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The increasing miniaturization of functional devices drives the microelectronic industry to pursuit large-span-ratio and high-density wire bonding packaging technology as it can facilely interconnect various chips at a low cost. The design method of wire bonder head trace is urgently needed in the Post Moore Era. Herein, a rational design strategy of wire bonder head trace was proposed. By solving the geometric mapping equations derived from the geometrical evolution of the wire loop, the wire bonder head trace can be easily designed to fit the desired loop profile. The explicit finite element model was also developed to verify the designed wire bonder head trace and disclose the dynamic evolution of strain/stress on wire loops simultaneously. Furthermore, by using orthogonal experimental design, the trace height was found to be the most critical geometric factor influencing loop profiles. The proposed strategy was illustrated to design wire bonder head traces with which large span-ratio loops (>5) with the finest reported gold wire (sub- $10~\mu \text{m}$ ) were successfully formed. The mechanical strength tests showed the wire loops were superior to loops with other larger wire. The proposed strategy significantly improves the efficiency of design reliable wire bonder head trace for high-density packaging and will have broad application prospects in microelectronic industry.

Forklifts that are capable of lifting heavy loads and reaching high lift heights are required by stan-dards to have an overhead guard to protect the operator from falling objects. The same standardsspecify a standardized procedure for testing the strength of these overhead guards. The test in-volves dropping ten 45 kg wooden cubes and a heavy timber load onto the overhead guard. Thesedestructive tests are time-consuming and expensive, and it is the purpose of this master’s thesis todevelop a methodology for simulating this kind of test using the finite element method with a largedisplacements, explicit scheme using the solver RADIOSS by Altair. This was achieved by firstdesigning, constructing, and testing a physical prototype of an overhead guard to use as a referencefor a finite element methodology to be validated against. The work has also included tensile testingof the overhead guard material, and this was done both to obtain material data from the sametype of material as the prototype, and to get Johnson-Cook material parameters, which are hardto come by in the literature. Next, a basic finite element model was created which showed a verylarge discrepancy compared to the physical test results. An extensive investigation into aspectssurrounding finite element modeling and material modeling was undertaken, and resulted in a fi-nal model which overestimated the displacements by about 40 % only. The remaining inaccuracyis believed to mostly stem from inadequate strain-rate sensitivity data, caused by limitations inavailable resources for material testing.

This study explores the effect of impact loading in structural bar and tube welded and threaded joints. Specifically, this work concentrates on stress wave propagation and mechanical impedance to show the effect of geometric parameters on stress distribution and history inside these joined members. In this experimental work, welded and threaded bar-and-tube networks are compared with equivalent length single bars to provide a measure of joint quality. Application to dynamic experimental equipment, known as Hopkinson Bars, is considered herein due to the stringent need for wave uniformity within these systems. Explicit finite element analysis on the experimental setup was performed to provide internal stress history information to provide more insight into the causes of stress risers and spurious load reflections. A key finding in this study shows that joint impact performance reduces when joint size is either too small or too large. This optimized joint size is found to depend on the joint'seffective mechanical impedance. This study serves as a new look at potential joining considerations under impact loading.

Spacecraft are exposed to severe mechanical loads, i.e., shock loads, during their journey to orbit. Such loads usually develop due to a separation event through the activation of pyrotechnic devices. They might be transmitted throughout the entire structure and strongly influence the service performance of electronic components. Therefore, it is crucial to study whether the instruments can resist such a harsh environment. However, due to the vulnerability and high cost of the equipment, experimental setups are required to be designed and calibrated with dummy equipment, which takes considerable time and effort as well. In this context, the current study aims to investigate the potential of explicit FE solution techniques to mimic the calibration tests. In order to realize this, various experiments are conducted in a metal-to-metal impact pyroshock test bench and the obtained Shock Response Spectrum (SRS) responses are fitted to the explicit finite element simulations, which shows good agreement after a sensitivity analysis. Then, the simulations are repeated with the dummy device using the fitted parameters, and the potential of the numerical approach to predict a realistic response is discussed.

External airframe structural components facing the aircraft flight direction, are prone to bird collisions. Aircraft manufacturers meet the bird strike airworthiness requirements through physical bird strike testing. Mainly due to the high costs involved in the certification process, recent studies have highlighted the capabilities and benefits of hybrid simulationexperiment techniques that reduce certification costs. The numerical investigation presented herein, studied the bird-strike simulation methodologies implemented to support airframe manufacturers to partially fulfill the current certification airworthiness requirements. The methodology can be also applied during preliminary aircraft parametric design stages. In the current study, the method was applied onto an aircraft wing leading edge preliminary design, which led to design exploration by correlating the leading edge skin materials and thicknesses with the rib pitch positioning. The bird-strike impact model was simulated using the Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics numerical method using ABAQUS® Explicit finite element package. The materials benchmarked were aluminum alloy 2024-T3, carbon fiber reinforced epoxy IM7/8552 and S2 glass Fiber Metal Laminate GLARE®. The design goal of the case study was to provide with preliminary evidence for impact resistance, quantified as residual permanent structural deformation of the critical structural components for which design charts were drawn and presented herein.&nbsp

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to use numerical methods early in the airframe design process and access the structural performance of wing leading edge devices made of different materials and design details, under bird strike events. Design/methodology/approach Explicit finite element analysis was used to numerically model bird strike events. Findings Structural performance charts related to materials and general design details were drawn to explore the design space dictated by the current applicable airworthiness requirements. Practical implications This paper makes use of the current capability in the numerical tools available for structural simulations and exposes the existing limitations in the terms of material modelling, material properties and fracture simulation using continuum damage mechanics. Such results will always be in the need of fine-tuning with experimental testing, yet the tools can shed some light very early in the design process in a relative inexpensive manner, especially for design details down selection like materials to use, structural thicknesses and even design arrangements. Originality/value Bird strike simulations have been successfully used on aircraft design, mainly at the manufactured articles design validation, testing and certification. This paper presents a hypothetical early design case study of leading edge devices for appropriate material and skin thickness down selection.

Boşluklu beton, agrega tanelerinin birbirine ince bir çimento hamuru tabakası ile bağlanması sonucu oluşan, yüksek oranda mezo-boyutta boşluk içeren özel bir tip betondur. Güvenlik uygulamalarında kullanılmak üzere dayanımı arttırılmış boşluklu betonlar geliştirilmesi amacıyla gerçekleştirilen bir projede, boşluklu betonların dinamik davranışları sonlu eleman yöntemiyle analiz edilmiştir. Analizlerde, ABAQUS/Explicit programında tanımlı bulunan açık direct entegrasyon metodu kullanılarak dairesel agregalı boşluklu betonlar incelenmiştir. Boşluklu betonlar ve bir yalın betonda basınç gerilmesi kontürlerinin gelişiminden yola çıkarak dalga ilerlemesi hızı tahmin edilmiştir. Hesaplanan değerlerin literatürdeki değerlere ve deneysel ultrases dalga hızı sonuçlarına çok yakın olduğu belirlenmiştir. Bunun yanında iki farklı boyutta agrega içeren boşluklu betonun dayanımlarının birbirine neredeyse eşit olduğu tespit edilmiştir. Boşluklu betonlarda oluşan hasar dağılımı ve gerilme konsantrasyonları incelendiğinde, deneylerde de tespit edildiği gibi dinamik yükleme altında çoklu çatlaklar ve yaklaşık olarak agrega boyutunda fragmanlar oluştuğu görülmektedir. Bu nedenle, fragman boyutunun agrega boyutu tarafından belirlendiği tespit edilmiştir., Porous concreteis a special type of concrete that includes a high amount of meso-size airpores and is formed by the aggregate particles assembled by a thin layer ofcement paste. In the scope of a research project, having an objective ofdesigning enhanced strength porous concretes to be used in safety applications,dynamic properties of porous concretes were analyzed with finite elementmethod. In the analyses, porous concretes with circular aggregates wereanalyzed by using the explicit direct integration technique implemented inABAQUS/Explicit. Based on the analysis results, stress wave propagation speedsof porous concretes and a plain concrete were estimated based on stresscontours. The numerically estimated values were found to be very close to thereference values in literature and the experimental results. On the other hand,the impact strengths obtained for two model porous concretes having differentaggregate sizes were found to be nearly equal. When the computeddamage distributions and stress concentrations were examined, it was seen thatunder dynamic loading, the fragments formed were approximately at the size ofaggregates. Therefore, it is concluded that the fragment size in porousconcretes is mainly determined by the size of the aggregates incorporated inthe mixture.

[ES] Las cargas de impacto son la fuente primaria de lesiones en la cabeza y pueden resultar en un rango de traumatismo desde leve hasta severo. Debido a la existencia de múltiples entornos en los que se pueden desencadenar lesiones por impacto (accidentes automovilísticos, deportes, caídas accidentales, violencia), éstas pueden afectar potencialmente a toda la población independientemente de su estado de salud. Pese al creciente esfuerzo en investigación para comprender la biomecánica de las lesiones por traumatismo en la cabeza, todavía no es del todo posible realizar predicciones precisas ni prevenir estos eventos. En esta Tesis, se han estudiado algunos aspectos del comportamiento ante impacto de los diferentes tejidos biológicos involucrados mediante el desarrollo de un modelo numérico de cabeza humana a partir de imágenes de tomografía computerizada (TAC). Se han realizado simulaciones en elementos finitos (EF) de ensayos experimentales de la literatura con el fin de validar el modelo numérico desarrollado, estableciendo unas propiedades mecánicas adecuadas para cada uno de sus constituyentes. De esta manera se puede adquirir una predicción adecuada del riesgo de sufrir daños. Parte de esta Tesis se centra en el entorno balístico, específicamente en cascos de combate antibalas, los cuales son susceptibles de causar traumatismo craneoencefálico debido a la elevada deformación que sufren durante el impacto. Previamente al estudio de estos fenómenos de alta velocidad, se han realizado ensayos experimentales y numéricos para caracterizar la respuesta mecánica de algunos materiales compuestos ante impacto de baja velocidad. Al principio de esta Tesis se ha realizado una revisión del estado del arte acerca de los criterios existentes para cuantificar el trauma craneoencefálico.Este es un aspecto clave para las simulaciones numéricas, ya que la idoneidad de algunos de estos criterios para la predicción de lesiones cerebrales todavía es un debate abierto. Mediante EF se han realizado simulaciones de impactos balísticos en una cabeza protegida con un casco de combate. Mediante la posterior aplicación de diferentes criterios de daño sobre los resultados obtenidos se ha evaluado el nivel de protección que aseguran los protocolos de aceptación de cascos de combate, así como las estrategias para determinar su tallaje. Se ha demostrado que las normativas existentes para cascos de combate son capaces de mitigar algunos mecanismos de trauma pero no logran prevenir otros como los gradientes de presión intracraneales. Además, se ha demostrado que algunas de las estrategias de tallaje más comúnmente adoptadas por los fabricantes, como producir un solo tamaño de calota, deberían ser reconsideradas ya que existe un mayor riesgo de traumatismo cuando la distancia entre la cabeza y la calota del casco no es suficiente. Siguiendo la línea de protecciones personales, algunos de los materiales compuestos comúnmente empleados en la industria armamentística se han combinado para crear distintas configuraciones de calota para optimizar la relación entre peso del casco y protección para la cabeza. Materiales ligeros como el UHMWPE han resultado en un comportamiento menos eficiente que el de los apilados de tejido de aramida a la hora de limitar la BFD (deformación máxima en la calota del casco en la zona de impacto). Hacia el final de la Tesis se presenta un modelo numérico de cabeza humana detallado, que incluye treinta y tres de las estructuras anatómicas principales. Dicho modelo se ha desarrollado para la simulación de un accidente ecuestre en el que aparecen múltiples lesiones craneoencefálicas. Principalmente, se pretende establecer un criterio mecánico para predecir el hematoma subdural (HS) basado en la ruptura de los vasos sanguíneos intracraneales. Se ha propuesto un valor umbral de ruptura en tensiones de 3.5 MPa, pero tanto este límite como la localización del vaso dañado son altamen, [CA] Les càrregues d'impacte son la font primària de lesions al cap i poden resultar en un rang de severitat des de lleu a greu. Degut als múltiples entorns en que poden desencadenar-se lesions per impacte (accidents automobilístics, esports, caigudes accidentals, violència), aquestes poden afectar potencialment a tota la població independentment del seu estat de salut. Malgrat el creixent esforç en investigació per comprendre la biomecànica de les lesions per traumatisme al cap, encara no és del tot possible realitzar prediccions precises ni prevenir aquestos esdeveniments. En aquesta Tesi, s'han estudiat alguns aspectes del comportament a impacte dels diferents teixits biològics involucrats mitjançant el desenvolupament d'un model numèric de cap humà a partir d'imatges de tomografia computeritzada (TAC). S'han realitzat simulacions en elements finits (EF) d'assajos experimentals de la literatura amb la finalitat de validar el model numèric desenvolupat, establint unes propietats mecàniques adequades per a cadascun dels seus constituents. D'aquesta manera es pot aconseguir una predicció del risc de sofrir danys traumàtics. Part d'aquesta Tesi es centra en l'entorn balístic, específicament en cascs de combat antibales, els quals són susceptibles de causar traumatisme degut a l'elevada deformació que sofrixen durant l'impacte. Previament a l'estudi d'aquests fenòmens d'alta velocitat, s'han realitzat assajos experimentals i numèrics per a caracteritzar la resposta mecànica d'alguns materials compostos en condicions d'impacte a baixa velocitat. Al començament d'aquesta Tesi s'ha realitzat una revisió de l'estat de l'art sobre els criteris existents per quantificar el trauma cranioencefàlic. Aquest és un aspecte clau per a les simulacions numèriques, ja que l'utilitat d'alguns d'aquestos criteris per a la predicció de lesions cerebrals és encara un debat obert. Mitjançant EF s'han realitzat simulacions numèriques d'impactes balístics en un cap protegit amb un casc de combat. Gràcies a la posterior aplicació de diferents criteris de dany sobre els resultats obtinguts s'ha evaluat el nivell de protecció que asseguren els protocols d'acceptació de cascs de combat, així com les estratègies per a determinar les seues talles. S'ha demostrat que les normatives existents són capaces de mitigar alguns mecanismes de trauma però no aconseguixen prevenir altres com els gradients de pressions intracranials. A més, s'ha demostrat que algunes estratègies per determinar les talles més comunament adoptades pels fabricants (com produir només un tamany de calota i adaptar el gruix de les escumes interiors a les diferents dimensions dels subjectes) haurien de ser reconsiderades ja que existeix un major risc de traumatisme quan la distància entre el cap i la calota del casc no és suficient. Seguint la línia de proteccions personals, alguns dels materials compostos comunament utilitzats en la indústria de l'armament s'han combinat per a crear distintes possibles configuracions de calota amb la finalitat d'optimitzar la relació entre pes i protecció. Materials lleugers com l'UHMWPE han resultat en un comportament menys eficient que el d'apilats de teixit d'aramida a l'hora de limitar la BFD (deformació màxima a la calota del casc a la zona d'impacte). Cap al final de la Tesi es presenta un model numèric detallat de cap humà, que inclou trenta-tres de les estructures anatòmiques principals. Aquest model s'ha desenvolupat per a la simulació d'un accident eqüestre en el qual apareixen múltiples lesions cranioencefàliques. Principalment, es pretén establir un criteri mecànic per a la predicció de l'hematoma subdural (HS) basat en la ruptura dels vasos sanguinis intracranials. S'ha proposat un valor umbral de ruptura en tensions de 3.5 MPa, pero tant aquest límit com la ubicació del vas danyat són altament dependents de l'anatomia específica de cada subjecte., [EN] Impact loading is the primary source of head injuries and can result in a range of trauma from mild to severe. Because of the multiple environments in which impact-related injuries can take place (automotive accidents, sports, accidental falls, violence), they can potentially affect the entire population regardless of their health conditions. Despite the increasing research effort on the understanding of head impact biomechanics, accurate prediction and prevention of traumatic injuries has not been completely achieved. In this Thesis, some aspects of the impact behaviour of the different biological tissues involved have been analysed through the development of a numerical human head model from Computed Tomography (CT) images. FE simulations of experimental tests from the literature have been performed and enhanced the validation of the head model through the establishment of proper material laws for its constituents, which enable adequate prediction of injury risks. Part of this Thesis focuses on the ballistic environment, especifically in bulletproof composite helmets, which are susceptible to cause blunt injuries to the head because of their large deformation during impact. Prior to the study of these high-speed impacts, experimental tests and finite element (FE) models have been performed to characterise the mechanical response of composite materials subjected to low velocity impact. The implementation of a continuum damage mechanics approach coupled to a Hashin failure criterion and surface-to-surface cohesive relations to the numerical model provided a good matching with the impact behaviour obtained experimentally, capturing the principal damage mechanisms. A review of the head injury criteria currently available in the literature has been performed at the beginning of this Thesis. This is a key issue for the numerical simulations, as the suitability of some criteria to predict head injuries is still an open question. Numerical simulation of ballistic impacts on a human head protected with a combat helmet has been conducted employing explicit FE analysis. The level of protection ensured by helmet acceptance protocols as well as their sizing strategies have been studied and discussed by means of the application of different mechanical-based head injury criteria. It has been demonstrated that current helmet testing standards do mitigate some specific forms of head trauma but fail to prevent other injury mechanisms such as the intracranial pressure gradients within the skull. Furthermore, it has been demonstrated that some well-established helmet sizing policies like manufacturing one single composite shell and adapting the thickness of the interior pads to the different head dimensions should be reconsidered, as there is a great risk of head injury when the distance between the head and the helmet shell (stand-off distance) is not sufficient. Following the line of personal protections, some composite materials commonly employed in the soft body armour industry have been combined into different helmet shells configurations to optimise the ratio of weight-to-head protection. Light materials like UHMWPE appear to be less efficient than integral woven-aramid lay-ups in the limitation of the backface deformation (BFD), the maximum deformation sustained by the helmet at the impact site. A detailed head numerical model including thirty-three of its main anatomical structures has been developed for the simulation of an equestrian accident that resulted in many head injuries. Above all, the establishment of a mechanical criterion for the prediction of subdural hematona (SDH) based on the rupture of the head blood vessels is intended. A stress threshold for vein rupture has been set on 3.5 MPa, but both this limit and the location of vessel failure are highly dependent on the specific anatomy of the subject's vascularity.

This study presents the numerical analyses conducted to investigate the impact behavior of different porous concretes, which have also been cast and tested experimentally. For a realistic representation of the real porous concretes containing arbitrary shaped air pores, a mesh generation code was developed in which the aggregates in the mixtures were directly extracted through computed tomography. In the code, mineralogically different aggregates in porous concretes with gravel could also be individually defined. In the explicit finite element analyses conducted, porous concrete was considered as a four-phase material, consisting of aggregates, interfacial transition zones (ITZ), bulk cement paste and air. The pore size distribution and the fragmentation behavior of the concretes were also numerically analyzed. Among the parameters that have been investigated both numerically and experimentally, aggregate grading, which determines the porosity and pore size distribution of the material, was found to have a dominant effect on the strength as well as the fragmentation properties of porous concretes. Although the amount of ITZ is higher in mixtures containing finer aggregates, those mixtures had higher impact strengths compared to coarser aggregate ones again owing to their much finer pore structures. © 2019 Elsevier Ltd

Development and application of the numerical model for the simulation of human heart mitral valve (MV) transapical repair is presented. Transapical repair with neochordae implantation is a novel surgical technique allowing beating-heart correction of mitral regurgitation caused by chordae tendineae rupture through a minimally-invasive approach. In the present study, the structural finite element model of the MV decoupled from the blood flow is considered. It comprises two leaflets and chordae tendineae described by nonlinear material model. Geometry of the model and kinematic boundary conditions for fixed points of MV annulus, papillary muscles, and left ventricle apex are defined by patient-specific data. Decoupled behavior of blood is specified by the time-dependent physiologic transvalvular pressure. Personalized computational modelling strategy is applied to perform virtual transapical MV repair by positioning neochordae following the real-life surgery procedure executed by surgeons. A transient analysis in time frame between end-diastole and peak systole is conducted to evaluate post-repair MV function. Computational MV simulation and modelling results provide quantitative information about the neochordae contribution to the MV function improvement and present practical value for the surgical planning of transapical MV repair.

This study presents the numerical analyses conducted to investigate the impact behavior of different porous concretes, which have also been cast and tested experimentally. For a realistic representation of the real porous concretes containing arbitrary shaped air pores, a mesh generation code was developed in which the aggregates in the mixtures were directly extracted through computed tomography. In the code, mineralogically different aggregates in porous concretes with gravel could also be individually defined. In the explicit finite element analyses conducted, porous concrete was considered as a four-phase material, consisting of aggregates, interfacial transition zones (ITZ), bulk cement paste and air. The pore size distribution and the fragmentation behavior of the concretes were also numerically analyzed. Among the parameters that have been investigated both numerically and experimentally, aggregate grading, which determines the porosity and pore size distribution of the material, was found to have a dominant effect on the strength as well as the fragmentation properties of porous concretes. Although the amount of ITZ is higher in mixtures containing finer aggregates, those mixtures had higher impact strengths compared to coarser aggregate ones again owing to their much finer pore structures. © 2019 Elsevier Ltd

Boşluklu beton, agrega tanelerinin birbirine ince bir çimento hamuru tabakası ile bağlanması sonucu oluşan, yüksek oranda mezo-boyutta boşluk içeren özel bir tip betondur. Güvenlik uygulamalarında kullanılmak üzere dayanımı arttırılmış boşluklu betonlar geliştirilmesi amacıyla gerçekleştirilen bir projede, boşluklu betonların dinamik davranışları sonlu eleman yöntemiyle analiz edilmiştir. Analizlerde, ABAQUS/Explicit programında tanımlı bulunan açık doğrudan entegrasyon metodu kullanılarak dairesel agregalı boşluklu betonlar incelenmiştir. Boşluklu betonlar ve bir yalın betonda eş basınç eğrilerinin gelişiminden yola çıkarak dalga ilerlemesi hızı tahmin edilmiştir. Hesaplanan değerlerin literatürdeki değerlere ve deneysel ultrases dalgası hızı sonuçlarına çok yakın olduğu belirlenmiştir. Bunun yanında iki farklı boyutta agrega içeren boşluklu betonun dayanımlarının birbirine neredeyse eşit olduğu tespit edilmiştir. Boşluklu betonlarda oluşan hasar dağılımı ve gerilme yığılmaları incelendiğinde, deneylerde de tespit edildiği gibi dinamik yükleme altında çoklu çatlaklar ve yaklaşık olarak agrega boyutunda fragmanlar oluştuğu görülmektedir. Bu nedenle, fragman boyutunun agrega boyutu tarafından belirlendiği tespit edilmiştir. Porous concrete is a special type of concrete that includes a high amount of meso-size air pores and is formed by the aggregate particles assembled by a thin layer of cement paste. In the scope of a research project, having an objective of designing enhanced strength porous concretes to be used in safety applications, dynamic properties of porous concretes were analyzed with finite element method. In the analyses, porous concretes with circular aggregates were analyzed by using the explicit direct integration technique implemented in ABAQUS/Explicit. Based on the analysis results, stress wave propagation speeds of porous concretes and a plain concrete were estimated based on stress contours. The numerically estimated values were found to be very close to the reference values in literature and the experimental results. On the other hand, the impact strengths obtained for two model porous concretes having different aggregate sizes were found to be nearly equal. When the computed damage distributions and stress concentrations were examined, it was seen that under dynamic loading, the fragments formed were approximately at the size of aggregates. Therefore, it is concluded that the fragment size in porous concretes is mainly determined by the size of the aggregates incorporated in the mixture.

This work presents a finite element approach for modeling longitudinal wave propagation in thick cylindrical rods with circular cross-section. The formulation is based on simple time domain response of the structure to a properly chosen excitation, and is calculated with an explicit finite element solver. The proposed post-treatment procedure identifies the wavenumber for each mode of wave propagation at the desired frequency. The procedure is implemented and integrated in an efficient way in the explicit finite element code Europlexus. The numerical results are compared to the analytical ones obtained from the solution of the Pochhammer — Chree equation, which provides the dispersion curves for wavetrains in solid cylinders of infinite length.

In order to address various noise generation mechanisms and noise propagation phenomena of a tyre, it is necessary to study the tyre dynamic behaviour in terms of modal parameters. This paper enumerates a novel method of finding the modal parameters of a rolling tyre using an Explicit Finite Element Analysis and Operational Modal Analysis (OMA). ABAQUS Explicit, a commercial Finite Element (FE) software code has been used to simulate the experiment, a tyre rolling over a semi-circular straight and inclined cleat. The acceleration responses obtained from these simulations are used as input to the OMA. LMS test lab has been used for carrying out the Operational Modal Analysis. The modal results are compared with the published results of Kindt [22] and validated. Also, the modal results obtained from OMA are compared with FE modal results of stationary unloaded tyre, stationary loaded tyre and Steady State Transport rolling tyre. � 2015 Elsevier Ltd.

A research group at University of Skövde has developed an interphase element for implementation in the commercial FE-software Abaqus. The element is using the Tvergaard & Hutchinson cohesive law and is implemented in Abaqus Explicit version 6.7 using the VUEL subroutine. This bachelor degree project is referring to evaluate the interphase element and also highlight problems with the element. The behavior of the interphase element is evaluated in mode I using Double Cantilever Beam (DCB)-specimens and in mode II using End Notch Flexure (ENF)-specimens. The results from the simulations are compared and validated to an analytical solution. FE-simulations performed with the interphase element show very good agreement with theory when using DCB- or ENF-specimens. The only exception is when an ENF-specimen has distorted elements. When using explicit finite element software the critical time step is of great importance for the results of the analyses. If a too long time step is used, the simulation will fail to complete or complete with errors. A feasible equation for predicting the critical time step for the interphase element has been developed by the research group and the reliability of this equation is evaluated. The result from simulations shows an excellent agreement with the equation when the interphase element governs the critical time step. However when the adherends governs the critical time step the equation gives a time step that is too large. A modification of this equation is suggested.