Search Results (60)

The torsional behavior of an extruded AZ31 magnesium alloy was investigated by combined axial-torsion mechanical testing with different stress ratios. The SEM-EBSD was used to analyze the microstructure and texture evolution of deformed samples. The results indicate that the axial tension results in a concave-down shape of shear stress–strain curves, while a concave-up shape after yielding is presented during combined compression-torsion loading due to twinning mechanism. Compared to pure shear, the yield strength decreases by 7 MPa and shear strain increases by 1% under σ:τ = −1:1 with same shear stress. Due to the Swift effect, a strain partitioning is displayed for axial strain during combined tension-torsion loading with low stress ratio. The twin volume fraction is 90% under σ:τ = −1:1, and the local dislocation density with a KAM value of 1.1 is maximum under σ:τ = 2:1. The primary twin type is {10-12} twins with axial compression. The main deformation mode changes from basal slip to prismatic slip with increase in axial tension stress. Both basal slip and twinning are activated and the interaction between dislocation slip and twinning contributes to the complex strain hardening behavior during combined compression-torsion loading. Full article

This study was conducted based on hybrid damping control theory, and an equivalent damping ratio calculation method was proposed. Additionally, a response calculation method for the elastoplastic stage of the hybrid control system was developed. Furthermore, a cooperative working mechanism between viscous dampers and metal composite dampers was introduced. A time–history analysis was employed to verify the system’s effectiveness in optimizing the multi-dimensional seismic performance of frame structures. Using actual engineering as the research background, an elastoplastic analysis of the hybrid control system was conducted. The analysis results show that the first three natural periods of vibration were shortened by 6.1% (in the X direction), 5.9% (in the Y direction), and 21.0% (torsion), effectively enhancing the overall stiffness of the structure. Under seismic action, the inter-story displacement decreased by 37.1% to 0.166 m in the X direction and by 48.3% to 0.080 m in the Y direction; the base shear forces were reduced by 58.8% (in the X direction) and 41.7% (in the Y direction). Regarding damage control, the number of plastic hinges was significantly reduced, and they appeared only on the most unfavorable floors; the axial compressive stress peaks in the frame columns were strictly controlled below 0.65 fc, and the inter-story displacement angles (<1/50) met the standards of GB50011-2010 for key protection structures. The hybrid system demonstrated multi-dimensional synergistic effects, whereby the viscous dampers primarily controlled the acceleration responses in the X direction, while the metal composite dampers dominated energy dissipation in Y displacement. The difference in seismic reduction efficiency between the two main axes was less than 11%, and a 21% improvement in the torsional period was achieved simultaneously. Full article

Due to the existing shortcomings of small load and few functions in the current bridge bearing testing machine, a compression–shear–torsion multifunctional bridge bearing testing machine with a maximum vertical load of 80 MN is designed. It can enable five loading tests: static vertical compression, static double compression-shear, static single compression-shear, dynamic single compression-shear, and static compression-torsion. To ensure that the testing machine meets the strength and stiffness requirements under the above five ultimate loading conditions, a plate-column composite frame with lateral reaction plates is introduced. Next, the loading states of the bridge bearing and the testing machine under vertical compression, double compression-shear, single compression-shear, and compression-torsion are analyzed. On this basis, five ultimate loading simulations of this testing machine are carried out, respectively, and then compared with those of the traditional testing machine with a sole-column frame. The results show that because the lateral reaction plates increase the bearing area in the vertical direction and bear the load in the shear direction, the maximum stress position is successfully transferred from the high-cost columns to the low-cost lateral reaction plates, and both the maximum stress and the maximum displacement are decreased after introducing the lateral reaction plates. The lateral reaction plates have a great promoting effect on single compression-shear. During ultimate static single compression-shear and dynamic single compression-shear, the maximum total stress of the whole machine is reduced by 18.8% and 24.4%, respectively, and the maximum displacement of the whole machine is reduced by up to 72.5% and 75.0%, respectively. Under the five ultimate loading conditions, this testing machine meets the strength and stiffness requirements, indicating that it can bear the five ultimate loading tests and withstand an ultimate vertical load of 80 MN. Full article

A simple analytic procedure for the linear static analysis of short thin-walled beams with monosymmetric open cross-sections subjected to eccentric axial loading is presented. Under eccentric compressive loading, the beam is subjected to compression/extension, to torsion with influence of shear with respect to the principal pole and to bending with influence of shear in two principal planes. The approximate closed-form solutions for displacements consist of the general Vlasov’s solutions and additional displacements due to shear according to the theory of torsion with the influence of shear, as well as the theory of bending with the influence of shear. The internal forces and displacements for beams clamped at one end and simply supported on the other end, where eccentric loading is acting, are calculated using the method of initial parameters. The shear coefficients for the monosymmetric cross-sections introduced in these equations are provided. Solutions for normal stress and total displacements according to Vlasov’s general thin-walled beam theory, and those obtained with the proposed method taking shear influence into account, are compared with shell finite element solutions analyzing isotropic and orthotropic I-section beams. According to the results for normal stress relative differences, and Euclidean norm for displacements, it has been demonstrated that shear effects must be accounted for in the analysis of such structural problems. Full article

This study presents a comprehensive non-destructive evaluation of a broad range of construction materials using the impulse excitation of vibration (IEV) technique. Tested specimens included low- and normal-strength concrete, fiber-reinforced concrete (with basalt, polypropylene, and glass fibers), lime mortars (NHL-2 and -3.5), plaster, and clay bricks (light and dark). Compressive and flexural strength tests complemented dynamic resonance testing on the same samples to ensure full mechanical characterization. Flexural and torsional resonance frequencies were used to calculate dynamic elastic modulus, shear modulus, and Poisson’s ratio. Strong correlations were observed between dynamic elastic modulus and shear modulus, supporting the compatibility of dynamic results with the classical elasticity theory. Flexural frequencies were more sensitive to material differences than torsional ones. Fiber additives, particularly basalt and polypropylene, significantly improved dynamic stiffness, increasing the dynamic elastic modulus/compressive strength ratio by up to 23%. In contrast, normal-strength concrete exhibited limited stiffness improvement despite higher strength. These findings highlight the reliability of IEV in mechanical properties across diverse material types and provide comparative reference data for concrete and masonry applications. Full article

Background: A critical review of the literature demonstrates that masticatory apparatus with an artificial oral environment is of interest in the fields including (i) dental science; (ii) food science; (iii) the pharmaceutical industries for drug release. However, apparatus that closely mimics human chewing and oral conditions has yet to be realised. This study investigates the vital role of dental morphology and form–function connections using two-bite test parameters for effective drug release from medicated chewing gum (MCG) and compares them to human chewing efficiency with the aid of a humanoid chewing robot and a bionics product lifecycle management (PLM) framework with built-in reverse biomimetics—both developed by the first author. Methods: A novel, bio-engineered two-bite testbed is created for two testing machines with compression and torsion capabilities to conduct two-bite tests for evaluating the mechanical properties of MCGs. Results: Experimental studies are conducted to investigate the relationship between biting force and crushing/shearing and understand chewing efficiency and effective mastication. This is with respect to mechanochemistry and power stroke for disrupting mechanical bonds releasing the active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) of MCGs. The manuscript discusses the effect and the critical role that jaw physiology, dental morphology, the Bennett angle of mandible (BA) and the Frankfort-mandibular plane angle (FMA) on two-bite test parameters when FMA = 0, 25 or 29.1 and BA = 0 or 8. Conclusions: The impact on other scientific fields is also explored. Full article

In railways, problems in braking and traction can be caused by so-called low-adhesion conditions. Adhesion is increased by sanding, where sand grains are blasted towards the wheel–rail contact. Despite the successful use of sanding in practice and extensive experimental studies, the physical mechanisms of adhesion increase are poorly understood. This study combines experimental work with a DEM model to aim at a deeper understanding of adhesion increase during sanding. The experimentally observed processes during sanding involve repeated grain breakage, varying sand fragment spread, formation of clusters of crushed sand powders, plastic deformation of the steel surfaces due to the high load applied and shearing of the compressed sand fragments. The developed DEM model includes all these processes. Two types of rail sand are analysed, which differ in adhesion increase in High-Pressure Torsion tests under wet contact conditions. This study shows that higher adhesion is achieved when a larger proportion of the normal load is transferred through sand–steel contacts. This is strongly influenced by the coefficient of friction between sand and steel. Adhesion is higher for larger sand grains, higher sand fragment spread, and higher steel hardness, resulting in less indentation, all leading to larger areas covered by sand. Full article

The integration of fiber-reinforced cementitious composites (FRCCs) with fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) bars represents a significant advancement in concrete technology, aimed at enhancing the structural performance of reinforced concrete elements. The incorporation of fibers into cementitious composites markedly improves their mechanical properties, including tensile strength, ductility, compressive strength, and flexural strength, by effectively bridging cracks and optimizing load distribution. Furthermore, FRP bars extend these properties with their high tensile strength, lightweight characteristics, and exceptional corrosion resistance, rendering them ideal for applications in aggressive environments. In recent years, there has been a notable increase in interest from the engineering research community regarding this topic, primarily to solve the issues of aging and deteriorating infrastructure. Researchers have conducted extensive investigations into the structural performance of FRCC and FRP composite systems. This paper presents a systematic literature review that surveys experimental and analytical studies, findings, and emerging trends in this field. A comprehensive search on the Web of Science identified 40 relevant research articles through a rigorous selection process. Key factors of structural performance, such as bond behavior, flexural behavior, ductility performance assessments, shear and torsional performance, and durability evaluations, have been documented. This review aims to provide an in-depth understanding of the structural performance of these innovative composite materials, paving the way for future research and development in construction materials technology. Full article

This paper aims to investigate the mechanical behavior of a polycarbonate through cyclic tensile, compression, and torsiontests atstrain rates that reduce viscous effects for this material. Measurements included axial and transverse strains for uniaxial tests and shear strains for torsion. Tensile tests exhibited nonlinear elasticity, ratcheting, and plasticity, accompanied by an increase in volumetric strain. Compression tests revealed nonlinear elasticity, with the surprising result of positive plastic axial and volumetric strains, accompanied by marginal transverse strains. Torsional tests showed an elastic but nonlinear relationship between shear stress and strain. In these latter tests, positive plastic volumetric strains were observed, which suggests that deviatoric stress can also induce volumetric plastic strains. These findings are of great importance for developing mathematical models of glassy amorphous polymers, and the observations contribute to understanding the complex behavior of such materials. Full article

The composite primary structures of railway vehicles endure not only mechanical loads including tension, compression, bending, and torsion, but also external impacts, such as by the crushed stone in ballast. In the present study, the low-velocity impact response of preloaded hybrid composite laminates with different thicknesses is examined using a finite element method based on a progressive damage model. The hybrid plate consists of carbon fiber-reinforced unidirectional and woven prepregs. The progressive damage model, based on the 3D Hashin model, is validated by experiments on hybrid laminate, and further compared with the post-impact appearance obtained from CT scans. Preloading, considered to be tensile, compressive, or shear, corresponds to different positions in a bending beam with flanges and a web. Finally, the effects of impact energy, preloading, thickness, and impact angle on the dynamic response are analyzed, with an emphasis on new results and failure mechanism analysis comparing the influence of preloads under a given impact energy and different thicknesses. Full article

Understanding the viscoelastic properties of plantar soft tissue under dynamic conditions is crucial for assessing foot health and preventing injuries. In this work, we document an in vivo device, employing the principles of dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), which, for the first time, enables in situ, real-time multidimensional mechanical characterization of plantar soft tissues. This device overcomes the limitations of conventional ex vivo and single-DOF testing methods by integrating three sinusoidal mechanism-based multi-DOF dynamic testing modules, providing measurements of tensile, compressive, shear, and torsional properties in a physiological setting. The innovative modular design integrates advanced sensors for precise force and displacement detection, allowing for comprehensive assessment under cyclic loading conditions. Validation tests on volunteers demonstrate the device’s reliability and highlight the significant viscoelastic characteristics of the plantar soft tissue. The example dataset was analyzed to calculate the storage modulus, loss modulus, loss factor, and energy dissipation. All design files, CAD models, and assembly instructions are made available as open-source resources, facilitating replication and further research. This work paves the way for enhanced diagnostics and personalized treatments in orthopedic and rehabilitative medicine. Full article

With the rapid development of marine engineering, large−diameter steel pipe piles are increasingly used in infrastructure construction, such as bridges, docks, and offshore wind power projects. Therefore, studying the shear behavior of the sand–steel interface is of great importance. In this study, the traditional vane shear apparatus was improved by utilizing its torsional shear actuator, adding an overlying pressure fixing device, and applying lateral pressure through a compressive spring. The original cross plate was replaced with a cylindrical steel rod to simulate the shear behavior of the large−diameter pile–sand interface under different stress states. Experimental results show that this apparatus effectively solves the problem of soil loss due to the shear gap in both the ring shear and direct shear tests under smooth interface conditions. As the shear rate (2°/min, 4°/min, 6°/min) increased, the peak and residual shear stresses decreased, while the shear stress increased with vertical confinement pressure, accompanied by significant residual stress. As the relative density of sand increased from 27.4% to 72.2%, the shear behavior transitioned from contraction to dilation. Regarding surface roughness, the experiment identified a critical threshold: when roughness is below this threshold, it significantly affects the peak shear strength; when above this threshold, the effect is smaller, and failure shifts to the internal sand body. This study provides valuable insights into the mechanics of the sand–steel interface and contributes to optimizing the foundation design for marine infrastructure. Full article

The patient-specific treatment of bone fractures using porous osteoconductive scaffolds has faced significant clinical challenges due to insufficient mechanical strength and bioactivity. These properties are essential for osteogenesis, bone bridging, and bone regeneration. Therefore, it is crucial to develop and characterize biocompatible, biodegradable, and mechanically robust scaffolds for effective bone regeneration. The objective of this study is to systematically investigate the mechanical performance of SimuBone, a medical-grade biocompatible and biodegradable material, using 10 distinct triply periodic minimal surface (TPMS) designs with various internal structures. To assess the material’s tensile properties, tensile structures based on ASTM D638-14 (Design IV) were fabricated, while standard torsion structures were designed and fabricated to evaluate torsional properties. Additionally, this work examined the compressive properties of the 10 TPMS scaffold designs, parametrically designed in the Rhinoceros 3D environment and subsequently fabricated using fused deposition modeling (FDM) additive manufacturing. The FDM fabrication process utilized a microcapillary nozzle (heated to 240 °C) with a diameter of 400 µm and a print speed of 10 mm/s, depositing material on a heated surface maintained at 60 °C. It was observed that SimuBone had a shear modulus of 714.79 ± 11.97 MPa as well as an average yield strength of 44 ± 1.31 MPa. Scaffolds fabricated with horizontal material deposition exhibited the highest tensile modulus (5404.20 ± 192.30 MPa), making them ideal for load-bearing applications. Also, scaffolds with large voids required thicker walls to prevent collapse. The P.W. Hybrid scaffold design demonstrated high vertical stiffness but moderate horizontal stiffness, indicating anisotropic mechanical behavior. The Neovius scaffold design balanced mechanical stiffness and porosity, making it a promising candidate for bone tissue engineering. Overall, the outcomes of this study pave the way for the design and fabrication of scaffolds with optimal properties for the treatment of bone fractures. Full article

In the present investigation, high stability Vitreloy Zr₄₄Ti₁₁Cu₁₀Ni₁₀Be₂₅ bulk metallic glass has been subjected to severe shear deformation by high-pressure torsion for 0.1 revolutions under an applied pressure of 4 and 8 GPa. The fully glassy nature of the as-cast glass has been confirmed by X-ray powder diffraction and differential scanning calorimetry. Deformation-induced surface features on an internal plane of the deformed disk-shaped specimens were studied in detail at the macroscopic level by optical reconstruction method and at microscopic scales by white-light optical profilometry. Shear and compressive strain components were measured based on surface changes and it was determined that compressive strain gradient with 0.2–0.4 strain change builds up toward the disk edge, while only part of the nominal shear deformation occurs in the disk interior. The effect of strain localization in the Vitreloy bulk metallic glasses has been quantified by a surface distortion model based on simple shear. The model was then validated experimentally by the reconstructed z-profiles. Full article

Modeling of friction stir welding (FSW) is challenging, as there are large gradients in both strain rate and temperature (typically between 450 and 500 °C in aluminum alloys) that must be accounted for in the constitutive law of the material being joined. Constitutive laws are most often calibrated using flow stresses from hot compression or hot torsion testing, where strain rates are much lower than those seen in the stir zone of the FSW process. As such, the current work employed a recently developed method to measure flow stresses at high strain rates and temperatures in AA 2219-T67, and these data were used in the development of a finite element (FE) simulation of FSW. Because heat generation during FSW is primarily a function of friction between the rapidly spinning tool and the plate, the choice of friction law and associated parameters were also studied with respect to FE model predictions. It was found that the Norton viscoplastic friction law provided the most accurate modeling results, for both the transient and steady-state phases of an FSW plunge experiment. It is likely that the superior performance of the Norton law was its ability to account for temperature and rate sensitivity of the plate material sheared by the tool, while the Tresca-limited Coulomb law favored contact pressure, with essentially no temperature or rate dependence of the local material properties. With optimized friction parameters and more accurate flow stresses for the weld zone, as measured by a high-pressure shear test, a 65% overall reduction in model error was achieved, compared to a model that employed a material law calibrated with hot compression or hot torsion test results. Model error was calculated as an equally weighted comparison of temperatures, torques, and forces with experimentally measured values. Full article