Shape sensitivity analysis using a fixed basis function finite element approach

An approach is presented for the determination of solution sensitivity to changes in problem domain or shape. A finite element displacement formulation is adopted and the point of view is taken that the finite element basis functions and grid are fixed during the sensitivity analysis; therefore, the method is referred to as a “fixed basis function” finite element shape sensitivity analysis. This approach avoids the requirement of explicit or approximate differentiation of finite element matrices and vectors and the difficulty or errors resulting from such calculations. Effectively, the sensitivity to boundary shape change is determined exactly; thus, the accuracy of the solution sensitivity is dictated only by the finite element mesh used. The evaluation of sensitivity matrices and force vectors requires only modest calculations beyond those of the reference problem finite element analysis; that is, certain boundary integrals and reaction forces on the reference location of the moving boundary are required. In addition, the formulation provides the unique family of element domain changes which completely eliminates the inclusion of grid sensitivity from the shape sensitivity calculation. The work is illustrated for some one-dimensional beam problems and is outlined for a two-dimensional C⁰ problem; the extension to three-dimensional problems is straight-forward. Received December 5, 1999?Revised mansucript received July 6, 2000     

A Galerkin finite element method for time-fractional stochastic heat equation

In this study, a Galerkin finite element method is presented for time-fractional stochastic heat equation driven by multiplicative noise, which arises from the consideration of heat transport in porous media with thermal memory with random effects. The spatial and temporal regularity properties of mild solution to the given problem under certain sufficient conditions are obtained. Numerical techniques are developed by the standard Galerkin finite element method in spatial direction, and Gorenflo–Mainardi–Moretti–Paradisi scheme is applied in temporal direction. The convergence error estimates for both semi-discrete and fully discrete schemes are established. Finally, numerical example is provided to verify the theoretical results.     

Object-oriented stochastic finite element analysis of fibre metal laminates

This paper deals with issues arising from the stochastic simulation of fibre metal laminates. The elasticity modulus of the composite layer is assumed to be a random process. An object-oriented computational framework is proposed, which can be integrated with an existing object-oriented deterministic infrastructure. This framework is utilized to implement a spectral stochastic version of the solid-like shell element. Modelling aspects particular to the layered nature of the fibre metal laminates are discussed and implemented in the proposed framework. Practical application of the software is illustrated by computations on panels of GLARE (fibre metal laminate).     

A finite element approach to global-local modeling in composite laminate analysis

A finite element model is described to study interlaminar stresses within polymer composite laminated materials. This model is based upon a global-local model proposed by Pagano and Soni in 1983. The development of solution procedures includes an out-of-core memory solving technique. The numerical results generated for simple plate problems with and without holes in the center under uniaxial loading are reported. Comments regarding the finite-element mesh-size, numerical stability, problem size and sensitivity of results to substructuring of the laminate into global and local regions have also been discussed.     

A variational Germano approach for stabilized finite element methods

In this paper the recently introduced Variational Germano procedure is revisited. The procedure is explained using commutativity diagrams. A general Germano identity for all types of discretizations is derived. This relation is similar to the Variational Germano identity, but is not restricted to variational numerical methods. Based on the general Germano identity an alternative algorithm, in the context of stabilized methods, is proposed. This partitioned algorithm consists of distinct building blocks. Several options for these building blocks are presented and analyzed and their performance is tested using a stabilized finite element formulation for the convection–diffusion equation. Non-homogenous boundary conditions are shown to pose a serious problem for the dissipation method. This is not the case for the least-squares method although here the issue of basis dependence occurs. The latter can be circumvented by minimizing a dual-norm of the weak relation instead of the Euclidean norm of the discrete residual.     

Hierarchical parallelisation for the solution of stochastic finite element equations

As an example application the elliptic partial differential equation for steady groundwater flow is considered. Uncertainties in the conductivity may be quantified with a stochastic model. A discretisation by a Galerkin ansatz with tensor products of finite element functions in space and stochastic ansatz functions leads to a certain type of stochastic finite element system (SFEM). This yields a large system of equations with a particular structure. They can be efficiently solved by Krylov subspace methods, as here the main ingredient is the multiplication with the system matrix and the application of the preconditioner. We have implemented a “hierarchical parallel solver” on a distributed memory architecture for this. The multiplication and the preconditioning uses a—possibly parallel—deterministic solver for the spatial discretisation as a building block in a black-box fashion. This paper is concerned with a coarser grained level of parallelism resulting from the stochastic formulation. These coarser levels are implemented by running different instances of the deterministic solver in parallel. Different possibilities for the distribution of data are investigated, and the efficiencies determined. On up to 128 processors, systems with more than 5 × 10⁷ unknowns are solved.     

An error analysis approach for laminated composite plate finite element models

Errors in laminated composite plate finite element models occur at both the individual element level and at the discretization level. This paper shows that parasitic shear causes individual element errors and that its sources must be eliminated if numerically and physically correct results are to be provided by the finite element analysis. In addition, discretization errors occur when the behavior of the continuum is represented by a finite number of degrees of freedom. A procedure to estimate discretization errors in laminated composite plate finite element models and guide refinement, in order to achieve an acceptable level of accuracy, is developed. The error estimator built is based on the energy norm of the error in stress resultants.     

Computational aspects of the stochastic finite element method

We present an overview of the stochastic finite element method with an emphasis on the computational tasks involved in its implementation.      

Buckling analysis of imperfect frames using a stochastic finite element method

A stochastic finite element method is developed for the buckling analysis of frames with random initial imperfections, uncertain sectional and material properties. The random geometrical imperfections of the frames are described by member initial crookednesses which are modeled as given initial displacement functions with amplitudes treated as random variables. The effects of the random initial geometric imperfections are formulated as a set of equivalent random nodal coordinates in the finite element discretization of the members. The mean-centered second-order perturbation technique is used to formulate the stochastic finite element method for the buckling analysis of the imperfect frames. Use of the present method is illustrated by several examples of buckling analysis of random frames. Results derived from the Monte Carlo method are also obtained for comparison.     

A smoothed finite element method for shell analysis

A four-node quadrilateral shell element with smoothed membrane-bending based on Mindlin-Reissner theory is proposed. The element is a combination of a plate bending and membrane element. It is based on mixed interpolation where the bending and membrane stiffness matrices are calculated on the boundaries of the smoothing cells while the shear terms are approximated by independent interpolation functions in natural coordinates. The proposed element is robust, computationally inexpensive and free of locking. Since the integration is done on the element boundaries for the bending and membrane terms, the element is more accurate than the MITC4 element for distorted meshes. This will be demonstrated for several numerical examples.     

A finite element method for localized failure analysis

A method is proposed which aims at enhancing the performance of general classes of elements in problems involving strain localization. The method exploits information concerning the process of localization which is readily available at the element level. A bifurcation analysis is used to determine the geometry of the localized deformation modes. When the onset of localization is detected, suitably defined shape functions are added to the element interpolation which closely reproduce the localized modes. The extra degrees of freedom representing the amplitudes of these modes are eliminated by static condensation. The proposed methodology can be applied to 2-D and 3-D problems involving arbitrary rate-independent material behavior. Numerical examples demonstrate the ability of the method to resolve the geometry of localized failure modes to the highest resolution allowed by the mesh.     

Nonlinear viscoelastic stress analysis—a finite element approach

This paper describes a finite element algorithm developed for analysis of nonlinear viscoelastic materials. A single integral constitutive law proposed by Schapery is used to describe viscoelastic material behavior. Work leading to this paper focused on adhesives, but the FE formulation is general and readily extended to structural systems other than plane strain, plane stress and axisymmetric analysis as described. Cartesian strain components are written in terms of current and past stress states. Thus strains are conveniently defined by a stress operator that includes instantaneous compliance and hereditary strain which is updated by recursive computation. Equilibrium at each time step is insured with a modified Newton Raphson technique, incorporating convergence acceleration. Verification analyses show excellent agreement with experimental data for FM-73 adhesive systems. A plane strain analysis of a butt joint is included.     

Monte Carlo simulation-compatible stochastic field for application to expansion-based stochastic finite element method

In order to endow the expansion-based stochastic formulation with the capability of representing the characteristic behavior of stochastic systems, i.e., the non-linear dependence of the response variability on the coefficient of variation of the stochastic field, a Monte Carlo simulation-compatible stochastic field is suggested. Through a theoretical comparison of displacement vectors in the Monte Carlo method and an expansion-based scheme, it is found that the stochastic field adopted in the expansion-based scheme is not compatible with that appearing in the Monte Carlo simulation. The Monte Carlo simulation-compatible stochastic field is established by means of enforcing the compatibility between the stochastic fields in the expansion-based scheme and the Monte Carlo simulation. Employing the stochastic field suggested in this study, the response variability is reproduced with high precision even for uncertain fields with a moderately large coefficient of variation. Furthermore, the formulation proposed here can be used as an indirect Monte Carlo scheme by directly substituting the numerically simulated random fields into the covariance formula. This yields a pronounced reduction in the computation cost while resulting in virtually the same response variability as the Monte Carlo technique.     

A finite element approach to a quasi-variational inequality

We analyze the convergence of the finite element approximation to an elliptic one-dimensional quasi-variational inequality, connected to stochastic impulse control theory. We prove an optimal 0(h) error bound for the linear element solution of the associated variational selection. Then, by means of a continuity result, we derive anL ^∞-error estimate for the linear element solution of the quasi-variational inequality. Work supported by the Gruppo Nazionale per l'Analisi Matematica del C.N.R.     

A hybrid,finite element—finite difference approach to simplified large deflection analysis of structures

A new and considerably simplified solution technique for geometrically nonlinear problems is introduced. In contrast to the existing numerical methods, the present approach obtains an approximate large deflection pattern from the linear displacement vector by successively employing updated correction factors. Conservation of energy principle yields a general expression for these subsequent corrections. While the linear portion of the strain energy can be computed using finite element approach, evaluations of its nonlinear counterparts often require mathematical discretization techniques. The simple, self-correcting iterative procedure is unconditionally stable and its fast oscillatory convergence offers further computational efficiency. To illustrate the application of the proposed method and to assess its accuracy, moderately large deflections of beam, plate and flexible cable structures have been computed and compared with known analytical solutions. If required, the obtained results—which are acceptable for most design purposes—can be further improved.     

A sharable format for multidisciplinary finite element analysis data

The sharing of finite element analysis (FEA) data during the design process is a key requirement for success in collaborative design environments. However, compared to other fields like computer-aided design (CAD), sharing FEA data using a standardized neutral format remains relatively inefficient because the format must accommodate a wide range of data types produced from multidisciplinary analysis applications. In this paper, we propose a new format improving the exchangeability of FEA data in a collaborative design environment. Our approach is designed to address a wide variety of industry concerns as it achieves substantial data compression by storing only essential FE information and is efficient for visualizing heterogeneous analytic results by using a modified scene graph data structure. To maximize the efficiency of managing multidisciplinary data, our format also allows the use of hierarchical management within a single structure. We implemented a system based on our format, which is able to efficiently use the proposed sharable data translated from various systems. Several examples from commercial FEA systems are provided to demonstrate the effectiveness of the format.     

A finite element approach for multiphase fluid flow in porous media

The main scope of this work is to carry out a mathematical framework and its corresponding finite element (FE) discretization for the partially saturated soil consolidation modelling in presence of an immiscible pollutant. A multiphase system with the interstitial voids in the grain matrix filled with water (liquid phase), water vapour and dry air (gas phase) and with pollutant substances, is assumed. The mathematical model addressed in this work was developed in the framework of mixture theory considering the pollutant saturation-suction coupling effects. The ensuing mathematical model involves equations of momentum balance, energy balance and mass balance of the whole multiphase system. Encouraging outcomes were achieved in several different examples.     

A hybrid ant colony optimization approach for finite element mesh decomposition

This paper examines the application of the ant colony optimization algorithm to the partitioning of unstructured adaptive meshes for parallel explicit time-stepping finite element analysis. The concept of the ant colony optimization technique for finding approximate solutions to combinatorial optimization problems is described.The application of ant colony optimization for partitioning finite element meshes based on triangular elements is described.A recursive greedy algorithm optimization method is also presented as a local optimization technique to improve the quality of the solutions given by the ant colony optimization algorithm. The partitioning is based on the recursive bisection approach.The mesh decomposition is carried out using normal and predictive modes for which the predictive mode uses a trained multilayered feed-forward neural network which estimates the number of triangular elements that will be generated after finite elements mesh generation is carried out.The performance of the proposed hybrid approach for the recursive bisection of finite element meshes is examined by decomposing two mesh examples.