Simulation with

Nonlinear Structural Materials

Mateusz Stec
Application Specialist

Valerio Marra
Technical Marketing Manager

2012 COMSOL. COMSOL and COMSOL Multiphysics are registered trademarks of COMSOL AB. Capture the Concept,
COMSOL Desktop, and LiveLink are trademarks of COMSOL AB. Other product or brand names are trademarks or registered
trademarks of their respective holders.

Agenda
Multiphysics Modeling
Structural Modeling
Nonlinear Materials
Sources of Nonlinearity
Modeling options

Video demo
Q&A
How To
Try COMSOL Multiphysics
Contact Us

Why Do We Model?
Conception and understanding
Design and optimization
Testing and verification

Conjugate heat transfer simulation of

an aluminum heat sink.

Modeling with COMSOL Multiphysics

Electrical, Mechanical, Fluid, and Chemical Simulations
Multiphysics Coupled phenomena
Two or more physics phenomena that affect each other with no
limitation on which combinations or how many combinations

Single physics
One integrated environment different physics and applications
One day you work on Heat Transfer, next day Structural Analysis, then
Fluid Flow, etc.
Same workflow for any type of modeling

Enables cross-disciplinary product development and a unified

simulation platform

Enables Technology Design Innovations

Microwave Three-port Circulator

Radiation Pattern of a
Broadband Conical Antenna

Fluid-Structure Interaction of a
Solar Panel

Porous Reactor

Acoustics Speaker Systems

Optimized Green Technology Design

Solar panels are subject to wind loads
Must be engineered to bend with the flow
Physics involved
Fluid-Structural Interaction (FSI)
Fluid Flow
Structural Displacement

All Inclusive Interactive Modeling Environment

COMSOL Desktop
Straightforward to
use, it gives full
insight and control
over the modeling
process

Model Builder
Provides instant
access to any part of
the model settings
CAD/Geometry
Materials
Physics
Mesh
Solve
Results

Graphics
Ultrafast graphic presentation, stunning
visualization, and multiple plots

Product Suite

Constitutive Modeling
Structural
Linear elastic
Linear viscoelastic

Nonlinear

Creep
Hyperelastic
Elastoplastic
Viscoplastic

e
s

Geomechanics
Concrete
Rock
Solid plasticity

Nonlinear: Creep Models

Norton
Norton-Bailey
Garofalo
Nabarro-Herring
Coble
Weertman
Potential
Volumetric
Deviatoric
User defined

Stress response of a
combined Norton and
Norton-Bailey material

Nonlinear: Hyperelastic Models

Neo-Hookean
St Venant-Kirchhoff
Money-Rivlin
Two, five and nine parameters

Yeoh
Ogden
Varga
Arruda-Boyce
Blatz-Ko
Murnaghan
User defined

Rubber velocity joint, model

courtesy of Metelli S.p.A.,
Italy

Nonlinear: Elastoplastic Models

Large strain plasticity
Yield criteria
Tresca
von Mises
Hill plasticity

Hardening
Isotropic
Orthotropic
Kinematic

Plastic flow
Associated
Non-associated

User defined

Stress distribution
in a stent at balloon
inflation

Nonlinear: Viscoplastic Model

Anand

Viscoplastic creep in solder joints

under thermal loading

Geomechanics: Concrete and Rock Models

Bresler-Pister
Willam-Warnke
Ottosen
Material option
Tension cut-off

Hoek-Brown
Generalized Hoek-Brown
Stress distribution in
a concrete beam

Geomechanics: Soil Plasticity Models

Mohr-Coulomb
Drucker-Prager
Lade-Duncan
Matsuoka-Nakai
Cam-Clay
User defined
Material options
Compressive cap
Tension cut-off

Stress distribution around

an excavated tunnel

Model Builder and Settings

Study and Element Types

Study types

Stationary
Transient
Direct and modal

Eigenfrequency

Prestressed

Frequency response

Direct and modal

Prestressed

Linear Buckling
Parametric

Element types

Solid
Shell
Membrane
Plate
Beam
Truss

CAD & Meshing Interoperability

Mesh File Formats

3D CAD File Formats

ACIS
Catia V5
Creo Parametric
IGES
Inventor
Parasolid
Pro/ENGINEER
SolidWorks
STEP

NASTRAN
STL
VRML

E-CAD File Formats

Meshing Products

GDS/NETEX-G
ODB++

Mimics
+FE Module (Simpleware)
Avizo

2D CAD File Formats

DXF

Multiphysics: Thermal Stress

Multiphysics interface
Coupled structural and
thermal analysis
Mechanical boundaries
Loads
Constraints

Thermal boundaries

Conduction
Heat flow
Heat generation
Radiation

Bipolar plate in a fuel cell: Thermal stresses in a

constrained plate

Multiphysics: Joule Heating and Thermal

Expansion
Multiphysics interface
Physics coupling

electric current conduction

heat conduction
heat generation
structural stresses and strains
due to thermal expansion

Thermal actuator:
Temperature gradient

Multiphysics: Piezoelectric Devices

Multiphysics interface
Constitutive modeling
Piezoelectric
Purely solid
Purely dielectric

Initial electric displacement

Electrostatic boundary
Piezoelectric damping

Sandwich beam with piezoelectric ceramic actuator:

Bending deflection due to shear stress

Geometric Nonlinearity
The response of the majority of the structures can be
analysed under the assumption of small displacement theory
In some situations the change in the configuration cannot be
ignored
it is necessary to calculate the equilibrium with respect to the
deformed configuration

The classical strain measures (engineering strains) are no

longer able to describe large displacements and/or large
rotations
new strain measures must be considered (Green-Lagrange strains)

Strain Evaluation Options

Small plastic strains
Additive decomposition of
strains

Large plastic strains

Multiplicative decomposition
of deformation gradient.
large

Necking of an
elastoplastic metal bar
small

Modeling Options
Enable plasticity in subdomain
Combine different material
nonlinearities
Plasticity-creep
Creep-creep

Geometry directed material

orientation

Plasticity in an orthotropic container

Creep and Viscoplasticity Options

Often refer to as ratedependent plasticity
Creep strains are added as
inelastic strains
Combine predefined
materials
Predefined temperature
dependency
User defined creep
properties

Soil Plasticity Options

Elliptic cap
Tension cut-off
Dilatation angle in plastic
potential
Parameter match to MohrCoulomb

Hyperelastic Energy Evaluation

Nearly incompressible
materials
Pressure (mixed formulation)
Prevent locking

Userdefined energy
functions

User Defined Inelastic Strains

Materials which exhibit a nonlinear stress-strain relation, even
at infinitesimal strains
Brittle materials (ceramics, metal alloys)
Ramberg-Osgood
Damage function

You can add distributed ODEs or PDEs to account for inelastic

strains
Add inelastic strains with the Initial Stress and Strain node

Parameterized Material Models

Temperature dependent plasticity in a pressure vessel

Infinite Element Domains

Model Library

Video Demo: Pressurized Orthotropic Container

A container made of rolled steel is subjected to an internal
overpressure where one of the three material principal
directions has a higher yield stress than the other two
Hills orthotropic plasticity is used to model the differences in yield
strength

Q&A Session
Any questions not answered during the broadcast
will be answered via email.

Product Suite

Try COMSOL Multiphysics

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