Eric Li

A mass-redistributed finite element method (MR-FEM) for acoustic problems using triangular mesh

The accuracy of numerical results using standard finite element method (FEM) in acoustic problems will deteriorate with increasing frequency due to the dispersion error. Such dispersion error depends on the balance between the stiffness and mass of discretization equation systems. This paper reports an improved finite element method (FEM) for solving acoustic problems by re-distributing the mass in the mass matrix to tune the balance, aiming to minimize the dispersion errors. This is done by shifting the integration point locations when computing the entries of the mass matrix, while ensuring the mass conservation. The new method is verified through the detailed numerical error analysis, and a strategy is also proposed for the best mass redistribution in terms of minimizing dispersion error. The relative dispersion error of present mass-redistributed finite element method (MR-FEM) is found to be much smaller than the FEM solution, in both theoretical prediction and numerical examination. The present MR-FEM works well by using the linear triangular elements that can be generated automatically, which enables automation in computation and saving computational cost in mesh generation. Numerical examples demonstrate the advantages of MR-FEM, in comparison with the standard FEM using the same triangular meshes and quadrilateral meshes.

Temperature effect on the performance of a dissipative dielectric elastomer generator with failure modes

Research on dielectric elastomer generators (DEGs) which can be utilized to convert mechanical energy to electrical energy has gained wide attention lately. However, very few works account for the operating temperature, viscoelasticity and current leakage in the analysis of DEGs simultaneously. In this study, under several compound four-stroke conversion cycles, the electromechanical performance and energy conversion of a dissipative DEG made of a very-high-bond (VHB) elastomer are investigated at different operating temperatures. The performance parameters such as energy density and conversion efficiency are calculated under different temperatures. Moreover, the common failure modes of the generator are considered: material rupture, loss of tension, electrical breakdown and electromechanical instability. The numerical results have distinctly shown that the operating temperature plays an important role in the performance of DEGs, which could possibly make a larger conversion efficiency for the DEG.

Stability and instability of a neuron network with excitatory and inhibitory small-world connections

This study considers a delayed neural network with excitatory and inhibitory shortcuts. The global stability of the trivial equilibrium is investigated based on Lyapunovs direct method and the delay-dependent criteria are obtained. It is shown that both the excitatory and inhibitory shortcuts decrease the stability interval, but a time delay can be employed as a global stabilizer. In addition, we analyze the bounds of the eigenvalues of the adjacent matrix using matrix perturbation theory and then obtain the generalized sufficient conditions for local stability. The possibility of small inhibitory shortcuts is helpful for maintaining stability. The mechanisms of instability, bifurcation modes, and chaos are also investigated. Compared with methods based on mean-field theory, the proposed method can guarantee the stability of the system in most cases with random events. The proposed method is effective for cases where excitatory and inhibitory shortcuts exist simultaneously in the network.

The artificial tree (AT) algorithm

Bionic intelligence algorithms have many advantages compared with traditional optimization algorithms. In this paper, inspired by the growth law of trees, a new bionic algorithm, named artificial tree (AT) algorithm is developed. In the proposed AT, the branch position is considered as the design variable. In addition, the branch is the solution, and the branch thickness is the indicator of the solution. The computing process of AT is achieved by simulating the transport of organic matters and the update of tree branches. The comparative analysis using thirty typical benchmark problems between AT algorithm and some well-known bionic intelligent methods is also performed. Based on numerical results, AT is found to be very effective in dealing with various problems. Display Omitted

A Molecular Dynamic Study on Nonlinear Vibration Behaviors of Fe Nanowires

In this paper, vibration behaviors of Fe nanowires are investigated by using the large-scale molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. It is observed that the vibration frequency of nanowires rises slightly and nonlinearly with the increase of initial actuation amplitude. Based on the atomic arrangement, a discrete spring-mass model is developed. Its nonlinear elastic relation is used to explain this phenomenon. In addition, Fe nanowires with different lengths and heights show different vibration properties in this work. The ratio between the length (L) and the height (h) of nanowires has a significant influence on vibration behaviors. The vibration properties of nanowires can be explained by the Euler–Bernoulli model when the ratio is relatively large, while they can be illustrated by the Timoshenko model when the ratio is relatively small.

A Novel Method for Load Bounds Identification for Uncertain Structures in Frequency Domain

A novel method for load bounds identification for uncertain structures is proposed in the frequency domain. The uncertain parameters are assumed to locate in their intervals and only their bounds rather than their precise information are needed. To quantitatively describe the effect of the interval uncertainty on the load identification in the frequency ranges, the interval extension is then introduced in the frequency response function (FRF)-based least squares approach. Therefore, the load bounds are determined through the summation of the two separate parts including the midpoint part and the perturbed part of the load. The midpoint part is computed by using the Moore–Penrose pseudo-inversion and the perturbed part is transformed into the first derivatives of the midpoint load with respect to the uncertain parameters by applying the truncated total least squares (TTLS). Two numerical examples are investigated to validate that the proposed method is very effective to predict the load bounds for the unce...