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Many industrial applications involve particles transported by a carrier fluid flow with additional multi-physical effects such as electromagnetics. The simulation of such processes is computationally expensive especially because of the diverse dimensional and time scales involved. In this study, the time scale for the fluid flow to be stably simulated is shown to be up to 2 orders of magnitude higher than the time scale for a spherical particle to assume carrier flow velocity. A semi-transient solution methodology has been devised, utilizing a dual time stepping approach for the flow and particle simulations. In this methodology, first the flow field is simulated with the larger time step, saving the resultant fields at regular intervals serving as snap shots of the flow. Then between each snap shot, the flow is treated as steady state, facilitating the calculation of the particle trajectory based on the resultant forces. This approach is especially suitable for applications where the particle cloud density is low enough not to have a significant effect on the flow field warranting a one way coupling. The accuracy of the method is established by comparing key performance parameters such as coating transfer efficiency and the homogeneity of the coating obtained from a fully transient simulation. The saving potential in terms of computational resources is also quantified

Multiphysics simulation software has been developed to predict the key performance attributes of industrial powder coating applications based on applied process-parameter settings. The software is a Eulerian-Lagrangian finite-volume Multiphysics solver based on OpenFOAM, capable of modelling mass transfer effects between powder-coating pistols and electrically grounded metallic substrates. It considers various factors such as fluid dynamics of process airflow, coating-particle dynamics, particle-substrate interactions, and particle charging mechanisms within the corona. The software is fully compatible with Massive Simultaneous Cloud Computing technology, allowing hundreds of simulated coating scenarios to be computed simultaneously. Experimental validation efforts have been conducted, indicating a high degree of practical relevance of the technology. The current simulation study aims to demonstrate the potential of the simulation software for adjusting coating lines and optimizing powder coating of U-profiles. Specifically, the study focuses on optimizing the key-performance-attributes of the powder coating application with respect to varying material parameters of the applied powder, namely mean particle diameter, standard deviation of Gaussian particle size distribution, and powder particle density. The software predicts and visualizes coating patterns, coating efficiencies, and the batch-based standard deviation of coating thickness on a U-shaped metallic substrate, resulting in concrete and optimized powder settings. The presented results and the applied software are highly relevant for powder material suppliers.

In industrial processes, powder coating is widely utilized to attain functional or aesthetic surface properties on manufactured parts. A Eulerian-Lagrangian Multiphysics solver has been developed within the OpenFOAM framework in order to simulate and optimize such processes with regards to coating efficiency and homogeneity. In the scope of this study, the powder particle-substrate and particle-particle interactions that occur on the surface of a substrate during the coating process are investigated. This is instigated by the observation that some particles glide over the substrate, rather than sticking to the substrate upon first contact. The phenomenon is governed by the balance of pressure, fluid shear stress traction, electrostatic particle-particle repulsion and gravity forces on the substrate. On the basis of experimental data previously gathered, it is demonstrated that the surface interactions are essential to predicting the coating outcome accurately enough, such as to serve as basis for later process-optimization steps. Furthermore, a dimensional analysis illustrates the weight of the individual force contributions on the overall force balance.

In this paper we formulate and solve the initial-boundary value problem of accreting circular cylindrical bars under finite extension. We assume that the bar grows by printing stress-free cylindrical layers on its boundary cylinder while it is undergoing a time-dependent finite extension. Accretion induces eigenstrains, and consequently residual stresses. We formulate the anelasticity problem by first constructing the natural Riemannian metric of the growing bar. This metric explicitly depends on the history of deformation during the accretion process. For a displacement-control loading during the accretion process we find the exact distribution of stresses. For a force-control loading, a nonlinear integral equation governs the kinematics. After unloading there are, in general, a residual stretch and residual stresses. For different examples of loadings we numerically find the axial stretch during loading, the residual stretch, and the residual stresses. We also calculate the stress distribution, residual stretch, and residual stresses in the setting of linear accretion mechanics. The linear and nonlinear solutions are numerically compared in a few accretion examples.

We studied the striking effect of external irradiation of nanowires on the dynamics of their surface morphology at elevated temperatures that do not destroy their crystal lattice. Numerical experiments performed on the basis of the Monte Carlo model revealed new possibilities for controlled periodic modulation of the cross-section of quasi-one-dimensional nanostructures for opto- and nanoelectronic elements. These are related to the fact that external irradiation stimulates the surface diffusion of atoms. On the one hand, such stimulation should accelerate the development of the well-known spontaneous thermal instability of nanowires (Rayleigh instability), which leads to their disintegration into nanoclusters. On the other hand, this leads to the forced development of the well-known roughening transition (RT) effect. Under normal circumstances, this manifests itself on selected crystal faces at a temperature above the critical one. The artificial stimulation of this effect on the lateral surface of quasi-one-dimensional structures determines many unpredictable scenarios of their surface dynamics, which essentially depend on the orientation of the nanowire axis relative to its internal crystal structure. In particular, the long-wave Rayleigh breakup observed in absence of external irradiation transforms into strongly pronounced short-wave metastable modulations of the cross-section (a chain of unduloids). The effect of the self-consistent relationship between the Rayleigh instability and RT is dimensional and can be observed only at relatively small nanowire radii. The fact is analyzed that, for the manifestation of this effect, it is very important to prevent significant heating of the nanowire when surface diffusion is stimulated. A number of developed theoretical concepts have already found confirmation in real experiments with Au and Ag nanowires irradiated by electrons and Ag+ ions, respectively.

Localised pressure pulse loads can pose a significant threat to structural elements and critical equipment and may cause failure and damage in the target due to the concentrated energy delivered upon a localised area of the target. The impulse impinged upon the local area at the contact interface can exceed 80% of the total impulse that the charge can deliver upon the infinite target, leading to potential perforation of the structural element. When multiple charges are detonated, the advection of gaseous products depends, among other parameters such as fluid density, on the type of blast wave interference and superposition. This work examines the influence of multiple charge detonations blasted in the air on the external surface of cylindrical shells. Two types of detonations were considered, viz. simultaneous and sequential. In both cases the charges were positioned at 50mm and 75mm stand-off to the right and left of the shell. The Fluid-Structure Interaction (FSI) phenomenon was investigated in each scenario. The pressure registered with the gauge points of the rigid target was implemented in an uncoupled study on a flexible target which demonstrated different mode shapes occurring in the shell due to each blast scenario. A dimensionless impulse parameter was defined based on the Gaussian distribution function associated with the load shape, which renders the probability of the impulse as the total impulse that can potentially be imparted to the target.

Acoustic metamaterials allow for creating selective pass- and stop-bands on the frequency spectrum. We demonstrate the possibility of designing acoustic metamaterials as core-shell 2D-phononic media with an extremely simple morphology, the frequency spectrum of which contains many real-time tunable bandgaps. The connected shells of such metamaterials form a grid with square cells filled with nuclei partitionable into two subsystems. Both subsystems are characterized by their frequency spectra, and it is the coupling between them that generates the bandgaps. If the structural elements of the metamaterial are built based on magnetoelastomers, then bandgaps can be easily controlled by an external magnetic field that changes the elastic moduli of shells/cores. We have shown the possibility of manipulating single bandgaps in different parts of the spectrum, and simultaneous control of all bandgaps up to their complete disappearance. This manipulation can be carried out, specifically, with no change in the maximum achievable frequency in the metamaterial. The results obtained can be used for selective filtering of damaging wave components, active control of seismic or blast waves, sonar systems, ultrasound imaging, impact-resistant structures, and noise cancellation protocols. The physical concepts developed are extendable to 3D-structures in a similar fashion so can benefit a wider community.

We have studied the striking effect of external irradiation of nanowires on the dynamics of their surface morphology at elevated temperatures that do not destroy their crystal lattice. Numerical experiments performed on the basis of the Monte Carlo model revealed new possibilities for controlled periodic modulation of the cross section of quasi-one-dimensional nanostructures for opto- and nanoelectronic elements. These are related to the fact that external irradiation stimulates the surface diffusion of atoms. On the one hand, such stimulation should accelerate the development of the well-known spontaneous thermal instability of nanowires (Rayleigh instability), which leads to their disintegration into nanoclusters. On the other hand, Prime Archives in Nanotechnology3 www.videleaf.comthis leads to the forced development of the well-known roughening transition (RT) effect. Under normal circumstances, this manifests itself on selected crystal faces at a temperature above the critical one. The artificial stimulation of this effect on the lateral surface of quasi-one-dimensional structures determines many unpredictable scenarios of their surface dynamics, which essentially depend on the orientation of the nanowire axis relative to its internal crystal structure. In particular, long-wave Rayleigh breakup observed in absence of external irradiation transforms into strongly pronounced short wave metastable modulations of the cross section (a chain of unduloids). The effect of the self-consistent relationship between the Rayleigh instability and RT is dimensional and can be observed only at relatively small nanowire radii. The fact is analyzed that for the manifestation of this effect, it is very important to prevent significant heating of the nanowire when surface diffusion is stimulated. A number of developed theoretical concepts have already found confirmation in real experiments with Au- and Ag-nanowires irradiated by electrons and Ar+ -ions, respectively.

Deep cantilever beams, modelled using Timoshenko beam kinematics, have numerous applications in engineering. This study deals with the nonlinear dynamic response in a non-prismatic Timoshenko beam characterized by considering the deformed configuration of the axis. The mathematical model is derived using the extended Hamilton's principle under the condition of finite deflections and angles of rotation. The discrete model of the beam motion is constructed based on the finite difference method (FDM), whose validity is examined by comparing the results for a special case with the corresponding data obtained by commercial finite element (FE) software ABAQUS 2019. The natural frequencies and vibration modes of the beam are computed. These results demonstrate decreasing eigenfrequency in the beam with increasing amplitudes of nonlinear oscillations. The numerical analyses of forced vibrations of the beam show that its points oscillate in different manners depending on their relative position along the beam. Points close to the free end of the beam are subject to almost harmonic oscillations, and the free end vibrates with a frequency equal to that of the external force. When a point approaches the clamped end of the beam, it oscillates in two-frequency mode and lags in phase from the oscillations of the free end. The analytical model allows for the study of the influence of each parameter on the eigenfrequency and the dynamic response. In all cases, a strong correlation exists between the results obtained by the analytical model and ABAQUS, nonetheless, the analytical model is computationally less expensive.

It is well-known that lower modes of vibration are responsible for a high percentage of the dynamic response. In this paper, the task of simulation of the dynamic response of the composite wind turbine blade on the basis numerical realisation of a developed low dimensional beam type model is considered. From the governing system of differential-algebraic equation of the simplified beam type model of the blade, and using the mode superposition approximation, the system of linear ordinary differential equations with respect to the coefficient functions of the modal representation was obtained. The developed program codes allow to simulate low frequency bending vibrations of wind turbine blades under different steady-state and transient loadings. The comparison of the simulation results obtained by the proposed simplified blade model with the results of the direct Finite Element Method (FEM) simulation shows their close agreement, which confirms the adequacy of the developed model and its mode-based approximation to the level of the requirements necessary in engineering practice. The presented approach to the creating low-dimensional simplified models of slender structures can therefore be useful in different fields of aerospace, civil, mechanical, and transport engineering.

The concept of ‘contact stress’, as introduced by Cauchy, is a special case of a nonlocal stress tensor. In this work, the nonlocal stress tensor is derived through implementation of the bond-based formulation of peridynamics that uses an idealised model of interaction between points as bonds. The method is sufficiently general and can be implemented to study stress states in problems containing stress concentration, singularity, or discontinuities. Two case studies are presented, to study stress concentration around a circular hole in a square plate and conventionally singular stress fields in the vicinity of a sharp crack tip. The peridynamic stress tensor is compared with finite element approximations and available analytical solutions. It is shown that peridynamics is capable of capturing both shear and direct stresses and the results obtained correlate well with those obtained using analytical solutions and finite element approximations. A built-in MATLAB code is developed and used to construct a 2D peridynamic grid and subsequently approximate the solution of the peridynamic equation of motion. The stress tensor is then obtained using the tensorial product of bond force projections for bonds that geometrically pass through the point. To evaluate the accuracy of the predicted stresses near a crack tip, the J-integral value is computed using both a direct contour approximation and the equivalent domain integral method. In the formulation of the contour approximation, bond forces are used directly while the proposed peridynamic stress tensor is used for the domain method. The J-integral values computed are compared with those obtained by the finite element package Abaqus 2018. The comparison provides an indication on the accurate prediction of the state of stress near the crack tip.

Modern armour graded thin steel plates benefit from significant elastic strength with high elastic energy storage capacity, which contributes to dissipation of total impulse from extensive blast loads within the bounds of the elastic region. Higher elastic energy storage capability mitigates the probability of catastrophic damage and ensuing large deformations compared to the conventional graded metallic panels. While blast assessment of such structures is important to design and application of protective systems, limited studies are available on their response to localised blasts. The present paper aims at deducing, from the minimization of Föppl-von Kármán (FVK) energy functional, the dynamic response of localised blast loaded thin elastic square plates undergoing large deformations. The presumed blast load function is a multiplicative decomposition of a prescribed continuous piecewise smooth spatial function and an arbitrary temporal function which may assume various shapes (e.g. rectangular, linear, sinusoidal, exponential). A kinematically admissible displacement field and the associated stress tensor were considered as a truncated cosine series with multiple Degrees-of-Freedom (DoF's). From the prescribed displacement field, having simply supported boundary conditions, useful expressions for stress tensor components were delineated corresponding to a unique mode and a series of differential equations were derived. The explicit solutions were sought using the Poincaré-Lindstedt perturbation method. The closed form solutions of each mode were corroborated with the numerical FE models and showed convergence when the first few modes were considered. The influence of higher modes, however, on the peak deformation was negligible and the solution with 3 DOF's conveniently estimated the blast response to a satisfactory precision.

Airborne Energy Initiative at SOE ZHAW, Morphing blades have been promising in lifting restrictions on rated capacity of wind turbines and improving lift-to-drag ratio for aircraft wings at higher operational angles of attack. The present study focuses on one aspect of the response of morphing blades viz. dynamic delamination. A numerical study of delamination in morphing composite blades is conducted. Both components i.e. the composite part and the stiffener are studied. The eXtended Finite Element Method (XFEM) and nonlocal continuum mechanics (peridynamics) have both been used to study fracture in the isotropic stiffener used in conjunction with the blade. As for the composite morphing blade, cohesive elements are used to represent the interlaminar weak zone and delamination has been studied under dynamic pulse loads. Intraply damage is studied using the nonlocal model as the peridynamic model is capable of addressing the problem adequately for the necessary level of sophistication. The differences and similarities between delamination patterns for impulsive, dynamic, and quasi-static loadings are appreciated and in each case detailed analyses of delamination patterns are presented. The dependence of delamination pattern on loading regime is established, however; further parametric studies are not included as they lie beyond the scope of the study. Through the use of fracture energy alone the nonlocal model is capable of capturing intra- and interlaminar fractures. The proposed modelling scheme can thus have a major impact in design applications where dynamic pulse and impact loads of all natures (accidental, extreme, service, etc.) are to be considered and may therefore be utilised in design of lightweight morphing blades and wings where delamination failure mode is an issue.