Experimental Mechanics

A detailed analytical and experimental investigation is presented to understand the dynamic fracture behavior of functionally graded materials (FGMs) under mode I and mixed mode loading conditions. Crack-tip stress, strain and displacement fields for a mixed mode crack propagating at an angle from the direction of property gradation were obtained through an asymptotic analysis coupled with a displacement potential approach. This was followed by a comprehensive series of experiments to gain further insight into the behavior of propagating cracks in FGMs. Dynamic photoelasticity coupled with high-speed photography was used to obtain crack tip velocities and dynamic stress fields around the propagating cracks. Birefringent coatings were used to conduct the photoelastic study due to the opaqueness of the FGMs. Dynamic fracture experiments were performed using different specimen geometries to develop a dynamic constitutive fracture relationship between the mode I dynamic stress intensity factor (K ID ) and crack-tip velocity ( ${\mathop a\limits^ \cdot }$ ) for FGMs with the crack moving in the direction of increasing fracture toughness. A similar ${\mathop a\limits^ \cdot }$ -K ID relation was also obtained for matrix material (polyester) for comparison purposes. The results obtained show that crack propagation velocities in FGMs were about 80% higher than the polyester matrix. Crack arrest toughness was found to be about 10% lower than the value of local fracture toughness in FGMs.

Split Hopkinson bar (SHB) techniques are commonly used to experimentally characterise materials at high strain-rates. One important aspect of high-strain rate characterisation using SHBs is the necessity to tailor the input pulse to the needs of the material to be tested. Here, a new method to shape the input pulse, specifically developed for tensile SHBs (SHTB), is presented. The new method overcomes several challenges of existing designs, allows for a controlled adjustment of the pulse rising time, and significantly reduces wave dispersion effects.

The aim of this study was to investigate effects of cyclic stretch on the mechanical properties of Endothelial cells (ECs). Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells were cultured and exposed to uniaxial cyclic stretch with two amplitude (10 % and 20 %) and different time duration (2, 4, 6 and 8 h). Micropipette aspiration technique coupled with the generalized Maxwell model was used to evaluate the mechanical properties of the ECs. Effects of cyclic stretch on the cell cytoskeleton were analyzed by actin filament staining. Results confirmed viscoelastic behavior of ECs in the micropipette aspiration experiment. The present results confirmed that increased stretch amplitude and duration led to lower deformation and further stiffening of ECs. Actin fibers were shown to align and bundle in response to the cyclic stretch. The results were compared statistically among test and control groups and it was concluded that cyclic loading causes significant alteration in mechanical properties of ECs due to remodeling of cell cytoskeleton.

In this current work an open-source 2D Digital Image Correlation (DIC) tool, RealPi2dDIC, is presented to monitor in situ full field deformation and strain responses of structures during loading. This software is coded in Python3 and uses Raspberry Pi as the computation and Pi camera as the imaging device. This low-cost approach to in situ DIC analysis enables its application in a broad field of research and industry problems where 2D strain field tensor is one of the principal interests of study. This code is provided with an interactive user interface (UI) making it user friendly and easy-to-use. Furthermore, RealPi2dDIC offers a simple software architecture which can be adopted, modified and extended to suit users’ purpose.

The present investigation deals with the stress distribution in the vicinity of rectangular inserts in finite rectangular plates. This problem is more complex due to the singularities at the corners of the inserts. In this paper, the finite-element technique is used to determine the deformations and, subsequently, the stresses. The paper treats the problem in a generalized form in the sense that the size and orientation of the insert are taken as variables. The finite rectangular plate is subjected to a uniform axial tensile load. The material of the plate and that of the insert are considered to be different. Element selections are made which are optimal with regard to accuracy and computational effort. The local element stresses which generate considerable discontinuity at the element nodes are plotted. Averaging process for the local stress calculations is discussed and these are compared with the results available1 which are obtained by experimental techniques.

ABSTRACT: The general topic investigated in this thesis is “structural health monitoring”, with special care being devoted to damage detection and localization. The study is focused on methods which work in the space of the observed variables, where the global information measures can be used to detect the damage. In this context damage detection is demanded to global measures such as entropy or Lyapunov exponents. The comparison of these measures computed in subspaces of the observed variables or in their expansions, allows one to perform a sort of sensitivity analysis on the role of the variables involved in the problem.
Such global measures are able to detect but not to directly  localize damage. For this purpose, a new approach to detect and localize the damage is formulated and implemented. It exploits response surface techniques to approximate the relationship among the observed variables. Comparing the resulting models in different damaged and undamaged situations identifies the response differences and their causes.
The response surface procedure is described from its basic theoretical aspects up to the features of its numerical implementation. Additionally, the global measures introduced above drive the analyst in establishing whether or not the problem is well posed, i.e., whether or not the set of measured quantities are able to detect the specific damage to be localized.
The validation of the proposed methodology is first numerically pursued by applying it to the benchmark case set up by the Structural Health Monitoring Panel of the American Society of Civil Engineering (ASCE). The procedure is then tested on two different experimental situations. While the first study of a three-dimensional steel frame reproduces the features of the benchmark problem, the second investigation covers a monumental structure situation, where damage is represented by more or less extended cracks in the masonry. The potential expressed by the procedure also in this second application seems to promise interesting exploitation possibilities.

This study deals with additive manufacturing (AM) products. Employing AM technology, complex-shaped, and lightweight parts can be fabricated using the aluminum alloy, AlSi10Mg. Typically, AM of this alloy is performed by laser powder bed fusion (LPBF). The mechanical properties of LPBF products are crucial for many engineering applications. Therefore, there have been efforts to measure the dynamic and quasi-static properties of such products. However, both the dynamic and quasi-static shear behaviors of this alloy are yet to be investigated. The present study is focused on experimentally investigating the shear behavior of LPBF AlSi10Mg. Quasi-static shear tests were performed according to the ASTM B565 protocol, whereas dynamic shear tests were conducted using a standard split Hopkinson pressure bar equipped with an innovative sample holder that generates pure shear in a sample. The results of the performed tests showed that as the shear load rate increased, the shear strength considerably increased. In addition, in the quasi-static regime, the shear strength was practically independent of the product build direction. In contrast, under the dynamic shear conditions, samples built horizontally failed at a shear strength approximately 10% lower than that of those manufactured vertically. To investigate the build orientation effect on the shear behavior, this study conducted extensive microstructural characterization along with fracture analysis. Crack nucleation and propagation were analyzed in view of the effects of the unique microstructural characteristics of the LPBF AlSi10Mg, including the morphologies of the melt pool boundaries. The results obtained in this study suggested that for engineering applications in which dynamic loads are expected, the build orientation of AlSi10Mg parts produced using LPBF technology must be considered.

This study investigates the impact response and damage mechanisms of composite sandwich structures in arctic condition. Carbon fiber reinforced composite sandwich panels with polyvinyl chloride (PVC) foam core are subjected to low-velocity impact at extreme low temperatures, representative of the harsh arctic environmental condition. Force-time history curves evidently show that test temperature has a significant influence on the impact damage behavior. Specimens impacted at extreme low temperature (−70 °C) exhibit less strength, and higher susceptibility to damage, resulting in severe penetration by the impactor. X-ray micro-computed tomo-graphy technique is employed to reveal multiple complex impact damage modes. Specifically, results from this work elucidate arctic temperature influence on detrimental failure mechanisms: large facesheet-core debonding, extensive composite facesheet delamination, significant core shearing and crushing, and severe facesheet fiber fracture. This work provides an important fundamental knowledge for future design of naval composite sandwich structures with enhanced impact performance at low-temperature arctic condition.

Questo articolo descrive i passi che hanno permesso di “inventare” e realizzare l’attrezzatura per la messa in prova
di un componente particolarmente critico del controllo motore, vale a dire la molla del corpo farfallato del collettore che, assicurando il rapido ritorno della valvola a farfalla, regola il flusso corretto e controllato dell’aria nel motore.

The deflection of micro-structures have been previously measured using optical interferometry methods. In this study, the classical phase-shift shadow moiré method (PSSM) was applied to measure the deflection of a silicon micro-cantilever and to determine the Young’s modulus of the cantilever material. The modulus value was determined from the profile based on deflection equation. A normal white light source and a grating of 40 line pairs per mm were used to generate the moiré fringes. Since the use of white light and high-resolution grating produces low contrast moiré fringes, the fringe visibility was enhanced by applying contrast enhancement and filtering techniques. The Young’s modulus of the silicon cantilever material was estimated to be 165.9 GPa with an uncertainty of ±11.3 GPa (6.8%). The experimental results show that the PSSM method can be successfully applied for characterizing micro-cantilevers. Comparison of the deflection profile from the proposed method and a commercial 3-D optical profiler showed that the measurement range and sensitivity of PSSM are not affected by the poor contrast images.