Numerical study of dynamic relaxation methods

Dynamic relaxation (DR) is a widely spread numerical method used in fields as structural dynamics (particularly in form-finding), geomechanics or biomechanics, among others. When using DR in numerical simulations, researchers usually follow two different paths in the choice of a damping strategy for the oscillations: some use a viscous damping while others use a kinetic damping. However, it is difficult to find comparisons between both methods to help deciding whether one is better than the other for a particular application. Focused in the field of form-finding of thin-walled structures, the main objective of this book is to make a contribution to the development of DR methods and a review of some of the existing DR methods in order to compare them. Also, as an application for the studied methods, a contribution to the modelling of inflatable lifejackets will be presented: the aim of this part of the work is to present some contributions to the creation of a numerical tool permitting to test the functioning of commercial inflatable lifejackets by means of Finite Elements calculations.

Autorentext

The author was born in Vigo, Spain on 26th August 1983. He has a MSc. in Industrial Engineering (with an intensification in Mechanics) from Universidad de Vigo (Spain) and a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from Université de Bretagne-Sud (France). His specific areas of expertise include finite elements analysis, solid mechanics and CAD design.