An efficient mixed interpolated curved beam element for geometrically nonlinear analysis

In this study, a curved beam element is developed for geometrically nonlinear analysis of planar structures. The main contribution of this research is to use high-performance formulation to alleviate locking phenomena and consider finite rotation. This scheme is based on the mixed interpolation of the strain fields. In this study, special tying points are found and utilized. One of the interesting advantages of the proposed element is the ability to model tapered structures. Moreover, the First-order Shear Deformation Theory (FSDT) and the Green-Lagrange strain are included. Several complicated and applicable nonlinear problems are solved to depict the efficiency and high accuracy of the proposed element, especially by fewer numbers of elements.     

Boundary element formulation for geometrically nonlinear elastostatics

The basic integral relationships for geometrically nonlinear problems are presented. Using the boundary element method they allow for the solution of a new range of problems in geometrically nonlinear elastostatics.     

Asynchronous variational Lie group integration for geometrically exact beam dynamics

For the elastodynamic simulation of a spatially discretized beam, asynchronous variational integrators (AVI) offer the possibility to use different time steps for every element [1]. They are symplectic and conserve discrete momentum maps and since the presented integrator for geometrically exact beam dynamics [2] is derived in the Lie group setting (SO(3) for the representation of rotational degrees of freedom), it intrinsically preserves the group structure without the need for constraints [3]. A decrease of computational cost is to be expected in situations, where the time steps have to be very low in certain parts of the beam but not everywhere, e.g. if some regions of the beam are moving faster than others. The implementation allows synchronous as well as asynchronous time stepping and shows very good energy behaviour, i.e. there is no drift of the total energy for conservative systems. (© 2013 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Algorithms for nonlinear mixed variational inequalities

In this paper, we establish the equivalence between the generalized nonlinear mixed variational inequalities and the generalized resolvent equations. This equivalence is used to suggest and analyze a number of iterative algorithms for solving generalized variational inequalities. We also discuss the convergence analysis of the proposed algorithms. As special cases, we obtain various known results from our results.     

Structure-preserving space-time discretization of nonlinear structural dynamics based on a mixed variational formulation

The present work deals with the design of structure-preserving numerical methods in the field of nonlinear elastodynamics and structural dynamics. Structure-preserving schemes such as energy-momentum consistent (EMC) methods are known to exhibit superior numerical stability and robustness. Most of the previously developed schemes are relying on a displacement-based variational formulation of the underlying mechanical model. In contrast to that we present a mixed variational framework for the systematic design of EMC schemes. The newly proposed mixed approach accomodates high-performance mixed finite elements such as the shell element due to Wagner & Gruttmann [1] and the brick element due to Kasper & Taylor [2]. Accordingly, the proposed approach makes possible the structure-preserving extension to the dynamic regime of those high-performance elements. (© 2016 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Unconventional Hamilton-type variational principles for nonlinear coupled thermoelastodynamics

According to the basic idea of classical yin-yang complementarity and modern dual-complementarity, in a simple and unified new way proposed by Luo, the unconventional Hamilton-type variational principles for geometrically nonlinear coupled thermoelastodynamics can be established systematically. The new unconventional Hamilton-type variational principle can fully characterize the initial-boundaty-value problem of this dynamics. In this paper, an important integral relation is given, which can be considered as the expression of the generalized principle of virtual work for geometrically nonlinear coupled thermodynamics. Based on this relation, it is possible not only to obtain the principle of virtual work in geometrically nonlinear coupled thermodynamics, but also to derive systematically the complementary functionals for eight-field, six-field, four-field and two-field unconventional Hamilton-type variational principles by the generalized Legendre transformations given in this paper. Furthermore, with this approach, the intrinsic relationship among various principles can be explained clearly.     

Multisymplectic variational integrators for PDEs of geometrically exact beam dynamics using algorithmic differentiation

For the simulation of geometrically exact beam dynamics [4], a multisymplectic Lie-group variational integrator [3] is derived. Based on the implementation of the discrete Lagrangian, algorithmic differentiation is used in the computation of both, the discrete Euler-Lagrange equations, and the Jacobi matrix needed for the Newton-Raphson iteration. (© 2016 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Multisymplectic Lie group variational integrator for a geometrically exact beam in R3

In this paper we develop, study, and test a Lie group multisymplectic integrator for geometrically exact beams based on the covariant Lagrangian formulation. We exploit the multisymplectic character of the integrator to analyze the energy and momentum map conservations associated to the temporal and spatial discrete evolutions.     

A dual-dual mixed formulation for nonlinear exterior transmission problems

We combine a dual-mixed finite element method with a Dirichlet-to-Neumann mapping (derived by the boundary integral equation method) to study the solvability and Galerkin approximations of a class of exterior nonlinear transmission problems in the plane. As a model problem, we consider a nonlinear elliptic equation in divergence form coupled with the Laplace equation in an unbounded region of the plane. Our combined approach leads to what we call a dual-dual mixed variational formulation since the main operator involved has itself a dual-type structure. We establish existence and uniqueness of solution for the continuous and discrete formulations, and provide the corresponding error analysis by using Raviart-Thomas elements. The main tool of our analysis is given by a generalization of the usual Babuska-Brezzi theory to a class of nonlinear variational problems with constraints.

     

A mixed variational formulation for a class of contact problems in viscoelasticity

We consider a deformable body in frictionless unilateral contact with a moving rigid obstacle. The material is described by a viscoelastic law with short memory, and the contact is modeled by a Signorini condition with a time-dependent gap. The existence and uniqueness results for a weak formulation based on a Lagrange multipliers approach are provided. Furthermore, we discuss an efficient algorithm approximating the weak solution for the more general case of a two-body contact problem including friction. In order to illustrate the theory we present two numerical examples in 3D.     

An extraresolvent method for monotone mixed variational inequalities

In this paper, we suggest and analyze a new iterative method for solving monotone mixed variational inequations using the resolvent operator technique. This new method can be viewed as an extension of the extragradient methods for solving the monotone variational inequalities.     

An iterative algorithm for generalized nonlinear variational inclusions

In this paper, we consider the generalized nonlinear variational inclusions for nonclosed and nonbounded valued operators and define an iterative algorithm for finding the approximate solutions of this class of variational inclusions. We also establish that the approximate solutions obtained by our algorithm converge to the exact solution of the generalized nonlinear variational inclusion.     

A variational inequality formulation of equilibrium models for end-of-life products with nonlinear constraints

Variational inequality theory facilitates the formulation of equilibrium problems in economic networks. Examples of successful applications include models of supply chains, financial networks, transportation networks, and electricity networks. Previous economic network equilibrium models that were formulated as variational inequalities only included linear constraints; in this case the equivalence between equilibrium problems and variational inequality problems is achieved with a standard procedure because of the linearity of the constraints. However, in reality, often nonlinear constraints can be observed in the context of economic networks. In this paper, we first highlight with an application from the context of reverse logistics why the introduction of nonlinear constraints is beneficial. We then show mathematical conditions, including a constraint qualification and convexity of the feasible set, which allow us to characterize the economic problem by using a variational inequality formulation. Then, we provide numerical examples that highlight the applicability of the model to real-world problems. The numerical examples provide specific insights related to the role of collection targets in achieving sustainability goals.     

An inexact implicit method for general mixed variational inequalities

In the present paper, we present an inexact implicit method with a variable parameter for general mixed variational inequalities. We use a self-adaptive technique to adjust parameter ρ$\rho$ at each iteration. The main advantage of this technique is that the method can adjust the parameter automatically and the numbers of iteration are not very sensitive to different initial parameter _ρ0.${\rho }_0.$     

A new iterative algorithm for a class of nonlinear mixed implicit variational inequalities

In this paper, we develop a new iterative algorithm for solving a class of nonlinear mixed implicit variational inequalities and give the convergence analysis of the iterative sequences generated by the algorithms. In our results, we do not assume that the mapping is strongly monotone, nor do we assume that the mapping is surjective.     

An inverse coefficient problem for a nonlinear parabolic variational inequality

This study is related to inverse coefficient problems for a nonlinear parabolic variational inequality with an unknown leading coefficient in the equation for the gradient of the solution. An inverse method, involving minimization of a least-squares cost functional, is developed to identify the unknown coefficient. It is proved that the solution of the corresponding direct problem depends continuously on the coefficient. On the basis of this, the existence of a quasisolution of the inverse problem is obtained in the appropriate class of admissible coefficients.     

A geometrically nonlinear (3,2) reduced degree-of-freedom unified zigzag laminated beam element for large deformation analysis

A geometrically nonlinear (3,2) unified zigzag beam element is developed with a reduced number of degree-of-freedom for the large deformation analysis. The main merit of the beam element model is the Kirchhoff and Cauchy shear stress solution for large deformation and large strain analysis is more accurate. The geometrically nonlinearity is considered in the calculation of the zigzag coefficients. Thus, the results of shear Cauchy stress are matching well with solid element analysis in case of the beam with aspect ratio greater than 20 under large deformation. The zigzag coefficients are derived explicitly. The Green strain and the second Piola Kirchhoff stress are used. The second Piola Kirchhoff shear stress is continuous at the interface between adjacent layers priori. The bottom surface second Piola Kirchhoff shear stress condition is used to determine the zigzag coefficient and the top surface second Piola Kirchhoff shear stress condition is used to reduce one degree-of-freedom. The nonlinear finite element equations are derived. In the numerical tests, several benchmark problems with large deformation are solved to verify the accuracy. It is observed that the proposed beam has accurate solution for beam with aspect ratio greater than 20. The second Piola Kirchhoff and Cauchy shear stress accuracy is also good. A convergence study is also presented.     

An algorithmic framework for convex mixed integer nonlinear programs

This paper is motivated by the fact that mixed integer nonlinear programming is an important and difficult area for which there is a need for developing new methods and software for solving large-scale problems. Moreover, both fundamental building blocks, namely mixed integer linear programming and nonlinear programming, have seen considerable and steady progress in recent years. Wishing to exploit expertise in these areas as well as on previous work in mixed integer nonlinear programming, this work represents the first step in an ongoing and ambitious project within an open-source environment. COIN-OR is our chosen environment for the development of the optimization software. A class of hybrid algorithms, of which branch-and-bound and polyhedral outer approximation are the two extreme cases, are proposed and implemented. Computational results that demonstrate the effectiveness of this framework are reported. Both the library of mixed integer nonlinear problems that exhibit convex continuous relaxations, on which the experiments are carried out, and a version of the software used are publicly available.