Free vibration analysis of thick laminated plates using a mixed finite element

Abstract

A mixed finite element scheme based on assumed local high‐order displacements is proposed for the free vibration of thick laminated plates. The effects of transverse shear deformation, transverse normal stress and rotary inertia are considered in the formulation. Cross‐ply laminates with simple supports and angle‐ply laminates with clamped edges are presented as examples. The three dimensional elasticity solutions of cross‐ply laminates with simple supports are used to assess the accuracy of the present scheme. The effects of the span‐to‐thickness, aspect and material anisotropy ratio on the fundamental natural frequency are investigated. The present results are compared with the results in the published literature, and agree closely with the 3‐D elasticity solutions.     

Construction of a Mixed FEM Approximation to Solve a Problem on Bending of a Plate on the Basis of Zienkiewicz's Triangle

To solve a problem on bending of a plate, a special three-node triangular finite element has been constructed on the basis of Zienkiewicz's triangle. A mixed approximation is used for the plate deflection and turning angles. The numerical solution is shown to converge to an exact one with a decrease in the triangle dimensions. The results of the numerical analysis of the convergence and accuracy of the solution of a number of test problems are presented.     

Bordering method for solving systems of linear equations generated by the finite element method in the plate bending problem

A combined iteration algorithm based on the bordering and conjugate gradient methods is proposed to solve systems of linear equations generated by the finite element method in the plate bending problem. The numerical results for the analysis of the convergence rate of the iterative process are presented in the solution of model problems using a classical and modified algorithm of the method of conjugate gradients. The possibility of acceleration of the iterative algorithm is shown. __________ Translated from Problemy Prochnosti, No. 4, pp. 137–145, July–August, 2007.     

Non‐linear finite element modal approach for the large amplitude free vibration of symmetric and unsymmetric composite plates

A theoretical analysis is presented for the large amplitude vibration of symmetric and unsymmetric composite plates using the non‐linear finite element modal reduction method. The problem is first reduced to a set of Duffing‐type modal equations using the finite element modal reduction method. The main advantage of the proposed approach is that no updating of the non‐linear stiffness matrices is needed. Without loss of generality, accurate frequency ratios for the fundamental mode and the higher modes of a composite plate at various values of maximum deflection are then determined by using the Runge–Kutta numerical integration scheme. The procedure for obtaining proper initial conditions for the periodic plate motions is very time consuming. Thus, an alternative scheme (the harmonic balance method) is adopted and assessed, as it was employed to formulate the large amplitude free vibration of beams in a previous study, and the results agreed well with the elliptic solution. The numerical results that are obtained with the harmonic balance method agree reasonably well with those obtained with the Runge–Kutta method. The contribution of each linear mode to the maximum deflection of a plate can also be obtained. The frequency ratios for isotropic and composite plates at various maximum deflections are presented, and convergence of frequencies with the number of finite elements, number of linear modes, and number of harmonic terms is also studied. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A finite element method for stability problems in finite elasticity

In this paper a finite element method is developed to treat stability problems in finite elasticity. For this purpose the constitutive equations are formulated in principal stretches which allows a general representation of the derivatives of the strain energy function with respect to the principal stretches. These results can then be used to derive an efficient numerical scheme for the computation of singular points.     

Static and free vibration analyses of rectangular plates by the new version of the differential quadrature element method

A new version of the differential quadrature method is presented in this paper to overcome the difficulty existing in the ordinary differential quadrature method for applying multi‐boundary conditions in two‐dimensional problems. Since the weighting coefficients of the first derivative are the same as for the ordinary differential quadrature method even with the introduction of multi‐degree‐of‐freedom at the boundary points, the method is easier to extend to two‐ or three‐dimensional problems. A new version of the differential quadrature plate element has been established for demonstration. The essential difference from the existing old version of the differential quadrature plate element is the way the weighting coefficients are determined. The methodology is worked out in detail and some numerical examples are given to show the efficiency of the present method. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Statically admissible finite element solution of the thin plate bending problem with a posteriori error estimation

Two triangular elements of class C⁰ developed on the basis of the principle of complementary work are applied in the static analysis of a thin plate. Some techniques to widen the versatility of the equilibrium approach for the finite element method are presented. Plates of various shapes subjected to diverse types of loading are considered. The results are compared with outcomes obtained by use of the displacement-based finite element method. By use of these two dual types of solutions, the error of the approximate solution is calculated. The lower and upper bounds for the strain energy are found.     

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 differential quadrature hierarchical finite element method and its applications to vibration and bending of Mindlin plates with curvilinear domains

A differential quadrature hierarchical finite element method (DQHFEM) is proposed by expressing the hierarchical finite element method matrices in similar form as in the differential quadrature finite element method and introducing interpolation basis on the boundary of hierarchical finite element method elements. The DQHFEM is similar as the fixed interface mode synthesis method but the DQHFEM does not need modal analysis. The DQHFEM with non‐uniform rational B‐splines elements were shown to accomplish similar destination as the isogeometric analysis. Three key points that determine the accuracy, efficiency and convergence of DQHFEM were addressed, namely, (1) the Gauss–Lobatto–Legendre points should be used as nodes, (2) the recursion formula should be used to compute high‐order orthogonal polynomials, and (3) the separation variable feature of the basis should be used to save computational cost. Numerical comparison and convergence studies of the DQHFEM were carried out by comparing the DQHFEM results for vibration and bending of Mindlin plates with available exact or highly accurate approximate results in literatures. The DQHFEM can present highly accurate results using only a few sampling points. Meanwhile, the order of the DQHFEM can be as high as needed for high‐frequency vibration analysis. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Mixed projection-mesh scheme of the finite-element method to solve boundary-value problems describing the non-isothermal processes of elastoplastic deformation

A mixed projection-mesh scheme for solving a boundary-value problem of thermal plasticity is formulated in a quasi-static statement when the process of non-isothermal elastoplastic deformation of a body is a sequence of equilibrium states. In this case, the stress-strain state depends on the loading history, and the process of inelastic deformation is to be observed over the whole time interval under study. The correctness and convergence of the mixed approximations for stresses, strains and displacements are investigated as applied to the solution of nonlinear boundary-value problems that describe the non-isothermal processes of active loading taking into account the initial strains dependent on the history of deformation and heating. The properties of the projecting operators are studied in detail, and on this basis, the condition that ensures the existence, uniqueness and stability of solution is formulated. The results of the analysis of special formulas of the interpolation-type numerical integration are presented, the use of which considerably simplifies the computation procedure for solving equations of the mixed method. The convergence and accuracy estimations are based on the results of the theory of the generalized boundary-value problems and methods of the functional analysis. According to the estimations obtained, the accuracy of solution of a finite-dimensional problem at the initial stages of loading should be sufficient to avoid the effect of increase of the first coefficients in the expansion of the total error on the accuracy of solution of the elastoplastic problem at the subsequent stages of loading. __________ Translated from Problemy Prochnosti, No. 3, pp. 87–117, May–June, 2007.     

Isoparametric spline finite strip method for the bending of perforated plates

The isoparametric spline finite strip method was recently applied by the authors to the linear elastic in‐plane stress analysis of perforated thin‐walled structures. In this paper, the application of the method is extended to the bending of perforated plates. The paper describes the theory of the isoparametric spline finite strip method in the context of Mindlin plate bending theory. It sets out the strain–displacement and stress–strain relationships and derives expressions for the local and global stiffness matrices. The reliability of the method is demonstrated by comparisons with finely meshed finite element analysis results. Square plates in bending containing openings of different shapes are analysed. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

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.     

ODDLS: A new unstructured mesh finite element method for the analysis of free surface flow problems

This paper introduces a new stabilized finite element method based on the finite calculus (Comput. Methods Appl. Mech. Eng. 1998; 151 :233–267) and arbitrary Lagrangian–Eulerian techniques (Comput. Methods Appl. Mech. Eng. 1998; 155 :235–249) for the solution to free surface problems. The main innovation of this method is the application of an overlapping domain decomposition concept in the statement of the problem. The aim is to increase the accuracy in the capture of the free surface as well as in the resolution of the governing equations in the interface between the two fluids. Free surface capturing is based on the solution to a level set equation. The Navier–Stokes equations are solved using an iterative monolithic predictor–corrector algorithm (Encyclopedia of Computational Mechanics. Wiley: New York, 2004), where the correction step is based on imposing the divergence‐free condition in the velocity field by means of the solution to a scalar equation for the pressure. Examples of application of the ODDLS formulation (for overlapping domain decomposition level set) to the analysis of different free surface flow problems are presented. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A new analysis of nonlinear free vibration behavior of bi-functionally graded sandwich plates using the p-version of the finite element method

Geometrically nonlinear vibration of bi-functionally graded material (FGM) sandwich plates has been carried out by the p-version of the finite element method (FEM). The bi-FGM sandwich plate is made up of two face-sheet layers of two different FGM and one layer of homogeneous core. The nonlinear equations of motion of bi-FGM sandwich plates are establish using the harmonic balance method and solved iteratively by the linearized updated mode method. The effects of amplitude vibration, mechanical properties, geometrical parameters, thickness ratio of bi-FGM layers, and volume fraction exponent on the nonlinear vibration behavior of bi-FGM sandwich plates are plotted and investigated.     

A new mass lumping scheme for the mixed hybrid finite element method

Diffusion‐type partial differential equation is a common mathematical model in physics. Solved by mixed finite elements, it leads to a system matrix which is not always an M‐matrix. Therefore, the numerical solution may exhibit unphysical results due to oscillations. The criterion necessary to obtain an M‐matrix is discussed in details for triangular, rectangular and tetrahedral elements. It is shown that the system matrix is never an M‐matrix for rectangular elements and can be an M‐matrix for triangular an tetrahedral elements if criteria on the element's shape and on the time step length are fulfilled. A new mass lumping scheme is developed which leads to a less restrictive criterion: the discretization must be weakly acute (all angles less than π/2) and there is no constraint on the time step length. The lumped formulation of mixed hybrid finite element can be applied not only to triangular meshes but also to more general shape elements in two and three dimensions. Numerical experiments show that, compared to the standard mixed hybrid formulation, the lumping scheme avoids (or strongly reduce) oscillations and does not create additional numerical errors. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

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.     

The Kantorovich method applied to bending,buckling, vibration,and 3D stress analyses of plates: A literature review

This study presents a thorough review of the applications of the Kantorovich method to several plate problems. The main objective of this review is to compile an up-to-date list of studies that employ the Kantorovich method, which is a semi-analytical numerical method, to bending, buckling, vibration, and three-dimensional elasticity problems of plates. The reviews highlight the derivations of the governing equations, which are written in form of ordinary differential equations, and the solution methods used to solve those equations. This review should be helpful for researchers and engineers to quickly gain an overview of the application of the method to thin-walled structures.     

An analysis of nonlinear thickness-shear vibrations of quartz crystal plates using the two-dimensional finite element method

A nonlinear analysis of high-frequency thickness-shear vibrations of AT-cut quartz crystal plates is presented with the two-dimensional finite element method. The Mindlin plate equations are truncated to the first-order ones as an approximation, and then they are used for the formulation of nonlinear finite element analysis with all zero- and first-order displacements. The matrix equation of motion is established with the first-order harmonic approximation, and the generalized nonlinear eigensystem is solved by a direct iterative procedure. A displacement amplitude versus frequency curve and corresponding mode shapes are obtained and examined. The nonlinear finite element program is developed based on the earlier linear edition and can be utilized to predict nonlinear characteristics of miniaturized quartz crystal resonators in the design process.     

The least‐squares finite element method in elasticity. Part II: Bending of thin plates

A least‐squares finite element method (LSFEM) for bending problems of thin plates is developed. This LSFEM is based on the first‐order deflection‐slope‐moment‐shear force formulation. Four compatibility conditions are added into the first‐order system; thus, the method can accommodate all kinds of equal‐order interpolations. Numerical experiments on various examples show that the method achieves an optimal rate of convergence for all eight variables. Copyright © 2002 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.