A finite element thermomechanical analysis of the development of wheel polygonal wear

Polygonal wear is a type of damage commonly observed on the railway wheel tread. It induces wheel-rail impacts and consequent train/track components failure. This study presents a finite element (FE) thermomechanical wheel-rail contact model, which is able to cope with the three possible generation and development mechanisms of polygonal wear...

Design of railway transition zones: A novel energy-based criterion

Railway transition zones (RTZs) experience higher rates of degradation compared to open tracks, which leads to increased maintenance costs and reduced availability. Despite existing literature on railway track assessment and maintenance, effective design solutions for RTZs are still limited. Therefore, a robust design criterion is required to...

A two-phased modelling approach for corrosion-induced concrete cracking and bond deterioration in reinforced concrete

Bond deterioration is one of the major consequences of reinforcement corrosion in reinforced concrete (RC) structures. In this paper, a two-phased numerical modelling approach is presented that aims to determine the constitutive behaviour (bond–slip) at the reinforcement-concrete interface at a certain corrosion level. The novelty of the...

Shear behaviour of reinforced concrete beams strengthened with ultra-high performance fiber reinforced concrete (UHPFRC)

Ultra-high performance fiber reinforced concrete (UHPFRC) is an advanced cementitious composite with high compressive strength and low permeability. Due to its excellent mechanical properties and superior durability, UHPFRC is considered promising for strengthening of the existing concrete bridges. In order to examine its strengthening...

Ground vibration induced by high speed trains on an embankment with pile-board foundation: Modelling and validation with in situ tests

To investigate the train-induced ground vibration, an explicit time-domain, three dimensional (3D) finite element (FE) model is developed. The train, track, embankment, pile-board structure and nearby ground soils are all fully coupled in this model. The complex geometries involving the track components and pile-board structure are all...

A Finite Element Thermomechanical Analysis of Polygonal Wear

Polygonal wear is a common type of damage on the railway wheel tread, which could induce wheel-rail impacts and further components failure. This study presents a finite element (FE) thermomechanical model to investigate the causes of wheel polygonal wear. The FE model is able to cope with three possible causes of polygonal wear: thermal...

Fatigue modeling and numerical analysis of re-filling probe hole of friction stir spot welded joints in aluminum alloys

In the present study, the fatigue behavior and tensile strength of A6061-T4 aluminum al-loy, joined by friction stir spot welding (FSSW), are numerically investigated. The 3D finite element model (FEM) is used to analyze the FSSW joint by means of Abaqus software. The tensile strength is determined for FSSW joints with both a probe hole and a...

Micromechanical modelling of complex shear modulus of crumb rubber modified bitumen

Crumb rubber modified bitumen (CRMB) can be considered as a binary composite system where rubber particles are embedded in the bitumen matrix. The bitumen-rubber interaction process (mainly swelling) significantly changes the mechanical properties of both bitumen and rubber phases. This study aims to predict the complex moduli of CRMB binders...

PISA:: Recent developments in offshore wind turbine monopile design

This paper provides a brief overview of the Pile Soil Analysis (PISA) project, recently completed in the UK. The research was aimed at developing new design methods for laterally loaded monopile foundations, such as those supporting offshore wind turbine structures. The paper first describes the background to the project and briefly outlines the...

Asymmetric cupula displacement due to endolymph vortex in the human semicircular canal

The vestibular system in the inner ear senses angular head manoeuvres by endolymph fluid which deforms a gelatinous sensory structure (the cupula). We constructed computer models that include both the endolymph flow (using CFD modelling), the cupula deformation (using FEM modelling), and the interaction between both (using fluid–structure...

Modelling and experimental validation of dynamic impact in 1:9 railway crossing panel

To improve the understanding of dynamic impact in 1:9 crossing panel, which is suffering from rapid surface degradation, detailed modelling and experimental studies are performed. A three-dimensional explicit finite element (FE) model of a wheel rolling over a crossing rail, that has an adaptive mesh refinement procedure coupled with two...

Investigation on hot cracking during laser welding by means of experimental and numerical methods

Hot cracking during laser welding of Transformation Induce Plasticity (TRIP) steel at the edges of steel flanges can be a problem. In this study, modified hot cracking tests were performed by welding on a single-side clamped specimen at various distances from the free edge, while the heat input and external constraints remained constant. In situ...

CPV solar cell modeling and metallization optimization

Concentrated photovoltaics (CPV) has recently gained popularity due to its ability to deliver significantly more power at relatively lower absorber material costs. In CPVs, lenses and mirrors are used to concentrate illumination over a small solar cell, thereby increasing the incident light by several folds. This leads to non-uniform...

Computation of stress intensity factors in an initiating RCF crack using a 3D modelling approach

Toughening mechanisms in nanolayered MAX phase ceramics-a review

Advanced engineering and functional ceramics are sensitive to damage cracks, which delay the wide applications of these materials in various fields. Ceramic composites with enhanced fracture toughness may trigger a paradigm for design and application of the brittle components. This paper reviews the toughening mechanisms for the nanolayered...

Modelling fine-grained sediment transport in the Mahakam land–sea continuum, Indonesia

SLIM is an unstructured mesh, finite element model of environmental and geophysical fluid flows, which is being improved to simulate fine-grained sediment transport in riverine and marine water systems. A 2D depth-averaged version of the model is applied to the Mahakam Delta (Borneo, Indonesia), the adjacent ocean, and three lakes in the central...