• Journal of the Korean Society of Manufacturing Process Engineers
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• v.18 no.12
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• pp.28-37
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• 2019

Due to their flexible tailoring qualities, composites have become fascinating materials for structural engineers. While the research area of fiber-reinforced composite materials was previously limited to synthetic materials, natural fibers have recently become the primary research focus as the best alternative to artificial fibers. The natural fibers are eco-friendly and relatively cheaper than synthetic fibers. The main concern of current research into natural fiber-reinforced composites is the prediction and enhancement of the effective material properties. In the present work, finite element analysis is used with a numerical homogenization approach to determine the effective material properties of jute fiber-reinforced epoxy composites with various volume fractions of fiber. The finite element analysis results for the jute fiber-reinforced epoxy composite are then compared with several well-known analytical models.

• Advances in concrete construction
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• v.5 no.3
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• pp.221-240
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• 2017

The modeling of the mechanical behavior of quasi-brittle materials is still a challenge task, mainly in failure processes when fracture and plasticity phenomena become important actors in dissipative processes which occur in materials like concrete, as instance. Many homogenization-based approaches have been proposed to deal with heterogeneous materials in the last years. In this context, a computational homogenization modeling for concrete is presented in this work using the concept of Representative Volume Element (RVE). The material is considered as a three-phase material consisting of interface zone (ITZ), matrix and inclusions-each constituent modeled by an independent constitutive model. The Representative Volume Element (RVE) consists of inclusions idealized as circular shapes symmetrically and nonsymmetrically placed into the specimen. The interface zone is modeled by means of cohesive contact finite elements. The inclusion is modeled as linear elastic and matrix region is considered as elastoplastic material. A set of examples is presented in order to show the potentialities and limitations of the proposed modeling. The consideration of the fracture processes in the ITZ is fundamental to capture complex macroscopic characteristics of the material using simple constitutive models at mesoscopic level.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.45 no.4
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• pp.439-454
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• 2013

Hollow cylindrical tubes with a prismatic sandwich lining designed to replace the solid cross-sections are studied in this paper. The sections are divided by a number of revolving periodic unit cells and three topologies of unit cells (Square, Triangle and Kagome) are proposed. Some types of multiple-topology designed materials are also studied. The feasibility and accuracy of a homogenization method for obtaining the equivalent parameters are investigated. As the curved elements of a unit cell are represented by straight elements in the method and the ratios of the lengths of the curved elements to the lengths of the straight elements vary with the changing number of unit cells, some errors may be introduced. The frequencies of the first five modes and responses of the complete and equivalent models under an internal static pressure and an internal step pressure are compared for investigating the scope of applications of the method. The lower bounds and upper bounds of the number of Square, Triangular and Kagome cells in the sections are obtained. It is shown that treating the multiple-topology designed materials as a separate-layer structure is more accurate than treating the structure as a whole.

• Proceedings of the Korean Nuclear Society Conference
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• 2005.10a
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• pp.3-4
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• 2005

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.79-86
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• 2004

Hydraulic conductivity along rock fracture is mainly dependent on fracture geometries such as orientation, aperture, roughness and connectivity. Therefore, it needs to consider fracture geometries sufficiently on a fracture model for a numerical analysis to calculate permeability coefficient in a fracture. This study performed new type of numerical analysis using a homogenization analysis method to calculate permeability coefficient accurately along single fractures with several fracture models that were considered fracture geometries as much as possible. First of all, fracture roughness and aperture variation due to normal stress applied on a fracture were directly measured under a confocal laser scaning microscope (CLSM). The acquired geometric data were used as input data to construct fracture models for the homogenization analysis (HA). Using the constructed fracture models, the homogenization analysis method can compute permeability coefficient with consideration of material properties both in microscale and in macroscale. The HA is a new type of perturbation theory developed to characterize the behavior of a micro inhomogeneous material with a periodic microstructure. It calculates micro scale permeability coefficient at homogeneous microscale, and then, computes a homogenized permeability coefficient (C-permeability coefficient) at macro scale. Therefore, it is possible to analyze accurate characteristics of permeability reflected with local effect of facture geometry. Several computations of the HA were conducted to prove validity of the HA results compared with the empirical equations of permeability in the previous studies using the constructed 2-D fracture models. The model can be classified into a parallel plate model that has fracture roughness and identical aperture along a fracture. According to the computation results, the conventional C-permeability coefficients have values in the range of the same order or difference of one order from the permeability coefficients calculated by an empirical equation. It means that the HA result is valid to calculate permeability coefficient along a fracture. However, it should be noted that C-permeability coefficient is more accurate result than the preexisting equations of permeability calculation, because the HA considers permeability characteristics of locally inhomogeneous fracture geometries and material properties both in microscale and macroscale.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.417-447
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• 2010

The uncertainty often observed in experimental strengths of masonry constituents makes critical the selection of the appropriate inputs in finite element analysis of complex masonry buildings, as well as requires modelling the building ultimate load as a random variable. On the other hand, the utilization of expensive Monte Carlo simulations to estimate collapse load probability distributions may become computationally impractical when a single analysis of a complex building requires hours of computer calculations. To reduce the computational cost of Monte Carlo simulations, direct computer calculations can be replaced with inexpensive Response Surface (RS) models. This work investigates the use of RS models in Monte Carlo analysis of complex masonry buildings with random input parameters. The accuracy of the estimated RS models, as well as the good estimations of the collapse load cumulative distributions obtained via polynomial RS models, show how the proposed approach could be a useful tool in problems of technical interest.

• Journal of the Computational Structural Engineering Institute of Korea
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.81-93
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• 2020

The fatigue characteristics of glass fiber reinforced plastic (GFRP) composites were studied under repeated loads using the finite element method (FEM). To realize the material characteristics of GFRP composites, Digimat, a mean-field homogenization tool, was employed. Additionally, the micro-structures and material models of GFRP composites were defined with it to predict the fatigue behavior of composites more realistically. Specifically, the fatigue characteristics of polybutylene terephthalate with short fiber fractions of 30wt% were investigated with respect to fiber orientation, stress ratio, and thickness. The injection analysis was conducted using Moldflow software to obtain the information on fiber orientations. It was mapped over FEM concerned with fatigue specimens. LS-DYNA, a typical finite element commercial software, was used in the coupled analysis of Digimat to calculate the stress amplitude of composites. FEMFAT software consisting of various numerical material models was used to predict the fatigue life. The results of coupled analysis of linear and nonlinear material models of Digimat were analyzed to identify the fatigue characteristics of GFRP composites using FEMFAT. Neuber's rule was applied to the linear material model to analyze the fatigue behavior in LCF regimen. Additionally, to evaluate the morphological and mechanical structure of GFRP composites, the coupled and fatigue analysis were conducted in terms of thickness.

• Advances in aircraft and spacecraft science
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.95-112
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• 2016

This paper presents the free vibration analysis of damaged beams by means of 1D (beam) advanced finite element models. The present 1D formulation stems from the Carrera Unified Formulation (CUF), and it leads to a Component-Wise (CW) modelling. By means of the CUF, any order 2D and 1D structural models can be developed in a unified and hierarchical manner, and they provide extremely accurate results with very low computational costs. The computational cost reduction in terms of total amount of DOFs ranges from 10 to 100 times less than shell and solid models, respectively. The CW provides a detailed physical description of the real structure since each component can be modelled with its material characteristics, that is, no homogenization techniques are required. Furthermore, although 1D models are exploited, the problem unknown variables can be placed on the physical surfaces of the real 3D model. No artificial surfaces or lines have to be defined to build the structural model. Global and local damages are introduced by decreasing the stiffness properties of the material in the damaged regions. The results show that the proposed 1D models can deal with damaged structures as accurately as a shell or a solid model, but with far lower computational costs. Furthermore, it is shown how the presence of damages can lead to shell-like modal shapes and torsional/bending coupling.

• Interaction and multiscale mechanics
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.45-68
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• 2009

An aim of the study is to develop an efficient numerical simulation technique that can handle the two-scale analysis of fluid permeation filters fabricated by the partial sintering technique of small spherical ceramics. A solid-fluid mixture homogenization method is introduced to predict the mechanical characters such as rigidity and permeability of the porous ceramic filters from the micro-scale geometry and configuration of partially-sintered particles. An extended finite element (X-FE) discretization technique based on the enriched interpolations of respective characteristic functions at fluid-solid interfaces is proposed for the non-interface-fitted mesh solution of the micro-scale analysis that needs non-slip condition at the interface between solid and fluid phases of the unit cell. The homogenization and localization performances of the proposed method are shown in a typical two-dimensional benchmark problem whose model has a hole in center. Three-dimensional applications to the body-centered cubic (BCC) and face-centered cubic (FCC) unit cell models are also shown in the paper. The 3D application is prepared toward the computer-aided optimal design of ceramic filters. The accuracy and stability of the X-FEM based method are comparable to those of the standard interface-fitted FEM, and are superior to those of the voxel type FEM that is often used in such complex micro geometry cases.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.16 no.3 s.49
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• pp.227-233
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• 2006

Bedrock is inhomogeneous for its genetically diverse origins and geological conditions when it forms, and especially, conglomerates and core-stones are one of these typical composite geo-materials composed of weak matrixes and strong pebbles. Mechanical properties of these composite bedrocks, like a conglomerate, generally vary depending on the mechanical properties and distributions of pebbles and the matrix. Therefore, regarding the consequence of understanding mechanical property of bedrocks in the designing slopes, tunnels, and other engineering facilities, empirical rock classification methods generally applied in the mechanical property modeling may not be suitable and rather, we may need some other classification methods, or tests more specific for these inhomogeneous composite bedrocks. This study includes a series of analyses to see elastic behaviors and modulus of composite geo-materials using homogenization theory. Forty nine case models were made for the elastic analysis with considering 5 factors such as gravel content, gravel size, strength of matrix, sorting and dip angle. The results analyzed are applicable to calculate elastic modulus of composite geo-materials as conglomerates and core-stones.