Non-linear stability analysis of imperfect thin-walled composite beams

The static non-linear behavior of thin-walled composite beams is analyzed considering the effect of initial imperfections. A simple approach is used for determining the influence of imperfection on the buckling, prebuckling and postbuckling behavior of thin-walled composite beams. The fundamental and secondary equilibrium paths of perfect and imperfect systems corresponding to a major imperfection are analyzed for the case where the perfect system has a stable symmetric bifurcation point. A geometrically non-linear theory is formulated in the context of large displacements and rotations, through the adoption of a shear deformable displacement field. An initial displacement, either in vertical or horizontal plane, is considered in presence of initial geometric imperfection. Ritz's method is applied in order to discretize the non-linear differential system and the resultant algebraic equations are solved by means of an incremental Newton-Rapshon method. The numerical results are presented for a simply supported beam subjected to axial or lateral load. It is shown in the examples that a major imperfection reduces the load-carrying capacity of thin-walled beams. The influence of this effect is analyzed for different fiber orientation angle of a symmetric balanced lamination. In addition, the postbuckling response obtained with the present beam model is compared with the results obtained with a shell finite element model (Abaqus).     

A non-linear model for the dynamics of open cross-section thin-walled beams—Part I: formulation

A non-linear one-dimensional model of inextensional, shear undeformable, thin-walled beam with an open cross-section is developed. Non-linear in-plane and out-of-plane warping and torsional elongation effects are included in the model. By using the Vlasov kinematical hypotheses, together with the assumption that the cross-section is undeformable in its own plane, the non-linear warping is described in terms of the flexural and torsional curvatures. Due to the internal constraints, the displacement field depends on three components only, two transversal translations of the shear center and the torsional rotation. Three non-linear differential equations of motion up to the third order are derived using the Hamilton principle. Taking into account the order of magnitude of the various terms, the equations are simplified and the importance of each contribution is discussed. The effect of symmetry properties is also outlined. Finally, a discrete form of the equations is given, which is used in Part II to study dynamic coupling phenomena in conditions of internal resonance.     

A non-linear model for the dynamics of open cross-section thin-walled beams—Part II: forced motion

The discrete equations developed in Part I are here used to analyze the non-linear dynamics of an inextensional shear indeformable beam with given end constraints. The model takes into account the non-linear effects of warping and of torsional elongation. Non-linear 3D oscillations of a beam with a cross-section having one symmetry axis is examined. Only terms of higher magnitude are retained in the equations, which exhibit quadratic, cubic and combination resonances. A harmonic load acting in the direction of the symmetry axis and in resonance with the corresponding natural frequency, is considered. Steady-state solutions and their stability are studied; in particular the effects of non-linear warping and of torsional elongation on the response are highlighted.     

Non-linear normal modes,invariance, and modal dynamics approximations of non-linear systems

Non-linear systems are here tackled in a manner directly inherited from linear ones, that is, by using proper normal modes of motion. These are defined in terms of invariant manifolds in the system's phase space, on which the uncoupled system dynamics can be studied. Two different methodologies which were previously developed to derive the non-linear normal modes of continuous systems — one based on a purely continuous approach, and one based on a discretized approach to which the theory developed for discrete systems can be applied-are simultaneously applied to the same study case-an Euler-Bernoulli beam constrained by a non-linear spring-and compared as regards accuracy and reliability. Numerical simulations of pure non-linear modal motions are performed using these approaches, and compared to simulations of equations obtained by a classical projection onto the linear modes. The invariance properties of the non-linear normal modes are demonstrated, and it is also found that, for a pure non-linear modal motion, the invariant manifold approach achieves the same accuracy as that obtained using several linear normal modes, but with significantly reduced computational cost. This is mainly due to the possibility of obtaining high-order accuracy in the dynamics by solving only one non-linear ordinary differential equation.     

Non-linear global dynamics of an axially moving plate

In the present study, the geometrically non-linear dynamics of an axially moving plate is examined by constructing the bifurcation diagrams of Poincaré maps for the system in the sub and supercritical regimes. The von Kármán plate theory is employed to model the system by retaining in-plane displacements and inertia. The governing equations of motion of this gyroscopic system are obtained based on an energy method by means of the Lagrange equations which yields a set of second-order non-linear ordinary differential equations with coupled terms. A change of variables is employed to transform this set into a set of first-order non-linear ordinary differential equations. The resulting equations are solved using direct time integration, yielding time-varying generalized coordinates for the in-plane and out-of-plane motions. From these time histories, the bifurcation diagrams of Poincaré maps, phase-plane portraits, and Poincaré sections are constructed at points of interest in the parameter space for both the axial speed regimes.     

Space-time perturbation modes for non-linear dynamic analysis of beams

In this work an attempt is made at bridging the powerful perturbation methods of analytical dynamics to the versatile finite element techniques which can readily handle arbitrarily complex structures. The proposed analysis methodology has two distinguishing features. First, a space-time finite element formulation is used, and hence the concept of modes is here naturally extended to that of space-time modes, where the time dependency is implied in the assumed modes. As a result, the partial differential equations of motion are directly reduced to purely algebraic non-linear simultaneous equations. Second, perturbation modes, rather than the usual vibration mode shapes are used and shown to be an appropriate basis for non-linear dynamic analysis. These modes bring information about the non-linearities of the system through the higher order derivatives of the strain and kinetic energies. The procedure is illustrated on non-linear beam problems and the results are compared with those of a full finite element model, i.e., when all the degrees of freedom are considered, as well as with analytical results, when available.     

Non-linear dynamics of wind turbine wings

The paper deals with the formulation of non-linear vibrations of a wind turbine wing described in a wing fixed moving coordinate system. The considered structural model is a Bernoulli-Euler beam with due consideration to axial twist. The theory includes geometrical non-linearities induced by the rotation of the aerodynamic load and the curvature, as well as inertial induced non-linearities caused by the support point motion. The non-linear partial differential equations of motion in the moving frame of reference have been discretized, using the fixed base eigenmodes as a functional basis. Important non-linear couplings between the fundamental blade mode and edgewise modes have been identified based on a resonance excitation of the wing, caused by a harmonically varying support point motion with the circular frequency ω. Assuming that the fundamental blade and edgewise eigenfrequencies have the ratio of ω₂/ω₁?2, internal resonances between these modes have been studied. It is demonstrated that for ω/ω₁?0.66,1.33,1.66 and 2.33 coupled periodic motions exist brought forward by parametric excitation from the support point in addition to the resonances at ω/ω₁?1.0 and ω/ω₂?1.0 partly caused by the additive load term.     

Modelling of inextensible cable dynamics with experiments

The recognition of very stiff axial elastic motion compared to the motion in the transverse direction for cable dynamics motivates separation of the axial and transversal dynamics. For certain applications, e.g. real-time model-based control, fast calculation of the transverse motion may be of high importance, motivating the development of numerically efficient software code. Separation of axial dynamics renders possible neglection or simplification of the axial dynamics if appropriate for the system studied. A model is proposed with the assumption of axial inextensible material and negligible bending, torsion and shear stiffness in the cable. Experiments are carried out to verify the model, and the results are compared with simulations. The comparison between the experiments and numerical simulations showed good agreement up to the second frequency range with resonant behavior and the corresponding motion amplitudes.     

Damping for large-amplitude vibrations of plates and curved panels,Part 1: Modeling and experiments

Theoretical and experimental non-linear vibrations of thin rectangular plates and curved panels subjected to out-of-plane harmonic excitation are investigated. Experiments have been performed on isotropic and laminated sandwich plates and panels with supported and free boundary conditions. A sophisticated measuring technique has been developed to characterize the non-linear behavior experimentally by using a Laser Doppler Vibrometer and a stepped-sine testing procedure. The theoretical approach is based on Donnell's non-linear shell theory (since the tested plates are very thin) but retaining in-plane inertia, taking into account the effect of geometric imperfections. A unified energy approach has been utilized to obtain the discretized non-linear equations of motion by using the linear natural modes of vibration. Moreover, a pseudo arc-length continuation and collocation scheme has been used to obtain the periodic solutions and perform bifurcation analysis. Comparisons between numerical simulations and the experiments show good qualitative and quantitative agreement. It is found that, in order to simulate large-amplitude vibrations, a damping value much larger than the linear modal damping should be considered. This indicates a very large and non-linear increase of damping with the increase of the excitation and vibration amplitude for plates and curved panels with different shape, boundary conditions and materials.     

Non-linear modal analysis for beams subjected to axial loads: Analytical and finite-element solutions

A rigorous derivation of non-linear equations governing the dynamics of an axially loaded beam is given with a clear focus to develop robust low-dimensional models. Two important loading scenarios were considered, where a structure is subjected to a uniformly distributed axial and a thrust force. These loads are to mimic the main forces acting on an offshore riser, for which an analytical methodology has been developed and applied. In particular, non-linear normal modes (NNMs) and non-linear multi-modes (NMMs) have been constructed by using the method of multiple scales. This is to effectively analyse the transversal vibration responses by monitoring the modal responses and mode interactions. The developed analytical models have been crosschecked against the results from FEM simulation. The FEM model having 26 elements and 77 degrees-of-freedom gave similar results as the low-dimensional (one degree-of-freedom) non-linear oscillator, which was developed by constructing a so-called invariant manifold. The comparisons of the dynamical responses were made in terms of time histories, phase portraits and mode shapes.     

Nonlinear flexural-flexural-torsional interactions in beams including the effect of torsional dynamics. I: Primary resonance

Nonlinear coupling between torsional and both in-plane and out-of-plane flexural motion is examined for inextensional beams (or beam-like structures) whose torsional and flexural eigenfrequencies are of the same order. The analysis presented here is based on a consistent set of nonlinear differential equations which contain both curvature and inertia nonlinearities, and account for torsional dynamics. Response characteristics, including stability, are determined for cantilever beams subjected to a lateral periodic excitation. The beam's response in the presence of a one-to-one internal resonance involving a torsional frequency and an in-plane bending frequency is investigated in detail.     

Nonlinear flexural-flexural-torsional interactions in beams including the effect of torsional dynamics. II: Combination resonance

In Part I of this work nonlinear coupling between torsional motion and both in-plane and out-of-plane flexural motion was examined for inextensional beams in the presence of a one-to-one internal resonance. Here the nonlinear response of the system considered in Part I is investigated for the case of an internal combination resonance involving modes associated with bending in two directions and torsion. The analysis presented is based on a consistent set of nonlinear differential equations which contain both curvature and inertia nonlinearities and account for torsional dynamics.     

Non-linear analysis of structures using two-point method

Non-linear algebraic equations must be solved by an iterative method, the non-linear equations being linearized by evaluating the non-linear terms with the known solution from the preceding iteration. The Newton-Raphson method, which is based on the Taylor series expansion and uses the tangent stiffness matrix, has been extensively used to solve non-linear problems. In this paper, a new Newton-Raphson algorithm is developed for analyses involving non-linear behavior. Our method, here named as a two-point method, is constructed as a predictor-corrector one, most frequently taking Newton's method in the first iteration. It should be noted that our concern in this research ignores the problem of passing limit points. The presented method incorporates the known information at each stage of the loading process to determine the subsequent unknown variables. Compared with the classic Newton-Raphson algorithm, it offers a strategy that can be deployed to reduce both the number of the iterations and the computing time involved in non-linear analysis of structures.     

Non-linear interactions in the flexible multi-body dynamics of cable-supported bridge cross-sections

An elastic section model is proposed to analyze some characteristic issues of the cable-supported bridge dynamics through an equivalent planar multi-body system. The quadratic non-linearities of the four-degree-of-freedom model essentially describe the geometric coupling which may strongly characterize the dynamic interactions of the bridge deck and a pair of identical suspension cables (hangers or stays). The linear modal solution shows that the flexural and torsional modes of the deck (global modes) typically co-exist with symmetric or anti-symmetric modes of the cables (local modes). The combinations of parameters which realize remarkable 2:1:1 internal resonance conditions among one of the global modes (with higher natural frequency) and two local modes (with lower and close natural frequencies) are obtained by virtue of a multiparameter perturbation method. The non-linear response of the resonant systems shows that the global deck motion – directly forced at primary resonance by an external harmonic load – can parametrically excite the local cable motion, when the deck vibration amplitude overcomes the critical value at which a period-doubling bifurcation occurs. The relevant effects of both viscous damping and internal detuning on the instability boundaries are parametrically investigated. All the internal resonance conditions as well as the critical vibration amplitudes are expressed as an explicit, though asymptotically approximate, function of the structural parameters.     

Non-linear dynamics of a drill-string with uncertain model of the bit–rock interaction

The drill-string dynamics is difficult to predict due to the non-linearities and uncertainties involved in the problem. In this paper a stochastic computational model is proposed to model uncertainties in the bit–rock interaction model. To do so, a new strategy that uses the non-parametric probabilistic approach is developed to take into account model uncertainties in the bit–rock non-linear interaction model. The mean model considers the main forces applied to the column such as the bit–rock interaction, the fluid–structure interaction and the impact forces. The non-linear Timoshenko beam theory is used and the non-linear dynamical equations are discretized by means of the finite element method.     

Analytical prediction and experimental validation for longitudinal control of cable oscillations

The paper summarizes the knowledge acquired from the analytical studies and the experimental implementation of a longitudinal non-collocated control strategy for the reduction of cable oscillations. The control is introduced by imposing a longitudinal action at one support based on the knowledge of transverse displacements and velocities of a few selected points. A spatially one-dimensional continuous model of a suspended cable has been used to describe the main features of the non-collocated longitudinal active control strategy. A discrete modal representation has permitted the introduction of suitable non-linear state-feedback controllers. The results have been used to derive an implementable strategy, based on direct output feedback, which preserves the main previous control features. A physical model of an actively controlled cable has been used to demonstrate the control effectiveness of the proposed strategy through a large campaign of experiments, conducted in various frequency ranges and amplitude levels including meaningful external resonance conditions. The responses predicted by the analytical model and the experimental results show good qualitative agreement with one another, in both the uncontrolled and controlled experienced cable dynamics.     

Non-linear theories of beams and plates accounting for moderate rotations and material length scales

The primary objective of this paper is to formulate the governing equations of shear deformable beams and plates that account for moderate rotations and microstructural material length scales. This is done using two different approaches: (1) a modified von Kármán non-linear theory with modified couple stress model and (2) a gradient elasticity theory of fully constrained finitely deforming hyperelastic cosserat continuum where the directors are constrained to rotate with the body rotation. Such theories would be useful in determining the response of elastic continua, for example, consisting of embedded stiff short fibers or inclusions and that accounts for certain longer range interactions. Unlike a conventional approach based on postulating additional balance laws or ad hoc addition of terms to the strain energy functional, the approaches presented here extend existing ideas to thermodynamically consistent models. Two major ideas introduced are: (1) inclusion of the same order terms in the strain–displacement relations as those in the conventional von Kármán non-linear strains and (2) the use of the polar decomposition theorem as a constraint and a representation for finite rotations in terms of displacement gradients for large deformation beam and plate theories. Classical couple stress theory is recovered for small strains from the ideas expressed in (1) and (2). As a part of this development, an overview of Eringen׳s non-local, Mindlin׳s modified couple stress theory, and the gradient elasticity theory of Srinivasa–Reddy is presented.     

Geometrically exact planar beams with initial pre-stress and large curvature: Static configurations,natural frequencies,and mode shapes

Within this paper, an analytical formulation is provided and used to determine the natural frequencies and mode shapes of a planar beam with initial pre-stress and large variable curvature. The static configuration, mode shapes, and natural frequencies of the pre-stressed beam are obtained by using geometrically exact, Euler–Bernoulli beam theory. The beam is assumed to be not shear deformable and inextensible because of its slenderness and uniform, closed cross-section, as well as the boundary conditions under consideration. The static configuration and the modal information are validated with experimental data and compared to results obtained from nonlinear finite-element analysis software. In addition to the modal analysis about general static configurations, special consideration is given to an initially straight beam that is deformed into semi-circular and circular static configurations. For these special circular cases, the partial differential equation of motion is reduced to a sixth-order differential equation with constant coefficients, and solutions of this system are examined. This work can serve as a basis for studying slender structures with large curvatures.     

Non-linear vibrations and frequency response analysis of piezoelectrically driven microcantilevers

Microcantilevers have recently received widespread attentions due to their extreme applicability and versatility in both biological and non-biological applications. Along this line, this paper undertakes the non-linear vibrations of a piezoelectrically driven microcantilever beam as a common configuration in many scanning probe microscopy and nanomechanical cantilever biosensor systems. A part of the microcantilever beam surface is covered by a piezoelectric layer (typically ZnO), which acts both as an actuator and sensor. The bending vibrations of the microcantilever beam are studied considering the inextensibility condition and the coupling between electrical and mechanical properties in the piezoelectric materials. The non-linear terms appear in the form of quadratic expression due to presence of piezoelectric layer, and cubic form due to geometrical non-linearities. The Galerkin approximation is then utilized to discretize the equations of motion. In addition, the method of multiple scales is applied to arrive at the closed form solution for the fundamental natural frequency of the system. An experimental setup consisting of a commercial piezoelectric microcantilever attached on the stand of a state-of-the-art microsystem analyzer for non-contact vibration measurement is utilized to verify the theoretical developments. It is found that the experimental results and theoretical findings are in good agreement, which demonstrates that the non-linear modeling framework could provide a better dynamic representation of the microcantilever than the previous linear models. Due to microscale nature of the system, excitation amplitude plays an important role since even a small change in the amplitude of excitation can lead to significant vibrations and frequency shift.