A spline wavelet finite‐element method in structural mechanics

The wavelet‐based methods are powerful to analyse the field problems with changes in gradients and singularities due to the excellent multi‐resolution properties of wavelet functions. Wavelet‐based finite elements are often constructed in the wavelet space where field displacements are expressed as a product of wavelet functions and wavelet coefficients. When a complex structural problem is analysed, the interface between different elements and boundary conditions cannot be easily treated as in the case of conventional finite‐element methods (FEMs). A new wavelet‐based FEM in structural mechanics is proposed in the paper by using the spline wavelets, in which the formulation is developed in a similar way of conventional displacement‐based FEM. The spline wavelet functions are used as the element displacement interpolation functions and the shape functions are expressed by wavelets. The detailed formulations of typical spline wavelet elements such as plane beam element, in‐plane triangular element, in‐plane rectangular element, tetrahedral solid element, and hexahedral solid element are derived. The numerical examples have illustrated that the proposed spline wavelet finite‐element formulation achieves a high numerical accuracy and fast convergence rate. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

An isogeometric solid‐like shell element for nonlinear analysis

An isogeometric solid‐like shell formulation is proposed in which B‐spline basis functions are used to construct the mid‐surface of the shell. In combination with a linear Lagrange shape function in the thickness direction, this yields a complete three‐dimensional representation of the shell. The proposed shell element is implemented in a standard finite element code using Bézier extraction. The formulation is verified using different benchmark tests. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

T‐spline finite element method for the analysis of shell structures

A T‐spline surface is a nonuniform rational B‐spline (NURBS) surface with T‐junctions, and is defined by a control grid called T‐mesh. The T‐mesh is similar to a NURBS control mesh except that in a T‐mesh, a row or column of control points is allowed to terminate in the inner parametric space. This property of T‐splines makes local refinement possible. In the present study, shell formulation based on the T‐spline finite element method (FEM) is presented. Shell formulation based on NURBS or T‐splines has fundamental limitations because rotational DOFs, which are necessary in the shell formulation, cannot be defined on control points. In this study, the simple mapping scheme, in which every control point is mapped into one geometric point on the surface, is employed to eliminate the limitations. Using this mapping scheme, T‐spline FEM can be easily extended to the analysis of shells. The proposed shell formulation is verified through various benchmarking problems. This study is a part of the efforts by the authors for the integration of CAD–CAE processes. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A robust non‐linear mixed hybrid quadrilateral shell element

In the paper a non‐linear quadrilateral shell element for the analysis of thin structures is presented. The variational formulation is based on a Hu–Washizu functional with independent displacement, stress and strain fields. The interpolation matrices for the mid‐surface displacements and rotations as well as for the stress resultants and strains are specified. Restrictions on the interpolation functions concerning fulfillment of the patch test and stability are derived. The developed mixed hybrid shell element possesses the correct rank and fulfills the in‐plane and bending patch test. Using Newton's method the finite element approximation of the stationary condition is iteratively solved. Our formulation can accommodate arbitrary non‐linear material models for finite deformations. In the examples we present results for isotropic plasticity at finite rotations and small strains as well as bifurcation problems and post‐buckling response. The essential feature of the new element is the robustness in the equilibrium iterations. It allows very large load steps in comparison to other element formulations. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A general high‐order finite element formulation for shells at large strains and finite rotations

For hyperelastic shells with finite rotations and large strains a p‐finite element formulation is presented accommodating general kinematic assumptions, interpolation polynomials and particularly general three‐dimensional hyperelastic constitutive laws. This goal is achieved by hierarchical, high‐order shell models. The tangent stiffness matrices for the hierarchical shell models are derived by computer algebra. Both non‐hierarchical, nodal as well as hierarchical element shape functions are admissible. Numerical experiments show the high‐order formulation to be less prone to locking effects. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Polyhedral elements by means of node/edge‐based smoothed finite element method

The node‐based or edge‐based smoothed finite element method is extended to develop polyhedral elements that are allowed to have an arbitrary number of nodes or faces, and so retain a good geometric adaptability. The strain smoothing technique and implicit shape functions based on the linear point interpolation make the element formulation simple and straightforward. The resulting polyhedral elements are free from the excessive zero‐energy modes and yield a robust solution very much insensitive to mesh distortion. Several numerical examples within the framework of linear elasticity demonstrate the accuracy and convergence behavior. The smoothed finite element method‐based polyhedral elements in general yield solutions of better accuracy and faster convergence rate than those of the conventional finite element methods. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Isogeometric FEM‐BEM coupled structural‐acoustic analysis of shells using subdivision surfaces

We introduce a coupled finite and boundary element formulation for acoustic scattering analysis over thin‐shell structures. A triangular Loop subdivision surface discretisation is used for both geometry and analysis fields. The Kirchhoff‐Love shell equation is discretised with the finite element method and the Helmholtz equation for the acoustic field with the boundary element method. The use of the boundary element formulation allows the elegant handling of infinite domains and precludes the need for volumetric meshing. In the present work, the subdivision control meshes for the shell displacements and the acoustic pressures have the same resolution. The corresponding smooth subdivision basis functions have the C¹ continuity property required for the Kirchhoff‐Love formulation and are highly efficient for the acoustic field computations. We verify the proposed isogeometric formulation through a closed‐form solution of acoustic scattering over a thin‐shell sphere. Furthermore, we demonstrate the ability of the proposed approach to handle complex geometries with arbitrary topology that provides an integrated isogeometric design and analysis workflow for coupled structural‐acoustic analysis of shells.     

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.     

Influence functions and goal‐oriented error estimation for finite element analysis of shell structures

In this paper, we first present a consistent procedure to establish influence functions for the finite element analysis of shell structures, where the influence function can be for any linear quantity of engineering interest. We then design some goal‐oriented error measures that take into account the cancellation effect of errors over the domain to overcome the issue of over‐estimation. These error measures include the error due to the approximation in the geometry of the shell structure. In the calculation of the influence functions we also consider the asymptotic behaviour of shells as the thickness approaches zero. Although our procedures are general and can be applied to any shell formulation, we focus on MITC finite element shell discretizations. In our numerical results, influence functions are shown for some shell test problems, and the proposed goal‐oriented error estimation procedure shows good effectivity indices. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

复合材料层合板力学性质分析及角铺设层优化设计

基于Kirchhoff经典理论,用样条有限元法以三次B样条函数构成的样条基对反对称多层角铺设层合板的三个独立位移进行插值,推导了复合材料层合板刚度阵,质量阵列式,阻尼阵列式,并由Lagrange方程导出了层合板的动力学方程,通过瑞利一李兹法建立了特征方程。分析了层合板的固有频率及不同层数和不同约束条件下的基频变化等力学特性,在Kirchhoff假设的基础上,对层合板的非线性弯曲的力学特性进行了探讨。基于样条有限元法和遗传算法进行复合材料层合板的角铺设层的优化设计,数值算列验证了算法的有效性。     

A fixed‐mesh finite element thermally coupled flow formulation for the numerical analysis of melting processes

In the framework of the finite element method, a temperature‐based thermally coupled flow formulation including phase‐change effects is proposed to study melting processes. The governing equations of the problem, written in terms of its primitive variables, are solved using a generalized streamline operator technique that enables the use of equal interpolation functions for the unknowns: velocity, pressure and temperature. Moreover, a unique fixed finite element mesh is used to avoid the difficulties related to moving meshes. This methodology is applied and assessed in the numerical analysis of a benchmark problem known as the melting process of gallium in a differentially heated recipient using distinct geometric aspect ratios. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Multiresolution topology optimization using isogeometric analysis

The paper introduces a novel multiresolution scheme to topology optimization in the framework of the isogeometric analysis. A new variable parameter space is added to implement multiresolution topology optimization based on the Solid Isotropic Material with Penalization approach. Design density variables defined in the variable space are used to approximate the element analysis density by the bivariate B‐spline basis functions, which are easily obtained using k‐refinement strategy in the isogeometric analysis. While the nonuniform rational B‐spline basis functions are used to exactly describe geometric domains and approximate unknown solutions in finite element analysis. By applying a refined sensitivity filter, optimized designs include highly discrete solutions in terms of solid and void materials without using any black and white projection filters. The Method of Moving Asymptotes is used to solve the optimization problem. Various benchmark test problems including plane stress, compliant mechanism inverter, and 2‐dimensional heat conduction are examined to demonstrate the effectiveness and robustness of the present method.     

Coupled mechanics and finite element for non‐linear laminated piezoelectric shallow shells undergoing large displacements and rotations

A theoretical framework is presented for analysing the coupled non‐linear response of shallow doubly curved adaptive laminated piezoelectric shells undergoing large displacements and rotations. The formulated mechanics incorporate coupling between in‐plane and flexural stiffness terms due to geometric curvature, coupling between mechanical and electric fields, and encompass geometric non‐linearity effects due to large displacements and rotations. The governing equations are formulated explicitly in orthogonal curvilinear co‐ordinates and are combined with the kinematic assumptions of a mixed‐field shear‐layerwise shell laminate theory. Based on the above formulation, a finite element methodology together with an incremental‐iterative technique, based on Newton–Raphson method is formulated. An eight‐node coupled non‐linear shell element is also developed. Various evaluation cases on laminated curved beams and cylindrical panels illustrate the capability of the shell finite element to predict the complex non‐linear behaviour of active shell structures including buckling, which is not captured by linear shell models. The numerical results also show the inherent capability of piezoelectric shell structures to actively induce large displacements through piezoelectric actuators, by jumping between multiple equilibrium states. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A spline wavelets element method for frame structures vibration

A spline wavelets element method that combines the versatility of the finite element method with the accuracy of spline functions approximation and the multiresolution strategy of wavelets is proposed for frame structures vibration analysis. Instead of exploring orthogonal wavelets for specific differential operators, the spline wavelets are applied directly in finite element implementation for general differential operators. Although lacking orthogonality, the two-scale relations of spline functions and its corresponding wavelets from multiresolution analysis are employed to facilitate the elemental matrices manipulation by constructing two transform matrices under the constraint of finite domain of elements. In the actual formulation, the segmental approach for spline functions is provided to simplify the computation, much as conventional finite element procedure does. The assembled system matrices at any resolution level are reusable for the furthur finer resolution improvement. The local approximation and hiararchy merits make the approach competitive especially for higher mode vibration analysis. Some examples are studied as verification and demonstration of the approach.     

Mesh independent analysis of shell‐like structures

Mesh independent analysis is motivated by the desire to use accurate geometric models represented as equations rather than approximated by a mesh. The trial and test functions are approximated or interpolated on a background mesh that is independent of the geometry. This background mesh is easy to generate because it does not have to conform to the geometry. Essential boundary conditions can be applied using the implicit boundary method where the trial and test functions are constructed utilizing approximate step functions such that the boundary conditions are guaranteed to be satisfied. This approach has been demonstrated for two‐dimensional (2D) and three‐dimensional (3D) structural analysis and is extended in this paper to model shell‐like structures. The background mesh consists of 3D elements that use uniform B‐spline approximations, and the shell geometry is assumed to be defined as parametric surfaces to allow arbitrarily complex shell‐like structures to be modeled. Several benchmark problems are used to study the validity of these 3D B‐spline shell elements. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Mechanically based models: Adaptive refinement for B‐spline finite element

This article presents two new methods for adaptive refinement of a B‐spline finite element solution within an integrated mechanically based computer aided engineering system. The proposed techniques for adaptively refining a B‐spline finite element solution are a local variant of np‐refinement and a local variant of h‐refinement. The key component in the np‐refinement is the linear co‐ordinate transformation introduced into the refined element. The transformation is constructed in such a way that the transformed nodal configuration of the refined element is identical to the nodal configuration of the neighbour elements. Therefore, the assembly proceeds as with classic finite elements, while the solution approximation conforms exactly along the inter‐element boundaries. For the h‐refinement, this transformation is introduced into a construction that merges the super element from the finite element world with the hierarchical B‐spline representation from the computational geometry. In the scope of developing sculptured surfaces, the proposed approach supports C⁰ as well as the Hermite B‐spline C¹ continuous shapes. For sculptured solids, C⁰ continuity only is considered in this article. The feasibility of the proposed methods in the scope of the geometric design is demonstrated by several examples of creating sculptured surfaces and volumetric solids. Numerical performance of the methods is demonstrated for a test case of the two‐dimensional Poisson equation. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Spatial stability and free vibration of shear flexible thin-walled elastic beams. II: Numerical approach

In a companion paper,¹ equations of motion and closed-form solutions for spatial stability and free vibration analysis of shear flexible thin-walled elastic beams were analytically derived from the linearized Hellinger–Reissner principle. In this paper, elastic and geometric stiffness matrices and consistent mass matrix for finite element analysis are evaluated by using isoparametric and Hermitian interpolation polynomials. Isoparametric interpolation functions with 2, 3 and 4 nodes per element are utilized in isoparametric beam elements, and in Hermitian beam elements, the third- and fifth-order Hermitian polynomials including shear deformation effects are newly derived and applied for the calculation of element matrices. In order to verify the validity of the finite element formulation, both analytic and numerical solutions for spatial buckling and free vibration problems including shear effects are presented and compared.     

Transient analysis of FGM and laminated composite structures using a refined 8-node ANS shell element

In this paper, we investigate the vibration analysis of functionally graded material (FGM) and laminated composite structures, using a refined 8-node shell element that allows for the effects of transverse shear deformation and rotary inertia. The properties of FGM vary continuously through the thickness direction according to the volume fraction of constituents defined by sigmoid function, but in this method, their Poisson’s ratios of the FGM plates and shells are assumed to be constant. The finite element, based on a first-order shear deformation theory, is further improved by the combined use of assumed natural strains and different sets of collocation points for interpolation the different strain components. We analyze the influence of the shell element with the various location and number of enhanced membrane and shear interpolation. Using the assumed natural strain method with proper interpolation functions the present shell element generates neither membrane nor shear locking behavior even when full integration is used in the formulation. The natural frequencies of plates and shells are presented, and the forced vibration analysis of FGM and laminated composite plates and shells subjected to arbitrary loading is carried out. In order to overcome membrane and shear locking phenomena, the assumed natural strain method is used. To validate and compare the finite element numerical solutions, the reference solutions of plates based on the Navier’s method, the series solutions of sigmoid FGM (S-FGM) plates are obtained. Results of the present theory show good agreement with the reference solutions. In addition the effect of damping is investigated on the forced vibration analysis of FGM plates and shells.     

A mixed shell formulation accounting for thickness strains and finite strain 3d material models

A non‐linear quadrilateral shell element for the analysis of thin structures is presented. The Reissner–Mindlin theory with inextensible director vector is used to develop a three‐field variational formulation with independent displacements, stress resultants and shell strains. The interpolation of the independent shell strains consists of two parts. The first part corresponds to the interpolation of the stress resultants. Within the second part independent thickness strains are considered. This allows incorporation of arbitrary non‐linear 3d constitutive equations without further modifications. The developed mixed hybrid shell element possesses the correct rank and fulfills the in‐plane and bending patch test. The essential feature of the new element is the robustness in the equilibrium iterations. It allows very large load steps in comparison with other element formulations. We present results for finite strain elasticity, inelasticity, bifurcation and post‐buckling problems. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.