Stability and optimization of a clamped beam elastically restrained against translation on one end resting on Winkler foundation

In this study, stability and bimodal optimization of clamped beam elastically restrained against translation on one end subjected to a constant axially load are analyzed. The beam is positioned on elastic Winkler type foundation. The Euler method of adjacent equilibrium configuration is used in deriving the nonlinear governing equations. The critical load parameters, axial force and stiffness of foundation, are obtained for beam with the unit cross-sectional area.The shape of the beam stable against buckling that has minimal volume is determined by using Pontryagin’s maximum principle. The optimality conditions for the case of bimodal optimization are derived. The cross-sectional area for optimally designed beam is found from the solution of a nonlinear boundary value problem. New numerical results are obtained. A first integral (Hamiltonian) is used to monitor accuracy of integration. It is shown that there is the saving in material for the same buckling force.     

BUCKLING LOADS AND EIGENFREQUENCIES OF A BRACED BEAM RESTING ON AN ELASTIC FOUNDATION

The eigenvalue problems of the buckling loads and natural frequencies of a braced beam on an elastic foundation are investigated. The exact solutions for the eigenvalues are presented. The eigenvalues vary with the different parameters and are especially sensitive to the brace location. As the beam of a continuous system has infinite eigenvalues and these eigenvalues are influenced differently by a brace, the eigenvalues show rich variation patterns. Because these eigenvalues physically correspond to the structure buckling loads and natural frequencies, the study on the eigenvalues variation patterns can offer a design guidance of using a lateral brace of translation spring to strengthen the structure.     

THERMAL BUCKLING ANALYSIS OF CIRCULAR PLATE EMBEDDED IN AN INFINITE ELASTIC PLATE 1)

分析了嵌入无限大弹性板中的圆板在变温时的热屈曲问题。由于圆板的热膨胀系数与无限大弹性板的热膨胀系数不同，温度变化时圆板中会产生压应力。当压应力达到其临界值时，圆板会发生热屈曲。首先，基于弹性力学平面应力问题的基本理论，得到圆板和无限大弹性板的应力和位移；然后建立圆板热屈曲的控制微分方程，求得临界屈曲温度的解析解和数值解，着重讨论圆板和无限大弹性板的材料物性参数的关系对圆板临界屈曲温度的影响。     

Buckling load optimization of beams

In this paper, shape optimization is used to optimize the buckling load of a Euler–Bernoulli beam having constant volume. This is achieved by varying appropriately the beam cross section so that the beam buckles with the maximum or a prescribed buckling load. The problem is reduced to a nonlinear optimization problem under equality and inequality constraints as well as specified lower and upper bounds. The evaluation of the objective function requires the solution of the buckling problem of a beam with variable stiffness subjected to an axial force. This problem is solved using the analog equation method for the fourth-order ordinary differential equation with variable coefficients. Besides its accuracy, this method overcomes the shortcomings of a possible FEM solution, which would require resizing of the elements and recomputation of their stiffness properties during the optimization process. Several example problems are presented that illustrate the method and demonstrate its efficiency.     

基于拓扑优化的结构弹性成像方法

弹性模量是工程材料重要的性能参数, 可以衡量物体抵抗弹性变形的能力. 弹性成像是一种通过弹性模量表征生物体组织物理特性的医学成像方法. 为了将弹性成像应用于机械装备结构的缺陷识别, 提高弹性成像的局部表征和全局识别能力, 提出一种基于拓扑优化的结构弹性成像方法. 受拓扑优化理论启发, 采用结构离散单元的相对密度(弹性模量系数)作为弹性成像参数来表征损伤程度, 建立成像参数与弹性模量的插值模型, 基于有限元模型构建损伤表征、结构模型与物理响应的映射关系. 以损伤结构和无损结构位移响应的最小二乘为目标函数, 以成像参数上下限为约束, 建立结构弹性成像的优化模型. 以伴随法推导弹性成像问题的灵敏度, 并详细给出了弹性成像反演的数值实施方式. 二维悬臂梁和米歇尔梁算例表明, 本文提出的基于拓扑优化的弹性成像方法无需先验损伤信息, 可有效实现均质/非均质、单/多缺陷结构的弹性成像, 且弹性成像结果不依赖于特定的边界条件, 进一步将弹性成像方法扩展至三维悬臂梁问题验证了其通用性.      

Equilibrium of a Prestressed Strip Reinforced with Elastic Plates

The contact problem for a prestressed elastic strip reinforced with equally spaced elastic plates is considered. The Fourier integral transform is used to construct an influence function of a unit concentrated force acting on the infinite elastic strip with one edge constrained. The transmission of forces from the thin elastic plates to the prestressed strip is analyzed. On the assumption that the beam bending model and the uniaxial stress model are valid for an elastic plate subjected to both vertical and horizontal forces, the problem is mathematically formulated as a system of integro-differential equations for unknown contact stresses. This system is reduced to an infinite system of algebraic equations solved by the reduction method. The effect of the initial stresses on the distribution of contact forces in the strip under tension and compression is studied     

A Prestressed Elastic Strip with Elastic Reinforcements

A contact problem is studied for a prestressed elastic strip with an elastic reinforcement. The integral Fourier transform is used to construct an influence function for an infinite strip with one face fixed. A unit concentrated force is applied to the strip at an arbitrary angle. The contact problem on force transfer from a thin infinite stringer to the prestressed strip is solved. The problem is mathematically formulated as a system of integro-differential equations for the unknown contact stresses on the assumption that the beam bending model and the uniaxial stress model are valid for the stringer, which is subjected to both vertical and horizontal forces. This system is solved in a closed form using the integral Fourier transform. The contact stresses are expressed in terms of Fourier integrals in a quite simple form. The influence of the initial stresses on the contact stress distribution is analyzed, and effects of concentrated load are revealed     

Thermal buckling and post-buckling of pinned–fixed Euler–Bernoulli beams on an elastic foundation

In this article, both thermal buckling and post-buckling of pinned–fixed beams resting on an elastic foundation are investigated. Based on the accurate geometrically non-linear theory for Euler–Bernoulli beams, considering both linear and non-linear elastic foundation effects, governing equations for large static deformations of the beam subjected to uniform temperature rise are derived. Due to the large deformation of the beam, the constraint forces of elastic foundation in both longitudinal and transverse directions are taken into account. The boundary value problem for the non-linear ordinary differential equations is solved effectively by using the shooting method. Characteristic curves of critical buckling temperature versus elastic foundation stiffness parameter corresponding to the first, the second, and the third buckling mode shapes are plotted. From the numerical results it can be found that the buckling load-elastic foundation stiffness curves have no intersection when the value of linear foundation stiffness parameter is less than 3000, which is different from the behaviors of symmetrically supported (pinned–pinned and fixed–fixed) beams. As we expect that the non-linear foundation stiffness parameter has no sharp influence on the critical buckling temperature and it has a slight effect on the post-buckling temperature compared with the linear one.     

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.     

On the Buckling of an Infinite Beam of Finite Width Embedded in an Isotropic Elastic Solid∗

The present paper considers the problem of buckling of a beam of finite width that is embedded in bonded contact with an isotropic elastic solid. Analysis of the buckling problem is restricted to the class of slender beams of narrow width that exhibit flexure only in the longitudinal direction. The governing integral equations are solved in an approximate fashion. Numerical results presented indicate the manner in which the buckling load is influenced by the relative flexibility of the beam-elastic medium system.     

Symmetry breaking in an initially curved micro beam loaded by a distributed electrostatic force

The asymmetric buckling of a shallow initially curved stress-free micro beam subjected to distributed nonlinear deflection-dependent electrostatic force is studied. In order to highlight the symmetry breaking phenomenon and the approach to its analysis, the subsidiary simplified problem of a curved beam attached to a linearly elastic foundation, and subjected to uniformly distributed “mechanical” load, which is independent of deflections, is addressed first. The analysis is based on a two degrees of freedom reduced order (RO) model resulting from the Galerkin decomposition with linear undamped eigenmodes of a straight beam used as the base functions. Simple approximate expressions are derived defining the geometric parameters of beams for which an asymmetric response bifurcates from the symmetric one. The necessary criterion establishes the conditions for the appearance of bifurcation points on the unstable branch of the symmetric limit point buckling curve; the sufficient criterion assures a realistic asymmetric buckling bifurcating from the stable branches of the curve. It is shown that while the symmetry breaking conditions are affected by the nonlinearity of the electrostatic force, its influence is less pronounced than in the case of the symmetric snap-through criterion. A comparison between the RO model results and those obtained by direct numerical analysis shows good agreement between the two and indicates that the obtained criteria can be used to predict non-symmetric buckling in electrostatically actuated bistable micro beams.     

Shape design sensitivity analysis for stability of elastic continuum structures

This paper addresses a method for shape design sensitivity analysis of a buckling load in a continuous elastic body. The sensitivity formula for critical load is analytically derived and expressed in terms of shape variation, based on the continuum formulation of the stability problem. Though the buckling problem is more efficiently solved by structural elements such as a beam and shell, elastic solids have been chosen for the buckling analysis in this paper because solid elements can generally be used for any kind of structure whether it is thick or thin. The initial stress and buckling analysis is carried out by the commercial analysis code ANSYS. Sensitivity is then computed by using the mathematical package MATLAB with the results of ANSYS. Several problems including straight and curved beams under compressive load, ring under pressure load, thin-walled section and bottle shaped column are chosen in order to illustrate the efficiency of the presented method.     

Finite strain––beam theory

An appropriate strain energy density for an isotropic hyperelastic Hookean material is proposed for finite strain from which a constitutive relationship is derived and applied to problems involving beam theory approximations. The physical Lagrangian stress normal to the surfaces of a element in the deformed state is a function of the normal component of stretch while the shear is a function of the shear component of stretch. This paper attempts to make a contribution to the controversy about who is correct, Engesser or Haringx with regard to the buckling formula for a linear elastic straight prismatic column with Timoshenko beam-type shear deformations. The derived buckling formula for a straight prismatic column including shear and axial deformations agrees with Haringx’s formula. Elastica-type equations are also derived for a three-dimensional Timoshenko beam with warping excluded. When the formulation is applied to the problem of pure torsion of a cylinder no second-order axial shortening associated with the Wagner effect is predicted which differs from conventional beam theory. When warping is included, axial shortening is predicted but the formula differs from conventional beam theory.     

General solution for dynamical problem of infinite beam on an elastic foundation

Based on the theory of Euler-Bernoulli beam and Winkler assumption for elasticfoundation,a mathematical model is presented.By using Fourier transformation for spacevariable,Laplace transformation for time variable and convolution theorem for theirinverse transformations,a general solution for dynamical problem of infinite beam on anelastic foundation is obtained.Finally,the cases of free vibration,impulsive response andmoving load are also discussed.     

连续体结构屈曲约束的ICM方法拓扑优化

基于ICM(独立、连续、映射)方法解决具有屈曲约束的连续体拓扑优化问题。建立以结构重量为目标,以屈曲临界力为约束的拓扑优化模型;采用独立的连续拓扑变量,借助泰勒展式将目标函数作二阶近似展开;借助瑞利商、泰勒展式、过滤函数将约束化为近似显函数,避免了灵敏度的计算;将优化模型转化为对偶规划,并利用序列二次规划求解,减少了设计变量的数目,缩小了模型的求解规模。给出三个算例,结果表明:该方法可有效地解决屈曲约束的连续体拓扑优化问题,能够得到合理的拓扑结构,并有较高的计算效率。     

Shear buckling of infinite plates resting on tensionless elastic foundations

The buckling problem of an infinite thin plate resting on a tensionless Winkler foundation and subjected to shearing loads is investigated. The infinite plate is simplified to a one-dimensional mechanical model by assuming a lateral buckling mode function and a borderline function between contact and non-contact regions. After the governing differential equations for the plate sections in the contact and non-contact regions have been solved, the problem reduces to two nonlinear algebraic equations. Buckling coefficients for plates with simply supported edges and clamped edges are determined for a range of relative foundation stiffness factors. Comparison of the results with existing theory and finite element analyses shows good agreement.     

Bending and buckling of thin strain gradient elastic beams

Bending of strain gradient elastic thin beams is studied adopting Bernoulli-Euler principle. Simple linear strain gradient elastic theory with surface energy is employed. The governing beam equations with its boundary conditions are derived through a variational method. It turns out that new terms are introduced, indicating the importance of the cross-section area in bending of thin beams. Those terms are missing from the existing strain gradient beam theories. Those terms increase highly the stiffness of the thin beam. The buckling problem of the thin beams is also discussed.     

Response of a finite beam in contact with a tensionless foundation under symmetric and asymmetric loading

In this work a general analytical model is developed for the static response of a beam resting on a tensionless elastic foundation subjected to a lateral point load. This load may either be located at the center of the beam or may be offset. An analytical/numerical solution is obtained to the governing equations; this solution makes no assumption about either the contact area or the kinematics associated with the transverse deflection of the beam. This is in contrast to previous work in which, for an infinite beam (where the load is symmetric by definition), implicit assumptions about the contact area and the response kinematics were made. Because these assumptions are dropped, the contact behavior differs in several fundamental ways from its infinite counterpart. Specifically, it is shown that (i) the contact area is a sensitive function of the beam length and that this function may change nonmonotonically, (ii) the contact area may depend on the magnitude of the load, (iii) asymmetric loads, which cannot exist in the infinite problem, have a dramatic influence the contact area for the finite system. These features are demonstrated with specific examples and explained in terms of the fundamental physics of the system. The implications for these behaviors are also discussed.     

简支梁大挠度弹性后屈曲载荷与变形的优化算法

针对简支梁结构大挠度后屈曲载荷与变形的计算问题,本文提出了一种直接求解其后屈曲载荷和变形的优化算法。在简支梁处于大挠度屈曲平衡状态下,将梁结构划分为有限子段,以待求后屈曲载荷为设计变量,根据起点的边界条件和每个子段满足的弯矩变形公式,累积计算出其他各个节点的坐标,以得到的终点坐标满足的边界条件构建目标函数模型。在此基础上,通过MATLAB编制优化程序分析了两个典型算例,并将理论结果与相关软件的计算结果进行对比,从而证明了本文算法的正确性。本文算法求解过程简单、快速,具有一定的实用性,为变截面结构大挠度弹性屈曲稳定性问题的研究提供了参考。     

Stability of a compressed nonlocally viscoelastic beam lying on an elastic base

The paper deals with the stability of an infinitely long beam lying on a solid elastic base and subjected to a constant or time-periodically varying longitudinal force. The beam material is characterized by nonlocally viscoelastic properties. Stability is understood as asymptotic stability in the sense of Lyapunov. The influence of the loading parameters and the parameters characterizing the nonlocal viscoelastic properties of the beam material on buckling and stability is analyzed. Stability is analyzed by using the maximum Lyapunov exponent.