A displacement scheme with drilling degrees of freedom for plane elements

A scheme of boundary displacements with drilling degrees of freedom for plane elements is presented. The scheme is free from zero displacement modes and allows the development of hybrid finite elements with vertex and mid-side nodes, each node including a drilling degree of freedom besides the translational ones. Four quadrilateral isoparametric hybrid stress elements are implemented, and numerical results for some current test problems are given.     

Numerical analysis of the inclusion-crack interactions using an integral equation

 A general-purpose integral formulation is proposed for the analysis of the interaction between inclusions and cracks embedded in an elastic isotropic homogeneous infinite medium subjected to a remote loading. This formulation is tailored for the inclusions of arbitrary shapes with the presence of cracks. The discretization is limited to the inclusions (with continuous quadratic triangular and quadrilateral elements) and the cracks (using discontinuous quadratic elements). For the calculation of the stress intensity factors at the crack tips, special crack tip elements are used to model the variation of the displacements near the crack tips. Maximum circumferential stress criterion is adopted to determine the crack propagating direction. Numerical results of benchmark examples are compared with other available methods. Received: 8 January 2002 / Accepted: 24 September 2002     

四边形单元面积坐标理论

本文建立了四边形单元面积坐标的系统理论，包括：（１）给出四边形单元两个特征参数ｇ１，ｇ２的定义以及四边形退化为平行四边形（含矩形），梯形，三角形时相应的特征条件；（２）给出四边形单元面积坐标的定义及其与直角坐标和四边形等参坐标之间的变换关系；（３）给出四边形单元四个面积坐标分量之间应满足的两个恒等式并予以证明；（４）给出相关的一些重要公式。可以看出，四边形面积坐标是构造四边形单元的有效工具。它既是自然坐标，具有不变性；同时它与直角坐标之间为线性关系，易于得出单元刚度矩阵的积分显式，无需依赖于数值积分。     

A fractal patch test

Element consistency is generally checked using the patch test on an element patch of finite size. This condition may in certain cases be too restrictive, and disqualifies elements that appear to be convergent. A method termed ‘fractal patch test’ is presented, in which the patch size is maintained constant while the distorted mesh is refined. Examples are given for four-node quadrilateral elements used in plane stress and strain analysis, and for plate bending elements.     

The reference coordinates and distortion measures for quadrilateral hybrid stress membrane element

The skew Cartesian coordinate system determined by the Jacobian of the isoparametric transformation evaluated at the origin can be shown to be a geodesic coordinate system at the origin. By using a theory in differential geometry, inverse relations of the isoparametric coordinate transformation can be derived and expressed in terms of these geodesic coordinates. In the formulation of hybrid stress finite elements, it is suggested as a new strategy for assumed stresses that such coordinates be used as the reference coordinates. The theory described is exemplified by its applications to the 4-node hybrid stress membrane elements. A set of new distortion-measuring parameters for the quadrilateral element are also proposed based on such theory.     

Dispersion analysis of finite element semidiscretizations of the two-dimensional wave equation

The dispersive properties of finite element semidiscretizations of the two-dimensional wave equation are examined. Both bilinear quadrilateral elements and linear triangular elements are considered with diagonal and nondiagonal mass matrices in uniform meshes. It is shown that mass diagonalization and underintegration of the stiffness matrix of the quadrilateral element markedly increases dispersive errors. The dispersive properties of triangular meshes depends on the mesh layout; certain layouts introduce optical modes which amplify numerically induced oscillations and dispersive errors. Compared to the five-point Laplacian finite difference operator, rectangular finite element semidiscretizations with consistent mass matrices provide superior fidelity regardless of the wave direction.     

Two hybrid elements for analysis of thick,thin and sandwich plates

Two general quadrilateral elements for plate bending are developed. Each has 12 degrees of freedom and accounts for transverse shear deformation effects. Each is built from four triangular elements whose properties are derived by the assumed-stress hybrid approach. Matrices needed to generate the stiffness properties of the triangular elements are explicitly stated so as to facilitate their use. Numerical test cases, in which shear deformation effects range from negligible to very important, are used to illustrate the behaviour of the elements. It is concluded that the simpler of the two quadrilaterals is one of the best plate elements currently available.     

四边形单元面积坐标的微分和积分公式

构造四边形单元时，应用面积坐标方法有其优点。文献［１］系统地论述了四边形单元面积坐标理论，本文是文献［１］的续篇，补充论述采用四边形单元面积坐标时的微分和积分公式。采用三角形单元面积坐标时的微分和积分公式是其特殊情况。应用面积坐标方法时，易于得出四边形单元刚度矩阵的积分显式，无需依赖于数值积分，这个优点是采用四边形等参坐标时所不具备的。     

On improved hybrid finite elements with rotational degrees of freedom

A set of three new hybrid elements with rotational degrees-of-freedom (d.o.f.'s) is introduced. The solid, 8-node, hexahedron element is developed for solving three-dimensional elasticity problems. This element has three translational and three rotational d.o.f.'s at each node and is based on a 42-parameter. three-dimensional stress field in the natural convected co-ordinate system. For two-dimensional, plane elasticity problems, an improved triangular hybrid element and a quadrilateral hybrid element are presented. These elements use two translational and one rotational d.o.f. at each node. Three different sets of five-parameter stress fields defined in a natural convected co-ordinate system for the entire element are used for the mixed triangular element. The mixed quadrilateral element is based on a nine-parameter complete linear stress field in natural space. The midside translational d.o.f.'s are expressed in terms of the corner nodal translations and rotations using appropriate transformations. The stiffness matrix is derived based on the Hellinger–Reissner variational principle. The elements pass the patch test and demonstrate an improved performance over the existing elements for prescribed test examples.     

Two simple and efficient displacement‐based quadrilateral elements for the analysis of composite laminated plates

Two simple 4‐node 20‐DOF and 4‐node 24‐DOF displacement‐based quadrilateral elements named RDKQ‐L20 and RDKQ‐L24 are developed in this paper based on the first‐order shear deformation theory (FSDT) for linear analysis of thin to moderately thick laminates. The deflection and rotation functions of the element sides are obtained from Timoshenko's laminated composite beam functions. Linear displacement interpolation functions of the standard 4‐node quadrilateral isoparametric plane element and displacement functions of a quadrilateral plane element with drilling degrees of freedom are taken as in‐plane displacements of the proposed elements RDKQ‐L20 and RDKQ‐L24, respectively. Due to the application of Timoshenko's laminated composite beam functions, convergence can be ensured theoretically for very thin laminates. The elements are simple in formulation, and shear‐locking free for extremely thin laminates even with full integration. A hybrid‐enhanced procedure is employed to improve the accuracy of stress analysis, especially for transverse shear stresses. Numerical tests show that the new elements are convergent, not sensitive to mesh distortion, accurate and efficient for analysis of thin to moderately thick laminates. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A hybrid equilibrium element for folded plate and shell structures

This paper extends hybrid equilibrium formulation concepts, previously used with success for planar problems, to the analysis of folded plates and curved shells. A 2D hybrid equilibrium flat shell quadrilateral element is formulated for linear analysis, where detailed consideration is given to the implication of slope discontinuity when the element is used for non‐planar domains. Benchmark plate bending, folded plate and curved shell problems are modelled using equilibrium and conforming elements for comparison. In models of the latter two problems, torsional moments may be released along lines of slope discontinuity, and the effects of this assumption for the folded plate are studied by analysing a third type of model composed of 3D solid brick elements. The comparisons demonstrate an excellent performance from the new hybrid equilibrium analysis method for folded plates and curved shells. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Unstructured,curved elements for the two‐dimensional high order discontinuous control‐volume/finite‐element method

Quadrilateral and triangular elements with curved edges are developed in the framework of spectral, discontinuous, hybrid control‐volume/finite‐element method for elliptic problems. In order to accommodate hybrid meshes, encompassing both triangular and quadrilateral elements, one single mapping is used. The scheme is applied to two‐dimensional problems with discontinuous, anisotropic diffusion coefficients, and the exponential convergence of the method is verified in the presence of curved geometries. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

On using different finite elements with an automatic adaptive refinement procedure for the solution of 2-D stress analysis problems

A series of numerical tests is carried out employing some commonly used finite elements for the solution of 2-D elastostatic stress analysis problems with an automatic adaptive refinement procedure. Different kinds of elements including Lagrangian quadrilateral and triangular elements, serendipity quadrilaterals, incompatible elements and hybrid elements have been tested. It is found that for a general problem involving compressible material and when a moderate accuracy of the final solution is sought, the nine-node Lagrangian (L9) element will be the most effective element, while when an extremely accurate solution is needed, higher order Lagrangian quadrilaterals or triangles will be a suitable choice. However, if only linear elements are available, the well known 5βI linear hybrid element is the best choice. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A quadrilateral hybrid stress element for Mindlin plates based on incompatible displacements

An hybrid stress element formulation based on internal, incompatible displacements is used to develop efficient Mindlin plate elements. The 4-node quadrilateral Mindlin plate element is derived from a modified energy functional. Both displacements and stresses are defined in the natural co-ordinate interpolation system. The assumed stress field is obtained by tensor transformation and so chosen as to ensure that the element is co-ordinate invariant and stable. Shear locking is avoided through an appropriate identification of the internal, incompatible displacement field. The role played by incompatible displacements in the formulation of hybrid stress elements for thin and moderately thick plates is discussed. Numerical applications are presented to illustrate the accuracy and reliability of the suggested Mindlin plate element.     

A continuum-based shell theory for non-linear applications

The paper introduces a non-linear shell theory, which provides a complete three-dimensional state of stress. Since the theory is derived from simple three-dimensional continuum mechanics, it is very easy to understand. As an example, the theory is applied to quadrilateral shell elements, which provide only displacement degrees of freedom located at nodes on the outer surfaces and one degree of freedom at the middle surface. It is proposed to eliminate this degree of freedom on element level, so that the elements have the same layout as the equivalent brick elements, but have a better behaviour in bending, have stress resultants and are cheaper with respect to computational effort. The advantages with respect to implementation in a finite element program, as well as in special applications, are obvious. However, well-known conditioning problems in thin shell applications must be expected. Therefore emphasis is put on this issue in the example problems. It is shown that the elements can give acceptable answers in engineering applications and offer a potential for material non-linear applications, which will be considered in a forthcoming paper.     

On stress interpolation for hybrid models

A technique is proposed for the selection of stress interpolations for hybrid models. The present paper applies this approach to plane problems. The stiffness matrix is derived using the Hellinger–Reissner variational principle. This formulation uses infinitesimal equilibrium relationships and divides the assumed stress into its lower-order and higher-order parts. The patch test can be passed and the resulting elements are generally invariant. A plane four-node quadrilateral element is described and compared with existing elements. Numerical studies show that the accuracy of the element is generally good.     

用杂交法改善应力解的新型复合材料层合板单元

本文给出一种基于一阶剪切变形理论(FSDT)新型的、无闭锁的位移型四边形复合材料层合板单元TMQ20的列式;并根据Hellinger-Reissner变分原理,针对位移型复合材料板单元提出了一种新型应力杂交化后处理方法来改善单元计算应力的能力,使位移型单元可以简单和正确地预测层合板的应力,特别是层间横向剪应力的解。数值算例表明,经过改善的TMQ20单元具有位移型和杂交型有限元的双重优点,它不仅自由度少,列式简单,而且对位移和应力都可以得到高精度的结果,适用于从薄到中等厚度的复合材料层合板的计算。本文所提出的杂交化后处理方法的概念适用于改善任何种类的位移型单元的应力解。     

非协调元性能分析的两个定理

在构造非协调元的过程中,必须遵守一定的构造规律。本文从基本力学观点出发,提出并证明了两个定理。定理一、如果某种类型的有限单元共有n个独立参与整体刚度运算的自由度,则该单元最多只能精确模拟n种弹性力学基本解。该定理说明了单元的精度从根本上受自身自由度限制的,并指出了现有的四边形四结点单元发展空间不大,而四边形八结点Q8单元以及三维八结点H8单元仍然具有较大的发展余地。定理二则认为四边形四结点内参型非协调元如果能够通过小片试验,则不可能在任意畸变状态下精确表示纯弯场。该定理表明了畸变问题的尝试是有限制的。以上的结论虽然是针对非协调元的构造来提出的,但从论证过程看,应对其它类型的有限单元也适用。定理一和定理二对于今后新型有限元的发展可以起到一定的指导作用。     

Axisymmetric quadrilateral elements for large deformation hyperelastic analysis

In this paper, axisymmetric 8-node and 9-node quadrilateral elements for large deformation hyperelastic analysis are devised. To alleviate the volumetric locking which may be encountered in nearly incompressible materials, a volumetric enhanced assumed strain (EAS) mode is incorporated in the eight-node and nine-node uniformly reduced-integrated (URI) elements. To control the compatible spurious zero energy mode in the 9-node element, a stabilization matrix is attained by using a hybrid-strain formulation and, after some simplification, the matrix can be programmed in the element subroutine without resorting to numerical integration. Numerical examples show the relative efficacy of the proposed elements and other popular eight-node elements. In view of the constraint index count, the two elements are analogous to the Q8/3P and Q9/3P elements based on the u–p hybrid/mixed formulation. However, the former elements are more straight forward than the latter elements in both formulation and programming implementation.     

A stabilized one‐point integrated quadrilateral Reissner–Mindlin plate element

A new quadrilateral Reissner–Mindlin plate element with 12 element degrees of freedom is presented. For linear isotropic elasticity a Hellinger–Reissner functional with independent displacements, rotations and stress resultants is used. Within the mixed formulation the stress resultants are interpolated using five parameters for the bending moments and four parameters for the shear forces. The hybrid element stiffness matrix resulting from the stationary condition can be integrated analytically. This leads to a part obtained by one‐point integration and a stabilization matrix. The element possesses a correct rank, does not show shear locking and is applicable for the evaluation of displacements and stress resultants within the whole range of thin and thick plates. The bending patch test is fulfilled and the computed numerical examples show that the convergence behaviour is better than comparable quadrilateral assumed strain elements. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.