In order to effectively and efficiently hydroform new automotive components, the formability of new tubular steels must be evaluated. Standard forming limit diagrams have been used for decades to evaluate and predict the formability of sheet steel formed along linear strain paths. However, tube hydroforming can present a problem since the pre-bending stage used in many hydroforming operations causes multiple non-linear strain paths. This thesis has modified a formability test method that deforms small-scale sheet steel samples in a single plane. The sample geometries were designed such that the strain paths achieved at the center of the samples were very near the plane strain condition. The four steels chosen for this study were: a deep drawing quality (DDQ), a high strength low alloy (HSLA) and two dual phase steels (DP600 and DP780). The plane strain formability for each of the four steels was tested in both the rolling and transverse directions. Three objective criteria were employed to evaluate and directly compare the formability of the four steels tested: difference in strain, difference in strain rate and local necking. The DDQ steel showed the highest formability followed in order by the HSLA, DP600 and DP780 steels. The repeatability in determining the forming limit strains using the difference in strain, the difference in strain rate and the local necking criteria for a 95% confidence interval was ± 1.5%, ± 1.2% and ± 3.2% engineering strain, respectively. The forming limit data collected for this thesis has been compared to results from full-scale tube hydroforming operations and free expansion tube burst tests carried out by researchers at the University of Waterloo on the same four materials. It was found that local necking results could be used to predict failure of hydroformed HSLA steel tubes with low levels of end-feed. However, this same method could only predict the failure of hydroformed DP600 steel tubes at higher levels of end-feed. The three objective criteria were not found to be suitable for predicting failure of free expansion tube burst tests. / Thesis (Master, Mechanical and Materials Engineering) -- Queen's University, 2007-09-27 15:00:35.873

Roll-forming is an efficient sheet forming process that is used in manufacturing long parts with constant cross-section. The theoretical, experimental and numerical analyses of the process are limited since the sheet takes a complex 3D shape during the process. In this study proper finite element method models to simulate the roll-forming process are examined both numerically and experimentally. In addition, the applicability of 2D plane strain models to the simulation of the process is investigated. To reveal the deformation of the sheet, important geometrical parameters of the sheet and the rollers are introduced. The effect of these parameters on the strain hardening and deformation of the sheet is analyzed at distinct parts of the sheet that undergoes different types of deformations. Having revealed the deformation mechanisms, the assumptions behind the theoretical knowledge is criticized. The mentioned studies are verified with a case study in which a roll-formed product is analyzed under service loads. The manufacturing of the product and service load application are simulated and the results are compared with the experiments. In addition, effects of cold forming on the behaviour of the product under service loads are examined. It is concluded that under some conditions, 2D plane strain simulations can be used to predict the strain hardening in the material that occurs during roll-forming and this hardening has a considerable effect on the response of the material under loading.

In this thesis, hypothetical cases of in-situ walls, that are supported at one, two and four levels, as well as cantilever walls, are analyzed using plane strain and 3D finite element programs. A parametric study is performed by varying the soil stiffness. Deflection, moment, anchor loads and effective lateral earth pressures acting on the walls are examined to understand corner effect. Comparisons are made between plane strain and 3D without corner analysis results to confirm that two programs yield similar results. Moreover, two deep excavation case histories namely: i) Ankara &Ccedil / ankaya trade center and residence and, ii) Ekol construction are analyzed using calibrated models. Calibrations of the models are made using inclinometer data. In hypothetical models, it is found that corner effects on deflections diminish after 20m distance from the corner for excavations that are 8m and 12m deep. Corner effects on deflection decrease as elastic modulus of soil or stiffness of the system increase. Moment diagram pattern changes along the excavation side in cantilever case study. Moment diagram obtained around a corner in 3D analysis and diagrams obtained from the plane strain analyses by modeling the corner as a strut are quite similar. The anchor loads increase until 10-15m distance from the corner. After this distance they become nearly constant. In the analysis of case histories, a trial error solution is adopted to fit the deformed shape of piled wall obtained from 3D analysis to the deformations recorded by inclinometers. These results are compared with the results of plane strain analyses. Ankara-&Ccedil / ankaya project is solved by modeling the corner as strut in plane strain analyses. Results of this analyze agrees with field monitoring data, indicating that corner effects could be simulated by modeling the perpendicular pile wall as a strut in plane strain analysis.

There exists considerable debate in the texture community about whether grain interactions are a necessary factor to explain the development of deformation textures in polycrystalline metals. Computer simulations indicate that grain interactions play a significant role, while experimental evidence shows that the material type and starting orientation are more important in the development of texture and microstructure. A balanced review of the literature on face-centered cubic metals shows that the opposing viewpoints have developed due to the lack of any complete experimental study which considers both the intrinsic (material type and starting orientation) and extrinsic (grain interaction) factors. In this study, a novel method was developed to assemble ideally orientated crystalline aggregates in 99.99\% aluminum (Al) or copper (Cu) to experimentally evaluate the effect of grain interactions on room temperature deformation texture. Ideal orientations relevant to face-centered cubic rolling textures, Cube $\{100\}\left<001\right>$, Goss $\{110\}\left<001\right>$, Brass $\{110\}\left<1\bar{1}2\right>$ and Copper $\{112\}\left<11\bar{1}\right>$ were paired in different combinations and deformed by plane strain compression to moderate strain levels of 1.0 to 1.5. Orientation dependent mechanical behavior was distinguishable from that of the neighbor-influenced behavior. In interacting crystals the constraint on the rolling direction shear strains ($\gamma_{_{XY}}, \gamma_{_{XZ}}$) was found to be most critical to show the effect of interactions via the evolution of local microstructure and microtexture. Interacting crystals with increasing deformations were observed to gradually rotate towards the S-component, $\{123\}\langle\bar{6}\bar{3}4\rangle$. Apart from the average lattice reorientations, the interacting crystals also developed strong long-range orientation gradients inside the bulk of the crystal, which were identified as accumulating misorientations across the deformation boundaries. Based on a statistical procedure using quaternions, the orientation and interaction related heterogeneous deformations were characterized by three principal component vectors and their respective eigenvalues for both the orientation and misorientation distributions. For the case of a medium stacking fault energy metal like Cu, the texture and microstructure development depends wholly on the starting orientations. Microstructural instabilities in Cu are explained through a local slip clustering process, and the possible role of grain interactions on such instabilities is proposed. In contrast, the texture and microstructure development in a high stacking fault energy metal like Al is found to be dependent on the grain interactions. In general, orientation, grain interaction and material type were found to be key factors in the development of rolling textures in face-centered cubic metals and alloys. Moreso, in the texture development not any single parameter can be held responsible, rather, the interdependency of each of the three parameters must be considered. In this frame-work polycrystalline grains can be classified into four types according to their stability and susceptibility during deformation. / Thesis (Ph.D, Mechanical and Materials Engineering) -- Queen's University, 2009-09-25 23:59:11.809

No description available.

This paper presents the details of a methodology for predicting the thermoelastic properties degradation in general symmetric laminates with uniform ply cracks in some or all of the 90° layers. First, a stress transfer method is derived by using the concept of state space equation. The laminate can be subjected to any combination of in-plane biaxial and shear loading, and the uniform thermal loading is also taken into account. The method takes into account all independent material constants and guarantees continuous fields of all interlaminar stresses across interfaces between material layers. By this method, a laminate may be composed of an arbitrary number of monoclinic layers and each layer may have different material property and thickness. Second, the concept of the effective thermoelastic properties of a cracked laminate is introduced. Based on the numerical solutions of specially designed loading cases, the effective thermoelastic constants of a cracked laminate can be obtained. Finally, the applications of the methodology are shown by numerical examples and compared with numerical results from other models and experiment data in the literature. It is found that the theory provides good predictions of the thermoelastic properties degradation in general symmetric laminates.

From its discovery, crack closure was recognized as a key aspect in understanding the fatigue crack growth process. Considering the condition of plane stress, a vast amount of research has been conducted experimentally, analytically, and numerically to understand the complex process of fatigue crack growth and crack closure. Nonzero crack opening stress values are routinely observed, and it seems that there is a general agreement regarding the incidence of the phenomenon under plane stress. However, investigations regarding crack closure under plane strain conditions are less abundant. Moreover, the existence of crack closure under the plane strain state of the stress has been questioned. The importance of accurate measurements of closure to predict adequately fatigue crack growth rates should not be underestimated. Models employed to predict fatigue crack growth rates rely on plasticity-induced crack closure concepts, and the validity of plasticity-induced crack closure depends on crack closure measurements. Crack closure measurements can be performed with Elber’s Method, the ASTM standard(Compliance offset method), or it may be done alternatively by the compliance ratio (CR) or the adjusted compliance ratio method (ACR). In this research, a small scale yielding two-parameter modified boundary layer analysis is performed to study the occurrence of plasticity-induced fatigue crack closure under constant amplitude loading and plane strain conditions. A wide range of T-stresses and KI levels are considered in the finite element analysis with the purpose of exploring the behavior of the crack opening stress. Crack closure was observed for some values of T-stress. Other values of T-stress resulted in an absence of closure under steady state conditions. In addition, an elastic-plastic finite element model was used to simulate a growing fatigue crack with WARP3D software. The computed displacements were used to determine the effective stress intensity factor range ΔKeff with the ASTM standard compliance offset approach, the (CR) method, and the (ACR) method. Finally, measurement location effects on ACR and the ability of ACR method to remove residuals stresses were investigated.

No description available.

O polietileno de média densidade (PEMD) é um polímero termoplástico parcialmente cristalino, cujo uso tem crescido bastante em aplicações de engenharia, como em tubos plásticos para sistemas de distribuição de água e de gás. Sob carga constante, entretanto, este material pode eventualmente apresentar fratura por fluência, por meio de um mecanismo de crescimento lento de trincas, provocando acentuadas perdas por vazamento nos sistemas. Os métodos atuais empregados pela indústria para estimar a durabilidade dos tubos são caros, demorados, pouco práticos e imprecisos. Busca-se o desenvolvimento de técnicas mais eficientes, sendo que os métodos da mecânica da fratura são promissores no sentido de descrever a etapa de propagação da trinca. Ensaios de mecânica da fratura, entretanto, requerem a introdução de pré-trincas nos corpos de prova. Sabe-se que as técnicas artificiais de introdução de pré-trincas causam algum tipo de dano na matriz polimérica, que pode ou não afetar os resultados dos ensaios, dependendo dos eventos que ocorrerem após o carregamento inicial. A principal propriedade requerida de um método de introdução de pré-trinca, portanto, é reprodutibilidade. Neste estudo foram aplicados três importantes métodos de mecânica da fratura ao PEMD e investigados os efeitos de diferentes técnicas de introdução de pré-trincas sobre os resultados dos ensaios e sobre as estruturas de deformação na matriz do material na ponta da trinca. Os ensaios de tenacidade à fratura no estado plano de deformação - KIc - foram realizados em condições criogênicas, em vista do comportamento dúctil do material à temperatura ambiente, sendo que a estratégia mostrou-se satisfatória. Os resultados dos ensaios de Integral-J sugerem que o método pode não ser aplicável ao PEMD, devido ao peculiar mecanismo de fratura do material. O método do trabalho essencial de fratura - EWF - se aplica bem ao PEMD. Os resultados dos ensaios de KIc e EWF demonstraram que diferentes técnicas de introdução de pré-trincas provocam diferentes estruturas de deformação no material na ponta da trinca e afetam os resultados de ensaios de fratura no PEMD. Os resultados de EWF demonstraram ainda que o processamento também afeta as propriedades de fratura do material. É proposta uma nova técnica para a introdução de pré-trincas, com características mais naturais, a qual requer estudos complementares para seu aperfeiçoamento. / Medium density polyethylene (MDPE) is a semicrystalline thermoplastic polymer that has been increasingly used in engineering applications, as plastic pipes for water and gas distribution systems. Under constant load, however, this material may occasionally present creep failure, by means of a mechanism of slow crack growth, leading to leakage losses in the systems. Current methods used by industry to estimate durability of pipes are expensive, time consuming, non practical and inaccurate. The development of more efficient methods is a common target and fracture mechanics methods are promising in describing the crack propagation stage. Fracture mechanics testing methods, however, require the introduction of pre-cracks into the specimens. It is known that artificial methods of introducing pre-cracks produce some damage on the polymeric matrix, which may or not affect the results of tests, depending on the events that occur after the initial loading. Main propriety required of a pre-crack introducing method, therefore, is reproducibility. In this study three important fracture mechanics methods were applied to MDPE and the effects of different methods of pre-cracking over test results and over deformation structures of material matrix at the crack tip were investigated. Plane-strain fracture toughness - KIc tests were performed under cryogenic conditions, in view of the ductile behavior of material at room temperature and this strategy was well succeed. Results of Integral-J tests suggest that this method may not be applicable to MDPE, due to the peculiar fracture mechanism of the material. The essential work of fracture method EWF is well suited to study MDPE. The results of KIc and EWF tests showed that different pre-cracking methods cause different deformation structures in the material at the crack tip and affect the fracture tests with MDPE. EWF results showed also that the processing affect the fracture properties of materials too. It is proposed a new method for introducing pre-cracks, with more natural characteristics that requires complementary studies for its improving.

Se trata el problema de consolidación bidimensional de arcillas blandas saturadas a partir de un estado inicial producido por un proceso de carga sin drenaje. Se elabora un modelo en tensiones efectivas que define el comportamiento del suelo como un material elastoplástico isótropo rigidizable del tipo no-asociado. Se desarrolla un método de análisis que tiene en cuenta la variación de las tensiones totales durante la consolidación mediante un procedimiento iterativo admitiendo la posibilidad de considerar el terreno heterogéneo con permeabilidad anisótropa y carga variable con el tiempo. La resolución se lleva a cabo por el método de elementos finitos. Se analiza un caso típico teórico y un caso real comparando en este ultimo los resultados obtenidos y las medidas efectuadas. / A model is presented for the analysis of consolidation problems of soft clays. The soil is treated as an elastoplastic material, strain hardening and with a flow rule of non-associated type. The numerical analysis is performed by a finite element method, in which the consolidation and effective stress-strain analyses are performed separately and then coupled by means of an iterative method. The case of a strip footing on the surface of a clay layer is analyzed. The influence of the soil stress-strain properties is evaluated, as well as the permeability anisotropy and the load variation with time.