A geometrically nonlinear shear deformable beam model for piezoelectric energy harvesters

in Acta Mechanica (2021), 232(12), 4847-4866

An electromechanical model for beam-like piezoelectric energy harvesters based on Reissner’s beam theory is developed in this paper. The proposed model captures first-order shear deformation and large ... [more ▼]

An electromechanical model for beam-like piezoelectric energy harvesters based on Reissner’s beam theory is developed in this paper. The proposed model captures first-order shear deformation and large displacement/rotation, which distinguishes this model from other models reported in the literature. All governing equations are presented in detail, making the associated framework extensible to investigate various piezoelectric energy harvesters. The weak formulation is then derived to obtain the approximate solution to the governing equations by the finite element method. This solution scheme is completely coupled, and thus allows for two-way interaction between mechanical and electrical fields. To validate this model, extensive numerical examples are implemented in the linear and nonlinear regime. In the linear limit, this model produces results in excellent agreement with reference data. In the nonlinear regime, the large amplitude response of the piezoelectric beam induced by strong base excitation or fluid flow is considered, and the comparison of results with literature data is encouraging. The ability of this nonlinear model to predict limit cycle oscillations in axial flow is demonstrated. [less ▲]

Beam-inside-beam contact: Mechanical simulations of slender medical instruments inside the human body

in Computer Methods and Programs in Biomedicine (2020), 196

Background and Objective This contribution presents a rapid computational framework to mechanically simulate the insertion of a slender medical instrument in a tubular structure such as an artery, the ... [more ▼]

Background and Objective This contribution presents a rapid computational framework to mechanically simulate the insertion of a slender medical instrument in a tubular structure such as an artery, the cochlea or another slender instrument. Methods Beams are employed to rapidly simulate the mechanical behaviour of the medical instrument and the tubular structure. However, the framework’s novelty is its capability to handle the mechanical contact between an inner beam (representing the medical instrument) embedded in a hollow outer beam (representing the tubular structure). This “beam-inside-beam” contact framework, which forces two beams to remain embedded, is the first of its kind since existing contact frameworks for beams are “beam-to-beam” approaches, i.e. they repel beams from each other. Furthermore, we propose contact kinematics such that not only instruments and tubes with circular cross-sections can be considered, but also those with elliptical cross-sections. This provides flexibility for the optimization of patient-specific instruments. Results The results demonstrate that the framework’s robustness is substantial, because only a few increments per simulation and a few iterations per increment are required, even though large deformations, large rotations and large curvature changes of both the instrument and tubular structure occur. The stability of the framework remains high even if the modulus of the inner tube is thousand times larger than that of the outer tube. A mesh convergence study furthermore exposes that a relatively small number of elements is required to accurately approach the reference solution. Conclusions The framework’s high simulation speed originates from the exploitation of the rigidity of the beams’ cross-sections to quantify the exclusion between the inner and the hollow outer beam. This rigidity limits the accuracy of the framework at the same time, but this is unavoidable since simulation accuracy and simulation speed are two competing interests. Hence, the framework is particularly attractive if simulation speed is preferred over accuracy. [less ▲]

Eco-construction for sustainable development (Econ4SD) – Konzepte für Materialbanken

in Kaliske, Michael (Ed.) 24. Dresdner Baustatik-Seminar: Reality - Modeling - Structural Design (2020, October)

This contribution presents the joint research project Econ4SD – Eco-construction for sustainable development which investigates at the University of Luxembourg various aspects of sustainable design ... [more ▼]

This contribution presents the joint research project Econ4SD – Eco-construction for sustainable development which investigates at the University of Luxembourg various aspects of sustainable design, construction and operation to support a resource-efficient circular economy in the construction sector. In this context the fundamental approach of Design for deconstruction assumes a central role and is being discussed together with the complementary concept of Material banks and their digital twinning at the level of components, buildings and markets. [less ▲]

Continuous solution of poroelastic problems using Artificial Neural Networks

Presentation (2020, January 13)

Isogeometric analysis of thin Reissner-Mindlin shells: locking phenomena and B-bar method

in Computational Mechanics (2020), 65(5), 1323-1341

We propose a local type of B-bar formulation, addressing locking in degenerated Reissner–Mindlin shell formulation in the context of isogeometric analysis. Parasitic strain components are projected onto ... [more ▼]

We propose a local type of B-bar formulation, addressing locking in degenerated Reissner–Mindlin shell formulation in the context of isogeometric analysis. Parasitic strain components are projected onto the physical space locally, i.e. at the element level, using a least-squares approach. The formulation allows the flexible utilization of basis functions of different orders as the projection bases. The introduced formulation is much cheaper computationally than the classical $$\bar{B}$$B¯ method. We show the numerical consistency of the scheme through numerical examples, moreover they show that the proposed formulation alleviates locking and yields good accuracy even for slenderness ratios of $$10^5$$105, and has the ability to capture deformations of thin shells using relatively coarse meshes. In addition it can be opined that the proposed method is less sensitive to locking with irregular meshes. [less ▲]

Data Centric Engineering and Data-Driven Modelling - Computational Engineering Lab Report 2019

Report (2019)

https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/data-centric-engineering

Poroelastic material characterisation by means of Artificial Neural Network

Presentation (2019, November 13)

Poroelastic problems require multiscale and multiphysics techniques that are expensive and time-consuming, which result in either several simplifications or costly experimental tests. The latter motivates ... [more ▼]

Poroelastic problems require multiscale and multiphysics techniques that are expensive and time-consuming, which result in either several simplifications or costly experimental tests. The latter motivates us to develop a more efficient approach to address more complex problems with an acceptable computational cost. In this manuscript, first, the necessary equations derived from Asymptotic homogenisation for poroelastic media are mentioned. Then, the variational formulation of the cell problems is carried out and solved by the open-source FE package FEniCS. This is followed by presenting the advantages and downsides of macroscale properties identification via asymptotic homogenisation and the application of Artificial Neural Network (ANN) to solve the issues stated as its downsides by means of bypassing the process of solving the cell problems. Finally, we study a practical example, namely, spatial dependent porosity (in macroscale) to demonstrate the feasibility of using the provided framework to include more details. Further applications, including growth and remodelling, are subjects of future articles. [less ▲]

Simultaneous finite element analysis of circuit-integrated piezoelectric energy harvesting from fluid-structure interaction

in Mechanical Systems and Signal Processing (2019), 114

Flow-driven piezoelectric energy harvesting is a strongly coupled multiphysics phenomenon that involves complex three-way interaction between the fluid flow, the electromechanical effect of the ... [more ▼]

Flow-driven piezoelectric energy harvesting is a strongly coupled multiphysics phenomenon that involves complex three-way interaction between the fluid flow, the electromechanical effect of the piezoelectric material mounted on a deformable substrate structure and the controlling electrical circuit. High fidelity computational solution approaches are essential for the analysis of flow-driven energy harvesters in order to capture the main physical aspects of the coupled problem and to accurately predict the power output of a harvester. While there are some phenomenological and numerical models for flow-driven harvesters reported in the literature, a fully three-dimensional strongly coupled model has not yet been developed, especially in the context of flow-driven energy harvesting. The weighted residuals method is applied to establish a mixed integral equation describing the incompressible Newtonian flow, elastic substrate structure, piezoelectric patch, equipotential electrode and attached electric circuit that form the multiphysics fluid-structure interaction problem. A monolithic numerical solution method is derived that provides consistent and simultaneous solution to all physical fields as well as to fluid mesh deformation. The approximate solution is based on a mixed space-time finite element discretization with static condensation of the auxiliary fields. The discontinuous Galerkin method is utilized for integrating the monolithic model in time. The proposed solution scheme is illustrated in the example of a lid driven cavity with a flexible piezoelectric bottom wall, demonstrating quantification of the amount of electrical energy extractable from fluid flow by means of a piezoelectric harvester device. The results indicate that in order to make reliable predictions on the power output under varying operational states, the realization of strong multiphysics coupling is required for the mathematical model as well as the numerical solution scheme to capture the characteristics of flow-driven energy harvesters. [less ▲]

High-performance modeling of concrete ageing

in Proceedings in Applied Mathematics and Mechanics (2019), 19(1),

Long-term behaviour of concrete structural elements is very important for evaluation of its health and serviceability range. The phenomena that must be considered are complex and lead to coupled ... [more ▼]

Long-term behaviour of concrete structural elements is very important for evaluation of its health and serviceability range. The phenomena that must be considered are complex and lead to coupled multiphysics formulations. Such formulations are difficult not only from physical perspective, but also from computational perspective. In this contribution attention to computational efficiency and effective implementation is payed. Presented model for concrete ageing is based on microprestress-solidification (MPS) theory of Bazant [1], Kunzel’s model for heat and moisture transport [2] and Mazars model for damage [3]. Ageing linear viscoelastic response, which is immanent to MPS theory and concrete creep, leads to ordinary differetial equation for internal variables solved for every quadrature/nodal point. Numerical structure of the finite element discretisation is examined. Few simplifications on physical model lead to a very efficient linear algebra problem for which standard preconditioned Krylov solvers are reviewed. In parallel, weak and strong scaling tests are performed. All results are produced within open-source finite element framework FEniCS [4]. These models are usually a basis for more involved thermo-hygro-chemo-mechanical (THCM) models with migrating chemical species. It is anticipated, that presented results will help practitioners or other structural engineerers with the choice of suitable and efficient methods for long-term concrete modeling. [less ▲]

Phase-field predictive model for setting of fresh self-compacting concrete

in Proceedings in Applied Mathematics and Mechanics (2018), 18(1),

The initial setting of fresh concrete is mainly caused by the dissolution of cement grains and the precipitation of calcium-silicate-hydrates during cement hydration. Progressing hydration drives the ... [more ▼]

The initial setting of fresh concrete is mainly caused by the dissolution of cement grains and the precipitation of calcium-silicate-hydrates during cement hydration. Progressing hydration drives the transition from a dense suspension to a porous solid phase. Fresh mixture of self-compacting concrete (SCC) can be considered as a phase-changing multi-component material and can be described as a continuum at the macro scale, interacting with a set of transport-reaction-diffusion processes which in turn are driven by phenomena at the level of the microstructure. This contribution focuses on a predictive model for the setting of fresh SCC where the liquid-solid phase transition is captured by a phase-field variable using the Ginzburg-Landau type free energy function. Hydration-related chemical reactions together with heat and mass transfer are volume coupled with the mechanical behaviour and determined by the environmental conditions. The weak form of the predictive model is discretised using the finite element method and implemented with the FEniCS computational framework. [less ▲]