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Stress Relaxation of a Viscoelastic Tube

Introduction
This model studies the temperature effects on the viscoelastic stress relaxation in the generalized Maxwell material with four branches. Assume that the viscous part of the deformation is incompressible, so that the volume change is purely elastic. The relaxation shear modulus function is approximated in a Prony series as
N

(t) = G +

m=1

t G m exp ----- m

(1)

where Gm represents the stiffness of the spring in the mth Maxwell branch, and m is the relaxation time constant of the spring-dashpot pair in the same branch. The instantaneous shear modulus is defined as
N

G0 = G + The alternative form of Equation 1 is

N

m=1

Gm

(2)

( t ) = G0 0 + where the constants m are such that

N

m=1

t - m exp ----- m

(3)

m=0

m = 1

(4)

For many materials the viscoelastic properties have a strong dependence on the temperature. A common assumption is that the material is thermorheologically simple (TRS). In a material of this class, a change in the temperature can be transformed directly into a change in the time scale. Thus, the relaxation time for a TRS material is

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modified to aT(T)m, where aT(T) is a shift function. One of the most commonly used shift functions is defined by the WLF (Williams-Landel-Ferry) equation: C 1 ( T T0 ) log ( a T ) = ---------------------------------C 2 + ( T T0 ) (5)

where a base-10 logarithm is assumed. Usually T0 is the glass transition temperature of the material. Note that aT(T0) = 1. If the temperature drops below T0 C2, the WLF equation is no longer valid. The constants C1 and C2 are material dependent.

Model Definition
A long thick-walled cylinder has an inner radius of 5 mm and an outer radius of 10 mm. The inner surface is subjected to a prescribed radial displacement of 0.001 mm. A four-term generalized Maxwell model represents the material. In this example, you study the decay of the stresses during a period of two hours under the influence of the temperature field. You model a quarter of the cylinder and use the 2D Solid Mechanics interface to compute the displacements in the cylinder cross section. The geometry is shown in Figure 1.

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Figure 1: Geometry and mesh. Study the following two cases: Apply a stationary temperature field, causing the problem to lose its axisymmetry. Make the temperature field transient.
MATERIAL

Elastic (instantaneous) data: shear modulus G0 = 2.746104 MPa and K0 = 3.988104 MPa. Viscoelastic data: four-term Generalized Maxwell material with: - 0 = 0.54 - 1 = 0.04, 1 = 20 s - 2 = 0.08, 2 = 300 s - 3 = 0.09, 3 = 3000 s - 4 = 0.25, 4 = 12000 s Thermal properties: A WLF model is used with C1 = 17.44 and C2 = 51.6. These values are reasonable approximations for many polymers.

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The reference temperature is 500 K. Heat conduction properties: = 7850 kg/m3 = 7.85109 t/mm3, Cp = 2100 J/ (kgK) = 2100106 Nmm/(tK), k = 6102 W/(mK) = 6102 N/(sK).
CONSTRAINTS

The circumferential displacements are constrained on the radial edges. The inner edge of the hole is constrained to a radial displacement of 0.001 mm.
H E A T TR A N S F E R B O U N D A R Y C O N D I T I O N S

Stationary analysis: The inner and outer circular edges both have a temperature distribution varying linearly with the y-coordinate from 500 K at the y = 0 symmetry section to 506 K at the x = 0 symmetry section. Transient analysis: The temperature distribution obtained from the stationary analysis is used as initial condition, while all edges are insulated.

Results and Discussion

In the first case, the temperature field is stationary and is shown in Figure 2. The stress relaxation is faster where the temperature is higher.

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Figure 2: Stationary temperature distribution. In Figure 3, the plots of radial stresses at radius 7.5 mm display this effect. The solid line is taken at y = 0 (cold) and the dashed line at x = 0 (warm).

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Figure 3: Stress relaxation under a stationary temperature distribution. In the second case, the temperature initially has the same distribution as shown in Figure 2, but it is allowed to settle in time to a final homogeneous value. Again, compare the radial stresses at radius 7.5 mm. The initial behavior is similar to the previous case, but as the difference in material properties decreases, the curves approach each other; see Figure 4. The strain rate in the initially warm point decreases, while it increases in the initially cold point.

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Figure 4: Stress relaxation under temperature settling conditions.

Notes About the COMSOL Implementation

When you solve this type of problem, where load is applied instantaneously at the beginning of the analysis, you can choose between two approaches: either apply the load over a short period of time at the beginning of the time stepping, or start with the Viscoelastic Transient Initialization study type to obtain the initial conditions. In the present example, you use the latter method. The results computed during the viscoelastic transient initialization are stored and used as the initial value for the consequent transient analysis. COMSOL Multiphysics handles this automatically if you use a single study with one solver sequence. In this problem, however, you study two different relaxation histories with different thermal boundary conditions. In the second case, the thermal boundary conditions differ between the computation of the initial state and the transient analysis. For this reason you use two separate studies for the initialization and the transient.

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Model Library path: Structural_Mechanics_Module/Viscoelasticity/

viscoelastic_tube

Modeling Instructions
MODEL WIZARD

1 Go to the Model Wizard window. 2 Click the 2D button. 3 Click Next. 4 In the Add physics tree, select Structural Mechanics>Solid Mechanics (solid). 5 Click Add Selected. 6 In the Add physics tree, select Heat Transfer>Heat Transfer in Solids (ht). 7 Click Add Selected. 8 Click Finish.
GEOMETRY 1

1 In the Model Builder window, under Model 1 click Geometry 1. 2 In the Geometry settings window, locate the Units section. 3 From the Length unit list, choose mm.

Circle 1
1 Right-click Model 1>Geometry 1 and choose Circle. 2 In the Circle settings window, locate the Size and Shape section. 3 In the Radius edit field, type 10. 4 Click the Build Selected button.

Circle 2
1 In the Model Builder window, right-click Geometry 1 and choose Circle. 2 In the Circle settings window, locate the Size and Shape section. 3 In the Radius edit field, type 5. 4 Click the Build Selected button.

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Difference 1
1 Right-click Geometry 1 and choose Boolean Operations>Difference. 2 In the Difference settings window, locate the Difference section. 3 Under Objects to add, click Activate Selection. 4 Select the object c1 only. 5 Under Objects to subtract, click Activate Selection. 6 Select the object c2 only. 7 Click the Build Selected button.

Rectangle 1
1 Right-click Geometry 1 and choose Rectangle. 2 In the Rectangle settings window, locate the Size section. 3 In the Width edit field, type 11. 4 In the Height edit field, type 11. 5 Click the Build Selected button.

Intersection 1
1 Right-click Geometry 1 and choose Boolean Operations>Intersection. 2 Select the objects dif1 and r1 only. 3 Click the Build Selected button. 4 Click the Zoom Extents button on the Graphics toolbar.

Form Union
1 In the Model Builder window, under Model 1>Geometry 1 right-click Form Union and

choose Build Selected. The equations only need to include first-order time derivatives since inertial effects can be neglected for this class of problems.
SOLID MECHANICS

1 In the Model Builder window, under Model 1 click Solid Mechanics. 2 In the Solid Mechanics settings window, locate the Structural Transient Behavior

section.
3 From the Structural transient behavior list, choose Quasi-static.

Linear Viscoelastic Material 1

1 Right-click Model 1>Solid Mechanics and choose Linear Viscoelastic Material.

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2 Select Domain 1 only. 3 In the Linear Viscoelastic Material settings window, locate the Generalized Maxwell Model section. 4 Click Add three times. 5 In the Generalized Maxwell model table, enter the following settings:
Shear modulus (Pa) 0.04*G_inst 0.08*G_inst 0.09*G_inst 0.25*G_inst Relaxation time (s) 30 300 3000 12000

Thermal Effects 1
1 Right-click Model 1>Solid Mechanics>Linear Viscoelastic Material 1 and choose Thermal Effects. 2 In the Thermal Effects settings window, locate the Model Inputs section. 3 From the T list, choose Temperature (ht). 4 Locate the Thermal Effects section. Select the WLF shift function check box. 5 In the TWLF edit field, type 500[K].

Symmetry 1
1 In the Model Builder window, right-click Solid Mechanics and choose Symmetry. 2 Select Boundaries 1 and 2 only.

Prescribed Displacement 1
1 Right-click Solid Mechanics and choose Prescribed Displacement. 2 Select Boundary 3 only. 3 In the Prescribed Displacement settings window, locate the Coordinate System Selection section. 4 From the Coordinate system list, choose Boundary System 1. 5 Locate the Prescribed Displacement section. Select the Prescribed in n direction check

box.
6 In the u0n edit field, type -1e-6.

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H E A T TR A N S F E R I N S O L I D S

Temperature 1
1 In the Model Builder window, under Model 1 right-click Heat Transfer in Solids and

choose Temperature.
2 Select Boundaries 3 and 4 only. 3 In the Temperature settings window, locate the Temperature section. 4 In the T0 edit field, type (500+6*y/sqrt(x^2+y^2))[K].
MATERIALS

Material 1
1 In the Model Builder window, under Model 1 right-click Materials and choose Material. 2 Select Domain 1 only. 3 In the Material settings window, locate the Material Contents section. 4 In the table, enter the following settings:
Property Name Value 3.988e4[MPa] 0.54*G_inst 7.85E-9[t/ mm^3] 0.06[N/ (s*K)] 2.1E9[N*mm/ (t*K)]

Bulk modulus Shear modulus Density Thermal conductivity Heat capacity at constant pressure

K G rho k Cp

DEFINITIONS

Variables 1
1 In the Model Builder window, under Model 1 right-click Definitions and choose Variables. 2 In the Variables settings window, locate the Variables section. 3 In the table, enter the following settings:
Name G_inst Expression 2.746e4[MPa] Description Instantaneous shear modulus

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MESH 1

Mapped 1
In the Model Builder window, under Model 1 right-click Mesh 1 and choose Mapped.

Distribution 1
1 In the Model Builder window, under Model 1>Mesh 1 right-click Mapped 1 and choose Distribution. 2 Select Boundary 1 only. 3 In the Distribution settings window, locate the Distribution section. 4 In the Number of elements edit field, type 12.

Distribution 2
1 Right-click Mapped 1 and choose Distribution. 2 Select Boundary 3 only. 3 In the Distribution settings window, locate the Distribution section. 4 In the Number of elements edit field, type 24. 5 Click the Build All button. 6 Click the Zoom Extents button on the Graphics toolbar.
ROOT

Next, add a study to use for the viscoelastic transient initialization.

1 In the Model Builder window, right-click the root node and choose Add Study.
MODEL WIZARD

1 Go to the Model Wizard window. 2 Find the Studies subsection. In the tree, select Custom Studies>Empty Study. 3 Click Finish.
STUDY 1

Step 1: Viscoelastic Transient Initialization

1 In the Model Builder window, right-click Study 1 and choose Study Steps>Viscoelastic Transient Initialization. 2 Right-click Study 1 and choose Compute.
RESULTS

Display the stationary temperature.

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Temperature (ht)
1 In the Model Builder window, under Results right-click Temperature (ht) and choose Plot. 2 Click the Zoom Extents button on the Graphics toolbar.

Proceed to add a second study for analyzing the stress relaxation process.
ROOT

In the Model Builder window, right-click the root node and choose Add Study.
MODEL WIZARD

1 Go to the Model Wizard window. 2 Find the Studies subsection. In the tree, select Preset Studies for Selected Physics>Time Dependent. 3 Click Finish.
STUDY 2

Step 1: Time Dependent

1 In the Model Builder window, under Study 2 click Step 1: Time Dependent. 2 In the Time Dependent settings window, locate the Study Settings section. 3 In the Times edit field, type range(0,100,7200). 4 Select the Relative tolerance check box. 5 In the associated edit field, type 1e-3. 6 In the Model Builder window, right-click Study 2 and choose Show Default Solver. 7 Expand the Study 2>Solver Configurations node.

Solver 2
1 In the Model Builder window, expand the Study 2>Solver Configurations>Solver 2

node, then click Dependent Variables 1.

2 In the Dependent Variables settings window, locate the General section. 3 From the Defined by study step list, choose User defined. 4 Locate the Initial Values of Variables Solved For section. From the Method list, choose Solution. 5 From the Solution list, choose Solver 1. 6 Locate the Scaling section. From the Method list, choose Initial value based.

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7 In the Model Builder window, under Study 2>Solver Configurations>Solver 2 click Time-Dependent Solver 1. 8 In the Time-Dependent Solver settings window, click to expand the Absolute Tolerance

section.
9 In the Tolerance edit field, type 0.00010. 10 Click to expand the Time Stepping section. From the Method list, choose BDF.

The more robust BDF method is better suited for this problem, which exhibits a sharp but smooth initial transient.
11 From the Steps taken by solver list, choose Intermediate. 12 Click to collapse the Time Stepping section. In the Model Builder window, right-click Study 2 and choose Compute.
RESULTS

Compare the temperature distribution at the end of the simulation interval with the stationary temperature distribution shown in Figure 2.

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Temperature (ht) 1
1 Click the Zoom Extents button on the Graphics toolbar.

Temperature distribution at t = 2 h. Next, set up the stress relaxation plot shown in Figure 3.

Data Sets
1 In the Model Builder window, under Results right-click Data Sets and choose Cut Point 2D. 2 In the Cut Point 2D settings window, locate the Point Data section. 3 In the X edit field, type 7.5. 4 In the Y edit field, type 0. 5 Locate the Data section. From the Data set list, choose Solution 2. 6 In the Model Builder window, right-click Data Sets and choose Cut Point 2D. 7 In the Cut Point 2D settings window, locate the Point Data section. 8 In the X edit field, type 0. 9 In the Y edit field, type 7.5. 1 0 Locate the Data section. From the Data set list, choose Solution 2.

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1D Plot Group 7
1 In the Model Builder window, right-click Results and choose 1D Plot Group. 2 In the 1D Plot Group settings window, locate the Data section. 3 From the Data set list, choose Solution 2. 4 Right-click Results>1D Plot Group 7 and choose Point Graph. 5 In the Point Graph settings window, locate the Data section. 6 From the Data set list, choose Cut Point 2D 1. 7 Click Replace Expression in the upper-right corner of the y-Axis Data section. From

the menu, choose Solid Mechanics>Stress>Stress tensor (Spatial)>Stress tensor, x

component (solid.sx). 8 Click the Plot button. 9 In the Model Builder window, right-click 1D Plot Group 7 and choose Point Graph. 10 In the Point Graph settings window, locate the Data section. 11 From the Data set list, choose Cut Point 2D 2. 12 Click Replace Expression in the upper-right corner of the y-Axis Data section. From

the menu, choose Solid Mechanics>Stress>Stress tensor (Spatial)>Stress tensor, y

component (solid.sy). 13 Click the Plot button. 14 Click to expand the Coloring and Style section. Find the Line style subsection. In the Width edit field, type 2. 15 From the Line list, choose Dashed. 16 In the Model Builder window, under Results>1D Plot Group 7 click Point Graph 1. 17 In the Point Graph settings window, locate the Coloring and Style section. 18 Find the Line style subsection. In the Width edit field, type 2. 19 In the Model Builder window, click 1D Plot Group 7. 20 In the 1D Plot Group settings window, locate the Plot Settings section. 21 Select the x-axis label check box. 22 In the associated edit field, type Time (s). 23 Select the y-axis label check box. 24 In the associated edit field, type Radial stress (Pa).

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H E A T TR A N S F E R I N S O L I D S

Temperature 1
Make all boundaries insulating during the second transient.
1 In the Model Builder window, under Model 1>Heat Transfer in Solids right-click Temperature 1 and choose Disable.
STUDY 2

In the Model Builder window, right-click Study 2 and choose Compute.

RESULTS

1D Plot Group 7
1 In the Model Builder window, under Results right-click 1D Plot Group 7 and choose Plot.

Compare the resulting plot with that in Figure 4.

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