Material Failure Mechanisms in Nonlinear Solids and Structures

Abstract

This work was concerned with research on the fundamental mechanics and mathematics of material failure mechanisms in nonlinear solids and structures. The specific areas investigated were those of void nucleation and growth due to large deformations in nonlinear solids and end effects in anisotropic and laminated structures. Research on cavitation phenomena, which serve as a precursor to fracture, is crucial to the understanding of failure mechanisms in rubber-like solids (e.g. polymers, solid rocket propellants, aircraft tires) and of ductile fracture processes in metals. In particular, the work is relevant to the tire degradation problems of concern to Air Force scientists at Wright Patterson AFB. Mathematically, the work involved investigation of singular solutions of the second-order quasi linear system of partial differential equations describing equilibrium states of nonlinearly elastic bodies. For radially symmetric deformations, the basic problem reduces to a bifurcation problem for a single second-order nonlinear ordinary differential equation. Particular emphasis was placed on the effect of material inhomogeneity, compressibility and anisotropy on void nucleation and growth, including non-axisymmetric problems.

Open PDF

Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Feb 01, 1998
Accession Number
ADA337848

Entities

People

  • Cornelius O. Horgan
  • Wills Johnson

Organizations

  • University of Virginia

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Air Platforms
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Force
  • Aircrafts
  • Airframes
  • Applied Mathematics
  • Composite Materials
  • Differential Equations
  • Engineering
  • Equations
  • Failure Mode And Effect Analysis
  • Materials
  • Materials Science
  • Mathematics
  • Mechanical Engineering
  • Mechanics
  • Partial Differential Equations
  • Rocket Propellants
  • Solid Rocket Propellants

Readers

  • Finite Element Method (FEM) for solving Partial Differential Equations (PDEs)
  • Fluid Dynamics.
  • Structural Health Monitoring of Composite Structures.