On the asymptotic boundary conditions of an anisotropic beam via virtual work principle

In this research, an efficient and effective method is proposed to derive the boundary conditions of an anisotropic beam in the asymptotic sense. We first set up the constrained virtual work by introducing the Lagrange multiplier on the displacement prescribed boundary. The macroscopic beam and microscopic cross-section equations with the boundary conditions are simultaneously obtained by taking the asymptotic expansion on the displacement vector. In this way, the three-dimensional characteristics of the beam are asymptotically smeared into the macroscopic beam equations and the beam boundary conditions. The boundary conditions obtained are then compared to those from the decay analysis method. The beam bending slope boundary condition obtained in the frame work of variational principle is different from the well-known average condition. This new boundary condition is more accurate than the average one for a sandwich beam. This is further demonstrated and discussed via the examples of a cantilever beam loaded at the end.     

用材料力学公式计算任意截面短梁正应力时的修正项研究

对材料力学中梁的弯曲应力公式增加一修正项,以反映短梁弯剪翘曲变形对应力分布的影响。提出一种根据短梁横截面边界形状及艾瑞应力函数求解应力修正项的方法,应用弹性力学空间问题的一般理论,通过应力平衡方程、应变相容方程及应力边界条件,建立了关于任意截面短梁的应力修正项及剪应力的基本方程。在所建立的基本方程基础上,导出了矩形截面和圆形截面短梁修正应力的具体计算公式,该修正应力与均布荷载大小及弹性模量与剪切模量之比均成正比,但与截面惯性矩成反比。数值算例表明,本文方法计算的应力与通用有限元软件ANSYS计算的结果吻合良好,从而验证了本文方法及其基本公式的正确性。     

Generalized coordinate for warping of naturally curved and twisted beams with general cross-sectional shapes

This paper presents an efficient procedure for analyzing naturally curved and twisted beams with general cross-sectional shapes. The hypothesis concerning the cross-sectional shapes of the beams is abandoned in this analysis, and relatively general equations are derived for the analysis of such a structure. Solving directly such equations for various boundary conditions, which take into account the effects of torsion-related warping as well as transverse shear deformations, can yield the solutions to the problem. The solutions can be used to calculate various internal forces, stresses, strains and displacements of the beams. The present theory will be used to investigate the stresses and displacements of a cantilevered curved beam subjected to action of arbitrary load. The numerical results are very close to the FEM results.     

Justification of the Asymptotic Expansion Method for Homogeneous Isotropic Beams by Comparison with De Saint-Venant’s Solutions

The formal asymptotic expansion method is an attractive mean to derive simplified models for problems exhibiting a small parameter, such as the elastic analysis of beam-like structures. Usually this method is rigorously justified using convergence theorems Yu and Hodges, 2004. In this paper it is illustrated how the Saint-Venant’s solution naturally arises from the lowest order terms of an asymptotic expansion of the elastic state for the case of homogeneous isotropic beams. It is also highlighted that the Saint-Venant solutions corresponding to pure traction, bending and torsion involve the solution of the first-order microscopic problems, while for the simple bending problem, the solution of the second-order microscopic problems is needed. The second-order problems provide therefore a way to characterize the transverse shear behavior and the cross-sectional warping of the beam.     

Shear deformable finite beam elements for composite box beams

The shear deformable thin-walled composite beams with closed cross-sections have been developed for coupled flexural, torsional, and buckling analyses. A theoretical model applicable to the thin-walled laminated composite box beams is presented by taking into account all the structural couplings coming from the material anisotropy and the shear deformation effects. The current composite beam includes the transverse shear and the restrained warping induced shear deformation by using the first-order shear deformation beam theory. Seven governing equations are derived for the coupled axial-flexural-torsional-shearing buckling based on the principle of minimum total potential energy. Based on the present analytical model, three different types of finite composite beam elements, namely, linear, quadratic and cubic elements are developed to analyze the flexural, torsional, and buckling problems. In order to demonstrate the accuracy and superiority of the beam theory and the finite beam elements developed by this study,numerical solutions are presented and compared with the results obtained by other researchers and the detailed threedimensional analysis results using the shell elements of ABAQUS. Especially, the influences of the modulus ratio and the simplified assumptions in stress–strain relations on the deflection, twisting angle, and critical buckling loads of composite box beams are investigated.     

Non-linear flexural–torsional dynamic analysis of beams of arbitrary cross section by BEM

In this paper, a boundary element method is developed for the non-linear flexural–torsional dynamic analysis of beams of arbitrary, simply or multiply connected, constant cross section, undergoing moderately large deflections and twisting rotations under general boundary conditions, taking into account the effects of rotary and warping inertia. The beam is subjected to the combined action of arbitrarily distributed or concentrated transverse loading in both directions as well as to twisting and/or axial loading. Four boundary value problems are formulated with respect to the transverse displacements, to the axial displacement and to the angle of twist and solved using the Analog Equation Method, a BEM based method. Application of the boundary element technique leads to a system of non-linear coupled Differential–Algebraic Equations (DAE) of motion, which is solved iteratively using the Petzold–Gear Backward Differentiation Formula (BDF), a linear multistep method for differential equations coupled to algebraic equations. The geometric, inertia, torsion and warping constants are evaluated employing the Boundary Element Method. The proposed model takes into account, both the Wagner's coefficients and the shortening effect. Numerical examples are worked out to illustrate the efficiency, wherever possible the accuracy, the range of applications of the developed method as well as the influence of the non-linear effects to the response of the beam.     

Asymptotic solutions of coupled equations of supercritically axially moving beam

In supercritical regime, the coupled model equations for the axially moving beam with simple support boundary conditions are considered. The critical speed is determined by linear bifurcation analysis, which is in agreement with the results in the literature. For the corresponding static equilibrium state, the second-order asymptotic nontrivial solutions are obtained through the multiple scales method. Meantime, the numerical solutions are also obtained based on the finite difference method. Comparisons among the analytical solutions, numerical solutions and solutions of integro-partial-differential equation of transverse which is deduced from coupled model equations are made. We find that the second-order asymptotic analytical solutions can well capture the nontrivial equilibrium state regardless of the amplitude of transverse displacement. However, the integro-partial-differential equation is only valid for the weak small-amplitude vibration axially moving slender beams.     

Solution of generalized coordinate for warping for naturally curved and twisted beams

A theoretical method for static analysis of naturally curved and twisted beams under complicated loads was presented, with special attention devoted to the solving process of governing equations which take into account the effects of torsion-related warping as well as transverse shear deformations. These governing equations, in special cases, can be readily solved and yield the solutions to the problem. The solutions can be used for the analysis of the beams, including the calculation of various internal forces, stresses, strains and displacements. The present theory will be used to investigate the stresses and displacements of a plane curved beam subjected to the action of horizontal and vertical distributed loads. The numerical results obtained by the present theory are found to be in very good agreement with the results of the FEM results. Besides, the present theory is not limited to the beams with a double symmetric cross-section, it can also be extended to those with arbitrary cross-sectional shape.     

Generalized variational principle of dynamic analysis on naturally curved and twisted box beams for anisotropic materials

An incomplete generalized variational functional for naturally curved and twisted composite box beams with complete constrained boundaries at two ends is established by means of Lagrange multiplier method. The equations of motion governing the dynamic behavior of the beams and corresponding boundary conditions are derived from the stationary condition of the functional. The non-classical influences relevant to the beams are those due to transverse shear deformations, torsion-related warping and several elastic couplings that can arise in composite beams. In order to demonstrate the correctness of the theory developed the natural frequencies and normal mode shapes of the beams under in-plane free vibration are evaluated and compared with the results using PATRAN’s beam elements.     

Refined models of elastic beams undergoing large in-plane motions: Theory and experiment

Accurate mechanical models of elastic beams undergoing large in-plane motions are discussed theoretically and experimentally. Employing the geometrically exact theory of rods with appropriate kinematic assumptions and asymptotic arguments, two approximate models are obtained—a relaxed model and its constrained version—that describe extensional and bending motions and neglect shear deformations. These models are shown to be suitable to predict, via an asymptotic approach, closed-form nonlinear motions of beams with general boundary conditions and, in particular, with boundary conditions that longitudinally constrain the motions. On the other hand, for axially unrestrained or weakly restrained beams, an inextensible and unshearable model is presented that describes bending motions only. The perturbations about the reference configuration up to third order are consistently derived for all beam models. Closed-form solutions of the responses to primary-resonance excitations are obtained via an asymptotic treatment of the governing equations of motion for two different beam configurations; namely, hinged–hinged (axially restrained) and simply supported (axially unrestrained) beams. In particular, considering the present theory and the existing theories, variations of the frequency–response curves with the beam slenderness or the relative boundary mass are investigated for the lowest modes. The fidelity of the proposed nonlinear models is ascertained comparing the theoretically obtained frequency–response curves of the first mode with those experimentally obtained.     

Gaussian beam formulations and interface conditions for the one-dimensional linear Schrödinger equation

Gaussian beams are asymptotic solutions of linear wave-like equations in the high frequency regime. This paper is concerned with the beam formulations for the Schrödinger equation and the interface conditions while beams pass through a singular point of the potential function. The equations satisfied by Gaussian beams up to the fourth order are given explicitly. When a Gaussian beam arrives at a singular point of the potential, it typically splits into a reflected wave and a transmitted wave. Under suitable conditions, the reflected wave and/or the transmitted wave will maintain a beam profile. We study the interface conditions which specify the relations between the split waves and the incident Gaussian beam. Numerical tests are presented to validate the beam formulations and interface conditions.     

Explicit solutions for shearing and radial stresses in curved beams

In this paper the formulae for the shearing and radial stresses in curved beams are derived analytically based on the solution for a Volterra integral equation of the second kind. These formulae satisfy both the equilibrium equations and the static boundary conditions on the surfaces of the beams. As some applications, the resulting solutions are used to calculate the shearing and radial stresses in a cantilevered curved beam subjected to a concentrated force at its free end. The numerical results are compared with other existing approximate solutions as well as the corresponding solutions based on the theory of elasticity. The calculations show a better agreement between the present solution and the one based on the theory of elasticity. The resulting formulae can be applied to more general cases of curved beams with arbitrary shapes of cross-sections.     

Explicit frequency equations of free vibration of a nonlocal Timoshenko beam with surface effects

Considerations of nonlocal elasticity and surface effects in micro-and nanoscale beams are both important for the accurate prediction of natural frequency. In this study, the governing equation of a nonlocal Timoshenko beam with surface effects is established by taking into account three types of boundary conditions: hinged–hinged, clamped–clamped and clamped–hinged ends. For a hinged–hinged beam, an exact and explicit natural frequency equation is obtained. However, for clamped–clamped and clamped–hinged beams, the solutions of corresponding frequency equations must be determined numerically due to their transcendental nature. Hence, the Fredholm integral equation approach coupled with a curve fitting method is employed to derive the approximate fundamental frequency equations, which can predict the frequency values with high accuracy. In short,explicit frequency equations of the Timoshenko beam for three types of boundary conditions are proposed to exhibit directly the dependence of the natural frequency on the nonlocal elasticity, surface elasticity, residual surface stress, shear deformation and rotatory inertia, avoiding the complicated numerical computation.     

Free vibration and spatial stability of non-symmetric thin-walled curved beams with variable curvatures

An improved formulation for free vibration and spatial stability of non-symmetric thin-walled curved beams is presented based on the displacement field considering variable curvature effects and the second-order terms of finite-semitangential rotations. By introducing Vlasov’s assumptions and integrating over the non-symmetric cross-section, the total potential energy is consistently derived from the principle of virtual work for a continuum. In this formulation, all displacement parameters and the warping function are defined at the centroid axis and also thickness-curvature effects and Wagner effect are accurately taken into account. For F.E. analysis, a thin-walled curved beam element is developed using the third-order Hermitian polynomials. In order to illustrate the accuracy and the practical usefulness of the present method, numerical solutions by this study are presented with the results analyzed by ABAQUS’ shell elements. Particularly, the effect of arch rise to span length ratio is investigated on vibrational and buckling behaviour of non-symmetric curved beams.     

A homogenization-based theory for anisotropic beams with accurate through-section stress and strain prediction

This paper presents a homogenization-based theory for three-dimensional anisotropic beams. The proposed beam theory uses a hierarchy of solutions to carefully-chosen beam problems that are referred to as the fundamental states. The stress and strain distribution in the beam is expressed as a linear combination of the fundamental state solutions and stress and strain residuals that capture the parts of the solution not accounted for by the fundamental states. This decomposition plays an important role in the homogenization process and provides a consistent method to reconstruct the stress and strain distribution in the beam in a post-processing calculation. A finite-element method is presented to calculate the fundamental state solutions. Results are presented demonstrating that the stress and strain reconstruction achieves accuracy comparable with full three-dimensional finite element computations, away from the ends of the beam. The computational cost of the proposed approach is three orders of magnitude less than the computational cost of full three-dimensional calculations for the cases presented here. For isotropic beams with symmetric cross-sections, the proposed theory takes the form of classical Timoshenko beam theory with Cowper’s shear correction factor and additional load-dependent corrections. The proposed approach provides an extension of Timoshenko’s beam theory that handles sections with anisotropic construction.     

The unilateral contact buckling problem of continuous beams in the presence of initial geometric imperfections: An analytical approach based on the theory of elastic stability

An analytical method for the treatment of the elastic buckling problem of continuous beams with intermediate unilateral constraints is presented, which is based on the fundamental theory of elastic stability. The study focuses on the unilateral contact buckling problem of beams in the presence of initial geometric imperfections. The mathematical Euler approach, based on the fundamental solution of the boundary value problem of the buckling of continuous beams, is appropriately modified in order to take into account the unilateral contact conditions. Furthermore, in order the obtained analytical solutions to be applicable for practical design cases, the actual strength of the cross-section of the beam under combined compression and bending is considered. The implementation of the proposed method is demonstrated through a characteristic example.     

Analysis of a strengthened weakly conical shell using a complete system of orthogonal functions on an arbitrary contour of its transverse cross-section

Thin-walled weakly conical and cylindrical shells with arbitrary open, simply or multiply closed contour of transverse cross-sections strengthened by longitudinal elements (such as stringers and longerons) are used in the design of wings, fuselages, and ship hulls. To avoid significant deformations of the contour, such structures are stiffened by transverse elements (such as ribs and frames). Various computational models and methods are used to analyze the stress-strain states of such compound structures. In particular, the ground stress-strain states in bending, transverse shear, and twisting of elongated structures are often analyzed with the use of the theory of thin-walled beams [1] based on the hypothesis of free (unconstrained) warping and bending of the contour of transverse cross-sections. In general, the computations with the contour warping and bending constraints caused by the variable load distribution, transverse stiffening elements, and the difference in the geometric and rigidity parameters of the shell cells are usually performed by the finite element method or the superelement (substructure) method [2, 3]. In several special cases (mainly for separate cells of cylindrical and weakly conical shells located between transverse stiffening elements, with the use of some additional simplifying assumptions), efficient variation methods for computations in displacements [4–8] and in stresses [9] were developed, so that they reduce the problem to a system of ordinary differential equations. In the one-and two-term approximations, these methods permit obtaining analytic solutions, which are convenient in practical computations. But for shells with multiply closed contours of transverse cross-sections and in the case of exact computations by using the Vlasov variational method [4], difficulties are encountered in choosing the functions representing the warping and bending of the contour of transverse cross-sections. In [10], in computations of a cylindrical shell with simply closed undeformed contour of the transverse section, warping was represented in the form of expansions in the eigenfunctions orthogonal on the contour, which were determined by the method of separation of variables from a special integro-differential equation. In [11], a second-order ordinary differential equation of Sturm-Liouville type was obtained; its solutions form a complete system of orthogonal functions with orthogonal derivatives on an arbitrary open simply or multiply closed contour of a membrane cylindrical shell stiffened by longitudinal elements. The analysis of such a shell with expansion of the displacements in these functions leads to ordinary differential equations that are not coupled with each other. In the present paper, by using the method of separation of variables, we obtain differential and the corresponding variational equations for numerically determining complete systems of eigenfunctions on an arbitrary contour of a discretely stiffened membrane weakly conical shell and a weakly conical shell with undeformed contour. The obtained systems of eigenfunctions are used to reduce the problem of deformation of shells of these two types to uncoupled differential equations, which can be solved exactly.     

计及剪切影响的RC梁的非线性分析

为提高钢筋混凝土RC梁的计算效率和精度,提出了一种基于梁截面弯矩-曲率关系的宏观有限元方法,可用于各种跨高比RC梁的材料非线性分析。首先假定了混凝土和钢筋的非线性应力-应变关系,然后引入经过修正的Rodriguez截面模型,根据边界顶点把截面划分成若干梯形单元,利用quasi-Newton法求解由两个变量耦合而成的截面非线性平衡方程,由此建立RC截面的弯矩-曲率关系。在此基础上利用Timoshenko梁弯曲理论建立考虑横向剪切变形影响的RC梁的有限元分析模型。通过对试验梁的分析对比验证了所提出的分析方法的适用性。     

Nonlinear flexural–torsional dynamic analysis of beams of variable doubly symmetric cross section—application to wind turbine towers

In this paper, a boundary element solution is developed for the nonlinear flexural–torsional dynamic analysis of beams of arbitrary doubly symmetric variable cross section, undergoing moderate large displacements, and twisting rotations under general boundary conditions, taking into account the effect of rotary and warping inertia. The beam is subjected to the combined action of arbitrarily distributed or concentrated transverse loading in both directions and to twisting and/or axial loading. Four boundary-value problems are formulated with respect to the transverse displacements, to the axial displacement, and to the angle of twist and solved using the Analog Equation Method, a Boundary Element Method (BEM) based technique. Application of the boundary element technique yields a system of nonlinear coupled Differential–Algebraic Equations (DAE) of motion, which is solved iteratively using the Petzold–Gear Backward Differentiation Formula (BDF), a linear multistep method for differential equations coupled with algebraic equations. Numerical examples of great practical interest including wind turbine towers are worked out, while the influence of the nonlinear effects to the response of beams of variable cross section is investigated.