Thermal buckling analysis of point-supported laminated composite plates in unilateral contact

This paper deals with the thermal buckling analysis of point-supported thin laminated composite plates. The analysis is performed for rhombic and rectangular plates and two cases of bilateral and unilateral buckling. In the unilateral buckling, it is assumed that the plate is in contact with a rigid surface and lateral deflection is forced to be only in one direction. The element-free Galerkin (EFG) method is employed to discretize equilibrium equations. Point supports are modeled in the form of distinct restrained circular surfaces through developing a numerical procedure based on the Lagrange multiplier technique. The unilateral behavior of the plate is incorporated in the analysis by using the penalty method and the Heaviside contact function. The final system of nonlinear algebraic equations is solved iteratively. Two types of point support arrangements are considered and the effect of different parameters such as number of point supports, plate aspect ratio and lamination scheme on the buckling coefficient of composite plates is investigated.     

Implementation of the Nitsche approach for various contact kinematics

Numerical approaches are in case of contact problems mainly dealing with additional terms enforcing constraints. Within the Nitsche approach the inclusion of constraints for the non-penetration and equilibrium of stresses of the contacting bodies is carried out in a fully variational sense. Taking into account a specific choice and the physical meaning of the encountered Lagrange multipliers two different schemes for the Nitsche formulation are obtained. Both types of the Nitsche approach are implemented in a nonlinear element and verification with numerical examples is done. (© 2010 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

An unfitted interface penalty method for the numerical approximation of contrast problems

We aim to approximate contrast problems by means of a numerical scheme which does not require that the computational mesh conforms with the discontinuity between coefficients. We focus on the approximation of diffusion-reaction equations in the framework of finite elements. In order to improve the unsatisfactory behavior of Lagrangian elements for this particular problem, we resort to an enriched approximation space, which involves elements cut by the interface. Firstly, we analyze the H¹-stability of the finite element space with respect to the position of the interface. This analysis, applied to the conditioning of the discrete system of equations, shows that the scheme may be ill posed for some configurations of the interface. Secondly, we propose a stabilization strategy, based on a scaling technique, which restores the standard properties of a Lagrangian finite element space and results to be very easily implemented. We also address the behavior of the scheme with respect to large contrast problems ending up with a choice of Nitsche?s penalty terms such that the extended finite element scheme with penalty is robust for the worst case among small sub-elements and large contrast problems. The theoretical results are finally illustrated by means of numerical experiments.     

General stability of composite panels reinforced with flexible rods taking account of the side boundary conditions

Reinforced panels are the basic load-bearing elements of various structures. Optimization of massive structures requires consideration of deformation of the panel cross-sections. This is particularly important in determining the bearing strength at buckling. The load scheme, conditions for fixation of the panel cross-section, and bend-torsional stiffness taking account of the deformation of the rod cross-section affect the buckling load in real structures. The stress distribution prior to buckling must be known to solve the buckling problem properly. The stress in the panel is proportional to the active load. The stress distribution is assumed to be known according to our previous method [1]. The load scheme and panel dimensions are shown in Fig. 1. The stress distribution in the panel prior to buckling can be found using Eqs. (1)-(3). A view of the cross-section is given in Fig. 1. The displacements in the panel at buckling for the boundary area are found using Eqs. (4)-(6), while the stresses in the skin and stiffness are found using Eq. (7). Roots k₁ and k₂ are those of the characteristic equation and is a dimensionless coordinate. The problem was solved using variational theory. The potential energy is given by Eqs. (8) and (9) by orihogonalization of Eqs. (5). The basic equations are converted to Eqs. (10) by evaluation of the components in Eqs. (8) and (9). Its calculation (11) gives the compression load. Optimization of parameter gives the critical strength P₁ = 6.93 kN (without taking account of the boundary area) and P₂ = 5.31 kN (taking account of the boundary area).Translated from Mekhanika Kompozitnikh Materialov, Vol. 30, No. 4, pp. 540–546, July–August, 1994.     

The Nitsche mortar method for matching grids in a mixed finite element method

It is well-known that nonmatching grids are often used in finite element methods. Usually, grids are being matched along lines or surfaces that divide a domain into subdomains. Such lines or surfaces are called interfaces. The interface matching means the satisfaction of some continuity conditions when crossing the interface. The direct matching procedures fall into three groups: Methods that use Lagrange multipliers, mortar methods based on the Nitsche technique, and penalty methods.     

Convergence of the Neumann parallel scheme of the domain decomposition method for problems of frictionless contact between several elastic bodies

Based on the variational formulation and penalty method, we have considered the Neumann parallel scheme of the domain decomposition method for the solution of problems of one-sided contact between three-dimensional elastic bodies. We have shown the existence and uniqueness of a solution of the variational problem with penalty and convergence in the penalty parameter. The convergence of this scheme has been proved, and the optimal value of iteration parameter has been determined.     

Mortar method for matching grids in a mixed scheme as applied to the biharmonic equation

Nitsche’s mortar method for matching grids in the Hermann-Miyoshi mixed scheme for the biharmonic equation is considered. A two-parameter mortar problem is constructed and analyzed. Existence and uniqueness theorems are proved under certain constraints on the parameters. The norm of the difference between the solutions to the mortar and original problems is estimated. The convergence rates are the same as in the Hermann-Miyoshi scheme on matching grids.     

Nitsche type mortaring for elliptic problems with corner singularities

The paper deals with Nitsche type mortaring as a finite element method (FEM) for treating non‐matching meshes of triangles at the interface of some domain decomposition. The approach is applied to the Poisson equation with Dirichlet conditions for the case that the interface passes re‐entrant corners of the domain and local mesh refinement is applied. Some properties of the finite element scheme and error estimates in a discrete H¹‐like and in the L₂‐norm are proved.     

Buckling Analysis of Carbon Nanotubes – Application of a concurrent atomistic-continuum multiscale approach

In this work, a concurrent atomistic-continuum multiscale approach is applied in order to analyse the buckling behaviour of carbon nanotubes. In particular, the bridging domain method that is grounded on an overlapping domain partitioning scheme with an energy-based blending of the subdomains is used. The atomistic subdomain is modelled by means of a molecular statics approach and the continuum subdomain is handled using the finite element method. Outcomes of numerical simulations of defective single-walled carbon nanotubes under bending load are presented. More specifically, the impact of variably located Stone-Wales defects on the buckling behaviour of a nanotube is studied using the concurrent multiscale approach. The results of the multiscale model are validated against a full atomistic molecular statics simulation. (© 2014 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Nonlinear analysis of buckling,free vibration and dynamic stability for the piezoelectric functionally graded beams in thermal environment

Employing Euler–Bernoulli beam theory and the physical neutral surface concept, the nonlinear governing equation for the functionally graded material beam with two clamped ends and surface-bonded piezoelectric actuators is derived by the Hamilton’s principle. The thermo-piezoelectric buckling, nonlinear free vibration and dynamic stability for the piezoelectric functionally graded beams, subjected to one-dimensional steady heat conduction in the thickness direction, are studied. The critical buckling loads for the beam are obtained by the existing methods in the analysis of thermo-piezoelectric buckling. The Galerkin’s procedure and elliptic function are adopted to obtain the analytical solution of the nonlinear free vibration, and the incremental harmonic balance method is applied to obtain the principle unstable regions of the piezoelectric functionally graded beam. In the numerical examples, the good agreements between the present results and existing solutions verify the validity and accuracy of the present analysis and solving method. Simultaneously, validation of the results achieved by rule of mixture against those obtained via the Mori–Tanaka scheme is carried out, and excellent agreements are reported. The effects of the thermal load, electric load, and thermal properties of the constituent materials on the thermo-piezoelectric buckling, nonlinear free vibration, and dynamic stability of the piezoelectric functionally graded beam are discussed, and some meaningful conclusions have been drawn.     

Geometrically exact solution of a buckling column with asymmetric boundary conditions

For the symmetrically supported Euler buckling column with both ends hinged the classical stability theory yields simple trigonometric functions as buckling modes, i.e. w(x) = A sin αx. The eigenvalues α are just multiples of π. In comparison, the analysis of the asymmetrically supported Euler buckling column with one end clamped and the other end hinged is more complicated: The buckling modes are a combination of trigonometric functions in form of w(x) = A (sin αx − αx cos (αL)). The eigenvalues follow from a transcendental equation. Applying a geometrically exact theory to the aforementioned Euler buckling problems, a similar relation in the complexity of the analyses will naturally arise. Using, e.g., the elastica model the buckling behavior of the symmetrically supported column is represented by elliptic integrals. However, the determination of the buckling behavior of the asymmetrically supported column turns out to be much more complex and elaborate. This article presents a direct comparison of the symmetrically and asymmetrically supported buckling columns regarding their analyses by means of classical stability theory and by the geometrically exact theory of the elastica. (© 2012 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Shape sensitivity analysis of an elastic contact problem: Convergence of the Nitsche based finite element approximation

In a recent work, we introduced a finite element approximation for the shape optimization of an elastic structure in sliding contact with a rigid foundation where the contact condition (Signorini’s condition) is approximated by Nitsche’s method and the shape gradient is obtained via the adjoint state method. The motivation of this work is to propose an a priori convergence analysis of the numerical approximation of the variables of the shape gradient (displacement and adjoint state) and to show some numerical results in agreement with the theoretical ones. The main difficulty comes from the non-differentiability of the contact condition in the classical sense which requires the notion of conical differentiability.     

Mortar-Based Contact Formulation for Large Deformations

The discontinuities due to the discretization lead to some challenges. First, the normal direction of the contact surface is not steady because the discrete surface is only C₀ continuous. One might smooth the normal vector field. Second, the question of contact enforcement has to be cleared. Contact forces can be modeled with either a Lagrange multiplier method or a penalty formulation to prevent penetration. Third, there must be developed a integration scheme which is able to handle the non-steady boundary. Last, there is a strong discontinuity in measuring the penetration, where different criteria for enabling or disabling contact can be found (active set strategy). In this work, different approaches to solve this tasks are presented and brought into context. (© 2010 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Nonlinear in-plane buckling of fixed shallow functionally graded graphene reinforced composite arches subjected to mechanical and thermal loading

The nonlinear in-plane buckling analysis for fixed shallow functionally graded (FG) graphene reinforced composite arches which are subjected to uniform radial load and temperature field is presented in this paper. The arch is composed of multiple graphene platelet reinforced composite (GPLRC) layers with gradient changes of concentration of graphene platelets (GPLs) in each layer. The principle of virtual work, combined with the effective materials properties estimated by the Halpin-Tsai micromechanics model for GPLRC layer, is used to derive the nonlinear buckling equilibrium equations of the FG-GPLRC arch, and then the analytical solutions for the limit point and bifurcation buckling loads are obtained. Comprehensive parametric studies are conducted to explore the effects of various distribution patterns and geometries of GPL, temperature field and arch geometry on the nonlinear equilibrium path and buckling behavior of the composite arch. The influence of temperature on the geometric parameters which are defined as switches between limit point buckling, bifurcation buckling and no buckling are also discussed. It is found that a higher temperature field can increase the buckling loads of the FG-GPLRC arch but reduce the value of the minimum geometric parameters that switching the buckling modes. The results also show that even a small amount of GPLs filler content can increase the buckling loads of the FG-GPLRC arch considerably, and distributing more GPLs near the surface layers is the best pattern to enhance the buckling performances of FG-GPLRC arches.     

Nonlocal effect on axially compressed buckling of triple-walled carbon nanotubes under temperature field

This paper studies the small scale effect on the buckling behaviors of triple-walled carbon nanotubes (TWCNTs) with the initial axial stress under the temperature field. The TWCNTs are modeled as three elastic shells coupled together through vdW interaction between different layers. Buckling governing equations of CNTs are firstly formulated on the basis of nonlocal elastic theory and the small scale effect on CNTs buckling results with the change of temperature are then achieved. The results show that the critical buckling load is dependent on the temperature, scale parameter and wavenumber. Some conclusions are drawn that small scale effect will arise gradually with the increases of wavenumber, and the temperature can influence the ratio between the nonlocal buckling load and the corresponding local load. Furthermore, with or without effects of nonlocal considered, the same results is obtained that the axial buckling load increases as the value of temperature increases at low and room temperature condition, while at high temperature condition the axial buckling load decreases as the value of temperature increases.     

Primal and Dual Penalty Methods for Contact Problems with Geometrical Non-linearities

The nonlinearity caused by two or more bodies in contact is often source of computational difficulties. Probably the most popular solution method is based on direct iterations with the non-penetration conditions imposed by the penalty method [1]. The method enables treatment of other non-linearities such as in the case of large displacements. In this paper we are concerned with application of a variant of the FETI domain decomposition method that enforces feasibility of Lagrange multipliers by the penalty [5]. The dual penalty method, which has been shown to be optimal for small displacements, is used in inner loop of the algorithm that treats large displacements. We give results of numerical experiments that demonstrate high efficiency of the FETI method with the dual penalty. (© 2005 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Vector scheduling with rejection on a single machine

In this paper, we study a vector scheduling problem with rejection on a single machine, in which each job is characterized by a d-dimension vector and a penalty, in the sense that, jobs can be either rejected by paying a certain penalty or assigned to the machine. The objective is to minimize the sum of the maximum load over all dimensions of the total vector of all accepted jobs, and the total penalty of rejected jobs. We prove that the problem is NP-hard and design two approximation algorithms running in polynomial time. When d is a fixed constant, we present a fully polynomial time approximation scheme.     

A unilateral contact model with buckling in von Kármán plates

The unilateral contact problem for the von Kármán plate including postbuckling is numerically studied in this paper. The mathematical model consists of a system of nonlinear inequalities and equations for the transversal displacements and the stress function on the middle plane of the plate, respectively. The boundary conditions correspond to simply supported or partially clamped plates. The lateral displacements are constrained by the presence of a rigid support. A variational principle with penalty is used to treat the mechanical model. Then the variational penalized problem is solved by a spectral method. For the obtained discrete model we develop an iterative scheme based on Newton's iterations, combined with numerical continuation coupled with an appropriate procedure for the choice of the penalty and regularization parameters. Numerical results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.