Torsion analysis of thin-walled beams including shear deformation effects

The first part of the paper develops a theory for the torsional analysis for open thin-walled beams of general cross-sections which accounts for shear deformation effects. Statically admissible stress fields are postulated in agreement with those resulting from the Vlasov thin-walled beam theory. The principle of stationary complementary energy is then adopted to formulate the governing field compatibility condition under the stress fields postulated. The naturally arising boundary terms are found to relate the warping deformations to the internal force fields. A torsion beam example is solved using the new theory in order to illustrate its applicability to practical problems. The second part of the paper implements the solution numerically in a force-based finite element context. Two finite elements are developed by assuming linear and hyperbolic bimoment fields. The FEA solutions are shown to provide lower bound representations of the stiffness when compared to those based on conventional beam theories founded on postulated kinematic assumptions.     

Nonlinear viscoelastic analysis of thin-walled beams in composite material

Laminated composites of polymeric matrix show anisotropic viscoelastic behaviour, enhanced by temperature and humidity effects. The consideration of anisotropy and viscoelasticity are important for the determination of deformations and, as a consequence, of deformation-related phenomena, as elastic and creep buckling. This paper studies the behaviour of thin-walled beams of composite material under flexure and buckling, taking account of creep effects. The analysis uses a nonlinear viscoelastic finite element code with shell elements, whose basic formulation is given. The use of shell elements allows a better representation of constitutive properties and boundary conditions. Comparison with available analytical results is made for several cases like flexure of an I beam, buckling of beam columns and lateral buckling of this beams. The results show good correlation.     

Mechanics of shear deformable thin-walled beams made of composite materials

In this paper, a new theoretical model is developed for the generalized linear analysis of composite thin-walled beams with open or closed cross-sections. The present model incorporates, in a full form the shear deformability by means of two features. The first one may be addressed as a mechanical aspect where the effect of shear deformability due to both bending and non-uniform warping is considered. The second feature is connected with the constitutive aspects, and it contemplates the use of different hypotheses adopted in the formulation. These topics are treated in a straightforward way by means of the Linearized Principle of Virtual Works. The model is developed by employing a non-linear displacement field, whose rotations are formulated by means of the rule of semitangential transformation. This model allows studying many problems of static's, free vibrations with or without arbitrary initial stresses and linear stability of composite thin-walled beams with general cross-sections. A discussion about the constitutive equations is performed, in order to explain distinctive aspects of the effects included in the theory. This paper presents the theoretical formulation together with finite element procedures that are developed with the aim to obtain solutions to the general equations of thin-walled shear deformable composite beams. A non-locking fourteen-degree-of-freedom finite element is introduced. Numerical examples are carried out in several topics of static's, dynamics and buckling problems, focusing attention in the validation of the theory with respect to experimental data and with 2D and 3D computational approaches. Also, new parametrical studies are performed in order to show the influence of shear flexibility in the mechanics of the thin-walled composite beams as well as to illustrate the usefulness of the model.     

Flexural–torsional behavior of thin-walled composite beams with closed cross-section

This paper investigates the static and dynamic characteristics of composite thin-walled beams that are constructed from a single-cell box. The structural model considered herein incorporates a number of nonclassical effects, such as material anisotropy, transverse shear, warping inhibition, nonuniform torsional model and rotary inertia. The governing equations were derived using extended Hamilton's principle and solved using extended Galerkin's method. The effects of fiber orientation on static deflection and natural frequencies are considered and a number of important conclusions are outlined.     

Non-linear model for stability of thin-walled composite beams with shear deformation

A geometrically non-linear theory for thin-walled composite beams is developed for both open and closed cross-sections and taking into account shear flexibility (bending and warping shear). This non-linear formulation is used for analyzing the static stability of beams made of composite materials subjected to concentrated end moments, concentrated forces, or uniformly distributed loads. Composite is assumed to be made of symmetric balanced laminates or especially orthotropic laminates. In order to solve the non-linear differential system, Ritz's method is first applied. Then, the resulting algebraic equilibrium equations are solved by means of an incremental Newton–Rapshon method. This paper investigates numerically the flexural–torsional and lateral buckling and post-buckling behavior of simply supported beams, pointing out the influence of shear–deformation for different laminate stacking sequence and the pre-buckling deflections effect on buckling loads. The numerical results show that the classical predictions of lateral buckling are conservative when the pre-buckling displacements are not negligible, and a non-linear buckling analysis may be required for reliable solutions.     

Non-uniform torsional behavior and stability of thin-walled elastic beams with arbitrary cross sections

In this paper, the analysis of the behavior of thin-wa lled beams, derived from Proki ’s work, is carried out by using beam theory with a single warping function valid for arbitrary form of cross sections, without any distinction between open and closed profiles and without using sectorial coordinates. The finite element method is used and numerical examples show the accuracy of the solution by comparison with other numerical or analytical results. For the stability analysis, analytical and numerical calculations of critical loads are given for beams submitted to bending moment and centrally applied forces. Equilibrium equations are established from the principle of virtual work. Critical loads are calculated by considering that a structure already in equilibrium reaches instability if there is one or more than one equilibrium position for the same loading. Results with this formulation are compared to those obtained with classical warping functions.     

Coupled stability analysis of thin-walled composite beams with closed cross-section

For the coupled stability analysis of thin-walled composite beam with closed cross-section subjected to various forces such as eccentric constant axial force, end moments, and linearly varying axial force, the efficient numerical method to evaluate the element stiffness matrix is newly presented based on the homogeneous form of simultaneous ordinary differential equations. The general bifurcation type of buckling theory for thin-walled composite box beam is developed based on the energy functional corresponding to semitangential rotations and semitangential moments. The coupled stability equations including variable coefficients and the force–displacement relationships are derived from the energy principle and explicit expressions for displacement functions are presented based on power series expansions of displacement components. The element stiffness matrix is evaluated by applying member force–displacement relationships to these displacement functions. In addition, the finite element model based on the cubic Hermitian interpolation polynomial is presented. In order to verify the accuracy and validity of this study, numerical solutions are presented and compared with the finite element solutions using the Hermitian beam elements and the available results from other researchers. Particularly, the influence of the eccentricity and the force ratio of axial forces, the fiber orientation, and the boundary conditions on the buckling behavior of composite box beam are parametrically investigated. Also the emphasis is given in showing the phenomenon of buckling mode change.     

Mechanics of thin-walled curved beams made of composite materials, allowing for shear deformability

In this paper, a new theoretical model is developed for the generalized linear analysis of composite thin-walled curved beams with open and closed cross-sections. In the present model two important concepts concerning to composite thin-walled curved beams are addressed. The first one is the incorporation in the model of what is called full shear deformability, i.e. shear flexibility due to both bending and non-uniform warping is considered. The second feature is connected with the constitutive aspects, and it contemplates the use of different hypotheses that can be adopted in the formulation. These topics are treated in a straightforward way by means of the Linearized Principle of Virtual Work. In order to obtain the motion equations of the model a non-linear displacement field, whose rotations are formulated by means of the rule of semitangential transformation, is employed. This model allows the study of many problems of statics, free and forced vibrations with arbitrary initial stresses and linear stability of composite thin-walled curved beams with general cross-sections. A discussion about the constitutive equations is performed in order to explain characteristic features of the effects included in the theory. This paper presents the theoretical formulation together with finite element procedures that are developed to obtain the numerical approximations to the general equations of thin-walled shear-deformable composite curved beams. For this kind of structural member, iso-parametric finite elements are introduced. Numerical examples are carried out in several topics of statics, dynamics and buckling problems, focusing attention in the validation of the theory with respect to experimental data and with 2D and 3D computational approaches. Also, new parametric studies are performed in order to show the influence of shear deformability on the mechanics of the thin-walled composite curved-beams with open and closed cross-sections as well as to illustrate the utility of the model.     

Nonlinear free vibration analysis of asymmetric thin-walled circularly curved beams with open cross section

A finite element formulation is present for the nonlinear free vibration of thin-walled curved beams with non-symmetric open across section. The kinetic and potential energies are derived by the virtual principle. The energy functional includes the effect of flexural–torsional coupling, the torsion warping and the shear center location. For finite element analysis, cubic polynomials are utilized as the shape functions of the two nodal thin-walled curved elements. Each node possesses seven degrees freedom including the warping degree of freedom. The nonlinear eigenvalue problem has been solved by the direct iteration technique. The results are compared with those for straight beams as available in the literature. The results for nonlinear free vibration analysis of curved beams for various radii and subtended angle are presented.     

Ultimate load analysis of thin-walled box beams considering shear lag effect

In this paper, the ultimate load of thin-walled box beams undergoing limited plastic strain is investigated with consideration of shear lag effect on the basis of the stress–strain relationship of elastic, linearly hardening materials. In the procedure, calculation formulae for strength increase coefficient, flange effective width ratio, critical values of plastic strain and shear lag coefficient are obtained for thin-walled box beams with elastic, linearly hardening materials. In addition, the relationships among the abovementioned parameters and conditions of boundary, load and aspect ratio L/2b (span length/beam width) of the box beams are established in this paper. For illustration, the numerical results of box beams under certain boundary and load conditions are presented and some conclusions are drawn which may offer references for the application of this procedure in structural design.     

Quadruply coupled linear free vibrations of thin-walled beams with a generic open section

The coupled vibration of thin-walled beams with a generic open section induced by the boundary conditions is investigated using the finite element method. If the axial displacement of the pin end is restrained at another point rather than the centroid of the asymmetric cross section, the axial vibration, two bending vibrations, and torsional vibration may be all coupled. The element developed here has two nodes with seven degrees of freedom per node. The shear center axis is chosen to be the reference axis and the element nodes are chosen to be located at the shear centers of the end cross sections of the beam element. Different sets of element nodal degrees of freedom corresponding to different pin ends are considered here. The relation between element matrices referred to different sets of element nodal degrees of freedom is derived.

Numerical examples are presented to demonstrate the accuracy of the proposed method and to investigate the effects of different pin ends on the coupled vibrations of the thin-wall beam.     

Exact solutions for thin-walled open-section composite beams with arbitrary lamination subjected to torsional moment

The exact solutions for torsional analysis of thin-walled open-section composite beams with arbitrary lamination subjected to torsional moment are presented for the first time. For this, a general thin-walled composite beam theory with arbitrary lamination is developed by introducing Vlasov's assumption and the equilibrium equations and the force–deformation relations are derived from the energy principle. Applying the displacement state vector consisting of 14 displacement parameters and the nodal displacements at both ends of the beam, the displacement functions are derived exactly. Then, the exact stiffness matrix for torsional analysis is determined using the force–deformation relations. As a special case, the closed-form solutions for symmetrically laminated composite beams with various boundary conditions are derived. Finally, the finite element procedure based on Hermitian interpolation polynomial is developed. To demonstrate the validity and the accuracy of this study, the numerical solutions are presented and compared with the closed-form solutions and the finite element results using the Hermitian beam elements and ABAQUS's shell elements.     

On free vibration analysis of thin-walled beams axially loaded

In this paper, a numerical–experimental study about natural frequencies of thin-walled beams axially loaded is presented. Moreover, the influence of axial load in the frequencies is studied. The equations of motion are based on Vlasov’s theory of thin-walled beams, which were modified previously to include the effects of shear flexibility, rotatory inertia in the stress resultants. Moreover, a constant axial load is incorporated to the formulation, both in the time and frequency domain. The differential equations are shown to be particularly suitable for analysis in the frequency domain using a state variables approach. A numerical investigation is carried out to reveal the influence of the axial load in several boundary conditions. Finally, free vibration experimental tests are presented, which allow verify the theory presented in this paper and provide good quality data that can be used for checking the accuracy and reliability of different theories.     

Variational design of open cross-section thin-walled beam under stability constraints

A thin-walled beam is in pure bending subjected to couples M₀. The open cross-section profile has two ribs, with cross-section A₀ and it is shaped symmetrically towards the plane perpendicular to the bending plane. The ribs are located at the profile ends. The shape of the profile line is searched for. Criterion is the minimal value of the cross-section area A₁ of the beam. The problem is described by means of variational calculus. Within the numerical calculations a Runge–Kutta method is used. The optimal shapes of beam profiles are shown graphically.     

Theory of initially twisted, composite, thin-walled beams

An asymptotically correct theory for initially twisted, thin-walled, composite beams has been constructed by the variational asymptotic method. The strain energy of the original, three-dimensional structure is first rigorously reduced to be a two-dimensional energy expressed in terms of shell strains. Then the two-dimensional strain energy is further reduced to be expressed in terms of the classical beam strain measures. The resulting theory is a classical beam model approximating the three-dimensional energy through the first-order of the initial twist. Consistent use of small parameters that are intrinsic to the problem allows a natural derivation for all thin-walled beams within a common framework, regardless of whether the section is open, closed, or strip-like. Several examples are studied using the present theory and the results are compared with a general cross-sectional analysis, VABS, and other published results.     

Flexural–torsional behavior of thin-walled composite beams

This paper presents a flexural–torsional analysis of I-shaped laminated composite beams. A general analytical model applicable to thin-walled I-section composite beams subjected to vertical and torsional load is developed. This model is based on the classical lamination theory, and accounts for the coupling of flexural and torsional responses for arbitrary laminate stacking sequence configuration, i.e. unsymmetric as well as symmetric. Governing equations are derived from the principle of the stationary value of total potential energy. Numerical results are obtained for thin-walled composites under vertical and torsional loading, addressing the effects of fiber angle, and laminate stacking sequence.     

Finite element modelling of composite beams with full and partial shear connection

The present investigation focuses on the evaluation of full and partial shear connection in composite beams using the commercial finite element (FE) software ANSYS. The proposed three-dimensional FE model is able to simulate the overall flexural behaviour of simply supported composite beams subjected to either concentrated or uniformly distributed loads. This covers: load deflection behaviour, longitudinal slip at the steel-concrete interface, distribution of stud shear force and failure modes. The reliability of the model is demonstrated by comparisons with experiments and with alternative numerical analyses. This is followed by an extensive parametric study using the calibrated FE model. The paper also discusses in detail several numerical modelling issues related to potential convergence problems, loading strategies and computer efficiency. The accuracy and simplicity of the proposed model make it suitable to predict and/or complement experimental investigations.     

钢筋混凝土矩形截面受扭最小配筋率构件的钢筋受力分析

以 9根钢筋混凝土矩形截面配筋率较小受扭构件的实验为基础 ,用有限元分析软件Ansys对构件进行了全过程静力模拟受力分析 ,计算结果与实验数据吻合较好 .讨论了构件截面变形随荷载的变化情况 ,纵筋和箍筋在屈服前后的变形、受力情况等 .     

Nonlinear analysis of composite beams subjected to combined flexure and torsion

There are situations in which a composite steel-concrete beam is subjected to torsion, such as members that are curved in plan or straight edge beams in buildings or bridges. The composite action of the steel beam and concrete slab in torsion is usually ignored in design codes of practice. Therefore, a three-dimensional (3D) finite element model is introduced in this paper to simulate composite steel-concrete beams subjected to combined flexure and torsion with the influence of partial shear connection using a commercial software ABAQUS. Brick and truss elements were used with the incorporation of nonlinear material characteristics and geometric behaviour in the model. This is coupled with an extensive parametric study using the validated finite element model using different parameters such as the span length and the level of shear connection. From the analytical study, a new phenomenon has been uncovered, which was validated by the test observation. This phenomenon called torsion induced vertical slip is an important issue, which would make the assumption plane sections remain plane invalid. In addition, difference in span length greatly affected the flexure-torsion interaction relationship of the composite steel-concrete beams, whilst the partial shear connection did not affect the relationship. Design models for readers to take away at the end of this paper are also proposed.     

GBT formulation to analyse the behaviour of thin-walled members with variable cross-section

The generalised beam theory (GBT) provides a general solution for the linear/non-linear analysis of prismatic thin-walled structures, using bar elements capable of describing the cross-section rigid-body motions and distortions. Nowadays GBT is fully developed for thin-walled members having a large variety of constant cross-sections. This paper provides the extension of GBT for the special case of thin-walled members with variable open cross-section and the limits of its applicability.