Emma La Malfa Ribolla

University of Palermo | UNIPA · Department of Engineering

The proposed two-dimensional geometrically exact beam element extends our previous work by including the effects of shear distortion, and also of distributed forces and moments acting along the beam. The general flexibility-based formulation exploits the kinematic equations combined with the inverted sectional equations and the integrated form of e...

The paper extends the formulation of a 2D geometrically exact beam element proposed in our previous paper1 to curved elastic beams. This formulation is based on equilibrium equations in their integrated form, combined with the kinematic relations and sectional equations that link the internal forces to sectional deformation variables. The resulting...

The paper extends the formulation of a 2D geometrically exact beam element proposed in our previous paper [1] to curved elastic beams. This formulation is based on equilibrium equations in their integrated form, combined with the kinematic relations and sectional equations that link the internal forces to sectional deformation variables. The result...

The paper is focused on a two‐dimensional geometrically nonlinear formulation of a Bernoulli beam element that can accommodate arbitrarily large rotations of cross sections. The formulation is based on the integrated form of equilibrium equations, which are combined with the kinematic equations and generalized material equations, leading to a set o...

The present work focuses on the 2-D formulation of a nonlinear beam model for slender structures that can exhibit large rotations of the cross sections while remaining in the small-strain regime. Bernoulli-Euler hypothesis that plane sections remain plane and perpendicular to the deformed beam centerline is combined with a linear elastic stress-str...

The paper presents a two-dimensional geometrically nonlinear formulation of a beam element that can accommodate arbitrarily large rotations of cross sections. The formulation is based on the integrated form of equilibrium equations, which are combined with the kinematic equations and generalized material equations, leading to a set of three first-o...

Fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) composite systems are widely used to repair structurally deficient constructions thanks to their good corrosion resistance, light weight and high strength. The quality of the FRP-substrate interface bond is a crucial parameter affecting the performance of retrofitted structures. In this study, ultrasonic testing have...

The multiscale homogenization scheme is becoming a diffused tool for the analysis of heterogeneous materials as masonry, since it allows to deal with the complexity of formulating closed‐form constitutive laws by retrieving the material response from the solution of a Unit Cell (UC) Boundary Value Problem (BVP). The robustness of multiscale simulat...

Quasi-brittle materials subjected to a high level of mechanical solicitations see the development in relatively narrow zone of micro-cracks that coalesce into stress free cracks. In this work, the problem of strain localization in elastoplastic materials exhibiting softening has been approached by applying the interphase model together with the pha...

The present paper deals with the localization of strains in those structures consisting of materials exhibiting plastic softening response. It is assumed that strain localization develops in a finite thickness band separated from the remaining part of the structure by weak discontinuity surfaces. In view of the small thickness of the band with resp...

Fibre-reinforced plastic (FRP) composites are extensively used to retrofit civil structures. However, the quality and the characteristics of the bond between the FRP and the structure are critical to ensure the efficacy of the retrofit. For this reason, effective non-destructive evaluation (NDE) methods are often necessary to assess the bonding con...

In the present study a multi-scale computational strategy for the analysis of structures made-up of masonry material is presented. The structural macroscopic behavior is obtained making use of the Computational Homogenization (CH) technique based on the solution of the Boundary Value Problem (BVP) of a detailed Unit Cell (UC) chosen at the mesoscal...

Fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) composite systems are widely used for the rehabilitation of concrete structures such as building that need to resist to seismic loads, bridges that have to carry heavier traffic loads. The technique consists in bonding the composite plate to the concrete surface element in order to increase the flexural capacity. A pr...

A FE-Meshless multiscale computational strategy for the analysis of running bond masonry is presented. The Meshless Method (MM) is adopted to solve the boundary value problem (BVP) at the mesoscopic level. The representative unit cell is composed by the aggregate and the surrounding joints, the former assumed to behave elastically while the latter...

We propose the electromechanical impedance (EMI) technique to assess the stability of dental implants. The technique consists of bonding a piezoelectric transducer to the element to be monitored. Conventionally, electromechanical admittance is used to diagnose structural damage. In this study, we created a 3D finite element model to mimic a transdu...

The in-situ measurement of thermal stress in slender beams, or long continuous welded rails, may prevent structural anomalies. With this aim, we investigated the coupling dynamics between a beam and the highly nonlinear solitary waves propagating along a straight granular chain in contact with the beam. We hypothesized that these waves can be used...

We simulated the electromechanical impedance (EMI) technique to assess the stability of dental implants. The technique consists of bonding a piezoelectric transducer to the element to be monitored. When subjected to an electric field, the transducer induces structural excitations which, in turn, affect the transducer's electrical admittance. As the...

We propose a structural health monitoring (SHM) paradigm based on the simultaneous use of ultrasounds and electromechanical impedance (EMI) to monitor waveguides. Methods based on the propagation of guided ultrasonic waves (GUWs) are increasingly used in all those SHM applications that benefit from built-in transduction, moderately large inspection...

Slender beams subjected to compressive stress are common in civil and mechanical engineering. The rapid in-situ measurement of this stress may prevent structural anomalies. In this paper, we describe the coupling mechanism between highly nonlinear solitary waves (HNSWs) propagating along an L-shaped granular system and a beam in contact with the gr...

Slender columns and continuous welded rails subjected to compressive stress are common in many civil structures. The rapid in-situ measurement of this stress may be of interest to prevent structural anomalies such as buckling. In this article, the authors describe the coupling mechanism between highly nonlinear solitary waves (HNSWs) propagating al...

Slender beams subjected to compressive load are common in civil engineering. The rapid in-situ measurement of this stress may help preventing structural anomalies. In this article, we describe the coupling mechanism between highly nonlinear solitary waves (HNSWs) propagating along an L-shaped granular system and a beam in contact with the gran-ular...

We propose the electromechanical impedance technique to monitor the stability of dental implants. The technique consists of bonding one wafer-type piezoelectric transducers to the implant system. When subjected to an electric field, the transducer induces structural excitations which, in turn, affect the transducer’s electrical admittance. The hypo...

In the present study a multi-scale computational strategy for the analysis of masonry structures is presented. The structural macroscopic behaviour is obtained making use of the Computational Homogenization (CH) technique based on the solution of the boundary value problem (BVP) of a detailed Unit Cell (UC) chosen at the meso-scale and representati...

The achievement and the maintenance of dental implant stability are prerequisites for the long-term success of the osseointegration process. Since implant stability occurs at different stages, it is clinically required to monitor an implant over time, i.e. between the surgery and the placement of the artificial tooth. In this framework, non-invasiv...