Design of buckling constrained multiphase material structures using continuum topology optimization

This study contributes to a possibility of evaluating composite structures configuration such as steel and concrete using buckling and volume constraints based on multi-material topology optimization. A Jacobi active-phase algorithm is used to generate multiphase topology optimization. It provides a rational solution appropriated to the topology optimizer, Method of Moving Asymptotes due to the conflict in updating the design variables. A modified material interpolation scheme solving spurious buckling modes problem which occurs in the multi-material topology optimization process is given and discussed. An investigation of buckling constraint parameter is described. It allows a single-objective minimum compliance topology optimization to obtain two objectives of maximizing both structure stiffness and first buckling load factor. The optimal changing topologies of single material structure and multi-material structure corresponding to different buckling constraints are presented. Numerical examples of compression-only structures and compression-tension structures considering structural instability are performed using both single material and multiple materials to verify the efficiency and superiority of the present method.

     

Optimal Elastic Design for Prescribed Maximum Deflection

ABSTRACT

For the problems of the optimal elastic design with prescribed maximum deflection, a variational formulation is proposed, with reference to the one-or two-dimensional bending structures.

Necessary optimum conditions are found, and the physical features of the optimal solutions are discussed for the “absolute” minimum cost problems, and, when dealing with beams, for the solutions with piece-wise constant design function.

Some examples are solved by using numerical methods that are directly derived from the variational formulation.     

Nonlinear Interactive Buckling: Sensitivity and Optimality∗

ABSTRACT

The nonlinear buckling behavior of discrete systems in which two eigen-modes interact is studied. A variable parameter affecting the design is introduced to allow a change in the closeness of the two eigenvalues. The sensitivity of the critical equilibrium states to combined changes in the design and imperfection parameters is considered through the concept of “sensitivity surfaces.” The analysis is used to discuss the sensitivity of structural systems optimized on the basis of the Simultaneous Mode Design Principle.     

Postbuckling and Imperfection Sensitivity Analysis of Axially Stiffened Cylindrical Shells with Mode Interaction

Abstract

Interaction of nearly simultaneous buckling modes in the presence of imperfections is studied. The investigation is concerned with axially stiffened cylindrical shells under axial compression. In these structures, two modes are of particular interest, namely an overall long-wave and a local shortwave buckling mode. Numerical results show that in some cases bending of the stringers in the local mode postbuckling solution plays an important role. Exclusion of this effect, as was done in a previous study by Byskov and Hutchinson, may lead to an overestimation of the carrying capacity of the shell. Furthermore, it is found that apparently reasonable approximations to the postbuckling fields associated with both the local and the overall mode, as well as with the overall mode alone, may lead to inexact values of the buckling load.     

Designing Continuous Columns for Minimum Total Cost of Material and Interior Supports

Abstract

Optimal design of nonuniform, elastic, continuous columns with an unspecified number of available interior supports is considered. Subject to prescribed Euler buckling load, column length, and a prebuckling stress constraint, we detennine the optimal design and the optimal number and positions of interior supports in such a way as to minimize the total cost of column material and interior supports. Specific results are presented for columns with geometrically similar cross-sections.     

Direct Stiffness Analysis of Lateral Buckling

Abstract

A direct stiffness method of analyzing the elastic ftexural-torsional buckling of rigid-jointed plane frames composed of l-section members and subjected to in-plane loads is presented. The in-plane stiffness matrix and the fixed-end resultants are obtained from the member stiffness matrices derived from the in-plane differential equations. These member stiffness matrices are assembled and solved, and their solutions are used to linearize the flexural-torsional buckling equations. The out-of-plane member stiffness matrices are then obtained numerically from the buckling equations by the method of finite integrals. The out-of-plane frame -stiffness matrix is assembled, and the critical loads are obtained when its determinant is zero. A computer program is developed which carries out either a first- or second-order in-plane analysis, and then determines the flexural-torsional buckling loads. The effects of in-plane deformations prior to buckling can be included. Very good agreement is obtained between the results computed by this program and known solutions, and its ability to analyze large complex frames is demonstrated.     

Structural dynamics and stability analysis of 2D-FG microbeams with two-directional porosity distribution and variable material length scale parameter

Abstract

Since the two-directional functionally graded (2D-FG) materials can satisfy the new requirements raised based on the elimination of the stress concentration, delamination and cracking problems accompanying with the low cost and lightweight on the structures without sacrificing the stiffness and strength, the structural analyses of these structures become more important than ever. Moreover, the usage of the micro-electromechanical systems composed of 2D-FG materials has been increasing in automotive, military, space, biomedical, and nuclear energy industries. Within this study, the free vibration and buckling behaviors of 2D-FG porous microbeams are investigated based on the modified couple stress theory by employing a transverse shear-normal deformation beam theory and using finite element method. The effects of the thickness to material length scale parameter (MLSP) accompanying with the micro-porosity volume fraction ratio, boundary condition, aspect ratio, and gradient index on the dimensionless fundamental frequencies and dimensionless critical buckling loads of the 2D-FG porous microbeams are investigated. Moreover, with assumption of the variable material length scale parameters (VMLSP), the computed results are compared with ones obtained by employing constant MLSP. It is found that VMLSP increases the stiffness of the 2D-FG porous microbeams and effects the free vibration and buckling responses of these structures.     

Damage Diagnosis in Frame Structures with a Dynamic Response Method∗

ABSTRACT

The dynamic response of planar frame structures composed of damped Bernoulli-Euler beams is computed, with and without a crack present in the structure. The inertance changes due to the crack are investigated in relation to the crack location, with the aim of developing a diagnosis method. The optimum excitation location and frequency and the optimum locations for response measurement are determined for best diagnosis results. The effects of crack location and severity and of damping are investigated. Damping is accounted for by the complex Young's modulus. Frames are analyzed with the electrical analogy method. A crack is modeled as a torsional spring, which is represented with an electrical resistor in the analogy. The electrical analogy method is used only as an analysis tool in this study, with the resulting equations being solved on a digital computer.     

Buckling analysis of woven fabric under uniaxial tension in arbitrary direction

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Mode Finding in Nonlinear Structural Eigenvalue Calculations

Abstract

The eigenvalue problems resulting from stiffness matrix formulations of structural vibration and buckling problems are nonlinear if substructures are analyzed exactly, or if classical frequency (vibration problems) or load factor (buckling problems) dependent member equations are used. This makes rapid calculation of accurate free vibration or buckling modes difficult. This paper presents several techniques which might overcome this difficulty, examines them theoretically and experimentally, and gives some of the ways in which the more successful techniques can be incorporated in mode finding methods. Coincident eigenvalues (i.e., natural frequencies or critical load factors) are included.     

Optimal Synthesis of Frameworks under Elastic and Plastic Performance Constraints Using Discrete Sections *, †

ABSTRACT

A computer-based method is presented for minimum-weight design of planar frameworks under service and ultimate performance conditions using discrete member sections. Service-load conditions ensure acceptable elastic stresses and displacements, and ultimate-load conditions ensure adequate safety against plastic collapse. The sizes of the discrete sections, which can be of any type; e.g., WF, HSS, etc., may be constrained to satisfy fabrication requirements related to member continuity and structure symmetry. The design method is iterative in nature and remarkably efficient. The number of iterations is generally small and almost totally independent of the complexity of the structure. Several comparative designs for simple truss and frame structures are presented to illustrate features of the method.     

Buckling and postbuckling of concentric cylindrical tubes under external pressure

The problem considered involves a structure composed of two concentric and bonded tubes subjected to external and uniform pressure. Compression tests are conducted using structures formed by a thin-walled internal rubber tube and a thick-walled external foam tube. Experimental results are plotted under the form of a bifurcation diagram representing the inner cross-sectional area of the thin tube as a function of pressure. The buckling pressure P_b and the contact pressure P_co are determined from this non linear diagram. A numerical computation by the Finite Element Method (FEM) is used in order to calculate the Euler buckling pressure P_b and the results are compared with experimental data. It is shown that the buckling pressure and the associated buckling mode n, strongly depend upon the elastic and geometrical parameters of both the tubes. The experimental and numerical investigations are also extended to postbuckling behaviour. The contact between the opposite sides of the inner wall is occured with a buckling mode index n = 2, 3. This contact phenomenon is given rise to the discontinuity of a previous diagram and was characterized by the contact pressure P_co.     

Design Component Method for Sensitivity Analysis of Built-up Structures

ABSTRACT

A “design component method” that provides a unified and systematic organization of design sensitivity analysis for built-up structures is developed and implemented. Both conventional design variables, such as thickness and cross-sectional area, and shape design variables of components of built-up structures are considered. It is shown that design of components of built-up structures can be characterized and system design sensitivity expressions obtained by simply adding contributions from each component. The method leads to a systematic organization of computations for design sensitivity analysis that is similar to the way in which computations are organized within a finite element code.     

复合材料加筋壁板的优化设计

本文用简化的方法,考虑了受压及压剪联合作用的复合材料加筋壁板的总体屈曲和局部屈曲、材料强度、刚度、轴向应变等因素以及其它工程要求的影响,用数学规划法提出壁板的优化设计问题,用乘子罚函数法求解。以石墨-环氧帽型加筋板为例,所得优化设计结果与NASA得出的最优曲线一致,证明了所用方法的可靠性,并可进一步推广应用于工程实践。     

Statically Admissible Stress Fields for Plastic Design of Connections of Steel Structures

ABSTRACT

The technique of statically admissible plastic stress fields is used in the plastic design of complex connections -of steel structures. An appropriate stress field gives a safe estimate of the shape of the connection design. Complex three-dimensional stress fields are composed of elementary subfields. Thus the procedure of plastic design consists in appropriate arrangement of subfields into a complex system of stresses.     

Accuracy Analysis of the Semi-Analytical Method for Shape Sensitivity Calculation∗

ABSTRACT

The semi-analytical method of design sensitivity analysis that is widely used for calculating derivatives of static response with respect to design variables for structures modeled by finite elements is studied in this paper. It is shown that the method can have serious accuracy problems for shape design variables in structures modeled by beam, plate, truss, frame, and solid elements. Errors are shown to be associated with an incompatibility of the sensitivity field with the structure. An error index is developed to test the accuracy of the semi-analytical method. It characterizes the difference in errors between a general finite difference method and the semi-analytical method. A method for improving the accuracy of the semi-analytical method (when possible) is provided. Examples are presented to demonstrate the use of the error index.     

Multimode Interaction in Axially Stiffened Cylindrical Shells

ABSTRACT

A number of studies show that nonlinear interaction between a shortwave local panel buckling mode and a longwave overall shell buckling mode usually causes strong imperfection sensitivity in stiffened shells. Interaction is particularly strong for simultaneous or nearly simultaneous modes. Mode interaction between two overall buckling modes, as well as interaction between two overall and one local mode, has received much less attention. The present study indicates that for certain imperfection combinations, such mode interactions are important. On the other hand, in most cases, interaction between one overall mode and one local mode governs.     

Simulation of Initially Slackened and Stiffened Structures by Virtual Distortions∗

ABSTRACT

Variational principles and computational methods for analysis of initially slackened and stiffened structures are discussed. The simulation of clearances or internal dry fraction in structural elements by virtual (eigen) distortions is applied. Considerations presented are used in the problem of nonstandard design of structural settings, with clearances or friction in the structural joints, for load capacity maximization.     

Configuration Design Sensitivity Analysis of Nonlinear Structural Systems with Elastic Material*

ABSTRACT

A continuum-based design sensitivity analysis (DSA) method is presented for configuration design of nonlinear structural systems using Mindlin plate and Tim-oshenko beam theories. Both displacement and critical load performance measures are considered. Configuration design variables are characterized by shape and orientation changes of structural components. The material derivative that is used to develop the continuum-based shape DSA method is extended to account for effects of configuration design variation. The piecewise linear design velocity field, i.e., C⁰-regular, is used to support configuration design changes for a broad class of built-up structures with beams and plates. To allow use of the C⁰-design velocity field, mathematical models of beam and plate bending must be second-order partial differential equations, so that only first-order derivatives appear in the integrand of the energy equation and, thus, in the integrand of the configuration design sensitivity expression. Since the Mindlin plate and Timoshenko beam theories use displacement and rotation to describe structural response, mathematical models of beam and plate bending are reduced to second-order partial differential equations. The isoparametric finite element formulations are used for numerical evaluation of continuum design sensitivity expressions.     

On the Buckling of Axially Compressed Thin Cylindrical Shells

ABSTRACT

A simple general method for the evaluation of the effect of shape imperfections on the buckling of thin shells is briefly presented. This method is applied to the axially compressed thin cylindrical shell resulting in an efficient numerical procedure for the computation of its buckling strength. The procedure is applicable to any sufficiently smooth imperfection pattern and has given results in good agreement with the available experimental data.