Per Isaksson

Modeling of global and local buckling of corrugated board panels loaded in edge-to-edge compression

Detailed structural nonlinear finite element modeling of a sandwich panel with corrugated core is performed in this study. A simply supported panel is loaded in uniaxial compression well into the regimes of global panel buckling and local face sheet buckling. The highly nonlinear load versus in-plane and out-of-plane displacement responses obtained from finite element analysis agree reasonably well with experimental results, but the model slightly overpredicts the maximum load. The difference between experiments and predictions is attributed to damage of the corrugated paper web introduced during manufacture of the core and corrugated board. Computations of the buckling also results in a slight thickness reduction of the panel for a large range of face and web thicknesses identify lower thickness limits when the web loses its ability to contribute to the compressive strength of the panel. The highly nonlinear response associated with local and global buckling also results in thickness reduction of the panel.

A mechanical model for dimensional instability in moisture-sensitive fiber networks

A nonlinear finite element model is developed to simulate the mechanical behavior of fiber networks exposed to moisture. The full-scale three-dimensional Reissner beam model is geometrically nonlinear and handle large deformations and rotations and can be applied to simulate any moisture-sensitive fiber-based network material. Moisture in the surrounding air is transported into the fibers, which leads to chiral curl of individual fibers, which in turn introduce stresses in the network since the fibers are connected to other fibers in a complex manner. Deformations of networks subjected to various degrees of moisture are analyzed. The effects of fiber orientation and network geometry are examined. Numerical results obtained with the model show qualitative agreement to experimental results reported in literature on cellulose materials.

Acoustic emission assisted fracture zone analysis of cellulose fibre materials

An acoustic emission technique is used to quantify and position microfracture events ahead of a growing opening mode crack in paper materials containing different amounts of added starch. A mechanical model based on gradient-enhanced elasticity, containing an intrinsic length parameter reflecting the fibre-based materials microstructure, is applied to analyse the results. It is found in experiments that the addition of starch increases the tensile strength of paper significantly while the level of onset of microfracture nucleation at the crack-tip is only slightly increased. It is also found that the height of the process zone (zone in which microfractures ahead of the crack predominantly take place), measured from the crack plane, decreases with increasing amount of starch. The experimental and analytical results suggest that adding cationic starch to paper reduces the material’s sensitivity to gradients in the stress and strain fields and making the fibre network material more ‘continuum-like’. The experimental observations are shown to be qualitatively in agreement with the numerical results and lend confidence to the applied model.

Trabecular deformations during screw pull-out: a micro-CT study of lapine bone

The mechanical fixation of endosseous implants, such as screws, in trabecular bone is challenging because of the complex porous microstructure. Development of new screw designs to improve fracture fixation, especially in high-porosity osteoporotic bone, requires a profound understanding of how the structural system implant/trabeculae interacts when it is subjected to mechanical load. In this study, pull-out tests of screw implants were performed. Screws were first inserted into the trabecular bone of rabbit femurs and then pulled out from the bone inside a computational tomography scanner. The tests were interrupted at certain load steps to acquire 3D images. The images were then analysed with a digital volume correlation technique to estimate deformation and strain fields inside the bone during the tests. The results indicate that the highest shear strains are concentrated between the inner and outer thread diameter, whereas compressive strains are found at larger distances from the screw. Tensile strains were somewhat smaller. Strain concentrations and the location of trabecular failures provide experimental information that could be used in the development of new screw designs and/or to validate numerical simulations.

Three-dimensional visualization and quantification of the fracture mechanisms in sparse fibre networks using multiscale X-ray microtomography

The structural changes that are induced by the initiation and the propagation of a crack in a low-density paper (LDP) were studied using single edge-notched fracture tests that were imaged under an optical microscope or in laboratory or synchrotron X-ray microtomographs. The two-dimensional optical images were used to analyse the links between the mesoscale structural variations of LDP and the crack path. Medium-resolution X-ray three-dimensional images were used to analyse the variations in the thickness and local porosity of samples as well as their displacement field that were induced by the LDP fracture. High-resolution three-dimensional images showed that these mesostructural variations were accompanied by complex fibre and bond deformation mechanisms that were, for the first time, in situ imaged. These mechanisms occurred in the fracture process zone that developed ahead of the crack tip before the crack path became distinct and visible. They were at the origin of the aforementioned thickness variations that developed more particularly along the crack path. They eventually led to fibre–fibre bond detachment phenomena and crack propagation through the fibrous network. These results can be used to enhance the current structural and mechanical models for the prediction of the fracture behaviour of papers.

Young’s modulus of trabecular bone at the tissue level: A review

The tissue-level Youngs modulus of trabecular bone is important for detailed mechanical analysis of bone and bone-implant mechanical interactions. However, the heterogeneity and small size of the trabecular struts complicate an accurate determination. Methods such as micro-mechanical testing of single trabeculae, ultrasonic testing, and nanoindentation have been used to estimate the trabecular Youngs modulus. This review summarizes and classifies the trabecular Youngs moduli reported in the literature. Information on species, anatomic site, and test condition of the samples has also been gathered. Advantages and disadvantages of the different methods together with recent developments are discussed, followed by some suggestions for potential improvement for future work. In summary, this review provides a thorough introduction to the approaches used for determining trabecular Youngs modulus, highlights important considerations when applying these methods and summarizes the reported Youngs modulus for follow-up studies on trabecular properties.nnnSTATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCEnThe spongy trabecular bone provides mechanical support while maintaining a low weight. A correct measure of its mechanical properties at the tissue level, i.e. at a single-trabecula level, is crucial for analysis of interactions between bone and implants, necessary for understanding e.g. bone healing mechanisms. In this study, we comprehensively summarize the Youngs moduli of trabecular bone estimated by currently available methods, and report their dependency on different factors. The critical review of different methods with recent updates is intended to inspire improvements in estimating trabecular Youngs modulus. It is strongly suggested to report detailed information on the tested bone to enable statistical analysis in the future.

Initiation of wood defibration in groundwood pulping, single asperity indentation and scratching

To understand how the energy requirements of the mechanical pulping process can be reduced, the fundamental mechanisms behind fiber separation in Norway spruce were studied experimentally and analy ...

Modeling rapidly growing cracks in planar materials with a view to micro structural effects

Dynamic fracture behavior in both fairly continuous materials and discontinuous cellular materials is analyzed using a hybrid particle model. It is illustrated that the model remarkably well captures the fracture behavior observed in experiments on fast growing cracks reported elsewhere. The material’s microstructure is described through the configuration and connectivity of the particles and the model’s sensitivity to a perturbation of the particle configuration is judged. In models describing a fairly homogeneous continuous material, the microstructure is represented by particles ordered in rectangular grids, while for models describing a discontinuous cellular material, the microstructure is represented by particles ordered in honeycomb grids having open cells. It is demonstrated that small random perturbations of the grid representing the microstructure results in scatter in the crack growth velocity. In materials with a continuous microstructure, the scatter in the global crack growth velocity is observable, but limited, and may explain the small scattering phenomenon observed in experiments on high-speed cracks in e.g. metals. A random perturbation of the initially ordered rectangular grid does however not change the average macroscopic crack growth velocity estimated from a set of models having different grid perturbations and imply that the microstructural discretization is of limited importance when predicting the global crack behavior in fairly continuous materials. On the other hand, it is shown that a similar perturbation of honeycomb grids, representing a material with a discontinuous cellular microstructure, result in a considerably larger scatter effect and there is also a clear shift towards higher crack growth velocities as the perturbation of the initially ordered grid become larger. Thus, capturing the discontinuous microstructure well is important when analyzing growing cracks in cellular or porous materials such as solid foams or wood.