Sharif Digital Repository

As product complexity increases and economic constraints result in a demand for greater efficiency, industry must invest in new innovative ways to assist design and manufacture. As a first step in the long-term development of such a system, a computer software environment has been developed for pre- and post-processing for unstructured grid-based computational simulation. This paper describes the powder compaction software (PCS_SUT), which is designed for pre- and post-processing for computational simulation of the compaction of powder. Pre-processing software is used to create the model, generate an appropriate finite element grid, apply the appropriate boundary conditions, and view the... 

The main objective of this paper is to present a numerical simulation of mechanical interaction (bond mechanism) of lugged FRP rods with concrete. A finite element analysis is performed and the major causes of bond in lugged rod's interface with concrete are summarized. The concept of ascending and descending behavior of a rib under pull-out load is discussed. A simple procedure is employed to model the crack formation and propagation in the concrete block below the rib. Details and general aspects of model are described and numerical results are compared with experiments. Finally, it has been concluded that the proposed model can be effectively used for the simulation of bond behavior of... 

At present study, Endurance Time (ET) method that is a new dynamic pushover procedure is introduced and its application in predicting concrete arch dam behavior in linear domain is investigated. In this method structure is subjected to gradually intensifying acceleration functions. DEZ arch dam was selected as case study. FE model of dam-reservoir-foundation was excited in three levels of MCL, MDL, DBL using six records scaled based on design spectrum of the site and results were compared with those obtained from ET analyses. It was found that results obtained from ET method at equivalent target time are in good agreement with extreme results obtained from exciting the system using natural... 

ABSTRACT Disc rheological parameters regulate the mechanical and biological function of intervertebral disc. The knowledge of effects of degeneration on disc rheology can be beneficial for the design of new disc implants or therapy. We developed two material property identification protocols, i.e., inverse poroelas-tic finite element analysis, and biphasic closed form solution. These protocols were used to find the material properties of intact, moderate and severe degenerated porcine discs. Comparing these two computational protocols for intact and artificial degenerated discs showed they are valid in defining bi-phasic/poroelastic properties. We found that enzymatic agent disrupts the... 

In this paper, an analysis of kinematics of the isotropic elastic Cosserat continuum is presented in infinitesimal and finite deformations. Emphasis is given on the applicability of corotational stress rates for hypoelasticity in micro-polar continua. A non-linear finite element analysis is performed with an explicit formulation of tangent stiffness matrices in the case of Truesdell stress and couple stress rates. A comprehensive path-dependent procedure is employed based on the arc-length method to calculate the stability points and handle the snap-back problem. Finally, the accuracy and efficiency of method are illustrated by numerical examples  

In spite of earlier experimental and modeling studies, the relative role of the intra-abdominal pressure (IAP) in spine mechanics has remained controversial. This study employs simple analytical and finite element (FE) models of the spine and its surrounding structures to investigate the contribution of IAP to spinal loading and stability. The analytical model includes the abdominal cavity surrounded by muscles, lumbar spine, rib cage and pelvic ring. The intra-abdominal cavity and its surrounding muscles are represented by a thin deformable cylindrical membrane. Muscle activation levels are simulated by changing the Young's modulus of the membrane in the direction of muscle fibers, yielding... 

Through the strategic highway research program (SHRP) project, time-temperature superposition (TTS) was used to reduce the loading time of bending beam rheometer (BBR) test. Based on TTS, stiffness of the asphalt binder after a two-hour loading time is similar to that after 60 s at 10 °C above. This study attempted to evaluate the TTS validity using finite element (FE) method by developing master curves in a broad range of low temperatures. The results indicated that TTS was neither valid for modified asphalt binders nor for neat binder. Also, in addition to the loading time dependency of m-value, limiting values of stiffness and m-value find no rheological acceptance. As a remedy, thermally... 

A theoretical forming limit stress diagram (FLSD) for necking prediction which is based on the strain gradient theory of plasticity in conjunction with the M-K approach was represented and used in tube hydroforming. This approach introduces an internal length scale into conventional constitutive equations and takes into account the effects of deformation inhomogeneity and material softening. The nonlinear second order ordinary differential equation of the thickness of tube has been solved by collocation method. It has been shown that this method overcomes the imperfection sensitivity encountered in the conventional M-K method. The predicted FLSD has been compared with published experimental... 

Laminated composite beams with non-uniform thickness are being used as primary structural elements in a wide range of advanced engineering applications. Tapered composite structures, formed by terminating some of the plies, create geometry and material discontinuities that act as sources for delamination initiation and propagation. Any small damage or delamination in these structures can progress rapidly without any visible external signs. Due to this reason early detection of damage in these systems during their service life is receiving increasing attention. The presence of a crack in a component or structure leads to changes in its global dynamic characteristics results in decreases in... 

The dummies currently used for predicting vehicle occupant response during frontal crashes or whole-body vibration provide insufficient information about spinal loads. Although they aptly approximate upper-body rotations in different loading scenarios, they overlook spinal loads, which are crucial to injury assessment. This paper aims to develop a modified dummy finite element (FE) model with a detailed viscoelastic lumbar spine. This model has been developed and validated against in-vitro and in-silico data under different loading conditions, and its predicted ranges of motion (RoM) and intradiscal pressure (IDP) maintain close correspondence with the in-vitro data. The dominant frequency... 

Whole-body vibration (WBV) has been identified as one of the serious risk factors leading to spinal disorders, particularly in professional drivers. Although the influential factors in this area have been investigated epidemiologically, finite element (FE) modeling can efficiently help us better understand the problem. In this study, a modified HYBRID III dummy FE model which was enhanced by detailed viscoelastic discs in the lumbar region was utilized to simulate the effect of WBV on lumbar spine loads. Spinal responses to the vertical sinusoidal vibrations of a generic seat were obtained and spinal injury risk factors were calculated. Effects of variation of excitation frequencies, three... 

Needle insertion simulation and planning systems (SPSs) will play an important role in diminishing inappropriate insertions into soft tissues and resultant complications. Difficulties in SPS development are due in large part to the computational requirements of the extensive calculations in finite element (FE) models of tissue. For clinical feasibility, the computational speed of SPSs must be improved. At the same time, a realistic model of tissue properties that reflects large and velocity-dependent deformations must be employed. The purpose of this study is to address the aforementioned difficulties by presenting a cost-effective SPS platform for needle insertions into the liver. The study...