Phase field simulation of the intercalation-induced stresses in the hyperelastic solids via isogeometric analysis

In this work the Cahn-Hilliard-type diffusion in a hyperelastic solid will be studied and simulated using isogeometric analysis. The Cahn-Hilliard model is employed to account for the phase segregation phenomenon, in which a fourth-order partial differential operator exists. In order to deal with this high-order operator, isogeometric analysis is applied. Finally, simulation results of a disc is given. (© 2015 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

An isogeometric discontinuous Galerkin method for Euler equations

An isogeometric discontinuous Galerkin method for Euler equations is proposed. It integrates the idea of isogeometric analysis with the discontinuous Galerkin framework by constructing each element through the knots insertion and degree elevation techniques in non‐uniform rational B‐splines. This leads to the solution inherently shares the same function space as the non‐uniform rational B‐splines representation, and results in that the curved boundaries as well as the interfaces between neighboring elements are naturally and exactly resolved. Additionally, the computational cost is reduced in contrast to that of structured grid generation. Numerical tests demonstrate that the presented method can be high order of accuracy and flexible in handling curved geometry. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Analysis and Application of the Rational B-Spline Finite Element Method in 2D

Non-Uniform Rational B-Splines (NURBS) are basis functions used in CAD software to describe exact geometric models. The implementation of these basis functions in the context of the Finite Element Analysis (FEA) is known as isogeometric analysis. The concept and definition of NURBS is briefly presented here. Since these functions are implemented as shape functions for the isogeometric analysis, the refinement strategies are discussed. The example of an infinite plate with circular hole serves as a benchmark. Finally, isogeometric analysis is applied to gradient elasticity since NURBS functions are of higher continuity and this is required in gradient elasticity. (© 2010 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Explicit trace inequalities for isogeometric analysis and parametric hexahedral finite elements

We derive new trace inequalities for NURBS-mapped domains. In addition to Sobolev-type inequalities, we derive discrete trace inequalities for use in NURBS-based isogeometric analysis. All dependencies on shape, size, polynomial degree, and the NURBS weighting function are precisely specified in our analysis, and explicit values are provided for all bounding constants appearing in our estimates. As hexahedral finite elements are special cases of NURBS, our results specialize to parametric hexahedral finite elements, and our analysis also generalizes to T-spline-based isogeometric analysis. We compare the bounding constants appearing in our explicit trace inequalities with numerically computed optimal bounding constants, and we discuss application of our results to a Laplace problem. We finish this paper with a brief exploration of so-called patch-wise trace inequalities for isogeometric analysis.     

Modeling and homogenization of textile reinforced composites based on the isogeometric analysis

In this contribution, the isogeometric analysis is used to compute the effective material properties of textile reinforced composites. The isogeometric analysis based on non-uniform rational B-splines (NURBS) provides an efficient approach for numerical modeling because there is no need for a mesh generation. There are further advantages such as the availability of a geometry representation based on NURBS in computer-aided design software and the possibility to apply different refinement methods which do not change the geometry of the numerical model. These properties motivate the combination of the isogeometric analysis with the homogenization method. Therefor, the unit cell model representing the inner architecture of a textile reinforced composite is defined using NURBS. In order to compute the effective mechanical properties of the heterogeneous material, the homogenization method with periodic boundary conditions is applied. Finally, two examples demonstrate the advantages of this approach. (© 2011 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Free vibration analysis of spatial Bernoulli–Euler and Rayleigh curved beams using isogeometric approach

This paper deals with the linear free vibration analysis of Bernoulli–Euler and Rayleigh curved beams using isogeometric approach. The geometry of the beam as well as the displacement field are defined using the NURBS basis functions which present the basic concept of the isogeometric analysis. A novel approach based on the fundamental relations of the differential geometry and Cauchy continuum beam model is presented and applied to derive the stiffness and consistent mass matrices of the corresponding spatial curved beam element. In the Bernoulli–Euler beam element only translational and torsional inertia are taken into account, while the Rayleigh beam element takes all inertial terms into consideration. Due to their formulation, isogeometric beam elements can be used for the dynamic analysis of spatial curved beams. Several illustrative examples have been chosen in order to check the convergence and accuracy of the proposed method. The results have been compared with the available data from the literature as well as with the finite element solutions.     

An improved isogeometrical analysis approach to functionally graded plane elasticity problems

The isogeometric analysis method is extended for addressing the plane elasticity problems with functionally graded materials. The proposed method which employs an improved form of the isogeometric analysis approach allows gradation of material properties through the patches and is given the name Generalized Iso-Geometrical Analysis (GIGA). The gradations of materials, which are considered as imaginary surfaces over the computational domain, are defined in a fully isoparametric formulation by using the same NURBS basis functions employed for the construction of the geometry and the approximation of the solution. The basic concept of the developed approach is concisely explained and its relation to the standard isogeometric analysis method is pointed out. It is shown that the difficulties encountered in the finite element analysis of the functionally graded materials are alleviated to a large degree by employing the mentioned method. Different numerical examples are presented and compared with available analytical solutions as well as the conventional and graded finite element methods to demonstrate the performance and accuracy of the proposed approach. The presented procedure can also be employed for solving other partial differential equations with non-constant coefficients.     

基于FETI的非协调等几何分析

基于非均匀有理B样条的等几何分析方法是一种无需网格划分的新的计算方法,旨在实现直接利用CAD模型进行分析,有望取代目前传统有限元技术．等几何分析已被成功应用在固体力学,流固耦合及拓扑优化等诸多领域．等几何分析方法要求CAD曲面或者实体高阶连续,而绝大多数CAD模型内多个曲面不但无法保持高阶连续,而且在公共界面处是几何非协调的．这一缺陷严重制约了等几何分析技术的进一步发展和应用．另外,由于采用高阶单元,等几何分析计算量较等自由度传统有限元要耗时．为解决这些难题,笔者在先前工作基础之上,提出了基于FETI方法的非协调等几何分析．新方法较以往的零空间解法更加快捷,适用于大规模数据的并行计算．数值算例表明本方法无需修改CAD模型,实施简单,精度满足要求,可处理复杂CAD模型．     

Adaptive extended isogeometric analysis based on PHT-splines for thin cracked plates and shells with Kirchhoff–Love theory

In this paper, a posteriori error estimation and mesh adaptation approach for thin plate and shell structures of through-the-thickness crack is presented. This method uses the extended isogeometric analysis (XIGA) based on PHT-splines (Polynomial splines over Hierarchical T-meshes), which is abbreviated as XIGA-PHT. In XIGA-PHT, the isogeometric displacement approximation is locally enriched with enrichment functions, which efficiently capture the displacement discontinuity across the crack face as well as the stress singularity in the vicinity of the crack tip. On the one hand, the rotational degrees of freedom (RDOFs) are not required in Kirchhoff–Love theory, which drastically reduces the complexity of enrichment mode and computational scale for crack analysis. On the other hand, the PHT-splines basis functions can automatically satisfy the requirement of C¹-continuity for the Kirchhoff–Love theory. Moreover, the PHT-splines facilitate the local refinement, which is the deficiency of NURBS-based isogeometric formulations. The local refinement is highly suitable for adaptive analysis. The stress recovery-based posteriori error estimator combined with the superconvergent patch recovery (SPR) technique is used to evaluate the approximate local discretization error. A new strategy for selecting enriched recovered functions in the enriched areas was proposed. Special functions extracted from the asymptotic stress solutions are applied to obtain the recovered stress field in the enriched area. The results of stress intensity factors or J-integral values obtained by the adaptive XIGA-PHT are compared with reference solutions. Several thin plate and shell illustrative examples demonstrate the effectiveness and accuracy of the proposed adaptive XIGA-PHT.     

Application of domain decomposition methods to isogeometric analysis

During the past decade various new spatial discretization techniques have been developed. In particular, the usage of NURBS based shape functions, well known to the CAD community, has been adapted to finite element technology. In the present work we use the mortar finite element method for the coupling of nonconforming discretized sub-domains in the framework of nonlinear elasticity. We show that the method can be applied to isogeometric analysis with little effort, once the framework of NURBS based shape functions has been implemented. Furthermore, a specific coordinate augmentation technique allows the design of an energy-momentum scheme for the constrained mechanical system under consideration. (© 2012 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Isogeometric Collocation: Cost Comparison with Galerkin Methods and Extension to Adaptive Hierarchical NURBS Discretizations

Collocation is based on the discretization of the strong form of the underlying partial differential equations, which requires basis functions of sufficient order and smoothness. Consequently, the use of isogeometric analysis (IGA) for collocation suggests itself, since splines can be readily adjusted to any order in polynomial degree and continuity required by the differential operators. In addition, they can be generated for domains of arbitrary geometric and topological complexity, directly linked to and fully supported by CAD technology. The major advantage of isogeometric collocation over Galerkin type IGA is the minimization of the computational effort for numerical quadrature. (© 2013 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

A surface oriented solid formulation based on a hybrid Galerkin-collocation method

The contribution is concerned with a numerical method to analyze the mechanical behavior of 3D solids. The method employs directly the geometry defined by the boundary representation modeling technique, which is frequently used in CAD to define solids. It combines the benefits of the isogeometric analysis methodology with the scaled boundary finite element method. In the present approach, only the boundary surfaces of the solid are discretized. No tensor-product structure of three-dimensional objects is exploited to parametrize the physical domain. The weak form is applied only on the boundary surfaces. The governing partial differential equations of elasticity are transformed to an ordinary differential equation (ODE) of Euler type. The isogeometric Galerkin approach is employed to approximate the displacement response at the boundary surfaces. It exploits the two-dimensional NURBS objects to parametrize the boundary surfaces. To solve the Euler type ODE, the NURBS based collocation approach is applied. The accuracy of the method is validated against the analytical solutions. The presented method is able to analyze solids, which are bounded by an arbitrary number of surfaces. (© 2015 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

On the whole spectrum of Timoshenko beams. Part I: a theoretical revisitation

The problem of free vibrations of the Timoshenko beam model is here addressed. A careful analysis of the governing equations allows identifying that the vibration spectrum consists of two parts, separated by a transition frequency, which, depending on the applied boundary conditions, might be itself part of the spectrum. For both parts of the spectrum, the values of natural frequencies are computed and the expressions of eigenmodes are provided. This allows to acknowledge that the nature of vibration modes changes when moving across the transition frequency. Among all possible combination of end constraints which can be applied to single-span beams, the case of a simply supported beam is considered. These theoretical results can be used as benchmarks for assessing the correctness of the numerical values provided by several numerical techniques, e.g. traditional Lagrangian-based finite element models or the newly developed isogeometric approach.     

Patch coupling with the isogeometric dual mortar approach

The use of a common set of basis functions for design and analysis is the main paradigm of isogeometric analysis. The characteristics of the commonly used non-uniform rational B-splines (NURBS) surfaces require methods to handle non-conforming meshes to attain an efficient computational framework. The isogeometric mortar method uses constrained approximation spaces to enforce a coupling of deformations at the interface between patches in a weak manner. This method neither requires additional degrees of freedom nor the choice of empirical parameters. The main drawback of the standard isogeometric mortar approach is the non-local support of the mortar basis functions along the interface. This yields a large number of nodes per element for elements adjacent to the interface. Thus, the computational costs increase significantly for mesh refinement. This issue is remedied by the use of dual basis functions for the mortar method, which is referred to as dual mortar method. In this contribution several choices for the dual basis functions for B-splines are proposed and compared. A special focus is set on the support of the dual basis functions and on the support of the resulting mortar basis functions. Numerical examples show the influence of the choice for the dual basis functions on the accuracy of the global stress distribution, on the fulfillment of the interface conditions and on numerical efficiency. The use of approximate dual basis functions is shown to be competitive to computations of conforming meshes in terms of accuracy and efficiency. (© 2016 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

An isogeometric boundary element approach for topology optimization using the level set method

Among the various types of structural optimization, topology has been occupying a prominent place over the last decades. It is considered the most versatile because it allows structural geometry to be determined taking into account only loading and fixing constraints. This technique is extremely useful in the design phase, which requires increasingly complex computational modeling. Modern geometric modeling techniques are increasingly focused on the use of NURBS basis functions. Consequently, it seems natural that topology optimization techniques also use this basis in order to improve computational performance. In this paper, we propose a way to integrate the isogeometric boundary techniques to topology optimization through the level set function. The proposed coupling occurs by describing the normal velocity field from the level set equation as a function of the normal shape sensitivity. This process is not well behaved in general, so some regularization technique needs to be specified. Limiting to plane linear elasticity cases, the numerical investigations proposed in this study indicate that this type of coupling allows to obtain results congruent with the current literature. Moreover, the additional computational costs are small compared to classical techniques, which makes their advantage for optimization purposes evident, particularly for boundary element method practitioners.     

Isogeometric Reissner-Mindlin shell analysis - employing different control meshes for displacements and rotations

The main purpose of this paper is the development and implementation of a method for the reduction of the so-called locking effect in the isogeometric Reissner-Mindlin shell formulation. In [1] an isogeometric Reissner-Mindlin shell formulation with an exact interpolation of the director vector based on continuum mechanics was introduced. The numerical examples showed that the accuracy and efficiency increased. However, there are only few effective concepts for the prevention of locking effects for low polynomial degrees. In the work of Beirão da Veiga [2], shear locking is prevented for a Reissner-Mindlin plate formulation by using suitable solution spaces. Here, the method is extended to the Reissner-Mindlin shell formulation. Different control meshes are used for displacements and rotations. Furthermore, the basis functions in the direction of the relevant rotation are one degree less than the ones which are chosen for the displacements. That leads to control meshes with different number and location of the control points. The aim is to avoid shear locking due to the coupling of shear strains and curvature since the compatibility requirement for pure bending is then fulfilled. The accuracy and efficiency of this method are investigated for different examples. In addition, the results are compared to the analytical solutions. (© 2016 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Isogeometric structural shape optimization using a fictitious energy regularization

In isogeometric analysis, NURBS basis functions are used as shape functions in an isoparametric finite-element-type discretization. Among other advantageous features, this approach is able to provide exact and smooth representations of a broad class of computational domains with curved boundaries. Therefore, this discretization method seems to be especially convenient for computational shape optimization, where a smooth and CAD-like parametrization of the optimal geometry is desired. Choosing boundary control point coordinates of an isogeometric discretization as design variables, an additional design model can be avoided. However, for a higher number of design variables, typical drawbacks like oscillating boundaries as known from early node-based shape optimization methods appear. To overcome this problem, we propose to use a fictitious energy regularization: the strain energy of a fictitious deformation, which maps the initial to the optimized domain, is employed as a regularizing term in the optimization problem. Moreover, this deformation is used for efficiently moving the dependent nodes within the domain in each step of the optimization process. (© 2011 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Dynamic responses of Euler–Bernoulli beam subjected to moving vehicles using isogeometric approach

Dynamic analysis of beam structures subjected to moving vehicles using an isogeometric Euler–Bernoulli formulation is presented in this paper. The method utilizes B-Splines or Non-Uniform Rational–Splines (NURBS) as the basis functions for both geometric and analysis implementation. The rotation-free technique has been incorporated into the formulation by using only one deflection variable with excluding the rotational degrees of freedom adopted for each control point. Then, it enables to use a few degrees of freedom (Dofs) to achieve a highly accurate solution. The validations of the proposed method included a complicated moving vehicle and rough pavement effects are compared to the precisely analytical results. Compared with most existing methods of finite element method (FEM) and readily analytical solutions, the present technique indicated the effectiveness of present isogeometric method and its well accurate prediction for suitable simulating the interaction model of the bridge structures and complicated vehicles.