A two‐node curved axisymmetric shell element based on coupled displacement field

An efficient two‐node curved axisymmetric shell element is proposed. The element with three degrees of freedom per node accounts for the transverse shear flexibility and rotary inertia. The strain components are defined in a curvilinear co‐ordinate frame. The variation of normal displacement (w) along the meridian is represented by a cubic polynomial. The relevant constitutive relations and the differential equations of equilibrium in the meridional plane of the shell are used to derive the polynomial field for the tangential displacement (u) and section rotation (θ). This results in interdependent polynomials for the field variables w, u and θ, whose coefficients are coupled by generalized degrees of freedom and geometric and material properties of the element. These coupled polynomials lead to consistently vanishing coefficients for the membrane and transverse shear strain fields even in the limit of extreme thinness, without producing any spurious constraints. Thus the element is devoid of membrane and shear locking in thin limit of inextensible and shearless bending, respectively. Full Gaussian integration rules are employed for evaluating stiffness marix, consistent load vector and consistent mass matrix. Numerical results are presented for axisymmetric deep/shallow shells having curved/straight meridional geometries for static and free vibration analyses. The accuracy and convergence characteristics of this C⁰ element are superior to other elements of the same class. The performance of the element demonstrates its applicability over a wide range of axisymmetric shell configurations. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

用于光滑/非光滑壳的稳定化新型协同转动4节点四边形壳单元

该文发展了一种适用于光滑壳和非光滑壳的新型协同转动4节点四边形壳单元。在单元中每个节点采用了3个平动自由度和2/3个矢量型转动自由度,每个光滑壳的节点或非光滑壳的非交界节点采用壳中性面法向矢量的2个最小分量作为矢量型转动变量,在非光滑壳中性面交界线上的节点采用3个矢量型转动变量,他们分别是节点定向矢量组中一个定向矢量的较小或最小分量和另一定向矢量的2个最小分量。在非线性增量求解过程中,这些矢量型转动变量可以采用简单的加法将增量累加到原矢量中直接进行更新,且采用了协同转动框架的单元在局部和整体坐标系下得到的切线刚度矩阵都是对称的,结构整体切线刚度矩阵可以采用一维线性存储,可节省大量的计算机存储资源和计算时间。为消除膜闭锁和剪切闭锁的不利影响,采用单点积分方案计算单元内力矢量和切线刚度矩阵,并借鉴Belytschko提出的物理稳定化零能模态控制法来消除可能出现的零能模态。通过对2个光滑壳和2个非光滑壳进行非线性分析,检验了单元的可靠性、计算效率与计算精度。     

Buckling of thick orthotropic spherical shells

This paper is concerned with the semi-analytical solution for the axisymmetric buckling for perfect complete thick orthotropic spherical shells and hemispherical shells under various edge conditions, subjected to uniform full external pressures. The meridional and radial mid-surface displacements and the circumferential cross-sectional rotation are expressed as an expansion in Legendre polynomials respectively in the meridional coordinate. Transverse shear strain effects are included in the energy formulation of small strains. The solutions are achieved directly by use of the Ritz method without considering the force and moment equilibrium and solving the complicated governing equations. Critical buckling loads and the various modes are found from the equations by use of orthogonality and some integral relations.     

A family of simple and robust finite elements for linear and geometrically nonlinear analysis of laminated composite plates

A family of simple, displacement-based and shear-flexible triangular and quadrilateral flat plate/shell elements for linear and geometrically nonlinear analysis of thin to moderately thick laminate composite plates are introduced and summarized in this paper.

The developed elements are based on the first-order shear deformation theory (FSDT) and von-Karman’s large deflection theory, and total Lagrangian approach is employed to formulate the element for geometrically nonlinear analysis. The deflection and rotation functions of the element boundary are obtained from Timoshenko’s laminated composite beam functions, thus convergence can be ensured theoretically for very thin laminates and shear-locking problem is avoided naturally.

The flat triangular plate/shell element is of 3-node, 18-degree-of-freedom, and the plane displacement interpolation functions of the Allman’s triangular membrane element with drilling degrees of freedom are taken as the in-plane displacements of the element. The flat quadrilateral plate/shell element is of 4-node, 24-degree-of-freedom, and the linear displacement interpolation functions of a quadrilateral plane element with drilling degrees of freedom are taken as the in-plane displacements.

The developed elements are simple in formulation, free from shear-locking, and include conventional engineering degrees of freedom. Numerical examples demonstrate that the elements are convergent, not sensitive to mesh distortion, accurate and efficient for linear and geometric nonlinear analysis of thin to moderately thick laminates.     

Axisymmetric vibrations of elastic-plastic cylindrical shells by Galerkin's method

The paper discusses nonlinear axisymmetric vibrations of elastic-plastic cylindrical shells. The shell is compressed initially by an axial load and then fixed in its compressed position. After that a short-pulse or periodical lateral load is applied. The problem in question is solved by the Galerkin's method. An algorithm, which allows to get solutions for an arbitrary number of degrees of freedom, is proposed. Numerical examples are given and the possibility of chaotic vibrations is discussed.     

A quasi-conforming triangular laminated composite shell element based on a refined first-order theory

A quasi-conforming triangular laminated shell element based on a refined first-order shear deformation theory is presented. The Hu-Washizu variational principle, involving strain and displacement fields as variables, with stresses being considered as Lagrange multipliers, is used to develop the laminate composite shell element. Both strains and displacements are discretized in the element, while displacements alone are discretized at the boundary. The inter-element C ¹ continuity is satisfied a posteriori in a weak form. Due to the importance of rotations and shear deformation in the geometrically non-linear analyses of shells, 7 degrees of freedom per node are chosen, viz. three displacements, two first-derivatives in the in-plane directions of the out-of-plane displacement, and two transverse shear strains at each node. To consider the effect of transverse shear deformation on the global behavior of the laminated composite shell, the Reissner-Mindlin first-order theory, with shear correction factors of Chow and Whitney, is adopted. The transverse shear stresses are obtained through the integration of the 3-D equilibrium equations; and the warping induced by transverse shear is considered in the calculation of the in-plane stresses to improve their accuracy. Numerical examples show that the element has good convergence properties and leads to highly accurate stresses.     

A BEM formulation for analysing the coupled stretching–bending problem of plates reinforced by rectangular beams with columns defined in the domain

In this work, a boundary element formulation to analyse plates reinforced by rectangular beams, with columns defined in the domain is proposed. The model is based on Kirchhoff hypothesis and the beams are not required to be displayed over the plate surface, therefore eccentricity effects are taken into account. The presented boundary element method formulation is derived by applying the reciprocity theorem to zoned plates, where beams are treated as thin sub-regions with larger rigidities. The integral representations derived for this complex structural element consider the bending and stretching effects of both structural elements working together. The standard equilibrium and compatibility conditions along interface are naturally imposed, being the bending tractions eliminated along interfaces. The in-plane tractions and the bending and in-plane displacements are approximated along the beam width, reducing the number of degrees of freedom. The columns are introduced into the formulation by considering domain points where tractions can be prescribed. Some examples are then shown to illustrate the accuracy of the formulation, comparing the obtained results with other numerical solutions.     

Optimum design for buckling of plain and stiffened composite axisymmetric shell panels/shells

The buckling of plain and discretely stiffened composite axisymmetric shell panels/shells made of repeated sublaminate construction is studied using the finite element method. In repeated sublaminate construction, a full laminate is obtained by repeating a basic sublaminate, which has a smaller number of plies. The optimum design for buckling is obtained by determining the layup sequence of the plies in the sublaminate by ranking, so as to achieve maximum buckling load for a specified thickness. For this purpose, a four-noded 48-dof quadrilateral composite thin shell element, together with fully compatible two-noded 16-dof composite meridional and parallel circle stiffener elements are used.     

扁壳广义协调曲面矩形元

本文从修正的扁壳胡海昌-鹫律原理泛函出发,引入两方面的广义协调条件(单元边界位移的积分型协调条件,膜应变与位移之间的积分型协调条件),使泛函退化为扁壳势能原理泛函,在此基础上导出一个具有二十个自由度的扁壳曲面矩形元。此单元对厚扁壳和薄扁壳都通用,不出现剪切闭锁和薄膜闭锁现象,具有良好的性能。     

Stress and vibration analyses of anisotropic shells of revolution

An efficient computational strategy is presented for reducing the cost of the stress and free vibration analyses of laminated anisotropic shells of revolution. The analytical formulation is based on a form of the Sanders-Budiansky shell theory including the effects of both the transverse shear deformation and the laminated anisotropic material response. The fundamental unknowns consist of the eight strain components, the eight stress resultants and the five generalized displacements of the shell. Each of the shell variables is expressed in terms of trigonometric functions (Fourier series) in the circumferential co-ordinate, and a three-field mixed finite element model is used for the discretization in the meridional direction. The shell response associated with a range of Fourier harmonics is approximated by a linear combination of a few global approximation vectors, which are generated at a particular value of the Fourier harmonic, within that range. The full equations of the finite element model are solved for only a single Fourier harmonic, and the response corresponding to the other Fourier harmonics is generated using a reduced system of equations with considerably fewer degrees of freedom.     

A finite‐strain quadrilateral shell element based on discrete Kirchhoff–Love constraints

This paper improves the 16 degrees‐of‐freedom quadrilateral shell element based on pointwise Kirchhoff–Love constraints and introduces a consistent large strain formulation for this element. The model is based on classical shell kinematics combined with continuum constitutive laws. The resulting element is valid for large rotations and displacements. The degrees‐of‐freedom are the displacements at the corner nodes and one rotation at each mid‐side node. The formulation is free of enhancements, it is almost fully integrated and is found to be immune to locking or unstable modes. The patch test is satisfied. In addition, the formulation is simple and amenable to efficient incorporation in large‐scale codes as no internal degrees‐of‐freedom are employed, and the overall calculations are very efficient. Results are presented for linear and non‐linear problems. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Buckling analysis of rotationally periodic structures using shell element with relative degrees of freedom

By considering the characteristics of deformation of rotationally periodic structures subjected to rotationally periodic loads, the periodic structure is divided into several identical substructures in this paper. If the structure is really periodic but not axisymmetric, the number of the substructures can be defined accordingly. If the structure is axisymmetric (special in the case of the periodic), the structure can be divided into any number of substructures. It means, in this case, the number of substructures is independent of the number of buckling waves. The degrees of freedom (DOFs) of joint nodes between the neighbouring substructures are classified as master and slave ones. The stress and strain conditions of the whole structure are obtained by solving the elastic static equations for only one substructure by introducing the displacement constraints between master and slave DOFs. The complex constraint method is used to get the bifurcation buckling load and mode for the whole rotationally periodic structure by solving the eigenvalue problem for only one substructure without introducing any additional approximation. Finite element (FE) formulation of shell element of relative degrees of freedom (SERDF) in the buckling analysis is then derived. Different measures of tackling internal degrees of freedom for different kinds of buckling problems and different stages of numerical analysis are presented. Some numerical examples are given to illustrate the high efficiency and validity of this method. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Finite deformation of thin shells in the context of analytical mechanics of material surfaces

In the framework of the direct approach shells are considered as deformable surfaces consisting of particles, and the relations of the theory are obtained with the methods of analytical mechanics. In the present work we assign to each particle five degrees of freedom, namely three translations and two in-plane rotations. The principle of virtual work produces all the relations of the theory of shells: equations of equilibrium, boundary conditions, definition of the force factors and the general form of constitutive equations. Remarkable consistency and clarity is achieved both in the relations of the theory and in the derivation process. A new formulation of the Piola tensors for a shell is suggested in order to transform the equations to the reference configuration. To analyze the effects of buckling or geometric stiffening, we linearize these equations in the vicinity of a pre-deformed configuration. Some new semi-analytical results on buckling and supercritical behavior of an axially compressed cylindrical shell are presented. The correspondence between the equations and the variational formulation is discussed in view of development of efficient numerical procedures for modeling nonlinear deformations of shells. Results of finite element modeling of the nonlinear deformation of a shell structure are discussed in comparison with the fully three-dimensional solution of the problem.     

Free vibration of deep spherical sandwich shells

Summary This paper deals with axisymmetric vibrations of deep sandwich spherical shells. The shell consists of a thick core and two face sheets of the same isotropic material with equal thickness. The appropriate differential equations have been obtained in terms of two new arbitrary functions which replace the meridional displacement components. The solution is in terms of Legendre functions from which numerical results are computed by using an iterative technique. Effects of geometric and elastic properties of the core and the face sheets are presented in the form of graphs.     

Axisymmetric dynamics of composite spherical shells with active piezoelectric/composite stiffeners

Summary The paper presents a theoretical formulation for spherical shells reinforced by meridional and circumferential stiffeners. Active damping of the shell is introduced through control action of piezoelectric coupled pairs bonded to the meridional stiffeners. The induced loads can include radial pressure and a thermal field that are independent of the circumferential coordinate. Neglecting local deformations between adjacent meridional stiffeners, the response of the shell will be axisymmetric. The analysis employs the Donnell-Mushtari-Vlasov version of Love's theory of shells together with a smeared stiffeners technique. The paper also considers a particular case of shell mounted piezoelectic coupled pairs without conventional stiffeners. A closed form solution is derived for spherical panels without conventional stiffeners within the range of the meridional coordinate between 75° and 90° using a version of the Geckeler approximation.     

梁杆结构二阶效应分析的一种新型梁单元

推导了一种计及梁杆二阶效应的新型两结点梁单元。首先依据插值理论构造了三结点Euler-Bernoulli梁单元的位移场:使用五次Hermite插值函数建立梁单元的侧向位移场,二次Lagrange插值函数建立梁单元的轴向位移场,进而由非线性有限元理论推导了单元的线性刚度矩阵和几何刚度矩阵,然后使用静力凝聚方法消除三结点梁单元中间结点的自由度,从而得到一种考虑轴力效应的新型两结点梁单元。实例分析表明,此新型梁单元具有很高的计算精度,使用此单元进行梁杆结构分析可获得相当准确的二阶位移和内力。     

Mixed finite element method for axisymmetric shells

A mixed variational formulation is used as basis for developing a mixed finite element method for axisymmetric shell. The independent unknowns of the method are the axial and radial displacement components, the rotation of the normal to the middle surface and the meridional bending stress couple. The basic element is a frustrum of curved meridian. General advantages of the mixed method are presented, one of which is the possibility of using piece-wise linear functions of the meridional arclength to represent the basic unknowns. Test results are presented for plate bending, transverse shear deformation, membrane behaviour, edge-zone bending, bending near the junction of two shells, convergence of the method and accuracy of middle surface curvature interpolation. Shell geometries considered are cylindrical, conical, spherical and ellipsoidal. Good results are obtained which should increase interest in the relatively less known and less tested mixed method as compared to the stiffness method.     

A refined triangular plate bending finite element

The derivation of the stiffness matrix for a refined, fully compatible triangular plate bending finite element is presented. The Kirchhoff plate bending theory is assumed. Six parameters or degrees of freedom are introduced at each of the three corner nodes resulting in an 18 degree of freedom element. This refined element is found to give better results for displacements and particularly for internal moments than any plate bending element, regardless of shape, previously reported in the literature.     

XFEM fracture analysis of shells: The effect of crack tip enrichments

In this study the effect of crack tip enrichment functions in the extended finite element analysis of shells is investigated. Utilization of crack tip enrichments leads to reduction of the required number of elements, mesh independency and increased accuracy in computation of fracture mechanics parameters such as the stress intensity factor, the crack tip opening displacement and the crack tip opening angle. The procedure is verified by modeling various shell and plate problems and available benchmark tests. Also, effects of enrichments of in-plane, out-of-plane and rotational degrees of freedom and high order out-of-plane enrichments on different fracture modes are studied. Moreover, reduction of the dependency of crack tip opening angle on the element size in crack propagation problems is discussed.     

An integral equation analysis of inelastic shells

This paper presents an integral equation approach for the analysis of deformation and stresses in inelastic shells of arbitrary shape subjected to arbitrary loading. The proposed mathematical model is completely consistent and is derived by transforming the three-dimensional equations from the Cartesian to the appropriate curvilinear coordinates of the shell. Appropriate kinematic assumptions for the dependence of the displacements on the thickness coordinate of the shell and assumptions regarding the loads at the ends are introduced consistently in the model to take advantage of the thinness of the shell. Numerical implementation and numerical results are presented for elastic and inelastic deformation of axisymmetric shells subjected to axisymmetric loading. These results are compared against exact elasticity, Love-Kirchoff model analysis of inelastic cylindrical shells and finite element solutions.