Thin-Walled Structures最新文献

{"title":"Experimental and numerical study on dynamic buckling of cylindrical shells with initial imperfections subjected to underwater explosion","authors":"Chen-Xing Qu ,&nbsp;Shao-Fei Ren ,&nbsp;Xin-Yang Li ,&nbsp;Qiang Zhong ,&nbsp;Meng-Long Qiu","doi":"10.1016/j.tws.2026.114729","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tws.2026.114729","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Dynamic buckling of imperfect cylindrical shells subjected to underwater explosion (UNDEX) is investigated by experimental and numerical approaches. Initial geometric and thickness imperfections of cylindrical shells were measured by the 3D scanning equipment and ultrasonic thickness gauge, respectively, and the experiment was conducted in a large-scale explosion basin. Then, a numerical model for predicting the dynamic buckling behavior of imperfect shells subjected to UNDEX was developed by the reverse modeling technology, and numerical simulations were conducted by the coupled acoustic-structural method. Circumferential and axial buckling modes obtained by experiment and numerical simulation are in good agreement. The shock wave induced by UNDEX typically induces localized yielding in the shell, making it more prone to buckling under the combined bubble pulsation loading and hydrostatic pressure. The buckling failure process of the imperfect shell subjected to UNDEX can be categorized into three stages: the onset of dynamic buckling, the transition of the buckling mode from lower-order to higher-order, and the final collapse. Meanwhile, hydrostatic pressure significantly influences the critical load of dynamic buckling and buckling process of the shell. Moreover, the buckling mode is governed by the distribution pattern of geometric imperfections, while larger imperfection amplitudes result in more severe buckling failure.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49435,"journal":{"name":"Thin-Walled Structures","volume":"224 ","pages":"Article 114729"},"PeriodicalIF":6.6,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147386979","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Voronoi-driven partitioned combinatorial design method for variable-stiffness panels with experimental validation","authors":"Hongjiang Liu ,&nbsp;Kunpeng Zhang ,&nbsp;Hao Yang ,&nbsp;Hao Liu ,&nbsp;Junjie Wang ,&nbsp;Kaiyun Zhang ,&nbsp;Peng Hao","doi":"10.1016/j.tws.2026.114688","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tws.2026.114688","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Variable-stiffness (VS) panels have shown significant potential for improving structural load-bearing performance. Inspired by natural cellular morphologies, this study proposes a Voronoi-driven partitioned combinatorial variable-stiffness (VPCVS) design framework for stiffened panels. A unified characterization method is developed to parameterize Voronoi-based stiffener unit cells, enabling continuous control of cell geometry and stiffness. The characterization is integrated with a surrogate-based optimization strategy to efficiently explore manufacturable stiffener layouts. Under non-uniform boundary conditions, the optimized VPCVS configuration achieves up to 47.93% improvement in load-bearing capacity compared to an orthogrid stiffened panel optimized for the same mass. By combining partitioned design and field-modulation techniques, the framework enables rational spatial distribution of stiffener morphology across the panel. The proposed method is further validated through nonlinear finite element simulations and full-scale axial compression experiments. The VPCVS panel exhibits a significantly higher critical buckling load while achieving a 36.54% reduction in stiffener weight relative to the conventional orthogrid baseline. Both numerical and experimental results confirm the effectiveness of the proposed approach for structural design and manufacturing of high-performance variable-stiffness stiffened panels.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49435,"journal":{"name":"Thin-Walled Structures","volume":"224 ","pages":"Article 114688"},"PeriodicalIF":6.6,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147386818","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Crack propagation in functionally graded materials using phase field model and adaptive meshless method","authors":"Qiaoling Zhang,&nbsp;Keliang Ren,&nbsp;Qiqi Wang,&nbsp;Wentao Ma","doi":"10.1016/j.tws.2026.114678","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tws.2026.114678","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The phase-field fracture model (PFM) has been established as an alternative numerical tool for modeling intricate fracture phenomena. However, employing this model to study functionally graded materials (FGMs) remains computationally expensive. This is primarily due to the steep phase-field gradients induced by continuously varying material properties, which require an extremely fine discretization in numerical simulations. To overcome this challenge, this study develops an efficient adaptive meshless phase-field framework based on the radial point interpolation method (RPIM). A physically consistent multi-level refinement criterion is proposed to identify critical regions requiring high resolution, with quadtree decomposition used to insert nodes adaptively. This approach dynamically allocates computational resources while naturally handling arbitrary hanging nodes. Comprehensive numerical validations confirm that the proposed method accurately captures complex crack patterns in FGMs while significantly reducing computational cost. Furthermore, the influences of homogenization schemes, volume fraction definitions, gradient direction and gradient index on crack propagation are systematically investigated, providing valuable insights for the fracture-resistant design of FGM components. The proposed method offers a powerful numerical framework for fracture analysis in graded media.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49435,"journal":{"name":"Thin-Walled Structures","volume":"224 ","pages":"Article 114678"},"PeriodicalIF":6.6,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147386834","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Residual stress distributions in wire-arc directed energy deposited steel tubular parts","authors":"Athina Spinasa ,&nbsp;Xin Meng ,&nbsp;Ben Weber ,&nbsp;Leroy Gardner","doi":"10.1016/j.tws.2026.114584","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tws.2026.114584","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Wire-arc directed energy deposition (DED-Arc), is a metal 3D printing technology that enables the production of large, intricate steel components with significant potential in structural engineering. The cyclic thermal history inherent to the DED-Arc process induces residual stresses, which can influence the structural performance of fabricated components. This study experimentally investigates residual stress distributions in seven DED-Arc steel tubular specimens fabricated using ER90S-D2 welding wire. These include three square hollow section (SHS) tubes with nominal thicknesses of 3.5 mm, 4.5 mm, and 5.5 mm, two 3.5 mm-thick circular hollow section (CHS) tubes with interpass temperatures of 150 °C and 350 °C and two 8 mm-thick oval sections with active and passive cooling. The sectioning method was used to measure residual stresses in both longitudinal and transverse directions. Released strains were recorded using a Demec gauge and, as an alternative, using digital image correlation (DIC); the results showed generally good agreement, but the accuracy of the DIC results was compromised in the case of large out-of-plane deformations. For the SHS tubes, tensile stresses appeared in the corners and compressive stresses in the middle of the faces in the longitudinal direction, while the transverse direction showed peak tensile stresses at the top and bottom. Similar distributions were observed across the SHS thicknesses, except in the thinnest tube, where local buckling altered the pattern. The CHS tubes exhibited high through-thickness bending stresses linked to interpass temperature, while membrane stresses were negligible. In the oval tubes, active cooling led to slightly higher residual membrane stresses. The presented results and findings offer key insights into the residual stress distributions in DED-Arc tubular parts, serving as a sound basis for model validation and the evaluation of structural performance.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49435,"journal":{"name":"Thin-Walled Structures","volume":"224 ","pages":"Article 114584"},"PeriodicalIF":6.6,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147386411","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A newly developed integrated framework for the multi-objective optimization of air-supported membrane structures","authors":"Zhen Zhang,&nbsp;Xiongyan Li,&nbsp;Wei Wang,&nbsp;Suduo Xue,&nbsp;Guanchen Liu","doi":"10.1016/j.tws.2026.114718","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tws.2026.114718","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Designing air-supported membrane structures often presents the challenge of balancing multiple performance objectives. To address this issue, this paper presents an integrated, multi-objective optimization framework. This framework automates the process from modeling and analysis to optimization by deeply coupling the parametric platform Grasshopper with the finite element software ANSYS and embedding a multi-objective evolutionary algorithm. The research focuses on developing a systematic parametric modeling method based on NURBS theory to precisely control complex surfaces and cable-net layouts. Various engineering applications have validated the effectiveness and versatility of the integrated framework. The integrated framework solves morphological analysis and parameter optimization problems for new structures, and it also applies to reverse-identifying the zero-stress state for existing structures. The results demonstrate that the integrated framework is an efficient, reliable, automated tool for solving performance-driven design problems in air-supported membrane structures.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49435,"journal":{"name":"Thin-Walled Structures","volume":"224 ","pages":"Article 114718"},"PeriodicalIF":6.6,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147386619","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Nonlinear vibrations of a novel three-phase cross-ply titanium fiber and FG-GPLRC aluminum-based laminated conical half-shells with varying thickness under combined excitations","authors":"Z.Q. Wang ,&nbsp;W. Zhang ,&nbsp;Y.F. Zhang","doi":"10.1016/j.tws.2026.114705","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tws.2026.114705","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Compared with the conventional two-phase composites, three-phase titanium fiber and functionally graded graphene platelet reinforced composite (FG-GPLRC) aluminum-based structures can comprehensively enhance the structural mechanical properties and can be applied in more complex environments. This paper explores the nonlinear vibrations of a novel three-phase cross-ply titanium fiber and FG-GPLRC aluminum-based varying thickness laminated conical half-shell under the combined excitations and different boundary conditions. The thickness varies exponentially along the generatrix of three-phase conical half-shell. The equivalent mechanical properties of three-phase titanium fiber and FG-GPLRC conical half-shells are identified by the mixing rule, improved Halpin-Tsai approach and Mori-Tanaka approach. Utilizing the higher-order shear deformation theory (HSDT) and Galerkin procedure, the nonlinear ordinary differential formulations of three-phase varying thickness conical half-shells are investigated. The comparisons and convergence of the natural frequencies and nonlinear vibration responses of the conical half-shells are provided to ensure the accuracy of the theoretical formulations by employing the experiment, literature and Abaqus. The frequency-amplitude responses, chaotic dynamics and bifurcation characteristics are investigated by applying the experiment and Runge-Kutta procedure. The effects of various excitations, boundary conditions, materials and structural parameters on the nonlinear vibrations are examined. The experimental study about nonlinear forced vibration is given to explore and validate the nonlinear vibration characteristics of varying thickness conical half-shells. The results indicate that the presence of the GPLs enhances the rigidities and frequencies of three-phase varying thickness conical half-shells, while the presence of low content titanium fibers reduces the frequencies of three-phase varying thickness conical half-shells. This study guides the modeling and nonlinear vibration analysis of three-phase titanium fiber and FG-GPLRC structures with varying thickness, and offers an excellent alternative material for aerospace fairings.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49435,"journal":{"name":"Thin-Walled Structures","volume":"224 ","pages":"Article 114705"},"PeriodicalIF":6.6,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147386976","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Quantitative detection method for small defects in high-attenuation polyethylene pipes based on ultrasonic guided waves and chaos sensitivity","authors":"Mengfei Cheng ,&nbsp;Weiwei Zhang ,&nbsp;Hongzhao Li ,&nbsp;Jun Tian ,&nbsp;Mingfang Zheng ,&nbsp;Hongwei Ma","doi":"10.1016/j.tws.2026.114700","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tws.2026.114700","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Owing to the strong attenuation caused by the inherent viscoelasticity of polyethylene (PE) pipes, existing NDT techniques suffer from short detection distance and insufficient sensitivity to small defects. To address this problem, this study proposes a quantitative detection method for small defects in PE pipes using ultrasonic guided waves (UGWs) and chaos system. First, the influence of excitation frequency on attenuation and waveform distortion of L(0,2) mode was explored from both theoretical and experimental perspectives, thereby determining optimal excitation frequency to extend detection range of UGW. Then, a novel signal-processing method using chaos system was proposed to overcome the problem that weak defect echoes are difficult to identify. Finally, an experimental study was conducted, in which circumferential and radial defects of different sizes (4.00 %–22.90 %) in PE pipes were located and quantified. The results demonstrated that by selecting the point of minimum attenuation within non-dispersive region, the optimal frequency for the tested pipe was determined to be 15 kHz, which can significantly extend the propagation distance to 4 m; The chaos-based signal-processing method can identify weak defect echo parameters with a signal-to-noise ratio of -20 dB, enabling quantification of a small defect with a section loss rate of 4.00 % at a distance of 1 m. This study overcomes the limitations of low detection sensitivity and short distance for UGWs in PE pipes, and provides a method for large-range and high-precision nondestructive testing of PE pipes.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49435,"journal":{"name":"Thin-Walled Structures","volume":"224 ","pages":"Article 114700"},"PeriodicalIF":6.6,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147386408","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"From nature to engineering: A comprehensive mechanical response analysis of novel bio-inspired CFRP adhesive joints","authors":"Hossein Malekinejad ,&nbsp;Ricardo JC. Carbas ,&nbsp;Eduardo AS. Marques ,&nbsp;Lucas FM. da Silva","doi":"10.1016/j.tws.2026.114675","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tws.2026.114675","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>For effective adhesive joint design, both strength and toughness must be considered. This work investigates bio-inspired carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) substrates, replicating the natural architecture of the dactyl club, to enhance the mechanical performance of bonded joints. The CFRP substrates were stacked in gradually increasing ply angles to mimic the dactyl club microstructure. Three additional stacking sequences were considered: conventional helicoidal (constant ply angle change), unidirectional (UD), and quasi-isotropic (QI). To evaluate the proposed novel gradual helicoidal concept, composite single-lap joints (SLJs) with all stacking sequences were tested under quasi-static four-point bending. The best-performing configurations (gradual helicoidal and UD) along with QI joints, were subsequently tested under four-point bending fatigue. Cohesive element-based numerical simulations were also employed to predict the influence of stacking sequence on joint strength and toughness. Results showed that maximum load was similar for gradual helicoidal and UD joints and higher than for conventional helicoidal and QI SLJs. The energy absorption capacity of gradual helicoidal joints was significantly improved, with 46% and 115% higher values compared to UD and QI joints, respectively. Under fatigue loading, gradual helicoidal (G-type) single-lap joints exhibited enhanced damage tolerance. At load levels of 43% and 50%, the fatigue tests for the G-type joints were terminated without failure. At these load levels, the G-type joints sustained 140% and 207% more cycles, respectively, than the UD-type joints, which failed. After fatigue loading, the G-type joints retained high residual strength, corresponding to 82% and 70% of their static strength.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49435,"journal":{"name":"Thin-Walled Structures","volume":"224 ","pages":"Article 114675"},"PeriodicalIF":6.6,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147386409","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A general aerodynamic–thermal–structural coupling method for predicting re-entry failure mechanism of spacecraft breakup structures","authors":"Zhihui Liu ,&nbsp;Zhihui Li ,&nbsp;Wenqiang Hu ,&nbsp;Quanou Yang ,&nbsp;Qiang Ma","doi":"10.1016/j.tws.2026.114716","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tws.2026.114716","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>An aerodynamic–thermal–structural (ATS) coupling method is developed to simulate the thermo-mechanical response and potential failure behavior of spacecraft breakup structures during re-entry. The proposed method integrates Navier–Stokes solver with dynamic nonlinear thermo-mechanical finite element algorithm using an inverse distance weighting interpolation scheme at the fluid–structure interface. The accuracy of the proposed ATS coupling method is validated against a canonical wind tunnel experiment involving a stainless-steel cylindrical structure. The comparison of shock location, surface pressure, heat flux, and structural thermo-mechanical response demonstrates the reliability and predictive capability of the developed multi-physics coupling framework. Then, the method is further applied to analyze a representative propulsion system composed of fuel tanks, gas cylinders, cone platform and supporting frame structures subjected to aerodynamic loading from 90 km to 75 km re-entry altitudes. Comparative studies using four different algorithm schemes reveal that the direct coupling (DC) method has superior accuracy to the sequential coupling (SC) method in capturing thermo-mechanical coupling behavior, especially under extreme aerodynamic heating. The results show that the load-bearing cone platform first reaches the material melting point at approximately 80.6 km altitude, indicating potential melting initiation, while the supporting frame, gas cylinders and fuel tanks remain below their melting thresholds at these altitudes. Finally, a detailed re-entry analysis of an orbital control engine is performed to investigate the effect of re-entry angle of attack (AOA) on potential thermo-mechanical failure behavior. Results show that increasing the magnitude of the AOA intensifies surface thermal loads, leading to elevated temperatures, displacements, and thermal stresses. The proposed ATS method offers a robust computational tool for assessing the failure evolution of spacecraft components during re-entry.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49435,"journal":{"name":"Thin-Walled Structures","volume":"224 ","pages":"Article 114716"},"PeriodicalIF":6.6,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147386452","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Distribution optimization of NES cells on pipes conveying fluid","authors":"Yu-Fei Shao,&nbsp;Hu Ding","doi":"10.1016/j.tws.2026.114680","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tws.2026.114680","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>To control multi-mode nonlinear vibrations in fluid-conveying pipe systems subjected to fluid-structure interaction and external excitations, this paper proposes a synergistic vibration reduction strategy based on multiple nonlinear energy sink (NES) cells. By integrating Euler-Bernoulli beam theory with nonlinear dynamics, a fluid-structure interaction dynamic model incorporating multiple NES cells is established. The system response is analyzed using the Galerkin truncation method (GTM) and the harmonic balance method (HBM). To circumvent the high computational cost of traditional nonlinear dynamic optimization, a novel “modal contribution degree” (MCD) index is proposed. Combined with the particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm, this index quantifies the potential of NESs to capture energy from specific modes, thereby facilitating rapid optimization of their spatial layout. The results indicate that the optimized NES cells exhibit a spontaneous clustering characteristic towards modal antinodes, achieving efficient synergistic suppression of the first two vibration modes, with vibration reduction efficiencies exceeding 70 % and 60 %, respectively. Parametric analysis further confirms that the optimal NES configuration demonstrates excellent robustness against variations in fluid velocity and external excitation intensity. Notably, the proposed MCD strategy increases computational efficiency by four orders of magnitude compared to the traditional HBM approach while maintaining high accuracy, providing solid theoretical support for the multi-mode vibration control of fluid-conveying pipe systems.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49435,"journal":{"name":"Thin-Walled Structures","volume":"224 ","pages":"Article 114680"},"PeriodicalIF":6.6,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147387265","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}