A model reduction technique for laminated solids of revolution with a curved cross-section

This paper presents an extension of the numerical reduction method, which has been proposed in Lejeunes et al. (Arch Appl Mech, 76:311–326, 2006), for modeling curved laminated structures of revolution such as for instance rubber bearings. This method based on high-order finite elements is developed in the context of nearly incompressible hyperelastic behavior. The displacement is approximated with a sum of independent functions, leading to a separation of variables. Therefore, a one-dimensional finite element can be formulated, which represents a 3-dimensional solid in a general loading case. Comparisons with classical finite element models are provided and show the reliability of this model reduction. An important decrease in the model size and a greatly reduced computing time, compared to standard models, is observed.