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Heterogeneous Materials (heterogeneous + material)

Distribution by Scientific Domains

Engineering	44%
Polymers and Materials Science	38%

Selected Abstracts

Rapid Exponential Convergence of Finite Element Estimates of the Effective Properties of Heterogeneous Materials

ADVANCED ENGINEERING MATERIALS, Issue 11 2007
A. Gusev
We develop and validate a general-purpose error estimator for the finite element solutions for the effective properties of heterogeneous materials. We show that the error should decrease exponentially upon increasing order of the polynomial interpolation. We use this finding to demonstrate the practical feasibility of reliable property predictions for a majority of particulate-morphology heterogeneous materials. [source]

Structuring Materiality: Design Fabrication of Heterogeneous Materials

ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN, Issue 4 2010
Neri Oxman
Abstract What happens when we invert the usual sequence of the design process - form-structure-material - so materiality becomes the generative driver? Taking nature as her model, Neri Oxman advocates a new material method, Variable Property Design (VPD), in which material assemblies are modelled, simulated and fabricated with varying properties in order to correspond with multiple and continuously shifting functional constraints. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]

The effects of macrolocalization of deformation in Al-based composites with Al2O3 inclusions

FATIGUE & FRACTURE OF ENGINEERING MATERIALS AND STRUCTURES, Issue 4 2003
YE. YE.
ABSTRACT Using a television optical TOMSC system, regular features of localization of macroplastic deformation are studied in composite aluminum-based materials with hard inclusions of Al2O3 under tension. Before investigation, the specimens are subjected to cold rolling, tempering for 30 min at 500 °C with subsequent cooling in air, and annealing at 550 °C during 2 h with subsequent cooling in furnace. It is shown that the tempered and annealed alloys exhibit mobile centers of active macrolocalization long before the formation of a stationary neck preceding material fracture. Physical mesomechanics, relying on the concepts of the leading role of different-scale stress concentrators that relax and develop in a loaded heterogeneous material, is capable of providing a qualitative description of macrolocalization development. [source]

Larval development in the Homoscleromorpha (Porifera, Demospongiae)

INVERTEBRATE BIOLOGY, Issue 3 2003
Nicole Boury-Esnault
Abstract. Embryonic development from coeloblastula to fully developed larva was investigated in 8 Mediterranean homoscleromorph species: Oscarella lobularis, O. tuberculata, O. microlobata, O. imperialis, Plakina trilopha, P. jani, Corticium candelabrum, and Pseudocorticium jarrei. Morphogenesis of the larva is similar in all these species; however, cell proliferation is more active in species of Oscarella than in Plakina and C. candelabrum. The result of cell division is a wrinkled, flagellated larva, called a cinctoblastula. It is composed of a columnar epithelium of polarized, monoflagellated cells among which are scattered a few non-flagellated ovoid cells. The central cavity always contains symbiotic bacteria. Maternal cells are also present in O. lobularis, O. imperialis, and P. jarrei. In the fully developed larva, cell shape and dimensions are constant for each species. The cells of the anterior pole have large vacuoles with heterogeneous material; those of the postero-lateral zone have an intranuclear paracrystalline inclusion; and the flagellated cells of the posterior pole have large osmiophilic inclusions. Intercellular junctions join the apical parts of the cells, beneath which are other specialized cell junctions. A basement membrane underlying the flagellated cells lines the larval cavity. This is the first observation of a basement membrane in a poriferan larva. The basal apparatus of flagellated cells is characterized by an accessory centriole located exactly beneath the basal body. The single basal rootlet is cross striated. The presence of a basement membrane and a true epithelium in the larva of Homoscleromorpha,unique among poriferan clades and shared with Eumetazoa,suggests that Demospongiae could be paraphyletic. [source]

Vaccine-associated granulomatous inflammation and melanin accumulation in Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar L., white muscle

JOURNAL OF FISH DISEASES, Issue 1 2005
E O Koppang
Abstract The purpose of this study was to investigate the nature of variably sized pigmented foci encountered in fillets of farmed Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar L. The material was sampled on the fillet production line and on salmon farms from fish with an average size of 3 kg from various producers. The fish had been routinely vaccinated by injection. Gross pathology, histology, immunohistochemistry using antisera against major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II , chain and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were used to characterize the changes. Macroscopically, melanized foci were seen penetrating from the peritoneum deep into the abdominal wall, sometimes right through to the skin, and also embedded in the caudal musculature. Histological investigation revealed muscle degeneration and necrosis, fibrosis and granulomatous inflammation containing varying numbers of melano-macrophages. Vacuoles, either empty or containing heterogeneous material, were frequently seen. The presence of abundant MHC class II+ cells indicated an active inflammatory condition. TEM showed large extracellular vacuoles and leucocytes containing homogeneous material of lipid-like appearance. The results showed that the melanized foci in Atlantic salmon fillet resulted from an inflammatory condition probably induced by vaccination. The described condition is not known in wild salmon and in farmed salmon where injection vaccination is not applied. [source]

Formation of a fibrillar morphology of crosslinked epoxy in a polystyrene continuous phase by reactive extrusion

POLYMER ENGINEERING & SCIENCE, Issue 4 2004
Françoise Fenouillot
An immiscible polymer blend where the dispersed phase is fibrillar was prepared by in situ crosslinking of the minor phase. A model polystyrene/epoxy-amine blend was selected on the basis of rheological (achievement of the fibrillar structure) and reactivity (fast crosslinking) criteria. The system was a polystyrene/diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A (DGEBA)-aminoethyl piperazine (AEP) blend. At the temperature of extrusion, 180°C, the DGEBA is immiscible in PS and heterogeneous material is obtained. The elongational flow imposed by drawing the extrudate at the die exit permitted controlled generation of a fibrillar morphology of the dispersed epoxy phase, with a fiber diameter of 1 ,m and an aspect ratio greater than 100. It was shown that when the amine comonomer was injected into the extruder, its reactivity with DGEBA at high temperature was high enough to ensure partial crosslinking of the epoxy. The fibrils were formed even though the gel point of the epoxy phase was exceeded. However, above a certain critical insoluble fraction that we estimated to be between 45% and 70%, a coarsening of the structure appeared, caused by the decreasing deformability of the domains and their coalescence. Finally, for our system, the crosslinking of the dispersed phase up to 90% of insoluble fraction did not totally stabilize the morphology after the second processing step (injection molding). Polym. Eng. Sci. 44:625,637, 2004. © 2004 Society of Plastics Engineers. [source]

Microstructure and Transport Properties of Cellular Materials: Representative Volume Element

ADVANCED ENGINEERING MATERIALS, Issue 10 2009
Emmanuel Brun
The representative volume element (RVE) plays a central role in efforts to predict the effective thermo-physical and transport properties of heterogeneous materials. A quantitative definition of its size is proposed in this work. It is shown that RVE depends on the morphological or physical property being investigated. The methodology is applied to real samples of open-celled materials (such as metallic foam) whose structure is obtained from X-Ray microtomography. [source]

Synchrotron-Based Micro-CT and Refraction-Enhanced Micro-CT for Non-Destructive Materials Characterisation,

ADVANCED ENGINEERING MATERIALS, Issue 6 2009
Bernd R. Müller
Abstract X-ray computed tomography is an important tool for non-destructively evaluating the 3-D microstructure of modern materials. To resolve material structures in the micrometer range and below, high brilliance synchrotron radiation has to be used. The Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing (BAM) has built up an imaging setup for micro-tomography and -radiography (BAMline) at the Berliner storage ring for synchrotron radiation (BESSY). In computed tomography, the contrast at interfaces within heterogeneous materials can be strongly amplified by effects related to X-ray refraction. Such effects are especially useful for materials of low absorption or mixed phases showing similar X-ray absorption properties that produce low contrast. The technique is based on ultra-small-angle scattering by microstructural elements causing phase-related effects, such as refraction and total reflection. The extraordinary contrast of inner surfaces is far beyond absorption effects. Crack orientation and fibre/matrix debonding in plastics, polymers, ceramics and metal-matrix-composites after cyclic loading and hydro-thermal aging can be visualized. In most cases, the investigated inner surface and interface structures correlate to mechanical properties. The technique is an alternative to other attempts on raising the spatial resolution of CT machines. [source]

Rapid Exponential Convergence of Finite Element Estimates of the Effective Properties of Heterogeneous Materials

eXtended Stochastic Finite Element Method for the numerical simulation of heterogeneous materials with random material interfaces

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL METHODS IN ENGINEERING, Issue 10 2010
A. Nouy
Abstract An eXtended Stochastic Finite Element Method has been recently proposed for the numerical solution of partial differential equations defined on random domains. This method is based on a marriage between the eXtended Finite Element Method and spectral stochastic methods. In this article, we propose an extension of this method for the numerical simulation of random multi-phased materials. The random geometry of material interfaces is described implicitly by using random level set functions. A fixed deterministic finite element mesh, which is not conforming to the random interfaces, is then introduced in order to approximate the geometry and the solution. Classical spectral stochastic finite element approximation spaces are not able to capture the irregularities of the solution field with respect to spatial and stochastic variables, which leads to a deterioration of the accuracy and convergence properties of the approximate solution. In order to recover optimal convergence properties of the approximation, we propose an extension of the partition of unity method to the spectral stochastic framework. This technique allows the enrichment of approximation spaces with suitable functions based on an a priori knowledge of the irregularities in the solution. Numerical examples illustrate the efficiency of the proposed method and demonstrate the relevance of the enrichment procedure. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]

Failure of heterogeneous materials: 3D meso-scale FE models with embedded discontinuities

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL METHODS IN ENGINEERING, Issue 13 2010
N. Benkemoun
Abstract We present a meso-scale model for failure of heterogeneous quasi-brittle materials. The model problem of heterogeneous materials that is addressed in detail is based on two-phase 3D representation of reinforced heterogeneous materials, such as concrete, where the inclusions are melt within the matrix. The quasi-brittle failure mechanisms are described by the spatial truss representation, which is defined by the chosen Voronoi mesh. In order to explicitly incorporate heterogeneities with no need to change this mesh, some bar elements are cut by the phase-interface and must be split into two parts. Any such element is enhanced using both weak and strong discontinuities, based upon the Incompatible Mode Method. Furthermore, a dedicated operator split solution procedure is proposed to keep local any additional computation on elements with embedded discontinuities. The results for several numerical simulations are presented to illustrate the capabilities of the proposed model to provide an excellent representation of failure mechanisms for any different macroscopic loading path. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]

Wavelet Galerkin method in multi-scale homogenization of heterogeneous media

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL METHODS IN ENGINEERING, Issue 3 2006
Shafigh Mehraeen
Abstract The hierarchical properties of scaling functions and wavelets can be utilized as effective means for multi-scale homogenization of heterogeneous materials under Galerkin framework. It is shown in this work, however, when the scaling functions are used as the shape functions in the multi-scale wavelet Galerkin approximation, the linear dependency in the scaling functions renders improper zero energy modes in the discrete differential operator (stiffness matrix) if integration by parts is invoked in the Galerkin weak form. An effort is made to obtain the analytical expression of the improper zero energy modes in the wavelet Galerkin differential operator, and the improper nullity of the discrete differential operator is then removed by an eigenvalue shifting approach. A unique property of multi-scale wavelet Galerkin approximation is that the discrete differential operator at any scale can be effectively obtained. This property is particularly useful in problems where the multi-scale solution cannot be obtained simply by a wavelet projection of the finest scale solution without utilizing the multi-scale discrete differential operator, for example, the multi-scale analysis of an eigenvalue problem with oscillating coefficients. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]

Disordered lattice networks: general theory and simulations

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CIRCUIT THEORY AND APPLICATIONS, Issue 6 2005
Stefano GiordanoArticle first published online: 16 NOV 200
Abstract In this work we develop a theory for describing random networks of resistors of the most general topology. This approach generalizes and unifies several statistical theories available in literature. We consider an n-dimensional anisotropic random lattice where each node of the network is connected to a reference node through a given random resistor. This topology includes many structures of great interest both for theoretical and practical applications. For example, the one-dimensional systems correspond to random ladder networks, two-dimensional structures model films deposited on substrates and three-dimensional lattices describe random heterogeneous materials. Moreover, the theory is able to take into account the anisotropic percolation problem for two- and three-dimensional structures. The analytical results allow us to obtain the average behaviour of such networks, i.e. the electrical characterization of the corresponding physical systems. This effective medium theory is developed starting from the properties of the lattice Green's function of the network and from an ad hoc mean field procedure. An accurate analytical study of the related lattice Green's functions has been conducted obtaining many closed form results expressed in terms of elliptic integrals. All the theoretical results have been verified by means of numerical Monte-Carlo simulations obtaining a remarkably good agreement between numerical and theoretical values. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]

3D Numerical Analysis of Concrete Degradation at Macrostructure Level

PROCEEDINGS IN APPLIED MATHEMATICS & MECHANICS, Issue 1 2008
Andrzej Wawrzynek
This work was intended as an attempt to assess the degradation of compressed concrete sample with regard to heterogeneity. The aim of this paper is to estimate of microdamages in heterogeneous materials as such as concrete. (© 2008 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [source]

Deformation Driven Homogenization of Fracturing Solids

PROCEEDINGS IN APPLIED MATHEMATICS & MECHANICS, Issue 1 2005
Ercan Gürses
The paper discusses numerical formulations of the homogenization for solids with discrete crack development. We focus on multi,phase microstructures of heterogeneous materials, where fracture occurs in the form of debonding mechanisms as well as matrix cracking. The definition of overall properties critically depends on the developing discontinuities. To this end, we extend continuous formulations [1] to microstructures with discontinuities [2]. The basic underlying structure is a canonical variational formulation in the fully nonlinear range based on incremental energy minimization. We develop algorithms for numerical homogenization of fracturing solids in a deformation,driven context with non,trivial formulations of boundary conditions for (i) linear deformation and (ii) uniform tractions. The overall response of composite materials with fracturing microstructures are investigated. As a key result, we show the significance of the proposed non,trivial formulation of a traction,type boundary condition in the deformation,driven context. (© 2005 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [source]

Carbon isotope determination for separate components of heterogeneous materials using coupled thermogravimetric analysis/isotope ratio mass spectrometry

RAPID COMMUNICATIONS IN MASS SPECTROMETRY, Issue 8 2008
David A. C. Manning
A gas-tight thermal analysis system (Netzsch STA 449C Jupiter) has been connected to an isotope ratio mass spectrometer (PDZ Europa 20-20) via an interface containing an oxidizing furnace, water trap, and gas-sampling valve. Using this system, ,13C has been measured for CO2 derived from the thermal decomposition of carbonate and oxalate minerals and organic materials at temperatures that correspond to different decomposition events. There is close agreement between measured and published ,13C values for carbonate and oxalate minerals, which have simple decarbonation reactions on heating. Cellulose and lignin-rich materials show much more complex thermal decomposition, reflecting differences in their purity and structure, and measured ,13C values vary with the temperature of gas sampling. Provided that measurements are made at temperatures that correspond to the decomposition of cellulose and lignin (indicated by maximum weight loss), internally consistent data can be obtained. However, measurements for cellulose and lignin are systematically enriched in ,13C (by up to 1.4,) with respect to those reported for reference materials, possibly due to the slower combustion kinetics (compared with EA-IRMS). Thermogravimetric analysis/isotope ratio mass spectrometry (TG-IRMS) is ideal for materials and samples for which it is not possible to use other isotopic measurement techniques, for example because of sample heterogeneity. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]