Jacek Chróścielewski

Modeling of Composite Shells in 6–Parameter Nonlinear Theory with Drilling Degree of Freedom

Within the framework of a 6-parameter nonlinear shell theory, with strain measures of Cosserat type, constitutive relations are proposed for thin elastic composite shells. The material law is expressed in terms of five engineering constants of classical anisotropic continuum plus an additional parameter accounting for drilling stiffness. The theory allows for unlimited displacements and rotations. A number of examples are presented to show the correctness of the proposed model.

Influence of meniscus shape in the cross sectional plane on the knee contact mechanics

We present a three dimensional finite element analysis of stress distribution and menisci deformation in the human knee joint. The study is based on the Open Knee model with the geometry of the lateral meniscus which shows some degenerative disorders. The nonlinear analysis of the knee joint under compressive axial load is performed. We present results for intact knee, knee with complete radial posterior meniscus root tear and knee with total meniscectomy of medial or lateral meniscus. We investigate how the meniscus shape in the cross sectional plane influences knee-joint mechanics by comparing the results for flat (degenerated) lateral and normal medial meniscus. Specifically, the deformation of the menisci in the coronal plane and the corresponding stress values in cartilages are studied. By analysing contact resultant force acting on the menisci in axial plane we have shown that restricted extrusion of the torn lateral meniscus can be attributed to small slope of its cross section in the coronal plane. Additionally, the change of the contact area and the resultant force acting on the menisci as the function of compressive load are investigated.

Elastoplastic law of Cosserat type in shell theory with drilling rotation

Within the framework of six-parameter non-linear shell theory, with strain measures of the Cosserat type, we develop small-strain J2-type elastoplastic constitutive relations. The relations are obtained from the Cosserat plane stress relations assumed in each shell layer, by through-the-thickness integration employing the first-order shear theory. The formulation allows for unlimited translations and rotations. The constitutive relations are expressed in terms of the following material data: Young’s modulus, Poisson’s ratio, Cosserat shear modulus, characteristic length and material parameters pertaining to plasticity. Numerical examples are presented to show the correctness of the proposed model and capacity to analyze regular and irregular shells.

Composite GFRP U-shaped footbridge

Abstract The paper presents proposals for the use of glass fiber reinforced polymer composites for the construction of engineering objects, known and commonly used in the shipbuilding industry. An example of a pedestrian footbridge was used in this case, which, despite the considerable thickness of the structural material, was made using infusion technology in one production cycle. The designed and produced footbridge span is durable, dynamically resistant, incombustible, easy to install and maintain, resistant to weather conditions and also aesthetically interesting. For footbridge production environmentally friendly PET foam core may be used. It may come from recycling of used plastic packages and which is produced with less energy consumption process and much less CO2 emission. The load bearing part of the structure (skin) is made of polymer laminate reinforced with glass fabrics (GFRP).

The Influence of Articular Cartilage Thickness Reduction on Meniscus Biomechanics.

Objective Evaluation of the biomechanical interaction between meniscus and cartilage in medial compartment knee osteoarthritis. Methods The finite element method was used to simulate knee joint contact mechanics. Three knee models were created on the basis of knee geometry from the Open Knee project. We reduced the thickness of medial cartilages in the intact knee model by approximately 50% to obtain a medial knee osteoarthritis (OA) model. Two variants of medial knee OA model with congruent and incongruent contact surfaces were analysed to investigate the influence of congruency. A nonlinear static analysis for one compressive load case was performed. The focus of the study was the influence of cartilage degeneration on meniscal extrusion and the values of the contact forces and contact areas. Results In the model with incongruent contact surfaces, we observed maximal compressive stress on the tibial plateau. In this model, the value of medial meniscus external shift was 95.3% greater, while the contact area between the tibial cartilage and medial meniscus was 50% lower than in the congruent contact surfaces model. After the non-uniform reduction of cartilage thickness, the medial meniscus carried only 48.4% of load in the medial compartment in comparison to 71.2% in the healthy knee model. Conclusions We have shown that the change in articular cartilage geometry may significantly reduce the role of meniscus in load transmission and the contact area between the meniscus and cartilage. Additionally, medial knee OA may increase the risk of meniscal extrusion in the medial compartment of the knee joint.

DAMAGE DETECTION OF A T-SHAPED PANEL BY WAVE PROPAGATION ANALYSIS IN THE PLANE STRESS

Abstract A computational approach to analysis of wave propagation in plane stress problems is presented. The initial-boundary value problem is spatially approximated by the multi-node C0 displacement-based isoparametric quadrilateral finite elements. To integrate the element matrices the multi-node Gauss-Legendre-Lobatto quadrature rule is employed. The temporal discretization is carried out by the Newmark type algorithm reformulated to accommodate the structure of local element matrices. Numerical simulations are conducted for a T-shaped steel panel for different cases of initial excitation. For diagnostic purposes, the uniformly distributed loads subjected to an edge of the T-joint are found to be the most appropriate for design of ultrasonic devices for monitoring the structural element integrity Streszczenie W pracy zaprezentowano podejscie obliczeniowe do analizy propagacji fal w płaskim stanie naprezenia. Problem brzegowo-poczatkowy podlega przestrzennej aproksymacji z uzyciem wielowezłowych, izoparametrycznych, czworobocznych elementów klasy C0. Macierze elementowe sa całkowane numerycznie za pomoca kwadratury Gauss-Legendre-Lobatto. Aproksymacje w dziedzinie czasu wykonano za pomoca algorytmu Newmarka. Symulacje numeryczne przeprowadzono dla tarczy w kształcie litery T dla róznych przypadków wzbudzania fali. W pracy wykazano, ze dla celów diagnostyki najlepszym rodzajem obciazenia jest obciazenie liniowe równomiernie przyłozone do krawedzi tarczy.

The Effect of Fishing Basin Construction On the Behaviour of a Footbrdge Over the Port Channel

Abstract The paper analyses possible causes of failure of the rotating footbridge over the Ustka port channel. In July, 2015, strange behaviour of this object was observed in the form of excessive vibrations of bridge platform suspension rods, with the accompanying acoustic effects. A preliminary geotechnical analysis has revealed that this destructive effect was caused by the nearby construction works, namely construction of a fishing basin and communication routes in the area close to the bridge, which affected the bridge lashing rod foundation settings. Ground vibrations generated by certain construction activities were likely to have direct impact on decreasing the bearing capacity of these rods and increasing the susceptibility od the piles to extraction. After detecting the above problems in bridge operation, its geodetic monitoring was started. The data recorded during this monitoring, along with the results of force measurements in the rods, have made the basis for a series of numerical simulations, performed in the Finite Element Method (FEM) formalism. The bridge structure was analysed in the conditions defined as the emergency state. Extreme efforts of bridge elements and its dynamic characteristics were examined. A possible source of strange behaviour of the footbridge during its operation which was recognised during these simulations was the coincidence of the global natural frequency of the entire bridge structure with local vibrations of suspension rods, at the frequency approximately equal to 1 Hz. This situation was likely to lead to the appearance of the so-called internal resonance phenomenon. As a final conclusion of the research, recommendations were formulated on possible object oriented corrective actions.

MONITORING OF CONCRETE CURING IN EXTRADOSED BRIDGE SUPPORTED BY NUMERICAL SIMULATION

The paper describes a mathematical model of concrete curing taking into account kinetics of setting reactions. The numerical model is implemented in the author’s program that was used to monitor thermal effects recorded in the concrete bottom plate of the extradosed bridge. Numerical approach was verified by experimental measurements and used for assessment of the current compressive strength due to degree of hydration of fresh concrete.

FEM and Time Stepping Procedures in Non-Linear Dynamics of Flexible Branched Shell Structures

Non-linear dynamic behaviour of flexible irregular shell structures was discussed recently by Chroscielewski et al. [3,4], Lubowiecka [7], and Lubowiecka and Chroscielewski [8], where references to other related papers are given. The shell evolution in time was described by two fields: the vector u of the translatory motion of the shell base surface, and the proper orthogonal tensor Q of the mean rotation of the shell cross sections. As a result, the rotation group SO(3)entered the definition of the configuration space. In such problems of structural mechanics finite-dimensional approximations, like the finite element method or the time-stepping algorithm, require non-standard approaches.

High meniscal slope angle as a risk factor for meniscal allograft extrusion

A meniscal graft extrusion is still an unresolved problem that affects most patients after a meniscal transplantation. Despite the advances in surgical techniques, together with the improved methods for a meniscal allograft sizing, success is only observed in up to 75% of patients after they experience a meniscal allograft transplantation. Because a meniscal extrusion is associated with a cartilage deterioration and the progression of osteoarthritis there is a great interest in how to prevent this phenomenon. The crucial factor for the minimisation of a meniscal allograft extrusion is by perfectly matching the implant. Most methods for a meniscal allograft sizing only focus on assessing the length and the width of the meniscus. Even though there is some evidence that there is a relationship between the shape of the meniscus in a cross-sectional plane and the meniscal extrusion, any of the planning methods do not take this factor into consideration. Although there is a large variability of meniscus shapes in cross-section, we hypothesise that by taking the meniscal slope into account during surgical planning, as well as performing the correct adjustments of this particular parameter, we can diminish the risk of a meniscal allograft extrusion.