Browsing by Subject "Finite Element Method"
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Item Characterization of carbon fibers: coefficient of thermal expansion and microstructure(Texas A&M University, 2006-04-12) Kulkarni, Raghav ShrikantThe focus of the research is to develop a consistent and repeatable method to evaluate the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) of carbon fibers at high temperatures. Accurate measurement of the CTE of carbon fibers is essential to understand and develop optimal processing procedures as well as computational simulations to predict properties and allowables for fiber-reinforced composites. The mismatch between the coefficient of thermal expansion of the fiber and the matrix has a profound impact on the development of residual stresses and the subsequent damage initiation and progression, potentially diminishing the performance of composite structures. In situ transmission electron microscopy (TEM) is selected to perform the experimental work on account of the high resolution and the capability of evaluating both the longitudinal and transverse CTE. The orthotropy in the CTE is tested by rotating the fibers through 45?? about their axis. The method is validated by testing standard tungsten filaments of known CTE. Additionally, the microstructure of the fibers is studied in a field emission scanning electron microscope as well as through selected area diffraction patterns in a TEM to observe presence of any potential orthotropy. The pitch based P55 fiber revealed a cylindrically orthotropic microstructure, but the PAN based IM7 and T1000 fibers did not reveal any orthotropy. Finite element models of hexagonally arranged IM7 fibers in a 977 epoxy matrix are developed using PATRAN and analyzed using the commercial FEA code ABAQUS 6.4. The fiber properties were considered temperature independent where as the matrix properties were varied linearly with temperature. The lamina properties evaluated from the finite element modeling are in agreement with the experimental results in literature within 10% in the temperature range of room temperature to the stress free temperature of the epoxy, however at cryogenic temperatures the difference is greater. The residual stresses developed during processing of the composite indicated a potential location for fiber matrix debonding to be in the matrix dominant regions.Item Conceptual level FEM based wing weight estimation(2010-08) Akay, Erdem; Chaput, Armand; Mear, Mark E.Weight and its estimation have a vital impact in the aircraft design process from the very early phases. When the conceptual design configuration of an aircraft has been created, it should ensure that the estimated weight is sufficiently accurate to meet the performance and cost requirements. The estimation of structural weight in early design stages is mostly performed using historical data; however, this approach does not provide reliable weight estimates for unconventional or unique designs or those that employ advanced materials. One solution for improving the accuracy of conceptual level weight estimation is to improve the fidelity of the methodology, geometry models, and loads through the use of Finite Element Methods (FEM). This thesis is intended to demonstrate an initial application of conceptual-level FEM based weight estimation to aircraft wing structure.Item Experimental and Numerical Study of Polymer Scratch Behavior(2010-10-12) Jiang, HanAs part of a larger effort to understand the fundamental knowledge of polymer scratch behavior, this dissertation is focused on both experimental study and numerical analysis of scratch deformation of a broad range of polymers, with an emphasis on the mechanical understanding of how the scratch-induced damage is formed. An instrumented progressive load scratch method recommended by ASTM/ISO standards was adopted for the experimental work. The commercial finite element (FE) method package ABAQUS was employed as a numerical simulation tool to describe the stress-strain fields, and it analyzes the deformation mechanisms during the scratch process. A thorough parametric study has been performed to assess the influence of material parameters and surface properties, such as Young's modulus, yield strength, and friction coefficient, on the polymer scratch behavior. Upon investigation of the scratch behaviors of a broad range of polymer materials, various kinds of scratch damage features are identified and correlated with the mechanical characteristics of the polymers. A generalized scratch damage mechanism map for polymers is presented. Correlation between different material types and scratch damage mechanisms is made. It is found that both the material characteristics and the stress state exerted on the scratched surface are responsible for the observed scratch damage mechanisms. The phenomenological deduction of the scratch damage process based on the stick-slip mechanism is established. A more realistic material law for the scratch analysis is also provided. To evaluate the polymer resistance against scratch visibility quantitatively, an entirely new automated on-set scratch visibility determination methodology is developed based on typical visual characteristics of human eyes. Its application on the evaluation of mar and abrasion of polymer is also explored. This new methodology can quantify polymer scratch resistance consistently and reliably regardless of the sample surface characteristics and color.Item Nondestructive Testing of Overhead Transmission Lines: Numerical and Experimental Investigation(2011-02-22) Kulkarni, Salil SubhashOverhead transmission lines are periodically inspected using both on-ground and helicopter-aided visual inspection. Factors including sun glare, cloud cover, close proximity to power lines and the rapidly changing visual circumstances make airborne inspection of power lines a particularly hazardous task. In this research, a finite element model is developed that can be used to create the theoretical dispersion curves of an overhead transmission line. The complex geometry of the overhead transmission line is the primary reason for absence of a theoretical solution to get the analytical dispersion curves. The numerical results are then verified with experimental tests using a non-contact and broadband laser detection technique. The methodology developed in this study can be further extended to a continuous monitoring system and be applied to other cable monitoring applications, such as bridge cable monitoring, which would otherwise put human inspectors at risk.Item Numerical Modeling of Hydraulic Fracture Propagation Using Thermo-hydro-mechanical Analysis with Brittle Damage Model by Finite Element Method(2013-07-16) Min, KyoungBetter understanding and control of crack growth direction during hydraulic fracturing are essential for enhancing productivity of geothermal and petroleum reservoirs. Structural analysis of fracture propagation and impact on fluid flow is a challenging issue because of the complexity of rock properties and physical aspects of rock failure and fracture growth. Realistic interpretation of the complex interactions between rock deformation, fluid flow, heat transfer, and fracture propagation induced by fluid injection is important for fracture network design. In this work, numerical models are developed to simulate rock failure and hydraulic fracture propagation. The influences of rock deformation, fluid flow, and heat transfer on fracturing processes are studied using a coupled thermo-hydro-mechanical (THM) analysis. The models are used to simulate microscopic and macroscopic fracture behaviors of laboratory-scale uniaxial and triaxial experiments on rock using an elastic/brittle damage model considering a stochastic heterogeneity distribution. The constitutive modeling by the energy release rate-based damage evolution allows characterizing brittle rock failure and strength degradation. This approach is then used to simulate the sequential process of heterogeneous rock failures from the initiation of microcracks to the growth of macrocracks. The hydraulic fracturing path, especially for fractures emanating from inclined wellbores and closed natural fractures, often involves mixed mode fracture propagation. Especially, when the fracture is inclined in a 3D stress field, the propagation cannot be modeled using 2D fracture models. Hence, 2D/3D mixed-modes fracture growth from an initially embedded circular crack is studied using the damage mechanics approach implemented in a finite element method. As a practical problem, hydraulic fracturing stimulation often involves fluid pressure change caused by injected fracturing fluid, fluid leakoff, and fracture propagation with brittle rock behavior and stress heterogeneities. In this dissertation, hydraulic fracture propagation is simulated using a coupled fluid flow/diffusion and rock deformation analysis. Later THM analysis is also carried out. The hydraulic forces in extended fractures are solved using a lubrication equation. Using a new moving-boundary element partition methodology (EPM), fracture propagation through heterogeneous media is predicted simply and efficiently. The method allows coupling fluid flow and rock deformation, and fracture propagation using the lubrication equation to solve for the fluid pressure through newly propagating crack paths. Using the proposed model, the 2D/3D hydraulic fracturing simulations are performed to investigate the role of material and rock heterogeneity. Furthermore, in geothermal and petroleum reservoir design, engineers can take advantage of thermal fracturing that occurs when heat transfers between injected flow and the rock matrix to create reservoir permeability. These thermal stresses are calculated using coupled THM analysis and their influence on crack propagation during reservoir stimulation are investigated using damage mechanics and thermal loading algorithms for newly fractured surfaces.Item Numerical simulation of two-phase flow in discrete fractures using Rayleigh-Ritz finite element method(Texas A&M University, 2004-09-30) Kaul, Sandeep P.Spontaneous imbibition plays a very important role in the displacement mechanism of non-wetting fluid in naturally fractured reservoirs. We developed a new 2D two-phase finite element numerical model, as available commercial simulators cannot be used to model small-scale experiments with different boundary conditions as well as complex boundary conditions such as fractures and vugs. Starting with the basic equation of fluid flow, we derived the non-linear diffusion saturation equation. This equation cannot be put in weighted-integral weak variational form and hence Rayleigh-Ritz finite element method (FEM) cannot be applied. Traditionally, the way around it is to use higher order interpolation functions and use Galerkin FEM or reduce the differentiability requirement and use Mixed FEM formulation. Other FEM methods can also be used, but iterative nature of those methods makes them unsuitable for solving large-scale field problems. But if we truncate the non-linear terms and decouple the dependent variables, from the spatial as well as the temporal domains of the primary variable to solve them analytically, the non-linear FEM problem reduces to a simple weighted integral form, which can be put into its corresponding weak form. The advantage of using Rayleigh-Ritz method is that it has immediate effect on the computation time required to solve a particular problem apart from incorporating complex boundary conditions. We compared our numerical models with the analytical solution of this diffusion equation. We validated the FDM numerical model using X-Ray Tomography (CT) experimental data from the single-phase spontaneous imbibition experiment, where two simultaneously varying parameters of weight gain and CT water saturation were used and then went ahead and compared the results of FEM model to that of FDM model. A two-phase field size example was taken and results from a commercial simulator were compared to the FEM model to bring out the limitations of this approach.Item The Role of Damage Cascade in the Nanocrystallization of Metallic Glass(2011-08-08) Myers, Michael T.The multi-scale modeling of ion-solid interactions presented can lead to a fundamentally new approach for understanding temperature evolution and damage formation. A coupling of the Monte Carlo code, SRIM, to a C FEM heat transfer code was performed, enabling a link between the damage cascade event to the subsequent heat transfer. Modeling results indicate that for 1 MeV Ni ion irradiation in Ni52.5Nb10Zr15Ti15Pt7.5, the heat transfer rate is too large for direct crystallization. Although the damage cascade induces a peak temperature of 5300 K, within 6 picoseconds the temperature is below the glass transition temperature. This result implies that there is a cooling rate of 10^14 K/s, which is much greater than the critical cooling rate for this material. Ion irradiation was performed to compare modeling with experiment. No evidence of direct crystallization is observed under TEM. Nanocrystals are formed as a consequence of series of multistage phase transitions. This provides evidence that the energy dissipation occurs too quickly for direct crystallization, as crystals are found in regions having undergone substantial compositional changes. A host of conventional electron microscopy methods were employed to characterize the structural changes induced by 1 MeV Ni ion irradiation in Ni52.5Nb10Zr15Ti15Pt7.5 and identify the phases that form, Ni3Nb, Ni3Ti and Ni3Zr. Scanning TEM analysis revealed Pt segregation near crystal regions due to irradiation. Due to a lack of Pt crystal phases observed and high concentrations of Pt in crystal regions it is postulated that Pt is substituting for Ni to form (Ni,Pt)3Nb and (Ni,Pt)3Ti.Item Thermo-hydro-mechanical Analysis of Fractures and Wellbores in Petroleum/Geothermal Reservoirs(2013-08-09) Safariforoshani, MohammadrezaThe thesis considers three-dimensional analyses of fractures and wellbores in low-permeability petroleum/geothermal reservoirs, with a special emphasis on the role of coupled thermo-hydro-mechanical processes. Thermoporoelastic displacement discontinuity and stress discontinuity methods are elaborated for infinite media. Furthermore, injection/production-induced mass and heat transport inside fractures are studied by coupling the displacement discontinuity method with the finite element method. The resulting method is then used to simulate problems of interest in wellbores and fractures for related to drilling and stimulation. In the examination of fracture deformation, the nonlinear behavior of discontinuities and the change in status from joint (hydraulically open, mechanically closed) to hydraulic fracture (hydraulically open, mechanically open) are taken into account. Examples are presented to highlight the versatility of the method and the role of thermal and hydraulic effects, three-dimensionality, hydraulic/natural fracture deformation, and induced micro earthquakes. Specifically, injection/extraction operations in enhanced geothermal reservoirs and hydraulic/thermal stimulation of fractured reservoirs are studied and analyzed with reference to induced seismicity. In addition, the fictitious stress method is used to study three-dimensional wellbore stresses in the presence of a weakness plane. It is shown that the coupling of hydro-thermo-mechanical processes plays a very important role in low-permeability reservoirs and should be considered when predicting the behavior of fractures and wellbores.Item Unconventional finite element method for nonlinear analysis of beams and plates(2009-05-15) Kim, WooramIn this thesis, mixed finite element models of beams and plates bending are developed to include other variables (i.e., the membrane forces and shear forces) in addition to the bending moments and vertical deflection, and to see the effect of it on the nonlinear analysis. Models were developed based on the weighted residual method. The effect of inclusion of additional variables is compared with other mixed models to show the advantage of the one type of model over other models. For beam problems the Euler-Bernoulli beam theory and the Timoshenko beam theory are used. And for the plate problems the classical plate theory and the first-order shear deformation plate theory are used. Each newly developed model is examined and compared with other models to verify its performance under various boundary conditions. In the linear convergence study, solutions are compared with analytical solutions available and solutions of existing models. For non-linear equation solving direct method and Newton-Raphson method are used to find non-liner solutions. Then, converged solutions are compared with available solutions of the displacement models. Noticeable improvement in accuracy of force-like variables (i.e., shear resultant, membrane resultant and bending moments) at the boundary of elements can be achieved by using present mixed models in both linear and nonlinear analysis. Post processed data of newly developed mixed models show better accuracy than existing displacement based and mixed models in both of vertical displacement and force-like variables. Also present beam and plate finite element models allow use of relatively lower level of interpolation function without causing severe locking problems.