Exposing the nonlinear viscoelastic behavior of asphalt-aggregate mixes

In this study asphalt-aggregate mixes are treated as both viscoelastic and viscoplastic. Following a damage mechanics approach, a nonlinear viscoelastic constitutive formulation is generated from a linear formulation by replacing ‘applied stresses’ with ‘effective viscoelastic stresses’. A non-dimensional scalar entity called ‘relative viscoelastic stiffness’ is introduced; it is defined as the ratio of applied to effective viscoelastic stress and encapsulates different types of nonlinearities. The paper proposes a computational scheme for exposing these nonlinearities by uncovering, through direct analysis of any test data, changes experienced by the ‘relative viscoelastic stiffness’. In general terms, the method is based on simultaneous application of creep and relaxation formulations while preserving the interrelationship between the corresponding time functions. The proposed scheme is demonstrated by analyzing a uniaxial tension test and a uniaxial compression test (separately). Results are presented and discussed, unveiling and contrasting the character of viscoelastic nonlinearities in both cases. A conceptual viewpoint is offered to explain the observations, illustrating the requirements from any candidate constitutive theory.     

Computational optimization of characteristics for composites of viscoelastic components

The problem of describing of the viscoelastic properties of composite materials that consist of more than one viscoelastic component is studied. It is supposed that the viscoelastic properties of the components are known. The difficulty in the application of the mixture theory arises in the cases when the properties are described by integral operators with different integral kernels. This difficulty is avoided by the approximations of the viscoelastic operators in the stress–strain relations. A method is proposed to obtain appropriate approximations that reduce all the viscoelastic operators to a general kernel using rational approximations of their Laplace transforms. The proposed method allows for the reduction of the approximation error for related operators. Examples are given for the adjustment of viscoelastic functions in the cases of increase and decrease of functions parameter.     

Viscoelastic behaviour during the crystallisation of isotactic polypropylene

Morphology and viscoelastic behaviour during the initial stages of crystallisation of isotactic polypropylene were explored as a function of time and angular frequency by light microscopy and dynamic oscillatory rheology. Results were evaluated according to the Krieger-Dougherty and Palierne models for viscoelastic suspensions of spheres. The data obtained from light microscopy were introduced in the rheological models reproducing quite well the viscoelastic response during crystallisation. The Palierne model was able to describe the behaviour of the system, though it was not possible to observe all the model’s features due to a limited angular frequency range. Further, at high filler contents, an ‘equilibrium’ modulus needs to be introduced for the model to fit the experimental data. The exponent required to model the changes occurring in the ‘equilibrium’ modulus over time resembles that of chemical gelation more than physical gelation.     

Numerical modeling of micro- and macro-behavior of viscoelastic porous materials

This paper presents a numerical method for solving the two-dimensional problem of a polygonal linear viscoelastic domain containing an arbitrary number of non-overlapping circular holes of arbitrary sizes. The solution of the problem is based on the use of the correspondence principle. The governing equation for the problem in the Laplace domain is a complex hypersingular boundary integral equation written in terms of the unknown transformed displacements on the boundaries of the holes and the exterior boundaries of the finite body. No specific physical model is involved in the governing equation, which means that the method is capable of handling a variety of viscoelastic models. A truncated complex Fourier series with coefficients dependent on the transform parameter is used to approximate the unknown transformed displacements on the boundaries of the holes. A truncated complex series of Chebyshev polynomials with coefficients dependent on the transform parameter is used to approximate the unknown transformed displacements on the straight boundaries of the finite body. A system of linear algebraic equations is formed using the overspecification method. The viscoelastic stresses and displacements are calculated through the viscoelastic analogs of the Kolosov–Muskhelishvili potentials, and an analytical inverse Laplace transform is used to provide the time domain solution. Using the concept of representative volume, the effective viscoelastic properties of an equivalent homogeneous material are then found directly from the corresponding constitutive equations for the average field values. Several examples are given to demonstrate the accuracy of the method. The results for the stresses and displacements are compared with the numerical solutions obtained by commercial finite element software (ANSYS). The results for the effective properties are compared with those obtained with the self-consistent and Mori–Tanaka schemes.     

Free damped vibrations of a viscoelastic oscillator based on Rabotnov’s model

Free damped vibrations of a linear viscoelastic oscillator based on Rabotnov’s model involving one fractional parameter and several relaxation (retardation) times are investigated. The analytical solution is obtained in the form of two terms, one of which governs the drift of the system’s equilibrium position and is defined by the quasi-static processes of creep occurring in the system, and the other term describes damped vibrations around the equilibrium position and is determined by the systems’s inertia and energy dissipation. The drift is governed by an improper integral taken along two sides of the cut of the complex plane. Damped vibrations are determined by two complex conjugate roots of the characteristic equation, which are located in the left half-plane of the complex plane. The behaviour of the characteristic equation roots as function of the system’s parameters is shown in the complex plane. Dedicated to the bright memory of Academician Yury N. Rabotnov.     

Higher-order fractional constitutive equations of viscoelastic materials involving three different parameters and their relaxation and creep functions

Two higher-order fractional viscoelastic material models consisting of the fractional Voigt model (FVM) and the fractional Maxwell model (FMM) are considered. Their higher-order fractional constitutive equations are derived due to the models’ constructions. We call them the higher-order fractional constitutive equations because they contain three different fractional parameters and the maximum order of equations is more than one. The relaxation and creep functions of the higher-order fractional constitutive equations are obtained by Laplace transform method. As particular cases, the analytical solutions of standard (integer-order) quadratic constitutive equations are contained. The generalized Mittag–Leffler function and H-Fox function play an important role in the solutions of the higher-order fractional constitutive equations. Finally, experimental data of human cranial bone are used to fit with the models given by this paper. The fitting plots show that the models given in the paper are efficient in describing the property of viscoelastic materials.     

On the direct estimation of creep and relaxation functions

Two alternative approaches for estimating linear viscoelastic material functions from a single experiment under random excitation are derived and analyzed. First, Boltzmann’s superposition integral is discretized into a system of linear equations. Due to the ill-posedness of the resulting matrix equation, Tikhonov’s regularization is introduced. Second, the integral is transformed into a recursive formula, using a Prony series representation of viscoelastic material functions, in which gradient-based optimization is applied. Numerical results are provided to compare and verify the applicability of the presented numerical procedures.     

Asymptotic analysis on nonlinear vibration of axially accelerating viscoelastic strings with the standard linear solid model

Nonlinear parametric vibration of axially accelerating viscoelastic strings is investigated via an approximate analytical approach. The standard linear solid model using the material time derivative is employed to describe the string viscoelastic behaviors. A coordinate transformation is introduced to derive Mote’s model of transverse motion from the governing equation of the stationary string. Mote’s model leads to Kirchhoff’s model by replacing the tension with the averaged tension over the string. An asymptotic perturbation approach is proposed to study principal parametric resonance based on the two models. The amplitude and the existence conditions of the steady-state responses are determined by locating the nonzero fixed points in the modulation equations resulting from the solvability condition. Numerical results are presented to highlight the effects of the material parameters, the axial-speed fluctuation amplitude, and the initial stress on steady-state responses.     

Simulation of rheometric flow of a newtonian fluid by the method of finite elements

Flow between two plates is investigated numerically in the phase of reaching a steady-state value for a Newtonian fluid. Certain features of the application of the method of finite elements are discussed. The time of reaching the steady state by the flow is determined, which is constant for a wide range of parameters and fluids. It is noted that the results obtained can serve as the ‘point of departure’ for comparing the considered flow with similar flows of viscoelastic and viscoplastic fluids and that the difference between the times of reaching the steady state by the flows can be used to evaluate the degree of non-Newtonian behavior of one fluid or another or of the model. Translated from Inzhenerno-Fizicheskii Zhurnal, Vol. 73, No. 5, pp. 927–931, September–October, 2000.     

On the determination of the relaxation modulus of PP compounds from arbitrary strain histories

Due to the viscoelastic behavior of polymers mechanical properties are strongly affected by the loading history. To obtain the time-dependent Poisson’s ratio without further data manipulation, stress relaxation tests have to be carried out. Only few results for viscoelastic materials have been published to date, but the theory of Poisson’s ratio in the framework of linear viscoelasticity has received some attention with respect to loading histories other than relaxation, i.e. creep and constant rate of strain tests.     

Boussinesq’s viscoelastic problem on normal concentrated force on a half-space surface

A problem on the action of a normal concentrated force on the surface of viscoelastic half-space (Boussinesq’s viscoelastic problem) is solved. The relations of the theory of linear isotropic viscoelasticity are used as determining relations. The two relaxation functions corresponding to shift and volumetric expansion states are accepted to be independent. The forms of these functions are not defined concretely. Exact formulae for displacements, strains and stresses components are represented. The used solution method may be used for the solution of a series of problems of the theory of linear isotropic viscoelasticity as well.     

One-dimensional propagation of discontinuities in non-homogeneous linear viscoelastic semi-infinite media

One-dimensional wave-propagation is analysed in a non-homogeneous, isotropic, linearly viscoelastic semi-infinite medium, by the theory of singular surfaces. The characteristics of the medium at any point are assumed to be dependent upon the position of the point. The solution for the stress field, which is valid even after the wave-front has passed, is obtained in the form of Taylor’s series by prescribing the time dependent stress boundary condition in the form of a Maclaurin’s series. Furthermore, it is shown that the higher order discontinuities satisfy the same propagation conditions as the stress waves and all the discontinuities decay as they traverse the material. An application of inhomogeneity varying exponentially with position has been analysed. Diagrams for the above example with arbitrarily chosen parameters are presented.     

On the algebraic foundations of optical measurements

The triangular-norms method is used to construct algebras that are adequate to optical systems in approximations of geometrical and Fourier optics. The elements of the algebras are defined. Implication operators are defined for both approximations with interpretation of a measurement as a modus ponens inference. Russia. Translated from Izmeritel’naya Tekhnika, No. 12, pp. 27–31, December, 1999.     

Fractional-derivative viscoelastic model of the shock interaction of a rigid body with a plate

The impact of a rigid body upon an elastic isotropic plate is investigated for the case when the equations of motion take rotary inertia and shear deformation into account. The impactor is considered as a mass point, and the contact between it and the plate is established through a buffer involving a linear-spring–fractional-derivative dashpot combination, i.e., the viscoelastic features of the buffer are described by the fractional-derivative Maxwell model. It is assumed that a transient wave of transverse shear is generated in the plate, and that the reflected wave has insufficient time to return to the location of the spring’s contact with the plate before the impact process is completed. To determine the desired values behind the transverse-shear wave front, one-term ray expansions are used, as well as the equations of motion of the impactor and the contact region. As a result, we are led to a set of two linear differential equations for the displacements of the spring’s upper and lower points. The solution of these equations is found analytically by the Laplace-transform method, and the time-dependence of the contact force is obtained. Numerical analysis shows that the maximum of the contact force increases, tending to the maximal contact force when the fractional parameter is equal to unity.     

A generalized complex eigenvector method for dynamic analysis of heterogeneous viscoelastic structures

A generalized complex eigenvector method which can be used to a linear dynamic analysis of viscoelastic structures is described. Here dynamic analysis is understood as transient analysis and frequency response analysis. The generalized complex eigenvector method is based on finite element discretization of structure, approximation of viscoelastic properties by differential operators and mode superposition technique. Coefficients of differential operator are defined from the condition of best coincidence of complex characteristic of viscoelastic material and complex characteristic of differential operator in preset frequency range. Advantage of this method is that it allows to take into account the real changes of the viscoelastic property in frequency range. Also, the generalized complex eigenvector method permit to describe a viscoelastic properties by two functions (complex Young's modulus, complex Poisson's ratio). The method is verified with the help of comparing with solutions obtained by complex modulus method. An influence of viscoelastic Poisson's ratio on transient and frequency responses of structure is demonstrated. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Homogenised finite element for transient dynamic analysis of unconstrained layer damping beams involving fractional derivative models

This paper presents a homogenised finite element formulation for the transient dynamic analysis of asymmetric and symmetric unconstrained layer damping beams in which the viscoelastic material is characterised by a five-parameter fractional derivative model. This formulation is based on the weighted residual method (Galerkin’s approach) providing a fractional matrix equation of motion. The application of Grünwald-Letnikov’s definition of the fractional derivatives allows to solve numerically the fractional equation by means of two different implicit formulations. Numerical examples for a cantilever beam with viscoelastic treatment are presented comparing the response provided by the proposed homogenised formulation with that of Padovan, based on the principle of virtual work. Different damping levels and load cases are analysed, as well as the influence of the truncation and time-step. From the numerical applications it can be concluded that the presented formulation allows to reduce significantly the degrees of freedom and consequently the computational time and storage needs for the transient dynamic analysis of structural systems in which damping treatments have been applied by means of viscoelastic materials characterised by fractional derivative models.     

Relaxation behavior of neat and particulate filled polypropylene in uniaxial and multiaxial compression

The recently developed confined compression test was used to measure the viscoelastic bulk and shear relaxation moduli of neat, glass bead and talc filled polypropylene. In this paper further modifications of the test are introduced and a criterion for the assessment of the quality of experimental data is suggested. As expected, shear as well as the bulk relaxation moduli were found to increase with the addition of particles. In order to determine the pressure sensitivity of the material, unconfined compression tests were also performed and compared with the confined tests through interconversion of the measured moduli. In agreement with earlier results on other polymers, it turned out that the relaxation response is significantly retarded at higher confinement levels. It is shown that the effect of filler particles on the long-term behavior depends on the specific uniaxial or multiaxial stress state. Poisson’s ratio was calculated by interconversion from the bulk and shear relaxation modulus; these results show that with a single test in the confined configuration, a complete viscoelastic characterization of the material can be obtained.     

Measurement of Young’s relaxation modulus using nanoindentation

In a previous paper (Lu et al., Mechanics of Time-Dependent Materials, 7, 2003, 189–207), we described methods to measure the creep compliance of polymers using Berkovich and spherical indenters by nanoindentation. However, the relaxation modulus is often needed in stress and deformation analysis. It has been well known that the interconversion between creep compliance and relaxation function presents an ill-posed problem, so that converting the creep compliance function to the relaxation function cannot always give accurate results, especially considering that the creep data at short times in nanoindentation are often not reliable, and the overall nanoindentation time is short, typically a few hundred seconds. In this paper, we present methods to measure Young’s relaxation functions directly using nanoindentation. A constant-rate displacement loading history is usually used in nanoindentations. Using viscoelastic contact mechanics, Young’s relaxation modulus is extracted using nanoindentation load-displacement data. Three bulk polymers, Polymethyl Methacrylate (PMMA), Polycarbonate (PC) and Polyurethane (PU), are used in this study. The Young’s relaxation functions measured from the nanoindentation are compared with data measured from conventional tensile and shear tests to evaluate the precision of the methods. A reasonably good agreement has been reached for all these materials for indentation depth higher than a certain value, providing reassurance for these methods for measuring relaxation functions.     

Generalization of <Emphasis Type="Italic">T</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">A</Emphasis> integrals to time-dependent materials: analytical formulations

This paper deals with the generalization of T-integral to crack growth process in viscoelastic materials. In order to implement this expression in a finite element software, a modelling form of this integral, called Aθ, is developed. The analytical formulation is based on conservative law, independent path integral, and a combination of real, virtual displacement fields, and real, virtual thermal fields introducing, in the same time, a bilinear form of free energy density F. According to the generalization of Noether’s method, the application of Gauss Ostrogradski’s theorem combined with curvilinear cracked contour, T _v is obtained. By introducing a volume domain around crack tip, the modelling expression Aθ is also defined.. Finally, the viscoelastic generalization through a thermodynamic approach, called A _v , is introduced by using a discretisation of the creep tensor according to a generalized Kelvin Voigt representation.