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The article proposes a model for assessing the potential strength of a composite material based on modern fibers with brittle fracture.

Materials consisting of parallel cylindrical fibers that are quasi-statically stretched in one direction are simulated. It is assumed that the sample is not less than 100 pieces, which corresponds to almost significant cases. It is known that the fibers have a distribution of ultimate deformation in the sample and are not destroyed at the same moment. Usually the distribution of their properties is described by the Weibull–Gnedenko statistical distribution. To simulate the strength of the composite, a model of fiber breaks accumulation is used. It is assumed that the fibers united by the polymer matrix are crushed to twice the inefficient length — the distance at which the stresses increase from the end of the broken fiber to the middle one. However, this model greatly overestimates the strength of composites with brittle fibers. For example, carbon and glass fibers are destroyed in this way.

In some cases, earlier attempts were made to take into account the stress concentration near the broken fiber (Hedgepest model, Ermolenko model, shear analysis), but such models either required a lot of initial data or did not coincide with the experiment. In addition, such models idealize the packing of fibers in the composite to the regular hexagonal packing.

The model combines the shear analysis approach to stress distribution near the destroyed fiber and the statistical approach of fiber strength based on the Weibull–Gnedenko distribution, while introducing a number of assumptions that simplify the calculation without loss of accuracy.

It is assumed that the stress concentration on the adjacent fiber increases the probability of its destruction in accordance with the Weibull distribution, and the number of such fibers with an increased probability of destruction is directly related to the number already destroyed before. All initial data can be obtained from simple experiments. It is shown that accounting for redistribution only for the nearest fibers gives an accurate forecast.

This allowed a complete calculation of the strength of the composite. The experimental data obtained by us on carbon fibers, glass fibers and model composites based on them (CFRP, GFRP), confirm some of the conclusions of the model.

Buckling problems of thin elastic shells have become relevant again because of the discrepancies between the standards in many countries on how to estimate loads causing buckling of shallow shells and the results of the experiments on thinwalled aviation structures made of high-strength alloys. The main contradiction is as follows: the ultimate internal stresses at shell buckling (collapsing) turn out to be lower than the ones predicted by the adopted design theory used in the USA and European standards. The current regulations are based on the static theory of shallow shells that was put forward in the 1930s: within the nonlinear theory of elasticity for thin-walled structures there are stable solutions that significantly differ from the forms of equilibrium typical to small initial loads. The minimum load (the lowest critical load) when there is an alternative form of equilibrium was used as a maximum permissible one. In the 1970s it was recognized that this approach is unacceptable for complex loadings. Such cases were not practically relevant in the past while now they occur with thinner structures used under complex conditions. Therefore, the initial theory on bearing capacity assessments needs to be revised. The recent mathematical results that proved asymptotic proximity of the estimates based on two analyses (the three-dimensional dynamic theory of elasticity and the dynamic theory of shallow convex shells) could be used as a theory basis. This paper starts with the setting of the dynamic theory of shallow shells that comes down to one resolving integrodifferential equation (once the special Green function is constructed). It is shown that the obtained nonlinear equation allows for separation of variables and has numerous time-period solutions that meet the Duffing equation with “a soft spring”. This equation has been thoroughly studied; its numerical analysis enables finding an amplitude and an oscillation period depending on the properties of the Green function. If the shell is oscillated with the trial time-harmonic load, the movement of the surface points could be measured at the maximum amplitude. The study proposes an experimental set-up where resonance oscillations are generated with the trial load normal to the surface. The experimental measurements of the shell movements, the amplitude and the oscillation period make it possible to estimate the safety factor of the structure bearing capacity with non-destructive methods under operating conditions.

The paper discusses the possibility of modeling the strength anisotropy of layered elastic medium using a scalar damage parameter. Thermodynamically consistent constitutive equations are formulated. Using SIMULIA / Abaqus we numerically simulated the stretching and compression of the samples. The results of calculation using the proposed model are compared with the known experimental data from the literature and the predictions of traditional models.

This article discusses the mechanical properties of carbon nanotube (CNT)-reinforced platinum under uniaxial tensile loading using the molecular dynamics method. A review of current computational and experimental studies on the use of carbon nanotube-reinforced composites from a structural point of view. However, quantitative and qualitative studies of CNTs to improve the properties of composites are still rare. Composite selection is a promising application for platinum alloys in many cases where they may be subjected to mechanical stress, including in biocompatibility sources. Pt-reinforced with CNTs may have additional possibilities for implantation of the implant and at the same time obtain the required mechanical characteristics.

The structure of the composite is composed of a Pt crystal with a face-centered cubic lattice with a constant of 3.92 Å and a carbon nanotube. The Pt matrix has the shape of a cube with dimensions of $43.1541 Å \times 43.1541 Å \times 43.1541 Å$. The hole size in the average platinum dimension is the radius of the carbon nanotube of the «zigzag» type (8,0), which is 2.6 Å. A carbon nanotube is placed in a hole with a radius of 4.2 Å. At such parameters, the maximum energy level was mutually observed. The model under consideration is contained in 320 atomic bombs and 5181 atomic platinum. The volume fraction of deaths in the Pt-C composite is 5.8%. At the first stage of the study, the strain rate was analyzed for stress-strain and energy change during uniaxial action on the Pt-C composite.

Analysis of the strain rate study showed that the consumption yield strength increases with high strain rate, and the elasticity has increased density with decreasing strain rate. This work also increased by 40% for Pt-C, the elasticity of the composite decreased by 42.3%. In general, fracture processes are considered in detail, including plastic deformation on an atomistic scale.

The adequate complexity three-dimensional finite element model of biomechanical system with space, shell and beam-type elements was built. The model includes the Ilizarov fixator and tibial bone’s simulator with the regenerating tissue at the fracture location. The proposed model allows us to specify the orthotropic elastic properties of tibial bone model in cortical and trabecular zones. It is also possible to change the basic geometrical and mechanical characteristics of biomechanical system, change the finite element mash density and define the different external loads, such as pressure on the bone and compression or distraction between the repositioned rings of Ilizarov device.

By using special APDL ANSYS program macros the mode of deformation was calculated in the fracture zone for various static loads on the simulator bone, for compression or distraction between the repositioned rings and for various mechanical properties during different stages of the bone regenerate formation (gelatinous, cartilaginous, trabecular and cortical bone remodeling). The obtained results allow us to estimate the permissible values of the external pressure on the bone and of the displacements of the Ilizarov fixator rings for different stages of the bone regeneration, based on the admittance criterion for the maximum of the stresses in the callus. The presented data can be used in a clinical condition for planning, realization and monitoring of the power modes for transosseous osteosynthesis with the external Ilizarov fixator.

Actin is a conserved structural protein that is expressed in all eukaryotic cells. When polymerized, it forms long filaments of fibrillar actin, or F-actin, which are involved in the formation of the cytoskeleton, in muscle contraction and its regulation, and in many other processes. The dynamic and mechanical properties of actin are important for interaction with other proteins and the realization of its numerous functions in the cell. We performed 204.8 ns long molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of an actin filament segment consisting of 24 monomers in the absence and the presence of MgADP at 300 K in the presence of a solvent and at physiological ionic strength using the AMBER99SBILDN and CHARMM36 force fields in the GROMACS software environment, using modern structural models as the initial structure obtained by high-resolution cryoelectron microscopy. MD calculations have shown that the stationary regime of fluctuations in the structure of the F-actin long segment is developed 80–100 ns after the start of the MD trajectory. Based on the results of MD calculations, the main parameters of the actin helix and its bending, longitudinal, and torsional stiffness were estimated using a section of the calculation model that is far enough away from its ends. The estimated subunit axial (2.72–2.75 nm) and angular (165–168^◦) translation of the F-actin helix, its bending (2.8–4.7 · 10⁻²⁶ N·m²), longitudinal (36–47·10⁻⁹ N), and torsional (2.6–3.1·10⁻²⁶ N·m²) stiffness are in good agreement with the results of the most reliable experiments. The results of MD calculations have shown that modern structural models of F-actin make it possible to accurately describe its dynamics and mechanical properties, provided that computational models contain a sufficiently large number of monomers, modern force fields, and relatively long MD trajectories are used. The inclusion of actin partner proteins, in particular, tropomyosin and troponin, in the MD model can help to understand the molecular mechanisms of such important processes as the regulation of muscle contraction.

The development of a viral infection in the organism is a complex process which depends on the competition race between virus replication in the host cells and the immune response. To study different regimes of infection progression, we analyze the general mathematical model of immune response to viral infection. The model consists of two ODEs for virus and immune cells non-dimensionalized concentrations. The proliferation rate of immune cells in the model is represented by a bell-shaped function of the virus concentration. This function increases for small virus concentrations describing the antigen-stimulated clonal expansion of immune cells, and decreases for sufficiently high virus concentrations describing down-regulation of immune cells proliferation by the infection. Depending on the virus virulence, strength of the immune response, and the initial viral load, the model predicts several scenarios: (a) infection can be completely eliminated, (b) it can remain at a low level while the concentration of immune cells is high; (c) immune cells can be essentially exhausted, or (d) completely exhausted, which is accompanied (c, d) by high virus concentration. The analysis of the model shows that virus concentration can oscillate as it gradually converges to its equilibrium value. We show that the considered model can be obtained by the reduction of a more general model with an additional equation for the total viral load provided that this equation is fast. In the case of slow kinetics of the total viral load, this more general model should be used.

This paper presents a methodology for modeling centrifugal pumps using the example of the NM 1250 260 main oil centrifugal pump. We use FlowVision CFD software as the numerical modeling instrument. Bench tests and numerical modeling use water as a working fluid. The geometrical model of the pump is fully three-dimensional and includes the pump housing to account for leakages. In order to reduce the required computational resources, the methodology specifies leakages using flow rate rather than directly modeling them. Surface roughness influences flow through the wall function model. The wall function model uses an equivalent sand roughness, and a formula for converting real roughness into equivalent sand roughness is applied in this work. FlowVision uses the sliding mesh method for simulation of the rotation of the impeller. This approach takes into account the nonstationary interaction between the rotor and diffuser of the pump, allowing for accurate resolution of recirculation vortices that occur at low flow rates.

The developed methodology has achieved high consistency between numerical simulations results and experiments at all pump operating conditions. The deviation in efficiency at nominal conditions is 0.42%, and in head is 1.9%. The deviation of calculated characteristics from experimental ones increases as the flow rate increases and reaches a maximum at the far-right point of the characteristic curve (up to 4.8% in head). This phenomenon occurs due to a slight mismatch between the geometric model of the impeller used in the calculation and the real pump model from the experiment. However, the average arithmetic relative deviation between numerical modeling and experiment for pump efficiency at 6 points is 0.39%, with an experimental efficiency measurement error of 0.72%. This meets the accuracy requirements for calculations. In the future, this methodology can be used for a series of optimization and strength calculations, as modeling does not require significant computational resources and takes into account the non-stationary nature of flow in the pump.

We have investigated dynamics of synthetic genetic oscillators — repressilators — coupled through autoinducer diffusion. The model of the system with phase-repulsive coupling structure is under consideration. We have examined emergence of periodic regimes, stable inhomogeneous steady states depending on the main systems’ parameters: coupling strength and maximal transcription rate. It has been shown that autoinducer production module added to the isolated repressilator cause the limit cycle to disappear through infinite period bifurcation for sufficiently large transcription rate. We have found hysteresis of limit cycle and stable steady state the size of which is determined by ratio between mRNA and protein lifetimes. Two coupled oscillators system demonstrates stable anti-phase oscillations which can become a chaotic regime through invariant torus emergence or via Feigenbaum scenario.

The dynamics of coupled elements’ ensembles are investigated in the context of description of spatio-temporal processes in the myocardium. Basic element is map-based model constructed by simplification and reduction of Luo-Rudy model. In particular, capabilities of the model in replication of different regimes of cardiac activity are shown, including excitable and oscillatory regimes. The dynamics of 1D and 2D lattices of coupled oscillatory elements with a random distribution of individual frequencies are considered. Effects of cluster synchronization and transition to global synchronization by increasing of coupling strength are discussed. Impulse propagation in the chain of excitable cells has been observed. Analysis of 2D lattice of excitable elements with target and spiral waves have been made. The characteristics of the spiral wave has been analyzed in depending on the individual parameters of the map and coupling strength between elements of the lattice. A study of mixed ensembles consisting of excitable and oscillatory elements with a gradient changing of the properties have been made, including the task for description of normal and pathological activity of the sinoatrial node.