The BEM applied to plate bending elastoplastic analysis using Reissner''s theory

An application of the boundary element method (BEM) to plate bending elastoplastic analysis is presented. Reissner's plate bending theory, which caters to thin and thick plates, is considered.

First, the governing equations are shown, in which bending plastic strains are allowed for. Thereafter, the integral equations are presented, including those for moments and shear resultants at internal points. The numerical implementation is carried out using the integral equations discretized in quadratic boundary elements and constant internal cells. An incremental-iterative method is employed to solve the elastoplastic equations.

Numerical examples are presented at the end of the work to illustrate the applicability of the formulation.     

Dynamic analysis of shear deformable plates using the Dual Reciprocity Method

The Dual Reciprocity Method is a popular mathematical technique to treat domain integrals in the boundary element method (BEM). This technique has been used to treat inertial integrals in the dynamic thin plate bending analysis using a direct formulation of the BEM based on the elastostatic fundamental solution of the problem. In this work, this approach was applied for the dynamic analysis of shear deformable plates based on the Reissner plate bending theory, considering the rotary inertia of the plate. Three kinds of problems: modal, harmonic and transient dynamic analysis, were analyzed. Numerical examples are presented to demonstrate the efficiency and accuracy of the proposed formulation.     

A unified 3D‐based technique for plate bending analysis using scaled boundary finite element method

This paper presents a unified technique for solving the plate bending problems by extending the scaled boundary finite element method. The formulation is based on the three‐dimensional governing equation without enforcing the kinematics of plate theory. Only the in‐plane dimensions are discretised into finite elements. Any two‐dimensional displacement‐based elements can be employed. The solution along the thickness is expressed analytically by using a matrix function. The proposed technique is consistent with the three‐dimensional theory and applicable to both thick and thin plates without exhibiting the numerical locking phenomenon. Moreover, the use of higher order spectral elements allows the proposed technique to better represent curved boundaries and to achieve high accuracy and fast convergence. Numerical examples of various plate structures with different thickness‐to‐length ratios demonstrate the applicability and accuracy of the proposed technique. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A fast multipole boundary element method for solving the thin plate bending problem

A fast multipole boundary element method (BEM) for solving large-scale thin plate bending problems is presented in this paper. The method is based on the Kirchhoff thin plate bending theory and the biharmonic equation governing the deflection of the plate. First, the direct boundary integral equations and the conventional BEM for thin plate bending problems are reviewed. Second, the complex notation of the kernel functions, expansions and translations in the fast multipole BEM are presented. Finally, a few numerical examples are presented to show the accuracy and efficiency of the fast multipole BEM in solving thin plate bending problems. The bending rigidity of a perforated plate is evaluated using the developed code. It is shown that the fast multipole BEM can be applied to solve plate bending problems with good accuracy. Possible improvements in the efficiency of the method are discussed.     

A new boundary element formulation for shear deformable shells analysis

A new domain‐boundary element formulation to solve bending problems of shear deformable shallow shells having quadratic mid‐surface is presented. By regrouping all the terms containing shells curvature and external loads together in equilibrium equation, the formulation can be formed by coupling boundary element formulation of shear deformable plate and two‐dimensional plane stress elasticity. The boundary is discretized into quadratic isoparametric element and the domain is discretized using constant cells. Several examples are presented, and the results shows a good agreement with the finite element method. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Inelastic transient dynamic analysis of Reissner–Mindlin plates by the D/BEM

A direct domain/boundary element method (D/BEM) for dynamic analysis of elastoplastic Reissner–Mindlin plates in bending is developed. Thus, effects of shear deformation and rotatory inertia are included in the formulation. The method employs the elastostatic fundamental solution of the problem resulting in both boundary and domain integrals due to inertia and inelasticity. Thus, a boundary as well as a domain space discretization by means of quadratic boundary and interior elements is utilized. By using an explicit time‐integration scheme employed on the incremental form of the matrix equation of motion, the history of the plate dynamic response can be obtained. Numerical results for the forced vibration of elastoplastic Reissner–Mindlin plates with smooth boundaries subjected to impulsive loading are presented for illustrating the proposed method and demonstrating its merits. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A flexibility matrix solution of the vibration problem of plates based on the boundary element method

Summary A Boundary element method (BEM) is developed for the dynamic analysis of thin elastic plates. The method is based on the capability to establish a flexibility matrix (discrete Green's function) with respect to a set of nodal mass points using a BEM solution for the static plate problem. A lumped mass matrix is constructed from the tributary mass areas to the nodal mass points. Both free and forced vibrations are considered and numerical examples are presented to illustrate the method and its merits.     

An enhanced cell‐based smoothed finite element method for the analysis of Reissner–Mindlin plate bending problems involving distorted mesh

In this work, an enhanced cell‐based smoothed finite element method (FEM) is presented for the Reissner–Mindlin plate bending analysis. The smoothed curvature computed by a boundary integral along the boundaries of smoothing cells in original smoothed FEM is reformulated, and the relationship between the original approach and the present method in curvature smoothing is established. To improve the accuracy of shear strain in a distorted mesh, we span the shear strain space over the adjacent element. This is performed by employing an edge‐based smoothing technique through a simple area‐weighted smoothing procedure on MITC4 assumed shear strain field. A three‐field variational principle is utilized to develop the mixed formulation. The resultant element formulation is further reduced to a displacement‐based formulation via an assumed strain method defined by the edge‐smoothing technique. As the result, a new formulation consisting of smoothed curvature and smoothed shear strain interpolated by the standard transverse displacement/rotation fields and smoothing operators can be shown to improve the solution accuracy in cell‐based smoothed FEM for Reissner–Mindlin plate bending analysis. Several numerical examples are presented to demonstrate the accuracy of the proposed formulation.Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A meshless method for Kirchhoff plate bending problems

In this work a meshless method for the analysis of bending of thin homogeneous plates is presented. This meshless method is based on the use of radial basis functions to build an approximation of the general solution of the partial differential equations governing the Kirchhoff plate bending problem. In order to obtain a symmetric and non‐singular linear equation system the Hermite collocation method is used. To assess the formulation a series of plates with different boundary conditions are analysed. Comparisons are made with other results available in the literature. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A coupled BEM-stiffness matrix approach for analysis of shear deformable plates on elastic half space

In this paper, a new direct Boundary Element Method (BEM) is presented to solve plates on elastic half space (EHS). The considered BEM is based on the formulation of Vander Weeën for the shear deformable plate bending theory of Reissner. The considered EHS is the infinite EHS of Boussinesq–Mindlin or the finite EHS (with rigid end layer) of Steinbrenner. The multi-layered EHS is also considered. In the present formulation, the soil stiffness matrix is computed. Hence, this stiffness matrix is directly incorporated inside the developed BEM. Several numerical examples are considered and results are compared against previously published analytical and numerical methods to validate the present formulation.     

Boundary element modelling of flat plate floors under vertical loading

The present paper develops a boundary element model for flat plate floors. The floor slab is modelled using the shear‐deformable plate bending theory. Internal columns or walls are treated using internal collocation technique, where three interaction generalized forces are considered at the slab–column connection: two bending moments in two directions and shear force in the vertical direction. Such forces are considered to be constant over the column cross‐sections. The present technique takes into account the realistic geometric modelling of the column cross‐sections. The effect of considering such geometry in the analysis of the bending moments transferred from slab to columns is studied. Several examples, including solution of practical building slab, are presented. The results are compared to those obtained from other numerical methods to demonstrate the accuracy and the reliability of the present formulation. The present formulation can be considered as an accurate tool to predict moment transferred from the slab to the column. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Boundary element method analysis of bending of inelastic plates with general boundary conditions

This paper presents an accurate boundary element method (BEM) formulation for the bending of inelastic Kirchhoff plates subjected to general boundary conditions. This approach is an extension of earlier work by the authors of this paper and other co-workers on elastic plate deformation where they had proposed a three-equation BEM scheme. Numerical results presented here include plates with cutouts and free edges. A rate type constitutive model is used here to describe nonelastic deformation behavior of the plate material.This research was performed while G.-S. Song was a visiting Scientist at Cornell University     

Mixed plate bending elements based on least‐squares formulation

A finite element formulation for the bending of thin and thick plates based on least‐squares variational principles is presented. Finite element models for both the classical plate theory and the first‐order shear deformation plate theory (also known as the Kirchhoff and Mindlin plate theories, respectively) are considered. High‐order nodal expansions are used to construct the discrete finite element model based on the least‐squares formulation. Exponentially fast decay of the least‐squares functional, which is constructed using the L₂ norms of the equations residuals, is verified for increasing order of the nodal expansions. Numerical examples for the bending of circular, rectangular and skew plates with various boundary conditions and plate thickness are presented to demonstrate the predictive capability and robustness of the new plate bending elements. Plate bending elements based on this formulation are shown to be insensitive to both shear‐locking and geometric distortions. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A boundary element method applied to the elastostatic bending problem of beam-stiffened plates

The present paper proposes a basic formulation for the static bending problem of beam-stiffened elastic plates. This problem has been so far analyzed using the Timoshenko theory in which the equivalent shear force and bending moments are assumed to act on the beam stiffener. Since fourth-order derivatives of unknown displacements are included in the formulation, in its numerical implementation fourth-order polynomials must be used as the interpolation functions.

In this paper, the interactive forces and moments between the plate and the stiffener are treated as line distributed unknown loads. In the numerical implementation of the formulation, these forces can be approximated using a suitable family of interpolation functions. The formulation is presented in detail and a computer code is developed. The numerical results obtained by the computer code are discussed, whereby the usefulness of the proposed solution procedure is demonstrated.     

The boundary element method for thick plates on a Winkler foundation

In this paper the application of the boundary element method to thick plates resting on a Winkler foundation is presented. The Reissner plate bending theory is used to model the plate behaviour. The Winkler foundation model is represented by continuous springs which are directly incorporated into the governing differential equation. The fundamental solutions are constructed using operator decoupling technique. These fundamental solutions represent three different cases depending on the problem constants. The explicit forms of the boundary and internal point kernels are given in all cases. Quadratic isoparametric boundary elements are used to model the plate boundary. Several examples are presented to demonstrate the accuracy of the present formulation. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Buckling of folded plate structures subjected to partial in‐plane edge loads by the FSDT meshfree Galerkin method

This paper presents a meshfree Galerkin method that is based on the first‐order shear deformation theory (FSDT) to study the elastic buckling behaviour of stiffened and un‐stiffened folded plates under partial in‐plane edge loads. The un‐stiffened folded plates are modelled as assemblies of flat plates. The stiffness and initial stress matrices of the flat plates are derived by the meshfree Galerkin method. A treatment is implemented to modify the stiffness and initial stress matrices, and the matrices are then superposed to obtain the stiffness and initial stress matrix of the entire folded plate. The analytical process for stiffened folded plates is similar, except that the effects of the stiffeners must be taken into account. Because no mesh is required, the proposed method is superior for studying problems that would involve remeshing in the finite element method. Several examples are employed to show the convergence and accuracy of the proposed method. The results obtained show good agreement with the results computed from the finite element analysis software ANSYS. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Identities for the fundamental solution of thin plate bending problems and the nonuniqueness of the hypersingular BIE solution for multi-connected domains

Four integral identities for the fundamental solution of thin plate bending problems are presented in this paper. These identities can be derived by imposing rigid-body translation and rotation solutions to the two direct boundary integral equations (BIEs) for plate bending problems, or by integrating directly the governing equation for the fundamental solution. These integral identities can be used to develop weakly-singular and nonsingular forms of the BIEs for plate bending problems. They can also be employed to show the nonuniqueness of the solution of the hypersingular BIE for plates on multi-connected (or multiply-connected) domains. This nonuniqueness is shown for the first time in this paper. It is shown that the solution of the singular (deflection) BIE is unique, while the hypersingular (rotation) BIE can admit an arbitrary rigid-body translation term in the deflection solution, on the edge of a hole. However, since both the singular and hypersingular BIEs are required in solving a plate bending problem using the boundary element method (BEM), the BEM solution is always unique on edges of holes in plates on multi-connected domains. Numerical examples of plates with holes are presented to show the correctness and effectiveness of the BEM for multi-connected domain problems.     

Trefftz method applied to a moderately thick plate

This paper presents the Trefftz direct and indirect methods for analysing moderately thick plate bending problems based on an improved plate theory (IPT). By using a T‐complete set in the formulation, a non‐singular boundary integral equation is obtained. The results show that the present method is effective for both thin and thick plates. An alternative type of locking problem which is caused by the overflow of Trefftz functions has been observed and a so‐called variable‐reducing procedure for eliminating such a phenomenon is also discussed. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Analysis of plates stiffened by parallel beams

In this paper a general solution for the analysis of plates stiffened by parallel beams subjected to an arbitrary loading is presented. According to the proposed model, the stiffening beams are isolated from the plate by sections in the lower outer surface of the plate, taking into account the arising tractions in all directions at the fictitious interfaces. The aforementioned integrated tractions result in the loading of the beams as well as the additional loading of the plate. Their distribution is established by applying continuity conditions in all directions at the interfaces. The analysis of both the plate and the beams is accomplished on their deformed shape taking into account second‐order effects. Six boundary value problems with respect to the plate transverse deflection, to the plate inplane displacement components, to the beam transverse deflections, to the beam axial deformation and to the beam non‐uniform angle of twist are formulated and solved using the analog equation method (AEM), a boundary element method (BEM)‐based method employing a boundary integral equation approach. The solution of the aforementioned plate and beam problems, which are non‐linearly coupled, is achieved using iterative numerical methods. The adopted model describes better the actual response of the plate beams system and permits the evaluation of the shear forces at the interfaces in both directions, the knowledge of which is very important in the design of prefabricated ribbed plates. The evaluated lateral deflections of the plate–beams system are found to exhibit considerable discrepancy from those of other models, which neglect inplane and axial forces and deformations. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A refined non‐linear non‐conforming triangular plate/shell element

A refined non‐conforming triangular plate/shell element for geometric non‐linear analysis of plates/shells using the total Lagrangian/updated Lagrangian approach is constructed in this paper based on the refined non‐conforming element method for geometric non‐linear analysis. The Allman's triangular plane element with vertex degrees of freedom and the refined triangular plate‐bending element RT9 are used to construct the present element. Numerical examples demonstrate that the accuracy of the new element is quite high in the geometric non‐linear analysis of plates/shells. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.