Exact dynamic stiffness matrix of non-symmetric thin-walled beams on elastic foundation using power series method

Exact dynamic element stiffness matrix for the flexural–torsional free vibration analysis of the shear deformable thin-walled beam with non-symmetric cross-section on two-types of elastic foundation is newly presented using power series method based on the technical computing program Mathematica. For this, the shear deformable beam on elastic foundation theory is developed by introducing Vlasov's assumption and applying Hellinger–Reissner principle. This beam includes the shear deformation effects due to the shear forces and the restrained warping torsion and due to the coupled effects between them, and rotary inertia effects and the flexural–torsional coupling effects due to the non-symmetric cross-sections. And then equations of motion and force–deformation relations are derived from the energy principle and explicit expressions for displacement parameters are derived based on power series expansions of displacement components and the exact dynamic element stiffness matrix is determined using force–deformation relationships. In order to verify the accuracy of this study, the numerical solutions are presented and compared with the analytical solutions and the finite element solutions using the isoparametric beam elements. Particularly the influences of the coupled shear deformation on the vibrational behavior of non-symmetric beam on elastic foundation are investigated.     

Dynamic stiffness matrix of non-symmetric thin-walled curved beam on Winkler and Pasternak type foundations

Using the technical computing program Mathematica, the dynamic stiffness matrix for the spatially coupled free vibration analysis of thin-walled curved beam with non-symmetric cross-section on two-types of elastic foundation is newly presented based on the power series method. For this, the elastic strain energy considering the axial/flexural/torsional coupled terms, the kinetic energy including the rotary inertia effect, and the energy due to the elastic foundation are introduced. Then, equations of motion are derived from the energy principle and explicit expressions for displacement parameters are derived based on power series expansions of displacement components. Finally, the exact dynamic stiffness matrix is determined using force–displacement relations. In order to demonstrate the validity and the accuracy of this study, the natural frequencies of thin-walled curved beams with mono-symmetric and non-symmetric cross-sections are evaluated and compared with the analytical solutions and finite element solutions using Hermitian curved beam elements and ABAQUS’s shell elements. In addition, some results by a parametric study are reported.     

Finite element analysis of stiffened plates

A finite element method is presented in which the constraint between stiffener and member is imposed by means of Lagrange multipliers. This is performed on the functional level, forming augmented variational principles. In order to simplify the initial development and implementation of the proposed method, two-dimensional stiffened beam finite elements are developed. Several such elements are formulated, each showing monotonic convergence in numerical tests. In the development of stiffened plate finite elements, the bending and membrane behaviors are treated seperately. For each, the stiffness matrix of a standard plate element is modified to account for an added beam element (representing the stiffener) and additional terms imposing the constraint between the two. The resulting stiffened plate element was implemented in the SAPIV finite element code. Exact solutions are not known for rib-reinforced plated structures, but results of numerical tests converge monotonically to a value in the vicinity of an approximate “smeared” series solution.     

Vibrations of grids by the finite element method

The finite element method is applied to the free vibration analysis of grids with arbitrary configuration. Grid bars are of solid or thin-walled doubly symmetric cross-section. Stiffness and consistent mass matrices for flexural behavior include the effects of shear deformation and rotary inertia in bending. The torsional behavior of solid sections is approximated by a linear displacement field, and of thin-walled sections, by a cubic. Rotary inertia in torsion is included in both cases and warping inertia, in the latter.

The computer program performs the free vibration analysis starting from the element stiffness and consistent mass matrices. A numerical solution of a thin-walled beam and a parametric solution of an orthogonal and a skew grid with solid and thin-walled bars are presented.     

Cross-section optimal design of composite laminated thin-walled beams

This paper aims to perform optimal design of cross-section properties of thin-walled laminated composite beams. These properties are expressed as integrals based on the cross-section geometry, on the warping functions for torsion, shear bending and shear warping, and on the individual stiffness of the laminates constituting the cross-section. The finite element method is used in discretizing the theory. For design sensitivity calculations, the cross-section is modelled throughout design elements. Geometrically, these elements may coincide with the laminates that constitute the cross-section. The developed formulation is based on the concept of adjoint structure. After a warping function is calculated for the cross-section, an adjoint problem may be formulated for each of the properties and a corresponding adjoint warping is determined. It can be applied in a unified way to open, closed or hybrid cross-sections. Design optimization is performed by nonlinear programming techniques. Laminate thickness and lamina orientations are considered as design variables.     

功能梯度双层悬臂梁的有限元建模分析

为考察不同建模形式和界面处理方式对由功能梯度材料构成的双层悬臂梁计算结果的影响,通过有限元计算结果与理论解的对比发现,对于功能梯度悬臂梁,选取八节点二次单元能更好地消除剪力自锁现象,比四节点线性单元的求解结果更加精确;对于双材料理想界面,采取强制位移约束条件比消除重合节点的约束条件更符合真实情况;梁端部附近应力场的有限元解比理论解更加合理.     

Using multifiber beams to account for shear and torsion: Applications to concrete structural elements

The purpose of this work is to investigate solutions for an enhanced multifiber beam element accounting for shear and torsion. Higher order interpolations functions are used to avoid any shear locking phenomena and the cross section warping kinematics is extended to non-linear behavior using advanced constitutive laws. The efficiency of the proposed modeling strategies is tested with experimental results of concrete structural elements subjected to severe loading.     

Nonlinear inelastic uniform torsion of composite bars by BEM

In this paper the elastic–plastic uniform torsion analysis of composite cylindrical bars of arbitrary cross-section consisting of materials in contact, each of which can surround a finite number of inclusions, taking into account the effect of geometric nonlinearity is presented employing the boundary element method. The stress–strain relationships for the materials are assumed to be elastic–plastic–strain hardening. The incremental torque–rotation relationship is computed based on the finite displacement (finite rotation) theory, that is the transverse displacement components are expressed so as to be valid for large rotations and the longitudinal normal strain includes the second-order geometric nonlinear term often described as the “Wagner strain”. The proposed formulation does not stand on the assumption of a thin-walled structure and therefore the cross-section’s torsional rigidity is evaluated exactly without using the so-called Saint Venant’s torsional constant. The torsional rigidity of the cross-section is evaluated directly employing the primary warping function of the cross-section depending on both its shape and the progress of the plastic region. A boundary value problem with respect to the aforementioned function is formulated and solved employing a BEM approach. The influence of the second Piola–Kirchhoff normal stress component to the plastic/elastic moment ratio in uniform inelastic torsion is demonstrated.     

基于异形梁模型的海洋柔性管缆防弯器数值模拟

为防止海洋柔性管缆在自重和环境载荷作用下的局部曲率过大而发生结构失效,在连接部位安装防弯器增加管缆弯曲刚度,并使管缆曲率分布均匀.分析防弯器力学性能和在位特点,阐述计算难点和几种数值建模方法的可行性与效果,并具体讨论用梁单元建立防弯器异形梁有限元模型的优势.利用平面异形梁单元特点,采用等效弯曲刚度进行防弯器结构分析,从而形成一套简洁高效的数值分析方法.通过数值算例评价该计算方法的适用性.     

Modeling techniques for adina analysis of stiffened shell structures

The ADINA beam element is inadequate for transient analysis of eccentrically stiffened shell structures, particularly when the lateral stability of the stiffener is of concern. As an alternative to modeling stiffened shells with a large number of continuum or transition elements, a stiffener modeling technique based on the ADINA multi-point constraint option is presented. This technique leads to significant reductions in the number of elements and solution degrees of freedom needed for accurate stiffener modeling, yet allows effects of out-of-plane web distortion, longitudinal warping and torsion to be included in the analysis. Stiffeners with various cross section geometries and boundary conditions have been modeled and predicted response correlates well with experimental data. The approach is of practical significance for large stiffened shell problems, especially for nonlinear analysis.     

Bifurcation, pre- and post-buckling analysis of frame structures

A procedure is developed for investigating the stability of complex structures that consist of an assembly of stiffened rectangular panels and three-dimensional beam elements. Such panels often form one of the basic structural components of an aircraft or ship structure. In the present study, the stiffeners are treated as beam elements, and the panels between them as thin rectangular plate elements, which may be subject to membrane and/or bending and twisting actions.

The main objective of the study is the determination of the critical buckling loads and the generation of the complete force-deformation behavior of such structures within a specified load range, based on the use of a computer program developed for this purpose. The present formulation can trace through the postbuckling or post limit behavior whether it is of an ascending or descending type. A limit load extrapolation technique is automatically initiated within the computer program, when the stability analysis of an imperfect or laterally loaded structure is being carried out.

The general approach to the solution of the problem is based on the finite element method and incremental numerical solution techniques. Initially, nonlinear strain-displacement relations together with the assumed displacement functions are utilized to generate the geometric stiffness matrices for the beam and plate elements. Based on energy methods and variational principles, the basic expressions governing the behavior of the structure are then obtained. In the incremental solution process, the stiffness properties of the structure are continuously updated in order to properly account for large changes in the geometry of the structure.

The computer program developed during the course of this study is referred at as GWU-SAP, or the George Washington University Stability Analysis Program.     

A torsion bending element for thin-walled beams with open and closed cross sections

A finite element is formulated for the torsion problems of thin-walled beams. The element is based on Benscoter's beam theory, which is valid for open and also closed cross-sections. The non-polynomial interpolation presented in this paper allows the exact static solution to be obtained with only one element. Numerical results are presented for three thin-walled cantilever beams, one with a channel cross-section and the two others with rectangular cross-sections. The influence of the transverse shear strain is investigated and the different models of torsion are compared. For one example, the results obtained with one-dimensional torsion elements are compared with those obtained using shell elements.     

Consistent curved beam element

Curved beam finite elements with shear deformation have required the use of reduced integration to provide improved results for thin beams and arches due to the presence of a spurious shear strain mode. It has been found that the spurious shear strain mode results from an inconsistency in the displacement fields used in the formulation of these elements. A new curved beam element has been formulated. By providing a cubic polynomial for approximation of displacements, and a quadratic polynomial for approximation of rotations a consistent formulation is ensured thereby eliminating the spurious mode. A rotational degree of freedom which varies quadratically through the thickness of the element is included. This allows for a parabolic variation of the shear strain and hence eliminates the need for use of the shear correction factor k as required by the Timoshenko beam theory. This rotational degree of freedom also provides a cubic variation of displacements through the depth of the element. Thus, the normal to the centroidal axis is neither straight nor normal after shearing and bending allowing for warping of the cross section. Material nonlinearities are also incorporated, along with the modified Newton-Raphson method for nonlinear analysis. Comparisons are made with the available elasticity solutions and those predicted by the quadratic isoparametric beam element. The results indicate that the consistent beam element provides excellent predictions of the displacements, stresses and plastic zones for both thin and thick beams and arches.     

Spatial stability of shear deformable curved beams with non-symmetric thin-walled sections. I: Stability formulation and closed-form solutions

For spatial stability analysis of shear deformable thin-walled curved beams with non-symmetric cross-sections, an improved analytical formulation is proposed. Firstly the displacement field is introduced considering the second order terms of semi-tangential rotations. Next an elastic strain energy is derived by using transformation equations of displacement parameters and stress resultants and considering shear deformation effects due to shear forces and restrained warping torsion. And then the potential energy due to initial stress resultants is consistently derived with accurate calculation of Wagner effect. In addition, closed-form solutions for in-plane and lateral-torsional buckling loads of curved beams subjected to uniform compression and pure bending are newly derived. In the companion paper, FE procedures are developed by using curved and straight beam elements with arbitrary thin-walled sections. In numerical examples, to illustrate accuracy and validity of this study, closed-form solutions for in-plane and out-of-plane buckling loads are presented and compared with those obtained from analytical solutions by other researchers.     

A thin-walled box beam finite element for curved bridge analysis

Practical design of single and multispan curved bridges requires an analysis procedure which is easy and economical to use, and provides a physical insight into structural response under general loading conditions. In the work presented, the thin-walled beam theory has been directly combined with the finite element technique to provide a new thin-walled box beam element. The beam element includes three extra degrees-of-freedom over the normal six degrees-of-freedom beam formulation, to take into account the warping and distortional effects as well as shear. The beam may be curved in space and variable cross-sections may be included. The performance of the box beam element has been compared favourably against results obtained from full 3D shell element analysis, differential equation solutions and experimental results.     

Closed form stiffness matrix solutions for some commonly used hybrid finite elements

Closed form solutions for the element stiffness matrices for four commonly used hybrid finite elements, namely, the 5-β-I, 5-β-II, RGH4 and RGH8 elements are given in detail. By using the closed forms, the computational effort needed for the formation of the element stiffness matrices is greatly reduced and the danger of matrix rank deficiency due to the use of insufficient integration points is eliminated. Numerical experiment shows that the CPU time needed for the element stiffness matrix formation procedure for hybrid elements is much less than that for conventional high order displacement finite elements while the quality of the solutions obtained is of similar, and in many cases of better, accuracy.     

The application of finite element methods to ship structures

A practical method of overall finite element analysis of a ship structure based on the modern theory of a beam is proposed in this paper. The analysis consists of three steps, the first of which is evaluation of various section properties of a ship cross-section, especially the torsional stiffness. The second step of analysis is solution as well as formulation of overall stiffness equation of a given ship. In the formulation of overall stiffness equation, a special consideration is made on the discontinuity of nodal points which may exist between two adjacent beam elements. The third step of this method is shear deformation analysis of a ship structure based on the finite element formulation of Semi-Inverse Method, by which not only shearing stress distribution but also the effect of shear deformation on the beam displacement and shear lag problem can be studied. The author believes that these computer programs for overall ship structural analysis will be very practical with respect to computer time and labour from the design point of view. He also believes that combined use of the present computer program at the basic design stage and the conventional general purpose computer program at the detail design stage will make ship structural analysis effective and powerful. In conjunction with this point, a brief introduction of the ‘PASSAGE’ Program will be also made, which is a conventional general purpose computer program for ship structural analysis now under development in Japan.     

Triangular thick plate elements based on a hybrid-Trefftz approach

The paper presents a family of triangular, thick plate elements derived using the hybrid-Trefftz approach. Exact solutions of the governing thick plate equations are used as interpolations for the internal element displacements. An immediate benefit of this approach is that the locking problem is avoided a priori. Independent interpolations are used to describe the displacement and rotations on the element boundaries. The element formulation is based on a modified hybrid-stress principle, leading to a standard stiffness formulation. This enables the elements to be readily implemented into existing finite element schemes. A number of examples are considered to demonstrate the accuracy achieved by the elements.     

Shear-Bending-Torsion Interaction in Structural Concrete Members: A Nonlinear Coupled Sectional Approach

Inclined cracks that take place in reinforced concrete elements due to tangential internal forces, such as shear and torsion, produce a non-isotropic response on the structure in the post-cracked regime and up to failure, also known as crack-induced-anisotropy. The result is that all six internal forces acting in a cross-section are generally coupled. A generalized beam formulation for the nonlinear coupled analysis of non-isotropic elements under six internal forces is presented. The theory is based on a cross-section analysis approach with both warping and distortion capabilities, which were proved necessary to correctly handle the problem with frame element analysis. In this paper, the non-linear mechanical aspects of cracked concrete structures under tangential forces are summarized. A state of the art review of beam formulations for the non-linear analysis of concrete structures is presented, and the approaches followed to account for the interaction of shear and torsion forces are discussed. After presenting the proposed formulation, its capabilities are shown by means of an application example of a cross section under coupled bending-shear and torsion, finally main conclusions are drawn.