Self-shaping of curved structures, especially those involving flexible thin layers, is attracting increasing attention because of their broad potential applications in, e.g., nanoelectromechanical andmicroelectromechanical systems, sensors, artificial skins, stretchable electronics, robotics, and drug delivery.
3D printing and numerical analysis are combined to design a new class of architected materials that contain bistable beam elements and exhibit controlled trapping of elastic energy. The proposed energy-absorbing structures are reusable. Moreover, the mechanism of energy absorption stems solely from the structural geometry of the printed beam elements, and is therefore both materials- and loading-rate independent.
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/adma.201501708/full
Peridynamic theory of solids from the perspective of classical statistical mechanics
R. Rahman, J.T. Foster
Strained multilayer structures are extensively investigated because of their applications in microelectromechanical/nano-elecromechanical systems. Here we employ a finite element method (FEM) to study the bending and twisting of multilayer structures subjected to misfit strains or residual stresses. This method is first validated by comparing the simulation results with analytic predictions for the bending radius of a bilayer strip with given misfit strains.
Can a torque induce longitudinal motion of an elastic rod?
See the explanation and an example of use of the 'torsional gun' at http://www.ing.unitn.it/~bigoni/torsional_locomotion.html
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Flexoelectricity is a size-dependent electromechanical mechanism coupling polarization and strain gradient. It exists in a wide variety of materials, and is most noticeable for nanoscale objects, where strain gradients are higher. Simulations are important to understand flexoelectricity because experiments at very small scales are difficult, and analytical solutions are scarce. Here, we computationally evaluate the role of flexoelectricity in the electromechanical response of linear dielectric solids in two-dimensions.
Can configurational forces be exploited to design a new type of scale?
See the explanation and an example of use at http://www.ing.unitn.it/~bigoni/elasticscale.html
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I am performing a nonlinear post buckling using Riks method. I went through different tutorials for the same. I happen to see that an *IMPERFECTION is introduced while performing the non linear buckling analysis.Why is it done? How does/will the model react differently if the Imperfection is no introduced?
I wish to plot the graph of load v/s displacement for 1,2,3,4...10 times the critical buckling load during the post buckling analysis (Riks method). How do I do that?
In this study, we presented a numerically robust procedure to evaluate 4th order tangent moduli which are vital for acheiving quadratic convergence of global Newton-Raphson scheme.
In this study, the proposed method is verified for hyperelastic models alone. However, the same can be extended to other constitutive models.
The paper can be found at
Numerically approximated Cauchy integral (NACI) for implementation of constitutive models
10.1016/j.finel.2014.05.016
Do singular stress fields exist close to rigid corners?
See the photoelastic investigation at http://www.ing.unitn.it/~bigoni/stiffener.html
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