Th. Zisis

Viscoplastic flow around a cylinder kept between parallel plates

Abstract Numerical simulations have been undertaken for the creeping pressure-driven flow of a Bingham plastic past a cylinder kept between parallel plates. Different gap/cylinder diameter ratios have been studied ranging from 2:1 to 50:1. The Bingham constitutive equation is used with an appropriate modification proposed by Papanastasiou, which applies everywhere in the flow field in both the yielded and practically unyielded regions. The emphasis is on determining the extent and shape of yielded/unyielded regions along with the drag coefficient for a wide range of Bingham numbers. The present results extend previous simulations for creeping flow of a cylinder in an infinite medium and provide calculations of the drag coefficient around a cylinder in the case of wall effects.

Development of Strong Surfaces Using Functionally Graded Composites Inspired by Natural Teeth—A Theoretical Approach

In recent years functionally-graded composites have been proposed to develop strong surfaces that can withstand high contact and frictional forces. The present work presents a new graded composite that can be used for the development of surfaces with excellent strength properties. The composite is inspired by the human teeth, which nature builds as a hard and tough functionally-graded composite. The outer surface of teeth is of enamel, composed of prismatic hydroxyapatite crystallites, whereas the inner part of teeth is of dentine, composed collagen fibrils and hydroxyapatite. Enamel is hard, brittle, and wear resistant, while dentine is softer and flexible. The dentine-enamel junction is formed as a region at which enamel mixes with dentine in a continuous way. The nanomechanical properties of the transition zone have been recently revealed. Of particular interest in this investigation is the variation in the elastic modulus from the pure enamel to the pure dentine material, which leads to biomimetic graded composites that exhibit high surface strength. This work presents analytical solutions for the stress and displacement fields on an actual composite substrate, which is loaded by a line load. The elastic modulus of the substrate follows approximately the theoretical distribution.

Pressure-Driven Flows of Bingham Plastics Over a Square Cavity

Pressure-driven flows over a square cavity are studied numerically for Bingham plasticsexhibiting a yield stress. The problem is encountered whenever pressure measurementsare made by a drilled-hole based pressure transducer. The Bingham constitutive equationis used with an appropriate modification proposed by Papanastasiou, which applieseverywhere in the flow field in both yielded and practically unyielded regions. Newtonianresults are obtained for a wide range of Reynolds numbers

A straightforward approach to Eringen’s nonlocal elasticity stress model and applications for nanobeams

The nonlocal theory of elasticity is widely employed to the study of nanoscale problems. The differential approach of Eringen’s nonlocal beam theory has been widely used to solve problems whose size effect is substantial in structures. However, in the case of Euler-Bernoulli beam theory (EBBT), this approach reveals inconsistencies that do not allow for the energy functional formulation. To avoid these inconsistencies, an alternative route is to use the integral form of nonlocal elasticity. This study revolves around the nonlocal integral beam model for various attenuation functions with the intention to explore the static response of a beam (or a nanobeam) for different types of loadings and boundary conditions (BC).

Development of Strong Surfaces Using Functionally Graded Composites Inspired by Natural Teeth—Finite Element and Experimental Verification

Functionally graded materials (FGMs) are composite materials that exhibit a microstructure that varies locally in order to achieve a specific type of local material properties distribution. In recent years, FGMs appear to be more interesting in engineering application since they present an enhanced performance against deformation, fracture, and fatigue. The purpose of the present work is to present evidence of the excellent strength properties of a new graded composite that is inspired by the human teeth. The outer surface of the teeth exhibits high surface strength while it is brittle and wear resistant, whereas the inner part is softer and flexible. The specific variation in Young’s modulus along the thickness of the presented composite is of particular interest in our case. The present work presents a finite element analysis and and experimental verification of an actual composite with elastic modulus that follows approximately the theoretical distribution observed in the teeth.