Modified Mindlin plate theory and shear locking-free finite element formulation

The basic equations of the Mindlin theory are specified as starting point for its modification in which total deflection and rotations are split into pure bending deflection and shear deflection with bending angles of rotation, and in-plane shear angles. The equilibrium equations of the former displacement field are split into one partial differential equation for flexural vibrations. In the latter case two differential equations for in-plane shear vibrations are obtained, which are similar to the well-known membrane equations. Rectangular shear locking-free finite element for flexural vibrations is developed. For in-plane shear vibrations ordinary membrane finite elements can be used. Application of the modified Mindlin theory is illustrated in a case of simply supported square plate. Problems are solved analytically and by FEM and the obtained results are compared with the relevant ones available in the literature.     

Out-of-plane responses of a circular curved Timoshenko beam due to a moving load

For the cases of using the finite curved beam elements and taking the effects of both the shear deformation and rotary inertias into consideration, the literature regarding either free or forced vibration analysis of the curved beams is rare. Thus, this paper tries to determine the dynamic responses of a circular curved Timoshenko beam due to a moving load using the curved beam elements. By taking account of the effect of shear deformation and that of rotary inertias due to bending and torsional vibrations, the stiffness matrix and the mass matrix of the curved beam element were obtained from the force–displacement relations and the kinetic energy equations, respectively. Since all the element property matrices for the curved beam element are derived based on the local polar coordinate system (rather than the local Cartesian one), their coefficients are invariant for any curved beam element with constant radius of curvature and subtended angle and one does not need to transform the property matrices of each curved beam element from the local coordinate system to the global one to achieve the overall property matrices for the entire curved beam structure before they are assembled. The availability of the presented approach has been verified by both the existing analytical solutions for the entire continuum curved beam and the numerical solutions for the entire discretized curved beam composed of the conventional straight beam elements based on either the consistent-mass model or the lumped-mass model. In addition to the typical circular curved beams, a hybrid curved beam composed of one curved-beam segment and two identical straight-beam segments subjected to a moving load was also studied. Influence on the dynamic responses of the curved beams of the slenderness ratio, moving-load speed, shear deformation and rotary inertias was investigated.     

On the validity of planar, thick curved beam models derived with respect to centroidal and neutral axes

Most dynamic analyses of planar curved beams found in the literature are carried out based on a curved beam model which assumes that the neutral axis coincides with the centroidal axis of the curved beam. This assumption leads to governing equations of motion which are relatively simple with analysis results that have acceptable accuracy for shallow curved beams. However, when a curved beam is not shallow and/or its cross section is not doubly symmetric, the offset distance between the neutral and centroidal axes may be large enough to influence the in-plane dynamics of the curved beam even for small motion. In this paper, the validity of this underlying assumption for modeling a linear curved beam is examined. To this end, two sets of equations of motion governing the in-plane dynamics of a planar curved beam are derived, in a consistent manner for comparison, based on the linear strain-displacement relations and Hamilton’s principle. The first set of equations is derived from the displacement components measured with reference to the neutral axis of the curved beam while the second set is derived with respect to the centroidal axis of the cross section. The curved beam is considered extensional and the effects of rotary inertia and radial shear deformation are included. In addition to the curvature parameter that characterizes the wave motion for both curved beam models, an eccentricity parameter is introduced in the first model to account for the offset between the neutral and centroidal axes. The dynamic behavior predicted by each curved beam model is compared in terms of the dispersion relations, frequency spectra, cutoff frequencies, natural frequencies and modeshapes, and frequency responses. In order to ensure that the comparison is accurate, the wave propagation technique is applied to obtain exact wave solutions. It is shown that, when the curvature parameter is not small, the underlying assumption has a substantial impact on the accuracy of the linear dynamic analysis of a curved beam.     

Computations of modes I and II stress intensity factors of sharp notched plates under in-plane shear and bending loading by the fractal-like finite element method

The fractal-like finite element method (FFEM) is used to compute the stress intensity factors (SIFs) for different configurations of cracked/notched plates subject to in-plane shear and bending loading conditions. In the FFEM, the large number of unknown variables in the singular region around a notch tip is reduced to a small set of generalised co-ordinates by performing a fractal transformation using global interpolation functions. The use of exact analytical solutions of the displacement field around a notch tip as the global interpolation functions reduces the computational cost significantly and neither post-processing technique to extract SIFs nor special singular elements to model the singular region are required. The results of numerical examples of various configurations of cracked/notched plates are presented and validated via published data. Also, new results for cracked/notched plate problems are presented. These results demonstrate the accuracy and efficiency of the FFEM to compute the SIFs for notch problems under in-plane shear and bending loading conditions.     

A new zig-zag theory and C<Superscript>0</Superscript> plate bending element for composite and sandwich plates

A higher-order zig-zag theory for laminated composite and sandwich structures is proposed. The proposed theory satisfies the interlaminar continuity conditions and free surface conditions of transverse shear stresses. Moreover, the number of unknown variables involved in present model is independent of the number of layers. Compared to the zig-zag theory available in literature, the merit of present theory is that the first derivatives of transverse displacement have been taken out from the in-plane displacement fields, so that the C⁰ interpolation functions is only required during its finite element implementation. To obtain accurately transverse shear stresses by integrating three-dimensional equilibrium equations within one element, a six-node triangular element is employed to model the present zig-zag theory. Numerical results show that the present zig-zag theory can predict more accurate in-plane displacements and stresses in comparison with other zig-zag theories. Moreover, it is convenient to obtain transverse shear stresses by integration of equilibrium equations, as the C⁰ shape functions is only used when implemented in a finite element.     

16自由度的中厚板弯曲矩形单元

基于有限条带思想,引入结点扭率自由度,利用深梁单元的位移模式建立了一个4结点16自由度中厚板弯曲高阶单元,此单元是薄板单元BFS-16的推广形式,其特点是单元的横向位移、转角位移、剪应变位移模式直接构造,在边界上位移模式与深梁单元一致,方便与梁单元叠加,适应于带加劲肋的板弯曲问题分析,用于薄壁结构时可考虑翘曲。实例计算显示,此单元精度高,计算稳定,收敛快,无剪切闭锁现象,能较好地反映中厚板的边界效应。     

Free vibration of horizontally curved thin-walled beams with rectangular hollow sections considering two compatible displacement fields

A finite element is presented for vibration analyses of horizontally curved thin-walled rectangular hollow beams. Eight cross-section deformation modes are employed to describe the mid-surface contour displacement field with the modal superposition method. Focused on the in-plane moment equilibrium condition and the displacement continuity condition, two compatible displacement fields are constructed to calculate the strain energy and the kinetic energy of the beam, respectively. With the application of Hamilton’s principle the dynamic governing equations are formulated, and then approximated for the finite element implementation. Finally, numerical examples are illustrated to verify the validity of the present theory.     

Large amplitude free flexural vibration of rings using finite element approach

Here, the large amplitude free flexural vibrations of isotropic/laminated orthotropic rings are investigated, using a shear flexible curved beam element based on field consistency principle. A laminated refined beam theory is introduced for developing the element, which satisfies the interface transverse shear stress and displacement continuity, and has a vanishing shear stress on the inner and outer surfaces of the beam. The formulation includes in-plane and rotary inertia effects, and the non-linearity due to the finite deformation of the ring. The governing equations obtained using Lagrange's equations of motion are solved through the direct integration technique. Amplitude-frequency relationships evaluated from the dynamic response history are examined. Detailed numerical results are presented considering various parameters such as radius-to-thickness ratio, circumferential wave number and ovality for isotropic and laminated orthotropic rings. The nature and degree of the participation of various modes in non-linear asymmetric vibration of oval ring brought out through the present study are useful for accurate modelling of the closed non-circular structures.     

Elastodynamic analysis of low tension cables using a new curved beam element

In this paper, we address and overcome the difficulties associated with the use of the classic cable theory to treat low tension cables by developing a new three-noded locking-free nonlinear curved beam element. Based upon nonlinear generalized curved beam theory, large deformations and rotations in the new element are formulated in terms of Updated Lagrangian framework. Consistently coupled polynomial displacement fields are used to satisfy the membrane locking-free condition and the requirement of being able to recover the inextensible bending modes. Quintic transverse displacement interpolation functions are used to represent the bending deformation of the beam, while the axial and torsional displacement fields are derived by integration of the presumably linear membrane and torsional shear strain fields, which are coupled with the transverse displacement fields. Numerical results are presented to demonstrate the superior accuracy and the high convergence rate of the newly developed curved beam element. The stability and accuracy of the new element are further validated by experiments of an instrumented free-swinging steel cable experiencing slack and low tension. Good agreements in cable position and tension are observed between the experimental results and the finite element predictions.     

Novel shear deformation model for moderately thick and deep laminated composite conoidal shell

This article presents a novel mathematical model for moderately thick and deep laminated composite conoidal shell. The zero transverse shear stress at top and bottom of conoidal shell conditions is applied. Novelty in the present formulation is the inclusion of curvature effect in displacement field and cross curvature effect in strain field. This present model is suitable for deep and moderately thick conoidal shell. The peculiarity in the conoidal shell is that due to its complex geometry, its peak value of transverse deflection is not at its center like other shells. The C¹ continuity requirement associated with the present model has been suitably circumvented. A nine-node curved quadratic isoparametric element with seven nodal unknowns per node is used in finite element formulation of the proposed mathematical model. The present model results are compared with experimental, elasticity, and numerical results available in the literature. This is the first effort to solve the problem of moderately thick and deep laminated composite conoidal shell using parabolic transverse shear strain deformation across the thickness of conoidal shell. Many new numerical problems are solved for the static study of moderately thick and deep laminated composite conoidal shell considering 10 different practical boundary conditions, four types of loadings, six different hl/hh (minimum rise/maximum rise) ratios, and four different laminations.     

Free vibration analysis of open thin deep shells with variable radii of curvature

In the present paper, free vibration of a thin open curved shell with parabolic curvature was studied. This shell has a curvature with variable radius in one direction. The equations of motion of this shell were inferred by first order shell theory. According to perpendicular nature of loading on shell of marine structures, the assumptions of Donnell–Mushtari–Vlasov can be used with an acceptable level of accuracy and the in-plane displacement along shell straight direction “x” can be neglected as compared to the displacement in two other directions. The natural frequencies and mode shapes related to the first five vibrational modes were extracted using semi-analytical methods including power series method, Galerkin method and beam function method. The results of the semi-analytical methods were validated against those obtained by using the finite element method. Out of the studied semi-analytical methods, Galerkin method was found to have an appropriate convergence in both natural frequency and mode shape. Adopting eight terms of the response series, Galerkin method has an appropriate convergence compared with the results of finite element.     

EFFECT OF TRANSVERSE SHEAR ON FINITE DEFORMATION OF GENERALLY LAMINATED SHALLOW SHELL WITH DOUBLE CURVATURE

Nonlinear equations of equilibrium for the titled shell of rectangular planform undertransverse and inplane edge loads are derived by using the virtual work principle and expressed in termsof a stress function,the transverse displacement and two rotation functions.The sheU is elastically re-strained against rotation.A generalized double Fourier series solution is formulated for nonlinearbending of the shell.The Galerkin technique furnishes an infinite set of simultaneous nonlinear alge-braic equations for the above four variables,which can be truncated to obtain any desired degree of ac-curacy.Numerical results for antisymmetrically laminated angle-ply and cross-ply graphite-epoxydoubly curved panels are presented graphically for the transverse shear effect and various shell parame-ters and boundary conditions.The present results are also compared with available data.     

Inelastic axial-flexure–shear coupling in a mixed formulation beam finite element

In this paper a beam element that accounts for inelastic axial-flexure–shear coupling is presented. The mathematical model is derived from a three-field variational form. The finite element approximation for the beam uses shape functions for section forces that satisfy equilibrium and discontinuous section deformations along the beam. No approximation for the beam displacement field is necessary in the formulation. The coupling of the section forces is achieved through the numerical integration of an inelastic multi-axial material model over the cross-section. The proposed element is free from shear-locking. Examples confirm the accuracy and numerical robustness of the proposed element and showcase the interaction between axial force, shear, and bending moment.     

The distortion of a cylinder with non-uniform axial heat conduction

Closed form expressions are developed for the thermoelastic curvature of the initially plane end faces of a traction free cylinder subjected to arbitrary axisymmetric heat flux, the curved surfaces being assumed insulated. The solution is developed from a potential function representation of displacement and temperature for an elastic layer. The reciprocal theorem is invoked to show that the tractions at the curved surface of the cylinder vary linearly along the axis and they are removed by superposition of biaxial bending. It is found that the curvature of the plane ends depends on the local heat flux and the mean heat flux, whilst the cylindrical face distorts into a cone.     

Isogeometric analysis of free-form Timoshenko curved beams including the nonlinear effects of large deformations

In the present paper, the isogeometric analysis (IGA) of free-form planar curved beams is formulated based on the nonlinear Timoshenko beam theory to investigate the large deformation of beams with variable curvature. Based on the isoparametric concept, the shape functions of the field variables (displacement and rotation) in a finite element analysis are considered to be the same as the non-uniform rational basis spline (NURBS) basis functions defining the geometry. The validity of the presented formulation is tested in five case studies covering a wide range of engineering curved structures including from straight and constant curvature to variable curvature beams. The nonlinear deformation results obtained by the presented method are compared to well-established benchmark examples and also compared to the results of linear and nonlinear finite element analyses. As the nonlinear load-deflection behavior of Timoshenko beams is the main topic of this article, the results strongly show the applicability of the IGA method to the large deformation analysis of free-form curved beams. Finally, it is interesting to notice that, until very recently, the large deformations analysis of free-form Timoshenko curved beams has not been considered in IGA by researchers.     

A robust hyper-elastic beam model under bi-axial normal-shear loadings

In this paper, a simple and robust constitutive model is proposed to simulate mechanical behaviors of hyper-elastic materials under bi-axial normal-shear loadings in the finite strain regime. The Mooney–Rivlin strain energy function is adopted to develop a two-dimensional (2D) normal-shear constitutive model within the framework of continuum mechanics. A motion field is first proposed for combined normal and shear deformations. The deformation gradient of the proposed field is calculated and then substituted into right Cauchy–Green deformation tensor. Constitutive equations are then derived for normal and shear deformations. They are two explicit coupled equations with high-level polynomial non-linearity. In order to examine capabilities of the developed hyper-elastic model, uniaxial tensile responses and non-linear stability behaviors of moderately thick straight and curved beams undergoing normal axial and transverse shear deformations are simulated and compared with experiments. Fused deposition modeling technique as a 3D printing technology is implemented to fabricate hyper-elastic beam structures from soft poly-lactic acid filaments. The printed specimens are tested under tensile/compressive in-plane and compressive out-of-plane forces. A finite element formulation along with the Newton–Raphson and Riks techniques is also developed to trace non-linear equilibrium path of beam structures in large defamation regimes. It is shown that the model is capable of predicting non-linear equilibrium characteristics of hyper-elastic straight and curved beams. It is found that the modeling of shear deformation and finite strain is essential toward an accurate prediction of the non-linear equilibrium responses of moderately thick hyper-elastic beams. Due to simplicity and accuracy, the model can serve in the future studies dealing with the analysis of hyper-elastic structures in which two normal and shear stress components are dominant.     

双轴对称截面薄壁圆弧曲梁的弹性稳定平衡方程

基于薄壁构件分析的基本假定,采用双轴对称截面薄壁圆弧曲梁的精确翘曲位移表达式,导出了曲梁考虑几何非线性情况下的总势能,根据欧拉公式得到了曲梁的稳定平衡方程。推导中采用横截面线性和非线性总应变为零的假定,从而无需考虑横向应力的影响,对应变高阶项采用合理的简化处理,使理论推导过程简单明了。在理论推导的基础上分析了简支拱在均布径向荷载和两端等弯矩荷载作用下的平面内和平面外屈曲问题,并与其他研究者的结果进行了比较,追溯了各理论结果存在差别的根源,论证了本文理论推导过程的合理性。使用通用有限元软件ANSYS进行了模拟,与本文的分析结果一致,证明了所得公式的正确性。通过一些无碍结果的近似使所得公式形式简洁,便于在工程中应用。     

Photoelastic assessment of finite-element analysis of a pipe tee

A three-dimensional photoelastic analysis and a finite-element analysis of a pressurized pipe tee are compared. The pipe tee is a 152-mm typical commercial straight buttwelding tee, having a nominal wall thickness of 11.0 mm. The finite-element program employs a doubly curved shell element in which stresses vary linearly through the thickness. The three-dimensional photoelastic model was cast from the pattern of an actual pipe tee. The model was pressurized and stress-frozen. Its principal planes were analyzed for in-plane surface stresses, then subsliced and analyzed for transverse stresses. The photoelastic stresses are graphically compared to those from finite elements. For large regions of the tee there is substantial agreement in the stresses from the two methods. Considerable disagreement is revealed in the sharply curved corners between the main pipe and the stem. Paper was presented at the 1986 SEM Spring Conference on Experimental Mechanics held in New Orleans, LA on June 8–13.     

A coupled refined high-order global-local theory and finite element model for static electromechanical response of smart multilayered/sandwich beams

In the present study, a coupled refined high-order global-local theory is developed for predicting fully coupled behavior of smart multilayered/sandwich beams under electromechanical conditions. The proposed theory considers effects of transverse normal stress and transverse flexibility which is important for beams including soft cores or beams with drastic material properties changes through depth. Effects of induced transverse normal strains through the piezoelectric layers are also included in this study. In the presence of non-zero in-plane electric field component, all the kinematic and stress continuity conditions are satisfied at layer interfaces. In addition, for the first time, conditions of non-zero shear and normal tractions are satisfied even while the bottom or the top layer of the beam is piezoelectric. A combination of polynomial and exponential expressions with a layerwise term containing first order differentiation of electrical unknowns is used to introduce the in-plane displacement field. Also, the transverse displacement field is formulated utilizing a combination of continuous piecewise fourth-order polynomial with a layerwise representation of electrical unknowns. Finally, a quadratic electric potential is used across the thickness of each piezoelectric layer. It is worthy to note that in the proposed shear locking-free finite element formulation, the number of mechanical unknowns is independent of the number of layers. Excellent correlation has been found between the results obtained from the proposed formulation for thin and thick piezoelectric beams with those resulted from the three-dimensional theory of piezoelasticity. Moreover, the proposed finite element model is computationally economic.