Multi-scale Modeling and Finite Element Analyses of Thermal Conductivity of 3D C/SiC Composites Fabricating by Flexible-Oriented Woven Process

Thermal conductivity is one of the most significant criterion of three-dimensional carbon fiber-reinforced SiC matrix composites(3D C/SiC).Represent volume element(RVE)models of microscale,void/matrix and mesoscale proposed in this work are used to simulate the thermal conductivity behaviors of the 3D C/SiC composites.An entirely new process is introduced to weave the preform with three-dimensional orthogonal architecture.The 3D steady-state analysis step is created for assessing the thermal conductivity behaviors of the composites by applying periodic temperature boundary conditions.Three RVE models of cuboid,hexagonal and fiber random distribution are respectively developed to comparatively study the influence of fiber package pattern on the thermal conductivities at the microscale.Besides,the effect of void morphology on the thermal conductivity of the matrix is analyzed by the void/matrix models.The prediction results at the mesoscale correspond closely to the experimental values.The effect of the porosities and fiber volume fractions on the thermal conductivities is also taken into consideration.The multi-scale models mentioned in this paper can be used to predict the thermal conductivity behaviors of other composites with complex structures.

Thermal-contact capacity of one-dimensional attractive Gaudin-Yang model

Tan's contact C is an important quantity measuring the two-body correlations at short distances in a dilute system.Here we make use of the technique of exactly solved models to study the thermal-contact capacity K_(T),i.e.,the derivative of C with respect to temperature in the attractive Gaudin-Yang model.It is found that K_(T) is useful in identifying the low temperature phase diagram,and using the obtained analytical expression of K_(T),we study its critical behavior and the scaling law.Especially,we show K_(T) versus temperature and thus the non-monotonic tendency of C in a tiny interval,for both spin-balanced and imbalanced phases.Such a phenomenon is merely observed in multi-component systems such as SU(2)Fermi gases and spinor bosons,indicating the crossover from the Tomonaga-Luttinger liquid to the spin-coherent liquid.

Multi-Scale Design and Optimization of Composite Material Structure for Heavy-Duty Truck Protection Device

In this paper,to present a lightweight-developed front underrun protection device(FUPD)for heavy-duty trucks,plain weave carbon fiber reinforced plastic(CFRP)is used instead of the original high-strength steel.First,the mechanical and structural properties of plain carbon fiber composite anti-collision beams are comparatively analyzed from a multi-scale perspective.For studying the design capability of carbon fiber composite materials,we investigate the effects of TC-33 carbon fiber diameter(D),fiber yarn width(W)and height(H),and fiber yarn density(N)on the front underrun protective beam of carbon fiber compositematerials.Based on the investigation,a material-structure matching strategy suitable for the front underrun protective beam of heavy-duty trucks is proposed.Next,the composite material structure is optimized by applying size optimization and stack sequence optimization methods to obtain the higher performance carbon fiber composite front underrun protection beam of commercial vehicles.The results show that the fiber yarn height(H)has the greatest influence on the protective beam,and theH1matching scheme for the front underrun protective beamwith a carbon fiber composite structure exhibits superior performance.The proposed method achieves a weight reduction of 55.21% while still meeting regulatory requirements,which demonstrates its remarkable weight reduction effect.

Multi-scale context-aware network for continuous sign language recognition

The hands and face are the most important parts for expressing sign language morphemes in sign language videos.However,we find that existing Continuous Sign Language Recognition(CSLR)methods lack the mining of hand and face information in visual backbones or use expensive and time-consuming external extractors to explore this information.In addition,the signs have different lengths,whereas previous CSLR methods typically use a fixed-length window to segment the video to capture sequential features and then perform global temporal modeling,which disturbs the perception of complete signs.In this study,we propose a Multi-Scale Context-Aware network(MSCA-Net)to solve the aforementioned problems.Our MSCA-Net contains two main modules:(1)Multi-Scale Motion Attention(MSMA),which uses the differences among frames to perceive information of the hands and face in multiple spatial scales,replacing the heavy feature extractors;and(2)Multi-Scale Temporal Modeling(MSTM),which explores crucial temporal information in the sign language video from different temporal scales.We conduct extensive experiments using three widely used sign language datasets,i.e.,RWTH-PHOENIX-Weather-2014,RWTH-PHOENIX-Weather-2014T,and CSL-Daily.The proposed MSCA-Net achieve state-of-the-art performance,demonstrating the effectiveness of our approach.

Calculation of high-speed abrasion forces for ceramic coatings based on the Hertzian contact model

Aero engine seal coatings can effectively improve the air tightness of aircraft engines and increase fuel efficiency.However,due to the frictional forces between the blades and the coating,the coating often flakes off,resulting in damage to the blades and causing eco-nomic losses.Therefore,it is necessary to analyze the friction between the blades and the coating.In this paper,three ceramic-based high-temperature seal coatings with different polyphenylene ester contents and a pure Yttria-stabilised zirconia coating were prepared by atmo-spheric plasma spraying(APS).The hardness and modulus of elasticity of the coated surfaces were obtained by hardness and modulus of elasticity tests,and the coatings were subjected to high-speed touch abrasion tests.The Hertzian contact model was used to calculate the maximum normal contact load on the coating during the process.The test values were compared with the theoretical values and it was found that the calculated values were always greater than the test values.In order to make the Hertzian contact model more accurate in calculating the touching and abrasion forces,the contact coefficients in the Hertzian contact model were optimized.Substituting the optimized coeffi-cients into the Hertzian contact model,the results show that the calculated results after optimizing the coefficients are much closer to the test values,with deviations from the test values ranging from 1%to 38%.

Multi-scale simulation of diffusion behavior of deterrent in propellant

Concentration distribution of the deterrent in single-base propellant during the process of firing plays an important role in the ballistic properties of gun propellant in weapons. However, the diffusion coefficient calculated by molecular dynamics(MD) simulation is 6 orders of magnitude larger than the experimental values. Meanwhile, few simple and comprehensive theoretical models can explain the phenomenon and accurately predict the concentration distribution of the propellant. Herein, an onion model combining with MD simulation and finite element method of diffusion in propellants is introduced to bridge the gap between the experiments and simulations, and correctly predict the concentration distribution of deterrent. Furthermore, a new time scale is found to characterize the diffusion process. Finally, the time-and position-depended concentration distributions of dibutyl phthalate in nitrocellulose are measured by Raman spectroscopy to verify the correctness of the onion model. This work not only provides guidance for the design of the deterrent, but could be also extended to the diffusion of small molecules in polymer with different crystallinity.

Wheel-rail contact model for railway vehicle-structure interaction applications:development and validation

An enhancement in the wheel-rail contact model used in a nonlinear vehicle-structure interaction(VSI)methodology for railway applications is presented,in which the detection of the contact points between wheel and rail in the concave region of the thread-flange transition is implemented in a simplified way.After presenting the enhanced formulation,the model is validated with two numerical applications(namely,the Manchester Benchmarks and a hunting stability problem of a sus-pended wheelset),and one experimental test performed in a test rig from the Railway Technical Research Institute(RTRI)in Japan.Given its finite element(FE)nature,and contrary to most of the vehicle multibody dynamic commercial software that cannot account for the infrastructure flexibility,the proposed VSI model can be easily used in the study of train-bridge systems with any degree of complexity.The validation presented in this work proves the accuracy of the proposed model,making it a suitable tool for dealing with different railway dynamic applications,such as the study of bridge dynamics,train running safety under different scenarios(namely,earthquakes and crosswinds,among others),and passenger riding comfort.

The Multi-Scale Numerical Modeling System for Research on the Relationship between Urban Planning and Meteorological Environment

Considering the urban characteristics, a customized multi-scale numerical modeling system is established to simulate the urban meteorological environment. The system mainly involves three spatial scales: the urban scale, urban sub-domain scale, and single to few buildings scale. In it, different underlying surface types are employed, the building drag factor is used to replace its roughness in the influence on the urban wind field, the effects of building distribution, azimuth and screening of shortwave radiation are added, and the influence of anthropogenic heating is also taken into account. All the numerical tests indicate that the simulated results are reasonably in agreement with the observational data, so the system can be used to simulate the urban meteorological environment. Making use of it, the characteristics of the meteorological environment from the urban to urban sub-domain scales, even the among-buildings scale, can be recognized. As long as the urban planning scheme is given, the corresponding simulated results can be obtained so as to meet the need of optimizing urban planning.

A Multi-Scale Urban Atmospheric Dispersion Model for Emergency Management

To assist emergency management planning and prevention in case of hazardous chemical release into the atmosphere,especially in densely built-up regions with large populations,a multi-scale urban atmospheric dispersion model was established.Three numerical dispersion experiments,at horizontal resolutions of 10 m,50 m and 3000 m,were performed to estimate the adverse effects of toxic chemical release in densely built-up areas.The multi-scale atmospheric dispersion model is composed of the Weather Forecasting and Research （WRF） model,the Open Source Field Operation and Manipulation software package,and a Lagrangian dispersion model.Quantification of the adverse health effects of these chemical release events are given by referring to the U.S.Environmental Protection Agency＇s Acute Exposure Guideline Levels.The wind fields of the urban-scale case,with 3 km horizontal resolution,were simulated by the Beijing Rapid Update Cycle system,which were utilized by the WRF model.The sub-domain-scale cases took advantage of the computational fluid dynamics method to explicitly consider the effects of buildings.It was found that the multi-scale atmospheric dispersion model is capable of simulating the flow pattern and concentration distribution on different scales,ranging from several meters to kilometers,and can therefore be used to improve the planning of prevention and response programs.

Multi-scale modeling of hemodynamics in the cardiovascular system

The human cardiovascular system is a closed- loop and complex vascular network with multi-scaled het- erogeneous hemodynamic phenomena. Here, we give a selective review of recent progress in macro-hemodynamic modeling, with a focus on geometrical multi-scale model- ing of the vascular network, micro-hemodynamic modeling of microcirculation, as well as blood cellular, subcellular, endothelial biomechanics, and their interaction with arter- ial vessel mechanics. We describe in detail the methodology of hemodynamic modeling and its potential applications in cardiovascular research and clinical practice. In addition, we present major topics for future study： recent progress of patient-specific hemodynamic modeling in clinical applica- tions, micro-hemodynamic modeling in capillaries and blood cells, and the importance and potential of the multi-scale hemodynarnic modeling.

Surrogate-based modeling and dimension reduction techniques for multi-scale mechanics problems

Successful modeling and/or design of engineering systems often requires one to address the impact of multiple ＂design variables＂ on the prescribed outcome.There are often multiple,competing objectives based on which we assess the outcome of optimization.Since accurate,high fidelity models are typically time consuming and computationally expensive,comprehensive evaluations can be conducted only if an efficient framework is available.Furthermore,informed decisions of the model/hardware＇s overall performance rely on an adequate understanding of the global,not local,sensitivity of the individual design variables on the objectives.The surrogate-based approach,which involves approximating the objectives as continuous functions of design variables from limited data,offers a rational framework to reduce the number of important input variables,i.e.,the dimension of a design or modeling space.In this paper,we review the fundamental issues that arise in surrogate-based analysis and optimization,highlighting concepts,methods,techniques,as well as modeling implications for mechanics problems.To aid the discussions of the issues involved,we summarize recent efforts in investigating cryogenic cavitating flows,active flow control based on dielectric barrier discharge concepts,and lithium（Li）-ion batteries.It is also stressed that many multi-scale mechanics problems can naturally benefit from the surrogate approach for ＂scale bridging.＂

Contact Angle Prediction Model for Underwater Oleophobic Surfaces Based on Multifractal Theory

Traditional microstructure scale parameters have difficulty describing the structure and distribution of a roughmaterial’s surface morphology comprehensively and quantitatively. This study constructs hydrophilic and underwateroleophobic surfaces based on polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) using a chemical modification method, and the fractaldimension and multifractal spectrum are used to quantitatively characterize the microscopic morphology. A new contactangle prediction model for underwater oleophobic surfaces is established. The results show that the fractal dimension ofthe PVDF surface first increases and then decreases with the reaction time. The uniformity characterized by the multifractalspectrum was generally consistent with scanning electron microscope observations. The contact angle of water droplets onthe PVDF surface is negatively correlated with the fractal dimension, and oil droplets in water are positively correlated.When the fractal dimension is 2.0975, the new contact angle prediction model has higher prediction accuracy. Themaximum and minimum relative deviations of the contact angle between the theoretical and measured data are 18.20%and 0.72%, respectively. For water ring transportation, the larger the fractal dimension and spectral width of the materialsurface, the smaller the absolute value of the spectral difference, the stronger the hydrophilic and oleophobic properties, andthe better the water ring transportation stability.

Numerical failure analysis of a continuous reinforced concrete bridge under strong earthquakes using multi-scale models

Previous failure analyses of bridges typically focus on substructure failure or superstructure failure separately. However, in an actual bridge, the seismic induced substructure failure and superstructure failure may influence each other. Moreover, previous studies typically use simplified models to analyze the bridge failure; however, there are inherent defects in the calculation accuracy compared with using a detailed three-dimensional （3D） finite element （FE） model. Conversely, a detailed 3D FE model requires more computational costs, and a proper erosion criterion of the 3D elements is necessary. In this paper, a multi-scale FE model, including a corresponding erosion criterion, is proposed and validated that can significantly reduce computational costs with high precision by modelling a pseudo-dynamic test of an reinforced concrete （RC） pier. Numerical simulations of the seismic failures of a continuous RC bridge based on the multi-scale FE modeling method using LS-DYNA are performed. The nonlinear properties of the bridge, various connection strengths and bidirectional excitations are considered. The numerical results demonstrate that the failure of the connections will induce large pounding responses of the girders. The nonlinear deformation of the piers will aggravate the pounding damages. Furthermore, bidirectional earthquakes will induce eccentric poundingsto the girders and different failure modes to the adjacent piers.

Numerical Stability and Accuracy of Contact Angle Schemes in Pseudopotential Lattice Boltzmann Model for Simulating Static Wetting and Dynamic Wetting

There are five most widely used contact angle schemes in the pseudopotential lattice Boltzmann(LB)model for simulating the wetting phenomenon:The pseudopotential-based scheme(PB scheme),the improved virtualdensity scheme(IVD scheme),the modified pseudopotential-based scheme with a ghost fluid layer constructed by using the fluid layer density above the wall(MPB-C scheme),the modified pseudopotential-based scheme with a ghost fluid layer constructed by using the weighted average density of surrounding fluid nodes(MPB-W scheme)and the geometric formulation scheme(GF scheme).But the numerical stability and accuracy of the schemes for wetting simulation remain unclear in the past.In this paper,the numerical stability and accuracy of these schemes are clarified for the first time,by applying the five widely used contact angle schemes to simulate a two-dimensional(2D)sessile droplet on wall and capillary imbibition in a 2D channel as the examples of static wetting and dynamic wetting simulations respectively.(i)It is shown that the simulated contact angles by the GF scheme are consistent at different density ratios for the same prescribed contact angle,but the simulated contact angles by the PB scheme,IVD scheme,MPB-C scheme and MPB-W scheme change with density ratios for the same fluid-solid interaction strength.The PB scheme is found to be the most unstable scheme for simulating static wetting at increased density ratios.(ii)Although the spurious velocity increases with the increased liquid/vapor density ratio for all the contact angle schemes,the magnitude of the spurious velocity in the PB scheme,IVD scheme and GF scheme are smaller than that in the MPB-C scheme and MPB-W scheme.(iii)The fluid density variation near the wall in the PB scheme is the most significant,and the variation can be diminished in the IVD scheme,MPB-C scheme andMPBWscheme.The variation totally disappeared in the GF scheme.(iv)For the simulation of capillary imbibition,the MPB-C scheme,MPB-Wscheme and GF scheme simulate the dynamics of the liquid-vapor interface well,with the GF scheme being the most accurate.The accuracy of the IVD scheme is low at a small contact angle(44 degrees)but gets high at a large contact angle(60 degrees).However,the PB scheme is the most inaccurate in simulating the dynamics of the liquid-vapor interface.As a whole,it is most suggested to apply the GF scheme to simulate static wetting or dynamic wetting,while it is the least suggested to use the PB scheme to simulate static wetting or dynamic wetting.

Multi-scale fatigue damage model for steel structures working under high temperature

In order to better understand the fatigue mechanisms of steel structures working under high temperature, a multi-scale fatigue damage model at high temperature is developed. In the developed model, the macroscopic fatigue damage of metallic materials due to the collective behavior of micro-cracks is quantified by using the generalized self-consistent method. The influence of temperature on fatigue damage of steel structures is quantified by using the previous creep damage model. In addition, the fatigue damage at room temperature and creep damage is coupled in the multi-scale fatigue damage model. The validity of the developed multi-scale damage model is verified by comparing the predicted damage evolution curve with the experimental data. It shows that the developed model is effectiveness. Finally, the fatigue analysis on steel crane runway girders (CRGs) of industrial steel melt shop is performed based on the developed model.

Multi-scale Simulation Method with Coupled Finite/Discrete Element Model and Its Application

The existing research on continuous structure is usually analyzed with finite element method (FEM) and granular medium with discrete element method (DEM), but there are few researches on the coupling interaction between continuous structure and discrete medium. To the issue of this coupling interaction, a multi-scale simulation method with coupled finite/discrete element model is put forward, in their respective domains of discrete and finite elements, the nodes follow force law and motion law of their own method, and on the their interaction interface, the touch type between discrete and finite elements is distinguished as two types: full touch and partial touch, the interaction force between them is calculated with linear elastic model. For full touch, the contact force is proportional to the overlap distance between discrete element and finite element patch. For partial touch, first the finite element patch is extended on all sides indefinitely to be a complete plane, the full contact force can be obtained with the touch type between discrete element and plane being viewed as full touch, then the full overlap area between them and the actual overlap area between discrete element and finite element patch are computed, the actual contact force is obtained by scaling the full contact force with a factor which is determined by the ratio of the actual overlap area to the full overlap area. The contact force is equivalent to the finite element nodes and the force and displacement on the nodes can be computed, so the ideal simulation results can be got. This method has been used to simulate the cutter disk of the earth pressure balance shield machine (EPBSM) made in North Heavy Industry (NHI) with its excavation diameter of 6.28 m cutting and digging the sandy clay layer. The simulation results show that as the gradual increase of excavating depth of the cutter head, the maximum stress occurs at the roots of cutters on the cutter head, while for the soil, the largest stress is distributed at the region which directly contacted with the cutters. The proposed research can provide good solutions for correct design and installation of cutters, and it is necessary to design mounting bracket to fix cutters on cutter head.

A multi-scale 3-D crust velocity model in the Hefei-Chao Lake area around the southern segment of Tanlu Fault Zone

Regional high-precision velocity models of the crust are an important foundation for examining seismic activity,seismogenic environments,and disaster distribution characteristics.The Hefei-Chao Lake area contains the main geological units of Hefei Basin,with thick sediments and the Chao Lake depression.Several major concealed faults of the southern NNE-trending Tanlu Fault Zone cross this area.To further explore the underground distribution characteristics of the faults and their tectonic evolutionary relationship with adjacent tectonic units,this study used ambient noise data recorded by a seismic array deployed in Hefei City and Chao Lake,constructing a 3-D velocity model at the depth of 1–8 km.Then a multi-scale high-resolution 3-D velocity model of this area was constructed by this new upper crustal velocity model with the previous middle and lower crustal model.The new model reveals that a high-velocity belt is highly consistent with the strike of the Tanlu Fault Zone,and a low-velocity sedimentary characteristic is consistent with the Hefei Basin and Chao Lake depression.The distribution morphology of high and low velocity bodies shows that the sedimentary pattern of Hefei-Chao Lake area is closely related to the tectonic evolution of the Tanlu Fault Zone since the Mesozoic.This study also identifies multiple low-velocity anomalies in the southeastern Hefei City.We speculate that strong ground motion during the 2009 Feidong earthquake(magnitude of 3.5)was related to amplification by the thick sediments in the Hefei Basin.We also discuss further applications of multi-scale high-resolution models of the shallow layer to strong ground motion simulations in cities and for earthquake disaster assessments.

Multi-scale elastoplastic mechanical model and microstructure damage analysis of solid expandable tubular

We present an in-depth study of the failure phenomenon of solid expandable tubular (SET) due to large expansion ratio in open holes of deep and ultra-deep wells. By examining the post-expansion SET, lots of microcracks are found on the inner surface of SET. Their morphology and parameters such as length and depth are investigated by use of metallographic microscope and scanning electron microscope (SEM). In addition, the Voronoi cell technique is adopted to characterize the multi-phase material microstructure of the SET. By using the anisotropic elastoplastic material constitutive model and macro/microscopic multi-dimensional cross-scale coupled boundary conditions, a sophisticated and multi-scale finite element model (FEM) of the SET is built successfully to simulate the material microstructure damage for different expansion ratios. The microcrack initiation and growth is simulated, and the structural integrity of the SET is discussed. It is concluded that this multi-scale finite element modeling method could effectively predict the elastoplastic deformation and the microscopic damage initiation and evolution of the SET. It is of great significance as a theoretical analysis tool to optimize the selection of appropriate tubular materials and it could be also used to substantially reduce costly failures of expandable tubulars in the field. This numerical analysis is not only beneficial for understanding the damage process of tubular materials but also effectively guides the engineering application of the SET technology.

Heterogeneities of grain boundary contact for simulation of laboratoryscale mechanical behavior of granitic rocks

From a practical point of view,grain structure heterogeneities are key parameters that control the rock response and still remains a challenge to incorporate in a quantitative manner.One of the less discussed topics in the context of the grain-based model(GBM)in the particle flow code(PFC)is the contact heterogeneities and the appropriate contact model to mimic the grain boundary behavior.Generally,the smooth joint(SJ)model and linear parallel bond(LPB)model are used to simulate the grain boundary behavior.However,the literature does not document the suitability of different models for specific problems.Another challenge in implementing GBM in PFC is that only a single bonding parameter is used at the grain boundaries.The aim of this study is to investigate the responses of a laboratory-scale specimen with SJ and LPB models,considering grain boundary heterogeneous and homogeneous contact parameters.Uniaxial and biaxial compression tests are performed to calibrate the response of Creighton granite.The stressestrain curves,volumetric dilation,inter-crack(crack in the grain boundary),and intra-crack(crack within the grain)development,and failure patterns associated with different contact models are examined.It was found that both the SJ and LPB models can reproduce the pre-peak behavior observed for a granitic rock type.However,the LPB model is unable to reproduce the post-peak behavior.Due to the large interlocking effect originating from the balls in contact and the ball size in the LPB model,local dilation is induced at the grain boundaries.This overestimates the volumetric dilation and residual shear strength.The LPB model tends to result in discontinuous inter-cracks and stress localization in the rock specimen,resulting in fine fragments at the rock surface during failure.

Effect of contact materials on the transient characteristics of vacuum arc plasma and anode erosion

In this study, the mechanisms of the anode phenomena and anode erosion with various contact materials were investigated. Arc parameters were calculated, and the anode temperature was predicted with a transient self-consistent model. The simulation results predicted a constricted arc column and obvious anode phenomena in Cu–Cr alloy contacts than in W–Cu alloy contacts.This observation could be the reason for the concentrated anode erosion in Cu–Cr alloys. For the contacts made by pure tungsten(W) and W–Cu alloy, the anode temperature increased rapidly because of the low specific heat of W. However, the maximum energy flux from the arc column to the anode surface was lower than in other cases. The simulation results were compared with experimental results.