An advanced higher-order theory for laminated composite plates with general lamination angles

This paper proposes a higher-order shear deformation theory to predict the bending response of the laminated composite and sandwich plates with general lamination configurations.The proposed theory a priori satisfies the continuity conditions of transverse shear stresses at interfaces.Moreover,the number of unknown variables is independent of the number of layers.The first derivatives of transverse displacements have been taken out from the inplane displacement fields,so that the C 0 shape functions are only required during its finite element implementation.Due to C 0 continuity requirements,the proposed model can be conveniently extended for implementation in commercial finite element codes.To verify the proposed theory,the fournode C 0 quadrilateral element is employed for the interpolation of all the displacement parameters defined at each nodal point on the composite plate.Numerical results show that following the proposed theory,simple C 0 finite elements could accurately predict the interlaminar stresses of laminated composite and sandwich plates directly from a constitutive equation,which has caused difficulty for the other global higher order theories.     

BENDING AND VIBRATION OF COMPOSITE LAMINATED PLATES

Hybrid-stress finite element method is applied for analysis of bending and vibration ofcomposite laminated plates in this paper.Firstly,based on the modified-complementaryprinciple,a reciangular hybrid-stress plate bending element is presented which applies toanalysis of laminates.Inside the element,different stress parameters are assumedaccording to different layers.The boundary displacements are determined by means of theassumption of YNS theory on the boundary of elements.The element formed in this way notonly can take effects of transverse shear deformation and local warping into account,butalso has less degrees of freedom.Then.problems of bending and vibration of laminates aresolved by using this element.and the numerical results are compared with the exactsolutions.This shows that the results obtained in the paper are very close to the exactresults.     

Comparison of methods for vibration analysis of electrostatic precipitators

The paper presents two methods for the formulation of free vibration analysis of collecting electrodes of precipitators.The first,called the hybrid finite element method, combines the finit element method used for calculations of spring deformations with the rigid finite element method used to reflect mass and geometrical features,which is called the hybrid finite element method.As a result,a model with a diagonal mass matrix is obtained.Due to a specific geometry of the electrodes,which are long plates of complicated shapes,the second method proposed is the strip method which is a semi-analytical method.The strip method allows us to formulate the equations of motion with a considerably smaller number of generalized coordinates.Results of numerical calculations obtained by both methods are compared with those obtained using commercial software like ANSYS and ABAQUS.Good compatibility of results is achieved.     

A new beam element for analyzing geometrical and physical nonlinearity

Based on Timoshenko＇s beam theory and Vlasov＇s thin-walled member theory, a new model of spatial thin-walled beam element is developed for analyzing geometrical and physical nonlinearity, which incorporates an interior node and independent interpolations of bending angles and warp and takes diversified factors into consideration, such as traverse shear deformation, torsional shear deformation and their coupling, coupling of flexure and torsion, and the second shear stress. The geometrical nonlinear strain is formulated in updated Lagarange （UL） and the corresponding stiffness matrix is derived. The perfectly plastic model is used to account for physical nonlinearity, and the yield rule of von Mises and incremental relationship of Prandtle-Reuss are adopted. Elastoplastic stiffness matrix is obtained by numerical integration based on the finite segment method, and a finite element program is compiled. Numerical examples manifest that the proposed model is accurate and feasible in the analysis of thin-walled structures.     

Formulations of a hydromechanical interface element

A hydromechanical interface element is proposed for the consideration of the hydraulic-mechanical coupling effect along the interface.The fully coupled governing equations and the relevant finite element formulations are derived in detail for the interface element.All the involved matrices are of the same form as those of a solid element,which makes the incorporation of the model into a finite element program straightforward.Three examples are then numerically simulated using the interface element.Reasonable results confirm the correctness of the proposed model and motivate its application in hydromechanical contact problems in the future.     

Generalized mixed finite element method for 3D elasticity problems

Without applying any stable element techniques in the mixed methods, two simple generalized mixed element(GME) formulations were derived by combining the minimum potential energy principle and Hellinger–Reissner(H–R) variational principle. The main features of the GME formulations are that the common C0-continuous polynomial shape functions for displacement methods are used to express both displacement and stress variables, and the coefficient matrix of these formulations is not only automatically symmetric but also invertible. Hence, the numerical results of the generalized mixed methods based on the GME formulations are stable. Displacement as well as stress results can be obtained directly from the algebraic system for finite element analysis after introducing stress and displacement boundary conditions simultaneously. Numerical examples show that displacement and stress results retain the same accuracy. The results of the noncompatible generalized mixed method proposed herein are more accurate than those of the standard noncompatible displacement method. The noncompatible generalized mixed element is less sensitive to element geometric distortions.     

FINITE ELEMENT ANALYSIS OF NON-NEWTONIAN FLUID FLOW IN 2-D BRANCHING CHANNEL

This paper presents finite element analysis of non-Newtonian fluid flow in 2-dbranching channel.The Galerkin method and mixed finite element method are usedHere the fluid is considered as incompressible,non-Newtonian fluid with Oldyorddifferential-type constitutive equation.The non-linear algebraic equation system whichis formulated with finite element method is solved by means of continuous differentialmethod The results show that finite element method is suitable for the analysis of non-Newtonian fluid flow with complex geometry.     

Mixed finite element and differential quadrature method for free and forced vibration and buckling analysis of rectangular plates

This paper presents a combined application of the finite element method (FEM) and the differential quadrature method (DQM) to vibration and buckling problems of rectangular plates. The proposed scheme combines the geometry flexibility of the FEM and the high accuracy and efficiency of the DQM. The accuracy of the present method is demonstrated by comparing the obtained results with those available in the literature. It is shown that highly accurate results can be obtained by using a small number of finite elements and DQM sample points. The proposed method is suitable for the problems considered due to its simplicity and potential for further development.     

EFFECTIVE FLANGE WIDTH OF SIMPLY SUPPORTED BOX GIRDER UNDER UNIFORM LOAD

A new method for the determination of effective flange width under uniform load on simply supported box girder bridges considering shear lag effect is proposed in this paper. Based on the Symplectic Elasticity method, the flange slab of the box girder is simplified into a plane stress plate. Using equilibrium conditions of the plates, the Hamilton dual equations for top plate element is established. The analytical formulas of each plate element considering shear lag effect are derived. The closed polynomial effective width expression of flange slab under uniform load on the whole span length has been obtained. Through examples using the finite element method, the results obtained by the proposed method are examined and the accuracy of the proposed method is verified.     

ADAPTIVE MESHLESS METHOD BASED ON LOCAL FIT TECHNOLOGY

An h-adaptive meshless method is proposed in this paper. The error estimation is based on local fit technology, usually confined to Voronoi Cells. The error is achieved by comparison of the computational results with smoothed ones, which are projected with Taylor series. Voronoi Cells are introduced not only for integration of potential energy but also for guidance of refinement.New nodes are placed within those cells with high estimated error. At the end of the paper, two numerical examples with severe stress gradient are analyzed. Through adaptive analysis accurate results are obtained at critical subdomains, which validates the efficiency of the method.     

Numerical solution of Poisson equation with wavelet bases of Hermite cubic splines on the interval

A new wavelet-based finite element method is proposed for solving the Poisson equation. The wavelet bases of Hermite cubic splines on the interval are employed as the multi-scale interpolation basis in the finite element analysis. The lifting scheme of the wavelet-based finite element method is discussed in detail. For the orthogonal characteristics of the wavelet bases with respect to the given inner product, the corresponding multi-scale finite element equation can be decoupled across scales, totally or partially, and suited for nesting approximation. Numerical examples indicate that the proposed method has the higher efficiency and precision in solving the Poisson equation.     

AN IMPROVED MODAL ANALYSIS FOR THREE-DIMENSIONAL PROBLEMS USING FACE-BASED SMOOTHED FINITE ELEMENT METHOD

In this work, we further extended the face-based smoothed finite element method (FS-FEM) for modal analysis of three-dimensional solids using four-node tetrahedron elements. The FS-FEM is formulated based on the smoothed Galerkin weak form which employs smoothed strains obtained using the gradient smoothing operation on face-based smoothing domains. This strain smoothing operation can provide softening effect to the system stiffness and make the FS-FEM provide more accurate eigenfrequency prediction than the FEM does. Numerical studies have verified this attractive property of FS-FEM as well as its ability and effectiveness on providing reliable eigenfrequency and eigenmode prediction in practical engineering application.     

A two variable refined plate theory for the bending analysis of functionally graded plates

Bending analysis of functionally graded plates using the two variable refined plate theory is presented in this paper.The number of unknown functions involved is reduced to merely four,as against five in other shear deformation theories. The variationally consistent theory presented here has, in many respects,strong similarity to the classical plate theory. It does not require shear correction factors,and gives rise to such transverse shear stress variation that the transverse shear stresses vary parabolically across the thickness and satisfy shear stress free surface conditions.Material properties of the plate are assumed to be graded in the thickness direction with their distributions following a simple power-law in terms of the volume fractions of the constituents.Governing equations are derived from the principle of virtual displacements, and a closed-form solution is found for a simply supported rectangular plate subjected to sinusoidal loading by using the Navier method.Numerical results obtained by the present theory are compared with available solutions,from which it can be concluded that the proposed theory is accurate and simple in analyzing the static bending behavior of functionally graded plates.     

A HYBRID/MIXED MODEL FINITE ELEMENT ANALYSIS FOR EIGENVALUE PROBLEM OF MODERATELY THICK PLATES

The buckling and free vibration problems of moderately thick plate are considered inthis paper by using the hybrid/mixed finite element model.A modified Reissner principlewhich only requires C~0 continuity is derived.No lockling phenomenon is observed.Linearinterpolation is used for all independent unknown function.Finally a displacementgeneralized eigenvalue equation is obtained,in which the stiffness matrix is symmetric andpositively definite.The calculated results show that the method proposed is simple,reliableand satisfactory.     

Closed-form solutions for free vibration of rectangular FGM thin plates resting on elastic foundation

This article presents closed-form solutions for the frequency analysis of rectangular functionally graded material(FGM) thin plates subjected to initially in-plane loads and with an elastic foundation. Based on classical thin plate theory, the governing differential equations are derived using Hamilton's principle. A neutral surface is used to eliminate stretching–bending coupling in FGM plates on the basis of the assumption of constant Poisson's ratio. The resulting governing equation of FGM thin plates has the same form as homogeneous thin plates. The separation-ofvariables method is adopted to obtain solutions for the free vibration problems of rectangular FGM thin plates with separable boundary conditions, including, for example, clamped plates. The obtained normal modes and frequencies are in elegant closed forms, and present formulations and solutions are validated by comparing present results with those in the literature and finite element method results obtained by the authors. A parameter study reveals the effects of the power law index n and aspect ratio a/b on frequencies.     

Stresses due to an adhesion crack in T-shaped junction of two orthotropic plates

The general solution of stresses is derived for a T-shaped junction of two thin plates with an adhesion crack.The plates are orthotropic.A shear force is applied on the crack surface.The analysis is based on the supposition that the stresses in each plate can be approximated by a plane stress condition.The results obtained are verified by numerical calculation of FEM.     

An efficient method for vibration and stability analysis of rectangular plates axially moving in fluid

An efficient method is developed to investigate the vibration and stability of moving plates immersed in fluid by applying the Kirchhoff plate theory and finite element method.The fluid is considered as an ideal fluid and is described with Bernoulli’s equation and the linear potential flow theory.Hamilton’s principle is used to acquire the dynamic equations of the immersed moving plate.The mass matrix,stiffness matrix,and gyroscopic inertia matrix are determined by the exact analytical integration.The numerical results show that the fundamental natural frequency of the submersed moving plates gradually decreases to zero with an increase in the axial speed,and consequently,the coupling phenomenon occurs between the first-and second-order modes.It is also found that the natural frequency of the submersed moving plates reduces with an increase in the fluid density or the immersion level.Moreover,the natural frequency will drop obviously if the plate is located near the rigid wall.In addition,the developed method has been verified in comparison with available results for special cases.     

Differential quadrature method for bending of orthotropic plates with finite deformation and transverse shear effects

Based on the Reddy ‘s theory of plates with the effect of higher-order shear deformations, the governing equations for bending of orthotropic plates with finite deformations were established. The differential quadrature ( DQ ) method of nonlinear analysis to the problem was presented. New DQ approach, presented by Wang and Bert ( DQWB), is extended to handle the multiple boundary conditions of plates. The techniques were also further extended to simplify nonlinear computations. The numerical convergence and comparison of solutions were studied. The results show that the DQ method presented is very reliable and valid. Moreover, the influences of geometric and material parameters as well as the transverse shear deformations on nonlinear bending were investigated. Numerical results show the influence of the shear deformation on the static bending of orthotropic moderately thick plate is significant.     

Self-adaptive one-dimensional nonlinear finite element method based on element energy projection method

The element energy projection （EEP） method for computation of super- convergent resulting in a one-dimensional finite element method （FEM） is successfully used to self-adaptive FEM analysis of various linear problems, based on which this paper presents a substantial extension of the whole set of technology to nonlinear problems. The main idea behind the technology transfer from linear analysis to nonlinear analysis is to use Newton＇s method to linearize nonlinear problems into a series of linear problems so that the EEP formulation and the corresponding adaptive strategy can be directly used without the need for specific super-convergence formulation for nonlinear FEM. As a re- sult, a unified and general self-adaptive algorithm for nonlinear FEM analysis is formed. The proposed algorithm is found to be able to produce satisfactory finite element results with accuracy satisfying the user-preset error tolerances by maximum norm anywhere on the mesh. Taking the nonlinear ordinary differential equation （ODE） of second-order as the model problem, this paper describes the related fundamental idea, the imple- mentation strategy, and the computational algorithm. Representative numerical exam- ples are given to show the efficiency, stability, versatility, and reliability of the proposed approach.     

THE ROTATIONALLY PERIODIC SYMMETRY IN BEM

Rotationally periodic symmetry is exploited in 2-D elastostaticcalculation using the BEM.It is proved that the coefficient matrices of the globalboundary element equations for the rotationally periodic system are block-circulant solong as a kind of symmetry-adapted reference coordinate system is adopted.Furthermore,an efficient algorithm,which partitions the original problem of solvingthe boundary element equations into a series of subproblems,is proposed.The methodpermits arbitrary load distribution for stress analysis problems.