Development of quadrilateral spline thin plate elements using the B-net method

The quadrilateral discrete Kirchhoff thin plate bending element DKQ is based on the isoparametric element Q8, however, the accuracy of the isoparametric quadrilateral elements will drop significantly due to mesh distortions. In a previous work, we constructed an 8-node quadrilateral spline element L8 using the triangular area coordinates and the Bnet method, which can be insensitive to mesh distortions and possess the second order completeness in the Cartesian coordinates. In this paper, a thin plate spline element is developed based on the spline element L8 and the refined technique. Numerical examples show that the present element indeed possesses higher accuracy than the DKQ element for distorted meshes.     

带旋转自由度C^0类任意四边形板（壳）单元

基于Ｒｅｉｓｓｎｅｒ－Ｍｉｎｄｉｌｉｎ板弯曲理论和Ｖｏｎ－Ｋａｒｍａｎ大挠度理论,采用单元域内和边界位移插值一致性的概念,将四节点等参弯曲单元与Ａｌｌｍａｎ膜变形二次插值模式相结合,对层合板壳的大挠度分析提供了一种实用的带旋转自由度的四节点Ｃ＾０类板单元。大量算例表明：该单元对板壳结构的线性强度、稳定性和后屈曲分析都表现出良好的收敛性和足够的工程精度。     

Application of the quadrilateral area coordinate method： a new element for laminated composite plate bending problems

Recently, some new quadrilateral finite elements were successfully developed by the Quadrilateral Area Coordinate (QAC) method. Compared with those traditional models using isoparametric coordinates, these new models are less sensitive to mesh distortion. In this paper, a new displacement-based, 4-node 20-DOF (5-DOF per node) quadrilateral bending element based on the first-order shear deformation theory for analysis of arbitrary laminated composite plates is presented. Its bending part is based on the element AC-MQ4, a recent-developed high-performance Mindlin-Reissner plate element formulated by QAC method and the generalized conforming condition method; and its in-plane displacement fields are interpolated by bilinear shape functions in isoparametric coordinates. Furthermore, the hybrid post-processing procedure, which was firstly proposed by the authors, is employed again to improve the stress solutions, especially for the transverse shear stresses. The resulting element, denoted as AC-MQ4-LC, exhibits excellent performance in all linear static and dynamic numerical examples. It demonstrates again that the QAC method, the generalized conforming condition method, and the hybrid post-processing procedure are efficient tools for developing simple, effective and reliable finite element models. The project is supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (10502028), the Special Foundation for the Authors of the Nationwide (China) Excellent Doctoral Dissertation (200242), and the Science Research Foundation of China Agricultural University (2004016).     

Two 8-node quadrilateral spline elements by B-net method

Isoparametric quadrilateral elements are widely used in the finite element method, but the accuracy of the isoparametric quadrilateral elements will drop obviously deteriorate due to mesh distortions. Spline functions have some properties of simplicity and conformality. Two 8-node quadrilateral elements have been developed using the triangular area coordinates and the B-net method, which can exactly model the quadratic field for both convex and concave quadrangles. Some appropriate examples are employed to evaluate the performance of the proposed elements. The numerical results show that the two spline elements can obtain solutions which are highly accurate and insensitive to mesh distortions.     

A 17-node quadrilateral spline finite element using the triangular area coordinates

Isopaxametric quadrilateral elements are widely used in the finite element method. However, they have a disadvantage of accuracy loss when elements are distorted. Spline functions have properties of simpleness and conformality. A 17onode quadrilateral element has been developed using the bivaxiate quaxtic spline interpolation basis and the triangular area coordinates, which can exactly model the quartic displacement fields. Some appropriate examples are employed to illustrate that the element possesses high precision and is insensitive to mesh distortions.     

Corotational nonlinear analyses of laminated shell structures using a 4-node quadrilateral flat shell element with drilling stiffness

A new 4-node quadrilateral flat shell element is developed for geometrically nonlinear analyses of thin and moderately thick laminated shell structures. The fiat shell element is constructed by combining a quadrilateral area co- ordinate method （QAC） based membrane element AGQ6- II, and a Timoshenko beam function （TBF） method based shear deformable plate bending element ARS-Q12. In order to model folded plates and connect with beam elements, the drilling stiffness is added to the element stiffness matrix based on the mixed variational principle. The transverse shear rigidity matrix, based on the first-order shear deformation theory （FSDT）, for the laminated composite plate is evaluated using the transverse equilibrium conditions, while the shear correction factors are not needed. The conventional TBF methods are also modified to efficiently calculate the element stiffness for laminate. The new shell element is extended to large deflection and post-buckling analyses of isotropic and laminated composite shells based on the element independent corotational formulation. Numerical re- sults show that the present shell element has an excellent numerical performance for the test examples, and is applicable to stiffened plates.     

基于高阶剪切变形理论的四边形求积元板单元及其应用

近年来由各类新型复合材料或功能梯度材料构成的板结构在工程领域得到了广泛应用,其显著特点是材料性能沿板厚变化.为合理考虑横向剪切应变,许多学者基于Reddy高阶剪切变形理论,构建了不同的有限元单元对该类板结构进行分析,但其中满足$C^{1}$连续条件的单元相对较少.本文基于Reddy高阶剪切变形理论,采用求积元方法,建立了$C^{1}$连续的四边形板单元.利用该单元对均质材料、复合材料、功能梯度材料构成的等厚度矩形板、变厚度矩形板及等厚度斜板的线弹性弯曲和自由振动问题进行了计算分析,并与现有文献中的相应计算结果进行了对比.研究表明:基于高阶剪切变形理论的四边形求积元板单元具有较高的计算效率和良好的适应性,文中各类材料构成的等变厚度矩形板及等厚度斜板均只需1个单元即可得到理想的计算结果.对于等/变厚度矩形板,可仅使用9$\times$9个积分点,而对于等厚度斜板,随着斜角的增大,所需积分点的数目逐渐增多至15$\times $15.该四边形求积元板单元可进一步用于新型复合材料板的非线性分析.      

Construction of n-sided polygonal spline element using area coordinates and B-net method

In general, triangular and quadrilateral elements are commonly applied in two-dimensional finite element methods. If they are used to compute polycrystalline materials, the cost of computation can be quite significant. Polygonal elements can do well in simulation of the materials behavior and provide greater flexibility for the meshing of complex geometries. Hence, the study on the polygonal element is a very useful and necessary part in the finite element method. In this paper, an n-sided polygonal element based on quadratic spline interpolant, denoted by PS2 element, is presented using the triangular area coordinates and the B-net method. The PS2 element is conforming and can exactly model the quadratic field. It is valid for both convex and non-convex polygonal element, and insensitive to mesh distortions. In addition, no mapping or coordinate transformation is required and thus no Jacobian matrix and its inverse are evaluated. Some appropriate examples are employed to evaluate the performance of the proposed element.     

多边形有限元研究进展

有限元法是数值求解偏微分方程边值问题的重要方法,采用不规则多边形单元网格, 可以方便有效地模拟材料的力学性能, 又使得区域网格剖分变得灵活方便. 特别是对于复杂的几何形状, 多边形单元网格具有更大的优势. 本文对国内外有关多边形有限元法的最新进展作了初步的总结和评述, 主要以基于位移法的多边形有限元为主.论述了多边形有限元的发展历史, 给出了多边形单元上的Wachspress插值、Laplace插值和重心坐标的一些最新研究成果. 与经典有限元法形函数为多项式形式不同, 多边形单元的形函数为有理函数或者无理函数形式. 多边形单元插值形函数满足线性完备性, 可以再现线性位移场, 像经典有限元法一样直接施加本质边界条件; 插值函数在多边形的边界上是线性的,确保不同单元间的自动协调. 不同单元的插值形函数表达公式形式统一, 方便混合单元网格计算的程序编写. 提出了多边形有限元法今后需要研究的问题.      

基于面积坐标与B网方法的四边形样条单元

传统等参元方法中, S型等参元完备阶较低,对网格畸变敏感, L型等参元具有高阶完备性但需要使用内部节点. 另外,由于引入等参变换, 采用数值积分可能导致总刚度矩阵出现奇异性.利用三角形面积坐标与B网方法建立了一类平面四边形的样条单元函数,它们的特点是满足协调条件, 克服网格畸变敏感性.其中8节点和12节点单元分别为2次和3次样条函数,对直角坐标分别具有二阶和三阶完备性, 高于相同节点的S型等参元.通过算例测试了这些样条单元, 并与等参元和其它四边形单元比较,数值结果显示了它们的高精度和有效性.      

A discussion about scale invariants for tensor functions

It is found that in some cases the complete and irreducible scale invariants given by Ref.[1] are not independent. There are some implicit functional relations among them. The scale invariants for two different cases are calculated. The first case is an arbitrary second order tensor. The second case includes a symmetric tensor, an antisymmetric tensor and a vector. By using the eigentensor notation it is proved that in the first case there are only six independent scale invariants rather than seven as reported in Ref.[1] and in the second case there are only nine independent scale invariants which are less than that obtained in Ref.[1].     

Application of the 2-D constant strain assumption to FEM elements consisting of an arbitrary number of nodes

The formulation for the constant strain element is revisited to develop multi-noded elements that can be used as transition elements in a finite element mesh. Although the constant strain approach is computationally attractive, spurious force-free displacement modes arise for elements consisting of more than three nodes. These unstable mode shapes are typified by “hourglassing” which develops in quadrilateral elements when constant strain is assumed within the element. The means for stabilizing spurious mode shapes for quadrilateral elements is well documented in the literature, however, in this paper, a general formulation for stabilizing forces is presented for elements having an arbitrary number of nodes and therefore is not restricted to quadrilateral elements. This paper examines the use of meshes consisting of constant strain elements created from polygons having differing numbers of element nodes. The effectiveness of the stabilization procedure is illustrated along with “patch test” examples to assess the consistency of the approximation. The elements are shown to be surprisingly robust, yielding reasonable results even when poorly designed mesh transitions are used.     

复合材料层合板的摄动随机Cell-Based光滑有限元

随机性是实际工程结构的固有特性,如何更真实地描述含随机参数结构的随机响应及统计特性,对工程结构的可靠性设计具有非常重要的意义。本文基于Cell-Based光滑有限元,采用四边形单元,推导了基于一阶剪切变形理论的复合材料层合板的光滑有限元公式,降低了网格划分要求,适应不规则网格,并采用离散剪切间隙有效地消除了剪切自锁;结合摄动法和随机场理论,导出了复合材料层合板的摄动随机光滑有限元平衡方程,并给出了结构随机响应数字特征的计算公式,求解了材料属性含随机性的复合材料层合板的随机响应问题,数值算例结果表明了本方法的有效性和准确性。     

A quadrilateral membrane hybrid stress element with drilling degrees of freedom

A new kind of quadrilateral assumed stress hybrid membrane element with drilling degrees of freedom and a traction-free inclined side has been developed based on an extended Hellinger-Reissner principle which is established by expanding the essential terms of the assumed stress field as polynomials in the natural coordinates of the element. The homogeneous equilibrium equations are imposed in a variational sense through the internal displacements which are also expanded in the natural coordinates, while the tractionfree conditions along the inclined side are satisfied exactly. The use of such special element in the finite element solution is shown to be highly accurate when only a very coarse element mesh is used for plates with V-shaped rounded notches or inclined sides.     

一类新型受任意载荷的杂交旋转壳单元

本文从弹性力学Reissner变分原理出发推导旋转壳曲线坐标系下内分，位移的二类变量广义变分原理，依据这个原理推导一类旋转壳坐标系中具有独立横向转角的受谐和外载荷下的杂交旋转壳单元，内力模式的选用使刚度矩阵的剪切部份在薄壳情况下能反映Kirchhoff假设，并使单元刚度矩阵满秩，从而保证单元无剪切自锁和零能模式，数例证明这类单元对中厚和薄旋转壳具有良好的通用性和较高的精度。     

Finite element implementation and numerical issues of strain gradient plasticity with application to metal matrix composites

A framework of finite element equations for strain gradient plasticity is presented. The theoretical framework requires plastic strain degrees of freedom in addition to displacements and a plane strain version is implemented into a commercial finite element code. A couple of different elements of quadrilateral type are examined and a few numerical issues are addressed related to these elements as well as to strain gradient plasticity theories in general. Numerical results are presented for an idealized cell model of a metal matrix composite under shear loading. It is shown that strengthening due to fiber size is captured but strengthening due to fiber shape is not. A few modelling aspects of this problem are discussed as well. An analytic solution is also presented which illustrates similarities to other theories.     

最佳协调性四边形薄板元

本文利用最佳逼近思想，构造了一种任意四边形广义协调薄板元。文中提出了协调性度量泛函的概念。通过协调性度量泛函的极小化，使单元协调性达到最佳。该方法的特点是非常便于程式化，容易推广到其它类型非协调元的构造，数值检验表明，该类单元精度很好，且对不规则网格有较好的适应性，此外，在使用协调性度量泛函的前提下，令插值基函数在笛卡尔坐标中直接取用，可使小片检验自然满足。     

A new kind of mixed elements for shells of revolution subjected to arbitrary loads

In this paper a generalized variational principle with two-field variables is derived from the Reissner principle of elasticity in the curvilinear coordinates of a revolution shell, based on which, a new kind of mixed elements with independent transverse rotations is formulated for revolution shells subjected to harmonic external loads. The resultant-stress interpolations are carefully selected so that the shear part of the element stiffness contains the Kirchhoff hypothesis for thin shells and element stiffness matrices have correct ranks. The elements are free from shear locking and spurious kinematic modes. Numerical examples show that the new elements have good generality and high accuracy for thin and moderately-thick revolution shells.     

一种精确积分的四结点板弯曲单元

本文从Ｍｉｎｄｌｉｎ／Ｒｅｉｓｓｎｅｒ理论出发,采用一种新的平行四边形母单元和相应的形函数推导四结点板弯曲单元刚度矩阵的精确积分解。弯曲应变和横向剪切应变分别采用不同的插值公式构成单元刚度矩阵。理论和算例分析表明本文方法克服了“闭锁”现象并能应用于很薄的板,单元刚度矩阵计算速度比采用数值积分计算的同类单元的快四倍。