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Femtosecond (fs) time-resolved magneto-optics is applied to investigate laser-excited ultrafast dynamics of one-dimensional nickel gratings on fused silica and silicon substrates for a wide range of periodicities Λ = 400–1500 nm. Multiple surface acoustic modes with frequencies up to a few tens of GHz are generated. Nanoscale acoustic wavelengths Λ/n have been identified as nth-spatial harmonics of Rayleigh surface acoustic wave (SAW) and surface skimming longitudinal wave (SSLW), with acoustic frequencies and lifetimes being in agreement with theoretical calculations. Resonant magnetoelastic excitation of the ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) by SAW’s third spatial harmonic, and, most interestingly fingerprints of the parametric resonance at 1/2 SAW frequency have been observed. Numerical solutions of Landau–Lifshitz–Gilbert (LLG) equation magnetoelastically driven by complex polychromatic acoustic fields quantitatively reproduce all resonances at once. Thus, our results provide a solid experimental and theoretical base for a quantitative understanding of ultrafast fs-laser-driven magnetoacoustics and tailoring the magnetic-grating-based metasurfaces at the nanoscale.
Lean und ERP - Synergie oder Widerspruch? Ein neuer Ansatz zur Steigerung der Unternehmenseffizienz
(2015)
Eine erfolgreiche Zusammenführung der Vorteile von ERP-Systemen mit den Vorzügen des Lean-Ansatzes kann zur Erschließung eines erheblichen Verbesserungspotenzials und damit zu signifikanten Wettbewerbsvorteilen einer Unternehmung führen. Da dieser Ansatz in der Praxis häufig kritisiert und bisher kaum adäquat verfolgt wird, zielt dieser Beitrag darauf ab, einen innovativen Lösungsweg vorzustellen, welcher nicht nur theoretisch, sondern auch anhand eines ERP-Einführungsprojekts in einem KMU empirisch aufzeigt, dass Lean und ERP nutzbringend miteinander kombiniert werden können und sollten.
IoT-Plattformen stellen ein zentrales Element für die Vernetzung von physischen Objekten und die Bereitstellung deren Daten für digitale Zwillinge dar. Der Markt für solche Plattformen ist in den vergangenen Jahren stark gewachsen. Bei inzwischen über 600 Anbietern ist die Wahl der „richtigen“ Plattform für das eigene Unternehmen keine triviale Aufgabe mehr. Dieser Beitrag soll Unternehmen im Auswahlprozess unterstützen, indem gängige Funktionen von IoT-Plattformen und Kriterien für die Auswahl von IoT-Plattformen aufgezeigt werden.
Fans stärken Marken
(2016)
Eine repräsentative Studie mit 2.400 deutschen Arbeitnehmern zeigt, dass Mitarbeiter seltener krank werden, wenn sie sich an ihr Unternehmen gebunden fühlen. Die Studie offenbart auch, dass die Intensität des Commitment maßgeblich von fünf Einflussfaktoren abhängt. Die Kenntnis dieser Faktoren ermöglicht es Personalmanagern, Mitarbeiter gezielter an das Unternehmen zu binden, um so den Krankenstand positiv zu beeinflussen.
To this date, it is difficult to find high-level statistics on YouTube that paint a fair picture of the platform in its entirety. This study attempts to provide an overall characterization of YouTube, based on a random sample of channel and video data, by showing how video provision and consumption evolved over the course of the past 10 years. It demonstrates stark contrasts between video genres in terms of channels, uploads and views, and that a vast majority of on average 85% of all views goes to a small minority of 3% of all channels. The analytical results give evidence that older channels have a significantly higher probability to garner a large viewership, but also show that there has always been a small chance for young channels to become successful quickly, depending on whether they choose their genre wisely.
Nonlinearity can give rise to intermodulation distortions in surface acoustic wave (SAW) devices operating at high input power levels. To understand such undesired effects, a finite element method (FEM) simulation model in combination with a perturbation theory is applied to find out the role of different materials and higher order nonlinear tensor data for the nonlinearities in such acoustic devices. At high power, the SAW devices containing metal, piezoelectric substrate, and temperature compensating (TC) layers are subject to complicated geometrical, material, and other nonlinearities. In this paper, third-order nonlinearities in TC-SAW devices are investigated. The materials used are LiNbO 3 -rot128YX as the substrate and copper electrodes covered with a SiO 2 film as the TC layer. An effective nonlinearity constant for a given system is determined by comparison of nonlinear P-matrix simulations to third-order intermodulation measurements of test filters in a first step. By employing these constants from different systems, i.e., different metallization ratios, in nonlinear periodic P-matrix simulations, a direct comparison to nonlinear periodic FEM-simulations yields scaling factors for the materials used. Thus, the contribution of the different materials to the nonlinear behavior of TC-SAW devices is obtained and the role of metal electrodes, substrate, and TC film are discussed in detail.
The technique of laser ultrasonics perfectly meets the need for noncontact, noninvasive, nondestructive mechanical probing of nanometer- to millimeter-size samples. However, this technique is limited to the excitation of low-amplitude strains, below the threshold for optical damage of the sample. In the context of strain engineering of materials, alternative optical techniques enabling the excitation of high-amplitude strains in a nondestructive optical regime are needed. We introduce here a nondestructive method for laser-shock wave generation based on additive superposition of multiple laser-excited strain waves. This technique enables strain generation up to mechanical failure of a sample at pump laser fluences below optical ablation or melting thresholds. We demonstrate the ability to generate nonlinear surface acoustic waves (SAWs) in Nb-SrTiO3 substrates, with associated strains in the percent range and pressures up to 3 GPa at 1 kHz repetition rate and close to 10 GPa for several hundred shocks. This study paves the way for the investigation of a host of high-strain SAW-induced phenomena, including phase transitions in conventional and quantum materials, plasticity and a myriad of material failure modes, chemistry and other effects in bulk samples, thin layers, and two-dimensional materials.
Economic growth is usually driven by improvements in productivity, economic efficiency, trade and innovation. Increasing efficiency means to produce larger output using the same amount of factors for production such as raw materials, labour, and capital. However, regardless of the driver, growth is often investment-hungry and it is not rare to find an economy with potential for growth but lacking locally available investment. In this scenario, Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) can fill the gap between investment needed to promote economic growth and locally available investments.
Properties of higher-order surface acoustic wave modes in Al(1-x)Sc(x)N / sapphire structures
(2021)
In this work, surface acoustic wave (SAW) modes and their dependence on propagation directions in epitaxial Al0.68Sc0.32N(0001) films on Al2O3(0001) substrates were studied using numerical and experimental methods. In order to find optimal propagation directions for higher-order SAW modes, phase velocity dispersion branches of Al0.68Sc0.32N on Al2O3 with Pt mass loading were computed for the propagation directions <11-20> and <1-100> with respect to the substrate. Experimental investigations of phase velocities and electromechanical coupling were performed for comparison with the numerical results. Simulations carried out with the finite element method (FEM) and with a Green function approach allowed identification of each wave type, including Rayleigh, Sezawa and shear horizontal wave modes. For the propagation direction <1-100>, significantly increased wave guidance of the Sezawa mode compared to other directions was observed, resulting in enhanced electromechanical coupling (k2eff = 1.6 %) and phase velocity (vphase = 6 km/s). We demonstrated, that selecting wave propagation in <1-100> with high mass density electrodes results in increased electromechanical coupling without significant reduction in phase velocities for the Sezawa wave mode. An improved combination of metallization, Sc concentration x, and SAW propagation direction is suggested which exhibits both high electromechanical coupling (k2eff > 6 %) and high velocity (vphase = 5.5 km/s) for the Sezawa mode.
Digitalisierung ist heute allgegenwärtig. Wo im Privaten bereitwillig neue digitale Tools, Apps und Funktionen genutzt werden, tun sich Unternehmen in der Umsetzung von Digitalisierungsprojekten oft schwer. Dieser Beitrag beleuchtet die Motive für Digitalisierungsvorhaben, ihre Hürden sowie die Auswirkung auf die Arbeitsbelastung von Mitarbeitenden und versucht in der Verknüpfung mit den Grundprinzipien des Kontinuierlichen Verbesserungsprozesses, Handlungsempfehlungen für eine erfolgreiche Umsetzung dieser abzuleiten.
In this work the nonlinear behavior of layered surface acoustic wave (SAW) resonators is studied with the help of finite element (FE) computations. The full calculations depend strongly on the availability of accurate tensor data. While there are accurate material data for linear computations, the complete sets of higher-order material constants, needed for nonlinear simulations, are still not available for relevant materials. To overcome this problem, scaling factors were used for each available nonlinear tensor. The approach here considers piezoelectricity, dielectricity, electrostriction, and elasticity constants up to the fourth order. These factors act as a phenomenological estimate for incomplete tensor data. Since no set of fourth-order material constants for LiTaO3 is available, an isotropic approximation for the fourth-order elastic constants was applied. As a result, it was found that the fourth-order elastic tensor is dominated by one-fourth order Lamé constant. With the help of the FE model, derived in two different, but equivalent ways, we investigate the nonlinear behavior of a SAW resonator with a layered material stack. The focus was set to third-order nonlinearity. Accordingly, the modeling approach is validated using measurements of third-order effects in test resonators. In addition, the acoustic field distribution is analyzed.
Bislang gibt es keine Güterstraßenbahnsysteme, die im urbanen Warentransport im Realbetrieb eingesetzt werden. Bestehende Konzepte sind auf einzelne Branchen, ausgewählte Transportgüter oder einzelne Verlader ausgerichtet. Untersuchungen zu Güterstraßenbahnprojekten konzentrieren sich auf individuelle Kunden (zum Beispiel "CarGo Tram" Dresden). Für die Realisierung einer Güterstraßenbahn im urbanen Raum wäre zu klären, welche Anforderungen potenzielle Nutzer haben und wie diese Anforderungen in ein logistisches Konzept integriert werden können. In einer multiplen Fallstudie werden drei Unternehmen aus verschiedenen Branchen analysiert. Aufgrund heterogener Anforderungen wird ein modulares Logistikkonzept vorgeschlagen. Der Beitrag entstand im Rahmen des Projektes "LogIKTram: Logistikkonzept und IKT-Plattform für stadtbahnbasierten Gütertransport".
Surface treatment intensity monitoring is still an open and challenging nondestructive testing problem. For the estimation of residual stress with ultrasonic measurements, local linear and nonlinear elastic constants are needed as input. In this paper, nonlinear elastic-wave interactions (also called wave mixing or scattering) — namely, the generation of secondary ultrasonic waves in a nonlinear medium — are considered as a prospective means for near-surface nonlinear elastic parameter evaluation. The allowed interactions between bulk and surface waves, as well as the dependence of the scattering efficiency on the frequency and angle between source waves, were investigated through an analytical model, then compared with FEM simulations and experimental results. Finally, possible future steps for the development of the applied methods for the determination of near-surface higher-order elastic constants are discussed. In addition, several problem-relevant data processing procedures are presented.
This work compares the performance of Bluetooth Mesh implementations on real chipsets against the ideal implementation of the specification. Measurements are taken in experimental settings and reveal non-idealities in the underlying Bluetooth Low Energy specification in real chipsets and in the implementation of Mesh, which introduces an unruly transmission as well as reception behavior. These effects lead to an impact on transmission rate, reception rate, latency, as well as a more significant impact on the average power consumption.
We revisit the quantitative analysis of the ultrafast magnetoacoustic experiment in a freestanding nickel thin film by Kim and Bigot [J.-W. Kim and J.-Y. Bigot, Phys. Rev. B 95, 144422 (2017)] by applying our recently proposed approach of magnetic and acoustic eigenmode decomposition. We show that the application of our modeling to the analysis of time-resolved reflectivity measurements allows for the determination of amplitudes and lifetimes of standing perpendicular acoustic phonon resonances with unprecedented accuracy. The acoustic damping is found to scale as ∝ω2 for frequencies up to 80 GHz, and the peak amplitudes reach 10−3. The experimentally measured magnetization dynamics for different orientations of an external magnetic field agrees well with numerical solutions of magnetoelastically driven magnon harmonic oscillators. Symmetry-based selection rules for magnon-phonon interactions predicted by our modeling approach allow for the unambiguous discrimination between spatially uniform and nonuniform modes, as confirmed by comparing the resonantly enhanced magnetoelastic dynamics simultaneously measured on opposite sides of the film. Moreover, the separation of timescales for (early) rising and (late) decreasing precession amplitudes provide access to magnetic (Gilbert) and acoustic damping parameters in a single measurement.
Synergieprognosen spielen bei der Begründung von Unternehmensübernahmen regelmäßig eine wichtige Rolle. Da diese Prognosen unsicher sind, bedürfen sie einer fundierten Beurteilung, was wiederum eine offene Diskussion innerhalb von Vorstand und Aufsichtsrat voraussetzt. Solche Diskussionen sind jedoch keine Selbstverständlichkeit, da Gruppen dazu neigen, problematische Entscheidungsaspekte nicht angemessen zu würdigen. Mit dem Tornado-Diagramm wird ein Instrument vorgestellt, das diesem Effekt entgegenwirkt und die Entscheider dazu motiviert, auch ungünstige Synergieprognosen zu diskutieren. Auf diese Weise kann die Übernahmeentscheidung auf eine bessere Informationsgrundlage gestellt werden.
Zielvereinbarungen sollen SMART formuliert werden, um die Leistungsbereitschaft von Mitarbeitern optimal zu fördern - so wird es zumindest in der praxisorientierten betriebswirtschaftlichen Literatur propagiert. Ob Zielvereinbarungen, die spezifisch, messbar, erreichbar, relevant für das Unternehmen und zeitlich terminiert sind, wirklich eine höhere Leistungsbereitschaft zur Folge haben, wird im Folgenden auf Basis einer empirischen Untersuchung überprüft.
Die Rolle des Aufsichtsrats wird zunehmend als eine strategische charakterisiert, ohne dies jedoch näher zu erläutern. Die aktuelle Diskussion zeigt, dass daraus Unschärfen in der Abgrenzung zur Rolle des Vorstands resultieren. In dem Beitrag wird die Rolle des Aufsichtsrats im Rahmen strategischer Entscheidungen präzisiert.
A variety of different additive manufacturing processes have been available for the last three decades. Some of these technologies are very energy-intensive, e.g. laser technology and the manufacture of metal powder. In many areas, the detailed investigation of the energy and material consumption of these new manufacturing methods is still in the beginning. This paper investigates energy and material consumption using 3D colour printing (3DP) as an example. The specific energy required for the layering can be determined from this. This then forms the basis for a comparison of the specific energy consumption with other generative (e.g. Fused Layer Modelling—FLM) and also conventional production processes (e.g. milling and grinding). Thus process selection is facilitated by introducing the specific energy for layering. In addition several variables, in which resource consumption can be reduced are also investigated and compared. For example the influence of the geometry or the positioning of the 3D-printed part in the design space on the consumption are investigated. But also the measuring of different batch sizes is compared. Using the results found, the use of 3D printing can initially be optimized so that less energy, resources and manufacturing time are required.
Various methods of Digital Manufacturing (DM) have been available for the manufacturing of physical architectural models for several years. This paper highlights the advantages of 3D printing for digital manufacturing of detailed architectural models. In particular, the representation of architectural details and textures is treated. Furthermore, two new methods are being developed in order to improve the conditions for the application of digital manufacturing of architectural models.
In recent years simple CAD systems have entered the market, which are offered as freeware or open source projects. These systems prove to be a key technology especially for the further expansion of 3D printing, because a 3D model of the object to be printed is a prerequisite for the use of a 3D printer. Therefore, this contribution reviews several common simple CAD systems. Thus technical and economic criteria are evaluated. It is also demonstrated how the models designed in this manner can be used in 3D printing. A case study shows the possibilities and limitations to be expected when using simple CAD systems.
Modern Franciscan Leadership
(2020)
This article combines two important areas of practical theology: Monastic rules and leadership in a cloistral organisation, using the Rule of Saint Francis as a prominent example. The aim of this research is to examine how living Christian tradition in a monastic order affects leadership today, discovering how the Rule and Franciscan spirituality impact managing a convent. The research question is answered within this inductive research applying the methodology of the ‘theology in four voices.’ Based on the results, it is possible to build a coherent leadership system based on Biblical and Franciscan sources.
Open markets, international trade and foreign direct investments are a source of prosperity in challenging times. This Special Section looks at developed economies and emerging markets, also taking into account the role of trade for impactful capacity-building in least developed countries (LDCs). Specific emphasis is placed on financing economic development and trade, analysing what roles trade and development finance should play in the quest for an efficient mobilisation of private capital for growth, trade and development.
International trade requires sufficient, reliable, and affordable sources of financing. Export credit agencies (ECAs) fill trade finance gaps by offering financing, insurance and guarantees to provide liquidity or mitigate risks. They help to create or secure jobs in the domestic economy. However, comprehensive government support is required to create significant impact. This includes ‘full faith and credit’ of the state. In the context of public foreign trade promotion, full faith and credit is defined as an explicit, direct or indirect, irrevocable, legal commitment to accept all liabilities of an ECA as unconditional obligations of the respective government. Our policy recommendations for countries with relatively young ECAs, for example in Ukraine, Armenia, and Malawi, are to establish a full guarantee in addition to an efficient legal set-up, sufficient capital, and sound risk management of the respective agency. Without full faith and credit, policy goals of fostering economic growth through foreign trade fall short.
This paper aims to draw attention to an urgent need for reform of the regulatory framework of the broader export credit system to ensure a new and comprehensive "safe haven" for officially supported export credits. The purpose is to analyse the complex debate on disciplines of the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), creating a point of reference for future analysis of and debates around the "carve-out clause" of the Agreement on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures (ASCM) and a "safe haven" in a broader sense.
This report examines exporters’ challenges and possible solutions for public intervention to promote foreign trade. Based on fieldwork conducted in Georgia, we explore which policy approaches can help to stimulate Georgian exports further. Our outcomes show that exporters face substantial barriers such as navigating complex trade regulations, lack of knowledge about target markets, trade finance gaps, as well as new export promotion programs (EPPs) in competitor countries. Other upper-middle-income countries can learn from our results that exporters can significantly benefit from a comprehensive export promotion strategy combined with an ecosystem-based “team” approach. EPPs related to awareness and capacity building in Georgia should be part of this strategy, focusing on challenges such as a lack of knowledge about trade practices and international business skills. Other EPPs must help to mitigate related market failures, as information gathering is costly, and firms have no incentive to share this information with competitors. Furthermore, targeted marketing support and customer matchmaking can answer Georgian exporters’ challenges, such as lack of market access and low sector visibility. Our results also show that public intervention through financial support and risk mitigation is essential for firms with an international orientation. The high-quality, rich outcomes provide significant value for other upper-middle-income countries by exploring the example of Georgia’s contemporary circumstances in an in-depth manner based on extensive interviews and document analysis. Limitations include that our work primarily relies on qualitative data and further research could involve a quantitative study with a diverse range of sectors.
Public export credits and trade insurance require a global framework of institutions, rules and regulations to avoid subsidies and a race to the bottom. The extensive modernisation of the Arrangement on Officially Supported Export Credits (Arrangement) of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development intends to re-level the playing field. This Practitioner Commentary describes the demand for adequate government interventions, considers the need for the reform and discusses key aspects of the new Arrangement. We argue that there is a breakthrough in several important areas such as tenors, repayment terms and green finance. However, we also find that the modernisation falls short in areas such as the interplay between different rulebooks, pre-shipment instruments' regulations and climate action.
In this study, circular economy (CE) relevance in Germany will be discussed based on LinkedIn readily available data. LinkedIn company profiles located in Germany with ‘circular economy’ in their description or any other field were selected and used as a data source to analyze their CE relation. Overall, 514 German companies were analyzed in reference to the 15 German regions they belong. Most companies are located in the federal state of Berlin (126), followed by North Rhine-Westphalia (96) and Bavaria (77). In terms of the industry sector, they are self-classified to environmental services (64), management consulting (50), renewables & environment (33), research (31), and computer software (18) etc. Regarding their employees with LinkedIn profiles, 22,621 people are affiliated with these companies, ranging from one to 7,877. All examined companies have a total of 819,632 followers on LinkedIn, ranging from none to 88,167. An increase in CE-related companies was recorded in 13 of the 16 federal states of Germany over a one-year period. This work provides essential insights into the increasing relevance and trends of the circular economy in German enterprises and will help conduct further national studies with readily available data from LinkedIn.
Many sectors, like finance, medicine, manufacturing, and education, use blockchain applications to profit from the unique bundle of characteristics of this technology. Blockchain technology (BT) promises benefits in trustability, collaboration, organization, identification, credibility, and transparency. In this paper, we conduct an analysis in which we show how open science can benefit from this technology and its properties. For this, we determined the requirements of an open science ecosystem and compared them with the characteristics of BT to prove that the technology suits as an infrastructure. We also review literature and promising blockchain-based projects for open science to describe the current research situation. To this end, we examine the projects in particular for their relevance and contribution to open science and categorize them afterwards according to their primary purpose. Several of them already provide functionalities that can have a positive impact on current research workflows. So, BT offers promising possibilities for its use in science, but why is it then not used on a large-scale in that area? To answer this question, we point out various shortcomings, challenges, unanswered questions, and research potentials that we found in the literature and identified during our analysis. These topics shall serve as starting points for future research to foster the BT for open science and beyond, especially in the long-term.
Laser pulses focused near the tip of an elastic wedge generate acoustic waves guided at its apex. The shapes of the acoustic wedge wave pulses depend on the energy and the profile of the exciting laser pulse and on the anisotropy of the elastic medium the wedge is made of. Expressions for the acoustic pulse shapes have been derived in terms of the modal displacement fields of wedge waves for laser excitation in the thermo-elastic regime and for excitation via a pressure pulse exerted on the surface. The physical quantity considered is the local inclination of a surface of the wedge, which is measured optically by laser-probe-beam deflection. Experimental results on pulse shapes in the thermo-elastic regime are presented and confirmed by numerical calculations. They pertain to an isotropic sharp-angle wedge with two wedge-wave branches and to a non-reciprocity phenomenon at rectangular silicon edges.
The existence of acoustic waves with displacements localized at the tip of an isotropic elastic wedge was rigorously proven by Kamotskii, Zavorokhin and Nazarov. This proof, which is based on a variational approach, is extended to rectangular anisotropic wedges. For two high-symmetry configurations of rectangular edges in elastic media with tetragonal symmetry, a criterion is derived that allows identifying the boundary between the regions of existence for wedge modes of even and odd symmetry in regions of parameter space, where even- and odd-symmetry modes do not exist simultaneously. Furthermore, rectangular edges with non-equivalent surfaces are analyzed, and it is shown that at rectangular edges of cubic elastic media with one (110) surface and one (001) surface, a tip-localized guided wave always exists, apart from special cases that are characterized.
Bei der Auslegung von geschraubten Stirnplattenstößen mit elastomerer Trennschicht dürfen gemäß Eurocode 3 lediglich die Flansche für eine Übertragung der Schnittgrößen berücksichtigt werden. Unsere Untersuchungen zeigen, dass auch die Stege für eine Bemessung herangezogen werden sollten. Sie tragen zu einer gleichmäßigeren Spannungsverteilung im Elastomerlager bei und erlauben somit höhere Belastungen bei gleichbleibenden Abmessungen.
Basis der FE-Analysen sind ein- und zweiachsige Zug- und Druckversuche, die das komplexe Materialverhalten der elastomeren Trennschicht erfassen. Die Übereinstimmung von Messung und Simulation ist sehr gut, was insbesondere auf das verwendete Materialgesetz zurückzuführen ist: ein nicht-linear viskoelastischer Ansatz in Kombination mit dem hyperelastischen Marlow-Modell.
Es hat sich herausgestellt, dass der Reibungskoeffizient und die Querkontraktionszahl des Elastomerlagers maßgeblich das Tragverhalten der geschraubten Stirnplattenstöße beeinflussen.
The applicability of finite elements for molecular dynamic simulations depends on both the structure’s dimensions and the underlying force field type. Shell and continuum elements describe molecular structures only in an average sense, which is why they are not subject of this paper. In contrast, truss and beam elements are potentially attractive candidates when it comes to accurately reproducing the atomic interactions. However, special considerations are required for force fields that use not only two-body, but also multi-body potentials. For the example of bending and torsion energies it is shown how standard beam element models have to be extended to be equivalent to classical molecular dynamic simulations.
Rubber materials are characterized by a variety of inelasticities such as softening behavior, hysteresis loops and permanent set. In order to calculate the inelastic material behavior, constitutive models, that describe rubber as a homogeneous continuum, have to make use of damping or friction elements.
On the nanoscale, there is no need to adopt such rheological models. Inelastic material behavior can be explained and simulated by a continuous rearrangement of bonds, in particular, the van der Waals interactions, and by the polymer chains transitioning between cis and trans equilibrium torsion angles. The discrete molecular dynamics simulations presented in this paper are performed in an explicit FEM environment using nonlinear but elastic force field potentials. From a structural mechanics point of view, topological changes of the polymer network can be interpreted as a sequence of local material instability problems due to negative tangential bond stiffnesses.
In order to obtain representative results within reasonable computational time, the model is optimized with respect to the number of atoms and the loading velocity. It is shown that by increasing the model size, the stress–strain curves become independent of both the atoms initial state and the strain amplitudes.