• Computers and Concrete
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• v.5 no.4
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• pp.329-342
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• 2008

A local behavior law, which includes elasticity, plasticity and damage, is developed in a three dimensional numerical model for concrete. The model is based on the Discrete Element Method (DEM)and the computational implementation has been carried out in the numerical Code YADE. This model was used to study the response of a concrete slab impacted by a rigid missile, and focuses on the extension of the compacted zone. To do so, the model was first used to simulate compression and hydrostatic tests. Once the local constitutive law parameters of the discrete element model were calibrated, the numerical model simulated the impact of a rigid missile used as a reference case to be compared to an experimental data set. From this reference case, simulations were carried out to show the importance of compaction during an impact and how it expands depending on the different impact conditions. Moreover, the numerical results were compared to empirical predictive formulae for penetration and perforation cases, demonstrating the importance of taking into account the local compaction process in the local interaction law between discrete elements.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.52 no.2
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• pp.369-389
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• 2014

Two-layer coupled or composite beams with discrete shear connectors of finite dimensions are commonly encountered in pre-fabricated construction. This paper presents the development of simplified closed-form solutions for such type of coupled beams for practical applications. A new coupled beam element is proposed to represent the unconnected segments in the beam. General solutions are then developed by an inductive method based on the results from the finite element analysis. A modification is subsequently considered to account for the effect of local deformations. For typical cases where the local deformation is primarily concerned about its distribution over the depth of the coupled beam, empirical modification factors are developed based on parametric calculations using finite element models. The developed analytical method for the coupled beams in question is simple, sufficiently accurate, and suitable for quick calculation in engineering practice.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.52 no.6
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• pp.1137-1147
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• 2020

The discrete ordinates method (S_N) is one of the major shielding calculation method, which is suitable for solving deep-penetration transport problems. Our objective is to explore the available quadrature sets and to improve the accuracy in shielding problems involving strong anisotropy. The linear discontinuous finite-element (LDFE) quadrature sets based on the icosahedron (in short, ICLDFE quadrature sets) are developed by defining projected points on the surfaces of the icosahedron. Weights are then introduced in the integration of the discontinuous finite-element basis functions in the relevant angular regions. The multivariate secant method is used to optimize the discrete directions and their corresponding weights. The numerical integration of polynomials in the direction cosines and the Kobayashi benchmark are used to analyze and verify the properties of these new quadrature sets. Results show that the ICLDFE quadrature sets can exactly integrate the zero-order and first-order of the spherical harmonic functions over one-twentieth of the spherical surface. As for the Kobayashi benchmark problem, the maximum relative error between the fifth-order ICLDFE quadrature sets and references is only -0.55%. The ICLDFE quadrature sets provide better integration precision of the spherical harmonic functions in local discrete angle domains and higher accuracy for simple shielding problems.

• Proceedings of the KSME Conference
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• 2000.04a
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• pp.399-404
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• 2000

Functionally graded materials(FGMs) involve dual-phase graded layers in which two different constituents are mixed continuously and functionally according to a given volume fraction. For the analysis of their thermo-mechanical response, conventional homogenized methods have been widely employed in order to estimate equivalent material properties of the graded layer. However, such overall estimations are insufficient to accurately predict the local behavior. In this paper, we compare the thermo-elastic behaviors predicted by several overall material-property estimation techniques with those obtained by discrete analysis models utilizing the finite element method, for various volume fractions and loading conditions.

• Journal of the Korean Mathematical Society
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• v.57 no.5
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• pp.1239-1266
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• 2020

In this paper, some novel discrete formulations for stabilizing the mixed finite element method Q1-Q0 (bilinear velocity and constant pressure approximations) are introduced and discussed for the generalized Stokes problem. These are based on stabilizing discontinuous pressure approximations via local jump operators. The developing idea consists in a reduction of terms in the local jump formulation, introduced earlier, in such a way that stability and convergence properties are preserved. The computer implementation aspects and numerical evaluation of these stabilized discrete formulations are also considered. For illustrating the numerical performance of the proposed approaches and comparing the three versions of the local jump methods alongside with the global jump setting, some obtained results for two test generalized Stokes problems are presented. Numerical tests confirm the stability and accuracy characteristics of the resulting approximations.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.5 no.4
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• pp.343-358
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• 2008

This article focuses on concrete structures submitted to impact loading and is aimed at predicting local damage in the vicinity of an impact zone as well as the global response of the structure. The Discrete Element Method (DEM) seems particularly well suited in this context for modeling fractures. An identification process of DEM material parameters from macroscopic data (Young's modulus, compressive and tensile strength, fracture energy, etc.) will first be presented for the purpose of enhancing reproducibility and reliability of the simulation results with DE samples of various sizes. The modeling of a large structure by means of DEM may lead to prohibitive computation times. A refined discretization becomes required in the vicinity of the impact, while the structure may be modeled using a coarse FE mesh further from the impact area, where the material behaves elastically. A coupled discrete-finite element approach is thus proposed: the impact zone is modeled by means of DE and elastic FE are used on the rest of the structure. The proposed approach is then applied to a rock impact on a concrete slab in order to validate the coupled method and compare computation times.

• Journal of Ocean Engineering and Technology
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.245-251
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• 2019

When an offshore foundation is exposed to waves and currents, local scour could develop around a pile and even lead to structural failure. Therefore, understanding and predicting the scour due to sediment transport around foundations are important in the engineering design. In this study, the flow and scour around a monopole foundation exposed to a current were investigated using a method that coupled the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and discrete element method (DEM). The open source computation fluid dynamics library OpenFOAM and a sediment transport library were coupled in the OpenFOAM platform. The incipient motion of the particle was validated. The flow fields and sediment transport around the monopole were simulated. The scour depth development was simulated and compared with existing experimental data. For the upstream scour hole, the equilibrium scour depth could be reproduced qualitatively, and it was underestimated by about 23%.

• Proceedings of the Computational Structural Engineering Institute Conference
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• 1994.10a
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• pp.9-16
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• 1994

In the discrete optimum design, occasionally, the solutions oscillate between the feasible and the infeasible resions during the series of redesigns of members with discrete sections. This phenomenon may be caused inherently by the discontinuity of variables of commercially available sections in the database. In this paper, in-depth investigation into the oscillation in the discrete optimization and its control has been conducted. When the structure is optimized through element optimization, the oscillation can be divided into two categories, local and global oscillations. An algorithm which controls these phenomena is suggested and numerical examples demonstrate the oscillation in optimum solutions and the effectiveness of the control strategy suggested here.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.55 no.2
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• pp.769-779
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• 2023

This paper describes an hp-angular adaptivity algorithm in the discrete ordinates method for Boltzmann transport applications with strong angular effects. This adaptivity uses discontinuous finite element quadrature sets with different degrees, which updates both angular mesh and the degree of the underlying discontinuous finite element basis functions, allowing different angular local refinement to be applied in space. The regular and goal-based error metrics are considered in this algorithm to locate some regions to be refined. A mapping algorithm derived by moment conservation is developed to pass the angular solution between spatial regions with different quadrature sets. The proposed method is applied to some test problems that demonstrate the ability of this hp-angular adaptivity to resolve complex fluxes with relatively few angular unknowns. Results illustrate that a reduction to approximately 1/50 in quadrature ordinates for a given accuracy compared with uniform angular discretization. This method therefore offers a highly efficient angular adaptivity for investigating difficult particle transport problems.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.18 no.6
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• pp.1353-1368
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• 2015

A finite element model is presented for the analysis of composite steel-concrete beams based on a refined high-order theory. The employed theory satisfies all the kinematic and stress continuity conditions at the layer interfaces and considers effects of the transverse normal stress and transverse flexibility. The global displacement components, described by polynomial or combinations of polynomial and exponential expressions, are superposed on local ones chosen based on the layerwise or discrete-layer concepts. The present finite model does not need the incorporating any shear correction factor. Moreover, in the present $C^1$-continuous finite element model, the number of unknowns is independent of the number of layers. The proposed finite element model is validated by comparing the present results with those obtained from the three-dimensional (3D) finite element analysis. In addition to correctly predicting the distribution of all stress components of the composite steel-concrete beams, the proposed finite element model is computationally economic.