Nonlinear dynamic analysis of Timoshenko beams by BEM. Part I: Theory and numerical implementation

In this two-part contribution, a boundary element method is developed for the nonlinear dynamic analysis of beams of arbitrary doubly symmetric simply or multiply connected constant cross section, undergoing moderate large displacements and small deformations under general boundary conditions, taking into account the effects of shear deformation and rotary inertia. Part I is devoted to the theoretical developments and their numerical implementation and Part II discusses analytical and numerical results obtained from both analytical or numerical research efforts from the literature and the proposed method. The beam is subjected to the combined action of arbitrarily distributed or concentrated transverse loading and bending moments in both directions as well as to axial loading. To account for shear deformations, the concept of shear deformation coefficients is used. Five boundary value problems are formulated with respect to the transverse displacements, to the axial displacement and to two stress functions and solved using the Analog Equation Method, a BEM based method. Application of the boundary element technique yields a nonlinear coupled system of equations of motion. The solution of this system is accomplished iteratively by employing the average acceleration method in combination with the modified Newton–Raphson method. The evaluation of the shear deformation coefficients is accomplished from the aforementioned stress functions using only boundary integration. The proposed model takes into account the coupling effects of bending and shear deformations along the member, as well as the shear forces along the span induced by the applied axial loading.

     

Nonlinear dynamic analysis of Timoshenko beams by BEM. Part II: applications and validation

In this two-part contribution, a boundary element method is developed for the nonlinear dynamic analysis of beams of arbitrary doubly symmetric simply or multiply connected constant cross section, undergoing moderate large displacements and small deformations under general boundary conditions, taking into account the effects of shear deformation and rotary inertia. In Part I the governing equations of the aforementioned problem have been derived, leading to the formulation of five boundary value problems with respect to the transverse displacements, to the axial displacement and to two stress functions. These problems are numerically solved using the Analog Equation Method, a BEM based method. In this Part II, numerical examples are worked out to illustrate the efficiency, the accuracy and the range of applications of the developed method. Thus, the results obtained from the proposed method are presented as compared with those from both analytical and numerical research efforts from the literature. More specifically, the shear deformation effect in nonlinear free vibration analysis, the influence of geometric nonlinearities in forced vibration analysis, the shear deformation effect in nonlinear forced vibration analysis, the nonlinear dynamic analysis of Timoshenko beams subjected to arbitrary axial and transverse in both directions loading, the free vibration analysis of Timoshenko beams with very flexible boundary conditions and the stability under axial loading (Mathieu problem) are presented and discussed through examples of practical interest.