Parallel Computing of Multi‐scale Finite Element Sheet Forming Analyses Based on Crystallographic Homogenization Method
Since the multi-scale finite element analysis (FEA) requires large computation time, development of the parallel computing technique for the multi-scale analysis is inevitable. A parallel elastic/crystalline viscoplastic FEA code based on a crystallographic homogenization method has been developed using PC cluster. The homogenization scheme is introduced to compute macro-continuum plastic deformations and material properties by considering a poly- crystal texture. Since the dynamic explicit method is applied to this method, the analysis using micro crystal structures computes the homogenized stresses in parallel based on domain partitioning of macro-continuum without solving simultaneous linear equations. The micro-structure is defined by the Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and the Electron Back Scan Diffraction (EBSD) measurement based crystal orientations. In order to improve parallel performance of elastoplasticity analysis, which dynamically and partially increases computational costs during the analysis, a dynamic workload balancing technique is introduced to the parallel analysis. The technique, which is an automatic task distribution method, is realized by adaptation of subdomain size for macro-continuum to maintain the computational load balancing among cluster nodes. The analysis code is applied to estimate the polycrystalline sheet metal formability.
Development of Dynamic Explicit Crystallographic Homogenization Finite Element Analysis Code to Assess Sheet Metal Formability
The crystallographic texture evolution induced by plastic deformation in the sheet metal forming process has a great influence on its formability. In the present study, a dynamic explicit finite element (FE) analysis code is newly developed by introducing a crystallographic homogenization method to estimate the polycrystalline sheet metal formability, such as the extreme thinning and “earing.” This code can predict the plastic deformation induced texture evolution at the micro scale and the plastic anisotropy at the macro scale, simultaneously. This multi‐scale analysis can couple the microscopic crystal plasticity inhomogeneous deformation with the macroscopic continuum deformation. In this homogenization process, the stress at the macro scale is defined by the volume average of those of the corresponding microscopic crystal aggregations in satisfying the equation of motion and compatibility condition in the micro scale “unit cell,” where the periodicity of deformation is satisfied. This homogenization a...
Numerical and experimental investigation on air distributor design of fluidized bed reactor of sawdust pyrolysis
Abstract An improved biomass conversion in a lab-scale fluidized bed reactor (FBR) is achieved by optimizing the air distributor orifice size and number. Two approaches for introducing air were numerically and experimentally examined. These included perforated plate and downward orifice sparger. 3 mm and 5 mm orifice diameters, and 7, 9 and 13 holes were simulated at flow velocities of 2, 4, 6, and 8 times the minimum fluidization velocity, Umf. The simulation results revealed that increasing the orifice number has a positive effect on gas holdup, particularly for the perforated plate, which showed a uniform distribution of bubbles. The sparger configuration produced larger bubbles sizes, which could lead to better recirculation of solid flux, while stagnant particle zones were observed at the lower section of both distributors. A pyrolysis unit is also inserted at the top of freeboard of the FBR. For perforated plate with 6Umf, the pyrolysis process achieved thermal and cold gas efficiencies of 82.91% and 52.03%, respectively, while combustible gases with 41.6%mol CO, 8.7%mol CH 4 and 2.17%mol HC, were obtained. For sparger pipe and 6U mf _sp, 35.33 ppm NOx and 111 ppm SO 2 were measured in flue gas from combustion process at bed region.