Modelling the inelastic constitutive behaviour of multi-layer spiral strands. Comparison of hysteresis operator approach to multi-scale model

The simulation of inelastic effects in flexible slender technical devices has become of increasing interest in the past years. Different approaches have been considered depending on the effects relevant for the specific application. Recently, a mixed stress strain driven computational homogenisation has been proposed to model the dissipative nonlinear bending response of spiral strands subjected to axial force. In this study, we propose two different approaches, namely a rheological model and a databased greybox model, to predict the cyclic response of these strands using only their monotonic response. In the first approach, a system of so-called bending springs and sliders is used to model different contributions to the bending stiffness of the strands. The data-based approach makes use of mathematical tools called hysteresis operators. The Prandtl-Ishlinskii operator plays a relevant role in modelling the input-output relation in phenomena showing hysteretic behaviour and can be expressed as a weighted superposition of elementary stop operators. Comparing the two approaches leads to a better understanding and an explicit physical interpretation of the parameters of a specific class of hysteresis operator models.