is usually time-consuming. A multiscale method coupled MD and finite element (FE) is presented. To mesh the FE region automatically, an adaptive method based on the strain energy gradient is introduced to the multiscale method to constitute an adaptive multiscale method. Utilizing the proposed method, adhesive contacts between a rigid cylinder and an elastic substrate are studied, and the results are compared with full MD simulations. The process of FE meshes refinement shows that adaptive multiscale method can make FE mesh generation more flexible. Comparison of the displacements of boundary atoms in the overlap region with the results from full MD simulations indicates that adaptive multiscale method can transfer displacements effectively. Displacements of atoms and FE nodes on the center line of the multiscale model agree well with that of atoms in full MD simulations, which shows the continuity in the overlap region. Furthermore, the Von Mises stress contours and contact force distributions in the contact region are almost same as full MD simulations. The method presented combines multiscale method and adaptive technique, and can provide a more effective way to multiscale method and to the investigation on nanoscale contact problems.

EFFECTIVE NUMERICAL METHODS FOR ELASTO-PLASTIC CONTACT PROBLEMS WITH FRICTION

Several effective numerical methods for solving the elasto-plastic contact problems with friction are pres- ented.First,a direct substitution method is employed to impose the contact constraint conditions on condensed finite ele- ment equations,thus resulting in a reduction by half in the dimension of final governing equations.Second,an algorithm composed of contact condition probes and elasto-plastic iterations is utilized to solve the governing equation,which distinguishes two kinds of nonlinearities,and makes the solution unique.In addition,Positive-Negative Sequence Modifica- tion Method is used to condense the finite element equations of each substructure and an analytical integration is intro- duced to determine the elasto-plastic status after each time step or each iteration,hence the computational efficiency is en- hanced to a great extent.Finally,several test and practical examples are pressented showing the validity and versatility of these methods and algorithms.

An efficient formulation based on the Lagrangian method for contact–impact analysis of flexible multi-body system

In this paper,an efficien formulation based on the Lagrangian method is presented to investigate the contact–impact problems of f exible multi-body systems.Generally,the penalty method and the Hertz contact law are the most commonly used methods in engineering applications.However,these methods are highly dependent on various non-physical parameters,which have great effects on the simulation results.Moreover,a tremendous number of degrees of freedom in the contact–impact problems will influenc thenumericalefficien ysignificantl.Withtheconsideration of these two problems,a formulation combining the component mode synthesis method and the Lagrangian method is presented to investigate the contact–impact problems in fl xible multi-body system numerically.Meanwhile,the finit element meshing laws of the contact bodies will be studied preliminarily.A numerical example with experimental verificatio will certify the reliability of the presented formulationincontact–impactanalysis.Furthermore,aseries of numerical investigations explain how great the influenc of the finit element meshing has on the simulation results.Finally the limitations of the element size in different regions are summarized to satisfy both the accuracy and efficien y.

CALCULATION OF MILL RIGIDITY BY THREE DIMENSION CONTACT BOUNDARY ELEMENT METHOD

Vertical rigidity of the space self adaptive 530 high rigidity mill is calculated by applying the boundary element method (BEM) of three dimension elastic contact problem,which can update the existed deforming separation calculating theory and corresponding methods of material mechanics,elastic mechanics and finite element method.The method has less hypotheses and stronger synthesis in contact type calculating model.The advantages of the method are high calculating rate,high calculating accuracy,etc..

Modeling Methods and Test Verification of Root Insert Contact Interface for Wind Turbine Blade

Two modeling methods of the root insert for wind turbine blade are presented,i.e.,the local mesh optimization method(LMOM)and the global modeling method(GMM).Based on the optimized mesh of the local model for the metal contact interface,LMOM is proposed to analyze the load path and stress distribution characteristics,while GMM is used to calculate and analyze the stress distribution characteristics of the resin layer established between the bushing and composite layers of root insert.To validate the GMM,a tension test is carried out.The result successfully shows that the shear strain expresses a similar strain distribution tendency with the GMM′s results.

The efficiency of direct integration methods in elastic contact-impact problems

A comparison of direct integration methods is madeand their efficiency is investigated for impact problems.New-mark,Wilson-θ,Central Difference and Houbolt Methodsare used as direct integration methods.Impact analysisincludes that of elastic and large deformation based uponupdated Lagrangian including buckling check.The resultsshow that the direct integration methods give differentresults in different contact-impact cases.

Hybrid Method to Analyze Contact Stress Distribution on Dry Friction Interfaces

A hybrid method is established by combining photoelastic experiment and finite element analysis.The method is used to evaluate contact stress distribution on dry friction interfaces,such as the contact interfaces between shrouds of fan blades and turbine blades.The photoelastic stress frozen experiment method is used to decide the displacement boundary conditions of numerical calculation.Higher accuracy and efficiency of solving problems are improved by the method.Technical difficulty and high cost of experiment are also avoided by the method.Good agreement of the stress distribution by using the hybrid method and experiment is obtained.

A modified discrete element method for concave granular materials based on energy-conserving contact model

The development of a general discrete element method for irregularly shaped particles is the core issue of the simulation of the dynamic behavior of granular materials.The general energy-conserving contact theory is used to establish a universal discrete element method suitable for particle contact of arbitrary shape.In this study,three dimentional(3D)modeling and scanning techniques are used to obtain a triangular mesh representation of the true particles containing typical concave particles.The contact volumebased energy-conserving model is used to realize the contact detection between irregularly shaped particles,and the contact force model is refined and modified to describe the contact under real conditions.The inelastic collision processes between the particles and boundaries are simulated to verify the robustness of the modified contact force model and its applicability to the multi-point contact mode.In addition,the packing process and the flow process of a large number of irregular particles are simulated with the modified discrete element method(DEM)to illustrate the applicability of the method of complex problems.

A GPU-Based Parallel Algorithm for 2D Large Deformation Contact Problems Using the Finite Particle Method

Large deformation contact problems generally involve highly nonlinear behaviors,which are very time-consuming and may lead to convergence issues.The finite particle method(FPM)effectively separates pure deformation from total motion in large deformation problems.In addition,the decoupled procedures of the FPM make it suitable for parallel computing,which may provide an approach to solve time-consuming issues.In this study,a graphics processing unit(GPU)-based parallel algorithm is proposed for two-dimensional large deformation contact problems.The fundamentals of the FPM for planar solids are first briefly introduced,including the equations of motion of particles and the internal forces of quadrilateral elements.Subsequently,a linked-list data structure suitable for parallel processing is built,and parallel global and local search algorithms are presented for contact detection.The contact forces are then derived and directly exerted on particles.The proposed method is implemented with main solution procedures executed in parallel on a GPU.Two verification problems comprising large deformation frictional contacts are presented,and the accuracy of the proposed algorithm is validated.Furthermore,the algorithm’s performance is investigated via a large-scale contact problem,and the maximum speedups of total computational time and contact calculation reach 28.5 and 77.4,respectively,relative to commercial finite element software Abaqus/Explicit running on a single-core central processing unit(CPU).The contact calculation time percentage of the total calculation time is only 18%with the FPM,much smaller than that(50%)with Abaqus/Explicit,demonstrating the efficiency of the proposed method.

CONTACT MODEL BASED ON AUGMENTED LAGRANGE METHOD AND ITS ENGINEERING APPLICATION

A kind of improved contact frictional model on basis of traditional Coulomb Friction model is adopted. Corresponding contact element is also given. The contact algorithm on basis of augmented Lagrange method is introduced and successfully applied to complex contact friction problem. Test example and actual engineering case all show that the algorithm of the model is efficient and computation results agree well with general rules.

FFT-Based Numerical Method for Nonlinear Elastic

In theoretical research pertaining to sealing, a contact model must be used to obtain the leakage channel. However, for elastoplastic contact, current numerical methods require a long calculation time. Hyperelastic contact is typically simplifed to a linear elastic contact problem, which must be improved in terms of calculation accuracy. Based on the fast Fourier transform, a numerical method suitable for elastoplastic and hyperelastic frictionless contact that can be used for solving two-dimensional and three-dimensional (3D) contact problems is proposed herein. The nonlinear elastic contact problem is converted into a linear elastic contact problem considering residual deformation (or the equivalent residual deformation). Results from numerical simulations for elastic, elastoplastic, and hyperelastic contact between a hemisphere and a rigid plane are compared with those obtained using the fnite element method to verify the accuracy of the numerical method. Compared with the existing elastoplastic contact numerical methods, the proposed method achieves a higher calculation efciency while ensuring a certain calculation accuracy (i.e., the pressure error does not exceed 15%, whereas the calculation time does not exceed 10 min in a 64 × 64 grid). For hyperelastic contact, the proposed method reduces the dependence of the approximation result on the load, as in a linear elastic approximation. Finally, using the sealing application as an example, the contact and leakage rates between complicated 3D rough surfaces are calculated. Despite a certain error, the simplifed numerical method yields a better approximation result than the linear elastic contact approximation. Additionally, the result can be used as fast solutions in engineering applications.

BLOCK PIVOT METHODS FOR SOLVING FRICTIONAL CONTACT PROBLEMS

Based on elementary group theory, the block pivot methods for solving two-dimensional elastic frictional contact problems are presented in this paper. It is proved that the algorithms converge within a finite number of steps when the friction coefficient is ''relative small''. Unlike most mathematical programming methods for contact problems, the block pivot methods permit multiple exchanges of basic and nonbasic variables.