A new finite element model for the analysis of arbitrary stiffened shells

A new stiffened shallow shell finite element has been introduced for the static analysis of stiffened plates and shells. This approach has been presented to cater for stiffeners in which the positions and properties remain undisturbed in the formulation and the element can accomodate the stiffener anywhere within the shell element and in any direction, which introduces a considerable flexibility in the analysis. This is a distinct improvement over the existing models. Stiffened shells having various disposition of stiffeners as available in the literature, have been analysed by the proposed approach. Comparison obtained with the existing theoretical and/or experimental values have indicated good accuracy with relatively coarser mesh sizes and less CPU time.     

High dimensional model representation for stochastic finite element analysis

This paper presents a generic high dimensional model representation (HDMR) method for approximating the system response in terms of functions of lower dimensions. The proposed approach, which has been previously applied for problems dealing only with random variables, is extended in this paper for problems in which physical properties exhibit spatial random variation and may be modelled as random fields. The formulation of the extended HDMR is similar to the spectral stochastic finite element method in the sense that both of them utilize Karhunen–Loève expansion to represent the input, and lower-order expansion to represent the output. The method involves lower dimensional HDMR approximation of the system response, response surface generation of HDMR component functions, and Monte Carlo simulation. Each of the low order terms in HDMR is sub-dimensional, but they are not necessarily translating to low degree polynomials. It is an efficient formulation of the system response, if higher-order variable correlations are weak, allowing the physical model to be captured by the first few lower-order terms. Once the approximate form of the system response is defined, the failure probability can be obtained by statistical simulation. The proposed approach decouples the finite element computations and stochastic computations, and consecutively the finite element code can be treated as a black box, as in the case of a commercial software. Numerical examples are used to illustrate the features of the extended HDMR and to compare its performance with full scale simulation.     

A finite element model for biofilm volume growth

In this work, we present a continuum-based approach for biofilm volume growth. The deformation gradient will be multiplicatively decomposed into two parts: a growth part due to bacteria formation and an elastic part due to the interaction with the environment. In order to define the growth behaviour of biofilms, we use the Monod approach that depends non-linearly on the substrate concentration. The substrate concentration in the biofilm is computed by means of a diffusion process, which includes substrate consumption, together with the mechanical behaviour as part of a coupled problem. (© 2011 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

A novel finite element model for helical springs

A general and accurate finite element model for helical springs subject to axial loads (extension or/and torsion) is developed in this paper. Due to the establishment of precise boundary conditions, only a slice of the wire cross-section needs to be modelled; hence, more accurate results can be achieved. An example application to a circular cross-sectional spring is analysed in detail.     

A finite element model for laminated piezoelectric shell structures

Thin piezoelectric laminates are used for a wide range of technical applications. A four-node piezoelectric shell element is presented to analyse such structures effectively. In case of bending dominated problems incompatible approximation functions of the electrical and mechanical fields cause incorrect results. In order to overcome this problem the finite element formulation is based on a mixed variational principle implying six independent fields: displacements, electric potential, strains, electric field, mechanical stresses and dielectric displacements. This allows for an interpolation of the strains and the electric field in thickness direction independent of the bilinear interpolation functions. A piecewise quadratic approach for the shear strains in thickness direction and the corresponding electric field is proposed for arbitrarily layered shells. Regarding coupling of electrical and mechanical fields this yields to an appropriate balance of the approximation functions. Numerical examples show more precise results in contrast to standard elements with lowest order interpolation functions. (© 2009 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

A finite element phase field model for relaxor ferroelectrics

A mechanically coupled phase field model is presented for the domain evolution and mesoscopic response of relaxor ferroelectrics. In the model the spontaneous polarization is treated as order parameter. The model is derived from thermodynamic analysis including the material force theory. Random field theory is adopted to take the disorder of relaxor ferroelectrics into account. Results show that the model is capable of reproducing relaxor features, such as domain miniaturization, small remnant polarization and large piezoelectric response. Dependence of these features on the random field strength is discussed. (© 2015 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

A non-conforming finite element for limit analysis of periodic composites

In this work, a non-conforming three-dimensional finite element coupled with direct methods and homogenization technique is presented for the limit analysis of periodic metal-matrix composites. Using this element, which is constructed from bilinear shape functions and enriched by internal second-order polynomials, limit analysis of composite material can be efficiently carried out. Accuracy and overall performance are illustrated through comparison with different structural solid elements in the context of direct as well as incremental methods. It is shown that the limit domain of periodic composites for different fiber distributions and volume fractions provides a foundation for the structural design. (© 2010 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

A finite element method for a two-sex model of population dynamics

A finite element scheme is described to approximate the solution of a nonlinear and non-local system of integro-differential equations that models the dynamics of a two-sex population. Crank-Nicolson time discretization is used and error estimates are derived for the appoximation.     

A finite element formulation of a viscoelastic model for dielectric elastomers

Smart materials by definition, are solids, fluids or gases which react independently on changing external conditions and modify one or more properties without external stimuli. Sensu lato an external energy can produce the reaction, such as stress, temperature, moisture, pH, magnetic or electric fields. The distinguishing characteristic for electroactive polymers (EAP) is, that they react with a deformation by the application of an electrical field. This contribution presents a nonlinear electro-viscoelastic model for dielectric elastomers and its finite element implementation. This type of smart materials belong to the group of EAP's and consists out of soft elastomer between compliant and conducting electrodes. (© 2011 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Mixed finite element analysis of a non-linear three-fields Stokes model

In this article, a mixed finite element analysis of the non-linearStokes problem with monotone constitutive laws is considered.We construct a new three-field model for incompressible fluidswhere the velocity u, the non-linear stress tensor = (|u|)u and the pressure p are the most relevant unknowns. We giveexistence and unicity results for the continuous problem andits approximation. Stable and optimal error estimates underminimal regularity assumptions are derived and numerical resultsare presented. Received 29 April 1999. Accepted 30 November 1999.     

A finite element scheme for domains with corners

This paper is concerned with the rate of convergence of the finite element method on polygonal domains in weighted Sobolev spaces. It is shown that the use of different spaces of trial and test functions will restrict the usual low rate of convergence to a neighborhood of each vertex of the polygonal domain.L ₂-convergence and lower bounds on the error are also studied.This research was supported in part by the Atomic Energy Commission under contract no. AEC AT-(40-1)-3443/4.This research was supported in part by the U.S. Naval Academy Research Council.     

Convergence analysis of a new mixed finite element method for Biot's consolidation model

In this article, we propose a mixed finite element method for the two‐dimensional Biot's consolidation model of poroelasticity. The new mixed formulation presented herein uses the total stress tensor and fluid flux as primary unknown variables as well as the displacement and pore pressure. This method is based on coupling two mixed finite element methods for each subproblem: the standard mixed finite element method for the flow subproblem and the Hellinger–Reissner formulation for the mechanical subproblem. Optimal a‐priori error estimates are proved for both semidiscrete and fully discrete problems when the Raviart–Thomas space for the flow problem and the Arnold–Winther space for the elasticity problem are used. In particular, optimality in the stress, displacement, and pressure has been proved in when the constrained‐specific storage coefficient is strictly positive and in the weaker norm when is nonnegative. We also present some of our numerical results.Copyright © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Numer Methods Partial Differential Eq 30: 1189–1210, 2014     

A finite element model based on statistical two-scale analysis for equivalent heat transfer parameters of composite material with random grains

In this paper, a new finite element model based on statistical two-scale analysis for predicting the equivalent heat transfer parameters of the composite material with random grains is presented and its convergence, its error result and the symmetry, positive property of equivalent heat transfer parameters matrix are also proved. Firstly, some definitions of the probability space and the composite material with random grains are described and the STSA formulation predicting the equivalent heat transfer parameters of the composite material are briefly reviewed. Next, a finite element formulation and its corresponding procedure for the composite material with random grains is described. Then, the convergence, the error estimate and the symmetry, positive property of the equivalent heat transfer parameters matrix computed by FE based on STSA are proved. The numerical result shows the validity of the FE model based on STSA and the convergence and the symmetry, positive property of the equivalent heat transfer parameter matrix of the composite material with random grains by the FE model.     

Micromechanically motivated finite element model for ferroelectric ceramics

Ferroelectric ceramics exhibit significant coupled electromechanical phenomena that have been widely employed in sensor and actuator applications. In regular finite element models dealing with electromechanical plane problems, each grain needs to be subdiscretized by many triangular or quadrilateral elements for required accuracy. This problem can be overcome by a polygonal finite element approach where each grain is modelled by a single finite element without compromising on the results. In this paper, a polygonal finite element approach has been employed to understand the anisotropic response of the ferroelectric ceramics in their piezoelectric region. (© 2009 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

A geometrically nonlinear finite element model of nanomaterials with consideration of surface effects

In conventional continuum mechanics, the surface energy is usually small and negligible. But at nano-length scale, it becomes a significant part of the total elastic energy due to the high specific surface area of nanomaterials. A geometrically nonlinear finite element (FE) model of nanomaterials with considering surface effects is developed in this paper. The aim is to extend the conventional finite element method (FEM) to analyze the size-dependent mechanical properties of nanomaterials. A numerical example, analysis of InAs quantum dot (QD) on GaAs (0 0 1) substrate, is given in this paper to verify the validity of the method and demonstrate surface effects on the stress fields of QDs.     

A finite element framework for continnua with boundary potentials

This contribution deals with the implications of the anisotropic boundary potential energies on deformational mechanics in the framework of the two-dimensional finite element method at finite strains. In the first part of this work ([6])) only the isotropic boundary potentials were considered, however, in this contribution we allow for the anisotropic contributions from the boundary energies, too. The boundary effects sometimes play a dominant role in the material behavior, e.g. surface tension in fluids. The boundary potentials, in general, are allowed to depend not only on the boundary deformation gradient but also on the spatial curve-tangent, as well. For the finite element implementation, a suitable curvilinear coordinate system attached to the boundary is defined and corresponding derivations are carried out. (© 2009 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Peridynamics via finite element analysis

Peridynamics is a recently developed theory of solid mechanics that replaces the partial differential equations of the classical continuum theory with integral equations. Since the integral equations remain valid in the presence of discontinuities such as cracks, the method has the potential to model fracture and damage with great generality and without the complications of mathematical singularities that plague conventional continuum approaches. Although a discretized form of the peridynamic integral equations has been implemented in a meshless code called EMU, the objective of the present paper is to describe how the peridynamic model can also be implemented in a conventional finite element analysis (FEA) code using truss elements. Since FEA is arguably the most widely used tool for structural analysis, this implementation may hasten the verification of peridynamics and significantly broaden the range of problems that the practicing analyst might attempt. Also, the present work demonstrates that different subregions of a model can be solved with either the classical partial differential equations or the peridynamic equations in the same calculation thus combining the efficiency of FEA with the generality of peridynamics. Several example problems show the equivalency of the FEA and the meshless peridynamic approach as well as demonstrate the utility and robustness of the method for problems involving fracture, damage and penetration.     

Uncertainty finite element dynamic analysis

An inference-dynamic model is developed based on a model dynamic analysis using a moving boundary condition. The uncertainty of the physical parameters is implemented in the model using an inference scheme coupled with a perturbation technique. Finally, the first two statistical moments of the displacements and the stress field are estimated according to the proposed analytical scheme and are in good agreement with the initially assumed fields.