Description :  Failure of structures and structural components has always been a major concern in engineering.  Such failures, which in most engineering materials are preceded by the emergence of narrow zones of intense straining, or shear band localization, occurs in various solids: soils, rocks, polymers, structural metals, and crystals.  Therefore, it is vitally important to model the straining location phase in a physically consistent, mathematically correct manner with numerically proper tools. This project focuses on formulating and establishing a new class of finite element algorithms.  The propagating shear band is modeled using independent and discrete shear band elements, which are automatically generated and go through the original finite element mesh by splitting and reshaping the original finite element mesh.  The mesh dependency problem is also investigated by employing the theories of structure non-convex optimization.  This methodology integrates mathematical models, numerical implementation, and experimental study, and accounts for the material inhomogeneities resulting from microstructural changes of material particles.  Its particular value lies in the fact that the theoretical developments will lead to computational modules that will be used to solve actual important engineering problems such as landslides, various soil-structure contact failures, metal single crystal failures, and sheet necking problems. This topic is of particular interest to many researchers studying material failures in different engineering disciplines, and the research area is targeted for funding by many federal funding agencies, such as NSF, DoD, DoE, and DoT. 

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Principal Investigator:  Wang, Jay  --  Civil Engineering

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Collaborators:  

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Funding Agencies:  Board of Regents

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Amount Awarded:  $105,336

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Start Period:  06/01/2005

End Period:  06/30/2008