Ivan Giorgio

Large deformations of planar extensible beams and pantographic lattices: Heuristic homogenization, experimental and numerical examples of equilibrium

The aim of this paper is to find a computationally efficient and predictive model for the class of systems that we call ‘pantographic structures’. The interest in these materials was increased by the possibilities opened by the diffusion of technology of three-dimensional printing. They can be regarded, once choosing a suitable length scale, as families of beams (also called fibres) interconnected to each other by pivots and undergoing large displacements and large deformations. There are, however, relatively few ‘ready-to-use’ results in the literature of nonlinear beam theory. In this paper, we consider a discrete spring model for extensible beams and propose a heuristic homogenization technique of the kind first used by Piola to formulate a continuum fully nonlinear beam model. The homogenized energy which we obtain has some peculiar and interesting features which we start to describe by solving numerically some exemplary deformation problems. Furthermore, we consider pantographic structures, find the corresponding homogenized second gradient deformation energies and study some planar problems. Numerical solutions for these two-dimensional problems are obtained via minimization of energy and are compared with some experimental measurements, in which elongation phenomena cannot be neglected.

Reflection and transmission of plane waves at surfaces carrying material properties and embedded in second-gradient materials

In this paper reflection and transmission of compression and shear waves at structured interfaces between second-gradient continua is investigated. Two semi-infinite spaces filled with the same second-gradient material are connected through an interface which is assumed to have its own material properties (mass density, elasticity and inertia). Using a variational principle, general balance equations are deduced for the bulk system, as well as jump duality conditions for the considered structured interfaces. The obtained equations include the effect of surface inertial and elastic properties on the motion of the overall system. In the first part of the paper general 3D equations accounting for all surface deformation modes (including bending) are introduced. The application to wave propagation presented in the second part of the paper, on the other hand, is based on a simplified 1D version of these equations, which we call “axial symmetric” case.

Higher-gradient continua: The legacy of Piola, Mindlin, Sedov and Toupin and some future research perspectives

Since the first studies dedicated to the mechanics of deformable bodies (by Euler, D’Alembert, Lagrange) the principle of virtual work (or virtual velocities) has been used to provide firm guidance to the formulation of novel theories. Gabrio Piola dedicated his scientific life to formulating a continuum theory in order to encompass a large class of deformation phenomena and was the first author to consider continua with non-local internal interactions and, as a particular case, higher-gradient continua. More recent followers of Piola (Mindlin, Sedov and then Richard Toupin) recognized the principle of virtual work (and its particular case, the principle of least action) as the (only!) firm foundation of continuum mechanics. Mindlin and Toupin managed to formulate a conceptual frame for continuum mechanics which is able to effectively model the complex behaviour of so-called architectured, advanced, multiscale or microstructured (meta)materials. Other postulation schemes, in contrast, do not seem able to be equally efficient. The present work aims to provide a historical and theoretical overview of the subject. Some research perspectives concerning this theoretical approach are outlined in the final section.

Piezo-electromechanical smart materials with distributed arrays of piezoelectric transducers: Current and upcoming applications

This review paper intends to gather and organize a series of works which discuss the possibility of exploiting the mechanical properties of distributed arrays of piezoelectric transducers. The concept can be described as follows: on every struc- tural member one can uniformly distribute an array of piezoelectric transducers whose electric terminals are to be connected to a suitably optimized electric waveguide. If the aim of such a modification is identified to be the suppression of mechanical vibrations then the optimal electric waveguide is identified to be the ‘electric analog’ of the considered structural member. The obtained electromechanical systems were called PEM (PiezoElectroMechanical) structures. The authors especially focus on the role played by Lagrange methods in the design of these analog circuits and in the study of PEM structures and we suggest some possible research developments in the conception of new devices, in their study and in their technological application. Other potential uses of PEMs, such as Structural Health Monitoring and Energy Harvesting, are described as well. PEM structures can be regarded as a particular kind of smart materials, i.e. materials especially designed and engineered to show a specific and well-defined response to external excitations: for this reason, the authors try to find connection between PEM beams and plates and some micromorphic materials whose properties as carriers of waves have been studied recently. Finally, this paper aims to establish some links among some concepts which are used in different cultural groups, as smart structure, metamaterial and functional structural modifications, showing how appropriate would be to avoid the use of different names for similar concepts.

A visco-poroelastic model of functional adaptation in bones reconstructed with bio-resorbable materials

In this paper, the phenomena of resorption and growth of bone tissue and resorption of the biomaterial inside a bicomponent system are studied by means of a numerical method based on finite elements. The material behavior is described by a poro-viscoelastic model with infiltrated voids. The mechanical stimulus that drives these processes is a linear combination of density of strain energy and viscous dissipation. The external excitation is represented by a bending load slowly variable with sinusoidal law characterized by different frequencies. Investigated aspects are the influence of the load frequency, of type of the stimulus and of the effective porosity on the time evolution of the mass densities of considered system.

Interfaces in micromorphic materials: Wave transmission and reflection with numerical simulations

Reflection and transmission of elastic waves at the interface between two distinct micromorphic media are considered in the one-dimensional setting. A dual internal variable approach is used for the description of the microstructure influence on the global motion. It is shown that reflection and transition coefficients for plane waves depend on the coupling between macro- and micro-motions as well as on the choice of the microstructural interaction at the interface. Numerical simulations exhibiting results with promising technological implications are shown.

Euromech 563 Cisterna di Latina 17–21 March 2014 Generalized continua and their applications to the design of composites and metamaterials: A review of presentations and discussions

In the present paper, a rational report on Euromech 563, Generalized continua and their applications to the design of composites and metamaterials (Cisterna di Latina 17–21 March 2014), is provided. The frank and constructive spirit which animated the workshop by Dell’Isola et al. (ZAMM 2014; 94(5): 367–372) also characterized Euromech Colloquium 563. All presentations were video-recorded and are freely available online at the address http://www.memocsevents.eu/euromech563/?page_id=1013. The topics treated were selected by the organizers in order to allow a comparison of the available experimental evidence with the predictive capability of current theoretical models. The numerical investigations selected and presented aimed to make more effective the aforementioned comparison. The interested reader will find more details about the colloquium at the dedicated webpage http://www.memocsevents.eu/euromech563. The design and use of advanced materials and structural elements requires an extensive and rigorous process of mathematical modeling. The organizers of Euromech 563, being aware of this need, have chosen as participants renowned and reputed scientists (and some promising young researchers) who all agree on recognizing to mathematical sciences their role of unifying and coordinating tool in the effort for the advance of technology. The Colloquium has indeed surely contributed to the development of more advanced technological possibilities and to the theoretical conception of completely new ones.

Multi-scale concrete model with rate-dependent internal friction

In this paper, a micromorphic, non-linear 3D model aiming to describe internal friction phenomena in concrete is considered. A reduced two-degrees-of-freedom model is employed for the sake of easy handling to explain dissipative loops which have been observed in some concrete specimens tested under cyclic uniaxial compression loading with different frequencies and having various amplitudes but never inducing large strains. As (linear or non-linear) viscoelastic models do not seem suitable to describe neither qualitatively nor quantitatively the measured dissipation loops, we propose to introduce a multi-scale micromechanism of Coulomb-type internal dissipation associated to the relative motion of the faces of the microcracks present in the material and to the asperities inside the microcracks. We finally present numerical simulations showing that the proposed model is suitable to describe some of the available experimental evidence.

Continuum modelling of pantographic sheets for out-of-plane bifurcation and vibrational analysis

A nonlinear two-dimensional (2D) continuum with a latent internal structure is introduced as a coarse model of a plane network of beams which, in turn, is assumed as a model of a pantographic structure made up by two families of equispaced beams, superimposed and connected by pivots. The deformation measures of the beams of the network and that of the 2D body are introduced and the former are expressed in terms of the latter by making some kinematical assumptions. The expressions for the strain and kinetic energy densities of the network are then introduced and given in terms of the kinematic quantities of the 2D continuum. To account for the modelling abilities of the 2D continuum in the linear range, the eigenmode and eigenfrequencies of a given specimen are determined. The buckling and post-buckling behaviour of the same specimen, subjected to two different loading conditions are analysed as tests in the nonlinear range. The problems have been solved numerically by means of the COMSOL Multiphysics finite element software.

The influence of different geometries of matrix/scaffold on the remodeling process of a bone and bioresorbable material mixture with voids

Since internal architecture greatly influences crucial factors for tissue regeneration, such as nutrient diffusion, cell adhesion and matrix deposition, scaffolds have to be carefully designed, keeping in mind case-specific mechanical, mass transport and biological requirements. However, customizing scaffold architecture to better suit conflicting requirements, such as biological and mechanical ones, remains a challenging issue. Recent advances in printing technologies, together with the synthesis of novel composite biomaterials, have enabled the fabrication of various scaffolds with defined shape and controlled in vitro behavior. Thus, the influence of different geometries of the assemblage of the matrix and scaffold on the remodeling processes of living bone and artificial material should be investigated. To this end, two implant shapes are considered in this paper, namely a circular inclusion and a rectangular groove of different aspect ratios. A model of a mixture of bone tissue and bioresorbable material with voids was used to numerically analyze the physiological balance between the processes of bone growth and resorption and artificial material resorption in a plate-like sample. The adopted model was derived from a theory for the behavior of porous solids in which the matrix material is elastic and the interstices are void of material.