Determination of hourglass coefficients in the theory of a Cosserat point for nonlinear elastic beams

The theory of a Cosserat point has recently been used [Int. J. Solids Struct. 38 (2001) 4395] to formulate the numerical solution of problems of nonlinear elastic beams. In that theory the constitutive equations for inhomogeneous elastic deformations included undetermined constants associated with hourglass modes which can occur due to nonuniform cross-sectional extension and nonuniform torsion. The objective of this paper is to determine these hourglass coefficients by matching exact solutions of pure bending and pure torsion applied in different directions on each of the surfaces of the element. It is shown that the resulting constitutive equations in the Cosserat theory do not exhibit unphysical stiffness increases due to thinness of the beam, mesh refinement or incompressibility that are present in the associated Bubnov–Galerkin formulation. Also, example problems of a bar hanging under its own weight and a bar attached to a spinning rigid hub are analyzed.     

Constrained theories of rods

Utilizing a nonlinear theory of rods, which is formulated on the basis of a Cosserat curve with two directors, a number of constrained theories of varios degrees of generality are developed. In addition to the nonlinear version of the Bernoulli-Euler beam theory (discussed for completeness and clarity), six other less restrictive nonlinear constrained theories are also discussed. A table is provided, which summarizes the degree of exclusion of certain modes of motion or deformation, and which indicates the system of differential equations to be used in applications.     

Finite element formulation of slender structures with shear deformation based on the Cosserat theory

This paper addresses the derivation of finite element modelling for nonlinear dynamics of Cosserat rods with general deformation of flexure, extension, torsion, and shear. A deformed configuration of the Cosserat rod is described by the displacement vector of the deformed centroid curve and an orthogonal moving frame, rigidly attached to the cross-section of the rod. The position of the moving frame relative to the inertial frame is specified by the rotation matrix, parameterised by a rotational vector. The shape functions with up to third order nonlinear terms of generic nodal displacements are obtained by solving the nonlinear partial differential equations of motion in a quasi-static sense. Based on the Lagrangian constructed by the Cosserat kinetic energy and strain energy expressions, the principle of virtual work is employed to derive the ordinary differential equations of motion with third order nonlinear generic nodal displacements. A cantilever is presented as a simple example to illustrate the use of the formulation developed here to obtain the lower order nonlinear ordinary differential equations of motion of a given structure. The corresponding nonlinear dynamical responses of the structures are presented through numerical simulations using the MATLAB software. In addition, a MicroElectroMechanical System (MEMS) device is presented. The developed equations of motion have furthermore been implemented in a VHDL-AMS beam model. Together with available models of the other components, a netlist of the device is formed and simulated within an electrical circuit simulator. Simulation results are verified against Finite Element Analysis (FEA) results for this device.     

A new 3-D finite element for nonlinear elasticity using the theory of a Cosserat point

The theory of a Cosserat point has been used to formulate a new 3-D finite element for the numerical analysis of dynamic problems in nonlinear elasticity. The kinematics of this element are consistent with the standard tri-linear approximation in an eight node brick-element. Specifically, the Cosserat point is characterized by eight director vectors which are determined by balance laws and constitutive equations. For hyperelastic response, the constitutive equations for the director couples are determined by derivatives of a strain energy function. Restrictions are imposed on the strain energy function which ensure that the element satisfies a nonlinear version of the patch test. It is shown that the Cosserat balance laws are in one-to-one correspondence with those obtained using a Bubnov–Galerkin formulation. Nevertheless, there is an essential difference between the two approaches in the procedure for obtaining the strain energy function. Specifically, the Cosserat approach determines the constitutive coefficients for inhomogeneous deformations by comparison with exact solutions or experimental data. In contrast, the Bubnov–Galerkin approach determines these constitutive coefficients by integrating the 3-D strain energy function using the kinematic approximation. It is shown that the resulting Cosserat equations eliminate unphysical locking, and hourglassing in large compression without the need for using assumed enhanced strains or special weighting functions.     

A further work on directed rods

In this paper, we discuss the field equations of a rod with three deformable directors. We then deal with the rod subjected to internal constraints. Finally, we compare the theory of the constrained directed rod with that of an unconstrained rod with two deformable directors and with that of Cosserat rods.     

Paradoxical Bending Behavior of Shearable Nonlinearly Elastic Rods

In nonlinear elasticity the exact geometry of deformation is combined with general constitutive relations. This allows a very sophisticated interaction of deformations in different material directions. Based on the Cosserat theory for planar deformations of nonlinearly elastic rods we demonstrate some paradoxical bending effects caused by a nontrivial interaction of extension, flexure, and shear. The analytical results are illustrated by numerical examples.     

Transient analysis of Cosserat rod with inextensibility and unshearability constraints using the least-squares finite element model

In this study, time-dependent fully discretized least-squares finite element model is developed for the transient response of Cosserat rod having inextensibility and unshearability constraints to simulate a surgical thread in space. Starting from the kinematics of the rod for large deformation, the linear and angular momentum equations along with constraint conditions for the sake of completeness are derived. Then, the α-family of time derivarive approximation is used to reduce the governing equations of motion to obtain a semi-discretized system of equations, which are then fully discretized using the least-squares approach to obtain the non-linear finite element equations. Newton׳s method is utilized to solve the non-linear finite element equations. Dynamic response due to impulse force and time-dependent follower force at the free end of the rod is presented as numerical examples.     

A properly invariant theory of small deformations superposed on large deformations of an elastic rod

In the context of the direct or Cosserat theory of rods developed by Green, Naghdi and several of their co-workers, this paper is concerned with the development of a theory of small deformations which are superposed on large deformations. The resulting theory is properly invariant under all superposed rigid body motions. Furthermore, it is also valid for elastic rods which are subject to kinematical constraints, and it specializes to a linear theory of an elastic rod which is invariant under superposed rigid body motions. The construction of these theories is based on the method developed by Casey & Naghdi [1] who established similar theories for unconstrained nonpolar elastic bodies.     

Large elastic deformations in thin cantilever rods due to concentrated loadings

In this paper the problem of large elastic deformations in cantilever thin rods subjected to concentrated loads is considered. Taking into account the incompressibility assumption of the center line and the equations relating the internal moments with the curvatures and torsion of the rod before and after the deformation, the non-linear equilibrium system, composed of six coupled differential equations of first order, is transformed to a new system of higher order. The cases of geometries of initially curved rods and their cross-sections were investigated, for which the higher order system of equations may be decoupled and solved in a closed form. Several applications of thin curved cantilever rods were made and the potentialities of the method were shown with these examples.     

On the analysis of simple shear problem using the micro-polar hypoelasticity Cosserat theory

In this paper, an analysis of kinematics of the isotropic elastic Cosserat continuum is presented in infinitesimal and finite deformations. Emphasis is given on the applicability of corotational stress rates for hypoelasticity in micro-polar continua. A non-linear finite element analysis is performed with an explicit formulation of tangent stiffness matrices in the case of Truesdell stress and couple stress rates. A comprehensive path-dependent procedure is employed based on the arc-length method to calculate the stability points and handle the snap-back problem. Finally, the accuracy and efficiency of method are illustrated by numerical examples.     

Extension,torsion and expansion of an incompressible,hemitropic Cosserat circular cylinder

Constitutive equations for the stress and couple stres on an incompressible, hemitropic, constrained Cosserat material are derived, and the theory is applied to study the problem of finite extension, torsion and expansion of a circular cylinder. As in the theory of isotropic simple elastic materials, it is found that the deformation is controllable by application of only a normal force and a tosional moment at the cylinder ends. It is shown that in general the well known universal relation between the torsional stiffness and the axial force for incompressible, isotropic simple materials in the limit as the twist goes to zero does not exist for incompressible, hemitropic Cosserat materials. However, for a special and unusual class of hemitropic materials, the same universal formula is found to hold for a certain reduced torsional stiffness. The main problem is solved completely for incompressible, hemitropic, linearly elastic, Cosserat materials; and certain additional special features of the Kelvin-Poynting type, which here appear to the first order in the amount of twist of the cylinder, are derived and discussed in relation to experimentally observed composite material behavior.     

A finite element approach to the chaotic motion of geometrically exact rods undergoing in-plane deformations

The paper is concerned with a hybrid finite element formulation for the geometrically exact dynamics of rods with applications to chaotic motion. The rod theory is developed for in-plane motions using the direct approach where the rod is treated as a one-dimensional Cosserat line. Shear deformation is included in the formulation. Within the elements, a linear distribution of the kinematical fields is combined with a constant distribution of the normal and shear forces. For time integration, the mid-point rule is employed. Various numerical examples of chaotic motion of straight and initially curved rods are presented proving the powerfulness and applicability of the finite element formulation.     

刚柔耦合约束多体系统的动力分析

本文提出了描述柔性多体系统的牵连坐标系统。该系统由惯性参考系,牵连坐标系,物体坐标系及单元坐标系组成,实现了对刚体平动,刚体转动及弹性运动的连续分解,最大限度地消除了由于刚体大角度转动导致的非线性特性。以有限元法为基础,应用拉格朗日方程建立了在该坐标下的刚柔耦合约束多体系统的动力学控制方程。该方程具有耦合程度小、易于推导、编程及求解等优点,为大规模约束多体系统的动力分析提供了新的途径。本文还讨论了平面铰链约束的约束形式及约束方程,最后给出了一个典型多体系统的数值算例。     

Non-linear elastic analysis of thin rods subjected to bending with arbitrary kinetic conditions of their cross-sections

In this paper problems concerning the non-linear analysis of thin rods due to pure bending with constant initial curvatures and twist and with arbitrary kinetic conditions of their cross-sections are presented. Couples are not considered as being applied to the rods except at their ends. The solutions developed in this paper, which determine the curvature components and the twist of the rod after deformation, are exact in the form of elliptic integrals.     

PARAMETRIC VARIATIONAL PRINCIPLE BASED ELASTIC-PLASTIC ANALYSIS OF COSSERAT CONTINUUM

A new algorithm is developed based on the parametric variational principle for elastic-plastic analysis of Cosserat continuum. The governing equations of the classic elastic-plastic problem are regularized by adding rotational degrees of freedom to the conventional translational degrees of freedom in conventional continuum mechanics. The parametric potential energy principle of the Cosserat theory is developed, from which the finite element formulation of the Cosserat theory and the corresponding parametric quadratic programming model are constructed. Strain localization problems are computed and the mesh independent results are obtained.     

A novel statistical linearization solution for randomly excited coupled bending-torsional beams resting on non-linear supports

A novel statistical linearization technique is developed for computing stationary response statistics of randomly excited coupled bending-torsional beams resting on non-linear elastic supports. The key point of the proposed technique consists in representing the non-linear coupled response in terms of constrained linear modes. The resulting set of non-linear equations governing the modal amplitudes is then replaced by an equivalent linear one via a classical statistical error minimization procedure, which provides algebraic non-linear equations for the second-order statistics of the beam response, readily solved by a simple iterative scheme. Data from Monte Carlo simulations, generated by a pertinent boundary integral method in conjunction with a Newmark numerical integration scheme, are used as benchmark solutions to check accuracy and reliability of the proposed statistical linearization technique.

     

On the theory of porous elastic rods

We consider the direct approach to the theory of rods, in which the thin body is modelled as a deformable curve with a triad of rigidly rotating orthonormal vectors attached to every material point. In this context, we employ the theory of elastic materials with voids to describe the mechanical behavior of porous rods. First, we derive the dynamical nonlinear field equations of the model. Then, in the framework of linear theory, we prove the uniqueness of the solution to the associated boundary-initial-value problem. We identify the relevant field quantities from the theory of directed curves by comparison with the three-dimensional equations of straight porous rods. Finally, for orthotropic and homogeneous rods, we determine the constitutive coefficients in terms of the three-dimensional elasticity constants by solving several problems in the two different approaches.     

基于参数变分原理的Cosserat连续体弹塑性分析

基于参数变分原理,提出了Cosserat模型弹塑性计算的算法,给出了基于Cosserat理论的参数最小势能原理,基于所提出的变分方程,建立了Cosserat理论弹塑性分析的参数二次规划模型,进一步将算法应用于平面应变软化问题计算中,获得的结果具有良好的非网格依赖性.