Contact dynamics of elasto-plastic thin beams simulated via absolute nodal coordinate formulation

Under the frame of multibody dynamics, the contact dynamics of elasto-plastic spatial thin beams is numerically studied by using the spatial thin beam elements of absolute nodal coordinate formulation（ANCF）. The internal force of the elasto-plastic spatial thin beam element is derived under the assumption that the plastic strain of the beam element depends only on its longitudinal deformation.A new body-fixed local coordinate system is introduced into the spatial thin beam element of ANCF for efficient contact detection in the contact dynamics simulation. The linear isotropic hardening constitutive law is used to describe the elasto-plastic deformation of beam material, and the classical return mapping algorithm is adopted to evaluate the plastic strains. A multi-zone contact approach of thin beams previously proposed by the authors is also introduced to detect the multiple contact zones of beams accurately, and the penalty method is used to compute the normal contact force of thin beams in contact. Four numerical examples are given to demonstrate the applicability and effectiveness of the proposed elasto-plastic spatial thin beam element of ANCF for flexible multibody system dynamics.

The Effects of the Longitudinal Axis of Loading upon Bending, Shear and Torsion of a Thin-Walled Cantilever Channel Beam

Three aluminium channel sections of US standard extruded dimension are mounted as cantilevers with x-axis symmetry. The flexural bending and shear that arise with applied axial torsion are each considered theoretically and numerically in terms of two longitudinal axes of loading not coincident with the shear centre. In particular, the warping displacements, stiffness and stress distributions are calculated for torsion applied to longitudinal axes passing through the section’s centroid and its web centre. The stress conversions derived from each action are superimposed to reveal a net sectional stress distribution. Therein, the influence of the axis position upon the net axial and shear stress distributions is established compared to previous results for each beam when loading is referred to a flexural axis through the shear centre. Within the net stress analysis is, it is shown how the constraint to free warping presented by the end fixing modifies the axial stress. The latter can be identified with the action of a ‘bimoment’ upon each thin-walled section.

Theory of Flexural Shear, Bending and Torsion for a Thin-Walled Beam of Open Section

Aspects of the general Vlasov theory are examined separately as applied to a thin-walled channel section cantilever beam under free-end end loading. In particular, the flexural bending and shear that arise under transverse shear and axial torsional loading are each considered theoretically. These analyses involve the location of the shear centre at which transverse shear forces when applied do not produce torsion. This centre, when taken to be coincident with the centre of twist implies an equivalent reciprocal behaviour. That is, an axial torsion applied concentric with the shear centre will twist but not bend the beam. The respective bending and shear stress conversions are derived for each action applied to three aluminium alloy extruded channel sections mounted as cantilevers with a horizontal principal axis of symmetry. Bending and shear are considered more generally for other thin-walled sections when the transverse loading axes at the shear centre are not parallel to the section = s centroidal axes of principal second moments of area. The fixing at one end of the cantilever modifies the St Venant free angular twist and the free warping displacement. It is shown from the Wagner-Kappus torsion theory how the end constrained warping generates an axial stress distribution that varies with the length and across the cross-section for an axial torsion applied to the shear centre. It should be mentioned here for wider applications and validation of the Vlasov theory that attendant papers are to consider in detail bending and torsional loadings applied to other axes through each of the centroid and the web centre. Therein, both bending and twisting arise from transverse shear and axial torsion applied to each position being displaced from the shear centre. Here, the influence of the axis position upon the net axial and shear stress distributions is to be established. That is, the net axial stress from axial torsional loading is identified with the sum of axial stress due to bending and axial stress arising from constrained warping displacements at the fixing. The net shear stress distribution overlays the distributions from axial torsion and that from flexural shear under transverse loading. Both arise when transverse forces are displaced from the shear centre.

Effect of asphalt thin beams mixed with three nominal maximum aggregate sizes in the bending beam rheometer on the prediction of thermal properties of bituminous material

The objective of this research is to evaluate an impact of asphalt mixture beams with varying sizes of aggregate in the Bending Beam Rheometer （BBR） for testing/predicting thermal cracking properties of asphalt pavements. The BBR test has following benefits： the equipment is cheaper, it uses smaller specimens, faster conditioning, easier availability for quality control, easier to manage, etc. However some concerns have been raised： some consider that the size of the aggregate may affect the test＇s results; the other concern is that such small beams cannot represent the whole properties of the asphalt pavement. To address these criticisms, imaging techniques, statistical analysis, and viscoelastic modeling are used. Asphalt thin beams prepared with three different nominal maximum aggregate size （NMAS） （12.5mm, 9.5 mm, and 4.75 mm） were tested at three different temperatures （-18℃, -24℃, and -30℃）. Based on results from statistical analyses and viscoelasticity, the ratio of asphalt binders and voids and stiffness differences among the three NMAS specimens are not significant, meaning that the impact of asphalt thin beams prepared with the three NMAS on the prediction of thermal cracking is minimal and can be neglected.

GEOMETRICALLY NONLINEAR FINITE ELEMENT MODEL OF SPATIAL THIN-WALLED BEAMS WITH GENERAL OPEN CROSS SECTION

Based on the theory of Timoshenko and thin-walled beams, a new finite element model of spatial thin-walled beams with general open cross sections is presented in the paper, in which several factors are included such as lateral shear deformation, warp generated by nonuni- form torsion and second-order shear stress, coupling of flexure and torsion, and large displacement with small strain. With an additional internal node in the element, the element stiffness matrix is deduced by incremental virtual work in updated Lagrangian （UL） formulation. Numerical examples demonstrate that the presented model well describes the geometrically nonlinear property of spatial thin-walled beams.

Cu_2ZnSnS_4 thin films prepared by sulfurization of ion beam sputtered precursor and their electrical and optical properties

Cu2ZnSnS4 (CZTS) thin films were successfully prepared by sulfurization of ion bean sputtered precursors on soda-lime glass substrate. The single phase of stannite-type structure CZTS films were obtained as revealed in EDS and XRD analysis when the ratios of the constituents of CZTS thin films are close to stoichiometric by optimizing the conditions of precursor preparation and sulfurization. A low sheet resistivity as about 0.156 Ω·cm and a high absorption coefficient as 1×104 cm-1 were achieved in this method by Hall effect measurements and UV-VIS spectrophotometer. The optical band-gap energy of the CZTS sample is about 1.51 eV, which is very close to the optimum value for a solar-cell absorber.

Modeling and Free Vibration Behavior of Rotating Composite Thin-walled Closed-section Beams with SMA Fibers

Smart structure with active materials embedded in a rotating composite thin-walled beam is a class of typical structure which is using in study of vibration control of helicopter blades and wind turbine blades. The dynamic behavior investigation of these structures has significance in theory and practice. However, so far dynamic study on the above-mentioned structures is limited only the rotating composite beams with piezoelectric actuation. The free vibration of the rotating composite thin-walled beams with shape memory alloy（SMA） fiber actuation is studied. SMA fiber actuators are embedded into the walls of the composite beam. The equations of motion are derived based on Hamilton＇s principle and the asymptotically correct constitutive relation of single-cell cross-section accounting for SMA fiber actuation. The partial differential equations of motion are reduced to the ordinary differential equations of motion by using the Galerkin＇s method. The formulation for free vibration analysis includes anisotropy, pitch and precone angle, centrifugal force and SMA actuation effect. Numerical results of natural frequency are obtained for two configuration composite beams. It is shown that natural frequencies of the composite thin-walled beam decrease as SMA fiber volume and initial strain increase and the decrease in natural frequency becomes more significant as SMA fiber volume increases. The actuation performance of SMA fibers is found to be closely related to the rotational speeds and ply-angle. In addition, the effect of the pitch angle appears to be more significant for the lower-bending mode ones. Finally, in all cases, the precone angle appears to have marginal effect on free vibration frequencies. The developed model can be capable of describing natural vibration behaviors of rotating composite thin-walled beam with active SMA fiber actuation. The present work extends the previous analysis done for modeling passive rotating composite thin-walled beam.

Effects of the ion-beam voltage on the properties of the diamond-like carbon thin film prepared by ion-beam sputtering deposition

Diamond-like carbon （DLC） thin film is one of the most widely used optical thin films. The fraction of chemical bondings has a great influence on the properties of the DLC film. In this work, DLC thin films are prepared by ion-beam sputtering deposition in Ar and CH4 mixtures with graphite as the target. The influences of the ion-beam voltage on the surface morphology, chemical structure, mechanical and infrared optical properties of the DLC films are investigated by atomic force microscopy （AFM）, Raman spectroscopy, nanoindentation, and Fourier transform infrared （FTIR） spec- troscopy, respectively. The results show that the surface of the film is uniform and smooth. The film contains sp2 and sp3 hybridized carbon bondings. The film prepared by lower ion beam voltage has a higher sp3 bonding content. It is found that the hardness of DLC films increases with reducing ion-beam voltage, which can be attributed to an increase in the fraction of sp3 carbon bondings in the DLC film. The optical constants can be obtained by the whole infrared optical spectrum fitting with the transmittance spectrum. The refractive index increases with the decrease of the ion-beam voltage, while the extinction coefficient decreases.

Response of structural and magnetic properties of ultra-thin FeCo–V foils to high-energy beam welding processes

Microstructural evolutions and grain-boundary-character distribution during high-energy-beam welding of ultra-thin Fe Co-V foils were studied. Detailed data about the boundaries, coincidence site lattice（CSL） relationships, grain sizes, and microstructural features were acquired from electron-backscatter diffraction（EBSD） maps. Moreover, the evolution of the magnetic properties during high-energy-beam welding was studied using vibrating sample magnetometry（VSM）. The fraction of low-angle boundaries was observed to increase in the fusion zones of both electron- and laser-beam-welded foils. The results showed that the fractions of low-Σ CSL boundaries（particularly twin boundaries, Σ3） in the fusion zones of the welded foils are higher than those in the base metal. Because the strain rates produced during high-energy-beam welding are very high（because of the extremely high cooling rate）, grain deformation by a slip mechanism is limited; therefore, deformation by grain twinning is dominant. VSM analysis showed that the magnetic properties of the welded foils, i.e., their remanence, coercive force, and energy product, changed significantly. The formation of large grains with preferred orientation parallel to the easy axis of magnetization was the main reason for the diminished magnetic properties.

Enhanced adhesion of Cu-W thin films by ion beam assisting bombardment implanting

Cu-W thin film with high W content was deposited by dual-target DC-magnetron co-sputtering technology.Effects of the substrates surface treating technique on the adhesive strength of Cu-W thin films were studied.It is found that the technique of ion beam assisting bombardment implanting of W particles can remarkably improve the adhesive property of Cu-W thin films. Indentation and scratching test show that,the critical load is doubled over than the sample only sputter-cleaned by ion beam.The enhancing mechanism of ion beam assisting bombardment implanting of Cu-W thin films was analyzed.With the help of mid-energy Ar+ion beam,W atoms can diffuse into the Fe-substrate surface layer;Fe atoms in the substrate surface layer and W atoms interlace with one another;and microcosmic mechanical meshing and diffusing combination on atom-scale among the Fe and W atoms through the film/substrate interface can be formed.The wettability and thermal expansion properties of the W atoms diffusion zone containing plentiful W atoms are close to those of pure W or W-based Cu-W film.

Optimal Design for Thin-Walled Box Beam Based on Material Strength Reliability

According to the reliability of material strength,the optimal design for the cross sectional size of thin walled box beam was studied.Firstly the cross sectional size as design random variable was determined,then its stochastic nature was researched,with which the objective function is to seek the maximum reliability of the beam under given constraint conditions.This way is not the same as the conventional optimal design for the minimum weight of the material.With establishing the optimal objective,the reliability of the material under conditions of static and fatigue was considered.The corresponding calculated expressions are given.Normally the cross section sizes are fitted to the normal distribution,for the simplification of the design variable,the variation of the section size is assumed as a dependent variable proportional to the mean of the size.The way is different not only with the conventional optimal design but also with the common reliability design.The maximum reliability of material is obtained,meanwhile the area of the cross section is reduced,i.e.,the weight of the material is decreased.

Effects of Different Titanium Sub-oxide on the Properties of Titanium Dioxide Thin Films Prepared by E-beam Evaporation Deposition with Ion Auxiliary

TiO2 thin films were prepared with Ti2O3, Ti3O5 and TiO2 as raw materials, by electron-beam evaporation deposition, using O^2- ion beam （ O2 purity up to 99.99% ） as auxiliary means. The crystal structures of the samples were inspected by the X-ray diffraction （XRD） method, and the evaporation character of warious raw materials was analyzed. Transmittance spectra were measured through a U-3310 spectrophotometer （ wavelength ranging from 200 nm to 900 nm）. The refractive index n and the thickness of films were determined from transmission spectra. The experimental results show that the thin films taking Ti2O3 as their raw material have a strong absorption, when taking Ti3O5 and TiO2 as raw materials, the thin films would have good optical properties. The experiments also show that, the crystal structure of all thin films is amorphous before post-annealing and the Ti3O5 is a congruent evaporation phase in the Ti-O system.

The Effects of Annealing and Discharging on the Characteristics of MgO Thin Films Prepared by Ion Beam-Assisted Deposition as a Protective Layer of AC-PDP

This study investigated the effects of annealing and discharging on the characteristics of MgO thin films prepared by ion beam-assisted deposition as a protective layer of AC-PDP. By an annealing process at a temperature of 450 ℃ for more than three hours, the crystallinity of the deposited MgO films was improved, but the surface of the （200）-oriented MgO thin films in the vicinity of the discharge electrodes, especially on the inner sides of the electrodes, was subjected to crack formation to the compressive stress of The failure mechanism of the MgO films plus the additional （200）-oriented MgO films was due compressive stress induced by the differences in the coefficient of thermal expansion between the electrode and the dielectric layer. In the discharging process, all MgO films were eroded unevenly, and the serious erosion occurred near the edges of the discharge electrodes. ATM（atomic force microscopy） images show that the eroded surface of the （200）-oriented MgO thin film is smoother than that of the （111）-oriented fihn. Also, the （200）-oriented MgO thin film shows an improved ability to resist ion erosion compared to the （111）-oriented film.

Nonlinear Free Vibration Analysis of Thin-walled Curved Beam with Non-symmetric Open Cross Section

A finite element formulation was presented for the nonlinear free vibration of thin-walled curved beams with non-symmetric open across section.The kinetic and potential energies were derived by the virtual principle.The energy function includes the effect of flexural-torsional coupling,the torsion warping and the shear centre location.For finite element analysis,cubic polynomials were utilized as the shape functions of the two nodal thin-walled curved elements.Each node possesses seven degrees freedom including the warping degree of freedom.The nonlinear eigenvalue problem was solved by the direct iteration technique.The results are compared with those for straight beams as available in the literature.The results for nonlinear free vibration analysis of curved beams for various radii and subtended angle are presented.

Microstructures and Properties of 550 MPa Grade High Strength Thin-walled H-beam Steel

The microstructures and mechanical properties of 550 MPa grade lightweight high strength thin-walled H-beam steel were experimentally studied. The experimental results show that the microstructure of the air-cooled H-beam steel sample is consisted of ferrite, pearlite and a small amount of granular bainites as well as fine and dispersive V（C,N） precipitates. The microstructure of the water-cooled steel sample is consisted of ferrite and bainite as well as a small amount of fine pearlites. The microstructure of the water-cooled sample is finer than that of the air-cooled sample with the average intercept size of the surface grains reaching to 3.5 gna. The finish rolling temperature of the thin-walled high strength H-beam steel is in the range of 750 ~C-850 ~C. The lower the finish rolling temperature and the faster the cooling rate, the finer the ferrite grains, the volume fraction of bainite is increased through water cooling process. Grain refinement strengthening and precipitation strengthening are used as major strengthening means to develop 550 MPa grade lightweight high strength thin- walled H-beam steel. Vanadium partially soluted in the matrix and contributes to the solution strengthening. The 550 MPa grade high-strength thin-walled H-beam steel could be developed by direct air cooling after hot rolling to fully meet the requirements of the target properties.

A new finite element of spatial thin-walled beams

Based on the theories of Timoshenko＇s beams and Vlasov＇s thin-walled members, a new spatial thin-walled beam element with an interior node is developed. By independently interpolating bending angles and warp, factors such as transverse shear deformation, torsional shear deformation and their Coupling, coupling of flexure and torsion, and second shear stress are considered. According to the generalized variational theory of Hellinger-Reissner, the element stiffness matrix is derived. Examples show that the developed model is accurate and can be applied in the finite element analysis of thinwalled structures.

Investigation on the Effect of Film Thickness on the Surface Morphology, Electrical and Optical Properties of E-Beam Deposited Indium Tin Oxide (ITO) Thin Film

The following article has been retracted due to the fact that the authors practise fraud. The scientific community takes a very strong view on this matter, and the Advances in Materials Physics and Chemistry treats all unethical behavior seriously. This paper published in Vol. 4 No. 10 194-202, 2014 has been removed from this site. ? Title: Investigation on the Effect of Film Thickness on the Surface Morphology, Electrical and Optical Properties of E-Beam Deposited Indium Tin Oxide (ITO) Thin Film ? Authors: Golam Saklayen, Shahinul Islam, Ferdous Rahman, Abu Bakar

Electron beam deposition and characterization of thin film Ti-Ni for shape memory applications

Thin film of Ti-Ni alloy has a potential to perform the microactuation functions required in the microelectromechanical system (MEMS). It is essential, however, to have good uniformity in both chemical composition and thickness to realize its full potential as an active component of MEMS devices. Electron beam evaporation technique was employed in this study to fabricate the thin films of Ti-Ni alloy on different substrates. The targets used for the evaporation were first prepared by electron beam melting. The uniformity of composition and microstructure of the thin films were characterized by electron probe microanalysis (EPMA), Auger electron spectroscopy (AES), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The mechanical property of the thin films was evaluated by the nano-indentation test. The martensitic transformation temperature was measured by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). It is confirmed that the chemical composition of deposited thin films is identical to that of the target materials. Furthermore, results from depth profiling of the chemical composition variation reveal that the electron beam evaporation process yields better compositional homogeneity than other conventional methods such as sputtering and thermal evaporation. Microstructural observation by TEM shows that nanometer size precipitates are preferentially distributed along the grain boundaries of a few micron size grains. The hardness and elastic modulus of thin films decreases with an increase in Ti contents.

Modification of the Properties of Cu_x S Thin Films by Low Energy Ion Beam Implantation

Cu x S thin films are implanted by low energy N + ion beam. The influences of the energy and dose of N + ion implantation on Cu x S films are investigated. The results show that the ratio of copper to sulfur is increased to some extent, the constituents of the film are turned to rich copper phase from rich sulfurous phase after ion beam irradiation. X-ray diffraction spectrum and optical transmission spectra of sample have confirmed the results.